20 Weeks, half way there!

Baby West is growing, and so am I, kinda.  I've gained 4 pounds since my first OB appointment back in November.  I'm still not really showing, and a stranger would not think I was pregnant.

 

She is moving all around....I guess I first felt her about 2, maybe 3 weeks ago.  But being my first pregnancy, I wasn't sure exactly what I was feeling.  Was that my stomach and intestines rumbling or a baby kicking?  Hmmmm...  Now there is no doubt, it's her.  She is most active in the afternoon, when I get off of work and am sitting still, in the car or on the couch.  Or maybe that's just when I notice her the most.  She loves to flip around and kick after a meal, too.
I am still feeling pretty good, all in all, I guess I can't complain.  The nausea is gone, but I am not sleeping as well as I was in the first trimester.  I'm having aches and pains, but the OB reassured me that this is normal...at least the ones I am having.  (Contraction-type pain would not be normal at this point in the game.)  I am a little disappointed that I don't have a burst of energy like everyone says I would in the second trimester. Luckily though, my food aversions are gone, and I eat pretty much whatever I want (outside of the pregnancy no-no's, of course).
20 weeks means I am half way there!  It is hard to wrap my mind around that.  In 5 more months, or less, she will be here!  It doesn't feel like I've been pregnant for 5 months, either.  I told some one the other day that I can't imagine waiting another 20 weeks, I want her to be here now!  Of course, I want her fully grown and healthy before she makes her debut, but I am eager to meet her and see what she will be like.
On the other hand, we are nowhere near "ready" for Miss Collins.  The nursery is still in the planning stages, nothing has been done except moving out Cary's big desk (She will be taking over his downstairs office, near our bedroom). I have lots of big ideas for her room.  The color scheme for now is pink, gray and white.  When I think of all the little things that have to get done to her room, I'm glad I have 5 more months! ;)

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I also turned the big 3-0 this week!  Goodbye 20's, hello motherhood.

Collins Jewell

We celebrated a gender reveal party with our small group on the night of the BCS national championship.  Also, one of the coldest nights of the year!

 

A hot chocolate bar helped everyone warm up from the nearly single digit temps!

According to all the old wives tales, it should be a boy!

We asked everyone to cast their vote.

Team Girl 

And Team Boy

Then we revealed the surprise by throwing balloons off of the balcony to the living room below.

June says, "Silly!  I knew it was gonna be a girl!"

We also revealed her name...

Collins Jewell

She is named after our grandmothers, two beautiful women who both have a love of the Lord and raised strong families.  Collins is my middle name, but it is also my grandmother's maiden name.  Jewell is Cary's late grandmother's first name.

We are so blessed to have wonderful friends to share in our excitement, and we are definitely blessed to have a beautiful baby girl on the way!

Gender reveal...it's a ??? (17 weeks)

Baby West is a.....

 

We had originally planned to go to a local imaging place this past Friday, but on Thursday afternoon I got a call that the appointment would have to be canceled due to their machines being down.  My immediate thought was, "Are you kidding me?  This is de ja vu!"  They wanted to reschedule for next Friday, but I didn't want to wait yet another week.
I quickly got on the internet and looked up other imaging centers in South Carolina and Georgia.  The closest one ended up being on this side of Atlanta, about an hour and a half from us.  I sent a link to their website to Cary to get his opinion.  He texted me 15 minutes later and said we had an appointment for gender reveal at 10am on Saturday. I know, best husband ever!
The company is called Stork Vision, and they have several locations.  I must say, we were very impressed.  We chose a quick session, because all we really wanted to know was the gender and maybe have a couple pictures. We got them on a CD, making it easy to print them or share them.
Here is Baby West:

The sonographer of course found the fetus instantly and took pictures to send to their corporate office (every ultrasound is reviewed by an MD whether an OB, radiologist or primary care physician).  Then she found the perfect angle to tell us what we were anxiously wanting to know.

"It's a Girl!" she said.

I think Cary and my eyes instantly probably looked twice as big.  We were so certain we had a little boy in there, that we were shocked and amazed to find out it was a girl.  And we couldn't be happier.  We can finally use the correct pronoun, start planning the nursery, and buy some hair bows.  Out of Cary's 22 first and second cousins (on his Dad's side of the family), 77% are boys (Yes, Cary ran the numbers)!  Plus Cary is one of three boys and his Dad is one of 4 boys!  Time to add a little pink to the West family!

Look at those cute toes:

 

I must say, I've always thought these 3D ones were creepy, but this is a pretty good one of her face.  The placenta was in front of her, so we never got a completely clear view.  She looks beautiful to me! :)

Ok, that's all for now.  Miss West is gonna take a nap, sucking her thumb already.

The size of a Lemon (14 Weeks)

Do I have that "glow" yet?  Ha, I think it is the weird lighting in our laundry room!

Finished with my first trimester!  Can't believe 3 months have already flown by.  I had an appointment this past Monday (Second appointment).  This one was much quicker.  She basically asked how I was feeling and found the heartbeat.  She had a PA student with her who first attempted to find the heartbeat, but wasn't able.  Luckily, my OB found it immediately, so I didn't have time to get anxious. She said that due to the location, we could be on our way to a big baby.  Not sure what location has do with that....anyone?
I'm actually not showing, so if the baby is going to be big, it has a long way to go!  haha....I know, I just jinxed myself.  Now I'll probably need a forklift to get me to the hospital!
I am feeling better and actually have a good appetite now, thank the Lord!  All that nausea was getting me down.  I keep telling myself I'm going to start working out again....some day.
We finished telling family and friends this week and sent out our Christmas cards (which were also the pregnancy announcement). It is nice to have the secret out and not have to hide my pregnancy symptoms anymore.  Plus, it is fun to share in the excitement with great people!  I'm looking forward to the next trimester. 

Happy New Year

As we reflect on 2013, it is a reminder of just how blessed we are.  It is also a chance to review some goals for 2013 and what to plan and expect in 2014.
I follow several blogs including MyMoneyBlog.  This blog is written by a guy in his 30's in a similar life situation as us, though he has been chronicling since 2004. He inspired me to write down my goals for this year.

After some reflection, here are my personal and family goals for 2014:
Read the entire Bible using the One Year Bible reading plan
Have at least 1x gross salary in retirement
Read 1 book each month for pleasure
Complete a living will and estate plan
Fund a 529 account at a rate that will obtain FULL tuition, room, and board by 2032
Have 6 months reserve cash emergency fund
Be on track for paying off our home by 2024

You (Kelly included) may ask why publish these?
1) It helps keep us accountable
2) It may help someone else

Hope 2014 is a great one.