20-24 weeks

Wow! I can't believe its been almost a month since I last blogged... Is blogged even a word? Hmm. Anyway, we've had a busy couple weeks. On Sept 2nd baby and I flew to NC for a nice extended weekend to see the family over Labor Day. Nate and the dog stayed home. Nate did some "boy things" and even got some stuff done around the house. He finished painting one of the guest bedrooms and started on the other. I told him I wanted to get these two rooms done before tackling the nursery. It's nice to be almost done with both of them!!! And then on to much more enjoyable work. Anything involving the baby is enjoyable, no? Baby and I had a good visit in NC. We had wonderful weather, spending a little bit of time at the pool everyday we were there. The little guy really started moving much more while we were there. Emma, Meli, and Mom all got the chance to feel those movements! We did some shopping and went out to eat a lot...What else is new, right? In addition, we had about 10 different people throwing out boy names all weekend!!! Meli likes Josh... but I can promise it won't be that! But I love the enthusiasm. So, Thanks all! 

Work has been really busy for me lately. I am working long days and my patients are particularly challenging. The only upside, which is slight, is that my days fly by. I say this is only slight because I want to enjoy every minute of being pregnant. Unfortunately, September is almost over and I just can't believe it. 

This past weekend Nate, David and I drove up to Appleton topick up the furniture for the little guys room. And guess what? I like it just as much as I did when I ordered it about 2 months ago. I have been spending some time (LOTS) on trying to decide what bedding to order... I keep going back and forth. I do know that we will be painting the room navy and be putting up white wainscoting. That is our October Plan. Nate just doesn't know it yet :) 

                                                                                                           Belly Picture Today! 23 wks, 6 days

Tomorrow I will be 24 weeks! I had my 24 week visit today. I have to schedule my glucose test for early next week. Otherwise, it seems like everything is going just according to schedule. I gained 4 lbs since my last visit. The heart rate was again at 140 bpm. The little guy sure is active and getting stronger. I love feeling him move (even at 3 in the morning). Nate already talks sports - mainly golf - with him. He seems to enjoy his dads voice. 

Below are some pictures from our busy September... ENJOY! 

Me: at 23 weeks, 4 days

Nathan John Dosch, Jr?

First things first, this post title is both rhetorical and an impossibility. I put it out there even though I abandoned that campaign months ago because it still creates a stir around the Dosch house. As difficult as it is for me to formally recognize this, the fact is that January 2010 will not see the arrival of N. John Jr. Now that we have that issue settled we can address more important things like baby furniture, painting, wainscoting, and the upcoming Christmas to Remember - Wisconsin style.

As you can see from Karyn's previous post, our latest US showed that "it" is a "he." I was probably more surprised by Karyn's reaction than she was. I was surprised by my own reaction as well. I understand that a mom-to-be thinks about having a girl and a dad-to-be thinks about having a boy, so I get the momentary letdown that this news can have on a mother. It didn't last very long though. Karyn was able to adapt on the fly as she mentioned in her post. The girl's clothes is now packed away again. In their place we have a new collection of little boy's cloths including a very impressive tiny shoe collection. The little man is 24/25 weeks along and he has more shoes than I do. I'd say he has just as many shoes as his mom, but that would be a lie. His mother has taken shoe hoarding to a remarkable level.

When I heard the news last month I was, well, I'm not sure what I was. Initially all I could think about was how happy I was that everything was still going well. I always said I didn't have a preference between a boy or a girl. I just want the baby to be healthy. That hasn't changed a bit. But when I heard it was a little boy in there I couldn't help but think of all that entails. I don't think I am unlike many dads when I think about all the things I hope to teach my son. I hope to have the opportunity to also teach a daughter some of those things in the future. In either respect I hope they are okay with not being able to beat their dad on the golf course until I'm approximately 70 years old.

All and all I am just very happy that we have positive news and hope to grasp as we race into the third trimester.