IT'S A GIRL!!!!

First of all, I want to say, "Thank You!" to everyone who has wished us "Congratulations" the last few days, it has meant a lot to us! Sorry we haven't been able to respond to them all, but know that we appreciate each one of you who is following our journey and praying for us. It means more than we can say! Ok, on to the juicy stuff... ;)


Friday evening, September 24th, was the night we got the best news in the world, we are having a baby girl! Here is the story: 


When my OB told us we wouldn't find out the sex of our baby until I was 20 weeks pregnant, we thought it seemed like a really long time to wait but, hey, if it was what the doc said, that's how it would be. However, when I announced our pregnancy news to my wonderful AML Float 3 sisters (Mardi Gras Organization) one of our dearest friends who is a sonographer asked, "When will you find out what it is?" When I said "20 weeks is what the OB told us," she said, "Come see me at 17 weeks." I was so overjoyed and thankful that she would do this for me but I had no idea exactly just how much I would appreciate this kindness.


17 weeks came quickly and I became more and more anxious!)  My mother accompanied me instead and I was excited she'd get to be a part of it! We asked our dear friend not to tell us what the sex of the baby was, just to type it on the picture and seal it in an envelope so that my family and I could find out together that night. She did such a good job not giving anything away! She told mom and I to close our eyes any time she went near any areas that hint at the sex. 


During the ultrasound, our dear friend took the time to show me every organ and every bone we could see! She showed me the spine and explained how it looked good, and the same with the heart (all 4 chambers are present and the blood flow looked great), the brain and all of it's parts (which is actually measuring a week ahead of schedule, we may have a little smarty pants on our hands), the kidneys (both are present) the bladder and stomach. She measured the leg and arm bones which are all right on schedule. We also counted the finger and toe bones, and they are all there. It was so kind of her to take the time to do all of that.I owe so much more to our friend than just her telling us the sex. And it's amazing we were able to check all of these things out and gets tons of good pictures because baby was moving.like.crazy. She appeared to be having a dance party. It's so strange to me that she can be moving so much and I can't feel it, yet. Also, during the ultrasound she looked like she was trying to suck her thumb so badly, she just couldn't quite find it. It was the most adorable thing I've ever seen. She's currently breech, and I know we have a lot of time to change that, just pray that she turns eventually. 

After the ultrasound, it was almost impossible to not peek at the pictures but I didn't cheat! When everyone finally got in town we opened the envelope together in front of my mom, brother, and Mark, and announced it was a girl, through tears of joy! We ate a quick dinner and then it was off to tell the rest of our family at their Kids Consignment business, Kidz Klozet (their Fall consignment sale in Mobile is open to the public this week and they have some great stuff, more than they ever have, this year). I had baked two cakes (a blue one and a pink one) and I brought the appropriate cake and all of the ultrasound pictures with us. We showed everyone the pictures first, minus the ones showing that it was a girl. Then we had Leighton's "Honey" cut in to the cake to find out what baby McGhee was. Then, of course, we shopped Kidz Klozet! Everyone is so excited and ready to spoil this precious baby girl! We go for our regularly scheduled 20 week Ultrasound in just a few weeks where hopefully they confirm it's a girl (our friend hasn't ever been wrong) and hopefully baby girl will be just as active.

 What's in A Name? 

As most of you already know, we are naming our sweet baby girl Leighton Elizabeth McGhee. (Leighton pronounced "Lay-tin.") And you may be wondering how we came up with her name. Well, Leighton is just a name we loved. I met someone with this name years ago and always loved it.The name Leighton is Old English in origin and means "near the meadow." The name meaning sounds so peaceful to me. 

Elizabeth was chosen as her middle name for a couple of different reasons. Elizabeth has been a family name on my dad's side of the family for 8 generations, and is also my middle name. Also, we wanted our baby to have a biblical name, be it first or middle. The story of Elizabeth has always been one of my favorites and it's so fitting because it's all about the miracle of having a child, motherhood, and trusting in the lord. In case you are unfamiliar with the story, it is found in Luke, Chapter 1. Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah were a childless couple who were getting older and had given up on having children, though they wanted children very badly. However, Zechariah has a vision and Elizabeth becomes pregnant. While pregnant, Elizabeth is visited by her younger cousin, Mary of Nazareth, who is also pregnant. (with baby Jesus, of course) When they meet, the both realize their children are a huge part of God's plan. Then, Elizabeth's son John (referred to most often as John the Baptist) is born. There is so much more to the while story but there is a breif synopsis. So, after reading the story, it should come as no surprise that Elizabeth means "God's promise."  

Two side notes: I am officially in maternity jeans. I can wear my pre-pregnancy jeans with a bella band, but it just adds another layer and makes me sweat. Though, it's getting much cooler now so, maybe I'll try it again if I face a situation where all of my maternity jeans are dirty or something. (though not very likely, as I am a laundry freak) Oh, and I appreciate everyone who gave advice as to where to find long maternity jeans! Lastly, I am having dull headaches that last for long periods of time and they come and go at random. My OB said they are caused by the major increase of blood flow in my body, due to there being another person in there and all. He said they could last several more weeks. Boo. I haven't taken anything for them as of yet because it just doesn't feel right to me at this point. My OB scolded me and told me it was ok to take a couple Tylenol and not to be miserable, that baby would be fine, but I guess it just doesn't "hurt badly enough" yet. I doubt I'll take anything, though, the pain seems to stay the same and not get worse. Sorry, this was such a long post. If you are still reading, I love you!

16 Week OB Appointment

We have to say that this appointment was my least and most favorite visit all at the same time. The reason it was the worst: blood work. I am deathly afraid of needles. And I don't care how scared you may think you are of  them, I promise you I am more so.  How do I know this? Have you ever physically harmed a medical staff member (doctor, nurse, etc.) due to a needle phobia? Do you cry your eyes out so hard before the needle touches you that they have to take off the tourniquet, tell you to calm down, and then re-do? Have you ever passed out watching someone else give blood? Does just the thought of needles make you sweat and feel faint?  If you answered yes to all these questions, then we can talk. Yes, that's all true and all about me. It's called "belonephobia" or, the "fear of needles." Yes, its a real condition.

So anyway, we had the routine 16 week blood work done today (about 4 viles worth). A lot of you were praying for us today and we literally felt them, thank you, thank you! I did get a little weepy before hand but the nurse told me I had to calm down so I did. The nurse was quick, efficient, and it wasn't too terrible. It literally took less than a minute and the sweet nurse kept me occupied by talking about my favorite topic right now, my baby! I agreed for them to test me and baby for everything they wanted to test for. Yes, I agreed to a quad screen but it's just because I am a planner. I would never terminate a pregnancy in which the baby was thought to have a birth defect (or any pregnancy for that matter), I would just want to be prepared. We should have all blood work results back in a week or so, so PLEASE pray that everything is fine with our little Tiger! This may be one of the most important prayers you could pray for us and we would appreciate it so much! 

Now, on to why it was the best apt. We got to hear little Tiger's heartbeat again today and this time we heard it immediately and it was very loud and very strong. I could have listened for hours. I am so in love with this baby and I don't have a clue what it looks like or even if it's a boy or girl, but that matters not. I.am.head.over.heels..in.love.with.my.baby. We also got a BPM (beats per minute) reading (which some people read in to to try and determine gender early though it's only correct about 50% of the time) but we aren't revealing what that was. I am going to keep it to myself until I actually know what we are having because we don't want anyone jumping to any conclusions. Sorry, don't hate me! 

One side note, I no longer fit in to any of my jeans, thank goodness for the bella band I bought this weekend so that I can still wear them. I have been unsuccessful in finding any maternity jeans that are long enough for my super tall self. If anyone has any tips on where I can find some, that would be lovely.

Also, I have put up a poll on the sidebar of the blog, so you all can vote on what you think baby McGhee is, as we might (fingers crossed) find out Friday, at 17 weeks. Go vote!

16 Weeks

We have reached 16 weeks in our pregnancy journey! In the next few weeks, our baby will double it's weight and add inches to his length. Right now, Tiger is about the size of an avocado, as you see pictured above, 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. The legs are much more developed, the head is more erect than it has been, and our baby's eyes have moved closer to the front of it's head. I wonder if Tiger's eyes will be brown or blue. Baby's ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of baby's scalp has begun, though there is no hair yet, not that baby will be born with any hair if it takes after it's mother who had no hair until she was 2. Baby has also started growing toenails. Also, baby's heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day! 

It is so hard for me to believe we are almost half way there! We might find out what baby McGhee is next Friday!! (17 weeks) Anyone have a guess at this point? If they cannot tell next Friday we will have to wait until 20 weeks. Oh, how we hope they will be able to tell.

Lastly, we would like to ask for prayers for this Monday, Sep. 20th, as we have our 16 week appointment and they'll do all of my blood work. I am not a huge fan of needles and blood, which is actually like the understatement of the year. I tend to pass out, get very weak and I have been known to cause accidental (but only minor) bodily harm to the person with the needle. Most importantly, pray that when all the blood work comes back that everything is just fine with our sweet baby. Thank you so much for all of your prayers, they are the best gift you can give us and our baby! 

15 Weeks

Our baby is now 15 weeks along and about the size of, you guessed it, an apple! He or she now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces. Baby's lungs are developing and it's legs are starting to grow longer than it's arms. Baby can now move all of it's joints and limbs, so I am sure it won't be long before I can feel little Tiger kicking away, as they say thinner women tend to feel baby moving sooner. We shall see. Baby's eyes are still fused shut but apparently, baby can still see light. They say if you shine a flashlight on your belly, baby will move away from the light. I think I'll just take their word for it. Baby is also forming taste buds, though there really isn't much for he/she to taste yet.

Little Tiger (btw, this is what we have officially "named" baby until we know what he/she is) had quite an outing last weekend. We took baby to it's first Auburn Game. It was a beautiful day. We got to see many friends, sat on the 50 yard line 8th row, and Auburn won. Of course, if they don't start playing better I may have to quit watching them, that kind of stress can't be good for baby ;) Yeah, like that's gonna happen. Here are a few pictures from our adventure:

God is an Auburn Fan ;)

The slightest "bump," though for some reason I looked more pregnant that day than I do today. All that tailgate food, perhaps? Sigh.

One last thing, the Bladder must be a very comfortable organ, because that's where baby is layin and baby.won't.budge. I have tried talking little Tiger in to moving to another area, to no avail. Oh well, pretty soon sweet baby, you will be laying in our arms. How we cannot wait for that day. 

14 Weeks

Yep, that's a picture of a lemon! And, no, I didn't just post that because I LOVE lemons and could eat them all day long, but it's about how big Baby McGhee is today, at 14 weeks! It's pretty hard for me to believe. Right about now our baby is developed enough to squint, frown, and possibly even suck it's little thumb!

I have begun to show just a teeny bit, so that is exciting!

I had my first true craving on Wednesday, Chinese food. Now, I'm hoping the rest of them will be healthy cravings!

These last couple of Sundays we have been learning how to raise Godly children. We have really enjoyed these lessons as God is clearly preparing us for parenthood. So, we are currently praying these prayers for ourselves and baby: 1. That we will be able to teach our baby that the word of God is an absolute truth. (2 Tim. 3) 2. That we will be able to teach our baby that everything in life must revolve around scripture. (Matt. Ch. 22) 3. That we will be able to teach baby to view everything in this life through a biblical perspective. 4. That we will be intentional in teaching these truths. (Deut. 6: 4-7 and 7:9) Will you join us in praying these things, we sure would appreciate it!

Our little Tiger will be attending it's first official Auburn game this weekend! War Eagle!