... and he finally gets kicked!

This morning as I was climbing back into bed from a bathroom trip, Israel woke up and mumbled something to me (seemingly in his sleep).  Naturally, I asked, "What was that?"

"I felt her kick last night while you were sleeping."

I smiled.  "It's pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah," he responded.  Then we both fell back asleep.

My Lovely Lady BUMP

I suck... I know.  There is so much updating to be done that I'm not sure I'm going to even get to all of it!  So instead of trying to backtrack and hope that I hit it all, I'm going to start with today and then perhaps (but probably not) as time goes by, I'll go back and fill in the blanks.

I had my 20 week appointment today!  I have been looking forward to this day for weeks! (Technically I'm not 20 weeks until Sunday, but... 19 weeks 2 days is close enough!!)  And little baby was perfect in the grand unveiling...

There was lots of thumb-sucking.. and then with some poking and prodding inquiries, she finally made it known to the world that she was in fact a girl.  She didn't make it easy to tell, though... my daughter the prude. Who would've thought?? She is already a lady-- wouldn't uncross her legs for us.

And in all the poking and trying to get her to be a bit more revealing, we did uncover this gem: 

...I'm already in love with her cute little butt...

So it looks like my family will continue on the tradition of making beautiful little girls... we'll leave the little boys to someone else.  This new addition will soon become the 5th granddaughter of the family. 

All cuteness aside, apparently everything looks great from the doctor's standpoint!  She is a healthy size, has all her body parts, and the placenta and umbilical cord are in good places.  Right now she's weighing in at 11 oz. and measuring exactly to my estimated date -- so it is official then:  January 16, 2011 is the official due date.

Today is an exciting day... now, with all those kicks and pushes, I can just imagine her little elbows or feet moving around... since I was able to see her sucking her fingers, moving her toes, and clenching and unclenching her fists.  There really is something growing inside of me!!

And of course... Mama is growing quite well herself... though, I must say I'm surprised I'm not bigger, considering that the baby is a whopping 11 oz. (instead of the average of 8 1/2)!  Today's 19 week 2 day belly/boob photo (I had to include "boob" because they have indeed grown... a little!):

Now for the ever-daunting task of agreeing on a name for the little one... I have a feeling she may not have a name until several weeks after birth! 

And to answer the question about my health through all of this, rest assured:  I FEEL AMAZING!!! And yes, AMAZING is definitely the word to describe it! I have been off all my M.S. drugs and Narcolepsy drugs for several months now, and I am feeling spectacular... there is no tingling when I walk, no overheating, no numbness, no weakness.... for the first time since I was diagnosed, I feel disease-free!  The little woes of pregnancy are small fries compared to that... I can walk without stopping for breaks and overheating and tingling!! Screw heartburn... I'll take it!! 

But I must admit.... I am quite terrified of what could happen after this "wears off" and I give birth... but for now, I'm going to just enjoy this 9 month stint of being seemingly disease-free.