24 Weeks!!!!

Who's that expanding their living quarters? Why that's Baby Stamp of course!

Where there isn't room for him to stretch out his active little legs and arms, he is making the room. His active evenings are been spent pushing on the walls of his increasingly cramped accomodations. He stirs about looking for a nook or cranny to grow into, but there just aren't any! (Ironically, Mom has an english muffin every morning.)

The only place left to go is...OUT! Mommy's tummy is getting a little bigger these days. She's wearing her maternity clothes proudly and looking ever so beautiful doing so.

Doctor Appointment Today

Today we went to see the good Dr. Erdman. She said that everything is perfect including the results of the last ultrasound and bloodwork. We heard the baby's heartbeat again today. It was a smooth 140 bpm. Here is what the Baby Gender Prediction thought of that:

For those of you not keeping score at home: That is 3 boy heartrates to 0 girl heartrates.

Dad had to get a flu shot and whooping cough vaccine today. It was his first ever flu shot since he never wanted to take the chance of having it make him get the flu. Mom got the flu shot at the last appointment. Gigi (Sharon) has to get one if she wants to babysit regularly...Doctor's Orders!!!!

My Wombmate

I started to feel the baby's movements at exactly fifteen weeks. I was sitting at my desk at work, when I suddenly felt what can only be described as popcorn popping in my tummy. These small pokes continued for the next couple of weeks. Then, I started to feel the baby rolling around, which is the oddest sensation! Kind of like having a live goldfish swimming around in your stomach.

Now that I am finally half-way through my pregnancy, I can feel the baby kicking everyday. He is very active and strong...another indication that a little boy is in there! He gets excited when I eat. He also tends to get an energy spurt when I am ready to go to bed, of course! Brian is anxious to feel the baby's kicks, but everytime I tell him to come and feel it, the baby promptly falls asleep. Maybe next week, Brian!

Heartbeat of Timonium

As previously mentioned, I don't know if there is actual science to this stuff, but here is what the online calculator said about the heartbeat rate and gender prediction for this point in the gestational period.

Nineteen and One-seventh?

We had another doctor appointment yesterday! Actually, it was a grand tour of GBMC.

We started in the Imaging Lab to get our 20 week ultrasound. It was pretty cool, I have to say. I got a back row seat to the technician scanning and prodding the baby to move in the directions she needed so she could take the necessary pictures and measurements. There is actually a science to this stuff! Prior to this experience, I thought an ultrasound was just for the enjoyment of the parents-to-be by getting to see their baby and possibly learn the sex of the little person. No way! They take measurements and pictures of every little body part. It took about 45 minutes from start to finish.

At first, the little guy was sleeping face down in the direction of Courtney's spine like he had been on a bender the night before. This wasn't ideal for the technician so she poked him until he woke up which is when he became very active. He not only flipped over, but he also completely reversed himself in the other direction. I guess the left side of the womb was getting lumpy. The entire time, I was playing "technician" and trying to predict the body parts that were being scanned and measured. Believe me I was looking for a you know what...I didn't see anything that resembled a wee-wee.

The next stop on our tour was at Dr. Ottenritter's office. We waited awhile for him to come in so I took advantage of the time to take some pictures of Courtney. When he did come in, he summed it all up as "things couldn't look any better." He said we are Nineteen and One-seventh weeks along. (Remember when you used to think pregnancy was 9-months? It has gone from that to 40 weeks t0 fractional weeks?!) Courtney had to get a flu shot today as flu season is approaching, but they wouldn't give me one...Darn! The baby’s heart beat was 144.

From there, we went to get blood drawn for some usual tests at this stage. Courtney was convinced that if she stopped putting pressure on the stick point that she would bleed out and die. I told her I wouldn't let that happen as I was prepared to use my belt as tourniquet in the parking garage. She eventually let go…

Here are the pictures from the sonogram. At one point, the little guy was completely stretched out and lounging. It was like he was on vacation at the Ritz Carlton! Look at the pictures of the legs. He had them crossed at the ankles at one point. It was funny.

Until next time...

Bump Alert!

from E! Entertainment Television

Who is that sporting a brand new baby bump? That is Courtney Stamp, the bombshell wife of financial advisor Brian Stamp. This picture, captured Saturday night while she was prepping to entertain some guests, has the whole blog-o-sphere buzzing..."Is she or isn't she?" We took to the Twitter-verse to find out what you think....

@BrianStamp tweets: Oh, definitely...there is no question. She's as pregnant as the pope is catholic!

There you have it folks...our latest E! Online poll overwhelmingly says "Yes, she is expecting" and this is the proof. Now, how cute is that pug?

Pickles and Ice Cream

One of the most common questions I get when people find out that I am pregnant is, "What are your cravings?" And while I have not had any crazy cravings like pickles and ice cream, I've had my fair share of favorites.

Before I had even confirmed my pregnancy, I began a love affair with milk. I couldn't get enough of it. It got so bad, that I had to start buying two gallons of milk at the grocery store each week. One night, we ran out of milk and I made Brian go with me to the store at 10 pm just to get some! Now, you may not think that milk is an odd craving, but since I am lactose intolerant and haven't drank real milk in fifteen years, it was definitely strange!

Soon after, I lost interest in milk and set my sights on frozen treats. Snowballs were first, particularly the Egg Custard flavor that I had always loved as a child. Then mango Rita's had a turn, and finally, Haagen-Daas Raspberry Sorbet. Nothing better! Brian can attest to this, as I have had him go out to get it for me at least three times. What a sweet husband!

Throughout my pregancy, fruit has been high on my list of requirements. Peaches were definitely my favorite, though watermelon, strawberries and raspberries were not far behind. Now, pretty much anything sweet can satisfy me!

Some oddballs that don't quite fit in with my "sweet" theme are potato salad, macaroni and cheese, and french fries dipped in a Wendy's chocolate frosty.

Most people say that my affinity for sweet things means that I'm having a girl. What do you think?

15 Week Check-up

Today was an exciting day. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time with the doppler device. The Doctor couldn't find anything for the first few seconds, but since I am well read on the subject (I am reading two Expectant Dad books right now), I knew this was normal. The Doctor stated that the Beats Per Minute were 150 bpm. She said that this was a good pace. Normal is between 120-160 bpm. I was curious to see if this was consistant with a boy or a girl at this stage of pregnancy. I vowed to 'google' it when I got home. Apparently, Courtney beat me to the punch. She went on a web page an input the data. Now remember, we DON'T want to know the sex, but we will sure do our best to predict the sex.

Based on this...its a boy. Will the theory hold water? I guess we will find out in February.

Sonogram #1 - 10 Weeks

This is the sonogram at the 10 Week point. Everything looks "normal" according to the technician and the Nurse Practitioner. Regrettably, we didn't get video of this sonogram, but if we did, you would see that the little kidney bean had a throwing motion like Derek Jeter. Although we don't want to find out, it is too early to tell the sex of the baby.

Welcome To The Baby Stamp Update Page!

Welcome Friends and Family to the Baby Stamp Update Blog. We hope to share our exciting information and news about our forthcoming bundle of joy. This will be written by Brian and contributed to by Courtney. It will also double as a journal of sorts for our baby. We are extremely excited and hope you enjoy checking in every once in awhile (including after the little one is born). Save this page address into your favorites!!!

Brian and Courtney

PS. Yes, I am a dork, but I know my kid will appreciate this someday!