Over the hump???

Tommorrow, I will officially be nine weeks pregnant! My baby is nearly an inch in lenth with a fully functioning heart, fingers and toes...and more. I am over the hump, so to speak, compared to our last pregnancy. I've made it a week farther along, so far, and everything is going perfectly! It's difficult not to have that fear in the back of my mind, though - that fear of a loss. I am doing everything in my power to push that fear away, and I am enjoying every moment of this life growing inside of me!

I plan to keep blogging throughout this pregnancy, not only to let our friends and family in on everything that is going on, but so I can remember how I felt throughout this adventure. When I was pregnant with Kaylee, I was working full-time at the title company. My job was stressful, I had all-day morning sickness throughout my first trimester, and I had high bloodpressure the entire time. Looking back, I wish I'd have been able to relax and enjoy being pregnant. That tends to happen, though. We don't remember the good things...only the bad. With this baby, I get to be a stay-at-home-mommy, which is the greatest job in the world! Our baby gets kisses and hugs throughout each day from his/her big sister, and he/she is enjoying a nice, stress-free environment to grow and flourish! My bloodpressure has been doing great and is under control with meds. Though I have waves of nausea and a sleepless night or two to deal with, I am enjoying every moment of this!

I won't bore you all with baby bump photos each week or animated tickers showing our progress. I will admit, I did take a "bump" photo after I got our positive test, but only for reference! Perhaps I'll take another one after we've made it through this first trimester. I can post them together so that everyone can see how much I've been eating these past few weeks!

I will be honest and admit that I have been searching the internet for nursery ideas, trying to decide if we'll get a new crib or use Kaylee's, and of course, wondering if this is going to be a boy or a girl! I've decided we'll get a new crib bedding set, no matter what. Kaylee's is in the same shape as the day we purchased it, but I just want this baby to have something different! Kaylee's crib was a nice crib (and pricey), but it was also recalled. We never had issues with it, but I can't help but want something new and safe - and a different finish! It will be a decision made much later on, and it will also depend on how many houses Gene builds between now and then! As for boy or girl, I still don't know...it's driving me crazy! I knew with Kaylee....somehow. The last pregnancy, I had told Gene before I'd even tested positive that I knew I was pregnant and that it was a girl. We won't know on that one...not until we meet our child in heaven one day. This time, though, I have no clue. Like I said before, I didn't even think I was pregnant! Until we had our ultrasound, my paranoia had me convinced it was twins. Thank goodness, we ruled that out! Now we have this little baby growing in there, and we won't know for a few months whether it's a he or a she! Kaylee says it's a baby brother, but we are convinced that is only because that's what she wants at the moment! My mom's friend, Sweetie, is supposed to be the expert at guessing, and she says boy as well. Only time will tell!

Names.....well, we have them picked out, but we also had Kaylee's name picked out, too! She was Taylor Katherine Leonard until I got pregnant. Then we decided that her name wasn't Taylor...it was Kaylee! When we found out we were pregnant last time, I told Gene that I liked the name Bethany, so that is what we named her. I guess if she turns out to be a he, he may not care to much for us calling him Bethany all these years! This time around, we have a few names on the list. Our top girl name at this time is....well, if I told you now, that would spoil the surprise! We are still debating on a boy name - well, I am! Gene still wants his namesake, but I am opposing it more and more as time goes on for a number of reasons. I've thrown a couple others into the mix for Gene to think on, so we will see! We are thinking it will be early November when we find out for sure whether this is a boy or a girl. Whenever we find out, we'll be sure to let you all know!!!

Well, that is all of the exciting news I have for now! Things have been pretty uneventful, and I look forward to them staying that way. If you don't mind, keep us in your prayers and thoughts, and we will let you know about anything new when there's anything new to know about!

Love and Blessings,
Jessie