Registering for Mason

Kevin and I registered this past weekend and I must say, it was overwhelming. Going into this experience, we thought, this is going to be so much fun. Well....not so much. We registered at Babies R Us and Target. As soon as we walked into Babies R Us, we didn't know where to begin. Who knew there were 20 different bottles to choose from and 10 different ear thermometers. Ok, that's an exaggeration, but you get the point. After 3 hours of scanning, we were off to Target. It only took us about an hour in Target and we actually had fun. I think we registered for everything that we need, but who knows. I guess when Mason arrives, we'll figure it out.

21 Week Check Up

I had a check up this morning. Everything is looking great and as the doctor said "normal". He checked Mason's heart beat and as usual he was moving around a lot. The doctor said the heart beat sounded great. The measurement of my tummy was good and I've now gained 5 lbs. so I guess there is no turning back. It's up hill from here. :) Literally!! Although, at this point someone would have to push me up hill. My next check up will consist of a sugar test to check for gestational diabetes, however, I feel good and there is no indication that I will test positive. Before going in to the office, I have to drink this syrupy fruit punch drink and then have my blood drawn. That's it.

Surprise!!!

Kevin and I went to the doctor today for what may be our last ultrasound until the baby is born. As soon as we walked into the ultrasound room, the technician asked us if we wanted to know the sex of our baby. HELLO!!!! YES!!! So, here we go....in just a few minutes we'll have a name! As soon as the first picture came up on the screen, Kevin says "I think I saw something". We saw our little boy. Mason Christopher wanted us to know right away. The technician didn't have to say anything, but she was very thorough in telling us every body part and pointing out every movement to us. Mason is a very active boy. She had a hard time getting his heartbeats per minute because he kept moving around. She was able to get all of his measurements and everything is normal. As a matter of fact, according to his measurements, my due date was moved up 3 days. Now we are due June 16th. My next appointment is for a check up and will be on February 5th. I'm a little bummed that we won't have another ultrasound unless necessary. I always looked forward to seeing our son. We'll see him soon enough.

Boy or Girl?

Yes, we are planning to find out the sex of our baby. Our next appointment is January 7th and this will be a check up, no ultrasound :( I will be meeting the other doctor in the practice so that when time to delivery, I will be familiar with both. Although, I'll be a little bummed if my doctor isn't able to deliver. Kevin and I just love him. So, the way our appointments are falling, it looks like it will be the 1st or 2nd week in February before we find out if we are having a boy or a girl. Either way, we feel very special and lucky. We've waited for four years, I guess another month or so won't hurt. I do hope that the baby cooperates during the ultrasound. So far the two that I've had, the baby moves around quite a bit. We'll see and of course will post as soon as we find out.

The other popular question has been, what will you name the baby? If we have a boy, he will be named Mason Christopher Kranz. If we have a girl, she will be named Stella Elizabeth Kranz or Carley Elizabeth Kranz. We haven't quite settled on the girl's name.

The significance of the names are family related. Kevin's middle name is Christopher and we both just like Mason. As for the girl, Elizabeth is my first name and we like Stella. Carley will be short for my Grandma Davis' name. Her name was Carleen and I thought Carley was more up to date and a great way to remember my Grandma. She was very special to me.

If you would like to vote on the girl's name, please feel free to leave a comment. No comments about the movie of the man yelling STELLA!!!! We don't know what movie that is from, but we have heard that comment a million times. We still like the name. :)

Early Screening Update

Our appointment on Monday, December 8th went very well. The baby looked healthy with no signs of Down Syndrome. Of course we have to wait 10 days to find out the results of my blood work. The results will tell us if the baby has any other chromosome disorders. Our doctor was very happy with the growth of the baby and said that he/she was very active which was apparent in the ultrasound. The baby was moving from side to side as if it were trying to escape the wand on my belly. This ultrasound for Kevin and I was amazing. We saw the baby move his/her hands, feet, legs and mouth. At one point the little lips were moving in a sucking like motion. Boy, that really got me and of course I was hungry too! :)

We are so relieved, at this point, to know that the baby seems to be healthy, have all the fingers, toes, arms, legs and to be "normal", as the doctor said. So, in this case, no news is good news and we are just elated. Thank you God for our blessing!

Please enjoy the pictures below.

Feeling Better?....That is the question.

Many of you have been so kind as to ask, "Are you feeling better"? The answer is yes!!! YAY! I still have my moments of, I'm going to throw up at any minute :), but they are less frequent. Some mornings are still rough, especially when it's time to brush my teeth. I try to syke myself up for the moment or I'll watch TV during the process, sometimes it helps. The good news is I only have one more week and I'll be in my second trimester. Can you believe it? I can't either. Gosh! I've heard that the sickness pretty much goes away by then so I'm happy and looking forward to moving on to more exciting days.

I'm hoping to start focusing on decorating the nursery. Well, at least get started, since we have to wait another 6 weeks or so before we find out the sex of our baby. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful family. Amy, my sister-in-law, was nice enough to save her nursery furniture for us. THANKS AMY!! We are looking forward to seeing it in the room. At first, it will look very strange to us, but will become a reality. I'm sure Bailey will think that this is his new room LOL!! OR he may lift his leg and pee on everything. Just kidding....he wouldn't do that ;)

Thanks again to everyone for checking on me. I'm hoping to do a better job with updating posts more frequently. We will be posting an update on our appointment Monday, so check back on Tuesday, December 9th.

Move over Bailey, there's a baby on the way

OH BOY! We might be in trouble. This little guy is used to being an only child. What in the world are we going to do when the baby arrives?! He is such a good natured, loving dog (most of the time), but he is very spoiled and doesn't like anyone else to get attention unless he is involved too. I'm curious to know how he will react around the baby. So far, he seems to be more attached to me now more than ever. Kevin and I definitely think that he knows what's up. Now when he cuddles with me, he lays his head on my belly and seems very content. Kevin asked "Do you think he can hear the baby"? I don't know the answer, but I know that he knows or at least can smell that there is a baby in Mommy's belly. So far, Bailey has been very sweet with me. He sits in the bathroom (or right outside the door) with me in the mornings while I, well.....get sick (I'll spare you the details). After I'm finished, I always have to re-assure him that I'm ok. This may sound funny to you, but to us Bailey is human. We love Bailey and I hope that he is a good boy and loves the baby too.

First Prenatal Visit to OB/GYN

Today was our first prenatal visit to our OB/GYN and we were able to see the baby on ultrasound. It was an amazing experience to see and hear the heartbeat in a fetus the size of a peanut.

"The Test"

Every little detail is so important to us that we want to keep a diary of events. Yesterday morning October 10th I took a pregnancy test. It was a first response early detection digital test. Very, very cool, that technology has come so far. Kevin is in the shower and I couldn't wait, so I continued with my test. With in 20 seconds, I see YES +.....OMG!!!! WE'RE PREGNANT! I'm running across the house to get Kevin. As soon as I look at him (holding the test), he's says "It says yes, doesn't it". Underneath my excitement, I say "YES". And of course, Kevin, not being able to handle a serious situation, says "Does it tell us how many are in there". I couldn't help but laugh and truthfully, I'm thinking the same thing. Keep in mind this is after taking a round of fertility drugs and twins running in the Kranz family, we weren't sure what we were in for at this point. We continue to get ready for work and continue with our day as if nothing significant had just happened. How in the world are we supposed to keep this news to ourselves when we have waited so long already?