Oh Baby!

I love hearing my baby's heartbeat, but even more than that, I love SEEING it beating! On Thursday, Jerod and I went in to Ames for the most recent appointment where we got to see our little sweetie on an ultrasound. The nurse said the baby is measuring exactly on schedule and the doctor said everything looks good, I always feel better after having an appointment. Anyway, we were able to take a few souvenir pictures home including a couple little 3D images. The baby wasn't being very cooperative in getting a good 3D picture of his/her face, but the nurse got a angled shot. Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we do (although I'm not sure if that's possible, haha)!

This is the 3D picture, you can obviously tell where the baby's head is at and can see the little ear on the side and an arm, I think that's my uterus in the backdrop- weird that I can say that, right?

Here's a traditional ultrasound shot of our munchkin, I'm not sure how we can love our baby more than we already do, I guess we'll find out in about 4 and a half months!

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Thought for the Day

The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.

This was in an email my mom sent me and I wanted to share it. Sometimes we think the things we are going through are hopeless, but then we just have to let go and let God's plan work itself out. It's hard to believe in some situations, but I truly feel that if God brings you to it, he WILL bring you through it- he knows us better than we know ourselves. Happy Friday!

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Beautiful Every Time

Has anyone heard that song by Lee Brice? I was listening to the radio this week and I must have heard it every day on my way to or home from work and I just love it. I'm pretty sure it's been out for a while, but it really stuck with me. Here are some of my favorite lyrics:

I've been around the ocean since I was a kid
I don't get to see it much these days
This mornin' I walked down to it, just to say I did
And damned if it didn't take my breath away
I guess some things are just that way
Like a baby sleeping
A mama kneeling
A Key West sunset sky
Yeah the chills I get, when you lay your lips on mine
That's beautiful......beautiful every time

I guess amazing, will always be amazing
Like a church choir singing
A nation healing
A soldier coming home alive
The love for me girl I see in your eyes
That's beautiful
Beautiful every time

It got me thinking about all those moments in life that are so simple, but they really make an impression on your heart and your memory. I mean, have you ever walked on a beach as the sun rises? It IS breath taking, the way the water goes on and on and the calm of the ocean before the beach has filled up with people, and feeling your toes in that soft sand, it's just a wonder to behold. So anyway, I came up with a few more instances in life that are just always perfect, feel free to post some of your own in the comments.....

-Elderly couples who still hold hands when they walk

-The still of a crowd during the National Anthem

-The atmosphere of a small town at the Homecoming football game

-Seeing your baby move on an ultrasound

-Hearing your baby's heartbeat for the first time

-The moment you realize, "This is my forever, the one I couldn't live without..."

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Lookin' Good Moose

Jerod picked the title for this blog based on his love for the old enterprise commercial where the guy was getting ready for his high school reunion.....anybody know what I'm talking about?? Anyway, I haven't posted any belly pics through the first 17 weeks of this pregnancy, and I'm so sorry! So I'm going to catch you all up on how my little munchkin is stretching out my tummy.

5 weeks

As you will notice, this is the only "bump" picture in which I show the actual skin of my belly. I think I was momentarily "high" because this was the day I took my pregnancy test- at about 5:30 in the morning (Jerod really appreciated getting woke up that early on a work day-haha)

10 weeks

You can still kind of see my face bones, especially my jaw line.

17 weeks

Holy melons and acne! The cashier at Walmart asked me today when I'm due and when I told her June 30 she said, "Oh, you look like you're further along." Thanks?? Oh well, at least there's no question about whether I'm pregnant or just fat!

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Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh....

...went the baby's heart beat tonight at our latest OB appointment, 150 beats per minute, yay! I was even more exhausted than usual today because I slept terribly last night. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's worrying, and I always happen to worry before we have these appointments. I can't help it, I just do. Not to say I don't try to ease the worry, I've already prayed more for this child of mine than I think I've ever prayed for anything before in my life! I suppose it's just the beginning of these types of prayers though- I have a feeling I'll pray for my babies until my dying day. Anyway, this was just the latest update on Baby Brown and the pregnancy.

At our next appointment we have the opportunity to find out the sex of the baby. I am holding firm in not knowing, I want to be surprised, but Jerod is being difficult. He wants to know because then we only have to focus on one kind of name, but that's not convincing enough for me. I told him since I don't want to know, he CAN'T know, otherwise he's drive me nuts hinting both ways about the baby being a boy or a girl. I think for his safety and my sanity, we'll just stay in the dark about it!

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Very Superstitious.....

I never used to be too superstitious. But since dating and marrying a baseball guy- I have since changed those ways. Silly things (things I know Jamie Burdorf does, too!). Like, if the boys aren't doing well in a game we'll get up and move around to different places on the left field fence until they - hopefully - start to play better. I never forget to "knock on wood" when I mention how quiet my students are on a particular day. And Jerod and I are always reverse-jinxing ourselves, for instance, if Jerod wants his fantasy football team to do well, he'll tell his opponent that week, "You've already got this in the bag, congratulations on your win."

I want one of my New Year's resolutions to be:

Be optimistic and look at life positively, without the superstition.

There are so many things that I have to be appreciative of and look forward to in 2011 and I don't want superstitions and rituals to get in the way of enjoying those things. I was so sure that something would go wrong with our pregnancy that I was wary to enjoy the first several weeks. Hitting the second trimester feels like a HUGE milestone and I feel like I finally have the freedom to enjoy the life growing inside me and I can't say how much I love that. I love to rub and pat my little belly, I pretend my baby knows who it is- maybe he or she really does, I don't care either way, it's my way of saying hello every day. If Jerod thinks I'm grouching at him about something he'll come up and rub my tummy and talk to the baby......which usually leaves me with no choice but to stop being upset :)

I hope 2011 gives everyone many blessings, big and small, and all with reasons to be optimistic and joyful about the life we've been given, and the people we have to share it with. Happy New Year!

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Our Little Miracle

I was going to wait until after we'd sent out our Christmas cards to share this news with those of you who read our blog (if you don't already know), but after the sweetest Christmas gift from Jerod, I decided it's time.

Jerod and I are expecting the first addition to our family, a baby due June 30, 2011- right in the middle of baseball season! We just passed the 12 week mark, and I have felt pretty good so far. No morning sickness, but I have been extremely tired and have had some recurring back pain near the base of my spinal cord. My mom has suggested starting to see a chiropractor, so I might ask the doctor about that when we go back to hear the heartbeat in January. We have had two appointments so far and were able to get a sneak peek at our little nugget in the beginning of December. The kid was wiggling all over and waving their little arms, it was a great sight for this mommy-to-be's eyes and made me feel a lot better about the pregnancy.

Grandma Jacque joked, "He looks just like Jerod!" I'm not sure if everyone else can tell, but the baby is upside down in this ultrasound pic, the arm is in front of the face, it seems like a nose, but it's the baby's arm. I'm in love already :)

While I have been on Cloud 9 since discovering this right after a trip to Seattle in October, Jerod's been more of a "guy" about the whole thing. He says he's looking forward to when the baby arrives in June and he can see and hold his new baby. I can't completely understand his thinking, but try to, and was so very touched by his Christmas gift to me this year. I know I shouldn't have opened it yet, but when football is on ALL DAY, I get really bored and had already skimmed through a couple pregnancy books, baby name books, and written in my Mommy Journal. Plus, Jerod asked me every day if I wanted to open my gift, and I was pleasantly surprised.

It was so sweet, I definitely cried (just a little bit), and Jerod tried to pretend like it wasn't a big deal that he picked out such a perfect Christmas gift. Happy Christmas week everyone, hopefully yours is as blessed as ours has proved to be.

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