Follow Up

I just got back from my follow up sonogram (I'll post the pictures later - they didn't take quite as many this time). The doctor said that everything still looked very good. Madison was actually measuring about 3 days BIG. She weighs 1 pound and they said she was quite long! She was kicking a little bit and I could also see that she had the hiccups. I won't go again for about 3 months.

Happy Birthday, Seth!

A BIG happy birthday to my favorite nephew! OK, so he's my ONLY nephew. I remember getting the call 365 days ago (like it was yesterday) that Seth Thomas Patterson had entered the world. It's amazing to see how much he has changed and grown in his first year. God's many blessings to you for many more years to come. I love you and I miss you so much.

Scatter Brain

I don't know how, but I totally forgot about my doctor appointment this morning. Instead, I got up and went to work as usual (even a little early). But I was sitting at my computer, looking at my timesheet. I was looking at how much extra time I had this week to make up for my appointment. Then I realized that my appointment was today! I looked at the clock and it was 9:30 (I was scheduled for 9:20). I called their office and asked if I could still come in or if I should reschedule. They said I could still come. It was a typical checkup: unrine sample, weight, blood pressure, fetal heartbeat, etc. The nurse had a hard time getting a good listen of the heartbeat. Madison was moving around too much. I've definitely been feeling her move inside me, especially in the last week or so. It's pretty cool. Everything has been going so smoothly. I have an ultrasound next week.

20 Weeks

Today I am at 20 weeks in my pregnancy. That means, it's the halfway point! I've still been feeling great. I've started to feel Madison moving around inside. It feels really weird, but cool. I have my checkup tomorrow.

(from babyfit.com)

...in Week 20

Your Body If your doctor hasn’t already measured your tummy, now is the time. Although the size of every uterus (and every baby) is different, most women measure around 8 inches (20 cm), from the top of the pubic area to top of the uterus. You will continue to grow about half an inch (15 cm) per week for a while. If your measurement is much larger, it could mean your pregnancy is farther along than expected—or that you are carrying twins! If it’s much smaller, it may indicate your baby is not growing as expected, or that your pregnancy is at an earlier stage. Either way, most women will have an ultrasound at this time to determine how their pregnancy is going, and to find out the sex of the baby.


YOUR BABY THIS WEEK...Week 20
Congratulations—you’re almost halfway there! Celebrate by talking to your baby since she can hear you now. Your Baby: Weighing in at about 9 ounces (.25 kg) and measuring over 6 inches (15 cm) long, your baby is aware of all kinds of sounds, from the beating of your heart and growling of your tummy, to songs on the radio and the buzzing of your alarm clock. If you feel a “bounce” in your tummy when you hear a loud noise, it’s because your baby hears it too! This is the start of your baby's active phase. You'll feel every twist, turn, and wiggle. You may also hear your baby’s heartbeat through a stethoscope, and it’s probably faster than you expect—120 to 160 beats per minute.

Wedding Update

I've picked up my dress (I still need to get it altered, though). I've ordered the bridesmaids' dresses. Invitations went out in the mail today. Tonight we have our first premarital counseling session. Tomorrow, we're meeting with the DJ. All the BIG stuff is pretty much taken care of. The rest is just little details.

Coming Together

Everything is falling right into place for my wedding on June 30th. It's so COOL! Planning a wedding in 2 months is the way to go. I've booked the church & the reception location. My friends have been very helpful. Our photographer is a friend of Kerri's and Becky gave me the name of a couple DJs. I got my dress (but I'm not going to tell you what it looks like other than to say that it is white). Invitations will be assembled this weekend. Mom is taking care of the flowers. Bryan actually offered to bake the cake. If he's serious about it, I say go for it! Everything else is just a bunch of small little details that don't really matter.

Plan, Plan, Plan

With my mom in town this weekend, we got a lot of planning done, both for the wedding and for the baby. We went browsing for a wedding dress, I got some maternity clothes, and we started our baby registry. I'm so glad that mom was with us for that. She helped us decide on the things that we really need and and what we don't need.

IT'S A GIRL!

Meet Madison Marie Helman!

No Work Work Day

It's 11:00 and the computer network JUST came back online. I've been sitting here for the past couple hours doing absolutely nothing. No phones. No internet. No email. No work. I'll definitely be busy this afternoon (though I get to leave in a half hour for my dentist appointment).