IT'S A GIRL!!!!

Yep, we're having a girl! We're both thrilled and have already picked up some cute girly clothes from a garage sale. It's so fun to now be able to say "she" instead of "it" or "baby". Here are some pictures from our ultrasound.

Here's her arm and leg. Our ultrasound tech labeled them to make it easier to distinguish. :)

Her footprint

Her left leg (and behind)

This one might be hard to "see". Both her legs are there and they're crossed at her ankles.

Her spine

Her profile

Lastly, here's a picture of the proud parents-to-be. As I was getting ready for our appointment, I had already planned on wearing the pink shirt not even thinking of it being pink. But when it dawned on me that I was wearing pink, I had Drew wear blue. Haha...I won...it's a girl!

The ultrasound tech said our girl is quite active. She had a difficult time even getting any pictures of her because she was moving around so much. I've started feeling some movements - little flutters here and there. It's so fun to think that's my little acrobatic girl wiggling around in there.

While at the appointment, Drew took some videos of the ultrasounds. With this first video you'll be able to see our little girl moving around and arching her neck. Also be warned...at the end of the clip the ultrasound tech takes one of the pictures and views it in 3-D...and, to be honest, it's quite scary looking. Poor little girl! :)

This next video is just another profile picture of our baby girl.

And our last video is of when we found out that we're having a girl!

We still have not completely decided on a name yet. I've been surprised with how difficult it has been for us to find a name that we're both comfortable with. We've been narrowing it down so I'm sure we'll decide on one soon.

Coming soon...pictures of the baby's room. We made it our project this weekend to FINALLY empty out the baby's room and assemble the furniture. So once I get those pictures off my camera, I'll post them on here.

Hair Cut

I'm finding that I get bored with my hair quite easily and am always looking for new cuts and styles. So last week my sister and I headed to a salon to get our hair chopped. Here's my new look:

It's much shorter than I'm used to, but I like it.

On Sunday we had a wedding reception for my cousin. Since we had the whole family in town, we took lots of pictures.

All of my family on the Shafer side

My family with Grandpa and Grandma

Drew and me

And lastly, here's a picture of Drew working on his final project for school. I think Bailey wanted to cuddle instead...

Oh, and tomorrow's the day we find out whether we're having a boy or a girl!!! We can't wait. I'm just hoping the baby cooperates with us because we're planning on registering afterwards. I guess if we have a stubborn baby tomorrow then we might be registering for neutral things. We'll see! We're planning on bringing our video camera (well, camera with video capabilities) and a CD-R so they can save pictures onto it along with the heartbeat. So, be looking for an update tomorrow or Friday!

Dr. appointment

Yesterday we had our monthly pregnancy check-up. I had been looking forward to this appointment since we were unable to hear the heartbeat at our last appt. THANKFULLY they found the heartbeat right away. It's at 150 bpm. So it looks like everything's good right now. I'm 18 weeks and 5 days today so here's what took place this week with the baby's development:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bellpepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born.

In another book I'm reading, it says that the baby now has his/her own unique set of fingerprints on the fingertips and toes. How neat!!

Drew and I are REALLY looking forward to next Thursday when we'll be able to see our baby again! And (hopefully) find out whether we're having a boy or a girl. :) Next Thursday is also our 4-year anniversary and I can't think of a better way to celebrate. We're planning on spending the whole day together which is another reason I'm really looking forward to that day. I feel as though I've barely gotten to speak to him these past few months with all his schoolwork. He's now in the final stages of finishing his capstone paper. His goal is to have it completely finished and submitted by next Wed. so that we can enjoy Thursday together without feeling the burden of it. I'll be glad for Drew too when it's finished. I know it's wearing him out, especially now that he's back to work this week - he'll work a full day, come home, eat dinner, and then work on his paper until bedtime. But he's a trooper - he never complains.

As for me, I've been keeping busy lately getting my classroom put together for the start of another school year. I can't believe it's time to go back to school already!! I'm looking forward to about September when we've been in school for a few weeks and the routines are already established. I LOVE what I do, so it should be fun.

The baby's room got put on hold for now. There's only so much I can do without Drew's help, so I'm waiting for when he's finished with schoolwork. We have a lot of moving and maneuvering to do with our furniture to get everything in the right spot, but hopefully pictures to come within the next month of our baby's room.

Well, I can't wait to post in a week and show you updated pictures of our baby!