23 weeks

I had another appointment today with Dr. Vaughn. She said that everything was going well. I have gained about 15 pounds and she wants me to gain another 15 over the next 17 weeks. 17 weeks left! She listened to the heartbeat again which sounds like music every time I hear it! She said that it is good that the baby is kicking so much but it will not be consistent until about 28 weeks. Mark was able to feel her kick last week which was really fun for him!
We also got a very special package in the mail today with some wonderful pink things inside!! Gma and Gpa K and the two great-gmas sent us a whole bunch of surprises! Attached is a video we made tonight showing off all of the items! THANKS YOU GUYS!! Little baby Stapleton is going to be so spoiled!

x-country skiing

Over New Years I went home to Moorhead to be with mom and dad. We went cross country skiing in Edgewood Park in Fargo. It was really cold but we had a good time.

It's a girl!

I changed all the colors on my blog to pink to celebrate our little girl! We had our 20 week ultrasound last Monday. Mark took time off in his day to come up to Portland to join me. This was a special treat as Mark hasn't been able to participate in the other ultrasounds or my doctor's appointments. Our ultrasound tech was great and once she knew we were medically oriented (I think referring to the ventricles of the heart gave it away) she gave us a wonderful "tour" of the anatomy of our baby!
It was incredible to see the detail at which that little body can be imaged. We saw the stomach, liver, kidneys, bladder, long bones, heart, brain and of course the best was saved for last. The genitals! I was so nervous the whole time first of all to make sure all the parts were in order (no cleft palate!) and also to learn the sex of the baby. I read ultrasound for surgical issues so I was able to at least recognize that there wasn't an appendage between the legs. But when she confirmed it was a girl by identifying the labia I was so excited!!!! I have to admit I REALLY wanted a girl.
So now pink everywhere!! And time to paint the blue nursery walls.
Below are my 5 month pictures and also the ultrasound picture. She wouldn't turn to give a profile, despite my best efforts (coughing, bending over, walking around...). So the ultrasound pic is of the back of her head! There are also two pictures of the beginnings of a nursery. One of the new glider that Mark put together while I was away in Moorhead and the other of our growing pile of baby clothes and gifts!

Holiday season

I celebrated Christmas with my sister and Jon in Portsmouth this year. I had to work the actual night of Christmas so we celebrated that Friday. Mark was back in MN with his family. Laura and I made a wonderful meal of turkey and mashed potatoes (Jon's fav!) Then we opened gifts. I had a wonderful time with Emmit!

Mark and I opened some gifts before he left for MN and put up our Christmas tree. We got some fun baby gifts and I got lots of maternity clothes! Mark's assistant, Dottie, even gave us Santa hat and mittens for the baby!