Halfway There--20 Weeks!

Matt and I can't believe we're halfway through our pregnancy! It really did go pretty quickly. Today we had our 20week appointment plus ultrasound. I asked the tech to confirm that we're having a boy, and sure enough there's no mistaking that he is all male! :)  We've talked more about names for him, and it seems like the more we ask family and friends for ideas the more confused we get! So we decided to continue thinking about names but not say what we've chosen until the moment he's born. Plus, keeping everyone on their toes is more fun for us, hehe.

Our baby boy looking towards us slightly

A great up-close profile shot

Definitely not a girl! (A shot looking up from his feet)

This week we're moving out of our current place and into a new apartment. It'll be a bit stressful for us as moving is never an easy task, but I have two solid weeks to pack and move and unpack and settle in before school starts on August 20th. I wasn't really looking forward to such an ordeal, but then I realized...it's perfect timing to paint the baby's room! I found a great website via Pinterest called Design-Seeds that combines colors based on real photos. Here are some of my favorites and possible painting ideas:

Clearly, I like teals and aquas! I like the addition of a red or coral or orange to not make a room seem so masculine. And a light lime green seems like it works well in the combo as an accent color. I'm thinking I'll get Matt's opinion and then choose one picture to use. Gotta admit...I really am excited to plan for this baby boy!

How far along: 20 weeks

Gender: It’s a BOY!

Total weight gain: 10 lbs and climbing…

Movement: I finally felt a flutter! I feel little ones only early in the morning when I’m still in bed, around 7am or so

Food cravings: Sweets! Today at Publix I bought cupcakes, brownie mix, and ice cream

Signs of pregnancy: Bigger tummy—seems like everyday it gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger, …

Sleep: Lately I’ve been waking up earlier than usually in the morning, which means I’m tired around 11am

Labor signs: None

Happy or moody? Mostly happy though I’ve had a meltdown about every 3 days with Matt over little things. I think sometimes he forgets to treat me with kid-gloves as I’m emotional as ever and can crack at any moment.

Stretch marks?

Maternity clothes? Still resisting the urge to splurge on these

Wedding rings on or off? On

Miss anything? Exercising and not losing my breath. Whenever I walk up some stairs or carry groceries, I need a ten-minute break to slow my panting down back to normal and stop sweating. Ughhh…what a pain!

Best moment of the week: Mom and Anne (my mother-in-law) came to the 20-week appointment with us today. It was neat having the grandmas there to watch their developing grandson live on tv.

Looking forward to: Picking out a name for our little guy.

Gender Reveal Party!!

After weeks of "hmm-ing" and "haw-ing" over if Matt and I are having a little girl or boy, we finally find out by way of throwing a gender reveal party! I was very proud of ourselves for not opening the envelope that had the note of girl/boy written by my ultrasound tech. (Actually, I hid it from Matt because I didn't fully trust him! Lol!)

We invited our family for a Sunday poolside bbq as a way to get-together before baby's born and to all find out the sex of the baby together. I themed it as Team Pink vs. Team Blue. Guests wore either pink or red to cheer for a girl or blue if rooting for a boy. They were also given cute, little gender buttons to wear I found on Etsy that also worked as favors for guests (http://www.etsy.com/listing/92153341/40pk-gender-reveal-boy-girl-buttons-pins). I also had everyone write down their best baby girl and baby boy name as possibilities to help Matt and me out when it comes to picking a name. Our favorites of the day? Aristotle for a boy, suggested by Matt's Papou (his very Greek grandfather) and Sunflower for a girl, suggested by my witty brother Rick.

The kids played in the pool, the adults mingled (as it's been a while since my side and Matt's two sides got together), and everyone oohed and ahhed over my growing belly. It was a fun, sunny day filled with great conversation and lots of laughs.

But how did we find out? Well, the owner of a baby consignment boutique recommended a local baker who works out of her home. I checked her out on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/CakesBySamira) and loved the design of her cakes. So the plan was to make a cake that was dyed either pink or blue based on what the ultrasound tech wrote down. Samira loved the idea and had never done such a cake before, so I handed her the envelope and three days later, so created the most beautiful cake that looked like a present! (And it was suuuuper yummy, too!)

Below are some photos my friend Amber took. Scroll all the way down to find out what we're having!

BLUE Punch and PINK lemonade: what's your drink of choice?

Family baby photos of Matt, me, and our parents

The soon-to-be grandmothers

Our family members under the pergola. Most wore blue for a boy!

Our grillmaster for the day, Tim

Our beautiful cake by Samira

It looks just like a present waiting to be opened!

So nervous to find out! It's a.....

...BOY!!

Team BLUE won!

Some possible baby boy names (silly or serious) our guests wrote down, a really fun activity for everyone!

The note from our ultrasound tech that reads, "It's a boy! 7/6/12"

17 Weeks

This weekend we get to find out the sex of Baby Sehner!! At my 16-week appointment, I asked the ultrasound tech is she could tell if we're having a girl or a boy. After a few minutes of me looking away from the tv screen and her searching my tummy, she said she was very, very confident about guessing the sex of the baby. It might seem a bit early to some people that she could tell, but the equipment they use is truly state-of-the-art stuff (so I've been told). Matt and I decided to celebrate finding out to have a Baby Reveal Party with our family, so the tech wrote down her findings and stuck the paper in a envelope. I have to admit, on my way home that day I was pretty tempted to rip it open and find out! And Matt continually asked me this week where I hid the envelope--I didn't tell him where at all for fear he'd open it up!

16-week Sonogram. Baby's head is on the right.

A great picture of Baby raising it's hand to it's head.

You can see each little finger and a thumb!

This Sunday, we've invited our family over to find out with us if Baby Sehner is a boy or a girl. Thanks to Pinterest, I themed the party around a "Girl vs. Boy" theme. Everyone seems to have their pick of what it's going to be. I honestly have no idea--I'm not really sure how I can tell either. When you're pregnant, how can you tell if you're having a boy or a girl? I don't have a gut feeling, and I'm not really rooting for either one more than the other. I'm just praying for a healthy little one. Matt, on the other hand, is hoping for a boy, as I'm sure it's every guy's dream to teach a little guy all sorts of "manly" things. Either way, Matt and I will cut into a cake that's dyed either pink or blue, and that's how we'll find out!

Team PINK vs. Team BLUE

The photo we took for our postcard invite to the Baby Reveal Party.

How far along: 17 weeks

Gender: So close to finding out! Can’t wait!

Total weight gain: +5 original weight

Movement: Maybe? I can’t tell yet, and it may be too early.

Food cravings: Nothing really. I’ve been eating more and more pasta lately, though.

Signs of pregnancy: Peeing!! I find myself running to the bathroom every hour or so. I hear it’ll only get worse, too :(

Sleep: No more napping for me. I have lots more energy that lasts during my previous mid-afternoon slumps.

Labor signs: Nope

Happy or moody? Feeling overwhelming happy and excited and a bit anxious just thinking about labor and delivery. I caught a few episodes last week of TLC’s “A Baby Story” and haven’t stopped thinking about the pain since!

Stretch marks? No

Maternity clothes? Soon! My shirts and tank tops are getting tighter around my tummy. Not sure how long I can hold off buying some new clothes.

Wedding rings on or off? On

Miss anything? Beer! I’ve been out a few times recently with my sister or friends, and while it truly doesn’t bother me that they’re drinking around me while I have to pass, I’ve missed the taste and feeling of cracking open a cold one, ESPECIALLY since it’s summertime! I miss those lazy summer days on the beach drinking a Corona with lime. But it’s all for the greater good of my little one! :)

Best moment of the week: Getting my hair done. Might seem silly but I wanted to wait to clear the first trimester before refreshing my highlights. (And I was well overdue.)

Looking forward to: Cutting open that cake for a big surprise!