SURPRISE!!!!!

She's a he? Whaaaat? That's right....surprise!! It's a BOY! I still cannot stop laughing. I guess he has a wonderful sense of humor. He definitely had us fooled...

The doctor's appointment went wonderfully! He started off hiding his face again, but after a while he was willing to smile for the camera. Again, he is not a morning baby. The picture below was our doctor's favorite, because he kept rubbing his eyes with his tiny little hand.

He was also sucking his thumb and kicked the ultrasound wand. I cannot describe being able to see what I am always feeling. I feel the baby kick and squirm in there, but it is a beautiful experience to see him stretch and then feel it at the same time.

Funny story: So when you get pregnant, everyone asks you what you, as the mommy, predict the gender to be. Mothers, nurses, and doctors alike claim that mothers have this ability to sense or feel what their baby is...when asked, I thought the baby was a boy. At first, I even had a hard time coming up with girl names! After being told that he was a she, I would still have dreams about a little boy. You can call B.S. if you want, but ask Chris, if I had a dream about a baby, it was a boy. I felt like I was just a bad mom. So when they told me "Oops, we were wrong...it is a boy." I could NOT stop smiling. It all made sense! I'm not a bad mom! Yay!! While we would have been happy either way, it is just fun to me that I was right!! Somehow my body or my brain knew! Take that science!

Oh and for those of you who do not believe me when I say it's a boy....well, the doctor took literally 9 pictures of his pee-pee up close! And direct quote, "It's a boy all day long....no doubt." While I hesitate to put such pictures online, I cannot imagine this being dirty....he's not even 2 pounds, and it's just a cute willy! Yes, looking back at that sentence seems weird.
Oh, another funny story. My friends are throwing me this VERY wonderful and sweet baby shower in a month. I got the invitation today....on the way home from the doctor's appointment.... oh funny! (look below) I guess I have some explaining to do...
Okay, this is a picture-full blog, but also hilarious to me... I'm at the doctor's office, a purely OB-GYN/Maternity office....and the reading material? American Baby....a TEXAS magazine, and American Rifleman....not really, just guns all over the place. Next to the baby magazines... clearly I don't understand their target demographic....
Final picture. I have had a couple requests for the bump. So as we are approaching month 6 and the 3rd trimester, it only seems appropriate. I'm getting HUGE! Enjoy!
Fast facts:
His little foot -- just over 1 inch long
His heart -- 158 beats/minute
His weight -- 1.5 pounds
His head -- not abnormally big!!!!
Mom has gained -- 8 pounds total (normal is 25-35 by the end) So a lot more to gain in 3 months...

He looks healthy, active, and happy! If you have any name suggestions, feel free to pass 'em my way! We're starting from scratch! More pictures to follow from daddy - more face shots and little toes. Hope you enjoy!!!

Week More Than Halfway There

It's been a rough couple of weeks. I've just been BEAT. The good news? We got this REALLY soft baby blanket from Miss Sandy.


But, in all seriousness, we've had a really productive past couple of weeks. We've been putting a lot of effort into the nursery, as documented in these tremendously cute pictures:

Most. Adorable. Elephants. Ever. The room is completely painted, most of the furniture put together (still need to purchase a glider/chair), wall stickers (like these elephants) hung up, and the shelves and wall hangings have been put up. We even have an orange pseudo shag carpet on the floor.

Ferocious lion perched on the top of the door frame. Pretty sure he's got his eyes on those elephants.

Surprisingly, there was a minimal amount of profanity resulting from putting the crib together. I did end up with a few extra pieces, though. The manual said they were "optional safety accessories."

We hung these bookshelves, too. So far, we've only got two items to put on them. The one on the right is home to Erik and Heather's creepy expressionless lamb, and the one on left...

...is home to The Flying Circus of Physics. Would anyone believe me if I told you that Julia put that one up?

And finally, there's the flower-light hidden behind the giant leaf, and this is the changing table/dresser combo that Mops bought for us. This thing is a miracle of engineering design. Whereas the crib was an easy hour long project, this monster took an entire night. The cashier at Babies R Us told me this was the only model that didn't come pre-assembled. This thing had fifty different pieces; it's more complicated than the Space Shuttle. But I was triumphant (see triumphant picture from Julia's post for reference).

Aside from the nursery, we did have Mops in town, and as Julia pointed out, she went flat-out berserk at Babies R Us. I now finally understand that the word "grandparent" comes from the Latin word for "buckets of money." Julia's right, though, this little girl will not be short on love.

One awesome item of note: yeah, I finally got to feel the little girl move. Pretty great feeling. It's really amazing to know that there's someone IN THERE, moving around, living the high-life. I sort of imagine her just relaxing in there. Cold beverage in one hand, headphones on, lounging in a bean bag chair.

I think I know what the next addition to the nursery is. Anyone know where I can buy a baby-sized bean bag chair?

Hurricane Mops hits Houston!

Jules here! We're in week 23 now, and while I am often impatient to meet this little one, I am also shocked at how quickly the time flies! Apparently I am already supposed to be pre-registered with the hospital and scheduling birthing/baby classes. Crazy, huh? And we are only 2-3 weeks from the 3rd trimester!

We had a visitor this past weekend, and well, the people of Babies-R-US loved her and for good reason! Mops had only one real mission for her trip - and that was shopping! If you think I'm joking, look below.

Yup, and this picture does not even include the changing table! We also worked out some of the details for the baby shower this July and talked names (though she mostly kept her opinion to herself). Chris was quite adorable, because as soon as we got home he had the irresistible urge to assemble the stroller. Yes, he had to do it right away. It was not as easy as it looked...

Instructions only helped slightly....

But he had a real sense of accomplishment after its was done....

The nursery is REALLY starting to come together! We have the changing table and crib all put together (if Chris can say "we" are pregnant, I can say "we" put them together). This room not only makes me happy because I can imagine holding our little girl in it, but because it shows how much love she has from her family already! Her grandparents have already made it look like a nursery (changing table from her Mops and crib from her Nana and Popi). She truly is blessed.

While I know I promised certain individuals pictures of the nursery, I heard my husband snapping those pictures this morning and I know he is dying to show them off in his blog. So I cropped out some sneak peeks of a couple of my favorite wall stickers to hold you all over! Though they're a little blurry, they make me smile and you get the gist, no doubt. A very whimsical jungle for a our baby girl.

The monkey is to the right of the crib, and the giraffe is to the left, looking in. There are other animals as well, and flowers and trees, but I'm going to let Chris show those off :)


Sea monkey had another doctor's appointment. She's right on track. As a matter of fact, she's quite active and kicked the doctor's heart monitor right off mama's belly. Chris is finally feeling her move, but again, I will let him describe that. Another ultrasound is in less than 2 weeks!

Oooh, the names are updated....please vote!
Eliana (Ellie for short)
Taylin

Love you all! Don't forget to call dibs on a weekend to visit if you have not already!
Jules