16 Weeks...gender, & cravings, & names, oh my!

Today was our 16 week appointment... It was pretty exciting and painless.  Because Chadd couldn't make it, my mom came with me.  We got to hear the heart beat, it was in the 150s (still thinking "it's" a boy) & I was able to change our sonogram to June 22.  That means only about a month and we will know what this little peanut is!  I don't care either way, I just want to know.  Place your bets now.  I'm putting $50 on boy.
We've been thinking a lot about baby names.  I think most girls think about this far before pregnancy.  It was all fun and games before...now it's time to get serious!  I feel like we will just know what the baby's name is.  My requirement is that it be something we both love.  After getting some good advice the other day, I realize that I wouldn't want to name our child something that Chadd didn't love just as much as I do.  I also think that the baby should make the name, not the name define the baby...I just want a good, solid name that fits our child.  And after teaching preschool & learning 24 names/spellings & then teaching kids how to write their names... I know to keep it simple.  There's no need to change a good name up--as I said, the name should not define the child.  So, I'm trying not to think about it a lot, and I'm hoping we will figure it out in the next 5 months.  It's a very daunting task, naming a child.
In other news, my belly is getting bigger everyday and I'm getting less comfortable in regular clothes.  I still have a slight aversion to meat (I would rather not think about eating chicken breasts, pork of any kind, or steak).  Processed meat sounds perfectly fine--hot dogs (Hebrew National All Beef Kosher, of course), burgers, chicken fingers, etc).  The baby could also be a little bit Italian because I crave pizza & pasta (especially fettuccine alfredo).  I'm also craving cherry coke.  Do they make a caffeine free version of this?  I'd like to find it.
I almost completely forgot...A milestone I should have had in my last post--my "first" Mother's Day!  I'm going to sound totally spoiled when I say what Chadd got me...He has a lot to live up to every year now.  A few weeks ago he gave me a speaker system that wraps around my belly & that my ipod hooks up to.  The baby can listen to music & it presets it to the correct volume level.  I can listen, too, by using my headphones.  It's really cool, especially because the baby is starting to be able to hear.  After the baby's born, it hooks up to the stroller.  A few days before Mother's Day, he gave me the Willow Tree Angel "Home"--a pregnant woman and her spouse standing together.  I think it says together our family makes a home or something like that.  Very sweet, especially because I didn't hint at this at all.  Then on Mother's day, he gave me a necklace he had made.  In the center is baby feet, and surrounding them says "You are my sunshine" (this song reminds me of my childhood, I used to sing it to my mom) & there is a pearl on it representing the baby.  I can add more pearls if we have more kids.  I may have hinted at this :)  In all fairness, we are two very excited first time parents to be, and I'm really glad that Chadd is able to show how excited he is (he's also bought the baby numerous Black Hawks items--a jersey, onesies, sleepers).  He's pretty worried that he's "screwed" if it's a girl because these are "boy" clothes.  I told him she will wear them with pride and we will put a bow in her hair and call it a day :)
If I've rambled on, I'm sorry.  The next time I blog will probably be when we find out the sex!!! Can't wait.  I've got lots of shopping to do.

Milestones

So, we've had a few milestones this week and I couldn't wait until after my appointment to blog about them.  I swear I felt kicks yesterday (5/16) afternoon.  No, it was NOT gas.  There have been times when I thought I felt movement but it could have been gas.  This was most definitely 3 kicks.  It was after a particularly stressful moment at work, and after I sat down & started to calm down I felt it.  It was very unmistakable.  And very cool.  I can't wait to feel it again.
As for the other milestone, after I got home tonight I decided to give the Doppler a whirl.  I have been unsuccessful with it thus far.  I've heard my heartbeat, and what I thought was movement...but tonight I heard the baby's heart beat!  I couldn't believe it.  I heard it for about 5-10 seconds at a time & couldn't exactly get a clear reading on the beats per minute.  Chadd's gone at camp until Friday so I hope I can find it again when he gets home.
On another note, my 16 week appointment is tomorrow & I hopefully get to hear the heartbeat again & get a clear reading on the bpms.  It would be awesome if we got a sonogram...because they could tell me the sex...and I'm too anxious to wait until June 29!  I'll just note now, that I think "it's" a boy.  I don't know why, I just have a feeling.  Not that I wouldn't absolutely love a girl.  We'll see.  In 6 weeks.
Let the countdown begin...