Gender Reveal: It's a ......

Being on Baby No. 5 means that we have to start getting creative with announcements. Well, maybe not have to, but we think it's fun to announce in creative ways. We haven't done fancy gender reveals for all our kids, just the last two (now three) babies. 

The first one we did was for Nate (baby number 3). Since we had done balloon releases for Danni's birthdays, I thought it would be a perfect fit for us to do a balloon release to find out if we were expecting a boy or a girl. We didn't do a fancy party, just took a few minutes out of our day helping my mom with her garage sale to open up a box that my friend, Amanda from Two Little Gingers, had filled with balloons for us.

Finding out Nate was a BOY!

For Sam (baby number 4), finding out his gender lined up with the weekend we were going to have Danni's birthday party. So I asked my friend, Theresa from Bakery 88, to make a cake that was either pink or blue on the inside. She made a fantastic cake with a pennant banner on top that said "Danni's Gift: Bro or Sis" that turned out to be blue inside when we cut into it.

Finding out Sam was a BOY!

This time we Googled and Pinterest-ed, but couldn't really find a gender reveal idea that fit us. Adam finally came up with this idea! Props to my creative husband, as I'm pretty sure it's never been done before, because when I was trying to find inspiration on how to make the box look, I came up with nothing! Being a electrical engineer, it totally fit as something we would do, plus, I thought since this baby is due so close to Danielle's birthday, it was kinda fitting that this baby would bring new light to us in the days that we remember Danni each year. 

Adam bought two light bulbs, a blue and a pink, and a socket-thing to hook up a light bulb socket we had laying around (because when you're married to an electrical engineer, these things become commonplace in your home!). I grabbed a box, cut a hole to put the socket through, wrapped it in inside out Christmas paper (because, yes, I still had it out earlier this week), and cut hearts in it to see the light shining through. When we plugged it in, we found out we were indeed expecting a girl (as we had both suspected and hoped since we found out we were expecting). 

It's a GIRL!

If anyone likes this idea, and wants to use our box, let us know. We were thinking of selling the box and light bulbs on Craig's List, since we can't return the bulbs and have no use for them anymore! 

Halfway Through Pregnancy No. 5

I guess it goes to show that once you're a mom with littles at home, you don't have as much time to sit down and write posts about each day or week of your pregnancy, since I'm already 20 weeks and 4 days along, and I'm finally getting around to my first blog post about it. (And that while writing that first sentence, I was called away from my computer twice... and that's during nap time.) I'm sure this will be a brief post, but I'll try to mention everything that has been going on during this pregnancy.

First, let's talk about due dates. By my charting, I calculated a due date of May 21st. The nurse practitioner at my first appointment gave me a due date of May 20th, which lined up with my early dating ultrasound. But, at my first trimester screening (the one where we found out with Danielle about her heart issue), they gave me a due date of May 22nd. The same due date that the same ultrasound gave me with Danielle. For a momma who has lost a baby, things lining up so well like that aren't a fun way to go through a pregnancy. While Adam and I wanted to have more kids and weren't seriously trying to avoid getting pregnant, we didn't (and would not!) plan this timing. Which tells me that God, in all his wisdom, must have some crazy plan for this baby that I haven't a clue about yet. It's been difficult with Facebook's new thing where you can view your memories from the past when my posts about Danni show up and I'm thinking about the baby growing within me, who's the same gestational age as Danni at the time of my post. It has helped having so many friends and even a cousin, pregnant and due close to when I'm due (two are due the same week I'm due!)

20 weeks 3 days, measuring 20 weeks 1 day

The next thing I wanted to talk about was my 20 week ultrasound which I just had yesterday. (This is normally the ultrasound where you would find out if your baby has any major complications that are detectable by ultrasound.) While I was pretty sure that I could see a glimpse of a 4-chamber heart at the first trimester screening, it was wonderful to see such a beautiful 4-chamber heart so clearly on this ultrasound beating away around 120 bmp. The placenta is also placed well that I should be able to have another VBA2C. I left the ultrasound room feeling pretty good about this pregnancy.

It wasn't until I saw the doctor that my heart sunk a little. Dr. McDonald shared with me that while our baby had no other complications, the baby does have a cyst in the back right side of his/her brain. Combined with other abnormalities, such as heart complications or limb deformities, it would indicate that the baby likely has Trisomy 18. With no other complications though, they don't worry about it. I have the option of having it looked at again around 32 weeks, but post birth, they do nothing. I have heard from other mommas that sometimes it disappears completely, while other times it grows. Please pray, just for my peace of mind, that it goes away completely when they check at 32 weeks.

Now, the last part, the part that everyone always asks after a 20-week ultrasound... "Do you know what you're having?"

Well, yes, we found out it is indeed a baby, not an alien, so good news there! But, for those referring to the gender of our baby. The ultrasound tech knows, probably the doctor, and a piece of paper in an envelope sitting on my kitchen counter. We will find out on Friday evening, and I'm sure I will post about it sometime on Saturday (kids willing!)

I'll leave you with the last baby bump picture Adam took for me on Christmas Day.

18 weeks 6 days