The Big Ultrasound

Well, this is it! Tomorrow (Monday) we have another ultrasound to make sure things are going well. By this time in our previous pregnancies, we had lost our first daughter and were put on bedrest with Natalie. If there are no changes in the length of my cervix at this point, I'd guess that there won't be any changes for the rest of the pregnancy. I'm praying that this ultrasound will help us realize that we did the right thing by going to Chicago for the surgery. It's hard to believe it will work--even though Dr. Haney is so convincing--because I always think that I'll be the exception. Dr. Haney keeps telling me we have nothing to worry about. Easy for him to say!! :) So, if you think of it, we would really appreciate an extra prayer for us tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes!

Natalie Rides a Horsey!

Our little girl is getting so big! Yesterday, she started physical therapy on a horse. I call it horse therapy, but the correct term is hippotherapy. That just sounds like she's riding a hippopotomous, so we'll stick with horse therapy. Her physical therapist, Nancy, rides with her. The idea is that the motion of the horse helps relax Natalie and makes it a whole lot easier to do the stretching and poses that Nancy does on a weekly basis at her office. Natalie LOVED it! The only thing she didn't like was the little helmet they made her wear.

Before riding...she did a little stretching in the barn.

Then, it was time to mount the horse named Lucy...

It was a windy day, but Natalie didn't care!

Lucy is a very pretty horse...
Natalie kept trying to get that annoying helmet off her head!

We'll see Lucy again next week!

It's a Boy!

Perry was able to figure it out without help from the ultrasound technician. I was quite impressed. I was totally prepared to hear, "it's a girl!" So I was surprised when she pointed out the little boy parts! She said she wouldn't have told us if she was not 100% certain, so I don't think there's anything to worry about. I can start buying little boy clothes again! The little guy was doing lots of moving around today--stretching out his little legs. I felt the first movements last week, but not much since. I really have to lay still and concentrate hard to figure it out. I'm sure he'll start kicking much harder in the few weeks to come.

Here is another picture of his face...

...and here is a view from the side. He's all squished up in a ball. You can kind of see his little leg.
The best news of the day, however, was that there is no shortening of my cervix. Everything looks great. That's a load off of our shoulders. Now we wait for the next ultrasound in two weeks.

THE RESULTS ARE IN...

...and it is...a BOY! I'm actually quite surprised that we were able to find out today. He was sitting in the perfect position for us to figure it out. Everything looks great so far! More to come...

Another girl???

Next Tuesday (the 26th), we have another ultrasound to make sure everything's going well. We MAY be able to find out if it's a boy or a girl. If not, we have ultrasounds scheduled every two weeks, so there's no doubt we'll find out soon. It seems as though everyone--not just Millers--is producing baby girls these days. Will we follow suit? Hmmm. I can tell you that I have a feeling it's a boy--but I also thought our other two girls were boys...so my opinion doesn't count for a whole lot. I did, however, correctly predict Katie would have a girl. So join in on the poll to the right and we'll let you know when we find out!

Take Me to Your Leader

We've made it to the second trimester! According to my pregnancy Web site, the baby is the size of a lemon. Unfortunately, my stomach is already the size of a watermelon. Not quite, but close. Yesterday we had the first of 9 ultrasounds I'll have over the next few months to check on the length of my cervix. So, here is the picture, which makes baby look like an alien. The face is on the right, the tummy on the left. His legs and arms are hidden. We don't know yet whether it's a boy or a girl. I'm guessing at our 18 week ultrasound we'll find out. Scott posted on his blog how people think you're a horrible parent if you don't find out the sex of your baby---well guess what? It goes both ways! I love when people ask me, "don't you want it to be a surprise?" I'm pretty sure seeing our child for the first time in the delivery room is just as surprising whether we know its gender ahead of time or not. They act like you're committing some mortal sin or something. Anyway, if it's a boy, we're going to have to figure out a way to paint half the room blue.

Baby On Board

We've made it to 12 weeks with no problems. Imagine that! I'm really starting to show already which is a good sign, but this in-between stage can get annoying. I just look fat, not pregnant. :P The due date is November 10th, although I will deliver a week earlier than that via C-section. No Brian, I can't hold this one in until the 25th. We'll have lots of ultrasound pictures to share in the coming months--at least 8 or so. My goal is to have Natalie sleeping through the night, or at least sleeping in her own bed through the night by the time this baby gets here. I have 6 months to accomplish that!