Stella Cate's birth story

Around 2:30 am, I woke up to use the restroom. After I laid back down, I felt a small leak. I thought that was weird and wondered if I just maybe peed my pants a little? I hadn't had any problems with it all pregnancy, but who knows what your body is doing. I tried to back to sleep, but it kept happening, so I would just go to the bathroom each time, because I figured surely I must just be peeing my pants!

From about 2:30 am to 6:30 am I had about 4 more random gushes.  When Matt woke up around 3:30 to get ready for work, I told him either my water broke or I'm peeing myself. I figured if it was actually my water breaking (I was mega in denial) that I had some time.  I hadn't started contracting at all, so I figured we would be ok.  So, he went ahead in for PT.  They had a PT test scheduled for that morning that I didn't want him to miss!

At about 6:30, Matt came home from PT and  went ahead and let his sgt know we were going to the hospital. I slept until about 830 and then took a shower and started getting ready. I was still not having any contractions at this point. We got Sophia up, I showered, we packed bags and brought up some stuff from the basement we might need. I still wasn't convinced I was in labor because I was only 36 weeks and 3 days along.

I called my OB and talked to the nurse.  She advised me to go ahead and head to the hospital so that they could check to see if I had ruptured or not.  So, around 1030 am we got to the hospital and got checked in at triage.

The double checked and sure enough, my water had broke! They started the paperwork and getting my medical history, etc. because I hadn't preregistered, thinking I still had plenty of time! Tthey called my dr who said to go ahead and admit me. I was still in denial. I even asked if they were going to admit me or if they were going to tell me to walk it off. Lol We called our parents and let them know what was going on.  Matt's mom had just arrived in Savannah that day for a Mother's Day weekend with her mom! Matt left with Sophia around 12 to get her home for lunch and nap.  We had a friend come over to the house while she was napping and wait until Matt's dad was able to get there.  I got set up in a L&D room around 1230.

When I got into my room, they hooked me up for monitoring and since my contractions still hadn't started 10 hrs after my water had broken, they started pitocin. I was nervous about pitocin because I didn't know how my body would react to it and I was worried that I would end up having a C section or that Stella wouldn't tolerate it well.  But it wasn't bad at all and both myself and baby handled it fine.

They started at a 2.5 and slowly turned it up about every 15 mins. For a while, I still wasn't really feeling anything even though the contractions were showing up on the machine. They checked me and I was still only 1 cm dilated. They kept turning the pitocin up and we just waited.

Matt came back to the hospital around 2:30.  I had him sneak me in some peanut butter crackers and hard candies. SHHHhhh! The hospital even had huge chunks of Sonic Ice!

Around 6:30 the contractions were beginning to get more intense, so I went ahead and opted to the the epidural. They checked me after it was placed and I was only 2-3 cms. It didn't sound like a lot to me, but the nurse sounded really excited when she checked me and said that it was good that my body was making progress and it would be slow to start. They said they would check me again at 10:30.

Around 10, I started feeling pressure and felt like I needed to poop. Because my epidural with Sophia was so wonky, I never had that feeling. So when I told the nurse, she checked me and realized I was ready to push soon! She called my dr and they started prepping the room and around 10:30 I started pushing. I pushed maybe 6-7 times and she here at 10:57 pm! So much quicker than the first time around!

She sounded great as soon as she came out.  She was a tiny little nugget at 5 lb 6 oz, but came out as healthy as a horse. I was worried that because she was early, she would have to stay in the NICU, but that was never even mentioned.  She was truly ready to grace us with her presence.  :)

Surprise! She's here!

 

Stella Cate Whitman

May 6, 2015

10:57 pm

5 lbs 6 oz, 18.5 in. long

Birth story to come...

36 Weeks...9 months!

How far along? 36 weeks

Baby's Development: We are about 6 lbs and 20 inches long..about the size of a crenshaw melon.  All of Stella’s bones (including skull) are still pretty soft at this point to make delivery a little easier on me. Most of her systems are fully with the exception of a few, like her digestion system which will develop sometime after birth.

Maternity clothes? Maxi dresses and leggings are my friends.


Weight Gain? 9 lbs over pre-pregnancy weight

Am I Showing?  There's definitely no denying it.

Sleep? How many times does one have to wake up to pee at night, seriously? I have to pee before I even lay back down from getting up to pee!

Exciting Moment?  We started weekly OB visits this week, which makes it really feel "real." I had my first internal check and I was 1 cm and 50% effaced...nothing to get excited over.

We also had Sophia's second birthday party over the weekend! It was mainly family because we did it in Augusta and kept it small, but she had a blast and that's all that matters!

Our "family photographer," Jessica came to her birthday and we managed to sneak in a few maternity pictures, too.  I was bummed because I didn't think that we would get a chance to do them, so I am thrilled with how they turned out!

Gender: GIRL!

Stretch marks? None yet

What do I miss? Ugh...where do I begin? Mainly I just miss feeling "normal."

How have I been feeling? I'm pretty over it.  I had a mini breakdown after Sophia's party because it's frustrating feeling like you're limited in what you can do and constantly having to ask others (i.e. Matt) for help.  He has been stepping up big time, but it's still frustrating.  I think every pregnant woman feels this way towards the end. Don't get me wrong, I am so so thankful that this pregnancy has been perfect so far and I'm trying not to wish my time away.  It's just a little hard to be in that mindset all the time.

Movement: She's my little tiny dancer in there!

Food cravings:  Sonic ice, all day long.  Whenever we pull in to a Sonic, Sophia asks for "Ice ice baby!"

Food aversions: None..just hard to fit food in anywhere right now.

Rings on or off? Still on and loose most of the time.

Happy or Moody most of the time: A lot more moody this week.

Baby "To Do" List: We still have stuff in the basement to dig through and we need to rearrange the furniture in her nursery.

Comparison: 36 weeks with Sophia HERE.

34 weeks

How far along? 34 weeks and 4 days

Baby's Development: Stella is about the size of a melon! She is measuring about 20 inches and according to our ultrasound this week, she is weighing about 4 lbs 13 ozs! That might not sound like a lot, but I can sure feel it! her fingernails now reach the end of her fingers. She can also open and close her eyes..some research shows that her pupils are also dilating in response to bright lights. At this point she is just plumping up and gaining that baby weight!

Maternity clothes? Leggings and tshirts plus maxi dresses with a higher waist are pretty much where it's at right now.

Weight Gain? 7 lbs over pre-pregnancy weight

Am I Showing? Oh yea..how is it that it feels so much bigger in real life than it does in pictures?

Sleep? Soooo sleepy this week.  Like...all day exhaustion.  I am still getting up 2-3 times a night to use the restroom and take heartburn meds.  One night, I literally had to pee 4 times before I actually fell asleep.  Luckily, I am able to fall back asleep quickly most nights. I have been napping when Sophia naps pretty much each day this week.

Exciting Moment?  The highlight of this week was definitely our ultrasound we had! We didn't have a third trimester US with Sophia, so this was a nice treat! Everything measured perfect, amniotic fluid looked great and so did Stella! She measured right about 4 lbs 13 ozs (about 5 lbs is the normal range for 34 weeks) and our Dr. estimated that she'll be in the low 7lbs at birth.  We'll see how accurate that is when she gets here! She was squirming around like crazy in there and it was so fun to see her again! Matt got to come to this appointment which was great because he had to miss out on our 20 week appointment since Sophia was sick.  He sat with Sophia and she was so sweet looking at the screen.  She kept saying "Dance Stewwa" and "Mo Stewwa!" when we were in the back. She kept talking about it after we left. :)

We also talked about my glucose test at the last appointment.  Mine was about 53, which is on the low side, but I passed.  Definitely a difference from my first pregnancy where I didn't pass the 1 hr and had to take the 3 hr!

I'll be going back in 2 weeks and then it will be every week! It's getting real folks!

Gender: Girl!

Stretch marks? None yet

What do I miss? Being able to eat like normal.  Seriously...Im not sure if it's the way she's positioned or what, but this whole pregnancy has been so difficult in the eating department.  Like...so full after three bites that I feel like everything is going to come right back up.  I try to eat smaller meals more often, but I stay full for so long after I eat that it doesn't always happen that way.  Not to be whiny (too late, huh) but I can't wait until that gets back to normal.

How have I been feeling? Eh...pretty pregnant and everything that goes along with it.  I'm super glad I don't have to deal with the back or hip pain.  I also haven't had any swelling (yet?) and I'm hoping I'll avoid it this time for as long as possible.  The linea negra line I had on my belly last time is nonexistent this time (hooray!) I have been having heartburn pretty regularly and general uncomfortable feeling from carrying around this belly.

Movement: Yes, always all the time! The US tech and the dr. both commented on what a wiggle worm she is. The other day, Matt was calling her name right into my belly and she kicked him in the mouth! She's a feisty little thing!

Food cravings: I've discovered Sonic is so much better than Zaxby's...and it's better in the afternoon than in the morning.  Hashtag weirdo!

Food aversions: None anymore, thankfully!

Rings on or off? Still on and loose most of the time.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Kinda moody/impatient this week.  I can tell I have a shorter fuse and I am trying to be mindful about it. I'm blaming it on just being so tired this week!

Baby "To Do" List: We have gone through some of the stuff in the basement, but have a few more things to go through.  We also need to get the nursery a little more settled in and pull some of the stuff up from the basement.

Comparison: 34 weeks with Sophia HERE.

31 weeks

How far along? 31 weeks and 3 days

Baby's Development: Stella is about 18 inches long and almost 4 lbs...as big a 4 oranges? Random... Her brain is developing at a super fast pace, with speech and language centers in the middle of development. 

Maternity clothes? Getting to that point where nothing is starting to fit anymore! I don't want to buy any maternity with only 8.5 weeks left, so I'll just suck it up.

Weight Gain? 5 lbs over pre-pregnancy weight

Am I Showing? Lord yes..it's funny to me, because sometimes I forget about the belly until I try to fit between a tight space and fail. I'm always surprised that it's so big (and going to get bigger!)

Sleep? I have been randomly waking up around 4-5 am and having a hard time going back to sleep.  In my half asleep state, I start panicking about out impending move and how we're gonna work it all out with a toddler and a newborn.  And oh yea...we still don't know where we're going yet.

Exciting Moment? We got the dresser all put together, so we are all ready to start arranging all the furniture and making it homey for the 2 months she'll be in it.  :)

Gender: Girl!

Stretch marks? None yet

What do I miss? Just not feeling uncomfortable all the time.  Same ol' third trimester pregnancy complaints.

How have I been feeling? Eh..some days are better than others.  The exhaustion from the first trimester is back and most days, I have to take a nap while Sophia naps. I get pretty worn out by the end of the day and it's definitely getting harder to carry Sophia or the laundry baskets up and down the stairs.  Matt has been awesome with picking up my slack lately.  :) Sophia has been so helpful, too.  She loves throwing things away in the trash can, picking stuff up off the floor for me and putting things away when I ask her.  She just recently started calling Stella by name and it might just be the cutest thing ever.

Movement:  Still crazy and all other the place.  Her movements are getting sharper as she keeps getting bigger.  She loves to stick her butt out to the left of my belly button and poke her feet out on my right side, just like Sophia did.  About a week ago, she flipped a little into more of a transverse position.  It freaked me out for a couple of days because she had been head down this whole time.  Thankfully, she moved back down and I'm pretty sure she's back to head down.  I have an appointment tomorrow, so I will have the dr confirm it.

Food cravings:  Back to loving the Zaxby's ice.  I got a cup of it yesterday and it hit the spot!

Food aversions: None anymore, thankfully!

Rings on or off? Still on and loose most of the time.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Can tired be an option?

Baby "To Do" List: Oh Lord, I don't even know where to begin with this.  We have everything for the nursery ready to be rearranged and fixed all pretty.  I need to start going through the baby stuff in the basement and figure out what I need to pull back.  I also need to start getting things together for our PCS in July.  2 of the 5 places we could get sent to are overseas, so we need to apply/update passports just in case.  We also need to start taking pictures of all of our stuff in preparation for the movers.  I need to look into how to get organized for a PCS and tips on making it a smooth transition because it's gonna be a little crazy! I'm praying that wherever we get sent we will all be able to go together instead of Matt having to go first and set stuff up because the thought of a long flight by myself with a toddler and a newborn makes me want to break out in hives! We wanted an adventure when we joined the Army, and I think we're about to get it! ;)

Comparison: 31 weeks with Sophia HERE.

29 weeks

How far along? 29 weeks and 2 days

Baby's Development: Sophia is about 17 inches long and almost 3 lbs…the size of a butternut squash! No wonder I am feeling such strong movement! Fat is depositing under the skin and her skin is becoming less wrinkled. Although the buds for her baby teeth formed earlier in the pregnancy, now permanent teeth buds are forming. Her bones are starting to harden and store iron, phosphorus and calcium, but they will still remain soft enough to accommodate birth. Ovaries are also well-developed at this stage…they are producing hormones and already contain millions of eggs.

Maternity clothes? Yes and I am SO excited it's getting warmer! I recently discovered the regular foldover yoga leggings from Target and they are SO comfortable. It's getting harder to find shirts that are long enough, too. Getting to that point, folks!

Weight Gain? 4 lbs over pre-pregnancy weight

Am I Showing? Yep!

Sleep? In our bed, sleep is pretty amazing.  It's cushy enough that it supports my belly.  I am still waking up 1-2x a night to use the restroom, but I am able to get back to sleep pretty easy.  About once a week, I wake up around 4am and can't fall back asleep, though.

Exciting Moment? Matt graduated AIT! Hooray! He got selected for some specialized training for his MOS, so he will continue that for a few more months and around May (busy month for us!) we will find out where we will moving to once he graduates!

Gender: Girl!

Stretch marks? None yet

What do I miss? Not feeling super, uncomfortably full after a few bites and...I'll just put this out there..pooping on the regular.  Yep, I said it..the glamorous side of pregnancy. ;)

How have I been feeling? I'm getting to the point where I'm starting to get uncomfortable.  It's hard to breathe, I look like a beached whale trying to get out of bed, I have to literally rolllll off the couch. I keep telling myself to suck it up, though because HELLO! I still have 11 weeks left!

Movement: All.day.long! I had my glucose test about two weeks ago (I passed this time around!) and I swear, little bit did not stop moving from 10 am until about 7 at night. It was crazy.  She is so much more active than Sophia was. She is also getting hiccups about once a day and I can tell she's head down, because I always feel them lower.

Food cravings: None really, but I do love sweets!

Food aversions: None anymore, thankfully!

Rings on or off? Still on

Happy or Moody most of the time: I think pretty happy!

Baby "To Do" List: We have most of the big things for the nursery now hooray! We just need to work on refinishing the rocking chair and finish assembling the dresser before we can start arranging the room.  We thought we would be in Augusta for a while, but it looks like we will be making a big move in July! I'm really nervous about how it's going to go with a newborn and a toddler, but we'll get through it.  It kinda puts the brakes on going full-out decorator mode, knowing that everything will be packed up about a month after she comes. 

Comparison: 29 weeks with Sophia HERE.

29 weeks with Sophia (left) and Stella (right)

25 Weeks!

How far along? 25 Weeks 5 days pregnant with baby girl #2! 100 Days to go!

Baby's Development: My uterus is about the size of a soccer ball right now and baby is 9 inches and more than a pound and a half….about the size of a rutabaga…whatever that is! Her skin is starting to turn pinker because capillaries are starting to form under the skin and fill with blood. Blood vessels are also developing in the baby’s lungs.  Nostril are also starting to open up this week and allows little one to practice taking breaths.

Maternity clothes? Leggings for life! Seriously...isn't it time for spring yet?

Weight Gain? I've made it up to pre-pregnancy weight! woohoo!

Am I Showing? Yep!

Sleep? I'm waking up about 2-3 times a night to use the restroom, but luckily I am able to get back to sleep fairly easily.  About once a week, I wake up at 3:00ish am and can't get back to sleep for a few hours. The cold is also making me super congested so it's hard to breathe sometimes.  It could be (and will probably get) much worse, so I'll take it.

Exciting Moment? The other night, Matt had his hand on my belly because Stella was having a dance party, and Sophia came over and put her hand on my tummy too and said "sissy." It was super sweet and luckily Matt got a picture of it.

Gender: Girl!

Stretch marks? Still good here...applying my bio oil every morning!

What do I miss? Not feeling super duper full after two bites of dinner.  Everyone jokes about how much pregnant women eat.  You know who eats more? Nursing women! You're hungry literally every minute of the day, but the nice thing is your organs aren't being squished, so you have room for everything! Plus, you have to eat extra calories...it's pretty glorious!

How have I been feeling?  Pretty good still, thank God! I am noticing that it's getting more uncomfortable to carry Sophia around for long periods of time. :( Imagine wearing a hoodie and having a bowling ball (that wiggles) in your hoodie pocket PLUS carrying a 27lb toddler.  I'm sure Stella isn't as heavy as a bowling ball yet, but you get the idea. I get pretty tired by the end of the day, too. 

Movement: ALLLL the time still! I love it.  Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night and lay back down to sleep, I can feel her wiggling around in there and it keeps me up because it's so fun to feel! The movements are definitely moving away from cute little pops to more forceful rolls as she gets bigger. 

Food cravings: I've rediscovered my sweet tooth...

Food aversions: None anymore, thankfully!

Rings on or off? Still on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Feeling great!

Baby "To Do" List: We ordered our double stroller and got it in yesterday! I am sooo excited about it. We went with the City Select double stroller because I found an AMAZING deal on one during President's day!

I love that I can use it now with Sophia and add the second seat to use it with Stella too.  I told Matt it's like the Cadillac of strollers.  I know we will get tons of use out of it.  Thankfully, Sophia is pretty good about riding in the stroller, so it's definitely going to come in handy. Next on our list is the dresser and glider/rocking chair and then we will be all set to start putting it allll together (Matt is really excited about this, let me tell you. :/)

Comparison: 25 weeks with Sophia HERE.

Week 23 bumpdate!

How far along? 23 Weeks 2 weeks pregnant with baby girl #2!

Baby's Development: Baby Stella is a little over a pound, the size of a mango and growing right along! In the next 4 weeks, her weight (and mine) will double! You can now hear baby's heartbeat through a stethoscope and her skin is reddish in color due to the developing blood vessels. 

Maternity clothes? I found my favorite pair of jeans from last time (they were in my closet the whole time..oops!) so when I want to "dress up" I can wear those! Most days it's leggins, tank top, and a sweater.  I am in a clothing rut because I am SO.OVER. the cold weather.  I just want to wear dresses and tan tops, and capris and feel the sun on my skin. 

Weight Gain? Still about 2 lbs below pre-preg weight.  At this point with Sophia, I had begun to gain some, so I asked my OB if it was something I should be concerned about.  She said I'm measuring on track and baby is growing just fine, so she's not even worried about it.

Am I Showing? Yep!

Sleep? Pretty good for the most part! There are times when I wake up and my hips hurt, so I have been putting a pillow in between my knees, which has helped!

Exciting Moment? We had another Drs appointment yesterday.  Everything looked great and her HR was measuring in the 130's.  It's always been in the 150's, but my OB said that it's totally normal for their HR to get lower the bigger they get.

Gender: Girl! Stella Cate...I love having a name picked out and being able to refer to her by her name.  I have been trying to get Sophia to say Stella, but every time she says "bebe" or "sissy" instead...which is equally as cute!

Stretch marks? Still good here.  My stomach doesn't feel as stretched out as last time (yet) so hopefully I will escape them again! Wishful thinking? Maybe...

What do I miss? Not much right now.  I would love a glass of wine, which is funny because I'm not a big drinker not pregnant.  I guess now since I can't have it I want it?

How have I been feeling? I'm finally feeling great again! For the most part, I am sleeping pretty well and my energy levels are a lot better.  I still have to sit and rest sometimes if I overdo it, but I am feeling a lot better overall. I do get out of breath pretty easily, but I can handle that!

Movement:She is all.over.the.place.  Seriously.  I am kinda worried about when she actually gets here because I feel like she is NONSTOP.  If I wake up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, she is moving.  All day long she is moving.  I had my phone laying on my belly and she kicked it off! I tried to video the kicks, because you can definitely see them from the outside now, but of course as soon as I hit record she stopped...little stinker.

Food cravings: My morning coffee, chocolate milk, sweet tea, and PBJ sandwiches with potato chips.  Pretty sure I would eat those normally, so I'm not sure if I would consider that a "pregnancy" craving.

Food aversions: None anymore, thankfully!

Rings on or off? Still on

Happy or Moody most of the time: Feeling great!

Looking forward to:  Matt's parents are coming to visit on Thursday and their bringing Stella's crib with them! Woohoo! I can't wait to get it put together.  Still on our list is a matress, a dresser, a glider, and a double stroller. In the next few months, we'll need to get the swing put together, too.  I went through Sophia's old clothes and washed/hung them in Stella's closet.  It's crazy to me how small they are!

Comparison: 23 weeks with Sophia HERE.

20 Weeks with #2

How far along? 20 weeks 1 day...I'm really on the ball with updates, huh? Maybe we'll just shoot for monthly updates this time around.  ;)

Baby's Development: Baby is measuring about 6.5 inches crown to rump and as long as a banana! I had my anatomy scan at 18 weeks 5 days and she measured right on track at 8 ozs! The anatomy scan went perfectly and we are so relieved to know that everything looked great! Unfortunately, Sophia came down with a fever the night before, so Matt had to stay home with her so she wouldn't infect any other pregnant mamas with her cooties. ;) Her uterus is fully formed at this point and she has about 7 million eggs in her tiny ovaries, but will be born with about 2 million, which is all the eggs she will ever have.

 

Maternity clothes? Yep...leggings all day every day. 

Weight Gain? Just like last time, I've been slow to gain weight.  I got weighed at Urgent Care this past Saturday for some sinus gunk and I am still 2 lbs below pregnancy weight.  I know that it'll all catch up with me in the end, so I'm not too worried about it.

Am I Showing?  I would think so!

Sleep? It's been pretty good the past few weeks, but the past couple of days it's sucked big time.  Stuffy head/cough/sore throat does not make sleeping easy.  Unfortunately the dr said antibiotics won't help so I get to wait it out.  yay.

Exciting Moment? We found out and announced that Whitman #2 is a GIRL!

Gender: Girl! Stella Cate.

Stretch marks? Nope..I thought I saw a few but it was just from my clothes.  However, it did prompt me to start with the stretch mark cream.  I use Mustela stretch mark cream.

What do I miss? Right now, I miss not feeling like a walking snot bucket.

How have I been feeling? Start to get some energy back and my nausea is beginning to go away.  I still take Diceglis as needed, but ever since about 18-19 weeks I havent needed to take it as much.  It makes me sleepy when I do take it, so I still take a nap while Sophia sleeps during the day.  This pregnancy has been almost identical to Sophia's. My nails and hair look amazing, my face is breaking out like a 12 year old, my leg hair has been slower to grow (SCORE!), and I've had mostly the same food aversions.

Movement: Oh yes! This is one active little girl and I love it.  She rolls around and kicks and fist pumps all day long.  On Jan 4th, the day I turned 19 weeks, Matt was able to feel some kicks for the first time.  It happened at 19 weeks with Sophia, too!

Food cravings: I think by this point with Sophia, I was having some cravings.  This time around...nothing.  Like seriously nothing sounds good.  Food is more of a necessity at this point.

Food aversions:No real aversions..just don't want any of it!

Rings on or off? Still on

Happy or Moody most of the time:  I’m going to go with “fiesty"....and "needy" according to my husband! ;)

Looking forward to: Getting some things for this little girl.  I feel kinda guilty because at this point in my pregnancy with Sophia, I'm pretty sure we had her nursery painted and all the furniture all set up.  This time? Nothing.  We have a few random things that I've picked up here and there, but nothing big.  We need her crib, dresser and glider for the nursery.  We also need our double stroller.  I guess that's not too much when I write it all down.  Luckily, we have a lot of stuff from Sophia we can still use. Second kid problems, I guess! I need to start scouring Craigslist for some nursery furniture soon!

Comparison: 20 weeks with Sophia HERE.

It's a GIRL!

Matt and I really wanted to be able to reveal the sex as a surprise to our families on Christmas day.  The only problem was that our anatomy scan wasn't scheduled until after Christmas.  When I went in for my 12 week appointment, my OB told me they also offer gender scans starting at 15 weeks.  I was tempted but also nervous since we found out early with Sophia, and we all know how that all turned out! We decided to go for it and felt a little better since it was my actual OBGYN's office and not a boutique ultrasound place.

We had our appointment the morning of December 12 and I was 15 weeks 5 days.  We didn't tell anyone that we were finding out early because we wanted it to REALLY be a surprise on Christmas! I was honestly convinced it was a girl very early on.  This pregnancy is practically identical to Sophia's, other than my morning sickness being a lot worse.  I had a dream that Sophia was a girl the day before our first ultrasound and this time around, I had a girl dream pretty early on which solidified it for me.  I have been trying to prepare Matt for two girls every since.  ;) His tradeoff is that he gets to buy a gun for every girl we end up having.

The baby was pretty active the entire time, and although it took about 15-20 mins, the tech was able to tell pretty positively that it was a GIRL! Sophia kept looking at the screen and saying "bebe" over and over again.  We decided on the name Stella Cate! I am SO excited for Sophia to have a sister and I love the thought of them sharing a monogram.  Plus, we get to use all of Sophia's monogrammed clothes again. ;)

On Christmas day, we waited until all the gifts were passed out and then had all the grandparents sit on the couch together. We gave each one a gift to open.  The grandmas opened theirs first.  I made two ornaments with pink glitter and Stella's monogram on the front and a "It's a girl" ribbon at the top.  Everyone was so surprised!

Next, we had the Grandpas open up their gifts to announce the name. Because we're classy people, we decided to use bottles of Stella Artois beer. ;) I used some pink Washi tape to cover up the Artois and wrote her middle name, Cate instead.  They loved it!

We LOVED finding out early and are so excited to meet Stella Cate come May! And don't worry...the anatomy scan a few weeks later confirmed she's still a girl.  ;)