More snow and FAMILY!!

The snow has fallen for a week now and it's a bit annoying, nonetheless, the Laidlaw parents made it in from Houston for a holiday visit! We all had a bit of cabin fever but Blake shoveled us out of the snow ... a few times... to make trips to the store and mall! We are thankful that Steve and Marilyn could come and play with us for their first white Christmas!! Here we are bundled up and trying to survive the cold... hot chocolate anyone?

Snow Days...

Today was my first official snow day from work. The snow came down hard and fast last night and this morning, I tried my luck with the bus to no avail. Thus I am home with Hudson and the snow... FUN!! Sorry Chef'n! Blake got home earlier than usual and we geared up to play in the snow with Hud and our neighbors... here you can see my attempt to button my ski pants... I lost the battle.

Gold Star!

Baby and I went to the doctor on Monday and we both got a gold star for our progress. Her blood flow, heart rate and bone growth are perfect. I got weighed and my belly measured and both are spot on! We are beginning our 21st week... 5 months and 1 week for those who hate doing the math... and it's been really great. After next months appointment we will start going every week for a check up... as the doctor reminded me, we're getting close. Hard to believe.

Here is a picture of her boxing on my belly... I knew I felt something!!

Half Way There!!

Today marks the half way point we are 20 weeks along and 20 weeks to go! Our little girl is rumbling around a lot lately. I have started to feel little pains in my belly that last a few seconds at a time that I'm certain is her moving around. She and I have been keeping really busy together with the holiday preparations! I have taught her how to shop on a budget and how to decorate the house for Hanukkah and Christmas! We're looking forward to celebrating both in the upcoming weeks but most excited for the Laidlaw family to come and spend some time with us. Grandpa and Tamu Laidlaw will be visiting us through the holidays and Uncle Alec and Aunt Angela will also be coming up to play along with cousins Katie and Caroline.

We have our next doctors appointment on Monday and we are anxious to see how she is growing. I'm sure our next update will include an ultra sound picture so hang tight!

Gobble Gobble!!

It's official our little bell pepper is in fact a girl!!! Although it was anticipated from the ultra sound the doctors confirmed that pink is in our future. We are so thrilled and excited to have added another member to the family sorority! This news came at a perfect time, my dad who runs his own sorority house was in town with Mom Gen, Rachael and Marissa for Thanksgiving. It had been 5 years since we have all spent the holiday together so it was wonderful adding Blake and our little one to the mix. We were hosted by our cousins for a HUGE feast with 40 other family members. The Freeman family relatives came out of the woodwork! Eating was the theme of their visit and many of our other family friends joined in the celebration throughout the weekend as well. Baby girl had a great time playing with her Zeta, Nana and Aunties Bacon and Skip... she's a lucky one alright! The weekend ended with a trip to Tacoma to visit our friends Donovan and Jamie for a fun night of bowling. Baby and I made a great team and although the first round wasn't stellar, we kicked serious butt in the next round... which might have had something to do with the others having just a few cocktails. It's always a good time when bowling is involved!! We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!

Whew, what a week... and a half

We'll it's been a heck of a week for us in the Laidlaw house. Last Friday I went for a check up and the nurse did a Doppler test on the belly so I could hear the heartbeat! Wow, what a moment it was, there may have been some tears. Yesterday marked the calendar with 16 weeks along in the pregnancy and I still feel GREAT!! We also went in today for another check up and ultra sound where the tech took pictures of EVERY single thing! We saw 10 fingers and 10 toes, two eyes, a nose, a mouth, bones, all four chambers of the heart, the brain, BUT no penis! The tech and the doctor are pretty certain it's a girl but we have some testing coming back in a few weeks that will determine it for sure. Blake's first reaction, "are you sure, can you double check it? maybe it's just too small to see." The pressure has been on from all sides of the family for a boy, but maybe in the next round. We're floating around with a few names so we'll keep you posted when we decide for sure. - November 14

Update: Embracing the idea of a baby girl, Blake and I went out over the weekend to check out girly things... I am trying to refrain from pink... it's a bit harder than I thought. While at Babies R Us we checked out furniture and all the other "essentials" according to the store. Once we went through almost every isle, we found ourselves amongst the clothing section where we found a Seahawks cheerleading outfit. Of course when Blake saw it, he had to have it! And there it was the moment we both embraced our baby girl!!

American Baby

Blake, baby and I voted today. Although it will be another 20 years before baby can vote in a presidential election, what a momentous time to be a part of.