Background

Ironically, as I start this blog today...We found out that we were pregnant with our beautiful baby boy on Tuesday October 28th.  Our first OB appt. was on November 13th and we were about 6 weeks along at that time.

My pregnancy was completely normal.  Our first ultrasound we could see this tiny little pea of a baby and he already had a very strong heartbeat. Michael and I were overjoyed as we listened and were anxious to get through the 1st trimester.  My morning sickness happened at night, so Michael was on his own for dinner for quite a while.  He didn't mind this as he got away with eating tons of steaks and pork...he wasn't about to cook any veggies!

Through Christmas and New Years, my stomach grew as did our baby.  We had our 12 week ultrasound and our baby was still absolutely healthy.  We also had a "First-Look" ultrasound which measures different parts of the baby to determine if there are any abnormalities.  After the ultrasound is taken and your family history is taken they send you a sheet in the mail that explains your risk for any birth defect.  Our risk was incredibly low and based on what the sheet said, we didn't feel there was any further testing needed.  Our OB agreed and so we went on with our healthy pregnancy.

And now our little Jack at 20 weeks:

It's a boy!!!

We found out that our baby was a Boy on February 19th, 2009!!  We were both thrilled and when the above image popped up on the screen, there was no disputing it!  Michael had always said that his family only produced boys, so we weren't too surprised!  Immediately we named him Joseph Steven.  He is named after his grandfather on Michael's dad's side (Joseph).  Michael's family called his grandpa "Jack", so therefore, we call our little baby Jack!  His middle name, Steven, comes from both of our dads. So, the name was quite easy and we know that he walks in the footsteps of some amazing men.  What a legacy before him.

The weekend before we found out the sex is when I felt him move for the 1s time!  It was so amazing and magical!  Michael wasn't able to feel him for a few more weeks and toward the end, we would just watch my stomach move all around.  Jack was proving to be a kicker!  That is probably the main thing I miss about pregnancy - having him with me all the time and being able to feel his every movement...I LOVED IT!

The rest of our pregnancy went as planned.  My cravings included McDonald french fries, tomatoes, watermelon, ice cream, and very grilled hot dogs!  Towards the end, all I wanted was hot dogs!!     All in all, our pregnancy was pretty normal and enjoyable.  But I will say, those last 10 weeks, are not easy and you do fill like a blimp!

This is a picture from my baby shower at 33 weeks!  They were all trying to guess how big my tummy was with a piece of ribbon...they all over-estimated!!! SAD!

And here I am at the Race for the Cure...37 weeks preggo!

My friend and Co-worker, Laura, accompanied me.  And as you can see, I had started to "drop" at this point.  My appt on the 37th week revealed that I was starting to dialate and efface!  We didn't think Jack was going to wait for July 6 (the due date) to come!