David and I had our 20 week ultrasound on Valentine’s Day and then waited 5 whole days to find out if we were having a boy or girl! We got so many “how can you wait??” and “did you sneak a peek?” questions but we knew the reveal was coming on Sunday and were excited to find out the gender with our family at the same time. And we are so glad we did… it was so much fun!! My sweet and crafty sister planned the cutest gender reveal party for us. We had a twinkle twinkle little star, how we wonder what you are theme. It was ADORABLE. We had our guests guess if they thought we were having a boy or girl, wear the matching color necklace, sign our twinkle twinkle book, leave a thumbprint on the tree canvas, and play an estimation game organized by my 10 year old niece. After almost an hour of chatting and enjoying the coffee and cupcakes at Smallcakes, we headed outside for the big reveal!! I purchased two pink and two blue confetti sticks a few weeks ago and had my friend Emily check the envelope given to us by our ultrasound tech that had the baby’s gender. Emily gave me the correct confetti sticks to take to Orlando. She was the only person who knew if it was boy or girl for a few days!! Thanks for keeping the secret, Em! So, the moment was finally here. David and I each held a confetti stick (and still had no idea what was about to happen) and our family lined up next to us. 1…2…3…go! BLUE!!! So much blue!! So many cheers and hugs followed. It was such a fun moment!! Baby S is a little man and we are so excited! We are going to have a son, a little Stoker boy. Thank you, Lord!
Just like I did in my first pregnancy blog post, I’ve listed a few Q&A’s that I’ve gotten so far about our baby journey. 🙂
How far along are you? I’m currently 20 weeks and 4 days. A little more than halfway!
Are you feeling any baby movement yet? It just started!! At my 20 week appointment on the 14th, I told the doctor that I hadn’t felt any movement yet. He reassured that it can happen anytime now and that it varies for each person. The very next day, I was sitting at my guided reading table with my Kindergarten kids and felt a little bubble rise up in my lower belly. It was a new feeling and definitely noticeable. It happened again a few times that day and I’ve been feeling it more ever since! It feels like a little wave or a butterfly wing flutter. So sweet.
When are you due? July 6, 2017! Summer baby
But did you really want a girl? Honestly, both of us would have been so happy either way. We definitely want to have both a little boy and girl in our family so we were happy with either to come first. David is especially excited to have a boy carry on the Stoker name!
How have you been feeling? Really good!! I’ve always heard that the second trimester is the best and I definitely agree. I have my energy back and I can eat (and will gladly eat) almost anything. I feel my belly growing rounder every day and have already packed away all my old skinny jeans. One interesting symptom that I’ve been experiencing lately is a super runny nose and sneezing a bunch after waking up in the morning. Running to get a tissue is one way to get me out of bed in the morning.
Do you have a name picked out yet? Now that we know it’s a boy, we can focus on his name aaaand we currently have no idea what that will be. Suggestions welcome!
Are you still going to do photography? Yes! I plan to take a maternity leave from June – October and not take on any new jobs during those months. November and December 2017 and 2018 brides, we are available for you!
How have you grown closer to God through this? I’ve been going through the Bible Study Seamless by Angie Smith with a women’s group at church and a few of the Bible stories have really tugged at my heart lately. Mostly that God can do big and powerful things through little and forgotten people . God cares so much about our hearts way more than any accomplishments. I’ve been reminded of His constant grace and love for us and I am so thankful for that as I grow one of His little creations.
Thank you for following along and for all of the kind words and excitement so far!! We are thankful for you!
Beautiful 🙂
I’m so excited to meet the little Stoker!! 💙