I n B l o o m

3 seconds

Violet just let go of the chair she was holding onto and stood by herself for three full seconds. Crazy.

How did we get here so fast...

It's a GIRL!

Yep. It's a girl. I should have stuck with my gut. My gut said, "It's a girl!" My husband said, "It's a boy!" Then I kind of started preferring a boy, and told everyone that's what it was. One should ALWAYS stick with one's gut! Now ask me if I prefer a boy ... things have changed, my friend!

We had our ultrasound last Friday and it was unlike anything I've ever seen before. Our little monkey was moving around all over the place giving us a little show. She was scooting (like actual scooting -- hilarious), sucking her thumb ... a LOT, grabbing her feet and sucking on her toes, stretching her legs way out (enjoy it while it lasts, baby!), wiggling her fingers like she was waving to us, and a bunch of other things. The part I will never forget is this: at one point the technician had a shot that was kind of looking up her nose (she was making sure she had two nostrils, which she does -- hooray!), and she was opening and closing her mouth the whole time like she was talking or singing or munching. Aw man. That part really got me. That's the moment I said to myself, "This little girl is going to break my heart." She is so sweet. I loved seeing her in such detail for so long. I wish I had it on video. (But then I would never get anything done at all.)

The technician and the doctor both said she is amazingly healthy. My favorite part was when the doctor said, "Wow. Beautiful, healthy brain." and Allen wiggled his eyebrows. : )

Some pictures:

First picture: a clear one of her sucking her thumb.
Middle picture: here's where she is wiggling her fingers like she's waving (the technician wrote "Hi mom and dad" on it because it was so adorable that she was waving)
Rightmost picture: my absolute favorite. Look at that sweet little profile.

I stare at these for long periods of time during the day and I'm in awe -- trying to grasp the fact that she's actually half of me & half of Allen. I try to imagine what she'll look like and then go into fits of crying because I can't believe that she actually exists! She's my little boo-boo. I LOVE her!

The other fun news I have is that Allen & I went to an orientation seminar at the Birth Center in Bryn Mawr last Monday night and we decided -- without a doubt! -- that we are going to have the baby there. I am so so SO excited about this! I was so happy to have all my questions answered and to see that the place was a million times better than I had even imagined. It is amazing and perfect for us on so many levels. I should be their spokesperson. (If you've heard me talk about the place, you know what I mean!) In another entry, sometime in the near future, I will go into detail about why it's so amazing and why I'm their biggest fan. But for now, I need to end.

Glad I get to share all these exciting things with you all. Thanks for all your emails and notes about how awesome she is. And as always: Please, leave comments!

In the Beginning

Well, we can't really believe it ... but we're PREGNANT! What a feeling to look at that test and see two lines appear so suddenly! I thought my stomach was going to fall out. But first let me give you a little background ...

We started trying officially in June because we had talked to a lot of people and prayed about it a LOT, and we came to the decision that we wanted to start trying while Allen is still in seminary so he can help out (where he might not be able to as well if he has a full-time job -- so we've been told). A bunch of our friends who have been through seminary told us, "Seminary is the perfect time to start having children!" So we talked about it, prayed about it, and decided together that we were ready!

June was a hard month because I was sure I was pregnant after our first month of trying, but then sadly realized at the end of the month that I wasn't. That was hard for me -- harder than I thought it would be. Weird emotions went through me. For instance, a big part of me just wanted to NOT try anymore, but a big part of me just let go of the idea in a good way. Looking back, I think that "letting go" of being so stressed about making it happen is exactly what got us pregnant later. (I've heard so many times this is very true.)

Our baby was conceived on July 29th and it was not in attempt to get pregnant. I haven't felt any different since then (I have felt extremely tired, but I thought it was just exhaustion and stress that came with directing a FOCUS program). Also, last night I felt some weird muscle stuff down there - but really, I had no super-convincing reason to believe at ALL that I was, in fact, pregnant. But ... for some reason this morning I thought, "I have an extra pregnancy test. Why not just check?..." I was all casual about it, and not at all expecting to see two lines, which is not like me. And then... two lines appeared immediately! I was totally shocked!! I felt like my stomach was going to fall out (as I mentioned before), and I quickly put my "Project: Baby Announcement" plan of action into motion!

Allen was downstairs reading the Bible, so I had some freedom to prepare the plan quickly. I've had my plan all constructed since we got married, and I've been prepared to execute since May, so it was pretty easy to set up quickly. I had an arrow (a real hunting arrow) inside of a narrow quiver with a little note attached to it which said, "Psalm 127:4-5." Then, when you pull the arrow out of the quiver, at the bottom of the arrow is the verse typed out on a separate flag of paper. Here are pictures (just click them to see the full size)...

               

The verse says, "Like arrows in the hands of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them ... Behold, children are a gift of the LORD."

So I grabbed the quiver with the arrow, and took it downstairs to where Allen was sitting and handed it to him. He inspected it, smiling the whole time, but I still didn't see any waves of realization sweeping over his face, so I pulled out the positive test and showed it to him. (Here's a picture in case you are finding it hard to believe, too!)

It took about two seconds for it to register ... but then we both started jumping up and down, hugging, and crying. So fun...

So now you're all caught up. That's our exciting story!

We will be keeping this blog updated with any new information -- so feel free to visit often! We are so excited. It's a really crazy feeling. I don't even know quite how to describe it! It's just CRAZY! Our plan for now is to tell our four parents and Sarah & Peter, Jay & Kristen, and maybe some more of our close friends. We're kind of just letting it soak in first. But then, once we have some good check-ups with the doctor (crazy!) we'll tell the world!

Oh, and by the way: the very approximate due date is April 22nd (we know this since we have been "charting" things). If the doctor gives us another date, we'll let you know!

HOORAY!!!