Happy Father's Day

Me and Dad at the Clemson/Citadel game 2009

Today was a great day with Dad. My parents came up from Columbia to spend the day. We all (minus Chris) went to California Dreaming. I think this is becoming a yearly tradition. After lunch Mom and Dad came back to our house for some banana pudding, naps and to watch the baseball games. Unfortunately the game was on a rain delay. Yes, I'm talking about the S.Carolina vs. Oklahoma game. What? You didn't know we were Oklahoma fans? Today we are! :)

It was a great day with my sweet dad...the man that has such a heart to serve and love others.

Happy Father's Day!

Baby Lack-Update 3

On Thursday, we had the ultrasound to find out what we are having. The Baby Lack (BL) looks healthy and was pretty active. We were able to see it's precious feet and hands, arms and legs, a frontal view of the face, the spine and a healthy heart. Praise God!
We have been really pleased with the new OB practice that we switched to. This practice is a little bit smaller than the other one (4 doctors vs. 8) and it's much, much closer to the house (within 1.5 miles). I really had been anxious the entire week, not necessarily about finding out the sex, but more so finding out if the baby was growing healthy. I'm sure most pregnant moms experience these concerns, but the ultrasound is the true confirmation that things look good. On Thursday, I got home a little before the appointment and Chris was sleeping since he is currently on night shift. I decided to lay on the sofa for a minute to say a prayer for Baby Lack (and my anxiety) and fell asleep. What in the world was I thinking? There has never been a time in my life that I haven't fallen asleep even within a few seconds of laying down on the sofa. Next thing I knew, Chris was waking me up just minutes before our appointment. Whew-good thing it's so close! Anyway, we made it about 5 minutes late. How could we have gone to NY and not known. ;)
BL currently weighs 10oz. and so far I have gained 4lbs., although that actually feels more like 10. I wore some black maternity pants for the first time this week to work and it felt so nice! I look forward to the weekends much more than before because I can wear a comfortable cotton skirt and be totally comfortable instead of trying to squeeze into my suits, although the belly band has been a big help.

On a side note: Thanks to the friends that tuned into the Today show on Saturday to look for us, but we will be on the 26th.

Baby Lack-Update 2

Week 17-Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Week 18-Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing 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 you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Week 19-Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

The big reveal

As mentioned earlier, we are planning to go to a taping of the Today Show while we are in NY. We arrive in NYC on Thursday. We are planning to the avoid the entire Rockefeller area on Friday morning because of the concert series that the Today Show hosts. Watch for us on Saturday morning, June 26th. Will we be wearing pink or blue? Yep, that's how we will make our big announcement! I just bought our pink and blue shirts today (with a 90 day return policy for the one we don't wear). Pray for a healthy ultrasound on the 17th and good weather on the 26th. We hope we can keep our little secret for 9 days, but we did do good keeping baby Lack a secert all the way to 12 weeks.