The day I had been waiting for!

The days and weeks leading up to Monday, May 26th seemed to drag on and on - it was like waiting for Christmas morning as a kid. I could NOT WAIT any longer. I knew that on that day at 9:45 am, I would be told whether I was carrying a baby boy or a baby girl. I had suspected from day one that it was a boy - and I was nearly 100% certain about it, too! And then Jenn and Mike had Callie, and after seeing her, holding her, and being around her, my dreams suddenly changed to all girl, all the time. I was, needless to say, so confused and SO eager to know for sure. So when the ultrasound technician called us back, I nearly sprinted back to the room with her. I think Kurt was equally as excited as I was - after all, we had been waiting for this moment for nearly 21 weeks now!

So, I laid back, got the cold goo slathered on my big ole belly, and got to see Baby Burrito wiggling around. What a sight?! I have been feeling the baby move around a lot lately, so it was even more exciting to actually witness it. This kid moves around, A LOT. The first things we saw were the feet and hands (see below):

I know I'm biased, but aren't those the cutest feet and hands you've ever seen?! :)

And then, we got the news we had suspected all along. The nurse said, "Do you want to know what you're having?" Which of course we said "yes" to (we may have actually yelled at her rather than merely responding, but who's judging!) She pointed to the screen and said, "there's the legs, and there's his penis and scrotum." Sooooo....WE'RE HAVING A BOY!!!

The sad part is that I had to ask Kurt later what the heck "scrotum" is. Really?? How am I going to be the mother of a boy not knowing what "scrotum" is?! Ha!!

This series of pictures might be favorite - the second one in particular is so clear, and I'm so in love with his little face!!

And then, we got another fabulous surprise when she pulled out another "wand" for the ultrasound - we got to have one of those incredible 4D ultrasounds that I've always heard about. It is absolutely unbelievable how clear you can see this sweet baby boy in the pictures. I hope it comes out as clear on screen as they do in person.

It looks like he's sucking his thumb...and I think he looks quite cozy in my belly. I hope not too cozy 'cause I simply CANNOT WAIT for him to come out and play with me!!

So week 20 was most definitely the most exciting part of this pregnancy so far! We are beyond thrilled to be having a baby; but now knowing that it's a boy is even more joyous. There aren't many boys on my side of the family, and Lord knows poor Kurt needs some more testosterone in his life. I hope this baby looks like Kurt - he'll be so handsome. Quite the ladies' man :)

Just for the sake of posting more embarrassing stuff about myself, here's the latest picture of my belly. Seriously, I don't know how many more I'll want to take - I think they get increasingly uglier and uglier. But it's all good - this family (me, Kurt and Rosie) is already so in love with Burrito we can hardly stand it!

Mother's Day 2009

What a blessed weekend I had?! Kurt had to recruit at the Alabama State High School Track Meet which just happened to be down in Gulf Shores, so we took the opportunity to spend the weekend there and celebrate the completion of another semester of school and my first Mother's Day. I laid on the beach for a couple hours by myself on Saturday and became overwhelmed with joy as I watched the many moms with their children play on the beach together. By next Mother's Day, I'll have a 7 month old to hold, love on, and take to the beach with me - isn't that crazy to think of?! I felt so humbled that God has blessed me with the incredible gift of being a mother - a gift that I do not deserve, but one that I am gratefully receiving.

I also reflected on the incredible sacrifices my mom (and all of the other moms in the world) have made in order to care for me and my sisters. She never bought anything for herself, never did anything for herself while we were growing up - it was all about us. And she did it all by herself, without the help of her own mother around to ask questions to. I pray that I NEVER take for granted the fact that I have my own mom here to rely on and seek for advice. She is the best mom in the world - the most selfless, giving person I know - and I can only hope to be half as good of a mom as her!

AND, my sweet mommy friends - what joys you are to me as well?! I will be relying so heavily on you, too, for advice and guidance along the way. I prayed for you all and thanked the Lord for the blessings of your friendships.

So, needless to say, I was a little spoiled my first Mother's Day - Kurt was amazing, giving, sweet, and loving...I'm not sure that any other Mother's Day will be able to compete with the pefection of this one :)



Burrito's goofy daddy



Almost 19 weeks pregnant




Best Mother's Day EVER!

Another appointment with Dr. Hoover

Today was our third time to meet with Dr. Hoover. The first appointment was overwhelming, with tons and tons of questions about our medical histories, blood work, etc. etc. etc. I didn't know what to expect at our second appointment - and well, frankly, it was quick, painless, and BO-RING. I didn't come prepared at all! So this time, I was going to surprise her and be uber-prepared. (Kurt may have been embarrassed, but it's ok!). First, we started off with me getting weighed - always the highlight of these visits...NOT! Luckily, I've only gained about 8lbs so far, but my appetite is getting bigger and bigger, so this slow steady weight gain will likely take a turn for the worse soon!

Afterwards, we got a chance to listen to Burrito's heart beat. It was loud and clear, and nice and steady at 150 bpm. Supposedly, there's an old wives tale that says a slow heart rate (140 or lower) indicates that it will be a boy, while a fast heart rate (160 or higher) indicates that it will be a girl. So of course, we were right in the middle at 150...dangit! I want to know if it's Burrito or Burrita so bad! We'll know soon enough, though (only three more weeks - May 26th!).

After getting to hear the heart beat, I then inundated Dr. Hoover with my multitude of questions ranging from the ridiculous ("what is up with my skin and how can I remedy this acne?") to the serious ("is sleeping on my back really restricting the blood flow and nutrients via umbilical cord to the baby?"). By the way, she said there is nothing I can do about this skin crap (thanks to the lovely influx of progesterone (hormones) in my body; and after week 22, sleeping on my back really can be dangerous for the baby. Crazy, huh?

So, that's that! Overall, another great appointment! I'm almost 18 weeks along now, slowly creeping to that half-way point in the pregnancy. And as each day passes, I grow more and more excited to meet this precious baby in my belly. I can't wait!

P.S. Say prayers for my sweet friend Jenn Matwijec who was induced today - she should be having Callie Monroe any minute now! I cannot wait to meet her! She will either be Burrita's future best friend, or Burrito's future girlfriend :)

Daddy lovin' on his baby

I just feel fat, and not pregnant! But I love how much Kurt loves Burrito already!! Nothing better in this world :)

Weekend in Nashville

Last weekend, Kurt and I drove up to Nashville to meet my cousin, Jarrett, and his girlfriend, Patrice. They were in "the mood" for a road trip (a 14-hour road trip from Philadelphia!!), so we met up for the Dave Matthews Band concert. Jarrett is only five years older than me, but he's more like a big brother than a cousin to me, so any time I get to spend with him is always fun and always a blessing. We definitely don't get to see each other enough, which I hate, but I'm going to do my best to remedy that :)

Here are some pictures from the weekend - we had too much fun!




Jarrett loves any sports venue!


Lovin' this new haircut!!



Enjoying DMB.




They drank beer; I drank blue raspberry frozen lemonade - yum!