Picture Update

I realize that these picture updates are few and far between, but it seems like we don't really take pictures of ourselves very often.  I guess we'll be taking lots more when the baby comes.  Nonetheless, here it goes:

  

Ross feels the need to show off his "belly" now that mine is steadily growing.

Here it is!  The baby belly!  I haven't really popped yet... I just look fat:( (note: the mattress looking thing behind me is actually an insulated curtain that helps keep in the heat during the winter)

Proof that Rexburg froze over on my birthday (and that I was awake before 7 am).  -23* fahrenheit!  F-R-I-G-I-D!

Beautiful Alpine, UT during Christmas break.

Okay, so we didn't have much of a Christmas tree this year because we were here for all of 2 weeks during December, but it sure was cute!  

I'll post more when we get pictures of Le Bebe!  6 days and counting until we know whether it's Genevieve Kate or Gabriel Ross!!!  

Life is GREAT!

*T 

It's ALIIIIIVE!!!

Okay, so I obviously knew before now that there's a little butter bean growing inside me, but I was just commenting to Ross yesterday that I wish I could feel it move.  I know women who have felt their babies at 15 weeks, and some not until 20+ weeks, so I figured that at 17 weeks, I shouldn't worry.  BUT STILL... I would sometimes jiggle my belly a little and then sit completely still to see if I could feel anything (but I never did).  Well, I got a call from the Madison School District this morning at 5:58 am, letting me know that the schools were closed today due to the "extreme cold" (when we woke up, it was -22 degrees outside).  For some VERY strange reason, I couldn't fall back asleep.  It might have had something to do with the fact that Ross was really excited to wish me Happy Birthday, or because the temperature in our house was in the lower 60's, or just because I was jarred from my sleep to the ringtone of "Yakkety Yak".  Either way, I was laying there listening to Ross move stuff around in the living room (to prepare for my birthday surprise) when I felt this little twitch in my abdomen.  My stomach was a little gurgly because I was hungry, but this was different than the rest of the gurgles AND there was no sound that accompanied it.  It happened again, very faintly, but I FELT IT!  I knew that this must be the little baby 'flutter' or 'twitch' I've been waiting for!  And to reaffirm it all, I laid down to take a nap in the afternoon and felt another bigger twitch down in the baby belly.  I can't believe that such a little thing could absolutely make my day!  It was like my baby's way of saying "Happy Birthday Mama!"  What an awesome way to start my quarter-century mark!  Wootawoo! 

*T

Music to our Ears!

Soooo, we FINALLY got to hear our beautiful baby's heartbeat!  We went in for my second OB visit on Tuesday, which I have been anxiously awaiting since the last visit when we weren't able to hear a darn thing.  My doctor is in Idaho Falls, which seems silly since there are so many great doctors in Rexburg, but I've known my doctor for about 5 years now and he and his wife were basically like surrogate parents to me.  Dr.Christensen's daughter, Susan, was one of my roommates and best friends, so we spent quite a bit of time at her parents house while we were in school.  So needless to say, when Ross and I found out we were pregnant, my first choice for a doctor was Dr.C :)

Back to the reason for this post... it took Dr.C about 4 seconds to find the heartbeat, and when he did, it was INCREDIBLE!  I felt like I was floating in mid air, almost like I was having an out of body experience.  I realized, as I was listening to this beautiful heartbeat, that I am fulfilling a HUGE part of my life and that I have wanted this for such a long time!  I have a while to go still (I'll be 16 weeks along on Saturday), but this was the first real evidence we've had that this baby is inside of me.  I looked at Ross as we listened to this sweet sound of our baby's heart, and we both had tears in our eyes.  Dr.C said that the baby sounds strong and that I'm growing on schedule, so everything is looking great.  I also made my ultrasound appointment for February 2nd, so we'll know in just a few short weeks if it's a boy or girl!  I am so STINKIN excited that I can hardly stand it!  I really do feel like it's a girl, but we are just so happy to have this baby that we'll take either a boy or girl.  We'll just have this one ultrasound, so I'm excited to see what this baby looks like.  I know you can't really tell what the baby looks like at the 18-week ultrasound, but it'll be so fun to just SEE it.  Man, I can't WAIT!!!

Other than baby stuff, life is goin for us.  Ross is busy with school and work, and I finally acquired some students for my voice studio.  I hoped to be substitute teaching more often, but school just started again and I don't think a lot of teachers are needing subs right now.  But we have so many things to be grateful for!  We are blessed beyond measure, and we really can't wait for July to roll around:)  Here in the cold, frozen tundra of Rexburg, life really is good... 

*T