Our OB appointment went great today.  Our midwife said everything is perfect and he is growing just as he should be.  His heartbeat sounded strong, 150 beats per minute, and my baby bump is 25 centimeters now!  I have gained SIX pounds (the first time in the whole pregnancy that I have gained weight), but the norm at 25 weeks is between 7-11 pounds.  The doctor said that we will make our next appointment in three weeks, and after that we will come in every other week!  We decided not to get another ultrasound done until we are a little further along so we can give Baby a little more time to build up some chunky cheeks for his next photo.  🙂

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Today we hit the jackpot with baby goodies!  Our very generous next door neighbors have twin babies- a girl and a boy, about 11 months old. Today they gave us tons of baby stuff, and more is being sent our way!  We got the cutest car seat you have ever seen, two car seat bases for our cars, a jumping seat, a baby swing, a gorgeous bassinet, and even a play pen!! The crib is up in the nursery, and we are starting to accumulate so many things for him that his room is starting to look like something you would see on TLC’s Hoarding: Buried Alive.   Right now, we are just getting everything in the room until we decide exactly how we will decorate, but soon I will post pictures.

My aunt, uncle and cousin also brought baby some of the cutest outfits from Baby Gap I have ever seen.  He even got his very first “I love my mommy” shirt!  He already has a few “Daddy” shirts, so I was starting to feel a little left out. 😉 He’s going to be super styling.

We are leaving this morning for our big road trip and the baby is stoked.  It is so strange, I swear it is like he knows something is happening.  I have been awake since 4:30 am because he is kicking so consistently hard that I can’t begin to sleep.

We will be on the road a lot for the next two weeks, so more than likely I will not be updating my blog very often for a while, but never fear- we will be back blogging soon.  XO.

Last night as we laid in bed, Ian put his hands on my belly in attempt to feel the little one move, as I am constantly screeching with excitement every time I feel him. I moved his hand low and to the left and said “He is kicking right here.” A moment later Ian’s voice raced with excitement as he said “Was that him!?” “yes” I said in the dark. Even with my back to him, I could feel the energy from his smile.

Yesterday we officially started to assemble the nursery. We put Baby Boy’s crib together- it took us 2 hours, but it was definitely worth all of the time.  Just having the crib up makes this pregnancy even more real.  Somedays I can’t imagine not being pregnant, and others I have to remind myself in just a few short months, we will have a new member of our family.  Lately, I have been shopping for baby clothes, and I have to say, it is definitely one of my new most favorite things to shop for.  You can’t go wrong- everything you pick up is absolutely darling!  I think the baby already has more clothes than his daddy.

Also, along the lines of being productive (baby-wise, anyway), we think we have picked out his name! Although, I have to warn you, we will not be sharing it until we are absolutely certain.  We are still open for any suggestions for Baby Mielke- as long as no one suggests “2 percent” or “Chocolate” again.  Haha!

Tomorrow, we are going to pick up my Aunt Jacque, Uncle Mitch and Cousin Gabbey at the airport, and the following day, we are all leaving for a family road trip up the east coast!  I couldn’t be more excited, although everyone just might want to kill me by the time we get there- Baby requires frequent potty breaks. 😉 Our foster daughters have never been out of the state of Georgia, so they are beside themselves with the opportunity to see Washington D.C., New York City, Williamsburg, Virginia, and Myrtle Beach.

Well, we learned a few things during our ultrasound.

Baby has strong durable bones, a working bladder and ten fingers and toes.

The heartbeat is rapid and strong, and both Baby and Mom are in excellent health.

The due date remains on 11.11.11.

But that’s not what you really want to know, is it?

Is it?

Okay, well, if you must know …

Our baby is a ….

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

?

It couldn’t have been more clear.  When Ian asked the ultrasound technician what the chances of the ultrasound being wrong were, she responded with, “Well if it’s wrong, I will quit my job.”  🙂 So, I’m pretty sure we wont be returning any baby blue clothes.

He’s probably going to be a big boy, too – he’s measuring bigger than expected for the due date. Not enough to change the due date, but pretty close.

However, my weight gain (or loss) has been fantastic. I’m halfway through the pregnancy, and am still two tenths of a pound under my starting weight before becoming pregnant. This is awesome, especially since I’ve been working so hard to eat healthier and exercise more after finding out I was pregnant.  My midwife told me that now I can expect to start putting on quite a bit of weight (which I am looking forward to for the first time ever because more weight= chubby baby cheeks) 😉

I have felt like it was a boy right from the first day I found out I was pregnant, but to hear those confirming words left us both speechless.  We are overjoyed.  We can’t wait to meet our son.

Oh, BOY!!

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will be tomorrow.

We are driving up to Greenville, North Carolina for Ian’s little sister’s bridal shower in the morning.  The whole family will be together, so we are going to tell everyone then (and hopefully get it on video for Baby Mielke to see when “its” older).  😉  It is absolutely killing us to not call baby’s aunt, uncle, grandparents, and even great grandparents and blurt out our amazing news.    Hopefully we can wait just 24 more hours! (I’m not making any promises though, haha)

BUT… For those of you who really can’t wait and want to make an educated guess,  here’s a list of info from various wives tales (which range from making sense to being totally out there) that may help.  🙂

– I am carrying high.

-My belly looks more like a basketball than a watermelon.

– Horrible morning sickness during the entire first trimester… except it was morning, noon, and night.  But now, I am feeling GREAT!

– I could fall asleep on a rock in ten seconds at any point during the day.

– Ian’s father had two sons.

– I am having serious cravings, but never for the same thing twice.  For example, I HAD to have an ICEE from Target, but have never wanted one since.

– I lost 5 pounds during the first trimester.

-I lost two-tenths of a pound during the second trimester at 21 weeks.  (But , no worries- the doctor says baby is growing just right).

– My skin, hair and nails are fabulous!

– At 13 weeks, the heartbeat was 178 beats per minute.  At 21 weeks, the heartbeat was 150 beats per minute.

– I do not eat the heel of my bread loaves.

– The boob fairies have come to visit me, I am fairly certain.

-I haven’t had more than three headaches in 21 weeks.

– I love orange juice!

– If someone wants to look at my hands, I show them palm up.

– I use the handle when picking up my mug.

Good luck! You have a 50 percent chance of being right!