Daddy was right...

You are a BOY!

I have a lot to say about our ultrasound appointment as well as how crazily you've been moving inside me lately, but for now, this mama is TIRED. I promise I will write more soon.

We are ecstatic that you are a boy (especially your dad!) and cannot wait to get our hands on you!

17 weeks! Dear baby...

This weekend your dad and I went on a ski/snowboarding trip for Wounded Warriors in Bend. This year, because of you, I had a great excuse to not spend the day falling on my bum a bazillion times and freezing all day long. :) I tried to act a little bummed because I know how much your dad loves snowboarding and wants me to get better, but truth be told, I was quite content sitting in the lodge watching him snowboard, sipping hot chocolate and reading about how to make you bilingual. :)  On Friday night when we were at the hotel I kept feeling the same kind of "bubbly" movements in my stomach which I though at first were just digestion-related. The next day they continued happening and I realized that all those little bubbles must have been you moving around like a maniac inside me. What a wonderful little feeling! It makes it all seem so much more real!

In the past 7 days I absolutely cannot believe how much my body has changed. I took a picture on my phone last Sunday at 16 weeks and had nothing to show for the fact that you were inside of me. This week, it is a much different story. How can so much change so quickly?!?!? I still feel like I'm in that weird transition phase of not showing-to-showing but it is all worth it! We cannot wait to meet you and love you up!

On March 17th, I had another quick appointment for them to check your heartbeat and make sure everything was going well. I knew we had been through a growth spurt but was a little surprised by the 6 POUND GAIN in the last four weeks. We should really start slowing that down! The medical assistant started to check for your sweet little heartbeat with the doppler and every time she caught you for an instant you were gone...moving to a different place. Finally, after 4 times of trying to catch you, you stayed in the same spot long enough for her to time your heart rate. Somehow, if it isn't you, I hope one of our children miraculously ends up being calm and maybe even quiet. :) ...they certainly won't be getting that from EITHER one of their parents!

Lately your dad is crazy about calling you Hudson and talking about all the things he can't wait to do with you...his son. I keep telling him he is insane because the chances are just as likely that you will in fact be his daughter! We just made our appointment to find out what you are and now only have to wait until March 31st! It will be even more fun to watch your two grandmas' reactions over seeing you on the ultrasound! I'm predicting tears from both! (By the way, you have NO idea how good you're going to have it with grandmas like the one's your getting! You could not have hand-selected better ones! We'll have to make sure they don't spoil you rotten TOO badly!) I can't wait to either confirm once and for all that you truly are a boy, or get your dad used to the idea of having a sweet beautiful little girl! Either way, we will be ecstatic with whoever you are and cannot wait to meet you! 

The school year is quickly starting to get to the last leg. We start spring break this week and I can't believe there will only be about 10 weeks left when we get back. In all honesty, I'm getting a little sad about it being close to the end. There is a lot I'm going to miss about my job, the population of kids we serve at my school, and the fight in the nasty world of education to do what truly is best for student learning. Ahhh....but I know that once they place you in my arms, my whole world will change and suddenly everything I feel right now will seem faint and it will all be re-confirmed to me that being home with you is exactly where I want and need to be. 

I know this post is titled 17 weeks, but I've been a little bit of a blogging slacker and today marks 19 weeks. It is hard to believe we're almost half way there. 10 pounds up. (I had a complete meltdown yesterday when I tried to put on some capris that I wanted to take on our San Diego trip. Last summer they were falling off of me so I figured I'd be able to wear them this spring and summer too. Maybe not. Turns out they were skin tight. Your dad walked in the room and I burst in tears. I cried and cried explaining that you were not supposed to be making your way down to my legs. They didn't need to get any bigger than they already were. Your poor dad. Sometimes I feel so bad for him. I truly haven't been very emotional throughout this pregnancy so far, but when stuff like this happens it is so random and he is so completely caught off guard. Thankfully he is so sweet to always make me feel better and reassure me that blimp or not, it will all be worth it for you! ---(Just kidding, he doesn't really say the blimp part!)

I'm sure that as we start our new life as a family of three there will be a lot bigger and more challenging surprises coming our way than pants being a little tight. In the end, I just pray God helps us to be great parents to you in this crazy world. Your dad and I were talking the other night about how much stronger of a warrior for Jesus you and your future siblings are going to have to be. As the world gets further and further way from God and crazier and crazier, Christians are really going to have to stay firm and grounded. I hope we can raise you to be that kind of person. Knowing and loving Jesus is so incredible. It is my only wish that you will love Him with all of the entirety of your heart and serve Him in whatever destiny He has for your life. I pray that many souls will be brought to His merciful offer of salvation because of your impact on their lives. He is oh-so-good.

Well I need to get moving and headed to church. I love you so so so much and can't wait to see how much you've grown at our ultrasound on the 31st. Just a few more days and I get to start buying you great clothes and accessories :) hehe. We can't wait to meet you. Stay safe in there and grow like you are supposed to. Oh, and if you can, cut your sweet mom some slack and please stop adding weight to my thighs. :)

!Te quiero mucho!

15 weeks! Time sure is flying!

So here we are at 15 weeks. We had our last appointment on Monday (Valentine's Day) and got to hear the heartbeat for the very first time! What an incredible little sound! I had prayed all day that they would be able to find the heartbeat quickly and wouldn't have to do any long, drawn-out "searching."  Thankfully, God answered my prayer, and about two seconds after they put the doppler on my stomach, we instantly heard that rapid thump-thump of our little baby.

Garrett is getting more and more excited every day. He is still pretty adamant that this baby is a boy, but I I'm trying to gently remind him that there is another possibility :). Our next appointment is on March 17th (we're really hitting up the holidays!), which is when we will be able to schedule our appointment to find out if Garrett is right. :) ...I'm assuming it will either be the last week of March or the first week of April. Can't wait!

The other night I was telling Garrett how there are some days that I just ache to meet this baby RIGHT NOW, and then there are others when it hits me how much our lives are going to change, and that someone is soon going to be completely dependent on me all. the. time. yikes! hehe! I'm so thankful for this baby and I can't wait to see God's will carried out in our lives as the years go by. I'm so thankful to be serving God and married to such a great man of God. There are so many things this world throws at people, and at the end of the day, it really is all about souls and helping people make it into eternity with Jesus. When you put things into perspective, all the other little things and material things seem to just fade to the background, and it is so much easier to become focused on what we were brought into this world to do...whatever it is that HE desires...and oh they joy that comes with that! I'm FAR from perfect, and still have a lot of growing to do in my own relationship with Jesus, but I just pray pray pray that He will help me to truly be an incredible mom...I think I'm in big trouble without His help :).

Be back soon with the next update!

P.S. Kinsey at work just gave me two books about raising a bilingual child..I can't wait to start reading them. It is so important to me that I pass this on to my kids because I know how beneficial it will be to them and because I don't want to lose my Spanish!...but I'll admit, I get a little overwhelmed sometimes hoping that I'll be able to pull it off!

12/13 weeks!

New pictures to update the progress...

9 week update...

I forgot say in the last post that the doctor said that according to my last period I was 8 weeks 4 days at my appointment, but the baby measured 9 weeks (which is what I thought I was given that I'm pretty sure I know the surprise date :)). Soooo....she said that since it is less than a week off she will just keep me at 8 weeks. :( Brutal. My new due date is August 21....my dad's birthday. Lately, I've been feeling very nauseous and my only cure-all is ginger tea from the root which is absolutely grossing me out to drink right now. It's a toss-up between the lesser of two evils...

Starting in the afternoon and going into the night I feel much worse and extremely bloated. Here is a picture at nine weeks...

our first appointment

Last Thursday (January 13th), Garrett met me at the doctor's office after work for our first appointment. In all the days leading up to the appointment I hadn't felt nervous or scared for any reason, just always prayed continuously for everything to be developing correctly and for the baby's health. As I left work I began to get a little nervous as it kind of hit me for the first time that something could go wrong at the appointment. I prayed through the thoughts and decided to keep on trusting God with the outcome.

We talked to the doctor for a long time before she did all the routine procedures (we'll leave the lovely details out!). Finally, at the end of the appointment, it was time for the ultrasound. The best part...the part we'd both been waiting for. As soon as she got everything situated I could instantly see what is our little miracle. The heart was fluttering like crazy (at this appointment we just got to see the heartbeat, not hear it yet) and she said everything looked great. She moved around a little to try to get a different angle, and when she stopped, she saw the head moving and said, "Looks like you got a little head banger in there," which Garrett immediately translated into meaning that it must be a boy. hehe.

It was such a relief to see that everything was going as it should. She printed the pictures and we finished we the blood drawing and peeing in a cup and then we were out of there. After the appointment we met at Applebees for dinner and to start mass-texting everyone we knew :).

That night once we were home, I could not stop looking at that little tiny peanut wondering what this new life will mean to our family. It is strange to think that this will be our oldest child and eventually there will be many more that make up our family. It will be amazing to see the plans that God has for this baby and what will be done through his/her life.

My biggest prayer is that God would just pour down the wisdom to help Garrett and I to be the parents He desires us to be. I don't want to let Him down and I want to bring Him glory through this child.

Please Jesus put a special and deep love for you in this baby's heart.

Happy parents...

telling the family...

We decided to wait to tell our immediate family until Christmas. I put two little baby socks together and and tag that said, "Looking forward to meeting you in August 2011!" and we gave them to each set of parents as presents. There were three stops with the "presents" on that day. Here are their reactions:

1. My dad, Kris and family: My dad opened the little box and then I think just sat there in shock. The next thing that came out of his mouth was, "Serious?" and nothing more. At that point I wasn't really sure what he was thinking. Later he told me he could not have asked for a better Christmas present and that he was very excited. Since then he's been texting me to make sure I'm eating enough etc... Aside from him, Kris and Alex were very excited! Penny was also up there and he instantly started bawling. She's so sweet :)

2. Next stop - my mom and fam: I had originally been thinking that my mom might not "get" the little present right away and I was right. She opened the box, stared at it awkwardly, and then finally shouted, "REALLY?!?!?" Then got up to hug us and started crying. She is obviously extremely excited as well.

3. Our last stop - telling Garrett's parents - I thought was going to be most animated and eventful knowing my mother-in-law. Garrett gave her the gift and she opened it (and said nothing!), got up and set it on Scott's lap and came and hugged us crying. She is ecstatic and I think started knitting 2 seconds after we told her.

You are sure going to be loved little baby. :)