We are still on cloud nine after last week’s Baby Finn announcement. But today we have even more news to share…our gender reveal. Is Baby Finn a girl or a boy?! Before we get to that big news, let’s chat about how we found out.

We knew the sex of the embryos we implanted during our first three rounds of IVF. However, since this time it was a fresh embryo transfer, there was no time to test the embryo before putting it in. We just put the embryo in and crossed our fingers and toes that it was chromosomally normal and would stick.

Because I’m considered high-risk, we were given the option to do NIPT (noninvasive prenatal testing) as early as 10 weeks. They just take a vial of blood from me and test it to see if the baby is chromosomally normal and the sex of the baby. It’s so wild to me that they can know these things so early on! Apparently, the baby’s DNA starts mixing with the mother’s blood that early and they can test it! Science is amazing.

I went ahead with the test and a little over a week later we got the phone call. We were actually in Austin at a work conference, so it just so happened we were together when we got the news. Finn and I were working in a small conference room and there was another person in there working too (we didn’t know her). I took the call and immediately started crying tears of joy when they said our baby was chromosomally normal. I’m pretty sure the lady in the room thought we were bonkers!

Then, she told me the gender. And I mouthed it over the phone to Finn who was patiently waiting…”WE’RE HAVING A GIRL!” We shrieked, cried, and hugged right there in that conference room. I won’t ever forget that moment.

Yep, Baby Finn is a girl and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome a daughter into our lives next year.

We Had a Feeling…

It’s so funny because, from the start, we both were incredibly confident that it was going to be a girl. It almost wasn’t a surprise when the nurse called with the news. I just had a feeling that I was growing my sweet daughter inside of me.

At the end of the day, we both always said we are just happy for any healthy baby! But I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was secretly thrilled to have a daughter. My mom and I are incredibly close and I would love to have that same kind of relationship with my daughter someday.

Finn is over the moon about having a girl. I think he was meant to be a girl dad and he is going to rock it. I’ve never seen him so happy.

First Trimester Q&A

I’m happy that the cat is out of the bag because instead of being coy I can talk all about the sweet baby girl who is growing away! You have no idea how many times I proofread last week’s post to make sure I didn’t accidentally slip up and say “she” or “her” when referencing the baby!

You guys had so many questions for me after my announcement last week, so I wanted to round them all up into a little first-trimester recap.

How far along are you exactly?

I am 17 weeks and 1 day (with IVF it’s very precise!). Our daughter is due May 4th, 2020.

How are you feeling?

I feel great! I’ve had no morning sickness and my energy level has been fine. I have been sleeping more than usual (usually going to bed by 9 pm and waking up around 6 am), but during the day I still have plenty of energy. At night, I wake up several times to pee but luckily, I’ve been falling right back to sleep.

In the beginning, I was ravenous. Like,  I would eat two breakfasts before 10 am kinda hungry. I did my best to eat healthy, but, really, I just needed to have food in me at all times! Thankfully, that has subsided a bit. My doctor said it was probably from the meds I was on and once I weaned off of them, it would get better. I still have a shot every other morning, so my baby bump is very black and blue from the bruises. Not the cutest.

I’m now able to work out and that has been good for me. After so many months of being on a strict no-workout policy, it’s nice to get my body moving again! I’ve been doing the “Move Through Maternity” program on the Aaptiv app and I really like it. I also joined a local prenatal class and it feels amazing to stretch!

Have you purchased any maternity clothing yet?

I’m still wearing all of my normal clothes, but my jeans are getting reaaaaal tight. I don’t want to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe, so I’m trying to be smart about the items I do buy. I ended up getting this maternity tank top and these leggings and I adore them both. I’ll plan to wear both throughout my entire pregnancy and beyond. A few other things I picked up…these overalls (amazing for DIY days), these leggings (perfect for yoga), a new bra (nursing-friendly too), and these jeans (still a bit too big to wear though). I’m planning to just buy things as I need them.

In terms of belly butters and creams, I’ve been using all types. I picked up this cream to, hopefully, prevent stretch marks (it has killer reviews). But I also have this magnesium balm that I put on at night and my friend gave me this cream and this oil. I’ve been using a combo of all of them and so far I’m liking it!

Are you having a baby shower?

Yes! My sweet friend Christina and my mom are throwing me a baby shower next spring. In the meantime, I have to figure out what the heck to register for. Lots on the to-do list! Speaking of which…

How are you prepping for baby?

If you know me, then you know I’m a type-A planner. I actually created a Baby Finn google doc outlining each month until May 2020. On there, I listed to-do’s for that particular month and assigned them to either Finn, myself, or both. We then have a more manageable list of what we need to accomplish that month instead of one huge overwhelming baby to-do list.

For example, this month we met with an estate planner to prepare a will (we didn’t have one set up before this). We also donated our extra fertility meds, started researching childcare, and more. It helps to have everything segmented into monthly lists!

Have you picked out any names yet?

Once we found out it was a girl, we started discussing names. We have a few that we like, but we won’t be announcing the name until she is here!

Have you read any baby or pregnancy books?

I read Bringing up Bebe and really liked it. I also just got Moms on Call and that has been full of practical knowledge. I use the “What to Expect” app to follow along with my pregnancy and that has been fun. What other pregnancy or baby books do you recommend reading?

What are the nursery plans?

You have no idea how excited I am to decorate a nursery. I’ve been dreaming of this for years! Right now, we have a big empty room just waiting for some action. I want it to be feminine, but not overly girly or super “baby.” Instead, I want it to be a room that will grow with her.  I’ll share more details as we figure them out, but my guess is you’ll start to see nursery progress on the blog in early 2020.

Are you going on a babymoon?

Yes! We booked a trip to Palm Springs, CA at the end of January. Sunshine, mocktails, and floating in a pool all day? Sign me up! If you’ve been to Palm Springs, we would love your recommendations on what to do and where to eat.

With the baby on the way are you still getting a dog?

Our plan was always to move into the house and get a dog this fall. Once we found out we were pregnant, we decided to put the dog plan on pause. I know we’ve been talking about it for so long now (and you guys have been so supportive and awesome about the idea!), but it just feels like too many changes all at once (new house, new business, new dog, new baby) all within a year. I’m confident we will get one eventually because Finn is so obsessed!

Will you take time away from the blog?

Because I don’t have a traditional job, I don’t get a dedicated maternity leave, so I kinda have to figure out exactly what I want to do in order to take time to heal and be with my baby. I actually discussed this in detail with my blogging friend, Kim, from Yellow Brick Home. She has a sweet 2-year-old and planned ahead for her maternity leave so she could take some time away from the blog.

I don’t have all of the details figured out just yet, but I will be taking a short time off of posting on the blog in May. I’m going to try to prep content ahead of time so I won’t be as stressed getting back into the swing of things. We’ll see how it goes. But don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere for very long!

If you have any more baby questions, fill out the form below. I’ll tackle them in my second-trimester recap (or a future “Ask Casey” post).

Again, we cannot thank you enough for your endless support for our happy news. We cannot wait to meet our sweet baby girl in May of 2020.

Casey

*All photos by the talented Jenny Grimm Photography.