Photos of Madeleine!

Here are our 20 week photos of Madeleine! In the first one, she is looking right at us, with her head on the right and her body on the left. About half way down her head, you can see dark areas on either side that are here eyes and the bright white area in the middle of her face is her nose. In this photo, it looks like she doesn't have a neck connecting her face and abdomen, but it's there somewhere! The two smaller round circles on either side of her abdomen are her arms. Isn't she beautiful?!


In the second one, you can see her profile. Up near her face, there are five little white dots that form a line and those are her fingers (she had one hand up in the air for this photo!). Just beneath her fingers are the outlines of her nose and mouth. On the far left of the photo, you can see her thigh coming up. The very top of that is her knee and then her calf was pointing out from there, but is cut off by the photo. Also, you can see a white line along the bottom contour of her abdomen and that's her spine.


We are so in love!
Nile & David

Madeleine's Heartbeat

During our 20 week appointment we were able to record Madeleine's heartbeat. Just click on the arrow button beneath the photo if you want to listen to it! Her heartbeat was measuring right on track in the 150s (per minute).

Enjoy!
Nile & David

Drum Roll Please!

We had our 20 week appointment today and found out that we're having a girl!! Wahoo!! We are so excited! I didn't think I'd feel shocked because I had been anticipating this day for so long, but I do feel this sense of disbelief and that it's all sort of surreal actually knowing what's in there!

The ultrasound tech was able to get all the needed measurements and everything was right on track. We were able to see just about everything on the baby which was so cool...spine, ribs, hands, arms, legs, feet, stomach, kidneys, heart (and its four chambers!), head, brain, eyes...you name it! I love modern technology!! I am on vacation this week from work, so I'm not able to scan in our ultrasound photos, but I promise to post them as soon as possible! She is already adorable!

My blood pressure and all my stats were on track too. I made up for lost time last month, and gained 7 lbs this month! They weren't worried by it at all and I'm right on track with where my weight gain should be.

So...in about 4 more months, we'll be welcoming Madeleine Louise West to the world! Madeleine ("Maddie") is a name that both David and I really liked before we even started talking about our favorite names. So that one was an easy pick for us! We are using the French spelling of it too which gives a nod to David's French Canadian/Cajun heritage. Madeleine is also the spelling for the French butter cookies, and this Madeleine will definitely be the sweet cookie in our lives! Her middle name is going to be Louise, after David's grandma. Louise is just such a wonderful, caring, loving and incredibly sweet woman! We will be lucky to have a daughter that grows up like Louise!

My next appointment is on Tuesday, December 2nd. This appointment is with the OB (no ultrasound) and I'll do the one hour glucose test at that appointment too. For that I have to drink an incredibly sugary substance and then wait and hour and have a blood test done. The test will tell them how well my body is processing sugar and my likelihood for developing gestational diabetes. At this appointment, they'll also test my iron levels to see if I need to start taking any iron supplements.

So, that is our news for now! Yahoo for a healthy and growing baby!

Love you all,
Nile & David

Belly Pic!

Well, Saturday marked the start of my fifth month! It feels like my pregnancy is going so slowly and at the same time, I can't believe I'm already in my fifth month! Just two more weeks until we find out the gender - we are can't wait!! Both sets of parents think it's a girl, so we shall see!

Here's my first belly pic for you all to enjoy! This picture marks how I looked at the end of my fourth month and beginning of the fifth. I have a terrible profile, so don't look too hard at that! I am starting to wear regular maternity clothes and love how comfy they are! It's much better than trying to make my old pants fit, even with the life-saving invention of the belly band!

Love you all!
Nile & David

16 Weeks and Going Strong!

This morning was my 16 week appointment! David was able to come with me which was awesome! He heard the baby's heart beat in person for the first time (I had recorded it for him at my last appointment) and he kept me very calm!

My big worry going into each appointment is that they won't be able to find a heart beat, but they found it right away and it was in the 140s! Thank goodness! After that, nothing mattered! I've gained 2lbs since my visit 4 weeks ago, which was less than I thought I would've gained. They say as a general rule of thumb to gain a pound a week, which means it would've been normal to be up 4lbs. They weren't worried at all that it was only 2lbs though. So, now I have an excuse to eat more!

My blood pressure was also good at 110/70, so nothing to worry about there. The OB did say that in my urine last time was a very small amount of the strep-b virus that they normally test for towards the end of the pregnancy. She said that about 30% of women have this and that it's nothing to worry about. The presence of it can come and go in urine samples, but since I had a really small amount already, they are going to just assume that I have it and give me antibiotics for it at the time of delivery so that nothing is passed on to the baby.

So all is good! Yahoo!! Now the 4 week countdown begins to November 3rd to see if we're having a girl or a boy!

Thank you, as always, for all of your love and prayers!

Love,
Nile & David

Our First Nursery Purchase

Exciting news! Last night we made our first big purchase for the nursery - the crib and dresser/changing table! We are so excited!

The furniture is a lot cuter in person, but this photo gives you an idea of the style. And no big surprise, the furniture is a deep chocolate brown! Who would've guessed?!


It will take about 2-3 weeks to come in and we're hoping to have it set up before my family arrives in early November. We'd love for them to be able to see and then to be able to show it to David's family when they come to visit in December.

To finish out the room, we are planning on getting a low cubbie bookshelf that will go on one wall under a window, and will be filled with baby books and stuffed animals. In the far corner of the room, we're going to put a rocking chair or glider and then hope to add a little toy chest/storage bench for the toys the little one will play with. It's going to look so great!

Monday is my next appointment and it cannot be here quickly enough! I am really looking forward to hearing the baby's heartbeat again so I know everything is going ok in there!

Love you all!
Nile & David

My First Pregnancy Sighting!

Our CEO's wife came into the office today for a visit and asked me if I'm expecting! Oh my goodness!! That is the first time that anyone has asked me that or been able to tell! It was a really neat experience. She said she could tell when I was sitting at my desk that my belly was bigger than normal and noticed it when I walked by her as well. So exciting!! There's no real bump there yet, but my whole torso has widened and kind of thickened. Hopefully the bump will make it's appearance soon!

Hugs,
Nile