Our Little Guy has a Name!

Several people have asked what names we are thinking about for the baby. After a lot of back and forth and input from friends and relatives, we have decided on Cyrus Allen Sellers. We decided on Cyrus after it was suggested by Justin's godfather Boyd. Here's the official baby name definition:

It is of Persian origin. Derived via the Greek form Kyros of the name of several kings of Persia. In earlier times, it was linked with Greek "kyrios" meaning "lord". Historical: Cyrus the Great (fifth century BC) conquered Babylon at the height of its powers and founded the Persian Empire. Biblical: Cyrus is prophetically named in the book of Isaiah as the one who would overthrow Babylon and liberate the captive Israelites. Also the name of a fourth-century saint, a doctor in Alexandria. Inventor Cyrus McCormick; former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance.

Allen was Justin's father's middle name. We thought it would be nice to honor his memory and that it went well with Cyrus.

Stay tuned for more baby news!

First Bradley Classes

We are gearing up for Baby Sellers arrival and in preparation have decided to use the Bradley Method childbirth classes as our guide through the pregnancy and birthing process. Our first class was last night with our instructor, Lin Cook, who is a well-known midwife/doula/breastfeeding counselor/all things pregnancy and babies in Charleston. Our first class covered exercise and nutrition, which we have already been focusing on. We both enjoyed the class and feel very positive about our options for a natural childbirth. If you'd like to find out more about the Bradley Method, see here:

http://www.bradleybirth.com/

We are also starting to prepare for Thanksgiving. We will be hosting again and although my mom and stepdad will be traveling to Mississippi to visit my uncle, we are still expecting a large crowd. Justin's sister Natalie is a newly minted vegetarian, so along with Justin's Aunt Heather and cousin Victoria, we now have a vegetarian audience to prepare for as well. Luckily, most of the dishes other than the turkey are vegetarian anyway, so just a few tweaks and everything will be suitable for both sides of the table :)

It's a ........

Boy! We received confirmation on Friday that baby Sellers is indeed a boy. Here are some ultrasound photos for your viewing pleasure:

Him laughing at us

Doing flips for the camera :)


Little Feet

No more pictures!

It's definitely a boy!

First Belly Photo

We are sailing through the second trimester and I finally got Justin to take a photo to show everyone. This is at 16 weeks and 5 days. I'm not sticking out as much as other people, but I'm definitely not the same size I was pre-pregnancy. We'll see how things progress :)

My 16 week appointment was yesterday and everything looks great. The Bean (as we're calling the baby until we know the sex) is doing great. The heartbeat was 156, which is great. We have our big anatomy scan/ultrasound on October 16 and we should know at that point if we're in camp pink or camp blue. We will keep everyone updated!

First Crazy Mom Event

Someone at work told me about a huge Charleston wide consignment sale so a pregnant friend of mine Hilliary and I decided to check it out. Needless to say we were both a little overwhelmed. As "first time moms" we were able to come to the presale on Thursday which is evidently when the claws come out. After standing in line (Hilliary did most of this as I was running late) we finally went into the sale shortly after 7. These ladies meant business! Lots of running around and grabbing things. Hilliary got told by one lady to lay off those were her baby clothes, which of course made me laugh hysterically. Hilliary being 34 weeks pregnant already knew her little french fry was a boy so we spent a lot of time looking through bedding and clothes. We both decided a lot of the bigger items (cribs, strollers, swings) were either very worn or overpriced. I think all the crazies before us got the good stuff :) Anyway, I purchased a bath tub, baby bjorn carrier, shopping cart cover, board game for Justin, and a few maternity tops. Hilliary got a TON of clothes for herself and for her brother's twin girls that will be here in December as well as a changing table. A few things we learned:

1. Neither of us are vicious enough to get in there and get the really good big stuff
2. Mount Pleasant mommies are a little crazy
3. Next time we're bringing someone that's not pregnant to stand in line to checkout

Overall we had a lot of fun and got some great stuff for the impending arrivals. The consignment store that puts on the sale has a spring sale in March, so anything we don't have after baby Sellers gets here we can try and pick up at that sale :)

A few people have requested bump photos and the goal is to get some posted this weekend. Unfortunately I don't really have a formal bump as much as it looking like I've been to one too many keg parties (aka beer gut). Either way, requested photos will be posted by the end of the weekend. Thanks for reading!

Quad Screen Test Results

The results from the quad screening last Friday came back yesterday and everything is normal! Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

14 Weeks today

So we're officially 14 weeks today. I don't know if it's something in the water at work, but there are at least 10 other women pregnant, just in my division! Needless to say there has been no problem receiving tons of advice which as first time parents we are grateful for.

I should get my results back from the blood test portion of the quad screening tomorrow to confirm that everything is fine. I'll post an update when I hear from the doctor's office.

As for me, I had to break down and buy maternity pants this week. I figured rather than buying clothes that would fit for a month in a bigger size I'd go ahead and bite the bullet :) While I'm sure I'll appreciate all that room and elastic in a few months, right now it just feels strange.

Justin has been trying to break in his new golf clubs and of course working, which includes travel to San Diego. He's been home all this week and looks to be home all next week too.

We are headed to Swansea for a quick trip this weekend to visit my family and sort through all the leftover baby things from my nephew Hunter. My mom and sister saved pretty much everything other than clothes so we have a ton of stuff to look through, including a crib still in the box!

Just a quick ponder: has anyone else noticed the large amount of weirdo baby items that are now available? This one was featured on the Today show recently:

http://www.tummytub.co.uk/about.html

To me, this just has lawsuit written all over it. Oh well. We will not be using a tummy tub aka drowning bucket for our baby. The sink will do just fine :)

Ultrasound Today :)

So today I went in for my first trimester screening and ultrasound. Our doctor recommended the screening based on some family history, not because anything is high risk :) The ultrasound piece looked great and we get the results from the blood test next Friday. Here are a few ultrasound photos for your viewing pleasure:

We're preggers!

So we got confirmation last Friday that we are indeed 12 weeks pregnant! Tomorrow we will be 13 weeks and are excited to be finished with the first trimester. I've been really lucky that I haven't had too bad of a first trimester. I had a few days of nausea around my birthday but that was it, although I have been SUPER tired. Justin has been great about helping out while I've been too tired to do most anything, even helping with laundry! Our EDD (estimated delivery date) is March 4, so the little bean might have to share a birthday with a cousin if it decides to come early or late. We should find out sometime mid October whether it's a boy or girl and will definitely keep you posted. Here's an ultrasound photo for all those far away!