It's a....

??? We had our 20 week ultrasound today, and we stuck to our decision to not find out the baby's gender. It was so hard not to ask! I kept asking Jason if he wanted to change his mind. At that point, I would have found out in a heartbeat, but Jason remained firm.

Although, honestly, I don't know that the technician could have told us or not. When JackHannah wasn't moving, he/she was curled up in a ball. It's amazing how flexible babies are! We could potentially have a gymnast on our hands. From the time we started the ultrasound to the time we were done, the baby had completely summer saulted positions.

It was such an amazing sight to see. I think we were both kind of in awe to see our child for the first time (larger than a jelly bean anyway). Even though we won't get a full report on the baby until next week, the tech said everything looked good and is developing as he or she should.

This just really reconfirms what a miracle God has blessed us with and really brings Psalm 139 home. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we are now half-way through the pregnancy. Pray for the baby to continue to grow and develop as he or she should, that I would continue to stay healthy, and that God would prepare us to take on this awesome responsibility of raising this child up in His family.

Ok, just a couple of more pictures....

Halloween

Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I'm just not big on all of the darkness of the day. We don't really "celebrate" it, but we do participate in the candy giving tradition. However, it never seems to fail that no matter how much candy we buy, we always run out. This particularly disappoints me this year, when chocolate is tasting SO good! I must admit that I broke into the candy a little early. Thank goodness I only bought it 2 days before.

Since we don't yet have our own kids to dress up, we thought we'd do the next best thing and dress up the dog.

Poor JJ. He really was a good sport about it. Actually, after a few minutes, he didn't even seem to notice he was wearing it. Maybe we should have taken him out trick-or-treating. Seems to me that would be about on the same plane as the parents who carry around 2 bags of candy - one for their toddler in a stroller and another for the baby in the car. Ugh!

Although we're too old to go trick-or-treating, Jason and I dressed up for a Halloween party at Tyler and Jennifer Curtis' house this past weekend and had a great time. Jennifer does a phenomenal job with all of her party decorations. She should seriously go into the party planning business :-) Although we just recycled from costumes from the past, there were quite a few very original costumes. Below are just a few pictures from the night:

Jason the pirate and I was a flapper

Lindsay, the beautiful butterfly and Erich (aka Slash from Guns and Roses)

Tyler and Jennifer - Dwight and Angela from The Office

Finally, one very cool thing that occurred tonight was after the short rain storm that started off the night, we were blessed with a double rainbow! It really was beautiful and made the whole night a little more "light".

Baby kicks!

Yes, I finally felt it! Sitting in church yesterday morning, I definitely felt for the first time a good kick of punch. It actually kind of caught me off-guard. I just hadn't really been thinking about it at the time. Of course, at this point, it is very sporadic, but I've definitely felt a few more kicks today. Everybody is right when they say you can't really describe it, but it was definitely wonderful! I'll have to remember that when JackHannah is kicking my ribs later in the pregnancy :-)

I've definitely developed a bit of a baby bump now, too. I'm starting to get a bit self-conscious about the belly pics, so I may start posting with the shirt OVER the tummy soon. I know that it's natural for the waist to expand, but it's still a little tough getting used to. Of course, being a typical woman, I've mentioned this to Jason a few times, hoping to get a reassuring response of "I haven't even noticed" or "You are more beautiful now than ever" or some other man-lie like that. Instead, he has reassured me not to worry b/c I'll lose it all after. NOT the response I was looking for. I finally advised him that when I make such comments, I'd like the proper daddy-to-be response :-) I don't need to be reminded that I'll need to lose weight afterward! He is doing much better now :-)

Our next ultrasound is scheduled for a week from today. We're still planning on not finding out the sex, but it will be fun to see how much the baby has grown since our last ultrasound. I'll post pics next week for sure!

Bedtime for me, but before I go I'll post what will most likely be my last bare belly shot (at least for public viewing...)

18 weeks

2nd Trimester!

Where does the time go? I'm already nearing the end of my 15th week. I can't believe it. Since I'm now in the second trimester, this is a great time to travel. I was in Bruce, Mississippi for work this week. I've been to the south before (Florida, North Carolina, New Orleans), but this was the deep south, the real south. Let's just say it was a learning experience. For the first time, I saw cotton not in a bag but growing in fields. I actually ate lunch at a bait shop. Kind of a one-stop shop - fishing tackle, groceries, and fried food. We stayed in Oxford, home of Ole Miss (University of Miss.) and John Grisham. I still don't understand how a town that size can literally support a law office in every building! It was a very cute town. Very typical southern style.

Back to the baby... Jason and I went shopping for a crib and dresser last weekend. We actually had a difficult time finding stores with baby furniture. After trying a few places, we finally stopped at the dreaded Babies R Us. It really wasn't as bad as I had expected but definitely a bit overwhelming. We came away with nothing but got some good ideas. We really like the idea of a convertible crib that turns into a bed. Our favorite was this collection (only in dark cherry) from USA Baby:

I am now starting to outgrow comfortably wearing my "regular" pants (although I could still button them if I really tried!), so I bought the most wonderful invention - belly bands! Since so many people have never heard of them or know what they are, see the picture... They're great! It just goes right over top of my normal pants, so I can leave them unbuttoned and it holds them together.

Overall, I'm feeling really good. My energy seems to have come back. Thankfully I managed to escape the dreaded first trimester morning sickness. As my tummy continues to grow, I'll keep you posted on the progress. No signs of baby movement yet, but I'm hoping I'll start to notice that in the next few weeks. And....For those of you who mentioned the Drano test to me.....I tried it. How come nobody tells you that in addition to it "showing" you the baby's gender, it also gets extremely hot, smokes, and lets off terrible fumes?!? At any rate...according to that urban legend test, we're having a girl. I guess we'll find out at the end of March if it really works or not.

Have a great weekend!

8 weeks vs. 15 weeks

12 weeks

We're pretty good about going for walks each night, especially since we got JJ. However, he has a bad habit of leading the way and pulling us through our path. So, a couple of months ago, we got the Gentle Leader collar. This was supposed to be the miracle cure for pulling dogs. It fits over his snout and around his head, so when he tries to pull away, his head turns back toward the leash. It's tight enough so that he can't pull it off, but it fits behind his mouth, so he can breathe just fine. It really does work.

Unfortunately, JJ doesn't seem to think it's quite the miracle that we do. Now, when we get his leash and tell him we're going for a walk, he tries to squirm every way he can to keep from wearing the dreaded collar. It's actually quite funny to watch. Initially, when we would get back, he would try pawing it off himself. However, now he's simply resigned himself to hanging his head in misery upon return. I almost feel bad for him and would think about not forcing him into such a "terrible" device, but it really does work!

At any rate, time is flying by so quickly! I can't believe that I'm nearly through the first trimester. I really can't complain since it's been relatively easy for me. Since it's been a few weeks, I thought I'd post another belly picture. I know there doesn't appear to be much change, but at least I'll have these pics to look back and remember when I could see my toes :-) Here you go:

Another learning experience

I had my 11 week doctors appointment today. Since Jason missed the first ultrasound, he got out of work early to make it to this one! He couldn't figure out why they schedule an appointment at a certain time, get you settled in the room, and then have you wait for 30 minutes. Oh, it's so nice that he's finally experiencing what we women have to experience EVERY time we go to the obstetrician! Due to boredom, he did educate himself by reading the only magazine available in the room - Conceive Magazine :-)

We got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time today! 161 beats per minute. It was such an amazingly sweet sound. Just another milestone to make it all seem real. Everything else looked good, too. The doctor said that the baby is growing, although I really can't tell yet.

In some ways, I can't wait for these months to pass by, but on the other hand I know that I'll be somewhat sad when they're gone. You only get to experience these things once - first ultrasound, first heartbeat. I guess I'll just try to enjoy all of these moments along the way, and thank God for all of the blessings He's poured out on us!

Double Digits

I am now officially 10 weeks. I know it still doesn't seem like I'm very far along, but I feel like this is a mini-milestone. Only a few more weeks, and I'll be through the first trimester!! Of course, Jason and I appreciate your continued prayers through the entire pregnancy, but especially these first weeks.

No baby bump yet. I'm hoping that doesn't show up for awhile. I'm kind of worried about buying maternity clothes. What do I buy? Where do I buy it? What's my size? Do they make short maternity pants??? Knowing me, I'm sure you realize how much I like to plan. No, I NEED to plan. So far, though, I've gotten a lot of good advice from friends, so I know it will all work out.

I'm still feeling relatively good. Somehow I've gotten away with basically no morning sickness. Strange cravings continue to catch me from time to time. Recently, I can't get enough of baby dill pickles and strawberry ice cream - although not mixed together. You know, though, that doesn't sound so bad after all...