22 weeks

i obviously took this picture myself:)

prayers needed - doctor's appointment update

another routine monthly doctor's appointment this morning...got to hear baby's heartbeat in the 140's - very good. i've been feeling movement the last couple weeks, which he says is right on time as well. this week, dr. blake actually started measuring my belly with a tape measure - i guess for every centimeter you measure from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus should be pretty close to whatever week you're in. well, i'm almost to week 22 and measured 28 centimeters! whew. i hope that's no indication to a 12 lb. baby...ain't fittin' to deal with that. it could also mean that baby is perfectly comfortable all stretched out from end to end, which might make sense considering the horrible pains in my ribs from his feet. either way, i am really hoping i'm not the size of a buick by christmas! maybe i've done most of my growing already, and will slowly grow the rest of the time.

last ultrasound we had, the lab tech was checking for all major organs, all chambers of the heart, measuring bones and head, etc. she mentioned the fact that they couldn't find the "stomach bubble". i didn't think much of it...figured it meant baby's tummy wasn't full because mine wasn't either. today at my appt, dr. blake mentioned that we need to do another ultrasound after my appointment in september to see if they can see it then. if they can't see it, he will send me to indianapolis and have doctor's there do some testing to check for any defects in the development of the baby's esophagus and trachea. apparently, checking for the stomach bubble means that the baby is swallowing like he should. dr. blake said that worst case scenario, the baby would go through surgery early on and things are easily fixed. he told me not to worry, since it can be hard to see in the first ultrasound.

neither tim or i are worried....we really have no reason to be until we have something definite to be concerned about. either way, we'd still really really love your prayers for our baby boy. we've never done this before, so it's amazing what little things can make you nervous. everything has gone so smoothly thus far, and we want it to continue that way! it was a little rocky getting to the point of expecting a baby, so we feel blessed in any circumstance. thank you so much!

p.s. i promise to get a belly picture up soon!

my life (lately) in pictures

Here are some pictures of my classroom this year (not completely finished yet) and the most recent purchase of baby clothes i've purchased.it's so much fun looking for little corduroy pants and shirts with puppy dogs(which we have a lot of)and rocket ships. belly picture update soon...sorry i've missed a week! oh, and a picture of ella playing in the sink - a good glimpse of how we now spend a lot of friday nights:)

ultrasound pics

i've gotta admit...i'm a little disappointed to not have any "manly" parts pictures to show you as proof. the lab tech gave us what she gave us. so i've included a picture of his little arms crossed in front of him and his tiny foot (i counted five toes!).

snips and snails and puppy dog tails...

yes, it's a BOY! you can imagine my reaction when it was *ahem* quite clear on the ultrasound that we were bringing a little man into our family. as you see previous posts, it's quite rare that a boy is brought into the family on my side by blood...usually it's just a legal negotiation that we allow them to hang around:) just kidding. well, kindof.

the more i think about raising a son, the more excited i get. i've always loved the beautiful chaos of little boys being who they were created to be....muddy, wild, and daring. it's definitely a picture of who God is. i look at our lab and just imagine the trouble they will get in together, both standing in front of me in the kitchen with innocent looks on their faces, hoping i'll blame the other. my dad has literally had dreams of this day for years to come. he's always warned me, "court, you're going to have your hands full one day." yeah, and little does he know - any crazy antics that stir from our son's mind will be directly linked to my father's influence in one way or another!

tim and i were up in Port Hope, MI this last week with some awesome friends we haven't seen in way too long...it was great. the weather was perfect and the family was together. tim's still trying hard to make peace with the state of Michigan. instead of being "the third ring of hell" as he refers to the summers before when it's been a little warmer than he'd like, this year he was almost eaten alive by some mysterious bug or allergen. but nothing a few steroids, choice words and millions of topical ointments won't take care of. it's just like any relationship worth having...ya gotta make sure it's worth it. :)

my 18 week picture above was taken by my artsy mother on the pier in Port Austin, MI. i've definitely "popped" recently and have accepted the fact that the pain i constantly feel on my right side is just my loving son wedging his feet in between my ribs. ah, motherhood.