My Heart Smiles Every Time I Hear Yours

On Monday, I went to the doctor. I didn't know I would get to hear our precious cargo's heartbeat, but I did! The heartbeat measured at 166, and during the doppler, I was able to hear him or her move.

Every appointment is always a challenge: should I go in excited, or should I be realistic? I've decided that hopeful is the best way to look at our journey. We are hopeful for our baby and family and are hopeful for the best. We know God has a plan for this little one, and we can't wait to find out what it is!

Here we go again!

Our Announcement 
Well, after a long fall last year and a lot of soul searching, Troy and I are happy to announce that Max and Marlee will be a big brother and sister in the Spring! We found out on June 25 that our life would change forever. As soon as those two pink lines appeared, we weren't sure whether to cry from joy, fear, or both. We didn't tell anyone until we went to the doctor, and then, it was our parents. We couldn't keep the secret forever! We hope you all enjoy following the progress of our sweet baby as we blog our journey to parenthood. We're in love already.

The Journey: I have fertility issues? 
After finding out I have two chromosomal abnormalities and a Protein-S deficiency to go along with the hypothyroidism and PCOS, we knew that sustaining a pregnancy would be a difficult endeavor. We saw a specialist in June who reviewed my records, and she reported that, otherwise, I am a healthy young lady and chances were in our favor. We left her office with hope and anticipation of what was to come. During the first 10 weeks of Baby Black's life, I supplemented one of the abnormalities with additional progesterone to help maintain my uterine lining until the placenta took over, and I will continue to supplement the other abnormality with additional folic acid on top of the folic acid in the prenatal vitamins. To date, all is well. I am experiencing my first stretches and pulls of pregnancy, and although as strange as it is to feel my muscles pull and tug like never before, I am so excited to feel our baby move for the first time. If I were Troy, I'd be very jealous that I couldn't experience this!

When Will Baby Black Arrive? 
Our little bundle of joy is due on March 6, 2013, and we are so excited about preparing and the arrival of Little Baby Black! 

Points of Interest to Date 
Our first ultrasound was July 16. Our sweet little baby's heartbeat measured at 120. At that point, the heartbeat is normally 90-100, so our little sweetpea was strong and steady.

Our next baby encounter was August 16, and our sweet little bundle had a heartbeat of 173! What do you think: will we have a little baby girl or a little baby boy?