A Very Exciting Day...

Growing up, we always celebrated St. Nicholas Day by putting out our shoes the night of December 5th, hoping for treats and goodies to be filled inside the next morning.  Well, St. Nicholas came through once more, because today was definitely a treat. 

Phil and I headed to the doctor's office for our 9:30 appointment, and I was greeted with my first treat: I had lost a pound.  Score!  Okay, I just want to be clear--I am not TRYING to lose weight.  But with a recent bout of nausea and just trying to be as healthy as possible, I was happy not to have gained extra weight too quickly.  Somehow, I know it will catch up with me though, and as long as the baby is healthy, I am happy.  I also learned that everything came back excellent with test results, blood pressure, and all of that.  Yay.  And then came something really exciting--our little baby's heartbeat.  Found within 5 seconds, it came pounding through loud and clear.  It was breathtaking.  Then the doctor ordered an ultrasound to determine how long I've been carrying this little munchkin.  We left with instructions to come back at 1:00 that same afternoon. 

With a full bladder and lots of anticipation, we entered the ultrasound room and watched with eager eyes as the life of our little one appeared on the screen.  It was absolutely incredible--I was smiling from ear to ear.  It was so amazing to see him/her just bouncing around in there.  After measurement, the technician confirmed the later due date as being accurate.  So that means, we are due to have this baby June 24 (give or take a few days).  So now I am referring to him or her as our little "June Bug." 

It was such a great day, and though we could see the baby, it is too early to detect the gender, so we'll have to await another ultrasound in a few more weeks. 

So, please allow me to introduce to you for the very first time in photo, Baby Rinella:

(Sort of looks like Spiderman, you're right Suzy!)

I've also been busy baking to get ready for the holdiays.  I tried my Grandma Carol's delicious peanut butter cookies (thanks for the recipe, Bryan!).  And I went old school back to my girl scout days and made the Christmas wreaths.  I also tried a new recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip. 

Hope you all are enjoying your holiday season!