1. Leo

2. Parker

3. Gabe

4. Mason

5. Owen

Things started off on a bad foot, literally … for 3 straight days I had constant cramping in my right calf and hamstring, accompanied by pain in my tailbone. Walking was painful, sitting was uncomfortable and sleeping involved a night full of leg cramps.

Then Brandon picked up a maternity support belt - instant relief. It took about a day or so for the leg cramping to go away, but my back immediately felt better.

That same night, I was able to feel the baby move for the first time. I guess LBS didn’t care for the additional pressure the band was putting on my belly, so he was trying to kick it off. Rebellious already. : )

After feeling a few strong kicks, I had Brandon come over and put his hand on my belly hoping he’d be able to feel one. Sure enough, within a few seconds Brandon felt a tiny push. His face lit up and he asked, “Are you sure you’re not doing that?”

I also had a doctor’s appointment this week. Overall it went pretty well, the doctor said the baby’s growth is right on schedule and his heartrate was 157 bmp. Right now the baby is about the size of a #10 envelope and weighs about a pound and a half.

After napping for several hours, I woke up and decided it would be fun to do something for the baby. So I got online and setup a baby registery at Target and Babies ‘R Us. It was great! I spent about two hours just browsing their web pages and selecting items at my own convenience, even pulling Brandon in for his opinions every now and then. There was so much cute stuff, it was hard to know when to stop!

I don’t know about anyone else, but online shopping is my favorite type of shopping. I don’t have to worry about the crowds or traffic, or getting bored or tired. And I can do it from the convenience of my laptop while wearing pajamas. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Since the sonogram told us we were having a boy, we’ve finally started doing some of the much-needed shopping to prepare ourselves for baby time. Although we’ve not purchased much yet, we did get things started by taking care of one big ticket item, the stroller/car seat travel system pictured to the left.

It was a tough decision, and I think we spent at least an hour and a half trying out all of the different travel systems that Babies ‘R Us had to offer. We ended up deciding to splurge a little on this purchase, figuring that it probably had the most long-term functionality of everything on our list.

I’d have to say the stroller is awesome. It’s got a nice, smooth ride (just ask Roxy) and pushes very easily. The car seat part locks in place with a simple snap and transfers well to the car. In the long run, I’m confident that we’ll be happy that we decided to spend a little more on this item than we originally anticipated.

After that last visit to the doctor, we had another timeline adjustment, and she moved my progress back a couple of weeks. So here’s another photo of my belly at 21 weeks, but an accurate one this time. That means the previous picture was actually more like 18 or 19 weeks.

Profile picture - that’s one good lookin’ head.

Another profile – I think he might be sucking his thumb.

Little boy Sheley is waving “hi”. It’s his first shout-out to mom and dad.

Here’s a picture of his little foot.

The stuff little boys are made of … the sonogram technician outlined his little butt and legs to show us why she was sure it was a little boy.
Brandon now likes to refer to it as the baby’s third leg … he’s pretty proud.

Everything looked good - heart, kidneys, brain, lips, tummy, feet and hands. The baby waved at us once, and then kicked the technician every time she pushed down to get him to move. It was pretty funny … I told Brandon we were bound to get a rebellious teen. She estimated that he weighs around 9 ounces right now.

After all of the official measurements, they were able to give me a more accurate due date: February 23.

My Old Navy order for tall maternity pants was a success! I got three pair of pants, a few dresses and shirts. Hopefully, I won’t have to buy much more … because it’s about time to start buying baby stuff.

My first sonogram is on the 30th. With any luck, we’ll have another healthy check-up and get to find out the sex of the baby. I’m excited about the opportunity to see the baby, but a little afraid that I’m not really going to be able to see it. I’ve never been able to decipher the sonograms that I’ve seen previously, with the exception of the 3-D ones (they kind of creep me out).

Now each morning is like a clothing adventure … what’s gonna fit? What will look okay together? Hopefully I will be expanding my wardrobe soon … I am expecting a package from Old Navy. I’ve found they sell tall maternity pants, but they’re only available online so finding the correct sizes has taken more time than usual.