Friday, October 22, 2010

IT'S A BOY!!!

Well we went to the doctor on Tuesday for our gender revealing ultra-sound.  Regardless of what we said, we were both hoping for a boy...Jared even more than I was.  IT IS A BOY! 

We were so anxious in the days leading up to the ultra-sound...not just for the gender but also for the health of the baby.  I think we slept for about an hour on Monday night.  Good thing we took the day off on Tuesday.  Here we are right before we went in:

Last few minutes of having an "it" instead of a son.

We were grateful to have so much support at the appointment.  Jared's mom, my mom, Teighynne, Maesynne, and Bevynne all took off of work/school to be there for the big reveal.  

The ultra-sound tech definitely took her time.  She spent quite a bit of time showing us the face and the profile and his little tummy.

She also zoomed in on the heart and it looked perfect!  We could see all four chambers pumping.  That was a relief.  Finally, she moved down south.  We spent a few minutes admiring the sweet little feet...the little buger kept kicking his mama:  

And then it was time for the big reveal.  The tech got in position but the legs were crossed!!  She kept poking at him but he just wouldn't open his legs.  I almost made a comment about how lady-like it was...that would have been awkward.  Before we went in, Jared had been telling a story about a girl at work whose baby wouldn't move for the ultra-sound and she had to come back the next day to find out what it was.  Well, after the night Jared and I had, we needed to know now.  She moved away from the legs and back up to the head and appeased us with another sweet head shot.  By this time, I was squeezing Jared's hand so hard that I think I left a bruise.  After what seemed like hours she moved back down.  This time she got right in there.  She said "Looks like there's a stem on that apple...It's a BOY!!"  Jared and I just broke out into the biggest smiles (and tears), and just like that it was over.  The whole thing took about 12 minutes. 

Aunt Teighynne had a precious blue and brown onesie waiting when the lights came back on...his first gender-specific outfit:

We went out for a celebratory lunch and then hit Babies R Us.  I was pretty excited to park in Expectant Mothers Parking:

We are so excited to be having a little boy!!  We haven't picked out any names yet, but we sure are excited to meet the little guy!
~Caitlynne

I was surprised that it's a boy.  I pretty much had myself convinced that it was going to be a girl.  I would have been happy either way, but I am so excited that it's a boy. 

The ultrasound was a crazy experience.   It only took about 15 minutes, but the gender isn't revealed until the very end.  So, I was very anxious for most of it.  My favorite part of the ultrasound (besides when they tell you what it is) was the closeup of the heart.  You could see all 4 chambers pumping away.  The baby only weighs 1/2 of a pound right now, so you can imagine how small the heart is.

The little guy was moving around a lot.  It's so real to watch him squirm around on the screen.  We are just about halfway there.  From 1/2 pound and 6 inches tall to 7+ pounds and 21 inches is just around the corner.  I am so excited!

-Jared

Sunday, October 17, 2010

The Other Man


A few weeks ago we watched and the Back-up Plan and there was this pillow that Jennifer Lopez (and real pregnant people) use to help keep them on their sides while they sleep.  It’s the length of a body pillow, but it curls on the top and bottom like a candy cane.  



I have now been replaced.  This pillow is softer than me, it doesn’t snore and it never smells bad.  It never moves around, or steals the covers.  This pillow does everything right that I do wrong.  So, thanks Jenny from the block.  If it wasn’t for your movie…



I am really lucky that it doesn’t so my part of the housework or I would be fighting Scarlett for the other bed in the spare room.  And believe it or not, Scarlett snores louder and smells worse than I do.  


So for now, I am safe (as safe as I can be).  But, I'm not going to lie, it is one comfortable pillow.  What Caitlynne doesn't know is the it helps keep me on my side when she gets up to take a shower in the morning.  Hopefully the pillow will move out after the baby comes.  Tuesday is a big day.  We find out the sex.  We should have a blog post about that soon afterward, so keep your eyes peeled.

Jared

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Wrapped Christmas Present

This whole not knowing if it's a boy or a girl thing is pretty rough.  It's weird to think that it already has all the parts that decide it....they're already formed and they're right inside me...it's like carrying around a wrapped Christmas present.  I can't peek...and that is not easy.

We are starting with a new doctor tomorrow at Mercy and his receptionist said that we should be able to find out between 18 and 20 weeks which could be as early as next week!!  So I think we can make it that long.  It's hard to go look at all the baby stuff and not know which color schemes will work for us. 

We took a tour of the Mercy Birth Place on Saturday afternoon after a visit to Granny Pat.  I think it made Jared feel a lot better about everything.  The rooms are really nice and much bigger than we expected.  Mercy also has a rooming-in policy with the new babies so we were really excited about that.  The nurse that gave us the tour was great--he told us everything about the entire process from deciding if the contractions are real all the way to strapping the baby in the car and leaving.  It was really nice to hear...but a little TMI for me.  At one point he went over what happens if I lose too much blood during delivery....yeah I actually don't want to think about that at all. 

I guess our next step is picking a pediatrician....seems early to do that but I guess that's what people do. 

Meanwhile, Jared and I are enjoying our last fall as a family of two.  I keep telling Jared that this is his last chance to scream at Bob Stoops at the top of his lungs...at least for a little while. 
 This year we have to settle for dressing these two up in OU clothes. 

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Boys Rule and Girls Drool, and Vice Versa



We are rapidly approaching the time frame of when we are able to find out if it’s a boy or girl.  I have no feeling of what it’s going to be.  Of course, gut instincts don’t matter because they come from your gut, and nothing good ever comes from that region. 

I was thinking about which I prefer.  So, I began thinking about what the pros and cons are.  Girls cause drama.  They need it. It starts very young, and around first grade they come home saying they are not Emily’s friend because Emily looked at her.  By 12 they are on Facebook declaring their love for some guy and by age 16 you have to be concerned that they may be dating a 21-year-old behind your back.

Boys are naughty.  By first grade they are pulling kids chairs out from underneath them and saying inappropriate words in class because they don’t know what it means.  By middle school they are either the boy stuffed in the locker, or the boys stuffing someone in the locker.  And at age 21 they are dating someone’s 16-year-old daughter.  (For those of you saying this doesn’t happen, it’s because your kids haven’t told you about it)

Girls are sweet.  At a young age they know how to nurture other when in need.  Typically a little girl’s smile has the capability to melt anyone’s heart at first glance.  A little girl is the perfect example of unconditional love, but the best thing about a girl is that she resembles her mother.

Boys are funny.  Right from the start they are situation inappropriate.  They are constantly getting dirty, causing trouble and making a comment that is either completely bizarre or bad enough to be wrong, but funny enough to force holding back laughter. 

I suppose they all even out, so it’s a coin flip for me.  

-Jared