Surprise!

The moment of truth has arrived! And everyone but Kenny has been really surprised... Which means: we're having a boy! We had the ultrasound today, and he didn't really feel like cooperating at first. He was napping and, of course, had his face turned away from us too. Eventually, with some poking and prodding, we got him to move. He had his cord wrapped between his legs, but he eventually untangled himself. And he turned his head just long enough for us to get a decent picture. So for those of you that are interested, here are the pictures:

This is the "boy" shot. There's a little arrow pointing to a very important piece of anatomy, so we have photographic evidence.

This is baby's first head shot. It took awhile to get him to look this way. He'd turn just long enough for us to get a hint of what he looked like, but only this one time did he take time to pose.

This was one unsuccessful attempt to get him to look at us. He actually had his arm curved up around his head at one point. He was sleeping and didn't want to be disturbed. And he let it be known too. Whenever we poked him, he would poke back hard. The technician actually felt the wand move when he bucked back at us.

And this is his little foot. He was curled up with feet tucked under him and crossed for most of the ultrasound.

So the ultrasound went pretty successfully. I started to cry a little bit after she told us it was a boy- good tears, of course. And Kenny wanted a high five. I think he's already picturing coaching baseball teams. They took images of the baby's brain, which was cool. That's the neuroscience in us talking. They said he weighs about 14 oz. We got to see his heart and all of the chambers pumping. The doctor said everything looked good and that he appears to be healthy.

The grandparents and aunts and uncles already know. Our parents were all really excited, as was everyone else. My sister, in true Lynn fashion, gave this response when I told her it was a boy: "That's terrible!" But she laughed and said congratulations, so I don't think she entirely meant it. Grandpa offered up his name as an option, and also Ferdinand Leopold- which was his dad's name. While Grostati was alive, there was a substantial monetary amount offered to whichever of his granddaughters named their son after him. Mom and Dad balked, and Candie never got the chance. Since there isn't the same incentive, I think we might have to pass this time. We do think we are going to use the middle name Patrick, since he's due so close to St. Patrick's Day. And we're trying to pick a first name that reflects my Scottish/Welsh heritage, so that he reflects both of us in his name.

I'm already starting to feel him move a lot. I can even feel him on the outside of my abdomen already. Kenny says he still can't feel it, but I don't think it will be much longer. The baby's pretty powerful.

20 weeks photo

Alright, here is my 20 weeks photo:

I think you can officially tell I'm pregnant now... I feel bigger than that.

I also found out today that I can still take classes next semester. I am permitted a two week medical leave. This doesn't leave a lot of time for recovery, but I'll only be taking eight credit hours. So hopefully, that will be okay. I'll be taking off of work from the time we have the baby until the end of the semester. It doesn't make sense to work just to make enough money to pay for daycare. Kenny should be able to take some vacation time to stay with the baby while I'm at school.

I forgot to mention yesterday that the rumors about pregnant women being really forgetful is true! I am absent-minded anyways, but I have taken it to a new level. I lost four pairs of sunglasses in two weeks. Yesterday, I took Kenny's house keys out of his pocket while we were unloading groceries and proceeded to IMMEDIATELY lose them. It took a good thirty minutes for us to find them. So if you have anything important to tell me, make sure I get it in writing!

Our first blog!

Hi everyone! I know it's a little late into the pregnancy to be starting this, but I was inspired by our friends Dennis and Mary in Atlanta. I'll be in my 20th week (five months or so) tomorrow! Half way done! So for everyone who doesn't know the whole story, we'll start at the beginning. We found out we were pregnant on July 4th. I had been feeling weird for a week or two and Kenny kept trying to tell me I was pregnant. I was doubtful, however. He convinced to take a test and it took two before I was really convinced. We called the doctor and made an appointment but couldn't get in until August 1. That is a long time to wait!! So every two or three days I would get nervous and have to take another test. Needless to say, they all came back positive.

I told Mom a couple of days after we found out, but waited awhile to tell everyone else. I did tell my bosses early too, so that they wouldn't wonder why I wouldn't work with radiation or the animals anymore. I wanted to wait until after the doctor's appointment in August to tell everyone else. Mom ended up having to tell Dad so that he didn't insist on taking me to the hospital for food-poisoning. That was my first bout of morning sickness- and it wasn't in the morning... We told his mom soon after that. We waited to tell the rest of the "immediate" family until after the first doctor's appointment and closer to the three month mark. Most of his family had already had it figured out, as had my sister. We didn't really tell anyone else until after we heard the heartbeat. As some of you know, I'm still telling some people. (Sorry, it's been really hectic...)

I didn't start getting sick until the middle of July. I was mostly just really nauseous all day long and couldn't really think about food. I am definitely feeling better now, though. Kenny's happy because I can finally cook again. We heard the heartbeat at the beginning of September. I have it recorded and am going to see if I can find a way to link it. We go on Halloween to get our ultrasound. Everybody we've told but Kenny seems to think it's a girl. We'll just have to wait and see...

Here are a couple of belly pics so you can map my progress. I'm not divulging my weight...

4 weeks

9 weeks

13 weeks

16 weeks

We'll take the 20 week picture tomorrow and post it. I'm out of my regular clothes and into maternity ones now. I can wear some of my old jeans with a belly band, but most of my old shirts are out of the question. We'll keep you posted as we find out more!