It's a....

PONY!!

Nah, just kidding! That would be painful to give birth to! 

We are excited to announce that we are having a baby boy! 

The Dr. confirmed on Monday (at nearly 18 weeks along), and Matt was only 95% sure that there was boy parts present, but the Dr. tried to assure him that there was truly a turtle peaking through the baby's legs. I was sure we were having a baby girl, but truthfully, I was happy with either. There seems to be an abundance of boys on both our sides of the family so I guess it only figured.

Matt seemed to think (prior to knowing the gender) that if it was a boy he'd have most of the responsibility like teaching him to change the oil and be in the garage, and if it's a girl, I'd have the responsibility to teach her how to wear makeup and not get pregnant at 13. Since finding out that baby Heisel is a boy, he has since amended his current statement to be- I'd have the responsibility until he's the age of 6, then Matt takes over! haha silly Matt!

Other than seeing boy parts, we got to see his legs and his eyes (which was kinda creepy), and tiny butt cheeks! He's starting to get some fat on his bones and he was definatiely bigger this time, spanning from my belly button down. Crazy to think I'm growing a human! Still not quite real.

We had talked about baby names a while ago, even before we conceived, so the name was no biggie for us, we already knew what we'd call our baby, boy or girl. So, baby Heisel shall be called...

Henry Marshall Heisel

Matt and I both really liked classic names and this one suited both of our likes! We agreed fairly quickly, and just went with it! We still have a baby girl name on reserve. I'll just safely tuck it away along with the hairbows and ruffled bloomers, until next time. Until then, it's bow ties for us!

Retraining my girl brain as we speak to get used to the idea of dirt, on everything! 

Let the fun begin!

Heisel Rules! {the bump}

16 weeks

Well, hello, 16 weeks! Although I'm still early-ish, I feel like I've already been pregnant forever, and I still have a long way to go! :) (I swear, in person, this belly I'm toting around looks WAY bigger!)

I feel very fortunate that the past 4 months haven't been terrible. I had no morning sickness, although I kept my face crammed with food as I heard that would be the best way to keep that at bay. Maybe it worked? The only lingering first trimester symptom is fatigue. That is one that is terribly underestimated. Tired.all.the.time. I know, I know; get used to it, having a child will do that to you. Fatigue did not get the memo- 2nd trimester is supposed to be fatigue-free! :)

We had our second ultrasound 2 1/2 weeks ago, we were 13 weeks, 5 days. This was such an amazing experience! When the Dr. first started the ultrasound, the baby was calm and relaxed. After about 5 minutes, the baby started rolling and moving around like crazy! It was so crazy neat to see! I couldn't feel it, but we could sure see it! 

sweet baby hands :)

the brighter white spots are dense bone (skull, legs)

Heart rate 156

I feel like my belly is rapidly growing right now. I've never been one to be super concerned about weight. I could lose weight when I needed and that was encouraging. However, being pregnant is a whole different weight experience in itself. I know it's natural to gain, but I wasn't prepared for how I'd feel about the weight gain. I think it's mainly the hormones that make me feel bigger than I look/actually am. I've sorta come to terms with it for now. Hopefully, I can keep the sad thoughts at bay. Matt is very encouraging though. He tells me, "You're not fat, you're pregnant; it's different." Blunt, but true. He keeps it real. :)

So, if all goes well, we *might* know the gender at our next appt at the end of this month!! We tried to take a peak last time, but the baby was moving so much and the doctor said it was really too close to call. Fingers crossed, this next time we'll know! The suspense is killing us! ;) What do you think it'll be?

My currents-
Craving? ANYTHING bacon! My most recent bacon craze was candied bacon chocolate chip cookies. They were so yum! Recipe to be posted soon; I'll be going back to that one again! Pineapple, lemon, and apples are the healthy aspects of my cravings, along with ice cream. (not so healthy) ;)

Showing? Yep
Gender? Not yet, hopefully next appt.
Names? Yep. We'll announce when we find out the gender! :)
Have you felt baby move? Couple soft movements
Still see your feet? Yep.
Feelings? Feelings very large. :(

Wearing maternity clothes? Some. My trusty jeans still fit, although I have to rig a hair tie to keep them buttoned! A belly band over top is just the key!

Well, that about sums it all up for now! Cast your vote for Baby Heisel's gender and prepare to join us for the BIG reveal in a couple weeks!! We can't wait to find out if the baby is a bow or a beau! ;)

Heisel Rules! {the bump}