It's a...

GIRL!

We went and got an early ultra sound for a gender test on Thursday and found out baby Dueck is a girl! Nick thought it was going to be a boy but I kinda thought it was a girl and it is! We are so thrilled!  I'm so glad we had a clear picture right between the legs (but I didn't include that one).

Nick's family was in town and we wanted to tell them in a fun way so before going to the doctor in the morning I baked some cupcakes and then when we got home I injected them with pink frosting using a piping bag and tip. I then iced them with chocolate ganache and put a white question mark on top. (They weren't as perfect as I would have liked because we were rushing so we could share the news before we went to Les Miserables.) We had them all make their guess before taking a bite. Some of them were so surprised because when we first got there we told them that it was very obvious and they assumed that it was a boy but they were wrong. Haha! A video and some pictures are below.

For my family I took a picture of the cupcakes and one cut in half right before going to Nick's family and texted and emailed them while driving there.  My sister Rachel was up at my mom's and they even went shopping and got a few things for our little girl right after they found out!  It makes me so happy and grateful to have such a supportive family who shares in our excitement!

I love the look on their faces!

Here is our sweet girl opening her mouth (drinking or yawning).  You can kind of see her hand up in front of her face.

And here is her cute little foot!

We already love our little girl soooo much!  It's pretty funny how concerned Nick gets.  He gets all worried that she is being squashed/hurt when we're cuddling or I'm laying on my stomach (which doesn't even really pop out yet... I should start taking pictures of my growth though).  He's going to be such a cute daddy to our little girl!  We are so excited for her to join our family!  Is it June yet?... 162 days!!!

Boy or Girl?

Boy or Girl?

I am now 15 1/2 weeks along in my pregnancy!  At my doctor's office they do an ultra sound at 10 weeks and then 20 weeks (when you can find out the gender) but they have the option (to pay a little extra) to get an ultra sound at 16 weeks if one is impatient (like me) and wants to find out the baby's gender early.  I can't wait until next Thursday (12/27)!  I'm so excited!  I just hope that the baby is in a good position so it is possible to tell.

So I'm finally not feeling nauseous any more!  I'm so grateful it only lasted the first trimester and that is wasn't too bad.  I only threw up once and I think it is because I waited too long to eat in the morning.  When I was feeling nauseous from about week 7 to 14 I would snack on soup/oyster crackers and now I am sick of them!  During that time even just pictures or the mention of some foods would make me feel nauseous.  I had a few craving for pizza, mac'n cheese, and Twizzlers.  I have hardly been eating any sweets and desserts because they don't sound or taste good to me.  Can you believe that?!?  A carton of ice cream used to only last 10 days in our freezer and we've had one in there for 3 months now!  This baby is really starting to change me and my ways!  Some foods that have really turned my stomach are cheesecake, pumpkin, and garlic.  A lot of dinner recipes I make have garlic so I just cut it out (Nick hasn't seemed to notice).  I have heard that some women have a hard time with onions during pregnancy so I am very grateful that I don't have that problem because I use onions in my cooking all the time and I love em!  Well that's enough about food.

Am I showing?  I am a little bit but you probably wouldn't notice.  I've gained a little fat on my belly mostly because I have gone from exercising 6 times to maybe 2 times a week.  I just feel so exhausted and the nausea didn't help.  Ok, so I'm not completely inactive.  I have still been riding my bike or walking to work (2 miles from home)... but that is going to end soon when we get a 2nd car.  The weather has been getting worse (snow/ice on roads and sidewalk) so I can't ride my bike and walking is almost as dangerous (walking on ice is hard).  Since I'm starting to feel better I'm trying to get back into the swing of exercising.  Yesterday and today I woke up a little earlier so I could do some arm and leg exercises for 20 minutes before walking to work.  I love exercising because it gets my blood pumping and gives me more energy.  I also love increasing my strength and feeling like my body has more power and ability to do more.  I wish I could go running but the sidewalks are icy and I really don't want to fall... and its freezing out.  I'm excited to get back into running shape after the pregnancy (with a jogging stroller!).  But back to showing, I am starting to feel stretching and can feel the bump when I lay on my stomach. Still fit into my pants though! :) I'm actually excited to start showing because I always feel kind of awkward when I tell people I'm pregnant and I don't look it at all.  Maybe with the next baby I won't tell until I start to show.

More emotional?  You bet cha!  I tear up all the time especially when I see babies.  I just get so excited!  I was watching something on youtube the other day and Carter's (baby/kid store) had a cute commercial with a baby and child in it that made me teary eyed.  Oh and I cried while watching one of the Harry Potter movies (never done that before). Sometimes I just feel like I need to let the tears out.  It's weird.

Baby Gear: We got a car seat!  Nick's coworker/friend gave us theirs that is only 2 years old and in really good condition.  We also already have a crib!  My mom still has the crib that she used for me and it is still in really good condition because I was the only one in the fam it was used for.  It is a beautiful cherry wood with tall pillars and a canopy.  If we're having a boy I think we'll leave off the pillars and canopy since that seems like more girlish.  I'm so grateful to Andrew and my mom for these important baby items!  It really helps us out and I don't think I could have picked anything better!

Baby Crafts:  Once we find out the gender I am going to start making some things for our little one.  I want to make those cute little baby shoes I've seen on Pinterest, onesies with decals, changing pad and wipe container, and baby bumpers for the crib.

So take a guess!  Boy or Girl?