December 25, 2006

My sweet boy . . .

We had our appointment on Friday and found out that we're having a boy (so much for my feeling that it was a girl)! I've uploaded photos . . . he's looking healthy and perfect! I didn't realize how worried I was about the appointment until I let it all out and cried all the way home. I just felt so relieved to know that everything was looking ok.

I do have to admit that I was a little saddened by the fact that when we went shopping there were about three racks of super cute girls' clothes for every one rack of mediocre boys' clothes. I guess since we can't afford much anyway, this works out for the best. :)

His beautiful profile . . .


Looking down at the soles of his feet and his belly . . .


Most definitely a boy . . . and not shy about it at all!


Waving for the camera . . .

December 19, 2006

2nd Mortgage

When we were trying to get pregnant, I read a book called "The Conception Chronicles." It was very uninformative but wildly entertaining! I found a quote I had written down from it today and I wanted to put it on here before I deleted it from my computer forever:

"Today I noticed a couple who were there for a prenatal checkup. The woman was heavily pregnant, sheathed in bicycle shorts that probably fit like a glove — a latex surgical glove — several months ago. Now they were stretched so tightly that the tensile strength of the Lycra was severely compromised; you could practically hear the twists of space-age polymer pinging under the strain as she settled into her chair.

She was also wearing a T-shirt that fit snugly across her abdomen. It was emblazoned with a flaky-looking iron-on that read, "FUTURE BIKER."

I think I will make myself a maternity T-shirt that reads, "SECOND MORTGAGE." With glitter. And perhaps, if I'm feeling kicky, fringe."

December 18, 2006

12:24 AM

It's 12:24 AM and I cannot sleep. I've been tossing and turning and I'm surprised the the light from my laptop and the sound of me hitting the keys on the keyboard hasn't woken Kyle up yet!

We celebrated our 4th anniversary on Thursday. In some ways it feels like it's been a lot longer than four years . . . but in other ways I can't believe that it's ALREADY four years. We had a portion of a gift certificate to Darrel's so we used that for dinner and used a portion of a movie gift certificate to go see the Nativity Story. It was a decent movie . . . not as lame as I was worried it might be. It held a little more true to the nativity "stories" we've always been told than it did to historical accuracy, but I was impressed at how well-made it was. It was a nice addition to the Christmas season.

I've got some more Christmas shopping to do and stores are running out of the things I'm looking for. Kyle and I went to four stores looking for one gift in particular today.

Kyle and I decided just to do stockings for each other for Christmas again this year. I think I might like to make that a "family tradition." When I was growing up, Christmas was all about what gifts and how many gifts I would get. I'm a little embarrassed now to think about how I acted if I got something I didn't like. I'd like to keep getting Christmas gifts low-key and place the emphasis on what we give. Maybe I'll read this five years ago and think, "yeah, right."

December 12, 2006

Tis the Season . . .

Is it just me, or does everyone have about triple the Christmas parties this year that there have been in past years? It's a good thing I love Christmas!

We had our second Dr. appointment last Wednesday and everything's looking good. She listened for the heartbeat externally and it took her a while to find it. I was terrified when she couldn't find it at first, but I thought I was playing it pretty cool. Kyle told me that I looked horrified and I think the doctor noticed too because she kept reassuring me that this was perfectly normal. It only took a couple of minutes, but it seemed like an hour!

When she did finally find the heart beat, she couldn't keep it for more than two seconds at a time because the baby kept moving. She was amazed at how much and how quickly the baby was moving. I hope that's not an early indication of hyperactivity. I already have a puppy I can't catch . . . I'm hoping that my baby won't be faster than I am!

I had my blood drawn to test for chromosomal abnormalities, so hopefully those test results will be back soon. I'm not sure why I want to know, because it's not like I'll love the baby less if there are problems. I guess I just want time to prepare myself if it's the case. I pray daily for a healthy baby.

A couple of times now I think I've felt the baby move. I haven't been 100% sure though. The doctor said it was unlikely this early until she saw how much the kid was moving when she was trying to find the heartbeat. After that, she said it might be a possibility. I never really feel a "kick" as much as a I do feel a "shifting" feeling.

We have an appointment on December 22 for our formal ultrasound. They'll check the brain, liver, heart, spine and other major organs for problems. If the baby cooperates, we'll also get to find out the sex . . . which is thrilling to me! I can't wait!