Daddy's Corner Part 2

Its been a while since my first post, but since the most wonderful thing has happened in recent weeks I feel a need to boast and show my happiness on paper (or keyboard). After many anticlimactic and sometimes agonizing OB appointments the hard work and commitment of attending these things has finally paid off. For those of you that have not had the experience of attending an OBGYN appointment with your significant other let me quickly tell you what I mean by agonizing. First of all the waiting room... Annoying kids and crying babies and no other men in sight (I must be the only baby's daddy to be in Las Vegas that cares, or maybe some of these expecting mothers in town don't know who the daddy is considering the office is by UMC). With no men frequenting the waiting room the magazine selection is horrible. Expectant Mother, Marie Clarie, Your fetus and You, and Gardasil pamphlets are all that litters this place and it gets worse once you go into the Doctors office and he begins his work. How is it that this guy (OBGYN) gets to do things to your wife that any other dude would get dropped for immediately after he says "Hello Mike, I am Dr. Spoon" and shakes your hand? Right away this guy goes to second and then third base if you know what I mean. Not to mention that our particular Doc is in his early forty's, not bad looking, in pretty good shape and has a tan! What happened to an old German lady being your OB? Nice choice Carrie. And she has been seeing this dude for years! Sure its cool when you hear the baby's heart beat, but what you have to do in the first trimester to get to that point is even worse than second base. Its like stuff you see at your Buddy's bachelor party or at a bar in Thailand. But I digress. And for the record I have never been to Thailand, but have heard stories. All of this pain and heart ache during four months of appointments was worth the most recent result. During our last visit the distinguished Dr. was not present. This appointment was with an ultrasound tech who was female. And funny she new how to get a great visual of the baby by using a different ultrasound probe and putting it on Carrie's stomach. And the lovely ultrasound tech found something that Dr. Spoon never found. A PENIS. MY SON'S PENIS. This great gal proved with one swipe of her magic ultrasound wand what I have been hoping for all along. A little boy that I can teach all manly things to like fishing, and golf (as soon as I figure out how to play), and how to throw a football, and to tie a tie, and to shoot whiskey, and choose the right hair product... er OK that's enough manly stuff. He is going to be such a stud. Oh and for those of you who want to know how to do it I have the answer. #1. is a positive mental attitude and visualization #2. is probably to PG13 even for this post, but if you really want to know, you have my number.

The Pulliam Wedding - And A Baby Pic Too :)

Now that we know the sex, work has finally begun on his room! Goodnight Mr. & Mrs. Puliiam

Married almost 5 years....and we still feel like newlyweds (I do speak for myself :))

First Kiss as Mr. & Mrs. Maids for a Day!

Nervous? No Way!

Big Texas Hair in the Making!

Even Hey Reb showed up for some fun!

Wow! This summer is filled with nuptials of some of our nearest and dearest friends. Mike and I were both lucky enough to be a part of Ryan & Stephine's big day. The weekend (although a hot one in Vegas) was absolutely perfect...from pottery for the girls to golf for the boys to a gorgeous night for us all, the weekend was non-stop fun. I am so excited for both Ryan & Stephine to start their lives together - I truly believe they are meant for eachother!

I also got the chance to start on the baby's room. I of course ordered the bedding the minute I found out it was a boy. Then last night we picked out paint and started on the accent painting (I kept the room the chocolate color that I originally painted when we moved in). I just want to add a few more dots to back the wall and I think the painting will be finito! Can't wait to send more pics when I am done!

What's Happening with the Baby This Week: The baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 7 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel (about the length of a banana :). He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and we'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

IT'S A BOY...REALLY, IT IS!

Another face shot - kind of creepy looking!

Profile...He's so cute!

Somewhere in this one is his little male part - I'm glad the technician could see it because I sure can't!

Proud Grandpa & Grandma

Waking up this morning, I have never been so excited to go to work! Ultrasound (D-Day) had finally come and we were to get confirmation of whether our little one was a little boy or girl. The hours, minutes, and seconds could not have gone by any slower...I couldn't wait for my appointment! Mike and I were there early so they brought us back and literally the minute she pressed the ultrasound machine to my belly, she saw it was a boy!!! Grandma Elizabeth came in a little bit later to see for herself that the baby is indeed a boy (no more fairy princess dreams....she'll have to save those for the next baby!). Now that I have the real confirmation, we can finally start shopping for the nursery and adding all of the boy items to the registry. Speaking of the registry, we did that on Saturday and it was seriously one of the most fun days I have ever had...I am truly a dork! Babies R Us was like a baby wonderland for me - all of my hours of studying finally paid off when I got to point and click to all the little things that our little one will use someday. So much fun! Mike was a trooper too and I think he even enjoyed himself a little bit...although 2 1/2 hours in he was ready for a nap in the glider! Hopefully his first father's day present made up for all the work I put him through registering!

What's going on with the baby this week: The baby's sensory development is exploding! His brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he may be able to hear my voice now, so we are talking up a storm and listening to classical music - I end up with a headache, but hopefully he will be smarter for it :). He weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 7 inches now. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on hit skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid - ewe!

A Very Busy Week!

Movie date night with the girls :)

Right before Amber's wedding...and she wasn't even nervous!

The most handsome member of the bridal party (ok, they didn't have a bridal party, but Tyler was gorgeous!)

LOOK AT MY JIMMY CHOOS!!!!!!

Bride Sandwich!

Awe...Newlyweds...

...And Not So Newlyweds!!!

Sanford Winery....Now this is perfection!

Our unborn child's first wine tasting experience!

Wow...what an exciting week! Well, not much new in the baby world, other than the fact that my stretching stomach is causing me MUCH pain. I have to say that when people talked about "stomach stretching" in the past, I kind of didn't believe them. Well, I for one will tell you it is real. It feels like I have been doing 1000 crunches a day, and believe me, I haven't!!!!

Last week we celebrated one of Steph's last nights out as a single woman and saw Sex in the City - Such a fun night and a great movie too! Then Mike & I went up to Solvang outside of Santa Barbara for Amber's wedding and a long weekend...the weekend was a perfect escape and I cannot tell you how exciting it was to see one of my best friends in the world finally get what she deserves in a husband. Chip is amazing and their day was so special. I am so happy for them both! We (well, Mike) also got a little wine tasting in. I just enjoyed the scenery and fresh spring bottled water LOL! What's happening with the baby this week: Head to rump, our baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the lenght of a bell peper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that I think I have noticed, but can't be 100% sure about! I should start noticing them more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If we're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If we're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound. Let's hope not because we are counting on finding out the sex on Monday!!!!

It's A Boy!...Well...Maybe....

16 weeks and starting to show!

Today we went to see Dr. Spoon and of course since all of my books said that it is possible to tell the sex at 16 weeks, I couldn't wait to see if we would have an ultrasound today! Although my official ultrasound with the technician isn't for another three weeks (that is when we are really supposed to find out the sex), I just had to ask Spoon right away if we could have an ultrasound (he is, after all, a very ultrasound happy guy. He gave me the whole "well, its really too early to give a definitive answer, I think we should wait til your official ultrasound, blah, blah, blah." Well, lucky for us, our little one decided that he would trick Dr. Spoon into the ultrasound! When doc went to check the heartbeat with the dopler, the baby kept moving around and he couldn't get a good read. A mini panic attack later, down the hall we went to the ultrasound room - yipee!!!! Once Dr. Spoon heard the heartbeat, we went ahead and searched for a little something that would tell us if we were having a boy or a girl. After Dr. Spoon gave us his personal disclaimer that results may not be accurate, it is still early, don't be mad if he is wrong, etc., he told us that if he had to make a decision today, he would say it is a boy (actually, his exact words were that "it" would be pitching a tent)!!!! We are not getting overly boy crazed yet (I swear, I haven't ordered the bedding), but if Dr. Spoon's best guess is correct, we will have a boy! Bottom line is, if you have any bets going, I am giving you a great chance at success if you change your bet to a boy! Can't wait to see how Spoon's sonogram skills measure up!