Our September 14th Appointment

Our recent doctor's appointment was last Friday. All went very well. For those of you that have gone through these appointments, you know that they begin to feel very similar. "Let's check your weight. Now let's measure your belly. How are you feeling? Any discomforts? Tell me about the baby movements." We, too, had our questions for the doctor. Yes, we are THOSE people who read everything so our questions go something like: "Our book says this. Is that true? What do you think about__________ because according to what we've read..." Our doctor humors us so; she is great.

We did have another ultrasound which is always a breathtaking experience (I hesitate to use the word "breathtaking"; it might evoke Seinfeld references..."She certainly is breathtaking.") At one point, the doctor was able to get a close-up of our baby's face right on the screen. What a moment! The doctor printed off the picture for us. Unfortunately, we are temporarily without a scanner. We will hopefully be able to get this picture up soon for you all to see.

Message From Rachel

Hello everyone! Sorry it’s been so long between entries! Since we don’t have DSL at home now, it’s harder to coordinate. I’m going into my third trimester next week – can you believe it!? My stomach has been expanding steadily. I feel really good. She is kicking all the time now and slowly making her way to my ribs. One of our favorite things to do in the evening is watch my stomach as she kicks and swirls. Sometimes I think she’s trying to escape. Maybe she’s claustrophobic like her mommy! =) My only symptom currently is back pain, which I know will only get worse as the time draws near! Our next doctor appointment is Friday, September 14, which includes a gestational diabetes test and another ultrasound. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers! They are quite appreciated! If anyone uses snail mail still, we’d love to hear from you all. Here’s our new home address – feel free to drop us a line! 22267 171^st Street, Basehor, KS 66007

Love to you all!

Rachel

Another Side View

Here is a quick post to show a recent side shot. This little girl continues to be active with cartwheels, running, and kicking! She just may be a handfull!

And The Gender Of The Baby Is...

A GIRL!!! We are having a little girl and we could not be more happy. Truth be known, we would have been happy either way, but we are thrilled to announce that our family will increase with the addition of (TBA...Did you think we would drop the name now?).

(This is written by Eric)
The month of July has been an interesting mixture of busyness, loneliness, and transitioning. As many of you know, Rachel and I have been in the process of moving back to Kansas City. Completing work and life in California has added the busyness. The loneliness stems from Rachel having to move to KC before me. Kramer, the lively miniature dachshund that he is, has done an admirable job keeping me company.

I flew out to be with Rachel this past week and to attend our appointment at St. Joseph Medical Center at I-435 and State Line Road. The quality and professionalism that we experienced at this office was incredible. We feel very blessed to have found this office and this extraordinary group of doctors.

The ultrasound was the highlight of this visit (which I guess goes without saying). The doctor looked at many aspects of the baby narrating as she went along. We saw all ten fingers and ten toes. We were able to see the four ventricles of the heart (simply amazing). The spine, stomach, and different features on the baby's face were also visible. She concluded by saying, "So, did I hear that you wanted to know the sex of the baby?"
"Absolutely," we responded!
She continued, "Well, you are going to stop referring to her as a 'he'. This is a girl." Habit mixed with (false) intuition did have us calling our baby "he" up to this point. We quickly called our parents and texted our brothers and sisters to share the wonderful new. Without a doubt, this little princess will be loved.

Our June 14th Appointment

This was a pretty routine appointment. It was extremely quick. This appointment would have seemed like a mere formality if it hadn't been for one simple thing...we heard the baby's heartbeat for the very first time! The appointment was fast, but very thrilling nonetheless.

FYI: having talked with several doctors on the issue, there is no scientific facts linking the rate of the heartbeat with gender identification. Actually, cultures that have stated facts pointing to this as proof differ from one another. If it were true, the studies should validate each other.

First Side View!

Well, folks, here's the first side view of yours truly. I'm at 14 weeks this week, so we'll see how quickly the weight comes after this. I know there's not much there, but it was a good time to start. The view looks a little bigger from above (i.e. me looking down at my stomach) but it's nice to know that's the only view which gives it that appearance. Unfortunately, I'm already in maternity pants. My regular pants are pretty tight around the waist and looser around the hips (where I normally gain weight) so it didn't take long to grow out of those. Instead of buying a size or two larger in pants and only get to wear them for a month or two, I just went ahead and bought 9 month maternity clothes. They're pretty comfy! I've also already got the itching and dry skin on my stomach where things are stretching, so if anyone has any good remedies for the dry skin, please let me know. Again, thanks to all of you for your prayers and support!

Love to all!
Rachel

Our First Baby Gifts!

I (Rachel) had my last day with Perris Head Start on Friday, May 18. The girls from the office staff took me to lunch and gave me a HUGE bag of baby gifts (and unknowingly inspired my nursery colors and theme). There are a lot of clothes and blankets done in green and yellow, since we're not sure the sex of the baby yet (however, I prefer these colors to pink or blue anyway). There are also two lullaby CD's, a cow that sings when you pull the string, and a FABULOUS diaper bag (that's in the back of the picture; it's two bags in one with a changing mat, wipes container, and several handy pockets). It's all too cute, and I was so excited I had to share with everyone. Thank you Linda, Jill, Evelyn & Alicia! You're the best!