21 weeks

I can't believe another week has already passed! It feels like hours ago we were finding out that our little Porter is a boy. I told Sean he might be in trouble...I could be one of those people that likes being pregnant a little too much to only have 2 kids: 2=his number, mine's a little higher :) . We'll see how labor/delivery and sleepless nights changes our perspective on the matter. (Ask us in a year or so)

This week was pretty exciting for us. Sean has been able to feel Porter moving for the first time. He's quite an active little guy right now. We think he may be getting hiccups in the evenings also. We can see my stomach jumping for a couple minutes and then it stops. It's fun to feel like we're beginning to be able to bond with him. He seems to like when I rub my stomach, he will usually always move then.  I'm feeling pretty torn between really loving being pregnant and being so anxious to meet our son.

Here is our 21 week picture:

Baby Boy Pictures

I've always heard people say that the love you have for your child is unlike any other love. After being pregnant with this little boy for 5 months, I am beginning to understand what they meant. Sean and I are both so proud of him and already think he's the cutest little boy in the world. I'm willing to talk about him to anyone that will listen :) We both love him so much already and can't quit talking about him and the things we can't wait to do with him.

It was amazing to be able to see a little face to put with the thoughts/feelings we've been having about him. I can't wait to meet him and be able to hold and cuddle him. Until then, pictures will have to suffice. Here are some of our favorites from the ultrasound.

It's a BOY!!

Ok, so I was wrong and I'm totally ok with that! :) However, Sean is loving his small moment of being right. Our ultra sound was amazing and this little boy definitely wanted us to see that he was a boy. It was the first shot we got and was quite clear. The last time we saw him was at 8 weeks and he was such a peanut then. It was so wonderful to see his sweet face, arms, and legs. He was moving so much during the scan so we were able to see him sucking his thumb, moving his mouth, kicking his legs, and covering up his face. He is 10 inches long and weighs 14 oz. It's crazy to think he weighs almost a pound already.

Everything with the scan was great. They checked the heart, brain, umbilical cord, spine, bones, diaphram, etc. They all measured fine and I can't say enough what an answer to prayers it is to know that our little boy is growing and so healthy. He truly is fearfully and wonderfully made and we are so thankful for this sweet little blessing. We are so in love with this little boy already and I can't wait to be his mommy. We are so grateful for the sweet thoughts and prayers that have already gone out for our family and feel truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family!

(I will put some pictures as soon as I scan them)

Tomorrow's the big day!!!

Our big appointment is at 4:00 tomorrow to find out whether this little one is a boy or a girl. Just for the record: I think girl, Sean thinks boy. We'll see who's right :) We both have somewhat mixed emotions about tomorrow being 5 months along. It has gone by so fast and we're both so excited to meet this baby already. We're praying for a healthy report tomorrow and are so anxious to see baby again. 8 weeks was the last ultrasound we had and it was such a peanut then. Tomorrow is going to look so different, I'm sure. Check back tomorrow for the results...

Fall Cookies

I'm not sure if it's the teacher in me or my mom (love you mom!), but I have a serious love for holidays and seasons. Each holiday and season has its own traditions and festivities, in my family anyways. One of my favorite parts of marriage has been for Sean and I to create our own traditions that we'll do with our kids. I could go on forever here, so I'll spare you and just say there are quite a few. I've been making sugar cookies with festive icing and sprinkles for a while now, but have yet to master the decorating part of the cookies. They never quite turn out like the picture in my mind. I'll continue to call them a work in progress. I certainly have fun with it, but let's just say they won't be selling any time soon! I so look forward to being able to do things like this with our kids as they get old enough. Hey, at least I'll have someone else to blame the decorations on :) Being pregnant has me always thinking of all of the fun things we'll be able to do as a family once our little one is here. For your Monday enjoyment...I decided to share a picture of the masterpieces. (BTW...All suggestions welcome!)

From Tofu to Corndogs...

So for those of you that know me well, you'll know how monumental this night was :)

From the beginning- 15 years ago I became a vegetarian (not an animal rights issue, I just didn't like the taste of meat). However, 3 years ago when Sean and I started eating together every night we discovered just how hard meals were going to be because he did not like ANY vegetables and I didn't eat any meat. The compromise was he eats salads, green beans, and well that's as far as we made it. My end of the deal was to start eating chicken. I have only eaten chicken since then and have had no desire to change that. Needless to say, Sean has had high hopes that pregnancy would bring about some meat cravings. I was very sure that wouldn't happen. Well, for the last probably 6 weeks I have not been able to stop thinking about...corndogs! I know, probably the strangest form of meat to want after not having eaten it for so long. I finally decided I couldn't wait any longer...I gave in! Our dinner tonight was none other than Cook Out corndogs and I have to say that it was the most amazing thing I have had in a long time. I know without doubt that this has to be chalked up to a pregnancy craving because I would have never, I mean never eaten a corndog!!!

Someone please tell me I'm not the only one out there with strange cravings...

Welcome to our blog!

So I finally gave in...we have a blog. This might take some getting used to so I am making no promises of speedy updates for the time being  :) However, we do have some exciting things happening that I'd love to share for now...

Baby news...In case you didn't know by now, yes we do have a baby on the way. My due date is March 4th and we could not be more excited! This sweet little baby has been an immense blessing to our lives even at 18 weeks old. The joy, excitement, sheer terror, and continued array of emotions has definitely set in- ok maybe that's hormones. Today is 18 weeks 2 days for this little one and it has already become such a huge part of our lives. I am so excited to say that in only 12 days we will know whether we're seeing pink or blue. October 15th is the big ultrasound day! It would seem that most people's favorite question is what our preference for the gender is. My honest answer- a healthy baby! We'd love to know your predictions though :)

In other news...we are officially house hunters! We have been praying for a while now for God's will to be revealed in our lives and for us to know with certainty whether we should persue looking for a house or stay where we are (renting) for a while longer. As doors continued to open, it became clear that now is the time for us to begin our search. While house hunting can be exciting I wish someone had informed me that the show House Hunters is not entirely accurate. After looking at 3 houses, you are not in fact guaranteed to like/want to buy one of them. (Ok, don't judge- I said we were new at this!) We've only been looking for a short time and there are many, many great houses out there. However, this is without question the largest/most significant purchase of our 25-year-old lives. Needless to say, we could use some prayer for wisdom, guidance, and discernment through this journey. We would love to be moved by the time the baby comes, but we'll see how that goes.