It's Alive!!!

As the weeks roll by, this pregnancy has become more real. The undeniable bump, the disappearing belly button, and now...I felt the baby move!!!

I've been anxiously waiting to say that for a couple of weeks. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night thinking that I feel the baby, but it's just my heartbeat. I know that sounds odd, but sometimes my heartbeat speeds up while I'm sleeping and I can feel it thumping in my head and stomach.

But this was real...I was very much awake, and I was able to rule out active bowels. I say that because I have the loudest, most active digestive tract in the world. It has been a life-long source of humor and embarrassment for me.

Many books describe the early feelings of movement similar to flutters. They're right. I'm so excited!

Pink or Blue?

For those of you who love to cast your votes and are having withdrawals while waiting for new seasons of American Idol, So you Think you can Dance, and Dancing with the Stars...we have posted a poll in the side bar.

Do you think we will be having a baby boy or baby girl?

No, your vote doesn't count toward the actual outcome, but we'll let you know what the doctor says on September 10th.

29, and holding on

(this is a week late, but we have been pretty busy)

HAPPY 29TH BIRTHDAY, LEE!!!!

You are an amazing man and my favorite person. Thank you for leading our family to know and desire Christ, and thank you for being an example of selflessness, honesty, and generosity to me. I am so grateful that we get to spend our lives together!

Thanks to all the friends and family who celebrated Lee's birthday with us. He loved it!

Button Bustin'

It finally happened. I couldn't even come close to buttoning my pants today.

Our baby is now 16 weeks along, and likely the size of a grapefruit. My belly bump has become noticeable to people other than myself, and I've been putting clothes in the "see you next year" pile at an alarming rate.

Some fun news from my latest Ob/Gyn appointment...
1. They had difficulty tracking the baby's heartbeat because it wouldn't stay still. Hopefully, that means we'll start feeling some kicks soon.
2. On September 10th we'll get to find out the sex of our baby! I'll be happy to stop calling him or her an "it".

Little Monkey Mery - First Birthday

As part of our pre-parenthood planning process, we requested both my sister and sister-in-law to have children. That way, we could learn all about babies with little to no personal sacrifice.

In celebration of the culmination of one year of our great plan ... I mean ... we celebrated Owen Mery's first birthday this past weekend (his actual birthday is on my own birthday, just another great part of our plan ;). Owen is the son of my sister Krista, and her husband Nathan.

Besides Owen, the party was attended by only one other person less than 5 years old. There was an abundance of friends and family. We gave the little guy a pop up tent. Not surprisingly, he didn't immediately scream with childhood excitement over it (see Monkey-video below). However, all the adults thought it was pretty cool. Here are some photos:

Stunned by all the people

Already walking!

The Challenged Baker

Many people know that I like to cook. I think it is fun, easy, and a good creative outlet. I particularly like the instant gratification of immediately enjoying (eating) the efforts of my labor. But baking is another story. It takes a long time, you have to be amazingly precise, and things don't ever seem to come out the same way twice.

Baking is hard, and it frustrates me to no end. The problem is that I really want to be a good baker. In an effort to solve this dilemma, I had my first baking lesson this past weekend. My Aunt Angela invited me over to learn how to make an apple pie. I could say that "we" made the pies, but honestly she did most of the work. Either way, the pies turned out great, and Lee and I have been enjoying apple pie a la mode for the past few days.

Even though I learned a lot about pie crusts, I'm not sure I will be able to make my own. The baking curse seems to be upon me, but I'm determined to keep trying. So, if you're a good baker and you're willing to take on a student, give me a call and we'll set a date for you to teach me your tricks and tips for excellent pies, pastries, cookies, brownies, cakes, etc.

The Pies

My aunt, Angela.