One Week Away!

We are one week away from finding out our baby's sex. We are excited! Some people are giving us grief about finding out ahead of time, but oh well. Aimee and I are on the same page and we both want to know... what can I say? We like to be prepared. We will let you all know as soon as possible!

Aimee's morning sickness is doing a little better, so thank you for your prayers. The other night I put my hand on her belly and I'm pretty sure I was able to feel the baby's heartbeat! Also, Aimee hasn't felt the baby move yet, but she can tell it is changing positions. So far mommy has only gained about 3 lbs - but we expect that number to start going up very soon! Her belly hasn't grown much more yet, but as soon as it does we'll put up another picture.

The Church is Our Family

It was Jesus, who said "Who are my mother and my brothers?" Looking around at those who sat around him, he said, "Behold, my mother and my brothers!" That is how I feel about our church.

It is not that Jesus did not love his biological family, and it is not that we don't love ours dearly. It is because being part of a church means being part of God's family, the body of Christ. Jesus becomes the lowest common denominator even between strangers with the same beliefs. And this is an awesome thing.

Today at church, someone that we barely know gave us a stroller/car seat combo. It is to the point where our house already seems full of baby stuff, long before the baby is even here! The funny thing is someone else (that we barely know) already gave us a car seat - two car seats and we don't even have two cars! And we haven't had to pay a penny for any of it - it was all given to us by people from our church. Nothing was asked for, it was just offered to us. Who says God doesn't provide?

Now all I need is an able-bodied man to come over and help me move a desk and futon out of our spare room (which will become the baby's room) so we can steam clean the carpet and paint. This will help us get the crib, bassinet, changing table, etc out of our living room and into its permanent position. Any takers?

Flashback to about a year ago, when we were looking for a new vehicle, we were looking for something reliable, not too many miles, something with a little horsepower (I think every car should have at least 180 hp.) What we were not looking for was an SUV. Not that SUV's aren't nice, but they are usually out of our price range, so I didn't bother looking. At the car dealership, I was looking at some Toyota's and Honda's, and the sales guy points out a Hyundai Santa Fe in our price range (newer and less miles than the Toyota's and Honda's - and mark my words - Hyundai will be the new Toyota one day soon - get one while they are still cheap!). I drove it and liked it a lot (aside from the color), and the salesman actually said he had another one in maroon coming in soon.

So a few days later we went to check out that one, and not only was it maroon (the color I wanted) but also had leather, heated seats and a V6! I got upset when I looked at the sticker and it was $4,000 more than he said it was...thinking he was pulling a bait and switch on me, but he came out and said, "What can I say? It's over-priced." And he dropped the price $4,000 on the spot. So we ended up paying exactly the amount we wanted to, but got a lot more car for our money! God knew we were having a kid before we did! And I'll tell you - just needing to haul around a stroller is reason enough to have an SUV. Yes, God provides abundantly.

I'm Feeling So "First Trimester"...

That's what Aimee said today. Unfortunately the magic moment when the vomiting stops and the energy comes back just has not happened yet, even though she is a few weeks into her 2nd trimester now. She has been getting sick about once a week lately, but got sick twice today and was tired all day long. So by all means, we would appreciate your prayers for the morning sickness to go away! This isn't a vomitorium!

Ancient Chinese Secret!
On another note, a co-worker showed us something interesting this week: A Chinese birth calendar. The calendar was buried in a tomb near Beijing for 700 years and now can be viewed at the Institute of Science in Beijing. Surprisingly, although the claim is 99% accuracy, Aimee and I have asked a bunch of friends and family and the thing really does seem to be about 75% accurate.

Using the date of conception (not birth, but conception - about 9 months before birth), you look up the Mother's age when the baby will be born, and the month conception would have occurred, and it will supposedly tell you the gender of the baby you will have. Go ahead and try it for yourself! We'd love to hear if it is accurate for you or anyone you know! Remember, its not based on the baby's birth date, but approximately 9 months before that date. It is on the web at:

http://www.webwomb.com/chinesechart.htm

If this ancient Chinese wisdom is right, we'll be having a little girl! Hopefully we'll find out for sure within the next three weeks.

30th Birthday Surprise Party!

My wife had apparently been scheming over the past few months planning me a surprise party. I must say it was an awesome sight when I walked into the restaurant. At first glance I didn't even think I knew that many people! There was almost 50 people! Friends from church... friends from work... even my chiropractor was there! And if that wasn't enough, my good friend James from NJ showed up too!


I must admit, part way through the party when I noticed a lot of beer and not a lot of checks I got a little nervous, because I knew the work crew can really put 'em down. (The church group, incidentally, did not do likewise.) But, I did not let my mind wander too far as to worry. Even if the party was expensive, so what! I'm sure my wife knew what she was doing. I'd never had a surprise party before. I can't remember a time in my life when I've had so many good friends, and it was great to see them all in one place. Can you put a price on that?

The Suspense is Killing Us!

Aimee had another doctor visit yesterday just to see how things are coming along. They took the obligatory urine sample to ensure there's still a baby in her belly. Also we got to hear the heartbeat again, which was nice and strong just like before. Plus, now the baby has moved up to her abdomen so it can start kicking her ribs in due time.

We were hoping that the stage 2 ultrasound would be scheduled quite quickly after this visit (within a few days) so we could find out if we'll be having a little boy or a little girl, but unfortunately they can't get us in until August 7! What a buzzkill.

Little known fact (at least, according to our doctor): The stage 2 ultrasound isn't scheduled to find out the baby's sex as is commonly thought. It's actually done to ensure the baby is forming properly with no defects or abnormalities. Finding out the sex is usually just something that happens while everything else is being checked out. It makes me happy to know that we have the technology to look into things so thoroughly now! Please pray for a healthy baby, boy or girl.

Everyone keeps asking me: So do you want a boy or a girl? Typically it seems the woman wants a girl and the man wants a boy. Oddly enough, Aimee wants a boy. Don't get me wrong, we're okay either way. I want a boy too, but my mind is wondering from things I've heard...that little boys have a closer bond to their Mothers, whereas little girls have a closer relationship to their Fathers. This is a curious thing but I do not doubt if it is true. I can either have a little boy to throw a football around with and teach him to play guitar or drums, or I can have a little girl and be her hero. I'm almost teary-eyed right now thinking about that. That's a tough choice - thankfully God gets to make that one!

We promise to let everyone know the minute we find out what we're having... so hopefully that will be no later than August 7!

Belly Profile - Week 14

Never make the mistake of telling a pregnant woman that she looks a little 'chunky' or is 'looking round' in the first trimester. It will just make her angry. Though I am not guilty of this, some people who shall remain unnamed are. In fact, Aimee has barely gained any weight so far. However, her body is changing, and weight is redistributing itself. She just 'started to show' the other day, so here's a picture!

Aimee's next doctor visit is July 16, but unfortunately we don't find out what the baby is that day. I believe we schedule the next ultrasound to find out the sex though. We are so eager to find out! We have our names already picked out (which is a secret unless we've told you personally!) but we'd like to know what to refer to the baby as!

So Many Books... So Little Time!

As most of you who know us probably know, we like to be prepared. Heck, we got pre-engagement and pre-marital counseling, and took a financial class before we even got married. So now with a baby on the way, there is no shortage of information to take in before it gets here. So we are reading (and planning to read) several books: What to Expect When You Are Expecting, Along the Infant Way, The Happiest Baby on the Block, and To Train Up a Child are all on the current list of books that we know have good solid information in them. Between these four books it seems to cover just about every aspect of having a baby (at least until they are about a year old.)

We already took a class that went through "Along the Infant Way" which is about getting the baby on a schedule so it can sleep through the night, but we will need a refresher right before the baby is here (I told you we like to be prepared... we actually took that class even before we found out we were pregnant!) So now we are just trying to find the time to make it through all the books, as well as researching information about the birthing process, immunizations, circumcision, epidurals and all that stuff. I'm told there are a few other classes that we should take as well... Daddy Boot Camp, and a few at the hospital, like Infant CPR, which I hope I never need to use.

Thanks to all of our friends who are encouraging us and just letting us ask questions like crazy. We really appreciate your time and the information is really helpful with our decision making.

Paint is Expensive, but People are Generous

So far we have been very blessed and we haven't had a ton of costs associated with the pregnancy aside from some snacks for food cravings, some prenatal vitamins and OB visits. But then this past weekend we bought the supplies to paint the baby's room -- $109! Somehow I don't think I'll feel any solace when the $10 rebate from Lowe's gets here, hopefully before the baby is born (stupid mail-in rebates take forever!) Since I know you are itching to know, here's the color:

And no, the color doesn't give anything away - we still don't know if the baby will be a boy or girl, we just like the color and figure we can make it work either way (pink goes with blue, right?)

However it is great to know that many of our friends and family also have had children and have useful items for the baby that they were willing to give us or let us borrow that will save us a lot of money (not to mention help get us prepared in time!) We have already received a bassinett, a car seat, a crib, a dresser with changing table, an electric breast pump (sorry guys), some clothes, some toys (including the baby's first teddy bear -- thanks Mom!) and other miscellaneous things. The best I can do now is show you some scattered pictures, since we have a lot of re-arranging (and painting!) to do before the baby's room is ready:

So thanks everyone, for your generosity and your prayers. Please pray for Aimee as she enters the second trimester officially, that her morning sickness will stop. From what I understand the second trimester is usually much better but some mothers have the morning sickness all 9 months, and that's no fun (for either of us!)