September 28th

So we're about 15 1/2 weeks now, and the baby is about the size of a clinched fist. I'm down to one pair of low rise jeans that fit about half the day, and I actually have two pairs of maternity pants that I can fit into as well. But thanks to the "belly band", I still have enough pairs of pants for work. I go back to the doctor on October 9th for a checkup. At the next appointment (probably early November), Andy will join me to do a second ultrasound and find out whether it's a boy or girl.

We had a big week and weekend, as we had our Sunday School class and church staff (we're guessing around 50 including the kids) and families over for a cookout Friday night then had the Women's Ministry Mentoring Kickoff Coffee at our house this afternoon. We also fit in the visits with friends and the UK football game yesterday. Andy was a huge help in getting ready for all of it (here's him doing dishes at 7:30 this morning) and all went really smoothly..but I think we're both glad to have the house back to normal, including Emma who now has her couch back in the right place and doesn't have to walk into the living room with a confused look on her little face :).

Now we're hoping to move on to a few projects around the house before we find out what we're having, including some painting, installing the electric fence in the front yard, and maybe putting a swing under our deck. We'll see how much we get done...especially given that it's football season :).

Sharing with Family

When we found out in July, we had a trip planned to Owensboro two weeks later. We had planned to wait a few more weeks to share with

family as our first doctor's appointment wasn't for another month, but we certainly wanted to tell Andy's grandmothers and parents in person. And Andy's uncles, Barry & Roger Parks, were in Owensboro that weekend as well, so the timing seemed right. I (Dana) found two little outfits, one for Andy's mom and one for mine, as a little gift to let them know our big news. Andy gave the gift to his mother soon after we arrived in Owensboro, and as expected, both Lee and Denny and eventually the rest of the family were ecstatic at the news.

Here are some pictures of everyone with the little "My Heart Belong to Grandma" outfit, including Emma taking her first sniff of the baby things. It's like we just can't quite explain to her how her little life is about to change :)


The following Tuesday, we had my family over for "Fiesta Night". But, in all my attempts to get my whole family over without suspicion, I had forgotten my dad's distaste for all ethnic foods. So, I told him that morning at work, letting him know that though he may want to eat beforehand, he probably wouldn't want to miss my mom's reaction. We shared with them just before dinner, and as expected, there was extreme excitement and a few tears of joy from Mom, my aunt Beth and cousins.
Here's a picture of the second set of proud grandparents with their, "What Happens at Grandma's, Stay's at Grandma's" outfit. My brother (wearing my apron) may have been more excited about the Mexican food than the baby news, but glad to be there none the less. My grandfathers were both very excited about becoming great-grandfathers, so we were glad they could come, too.

We Are Having A Baby!

Sorry, it's taken us so long to get this site started, but we are excited to let our friends and family get a glimpse into our lives as we prepare for our new addition. Here are a few pictures from the ultrasound at 9 weeks. The due date is March 19!