Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

I'm just going to make this post mostly pictures. We had a great time in Westminster, SC with Chad's family for Christmas. Chad and I became Uncle Chad and Aunt Jenn for the fifth time. You would think it would be getting old by now, but I love it and I know Chad does too. We get to watch another little person grow up and we get to be apart of it. It's amazing. Miss Paisley Grace Bixie Lee was born on December 18, 2014. She weighed in at 6lbs 1oz and measured 18 inches long. Congratulations to Nick and Tiffany! Enjoy!

Sunset on the way back from Highlands, NC. Love the mountains!

Cheers! Have a very blessed and Happy 2015!

20 weeks

IT'S A BOY!!!

22 weeks

It wasn't a big surprise to us but I'm so relieved it's officially confirmed. We would have been happy with either outcome, but I think Chad is excited about having the Lee name continue. I'm fortunate that Chad is the oldest of four boys so he helped with his younger siblings. If we were having girl, the both of us would have to start over from scratch. LOL

Baby Lee is doing great. None of the NT screening tests came back positive so that's a relief. All of his organs look like they are developing on schedule. It was so amazing to see the four quatrains of the heart pumping and the two halves of his brain. It's so interesting every time I see him on the screen. The umbilical cord looked good and we could tell that his upper lip was fully developed. I have a feeling he will be a big boy. His abdomen measured 14 ounces and the average at 20 weeks is 10.5 ounces. LOL The sonogram tech said he definitely hasn't missed a meal.   

16.5 week Update

Hello Everyone,

I went to my 16.5 week doctor's appointment today. Everything went well. My blood pressure and urine test were normal. I've gain 9 pounds which isn't bad but I do have to be mindful not to over eat during the holidays just because I'm pregnant.

Baby Lee's heartbeat was at 150. He decided today to hang out on my right side which hasn't been comfortable. I also had my second round of blood drawn for the NT screening. So I should know the results of our genetic screening in a week or two. We decided to just run the essential test on the genetic screening because the results won't change our plans. These aren't definite test either. That's why I keep using the word screening. It will just give us an idea of what we may or may not be in for once Baby Lee has made his appearance.

I actually met with one of the midwives on staff today. My doctor was on call and had to rush to the hospital to perform emergency surgery. When I go into labor, I will get whoever is on call. So, I have a one in six chance of getting my actual doctor. They also have two midwives to assist them or even take over if the doctor is needed in surgery and you're progressing "normal". I decided to rotate to all the doctors towards to end so I will at least have a name with a face. It's funny I have been going to my doctor for 5 years and not once have I seen another physician. 

Sarah was very nice and helpful. I have been experiencing sharp legitimate pains in my pelvic region this week and of course she said it was normal. She also said if it gets really bad to lay on my side in the fetal position. LOL I guess Baby Lee needs room to build his condo.

I know I have been referring to Baby Lee as a he but it's still not official. I have my anatomy sonogram on Monday, Dec 15th. I'm super excited. I really hope the goods are noticeable because I'm dying to know. We think it's a boy, but we'll see.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! I can't wait to see my family next week and Chad's family in a few weeks.

12 weeks

Ok I'm still trying to catch up but I'm getting there.

My 12 week appointment was on October 22, 2015 which was Uncle Sam's 26th birthday. We went in for the ultrasound. It was so amazing to see more defined facial figures and the fingers and toes separated. The ultrasound tech's main objective was to measure the fluid around the neck/base of the head for the Down Syndrome test. Side note: That test involved more blood work so I won't have the results until my next visit in November. 

Since our little one never ceases to amaze me even in the womb, of course I have another sonogram story. As you know from my last post, Baby Lee is a wiggle worm. This time was no different. The lady had a hard time getting him to stay still long enough to take the measurements. We witnessed a very noticeable personality trait that day. Baby Lee was very upset about all the poking going on and kept running away from the wond creating the pressure. Finally our little one had decided enough was enough and rolled over on it's side exposing it's back and butt to us. It was like a take that move. The spine was pretty cool to see though. Luckily we did get everything we needed and pictures despite the little attitude. 

Getting back to the personality trait. That whole ordeal had Chad Lee written all over it. My parents might beg to differ but that's my opinion. It was like "I'm going to do what I want to when I want to do it." If I actually end up having two of those personalities under one roof, God help me! I'll still love them just the same but it will be a true test of my patience. LOL

We think its a boy, but we won't know for sure until my next sonogram.

9 Weeks

My 9 weeks appointment was on September 29, 2014. When I say it was nerve racking, trust me, it was nerve racking waiting 5 weeks to confirm my pregnancy. I was a ball of emotions in the waiting room. Anxious, Excited, definitely! Then the longer we sat there, my mind started to wonder to the dark side. Every piece of bad news they could have given me started popping into my head. Luckily, I had Chad there to bring me back to reality. I'm sure he was going through a roller-coaster of emotions too but put on a brave face for me.

During the weeks leading up to my appointment, I didn't have any problems. No morning sickness or weight gain. Just a little bit of fatigue and sometimes I couldn't go back to sleep after getting up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. Go ahead... Shoot me evil looks... I understand. You can almost count on my next pregnancy not going this smooth. I'm really surprised myself given my reproductive history.

Our time with my OB/GYN was actually kind of short. His nurse gave me all kinds of brochures. He took some cultures to make sure I didn't have any infections. We had mentioned how this was kind of a surprise for us. He just laughed and said it always happens when you least expect it.

We waited for our turn with the ultrasound tech this time with a sense of relief. We were going to be parents. My first ultrasound was such a special experience for Chad and I. We just held hands and stared at the screen. We were in awe of how much our baby had formed in just 9 weeks. It was just a little wiggle worm. So I predict a lot of kicks and pokes in my future. It had a strong heartbeat at 180 and measured 2.75cm. According to the ultrasound tech, it's measurement put me on time for my due date.

I had to schedule an appointment for the very next week for lab work and to discuss a payment schedule so we could make monthly payments. 

Some how I survived getting 5 tubes of blood taken from me. I seemed like they needed a tube for each test they were going to run. And I was told its was only the beginning. LOL 

Until next time, here is Baby Lee's first picture and video. We were laughing so hard because we thought Baby Lee was waving at us. Enjoy!

Our little bear!

Our New Adventure

Hello Everyone! Greetings from the Sunshine State! I have absolutely neglected my blog for the past two years for no real reason. This blog was originally intended to share all of Chad and I's fun trips and adventures we had planned to take in the beginning of our marriage or before parenthood. Unfortunately, life happened and we didn't take all the trips we had intended on taking. We'll get there someday even if it's at retirement age.

In meantime, I would like to share with you our newest adventure. As some of you know, Chad and I are going to become parents for the first time around May 2, 2015. We are super excited and blessed but it didn't start off that way. We found out I was pregnant on August 24, 2014, the weekend before Labor Day. We both had a "Wow, this is really happening moment." and it took a day to recover. I called my OB/GYN to make the necessary appointments and they didn't want to see me until I was 9 weeks along. I couldn't believe it. I didn't know how I was going to keep this a secret for 5 weeks.

After Chad recovered from his shock, I came up with a plan to just tell our parents. We were meeting up with all of them Labor Day weekend for the Clemson vs. Georgia game. Chad thought it would be a cute idea to give our parents onesies as gifts. I totally agreed and quickly ordered a Clemson and Georgia onesies since we didn't have much time. I wrapped them up and wrote each set of parents a note.

For Chad's parents: "Dear Nana and Papa,"

For my parents: "Dear Marme and Grandpa Jim,"

And both said: "I can't wait to meet you in May. Love, Baby Lee"

It's so nice already having the grandparents' names picked out. One less thing to worry about. Our parents reacted perfectly. A lot of shock, then are you serious?, then Oh My God that is wonderful. My mom even cried. It was such a relief for me just to be able to talk to someone about it. Of course, they were not too excited when we asked them to keep it a secret. They did a great job. I commend and appreciate their silence. LOL

Stay tuned... I'll be blogging about my 9 weeks and 12.5 week appointment soon and I might even throw in a baby bump picture. I'm about 13.5 weeks now and we're doing great.

Christmas 2012