19 weeks!

Last week as you know we went to get an ultrasound, but I had not revealed what Garrett and I were being blessed with.  I am happy to announce that we will be welcoming a precious baby girl in April!  Her name is Grace Lynn Myers.  Yes, we did have, both, a boy name and a girl name already picked out.  So, we'll just have to put the boy name on hold for any potential future boy baby myers'.  Grace has been a name that I have always liked and Garrett didn't really have any ties to any specific girl names that he wanted.  So, when we were contemplating different names, we both kept coming back to Grace and were able to stick with it.  Not to mention, come to find out, my grandfathers late sister (my great aunt) was Grace!  Lynn is a name that actually runs in both of our families.  I have always expressed how much it meant to me to keep it in my family and when Garrett was talking to his grandmother, he found out that Lynn actually is a middle name that runs further up in his line.  So, all in all, I believe it was meant to be and I actually like the ring to it and think that it all flows pretty well together; Grace Lynn Myers.

It's a GIRL!

Rubbing her eye

This last Saturday Garrett and I had a baby gender reveal party.  I wanted the gender to be a surprise until the end (crazy, maybe, but that's me) and Garrett wanted to know as soon as possible of course.  We compromised by finding out the sex together at the doctor and then throwing a reveal party the following weekend to keep the surprise and have our families find out together.  The waiting to tell was the hardest part!  However, I don't regret any of it for a minute.  I was so happy to be able to watch our little Grace move on the monitor and to be able to talk about her and her progress with the technician, as well as, hear the explanation as to just why she's a she and what the u/s tech was looking for, etc.

1. four generations Grandma, Mama, Me and Grace!
2. Me with my two Papas

Surprisingly more people chose boys, but guess what?!  It's a girl!

This Monday, Garrett and I went for a normal OB visit.  Again we were able to hear Grace's heartbeat, which I always love!  However, I was a little bummed to hear that I'm a little over my weight goal.  Good news is though, the doctor says that I'm not much over and still have time to get it in check.  I just have take in more healthy stuff and less of the french fries.  Those were my saving grace, especially through the whole first trimester (any salty carbs were my best Friend).  Guess I don't really need those now.

All in all, I'm doing great and Garrett is doing wonderful as well.  We are both so very happy about welcoming another girl into the household.  However, I don't know what Garrett is going to do with all us girls.  Between me, Cambrie, Maggie, and now Grace, he may have a handful, lol.  I know that he is going to love every minute of it though!  It's also great to know that mama is only half an hour away and can be over at beckon call.  I know she'd be over in an instant to help when I need her or just be there for emotional support.  I also know that we'd be welcome over there anytime!  She is already counting down until little miss Grace will be here and she and the other grandparents can spoil her! :)  We have definitely been blessed and I know Grace Lynn will also be blessed by all the same family and friends that God's place in Mine and Garrett's lives.

Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I do hope that you all have an absolutely blessed Thanksgiving with your families, friends, and whomever you wish to celebrate or spend time with.  Remember to be thankful for all your many blessings.  I know that I am so very thankful be able to be a wife to the most amazing man a girl could hope for, daughter of an incredible mom and dad that continue to inspire me and be a positive influence in my life, and a mommy-to-be of a precious baby girl that I cannot wait to welcome in the next year!  God Bless all!

TheBump.com says:

your baby's the size of a mango!

At about 6.0 inches long and weighing in at about 8.5 ounces, she's getting there!

your baby at 19 weeks

• Developing a protective coating over her skin, called vernix caseosa. It's greasy and white and you may see some of it at her birth.
• Working on her five senses. Nerve cells for her sense of taste, hearing, sight and smell are developing in her brain.

18 weeks!

This has been one world wind of a wonderful week!  Thursday, Garrett and I started our first week with our community small group from church.  It was a lot of fun and great fellowship time.  We are really looking forward to the weeks to come.  Saturday, Garrett, my mom, and I went to Epcot for the food and wine festival.  Yep, the pregnant gal went to a wine festival, haha.  I was so happy and excited to go though just to at least see all the wonderful sounding drinks and foods and spend time with the best mama and hubby.  And, you know I was not going to pass up some delicious strawberry gelato!  Then our next big day was Tuesday!

Tuesday, Garrett, my mom, and I went to get my second ultrasound and yep, this was the big one... would we be having a he or a she?  We've been praying and praying that our little bundle of joy would cooperate and show us just what he or she was.  Lucky for us, our precious baby did just that!  Our joy is definitely a mover and not camera shy by any means.  We were able to get numerous face shots.  Baby Myers is also quite the flexible one and constantly had a leg by the head and/or an arm wrapped over the head.  I must say that aside from just finding out, some of the best things were seeing the baby open and close its mouth... yep already sucking, and to see the heart beat, as well as hear it (that is always amazing!), to see the spine and all it's bones, see the brain, see little fingers and toes, and finally just to see all the movement!  I cannot wait until I'm able to feel some of that moving... and feel those little feet push on the belly.  The u/s tech also did lots of measuring and our little baby is growing quite proportionally and is right on track for an April 14th delivery. The femur, brain, bladder, my fluids, etc... all measurements looked great!

saying hi with the hand way up over the head!

Taking after either Aunt Amanda, Me, or Daddy with this flexibility

All in all, it's been just a wonderful week and Garrett and I are definitely blessed.  Saturday, we will be sharing the wonderful news with our family and some family friends.  I cannot wait to then share with everyone else what the next little Myers baby will be.  Stay tuned!

TheBump.com says:

your baby's the size of a sweet potato!

She's about 5.6 inches long and about 6.7 ounces now and she keeps on growing rapidly. (That's why you're probably feeling so hungry.)

your baby at 18 weeks

• Can you believe she's yawning, hiccuping, sucking and swallowing?
• And she's twisting, rolling, punching and kicking, too -- and she's big enough that you might be able to feel her doing it!

17 weeks!

I can't believe that my belly is FINALLY just starting to look like a pregnant belly.  People still will not say anything because they don't want to mistake possibly just a chubby belly for a baby belly.  However, many people that know I'm pregnant and have seen me recently have noticed the growing change and commented on me looking "more" pregnant now.  It's a pretty cool feeling knowing that my body is starting to physically reflect the little blessing that I'm carrying inside.

I cannot wait to be able to say he or she, let alone refer to our baby by their name real soon! (yes, I said real soon).  We have an appointment set up for next week to find out the sex of our child (baby willing... and cooperating).  I'm really hoping that baby myers cooperates and shows us what he or she is.  Garrett and I are so excited and anxious!

All in all, I've been doing a lot better lately, my appetite is starting to get a little more normal and I haven't really had any sickness in a little while now.  I'm also starting to get some energy back.  I still get pretty tired, pretty early, but I am able to force myself to stay up a little longer than I had been (instead of 8:30, I can make it to 9:30pm if I try hard enough, lol).

This last weekend my mama and I had a much needed and wonderful girls day.  We went shopping and got pedicures!  I love spending time with my mom and we are good shopping buddies because I can be very indecisive, which she helps me with and I love to help her pick out stuff for her too.  It's a win/win for us both!  After our mom/daughter day, we came back to our house and met up with some family friends for a movie night.  It was a lot of fun to get together with the Gonzales', Justin and Antonio and their mom (Michelle), and my family.  We hate lots of yummy food and enjoyed Cars 2.

The whole last week in general has been pretty wonderful and definitely a blessing.  I hope that each of you also had a wonderful and blessed week.  God's blessed me with some pretty incredible people in my life and this week I've really noticed that.  "A friend is one who strengthens you with prayers, blesses you with love, and encourages you with hope."  I believe that is so true and that is the just kind of friend I strive to be.  I know that I have friends (by that definition) in my life and I've seen and/or talked to some of them throughout this week.  I'm just constantly encouraged by them and always get joy when talking to them or being around them.  Hopefully you guys know who you are and I only hope to bring that same hope, encouragement, and joy to you.  A big thank you to all of you for everything!!  Also a big thanks to God always for reminding of my blessings and placing each and every one of you in my life for one reason or another.  You all are a blessing in my life.

Here's what theBump.com has to say about week 17:

your baby's the size of an onion!

Baby continues to beef up. Now she's about 5.1 inches long and weighs about 5.9 ounces.

your baby at 17 weeks

• Her rubbery cartilage is now turning to bone.
• And she's growing some meat on those bones -- putting on some fat.
• She's growing a stronger, thicker umbilical cord, too.

16 weeks!

I'm finally to the fourth month (16 weeks and 4 days to be exact).  I cannot believe how fast time is flying.  I've been doing really well and feeling pretty great.  Some mornings I still have a little nausea, but nothing a few crackers or little food can't fix.  This weekend Garrett and I visited my home church where my family still attends.  It was so great to see everyone there and I know some of them were excited to see us and the baby bump (tiny might I add, but slight bump).  We then went out to eat with the family and had a great afternoon together.

Some other fun news from this weekend; Garrett and I's church held their annual Festival of Tents on the church property.  Since we've only been attending Round Lake for about 8 or 9 months, this was our first experience with the event.  It was a ton of fun!!  It was basically just a bunch of church family camping and celebrating God together.  We camped out with them Friday evening and enjoyed great fellowship over food, campfire, and games.  Nothing says country church like camping and hog roasting... It was great fun and nice to get to know some of our fellow community better.  You bet we'll be back again next year.  This was also our first experience leaving our two babies home alone.  Luckily, our church is only 5 mins or so away from the house; so we could let them out Friday evening and then again Saturday morning.  I can proudly say that they did wonderful and left no messes!  They were rewarded with some treats and lots of lovin' of course!

Also, Garrett and I carved a pumpkin together... I unfortunately did not take very many or very good pictures of it though.  See if you can see what it says.

Yes, we're still supporters, lol.  I really hope we can share our love for the team with our little one next year.  Our bundle of joy is definitely going to have a Magic onesie, jersey, or something (or multiple) of Orlando Magic!

Anyways, update with the baby, he or she is growing quite fast!  My baby bump is slowly but surely expanding... and I'm still lotioning up.  Before I know it, I'll be pretty rotund and ironically I can't wait!!  Here is what the belly looks like at 16wks4ds:

And here is what theBump.com has to say:

your baby's the size of an avocado!

Now, she's about 4.6 inches long and weighs about 3.5 ounces, and she's big enough that your doctor may be able to hear her heartbeat.

your baby at 16 weeks

• She's listening to your voice, thanks to tiny bones forming in her ears.
• She's growing hair, lashes and eyebrows.
• And she's forming taste buds.

15 weeks!

Well, today marks 15 weeks and 4 days.  I finally am getting a noticeable belly.  Now I have to think about what I wear because it either makes me look pregnant (for a change) or a little fat, or it just covers the belly all-together.  So, I have some options, but just have to be more conscientious I guess.  However, I'm still in mostly normal clothes... occasionally I'll wear a maternity shirt or pants just because they are much more comfortable, but I do still have some clothes that still fit (snuggly might I add, but they fit).  I have a good feeling I'll be out of my normal stuff, pants especially, here real soon.  Here is my growing belly:

Garrett and I went to the Dr. Monday and got to hear the little ones heartbeat again.  The doctor said that all looks and sounds good which is wonderful!  Then Monday afternoon I went to get blood taken for my Quad Screening.  I have to wait until I see the doctor again before I can hear the results.  I'm just hoping and praying for our baby's continuing positive progress and a healthy baby boy or girl.

For those that are asking or are curious, I still have two weeks before I can set up my ultrasound to find out if it's a boy or girl.  Believe me, nobody is more anxious to know than Garrett.  He is so excited and cannot wait to find out if we will be welcoming a little boy or little girl.  I'm excited too, but I love surprises, so the wait isn't terrible.  I know it'll be worth it.  Heck, I wanted to wait until delivery day to know if we had a boy or girl, but Garrett did not want to wait that long, especially for our first.  So, we'll be finding out our this one and for any future little Myers' that may come around, we may wait to find out.

Thank you everybody who is keeping up with my blog and encouraging me each week or asking how I'm doing.  Some days are definitely better than others, but the positives definitely far outweigh the negatives.  I do know this is one incredible blessing that I wouldn't change for the world.

Also, this weekend Garrett and I went to Largo for a long-time friend of his' wedding.  Rebecca looked beautiful and it was a wonderful ceremony.  It was nice to be able to get away and while there we also got the chance to see my favorite!  I always love seeing my cousin Sarah.  Garrett, myself, favorite, and Mike all got to have a wonderful dinner together.  Here are a few pictures from the wedding:

Oh and here's what theBump.com has to say about our baby's growth and changes:

your baby's the size of a navel orange!

The average fetus at 15 weeks weighs 2.5 ounces and measures 4 inches -- and his proportions are becoming even more normal, since his legs now outmeasure his arms.

your baby at 15 weeks

• You probably can't feel it yet, but she's squirming a ton!
• She might even be hiccuping in there.
• She's making lots of progress: her joints and limbs can all move now.

14 weeks!

Today marks 14 weeks and 4 days.  Luckily, I can say that the morning sickness is really starting to wear off and it's great!  I still get it here and there, but not nearly as often or nearly as bad as it was.  Also, I can now physically feel  my belly growing and it doesn't just feel like extra fat from food.   It may sound strange to anyone that doesn't have kids and probably sounds perfectly normal to those that do (although it's definitely a new thing for me and I wasn't sure what to expect), but it is kind of neat and strange at the same time to physically feel the belly growing.  I guess I thought it'd just feel like I was gaining weight gradually, but I it's not the same at all... just feels like the skin is slowly stretching.  I'm still eating a little more than normal for regular meals, but with the morning sickness wearing off, I'm not snacking nearly as much throughout the day as I was.  So, I'm no longer adding that unnecessary food fat that I felt like I was previously adding.  I've also been told from several to start applying the lotions and oils early to help in limiting the stretch marks... so I've been lotioning the belly up in the morning and often at night. Here is the growing belly:

Other than all that above, I'm still growing and going to the restroom a LOT!  This week has all in all been wonderful!  I've been trying to get to sleep earlier since I'm waking up multiple times in a night and 5:00am comes around way too early.  However, before hitting the sack, I do like to take some time with Garrett to go out and look at the sunset.  Check out one from this week... tell me this is not BEAUTIFUL!!  God does some amazing artwork in the sky!

Finally, here's what's going on with our baby according to theBump.com:

your baby's the size of a lemon!

At 3.4 inches and 1.5 ounces, he's almost doubled in weight since last week and keeps on growing.

your baby at 14 weeks

• He's probably sucking his thumb and wiggling his toes in there!
• His kidneys are making urine, and his liver and spleen are doing their jobs, too.
• And he's growing lanugo, a thin, peach-fuzz-like hair, all over his body -- it will help him keep warm!

13 weeks!

Can you believe it?!  I am officially in my second trimester!  I am beyond excited and cannot wait for the growing belly to begin growing even more rapidly and to experience the "best" trimester of the three apparently, lol.  The first was pretty great, so I'm assuming it'll just keep getting better!  Sorry this update is a day late... I wrote it yesterday, but could not upload until today because we are currently without internet at the house, but we are working on hopefully getting that back up and running again here soon.

Well yesterday, the 11th, was my birthday and it was definitely a great one!  I am still not sure I really am 27 years old... Can't believe how fast time flies and can't believe that by both Garrett's and I's birthdays next year we'll be parents.  Holy Moly, God is great and is definitely blessing us greatly!  For this year Garrett and I promised each other we'd just do a combined dinner for both our birthdays to avoid spending much money and to just enjoy each others company, not so much the gifts.  So much to my surprise, it was wonderful to get birthday flowers sent to work yesterday for my birthday.  Then I asked what he wanted for dinner and he casually suggested pork chops since he knows my favorite meal consists of pork chops.  However, much to my surprise shortly after arriving home from work, my parents showed up.  Then my favorite pizza arrived and I had an "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUNSHINE" cake with my favorite flowers on it waiting for me!  Now if that wasn't enough, I also got a couple things from my parents for my birthday and also received our first baby play pin toy thing from them because jokingly all I told my mom I wanted was baby stuff and help preparing for the baby, lol.  My parents are the best!  And Garrett also went out and bought me the newest Just Dance 3 game for wii as well as a new light up wii remote.  So, needless to say we of course had to have a dance off last night, lol.  Garrett definitely held his own and put up a good fight, but I still believe I know where our child will get there dance ability ;) haha, jk.  Garrett did awesome!  All in all, after a very long, tiring day at work, Garrett and my family made my birthday one to remember!

Now time for baby updates :)
Our little baby is growing fast!  We go back to the Dr. in a few weeks and I'm hoping they'll schedule the next ultrasound then too so we can hopefully find out girl or boy.  Originally I did not want to know, but Garrett did, so he made a proposition to which I accepted.  We are going to find out the sex of our first child, but any future child I get the choice; that's one heck of a deal if you ask me, lol.  For those that are curious, Garrett wants a boy and I'd like a girl, but ultimately we both want at least one boy and one girl, God willing... so it's really in his hands as to what we get and in what timing.  We do have names picked out for both though :)  With just starting the second trimester, I do still have some morning sickness, but am hoping that will wear off soon.  Also, sleep is getting tougher; for those that know me, you know I already have a small bladder, but now add a growing baby in there... I wake up multiple times in the night sometimes, but guess it's better to get used to less sleep earlier on so I am at least somewhat prepared for a newborn.  Cambrie doesn't help either because inevitably if I wake up, she too then wakes up and she's not quiet when she wakes up.  That is definitely something we're going to have to work on with her, especially come closer to baby time.  Luckily she falls right back asleep quick.  And, my belly is still growing fast, but now is the time that it will grow the quickest, so I'll be sure to keep the pictures coming! :)  Here is my belly at 13 weeks:

Here's what theBump.com has to say:

your baby's the size of a peach!

She's about 2.9 inches long and weighs about .81 ounces, and -- proportion-wise -- her head's now about 1/3 the size of her body (remember? It used to be bigger!).

your baby at 13 weeks

• Can you believe she's forming vocal cords and teeth?!
• And even though she's still teeny, she already has fingerprints.
• Her intestines are moving from the umbilical cord to their more permanent place, in her tummy.