What's in a name?

Ethan Michael...

Before I got pregnant I used to tease Nathan about picking out baby names. One day he came home from work and announced, "I thought of a baby name today." I was shocked but excited...and curious. He announced his pick of "Ethan" and explained how he liked it because it was similar to his name. I told him that I liked it too and we never really mentioned it much again.

When we found out we were pregnant this year Nathan decided instantly that he thought we were having a girl. He would barely discuss boy names so we decided on a girl name that we both really liked. I was so set to the fact that we were having a girl because EVERYONE (except maybe two or three people) said they really felt like we would have a girl also. When the ultrasound technician told us we were having a boy I was shocked. Even a week after we found out I would still catch myself saying aloud, "I can't believe we're having a boy." Nathan would just laugh at me every time I said it. :)

Needless to say, at least we already had a first name picked out so I didn't have to go through a bunch of baby name books and websites again. Now it was on to the middle name. My middle name is a family name that is very important to me so I had already told Nathan he couldn't argue about a girl's middle name. His response? Well, then you can't argue about a boy's middle name. Eeeek! The control freak in my got a little worried initially but then I thought...how bad could it be?

All the middle names Nathan came up with were wonderful...all family names that had some kind of meaning to him. In the end, he chose to go with his dad's first name, Michael. I LOVE IT! I have started writing it sometimes and even signing some thank you cards with "Baby Ethan." A little silly but it is just too exciting not to include him.

Growing and growing

It has been way, way, way too long since I posted here. Sorry! After my 20 week appointment when we found out we are having a little boy I became so busy traveling for baby showers that the internet took a back seat in my schedule. :)

On September 25 I had my first baby shower in Oklahoma. It was wonderful and so peaceful. My friend Jessica planned everything and my family and couple of friends joined us at Zio's for a relaxing lunch. I got some wonderful gifts and I really treasure each and every one of them!

On October 6 I flew home for two baby showers in Texas with my family and friends. The first shower was on Saturday, October 9 at my grandma's house. My cousin planned this one and, again, it was perfect! I got to visit with ladies that I have known all my life and see their excitement as I talked about how things are progressing in my pregnancy. My great aunt handmade a beautiful quilt for the baby and my cousin embroidered two diaper clothes with the baby's name. All the other gifts were wonderful but these two were extra special.

On Sunday, October 10, I had a baby shower at my mom's house. Two friends of my mom's took care of the planning and I enjoyed some silly games and lots of good food. It was great to visit with friends and church family that I don't get to see much. My little sister gave me a quilt that she made. It is absolutely precious and I know that our little one will love it the most out of all his blankets/quilts. :) I got so many things that we will need as we prepare for a our little boy.

During my Texas baby shower weekend I began to really feel the baby move a lot! It has been so exciting. My grandma and my mom both felt him move while I was visiting. I was so happy to share this special moment with them. After I got home I thought he would never stop wiggling around. Nathan has felt him move quite a bit and sometimes during the day at work I find myself getting distracted as I pay attention to his somersaults. A couple of days ago Nathan's mom got to feel him move for the first time also.

Overall, I am feeling really great. My belly is growing but it is not so big that I am uncomfortable. I still have quite a bit of energy. I have not been sick or really had any major, painful symptoms. I count my blessings daily for such a wonderful pregnancy. With my third trimester just over the horizon, I know that I may start to become more fatigued and uncomfortable. I feel fairly prepared for this and have great support from Nathan and all the ladies I work with. They won't let me do too much. :)

This weekend I have the last of my family baby showers. Nathan's family is putting everything together and I cannot wait to see everyone. This little baby is going to have more than he needs for sure...but it is all filled with love and I know he will feel all that love as well!!

Below is a picture of me at 22 weeks and another at 25 weeks. All the weeks are really beginning to fly by!

It's a Boy!!

Yesterday was my ultrasound to check out the baby and see if we were having a boy or girl. As you can tell from the title....It's a Boy!! My mom was able to fly up and spend the weekend with me. On Monday, my mom and Nathan's mom got to enjoy taking a peek at the baby with us. It was so neat to see him move around and see his little arms and legs. The ultrasound technician told us we were probably going to have our hands full with this little wiggle worm...haha! He also told us it looks like he has long legs...maybe we will have a tall little guy...who knows?! :) All the measurements showed that I may be a little further along than expected - about a week and a half - but not enough to change my due date with the doctor. So, we may end up with a January baby. I am just so excited to be able to start planning the baby's room and start getting everything lined up. My mom and I couldn't help ourselves after the appointment...we went and got a few really cute things for the baby. I am going to try and hold off on too much shopping until after my showers but geesh...baby stuff is just so cute!

My first baby shower is in Tulsa, Oklahoma this week (Thanks, Jessica!). I know it is going to be soooooooo much fun. The next two showers are in Texas the first week of October. After that I have a shower in Missouri the first week of November. Man, my schedule is crazy...but awesome!! :) Then it will be Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years...then Baby Time!! 

I just cannot wait to see Nathan hold his little boy. I got Nathan a few really cute things that I thought he would like for the baby. :)

First Moves

Well, I think I have finally decided that those weird little "pops" in my belly are our little baby moving around. Last week, I was driving to work and felt something in my belly for the first time. I called Nathan with a HUGE smile on my face to tell him, "I think I felt the baby move!" I could hear the smile on his face as he joked around with me about it trying to tell me that it was probably just my imagination. He is always, always joking around but I could tell he was soooo excited too. I hope our baby has his relaxed sense of humor. :) Since then I think I have felt the baby move three or four more times. I know that this will become more frequent in the next few weeks and I just can't wait. I am especially excited for Nathan to be able to feel the baby move although I know it will be a while before we get to that day.

In other baby news, Nathan got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time a little over a week ago at my last doctors appointment. It was so exciting to share that moment with him. Our next big milestone will be finding out the gender. We are on the countdown and only have 2 weeks and 6 days until the big day. My mom will be flying in to spend the weekend and then go to the appointment with us on Monday. Thankfully her flight is late in the afternoon on Monday so after the appointment we can do some shopping for the baby!!!

The weekend after we find out the gender I will be having my first baby shower in Oklahoma. I am really excited to see my family and friends there. From that weekend on, I feel like things are going to move in fast forward. Between 3 more baby showers (two in Texas, one in Missouri), weddings, holidays with family and working it is going to be the first of the year before we know it! I am doing my best to try and savor these next few weeks before the everything gets crazy. For everyone who knows me...savoring moments in time is just a little difficult for me. :)

Well, I guess that is all the new baby info for now. Will update you all when we get our exciting news in just a few weeks! :)

16 Weeks

12 Weeks

This Monday, I had two baby appointments. One appointment was with my doctor to just check in for week 12. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat and my doc said everything was looking really great. My second appointment was to have an ultrasound to measure the fat flap on the back of the baby's head. From the moment the baby showed up on the tv screen they have mounted on the wall I could not stop smiling. I watched the baby moving its arms and legs...bouncing around. It was an amazing feeling. The baby was being a little stubborn about moving into a position where they could measure what they needed so the ultrasound tech took lots of extra pictures for us. We got pictures of the baby's legs crossed, hands, face and profile. It was so awesome to watch it moving and see the little heart beating. The heart rate of the baby was 159.

My next appointment is in four weeks...just a normal appointment. In about eight weeks we will be finding out if it is a girl or boy!!!! :) My mom will be flying up to go with us! Nathan's mom is planning on going with us also. It will be a wonderfully special day.

I just cannot believe that I am already in my second trimester. I was right at 12 weeks along on the day of my appointment. I know that this whole process is going to fly by. I have been feeling good...no real illness. I have been tired but nothing a little extra sleep can't cure. :) I am truly blessed so far.

My very first blog post...

I know, I know...original title. :) I am not really sure how to go about starting a blog so I guess I will just give you all a little bit of info about my life right now.

I have been married to my wonderful husband, Nathan, for a little over 3 years now. He is absolutely spectacular and I could not have chosen a better partner to share my life with. We live near Springfield, Missouri out in the country but are looking to sell our place and move closer into town. Living in the country has been absolutely wonderful but we both are ready for something a little different. We are thinking a little less land and a little more...who knows where we will end up. :)

In May of this year I graduated with my Master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology. I have chosen to work with all ages, although mostly adults, in the medical setting and I am enjoying getting my feet wet in my first job this summer. I am so blessed to have chosen a profession where I can enjoy every moment of helping others!

Perhaps the most exciting news is that Nathan and I are expecting our FIRST BABY this coming February!! We found out this June that we are pregnant and couldn't wait to tell everyone. They say that you may want to wait until you are out of the woods for miscarriage but we just couldn't hold it in! Our first doctor's appointment at 8 weeks went wonderfully. We got to see our little baby and it's heartbeat. It was such a special moment to share together. My next appointment (12 weeks) is this coming Monday and we should get to hear the heartbeat and see another ultrasound of the baby. Nathan really thinks it is going to be a girl...but we will just have to wait and see. On September 20th we will have our appointment to find out if it is a boy or a girl. My mom is flying up from Texas to be with us that day and I could not be more happy that she gets to be here with us!!! We are already going crazy wanting to buy things but we are trying to hold off until we know the gender. I am sure over the next several months my blog will focus on all the changes this baby will bring to our life.

Cannot wait to keep you all updated on the upcoming changes in our life!!