23 weeks

How far along: 23 weeks 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: about 10 pounds

Maternity clothes: Yes please, the elastic on my jeans are way comfy!! :) I can still wear some regular shirts.

Sleep: Mostly pretty good, other than the potty trips. I seem to be able to fall back asleep after those visits now.

Best moment this week: Connor's nursery is starting to come together! Finally painted, new floors, and now furniture!!

Movement: Little man is all over the place, his kicks & punches are getting stronger. You can see my belly move now, which just amazes me!

Cravings: Groucho's, as always... I was a total piggie today, finished my Cole Special Dipper and needed another...whoopsie, we were hungry :)

Gender: BOY!

Labor signs: None, and I'd like to keep it that way for quite some time please.

Belly button in or out: I still have my inney!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach.

What I am looking forward to: Our little man continuing to grow to be a healthy baby, and of course meeting him!

Weekly Wisdom: Take it easy, when you start feeling tired...take a break!

Ready to get the nursery rolling....

This is the bedding that we have picked out and actually ordered. It is just sitting in Connor's room while we are trying to figure out what color to paint. I was thinking about a green similar to the one on the first wall or that tan color on the other wall shown in the picture. Everyone who knows me knows that it takes me forever to make a decision and then I will second guess it! :)
All I know is I can't wait to have a cute little nursery instead of an empty guest room that I keep walking into and just staring and imagining our future!

I continue to pray that Connor is happy and growing and that I don't develop any major health issues. Also, my Dad's company recently closed without any notice so we pray that he is able to find another job quickly. Thanks for every one's support during the past week or so, it means the world to us.

Positive Quad Screening

On our last visit with the OBGYN back in December, I had blood work drawn called Quad Screening. It is optional, but is a type of screening that can detect anyone at risk of carrying a baby with Trisomy 21 (Downs Syndrome), Trisomy 18, Spina bifida, or any other developmental conditions. No matter what the results were, we decided it wouldn't change a thing but help us be more prepared. We were told it would take a few days to hear the results and they would call us regardless what the outcome was. Well, I hadn't heard anything (and honestly forgot about it at times) and as most people think no news is good news. On 1/18/11 I received that phone call, "Mrs.Crolley your quad screen showed positive for Downs Syndrome. Now I know this is scary and alot to take in a phone call but we would like to see you as soon as possible to do further testing." As I hung up the phone, tears started flowing as I called Josh to let him know we had an appointment that afternoon. I heard the concern in his voice but he reassured me that everything will be ok, we will still have a perfect little boy in our eyes regardless what happens. I love him for being so strong for me, I couldn't ask for anyone better!

I think when people dream about their baby, they imagine a perfectly healthy baby as I did. Just hearing the results was a reality check for me and I realized I needed to be strong for Connor. We had an ultrasound, our anatomy scan a week earlier since we were already there. He was a wild man, all over the place throwing punches and kicking! They checked over everything and looked for any soft markers that would indicate Down's syndrome. He had a good nasal bone, his nuchal fold measured within normal limits, he had 3 bones in his pinkie finger, his femur measured within normal limits, and his heart was not enlarged and was in normal limits also. So, Connor has no markers of Down's on the ultrasound which did not indicate we had to do further testing. An amniocentesis is always offered to confirm if he does/doesn't have Down's. Between Josh and I and Dr. Risinger we felt it wasn't worth the risks to do the amnio just to find out 100%. She did mention that since I had a positive they would monitor us a little more closer with an additional ultrasound to make sure nothing new had developed. Apparently I am now at a higher risk for gestational diabetes, preterm labor, and preeclampsia. Regardless, we will love Connor to pieces and he will always be perfect in our eyes. The good Lord has a plan for all of us, and if He feels like Josh and I are strong enough, then we are ready.
So no worries here, what is meant to happen will happen.

** I love as I type this, I am constantly feeling Connor moving all over the place :)

Wait...what was that?!

So we are officially 18 weeks along, and little Connor is the size of a sweet potato! Surely he is way cuter than that picture of the potato though :)

I have been feeling great, eating NONSTOP and sleeping well thanks to the "snoogle" pillow that I was able to borrow from a friend. I have reached a milestone, I can say 100% without a doubt that I have officially felt him moving around!!! I was sitting at the computer at work and thought either my cell phone or my IP phone (each were in different pockets of my scrub top that sits right on the belly) was vibrating. As I removed each from my pocket, I continued to feel this light vibration! After a few seconds, it stopped and I was amazed thinking "I just felt him move!!" Last week, I would feel little things going on in my belly but was never quite sure what it was. That little flutter, vibration feeling was the first time I felt that and knew without questioning! I have felt the same feeling several times since the other day, I notice it while I am sitting down or either lying down in bed at night. Absolutely amazing!!! I can't wait for Josh to be able to feel him moving when he touches my belly, I want him to feel this amazing miracle move!

Baby Crolley is a..........BOY!

Yesterday was our 16 week appointment, no ultrasounds were scheduled. Basically we were going to hear little one's heart beat and then speak with the doctor about any questions we may have. I remembered on our first visit that you could do an *optional* sex determination ultrasound from weeks 15-18 for $75, insurance doesn't cover it. OF COURSE, I wanted to do the ultrasound!! Not only did I want to know if there was a little boy or little girl in there, but more importantly it would put my mind at ease just to see that everything was okay since the subchorionic bleed I had.

Josh and I asked our mom's to come with us, knowing they were just as anxious to see baby! Just imagine how much ultrasounds have changed since they last had one to look at their babies. As soon as we started the ultrasound, to my relief, I saw little one moving around just fine. :) He was measuring a few days ahead, heart rate of 149 bpm, and there was no sign of a subchorionic bleed anymore. WHew! The next mission was to see between those legs....which he was not having! Every time we could get a good angle, he would cover his "goods" with his hands (modest little one)! After patting on my belly, coughing, turning on my left side, using the ladies room (again), and placing me basically on my head...we were able to see our little boy! Immediately I teared up.... it was amazing to know and watch him moving around. Imagining life with a little boy, I was almost convinced we were having a girl, so I was in shock and in love all at the same time! Seeing him suck his thumb was the cutest thing I have seen, and of course Josh, my mom, and his mom loved watching that too!

So, Connor Winston Crolley will be joining this world in June and we can not wait!

Pictures @ 12w3d :)

Truley amazed by the little face that you can see in this ultrasound ^




Little one waving at us ^

Oh no!

So I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, I know I truly was thankful to spend time with our family. Also, I ate a ton of food! :)

This past Saturday morning, while I was getting ready to go to work, I started bleeding. 1,000 thoughts ran through my mind......Oh NO, this can't be! How can we go through so much and then this starts now?!...There is never anything good that comes out of bleeding while you are pregnant... As I tried to hold back the tears, it wasn't happening... I completely lost it. It is so amazing how attached you become to the little one, even at 12 weeks 3 days. I felt like I was loosing it all, my heart was broken. Josh had already left the house that morning and in my head I couldn't decided if I should call him and tell him. My thoughts were "I don't want to worry him anymore than I am if I tell him right now....But if I don't tell him now, he wouldn't be happy with me." Of course I called him, and I am so glad he remained calm because it sure was hard for me. The bleeding turned into spotting, which made me feel a little better. I decided to continue on and go to work, and call the on call doctor as soon as I got to work.

I definitely wasn't in my cheerful mood on the way to work, I just felt as if something was right. As soon as I got there, I called the answering service and awaited anxiously for a call back. Ten minutes later, my phone rings and it is Dr. Risinger. I haven't met her as a patient, but I have met her while working and have heard nothing but wonderful things about her. I was so relieved just to have a call back, I told her everything that had happened that morning and she told me she wanted to see me. She just so happen to be at the hospital, how convenient! She needed to see all her patients in the hospital and called me as soon as she had seen everyone and told me to meet her at the office. Luckily, the office is connected to the Children's hospital so just a short stroll and I was there.

Dr. Risinger walked me straight back to the ultrasound machine.. and immediately little one was waving at us on the screen! Baby still had a strong heartbeat. As she continued looking around, Dr. Risinger stated that we have a very photogenic and active baby. What a relief!! Turns out I had a subchorionic bleed. Which basically from everything that I have read means that a small part of the placenta tears from the uterine wall and a small blood clot develops. She didn't seem too concerned and mentioned this is one of the most common causes of bleeding during pregnancy, said that it should resolve on it and I may see spotting up until 16 weeks. I was told to take it easy, which is easy to do at home...not so much at work! Boy, you have NO idea how much relief it was to see little one still bouncing around and still looking fabulous. I was terrified that I would have to wait for my appointment on Monday morning, which I think I would have gone insane constantly thinking what was going on in there.