Baby Update

Somehow I am already over halfway through this pregnancy. I'm not sure how that happened. Pretty sure those first 12 weeks were the most painfully long weeks of my life. Now I feel like this little baby will be here in no time!

I am so excited to say we are having a baby girl! I would have been totally happy with either gender but I have always hoped to have a girl someday. I can't believe I got her the first time! From the beginning I was convinced it was a girl, I could just feel it. But, with all the boys in Mathew's family and the first two grandkids in his fam being boys, I didn't know if it was possible! We are naming her Ellie. I had searched and searched for baby girl names that I might like and just none of them were clicking. Then, I was watching Ellen and she had Ellie Kemper on as a guest and I just fell in love with the name. So thank you Ellen for finding our baby a name! Ellie already has a growing pile of clothes and a quilt or two ready and waiting. I'm ecstatic to finally be able to use the blessing dress and coat that I made in my Children's Clothing class back in 2008.

I plan to add a few more details to the dress but we'll see. :)

This is seriously one of my favorite things I have ever made.

I also have a girl version of this quilt in the works: http://ruffles-and-polkadots.blogspot.com/2012/08/8-years-in-making.html My parents got me the free-motion quilting foot I've been wanting since I got my Bernina so I will actually be able to quilt it when it's ready!

Ellie is kicking and punching pretty often now. I never got the "butterfly" feeling that everyone told me about. I just get definite jabs. It took me a while to feel her. I think it was about 20 weeks when I finally thought I was feeling things. Then by 21 weeks I knew for sure it was her. Now I just have to learn how to chill out if I don't feel her for a while. I'm excited and terrified to hit week 28 when the movements are supposed to be more consistent.

I still crave sugar all the time. And I use eating it a lot as an excuse to get her moving. The holidays were bad news for me in the eating and weight gain department. I gained a few more pounds than usual at my last appointment. Whoops! I guess that happens to most people over the holidays though right? 

Biggest surprise of pregnancy so far? Discovering how low the baby is! I thought once I got a definite baby belly, that would be all baby, but it's not even close! I feel her kicks underneath my bump. So weird. 

Well, I'm about to launch into week 24. Hoping for a healthy third trimester with lots of kicks and movement from Ellie!