May Long - Traditions

Some traditions just can't be broken. And one tradition that we have is May Long weekend is spent with Trent & Tara (and now Blake). We take turns planning:

In 2006 Trent & Tara took us to Kalispell area and we had a blast (in the rain).

Last year (2007) we took Trent & Tara to Lewis & Clark Caverns in Montana. Found some rain again and some snow on the way home, but once again we had tons of fun.

But this year it was a little harder to get out for the long weekend. Tim had shift work all weekend long and Trent & Tara had a baptism on Saturday and some exchange students coming on Sunday. We still made the most of it. Tim got off work Friday night at 6pm and he didn't have to be back to work until 6pm Saturday night. So we had 12 hours...and we were going camping. Some people in Trent & Tara's ward have a bunch of land down on the river in Lethbridge...so that's where we went. Trent & Tara also bought a trailer this spring so no more tenting for all of us (camping's getting more pricey though cuz now we can't a share site and have to pay for gas in two vehicles to pull two trailers -- eek). Anywho, even though it was rushed we had a good time. I think Blake loved his first camping trip. The weather was BEAUTIFUL! It was so hot. And me being so prego now, I no longer have any shorts or capris that fit -- the baby and I sweated to death. Tim took me out on Monday to buy some maternity capris. However since that day it has rained non stop here in Southern Alberta. I think we're drowning!! Come on...bring back the sun so we can go camping again!

So our May Long weekend was cut VERY short this year, but I'm glad we were able to make it out. Even if it was for only a sleepover.

26 Weeks Pregnant!

We're still adding to our baby supplies collection. We're getting closer to being ready for August. I bought a little pink sleeper and a little blue sleeper and we'll see which one gets returned to Wal-Mart. And my mom went to the States a couple of weekends ago and picked me up a Bumbo Seat. They're $20 cheaper there than here in Canada. We tried it out on my niece Danyca.

I had my regular doctor's appointment last week. The baby is measuring bang on. Not too big, not too small. Which is nice cuz last month I was measuring almost 2 weeks ahead. But now we're back on schedule. And I got the results from our ultrasound -- the baby's doing great! I also had to do my Gestational Diabetes test. You know, the glucose one. Everyone told me such horror stories about drinking the orange stuff. Thank goodness for my sister Jenn and my friend Tara who BOTH told me it's nothing to sweat about. Just two glasses of orange pop. I found it easy and I'm glad. The nurse said most pregnant woman have a really hard time getting the drink down and keeping it down. Orange pop is not my favorite, but it was easy for me to drink at least. Anywho, here's a baby bump picture at 26 weeks:

Not a whole lot bigger than my 22 weeks pic, but the baby is getting so much stronger. He/she can easily kick the TV remote off of my tummy now. And yes I know all my tummy pics have been headless. It's cuz Tim's never around when I'm taking these and I can't back up far enough from the mirror to get my face and tummy in the same shot.

Camping Trip – Fort Steele, BC

Last Friday we headed out on our first camping trip of the year. We were going to Fort Steele, BC to meet up with my parents and sisters (and their families). It’s about a 4 hour drive and we didn’t leave our house till after 7:00 pm. Too many things to get worked out on the first time camping for the year (remember last year). And it was the first time out with our new trailer. But we were so excited. We got the trailer packed and the quad loaded and headed on our way.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s off camping we go...

The drive took us forever as we had a lot of weight for our truck to haul (with the trailer and the quad). So we drove slowly and stopped a few times to check out how the trailer and such were doing. Tim had never been to Fort Steele before but at about 11:00 pm we saw the sign that said only 6 km more to the campsite. We were at the top of this huge hill that overlooks Fort Steele and we just had to get to the bottom of it. No sooner had I said to Tim that we were almost there when heard “it”! Yep, we had a flat…no we had a blowout!

Not much left of that tire, eh?

Remember last year when we went camping and got a flat? Why the heck does this keep happening to us?

I called my Dad and told him we were sitting at the top of the hill with a tire blowout on our trailer. Dad, Brendan, and Kimmy came to help us. At least this time (unlike last year) we now have a jack in our truck – two of them actually. Kimmy and I went back to the campfire and Tim, Dad, and Brendan showed up later. So it was midnight when Tim was trying to set up our trailer in the campsite. Lovely!

On Saturday the weather was kinda crappy. It was chilly and rainy. Tim, Dad, and Brendan went for a quad ride while us girls took the kids into Fort Steele and hung around the campsite. When Tim got home from the quad ride he noticed he had oil sprayed all over him. So if the new tire we had to buy that morning wasn’t pricey enough for this camping trip, now Tim’s quad has decided to spit oil everywhere. Tim and Brendan took the quad apart but couldn’t find where the oil came from. Perfect! Now our quad is down and out just like when we were camping at Pole Haven last year. But what’s camping without a flat tire and a quad problem right?

Here’s the quad all pulled apart:

However Saturday evening was great. We did a huge BBQ for Britnee’s 19th Birthday and for Mother’s Day. It was yummy! And then the girls all went to the live play Aida that was put on by the local high school. It was so good. Amazing actually! Jenn bought us tickets for Mother’s Day. How sweet eh? I loved the play.

We left the campsite Sunday morning. After church in Jaffray we headed back home for work Monday morning. It’s was an expensive weekend. But boy did we have fun!

Jumping Ship

Last week (May 7th) Tim started a new job. Yes, another new job. He’s now working at McCain. You know McCain…like French fries and stuff.

So he’s doing pretty much the same work he was doing at Lamb Weston (Maintenance Journeyman Electrician), but he (we) decided that McCain would be a better fit for us for the following reasons: a) 17 minute drive one way to McCain vs a 45 minute one way drive to Lamb Weston cuz we all know how cheap gas is these days (ugh) and b) better shift schedule (4 on 4 off schedule vs a 2, 2, 3 schedule). I’m really excited about the 4 days off stuff for camping this summer. Yipee!

So Tim’s been doing Monday to Friday (8 hr shifts) right now while he’s being trained. He’s first day of shift work starts Thursday. And yes, that means he works Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the May Long weekend.

Being Replaced

Remember how much quading Tim and I did last year? I've mentioned it here, here, posted some videos here, talked about it again here, another time here, and here too. And that doesn't even come close to the number of pictures I've posted on facebook. We went everywhere...TOGETHER! I had a permanent seat on the back of Tim's quad. However I think he just took me along to photograph and video the "cool stuff". I was okay with that. I LOVE QUADING! We had so much fun. But now my seat has been replaced.

Before:

After:

(sorry the pic is bad as it was too dark outside)

With a little one in my tummy these days I've had to pass on the quad rides. But Tim's not riding alone. My seat has been replaced with a rack that our two dogs, Diesel & Dex, sit on and ride around with him. I'm bummed about missing all the quading this summer, but WAY MORE excited to be pregnant. Only a few more months and we'll get to meet our baby. Wohoo!

On an entirely different note, we sold our old trailer yesterday (yipee!) and this weekend we're going camping in our new one. We're excited! However I have to go out of town for the rest of this week for work, which leaves Tim to pack the trailer all on his lonesome. I'll leave him a list.

Strollers & Car Seats

Not too long ago I was going Car Seat Bonkers. But after reading every review possible and checking them out multiple times in person -- we've made a decision. We didn't go with a travel system. Tim and I don't think we really have a need for one right now (maybe future babies). We bought a jogging stroller and love it. Tim put it together and I keep trying it out in our basement to make sure I still like it. And then last Saturday we got our infant car seat (Thanks Mom & Dad!). We're so happy with both of them. Now we need a baby....

Bring On Summer!!

So last weekend when we were all digging out from that huge dump of snow here in Southern Alberta, Tim and I had camping on the mind. We bought this:

Ya, I know we just bought our old trailer last year, but the price was right so we jumped on this one and pulled it home to Stirling in the snow. We thought we'd upgrade with the baby on the way. Now we have more storage, hot water, a full bathroom (with a tub & shower too), a huge fridge, a oven, a real awning, and everything starts up with a push of a button (fridge, stove, hot water, furnace, etc). Plus I can't complain that it's 20 years newer than the last trailer. Now if summer would just hurry up and get here....

Wanna buy our old trailer?

It's a.....

.....mystery! We didn't find out the sex of our baby. We didn't even ask the ultrasound tech to put it in our chart just in case at a later date we want to know. So if we change our minds...too bad. We'll find out in August!

I'm preparing for both. I have a blue blanket and a pink blanket.

And I will buy one blue outfit and one pink outfit for the hospital as I don't really want to do neutral colors. My mom and sisters will be down when I have the baby so my plan is to send them out with my bank card to buy pink or blue when our little girl/boy arrives.

I love surprises!

All About Our Baby!

We had our ultrasound yesterday! It's so fun and exciting to see our little one wiggling on the screen. It's so amazing so see this little person growing and developing inside of my tummy. The baby looked way different than our 11 week ultrasound. And I think Tim was super glad that I wasn't paranoid and nervous for this ultrasound like before. I was just so thrilled and excited. I feel so blessed. I love to just lie in bed and watch my belly move. The baby had the hiccups for the first time last week. It made me giggle. The kicks are so much stronger now and Tim can easily feel them. I'm glad Tim gets to feel this little life that I've been feeling for the last 6 weeks. Tim will put his head on my tummy and say "Hello Baby. I'm your daddy." It makes me tear up just thinking about it. We're so excited to bring this baby into our family. Here are some pictures from the ultrasound yesterday. The pictures aren't the greatest. They don't even compare to what we saw on the screen.

The baby's face (on the right) with two little fists and his/her knees:


The bottom of the baby's foot:


And even though the baby bump isn't any bigger than the last photo I posted, here it is again -- this time at 22 weeks:

Bedtime

I'm a stomach sleeper. These days I'm not. It's very hard on me. I still find myself trying each night to somehow sleep on my tummy -- however the baby hates it, it hurts a bit, it's not comfortable, and I feel like I'm high-centered. I've resorted to sleeping half on my side and half on my stomach with a knee up (in Tim's back - ooops) and a pillow to keep from putting all my weight on my stomach. The baby lumps out to the side and then kicks all night long. It's also not comfortable. But, I'll trade in my tummy sleeping habit for this little one ANY DAY!

Halfway There!

Yep, 20 weeks today. We’re halfway there. I jumped out of bed this morning and shouted to Tim, “Wohoo! Halfway today!” and then spent the morning throwing-up. Who are these people that say the morning sickness stops at 12 weeks? And who are these people that don’t throw-up all the time with morning sickness? Cuz I’m not one of them. But I’m okay with that. I call myself a professional puker. I’ve accepted this morning sickness. It’s here to stay (or so it seems) for another 20 weeks. And I’d do it all over again just to have this little baby join our family.

The tiny bubbles have turned into karate kicks this last week. It’s great! We have a very active baby in my tummy. Tim has even felt the kicks here and there now. I thought feeling the baby would be a little strange, but it’s not. I’m just loving it. A lady at work asked me last week if I was feeling movement. I said that I feel the kicks all the time and it’s rare that the baby isn’t moving. She looked at me and in all seriousness said, “Oh your baby probably has A.D.D.” Thanks oh wise one! The baby’s not even born yet and already I have people diagnosing him/her with A.D.D. Sheesh! Tim and I had a good laugh about it.

In two weeks I have my ultrasound scheduled. I’m so excited. Our baby didn’t look too “baby-ish” at our 11 week ultrasound. It’ll be fun to see him/her. And no, we’re not going to find out if it’s a girl or a boy. I like the idea of a surprise. Tim would rather know, but he’s agreed to wait till August with me.

We’ve been getting some practice in baby holding the last little while with all the babies we have around us – Dallin, Danyca, & Blake. Tim’s starting to relax much more when holding the brand new babies. I never thought I’d actually have to fight with Tim to try and hold a baby. We hung out with Trent, Tara, & Blake last night and Uncle Tim loved holding Blake. It was ages before I got my turn to hold him.

So, that’s where we are – halfway today! I feel so very blessed. August can’t come soon enough. I’m so excited to become a mommy!

Celebrating Tim

Tim made shopping for his birthday present pretty easy for me this year.... he bought his own. In fact he bought it back in January. Now that Tim's working at this new job with shift work, he thinks he'll have time to hunt this Fall. So he sold two of the guns he had at home and bought himself a rifle.... and a scope..... and reloading stuff.... and who knows what else to get his rifle set-up. It was a gift to Tim from Tim for his birthday 3 months away. What can ya do?

So I kept it pretty simple when his actual birthday came around. It's pretty much a guarantee that if I have to buy a gift for Tim it will include an article of clothing as my dear husband refusing to shop for his own clothes. But I switched it up and I think he was pretty suprised to see I had bought him something for the Wii instead.

I've told you before how Tim doesn't like cake right? Well he got TWO cakes. One for the family dinner - a texas sheet cake. He's likes that one cuz it's not really a cake and not really a brownie. Kinda a mixture of the two. And then on his real birthday I was super sick, but my sister came by and baked Tim an angel food caked with lemon cool whip (Thanks a bunch Brit!) while I napped. As that's what he asked me to make for his birthday, but that wasn't big enough to feed all the family. So two cakes...



And then there was the gift from Trent, Tara, & Blake. Remember the "It's a Girl" cup? Well it's now back on display at our house as Blake has avoided having to come near that dusty pink sleeper. (Lucky him!) So we'll see in August if "It's a Girl" for us.

After 3 birthday dinners, 2 birthday cakes, a bunch of Wii stuff (the new game from his sister's family is SO MUCH FUN), many other great bday gifts from family, and a "It's a Girl!" cup -- I think we're complete in celebrating Tim's birthday for this year. Happy 28th Timmy!

Happy Birthday Tim!

Today was Tim's birthday. He had to work and I'm super sick (again) so we had his party on Sunday with family. We had dinner, cake, and presents. What more could he want right?

Happy Birthday Tim! I love you more with each passing day!

Blake James - Born (Happy Easter)

Our best friends, Trent & Tara, welcomed a little boy to their family on Easter Day. Blake James was born just before 3:00 in the afternoon on Sunday March 23rd. He was 7lbs 10oz. His mommy did such a GREAT job as her contractions started Friday morning and she didn't deliver Blake until Sunday afternoon. We're so proud of her.

You know, I've been around a lot of babies. It seems like everyone I know has kids now or is pregnant with their first -- even us. However it still feels a little strange when your best friends have their first baby. It's been just the four of us for so long it seems. And now they have a BABY. Tara's a mommy and Trent's a daddy. It's so awesome, but it's still hard for me to really wrap my mind around it. Am I making any sense?

But in a few short month Tim & I will join the parenting band wagon. It's all just a little surreal today though. To think that Tara and I were originally both due in March (last time I was pregnant). I'm so excited for August. Our babies will only be 5 months apart. Just the thought of welcoming our new little one to OUR family makes me tear up. Sheesh, I'm always so weepy these days (still blaming those pregnancy hormones).

CONGRATULATIONS TRENT & TARA! We love the three of you so much!

Uncle Tim with Blake:

Auntie Ashlee with Blake:

Mommy & Daddy with Blake:

**Okay Ashlee, wipe the tears away and get back to work.**

Sew Wonderful

I know most of you can sew like crazy. Me? Not so much. So the fact that I made a baby blanket all on my own is remarkable.

It all started at Christmas when my mom bought me a sewing machine and told me that it was for me to make baby blankets with. Ya okay Mom!

I headed out to Wal-Mart, and with the help of the kind sales lady there in that department, we figured out how much material I would need and what supplies I should purchase. I came home with this:

I spent so much money getting my "start-up" sewing kit. Oh well. I started on cutting out the 8x8 squares. Ya the first half dozen or so that I cut out I measured a little wrong so they weren't completely square. Whatever! I wasn't going to recut them all. I'll just make them work. See, I told you I knew ALL about sewing.

Then onto the X-ing of the squares. Well let me tell you, by the time I got to the last few of the 35 squares I didn't even need to draw guide lines on the fabric to help me sew in a straight line. I'm such a quick learner -- hehe.

Now just laying out the pattern. I had to lay it out on the table cuz otherwise I probably would have screwed up on the sequence when sewing it together.

All put together. Now onto the cutting of all those seams. My hand cramped during that part.

And here's the almost final project. I had to empty the lint trap on my dryer at least 100 times while trying to get the rag look of this blanket. And now the blanket is all wrinkled *sigh*. I'll take care of the wrinkles later.

Not too shabby for my first sewing project eh? Don't look too closely at it cuz you'll notice all the mistakes, but I'm sure my baby won't mind. Actually now that I made a pink blanket I'll probably end up having a boy and need a blue one. Perhaps I'll tackle blue fabric next....

Tiny Bubbles

Wohoo! I can feel our baby wiggling around! I'm so excited. I started recognizing the feeling Friday afternoon at 16 weeks exactly. I don't feel them when I'm up and moving around, but if I sit for a while I can totally feel it now and then. And I've finally found the bonus of having a job where you sit ALL DAY LONG....I get to feel my baby wiggling. Oh and I know that everyone has a different way of describing the feeling, but I totally don't think it feels like butterflies/flutters. To me it felt like a tiny bubble popped and now that I feel it more often it feels just like a little flick. Oh I just love it!!

Heartbeat @ 16 weeks

Yep, I bought this:

The Hi Bebe BT-200 Fetal Doppler / Heart Rate Monitor. I know, I'm one of those people. It arrived yesterday and I LOVE IT! We were able to find out baby's heatbeat without too much trouble (once we figured out how to use it properly). We even phoned Mama & Bupbup (ya that's what Jayda & Parker call Gramma & Grampa) and let them listen to our baby over the phone. And it wasn't even that expensive. All I know is on Monday I went to Wal-Mart just to pick up milk and material sizzors and I ended up spending more money than what this doppler cost on pretty much nothing...and forgot the milk. I read a million different reviews on the internet about this model and everyone seems to love it. However I had to promise Tim before I order this that IF we couldn't find the heartbeat at home with it one day that I would NOT freak out and think there was something wrong with our baby. Wohoo! 16 weeks today! Now if our baby would just start wiggling enough so that I could feel him/her that would be GREAT!

How far along were you (with your 1st pregnancy) when you felt your baby move for the first time?

Going Car Seat Bonkers!

I never thought it would be this hard to pick out a car seat. It's driving me bonkers. It's nothing like buying a crib or a stroller or a high chair. With a crib you try and just get the best bang for your buck and a stroller is pretty much personal preference. And then there's the car seat....

Have you tried buying a car seat lately that is NOT part of a travel system? The selection is rather slim. I don't want a travel system -- I want to buy my car seat separate from my stroller. Is that too much to ask? Apparently so. I've gone everywhere and to get a car seat on it's on...well each store only has one there for you to pick from. Nice! And I'm not so sure I want to order one online cuz who knows what it'll actually be like. I wanna touch it and hold it first. hehe And if finding a car seat isn't hard enough...try and match your purchase to the consumer reports and the government recommended car seats. It would be nice if we could buy a car seat from the other side of the border (way more selection)...but NO -- the law makers in Canada don't allow that. And buying a used seat is another huge no no. Sheesh! My head is going to explode.

So tell me...which car seat do you have? I'm talking rear facing (infant) car seats. Do you like your's? Where'd you get it? What suggestions do you have for me? Gah!

Side Note: The reason I don't want a travel system is because I must have a stroller with the rubber inflatable tires (a jogger) and there is only ONE in Lethbridge that's a travel system and the reviews I've read on it are terrible and my sister-in-law has it and she doesn't like the car seat. And I found the one I really want and it's not part of a travel system. I don't want a jogger because I plan on jogging all the time, but because where I am planning on using a stroller there are no sidewalks or cement. I live in the boondocks with gravel roads and I want a stroller to take camping (gravel & dirt) and to take to my parents (no sidewalks - just rocks). And in all those places those plastic spinning wheels don't fair so well. They're great for the mall and sidewalks...neither of which are me.

Maybe they are listening...

I was in awe last Sunday. Remember this Primary lesson I taught and how I thought they got zippo out of the lesson. Well this Sunday I asked the question to the class, "What has Heavenly Father given you?" Right away a little boy in my class that is usually standing on his head or twisting on his chair sat up and said, "During the war in heaven he gave us a choice to follow Satan or Jesus and now we can make our own choices today. Oh ya, and he gave us our bodies." I couldn't believe it. He was listening to the lesson I gave a few weeks back when I thought NOTHING was sinking in. I was so pleased I almost cried right there in class. (I'm blaming that on the pregnancy hormones though.) The class is still a handful and they are so very busy. They keep me on my toes. But the joy I felt on Sunday when I saw how they ARE listening and learning is beyond words. I pray I can make a difference in their 6 year old lives because I'm so grateful for the Primary teachers I had growing up. Just like the saying goes, "Everything I know I learned in Primary."

14 weeks!

On Tuesday I had my prenatal visit. Everything went very well. The doctor says it all looks good. Tim and I were able to hear our baby's heartbeat for the first time. What an amazing sound! We were both so excited. I was a little nervous that perhaps they wouldn't be able to find it, but the nurse did right away. She let us listen for so long too. And before she took the doppler of my tummy she asked if that was a long enough listen. She was great. And I love my doctor too. He's so good. He answers all my questions. I'm really happy that I switched. Oh ya, and the heart rate was high again...so still looking like a girl.

So here's a belly pic at one day shy of 14 weeks. It's not a very good one. It's hard to take them of yourself. My tummy just decided to poke out this week. But if I wear the right shirts it's not noticeable.

My Valentine!

I had the best Valentine's Day! My husband cooked me an amazing dinner. I got home from work (he had the day off) and he had prepared scalloped potatoes, honey butter carrots, a salad, and steak. We had Shirley Temples to drink. Oh wow was it all yummy. And for dessert...chocolate dipped strawberries. Mmmmmm! It was all so nice. And my gift (I told him to keep it simple this year) he bought me some Cocoa Butter because he says my tummy is starting to poke out and he heard that cocoa butter helps to prevent stretch marks when pregnant. Sounds good to me and it smells divine. Oh but the cutest thing was we sat down to eat and he got up and dimmed our dining room light. He said he was going to buy some candles then he thought "hey I'm an electrician...I'm just going to install a dimmer switch" -- he's the best and I'm so lucky.

And now you ask what I got him for Valentine's Day. Well the day before we had this crazy weather in Stirling. I was honestly snowed in and couldn't get to work. I stayed home and baked. Tim has been asking since Christmas for some sugar cookies with icing on them. So I made heart-shaped cookies with pink icing. My dear husband has already eaten all of them. They were a hit.

But because I was home all day I thought I'd try again to make bread dough. I had much better success this time. Elevation....needed much more flower last time. How come no one told me about elevation making a difference until I read that here? Duh! No wonder I could make bread dough in BC with my sister, but when I tried to make it exactly the same in Alberta it wouldn't turn out. (Thanks for the tip Casey) Anyways, I made two dozen buns (turned out perfectly).

But you see Tim loves cinnamon rolls. I thought I'd do a slight variation on the cinnamon rolls and make sticky buns. Sounds good right? What a perfect gift/treat for him on Valentine's Day. Well with sticky buns, as soon as they come out of the oven you have to flip them upside down and then the sticky sauce runs all over them. They came out, they looked great, I tried to flip them but the stupid glass pan was too heavy. I asked Tim to flip the pan over for me. And the last thing I said to him was, "Don't flip them into the sink!" Tim flipped...right into the sink. I had my large bowl in there that I had the dough rising in so they fell in a heap into that (at least they missed the water). I didn't get mad. It was too funny to get mad at. Tim felt horrible! Do they look pretty? We ate them anyways. Happy Valentine's Day Tim! Only the best for you...

Down But Not Out

So just like her and her, I've been sick. Super duper sick. Not able to function sick. Can't lift my head off the pillow sick. It's been a week and a half and I'm still not over it. But I am out of bed now. I didn't leave my bedroom in an entire week. My husband didn't dare cross into our bedroom as he was so afraid of the virus. He slept in our Winnie the Pooh room that I have set up for my niece, Jayda when she comes for sleepovers. I'm not sure what I had/have. It started off very much like the flu (fever, throwing-up, ear ache), then turned to a cold...sorta (sore throat, head ache, running/stuffed nose), and then has turned into this horrible cough. Plus I liked to add morning sickness on top of all that. And like she said here: Tylenol doesn't help the nose, the congestion, and the cough. Being sick when pregnant blows. I remember that from last summer. I had a fun week. But not as much fun as Tim who was the lucky duck who got to teach my Primary class. He got home from church and I asked him how the kids were. His reply: "They are insane!" Ya, I know.

Wanna know how I got so sick? I picked it up in BC when I went home for this:

Danyca's blessing. Everyone there was so sick...and I brought it back to Alberta with me. However it was worth it. I'm so glad I got to go and see little Danyca be blessed. She's beautiful eh? I bought her that little pearl bracelet. Totally LOVE her! I love going home to see the family. It's so great. I didn't see much of Tim though. When we put him and Brendan (my brother-in-law) in the same town they seem to get lost together -- like at Christmas. Kimmy and I become single when we go home for a visit. Ya, the sickness was totally worth the trip!

Our Baby - 11 weeks

Wohoo! I had my ultrasound today. I was so nervous. I really didn't want to get crappy news like last time. But it was ALL GOOD this time. We had the same ultrasound tech as the time before and she remembered us. She said she was sure I was going to get good news. Right away she found our baby and showed us. She was so good. I asked her about a million questions cuz I couldn't make out what I was looking at. The baby had a strong heartbeat at 167 bpm. So if the old wive's tale is true about high heart rates then it looks like we're having a girl. We'll see though. The ultrasound tech would show us how our baby would wiggle around if she poked my tummy. It was great. Ahhhh, I'm so excited!!

Can you see our baby? Ya it's hard for me to make out too. Hint: The head is on the left of the picture and the body on the right. It's a profile shot. (Click on it to make it bigger.)