0 to 4 months

My attempt to sum up the first few months:

We found out we were pregnant on July 1, 2009, the same exact day we found out the contract was accepted on our new home. A crazy, exciting, sometimes scary day! But now that we are actually in our home, it's a little easier to look back and smile (more on that later).

So, before we knew we were pregnant, our little guy/gal had attended two weddings (Lisa & Lama and Michelle & Dougie), and spent a week in Portland, OR and Ellensburg, WA (visiting our friends Matt and Sue). We arrived back home in Maryland, started back up our home search with our wonderful friend Jill Burke, and within 2 days had a house and a baby on the way!

July was pretty tame - Pat was busy working and I was busy sitting on the couch, trying not to toss my cookies, and being forever thankful that I work from home. Our baby did have his/her first few boat rides (let's hope they don't inherit my seasickness, but instead get Pat's strong stomach). We also had our first doctor's appointment on July 31, and saw the baby via ultrasound for the first time. What an amazing feeling, and finally our cue to tell our family and friends that we are pregnant! Thanks Rachel for my books - and for getting me through the first few weeks!

August rolled around and we spent a week in Ocean City, MD with Pat's parents, and the rest of the month trying to finalize our loan on our house (we are also eternally grateful to Mike Cappe who did our loan! We cannot thank you enough for all your time and effort - and also to Jess Cappe for putting up with Mike's late nights while he was working on our loan!). I spent much of August in front of the toilet, sometimes twice a day. It was miserable at times, but also reassuring to know that things were moving along in there. And I was even more thankful than ever that I worked from home! We also had our second doctor's appointment, as well as our 2nd ultrasound, which was a specialized one to test for chromosomal abnormalities. The results came back negative. :o) During this ultrasound, the baby was moving and kicking like crazy, and even waved at the 'camera' a few times.

September finally came and we went to settlement on the house on September 2nd. Since that time, we have been busy working on the house (moving, painting, new bathroom, landscaping, new water heater, new appliances, etc. etc.) Thanks to all our friends who helped us with the move from Baltimore to Pasadena - Zack, Cappe, Fath, Ronnie, Mike, and our Moms & Dads. Pat's mom Darlene painted our kitchen, Pat's dad Marty updated our bathroom, my Mom Pat handled the cleaning, and my Dad Barry our landscaping. We never could have made it through September without them! We also received our first baby gift from my brother Mike and his girlfriend Tara - a Virginia Tech baby frame! I love it - thanks again guys.

Our third doctor's appointment was at the end of September, and everything was right where it should be. We listened to the heartbeat again, and were given a referral for our Level II Ultrasound, which is a comprehensive anatomy scan. The baby is measured and baby's organs are viewed and surveyed. Amniotic fluid levels, the location of the placenta, and the fetal heart rate are also reviewed. AND- we will finally be able to find out the gender! Our appointment is set for Monday, October 19th - we can't wait!!