Love at First Site

We had my first doctor's appointment this week. It was something that we had looked forward to for 5 weeks with much excitement and hope - we so badly wanted the doctor's assurance that our little squirt was doing well. I'm ecstatic to report that we received her assurance and so much more. It was wonderful. Our doctor said everything looked exactly as it should. PERFECT - our baby is just perfect. I was able to have an ultrasound to determine the due date - March 10. It is exactly what I thought. I continue to have a sense of pride about how well I figured my body out, and how with God's help, Casey and I were able to achieve what I thought my not be attainable at this time. YES!!! That's all I can say to that :)

More incredible though, we were able to see our baby. His or her tiny arm and leg buds just starting to form. Most importantly, we were able to see the flicker of a heartbeat. We were overjoyed. Casey had a look of pure amazement on his face. It really is indescribable - there is nothing like seeing your baby for the first time. Nothing I've experienced thus far at least. It's amazing. I can not even begin to explain the amount of love and excitement we have already for this tiny little being. The doctor actually left the camera on for awhile and we were able to just stare in amazement.

I really liked Dr. Ring. She spent time with us and assured me of a lot of the things that deep down I already knew.....vegetarians get enough protein to support a growing baby, my workout routine is completely safe and healthy, it's fine to go to Denver in September, don't worry about H1N1, the back pain I'm experience is normal. I felt the overwhelming since of relief and the joy that this is really happening. In approximately 31 weeks our little baby will arrive. I can not believe in what a short amount of time our life will change completely.

Casey and I went to lunch afterwards. I was starving. My body has been very demanding of food lately and I definitely reap the consequences if I do not listen. It was so nice to be with him sitting at an outdoor cafe on a beautiful day having so much to celebrate. Casey said he wanted to give the baby a nickname instead of always saying, "the baby". He suggested Baby Earl. I laughed.....Earl makes me think of a wrinkly old man. However, I guess babies do come out pretty wrinkly to begin with!

To my little grape sized baby: I think about you hundreds of times a day. I dream about you and picture what you're going to look like. I think about what kind of parents we are going to be. My mom said someone offered her advice that went something like this - Every parent loves their children. The challenge is to raise children that everyone else loves. I hope we are those parents to you because we do love you already.

I am so thankful. God is letting us experience his greatest blessing - we get to be parents to this sweet little baby who will bring us so much joy, laughter, and pride. I'm over the moon!

Here are our baby's first pictures. The quality is not the best, but none the less, they had to be posted. The baby is essentially upside down with the head being toward the bottom of the picture. You will notice the tiny arm and leg buds and there is the yolk sac at the baby's bottom. It's amazing the amount of development that has happened already.