Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! John and I had a wonderful holiday that was spent with both of our families. It was exciting to show off my ever growing baby bump to both sides and receive further thoughts on whether this little one will be a boy or a girl.

We received an early Christmas present when we had our first ultrasound on the 22nd (pics to follow). Everything looked great and we feel so blessed to have received such great news.

Another present we received came the day after Christmas when I felt the baby kick for the first time! I had been asked several times if I had felt anything and I was beginning to think I was never going to be able to distinguish if what I was feeling was indeed the baby or if it was just me. I kept hearing about these "flutters" and found myself analyzing every little thing I felt. Sure enough, I felt that little "flutter" and a smile instantly appeared.

As the year comes to an end, John and I have plenty to be thankful for as we look back on 2009. This past year brought us good health, continued love and support from family and friends and of course, the wonderful news that our family will be expanding. We look forward to ending the year and starting a new one with the entire Burch family in West Bend. With our niece and nephews around, it will give John and I plenty of opportunities to get our "baby practice" in!

We would also like to wish Unkie Jeffy and Benjamin "Button" Burch a big happy birthday tomorrow! The Godfather/son share the same birthday because we all know that sharing is caring! Happy birthday! We love you both!

Good News!

Today Shelly and I got a very welcomed letter in the mail from our Doctor's office. As we referred to in our post last week, we had some common tests taken to determine if our soon-to-be bundle of joy was subject to a few specific birth defects. Those tests included a screen for Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida and Trisomy 18. Well, we are thrilled to announce everything came back negative! It was definitely a wonderful way to start the day.

Other than that, Shelly and I have started to narrow down a theme for our nursery, including paint colors, a crib and other furniture. With how fast Thanksgiving has come and gone and with Christmas right around the corner, its amazing to think how close May 8th is getting. Speaking of which, I guess that means our little one is due exactly 5 months from today! Score!

Where Did That Come From?

It's amazing what a difference three weeks can make - or better yet, 24 hours. I woke up this morning only to find that my baby bump grew overnight. With this expanding belly, I found that my hand just had to gently rest on it all day due to this new feeling. While the nausea I've experienced has reassured me that I am pregnant, the physical changes are much more exciting!

John and I had another doctor's appointment yesterday and everything still looks great. You wouldn't believe it by looking at the picture, but my weight has remained the same since prior to getting pregnant. While my doctor stated that she was okay with that, she did add that if I don't start to gain a couple of pounds she is going to put me on the "Snickers and ice cream" diet. Um, can someone say fabulous?!

For those of you that believe this little one will be a girl, you will be happy to know that the heartbeat was at 150. I also received the H1N1 vaccine and after some discussion, John and I agreed to have some tests run to see if the baby is subject to a few specific birth defects. We have to wait a week until we receive the results so we are praying that everything comes back normal.

Given that I am 17 weeks along, we have an ultrasound scheduled in three weeks. Needless to say, we are thrilled and simply cannot wait! What better Christmas present than to see a picture of our baby!

We hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving! And yes, I do realize that I'm wearing a tank top while the fireplace is on. :)

My Lovely Baby Bump!

Edited (12-2-2009) : For those of you that have commented on this post or have already checked our blog, you were able to see a picture of me at 14 weeks. After checking the blog several times, I noticed that I cringed at the sight of that picture after each view. Therefore, it has been deleted from the blog, but is still in our baby book for only John and I to see. :)
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I am 14 weeks along and thus far the doctor has confirmed that everything looks great. John and I were fortunate to hear the baby's heartbeat at both our first and second doctor's appointments, with the rate being 150 and 145 respectively. Because we won't be finding out the sex of the baby, we've been finding ourselves reading up on some old wives' tales. While the heartrate states that we will be having a girl, I reassured John that I've been experiencing other symptoms that fall into the category of a boy. I guess we will just have to wait and see!

Welcome!

John and I would like to welcome you to the official "Weiland Family Blog". With the little one expected to arrive in early May, we thought that we would create this blog so our friends and family can experience this exciting journey with us. Please feel free to check in as often as you'd like and leave comments as you wish. Thanks for stopping by and we hope this finds everyone well.