Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to write a quick post to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family watching us over the internet. Katie is very excited to eat all of our usual thanksgiving food, but then I made her pout when I reminded her that she is limited on storage space now that babygirl is taking up most of her stomach. For the past month, I have been eating off her plate when we go out because she can no longer eat full portions (I know where the daddy-weight comes from now!).

I, however am looking forward to eating everything in site at both Grannie's house and Aunt Cindy's family gathering. I hope everyone surrounds themselves with as much good food and family as they can this year!

23 Weeks

Well, we're overdue for an update, so even though we don't have much to share, we decided to at least give you all a picture and some brief words.

Ed and I had dinner on Friday night at his mom and stepdad's house along with his two sisters. I got to pick the dinner and because of that, we all enjoyed homemade macaroni and cheese with some veggies (the baby likes mac and cheese!).

Today, we went crib browsing throughout GA from Douglasville all the way to Jonesboro. Here's what we learned: there are hardly any stores that sell cribs. Online, perhaps, but in stores - not likely. Even Rooms To Go Kids doesn't sell cribs. What's up with that!?! So basically, we were left with choosing between Target and Babies R Us (the first two stores we went to, by the way, which means that we didn't even need to go across town like we did...). We didn't end up making any solid decisions, but we do think we'll go with an espresso finish over a white one (which was our second choice, but Ed has concerns about scuffs and crayons in the future on white furniture).

We need to come to a decision soon though because Christmas is coming faster than we're prepared for and then my baby shower is in January, so we have to be registered sometime really soon.

Speaking of the holidays, it's highly likely that I am more excited about Thanksgiving this year than I've ever been before. I can't wait to eat all that great food! (Although Ed was kind of a 'debbie downer' when he reminded me that I won't be able to eat half as much as I want to.) By the way, before we can even get to Thursday, Ed's birthday is on Tuesday, so this is a good week for us. If you have any good present ideas for him, let me know (I kind of dropped the ball on this one).

Enough for now... will probably send another update this weekend. HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!!! (We know what we're thankful for - how about you?)

Ultrasound, Round 3!

Katie had another regular appointment this week. She got another recording of our daughter's heartbeat. While there, we learned that we were supposed to get another ultrasound this week. Our accidental perinatologist wanted to double check one more thing, so we excitedly got to head back in!

Babygirl was feeling a bit camera shy this session. She was constantly squirming around - which made measurements tricky at times. Our technician managed to get us some blog-worthy shots as usual.

She has done a lot of growing in the past 2 weeks. She now weighs 1 lb and is 17cm long from head to rump (its hard to measure leg blips when they are scrunched). I don't know if I was imagining things, but it seemed like she was noticeably bigger, and it was much easier to see details in the heart and some other organs. We got to see black spots for both her stomach and bladder, as well as a very clear section of her brain. I really enjoyed watching the heart flutter away.

I think this might be the last of the ultrasounds. I don't know how typical later term ultrasounds are, or how necessary they are. There is always a chance we'll break down and get one of the 3-d ultrasounds in a few months. If any more are scheduled, we'll be posting them in the usual place.

All too often, I will daydream about all the things I want to do with my daughter. If you see me space out (which I often do) I am probably planning fatherhood. So far, I have gone to a tea party, taught her how to ride a bike, played pooh-sticks, played catch, and scared her first boyfriend away. I have seemed to gloss over poo diapers, spitup, sleepless nights, temper tantrums, and all the other mundane threats people remind me of when I talk about being excited about being a dad. Somehow, I am looking forward to all of that, too. (Katie, please remind me how much I was looking forward to it when I am grumbling about it in the future.)

During the car ride home from Fort Lauderdale, I heard giggling coming from my wife. I looked over at her, she had a huge grin on her face and was tapping on her belly. More giggling. More tapping. I asked her what she was doing. 'I am playing with our daughter.' She was kicking back in response to Katie knocking on her home. I could have watched that for hours. I hope she'll play with me like that soon.

Wedding Delay

Sorry for the delay in posting, but we have a good excuse. Our good friends Andy and Ashley got married in Fort Lauderdale last weekend. We had to drop everything and head to Florida for 4 days!

The wedding was beautiful. We had a great time hanging out with Andy, Ashley, Dusty, Kelly, and friends and family.

We're so happy that they finally made it official. It's about time!

HALFWAY THERE!

As the title so eloquently states, we are officially halfway through with the pregnancy. I don't have a lot of pregnancy-related news to share, so this blog entry may just ramble for a minute.

On Wednesday, Ed and I are flying (one-way) down to Ft. Lauderdale for one of his best friends from high school's wedding (he was one of our groomsmen). We will be driving back with his other best friend from high school, Dusty, and his equally pregnant wife, Kelly. (They are our good friends who are due 3 days before us.) Ed likes to joke that the 12-hour car ride is going to be a 14-hour tour of highway rest stops... but what he doesn't realize is that it will probably be more like a 15-hour joyride, considering that our OB told us we have to stop every 2 hours for walking and restroom breaks (I use the term 'joyride' very loosely here).

I've been thinking a lot lately about just how much this little girl has already done. A few months ago, we went to her first concert together - Jack Johnson. That ended up being an experience I wasn't entirely expecting, as I swear I left feeling just a little more mellow due to all the less than legal activity occurring everywhere around my group. We also went to her first Braves game with Ed, where we had dugout seats (very cool) - we even got to enjoy this with my cousin Doug, who happened to be in town.

We've experienced a number of dance and dance aerobics classes together, and even one jazzercise class. We've trained with a personal trainer, which baby realizes is not Mommy's favorite thing to do. We worked as the House Manager for a dance concert last weekend.

We voted together last week - a horrible experience in which we stood outside in 38 degree weather with only a hoodie on (my jacket no longer fits) for 2 hours in the windy cold. We danced so much to keep warm that I ended up needing to use the restroom for half of my wait as well.

Also last week, baby and I were most fortunate to be invited to attend the New Kids on the Block concert with my friend, Joanna. All three of us had more fun that night than I've personally had in a year. (Ed thinks I must've had a really dull year.) I thought it would be enjoyable, but I had no idea how much fun it would be to act like a 13-year-old (er, pregnant?) fool again! We left with a 'Step by Step' onesie to commemorate the occasion.

Who knows what else we'll do together before she's here...

Have a great work week - I wish it could be as short for all of you as it will be for us!

PS - Please keep my aunt in your thoughts tomorrow as she undergoes a procedure for her recently diagnosed cancer.