The poll was right! - Ashley Joan Soens

Hey everyone -
Thanks for making the poll fun with voting on whether you thought it was a boy or girl - as it turns out its a girl!  We found out this morning at 8a.  We had already had names picked out - so if it was a boy (or for a boy in the future) we had Wyatt Michael Soens.  Several people we talked to today seemed to express genuine concern that Pete would be disappointed it was a girl - so not only was he not disappointed he dressed the part for his family's xmas party - and him dressing in pink was all his idea, I had nothing to do with it!

So here is Pete in his glory....He has started asking people if its possible that he can make it so Ashley can throw a baseball well, "not like a girl" as he put it...classic

If you know the Carrie Underwood song, All-American girl that describes Pete - snipet of the lyrics below....

Since the day they got married

He'd been praying for a little baby boy

Someone he could take fishing
Throw the football and be his pride and joy
He could already see him holding that trophy
Taking his team to state
But when the nurse came in with a little pink blanket
All those big dreams changed
And now, he's wrapped around her finger
She's the center of his whole world
And his heart belongs to that sweet, little, beautiful, wonderful, perfect
All American girl

As far as I go, my stomach still keeps getting bigger, and I did gain 2.4 lbs in the past 2 weeks, although since its the holidays, they didnt give me a hard time (since I should have only gained 2 lbs).  Other than that, I continue to feel great, not really skipping a beat (or a holiday cookie), so all is well
 
Week 19 (pink shirt) vs week 17 (purple shirt):  Total weight gain to date  = 16.2 lbs

So updates on the actual baby - we had the big ultrasound today.  The heartrate was once again in the the 150s (158).  The ultrasound checked for a million things I didnt realize - from brain size (big like mine!) to kidneys, bladder, heart, and cord function.  Checks bone length to see if its a midget (its not!) and probably a million other things that I forget.  The ultrasound lady is so comprehensive so hard to remember it all...but bottom line, healthy baby girl on the way!  Here are some pics below.  Warning for the one near the end where she is looking right at the camera - her face looks like an alien - apparently thats what baby faces look like when it has no fat, just skeletal structure, and big ol eye sockets

Ashley's profile - and the black area in her chest is a beating, fully function 4 chamber heart!

Ashley trying to get her thumb in her mouth - apparently baby suck their thumb in utero is very common

Ashley with her hand on her head, just like in week 13.  Hopefully this isnt an early sign that she's a drama queen, something she may inherit from her aunt Caitlin

Warning....this is the alien face.  Someday Im sure it will be a cute little cherub face though, but not yet!

And last but not least, evidence that its a girl or so they say - those white lines in the circle are the lady parts!

Week 17....2 more weeks til we find out the sex

We are finding out on dec 19th, but in the meantime if you want to guess, we added a poll above

The wives tales:

BOY chinese calendar
GIRL heartrate = three most recent readings >140 (girl), 1 reading < 140 (boy)
BOY Carrying lower
BOY Pete has not gained weight
BOY Ring on a string/pendulum test
GIRL my two vivid dreams

Not much is new.  Went to the doctor and gained another 1.8 lbs in 2 weeks, which is pretty OK since its slightly less than the average 1lb per week.  Now I normally like to be above average, but not in the weight category!

I fell on the ice on Friday while walking the dog which led to some mild panic, but ultimately everything was OK.  The benefit of it is that due to Pete's concern over the fall, I do not need to walk the dog on snowy pr icy days the rest of the winter!!!

I got some feedback on the blog that people liked the side-by-side photos because it made it easier to tell the difference.  So here you have it.  We were recently in Aruba, so I am conveniently more tan in this weeks picture, which is the one on the left

Picture taken: 17 weeks, 4 days.  Total weight gain: 13.8 lbs