The Ivester Family

One More Down!

2011-12-16T14:11:00.000-05:00

We've finally paid off Student Loan #2!! Yay! Yippee! Woo hoo! It seems like it's been forever since we paid off the first student loan!

While I want to be debt free as soon as possible, Chris and I have decided to save up for a down payment on a larger house before paying off the last two student loans. No, it's not strictly the DR plan, but we think it's necessary before expanding our family (and we need to do that sooner, rather than later).

Playing catch-up.

2011-11-10T14:11:00.001-05:00

Wow, so much has happened in the last 5 months! I didn't realize it had been so long until I just counted on my fingers...yep, just did that. I'm going to spend the next couple of nights playing catch-up with all that's been going on.

1. Caleb started daycare.
2. Caleb started therapy for a communication delay.
3. Caleb's numerous trips to different places.
4. Update on student loan balance.
5. New family photo session for Christmas cards.

Stay tuned for these stories and pictures!

Student Loan #1 is GONE!

2011-06-23T13:34:00.000-04:00

The Ivester Family has paid off the first of four student loans! It was a small loan used for Chris' graduate school. Graduate school was something we easily could have cash flowed, but instead took out a student loan. Ugh.

We have three to go, totaling $51,800. Only 11 more months until DEBT FREEDOM!

Easter and First Trip to the Zoo!

2011-05-17T21:24:00.025-04:00

Officially, it was Caleb's second Easter holiday, but in all fairness it was the first that he was actually awake for. During his first Easter, I think we were still in that honeymoon phase where he was still sleeping all the time. Oh, how fast a year goes by. This Easter was so much fun though. He had just started walking so he wanted to walk everywhere, but only if he had a hand to drag with him!

Caleb had his first trip to the zoo this past Sunday, May 15th. He was definitely more interested in the other children there than the animals! We managed to get a few pictures even though he was squirming to get down. He wants to walk everywhere now, even though he is still a little wobbly. I just noticed that he has his hand in his mouth in every picture. I guess if it's that or the pacifier, then I'll take the hand.

One Step Closer to DEBT FREEDOM!

2011-05-17T21:18:00.011-04:00

Monday, May 9th, we paid off the last of our consumer debt! Now we officially own everything that we've ever bought, including the tired and broke down furniture that is in need of replacement!

We have paid off over $63,000 of debt with another $58,000 to go in student loans. Only 13 more months until DEBT FREEDOM!

Recent Pictures

2010-12-29T14:09:00.000-05:00

These were taken by Jen Rogers of http://www.jenrogersphotography.com/ in mid-November. Caleb was about 8 months old at the time.

Lazy? Nope, not this time!

2010-11-17T12:26:00.000-05:00

Caleb went back to see the pediatrician last Tuesday to check on his progress. The last time we went, he deemed him as "on the lazy side of normal". He was looking at his notes on the computer as he was talking and said "it looks like we were concerned that he wasn't sitting up very well on his own". Then he looked to his right, as Caleb was sitting on the examination table, and said "well I'm not worried about that"! He still thinks that he may crawl and walk a little bit later, but no big deal.

He also had to get another immunization, as we have decided to spread them out and not follow the APA schedule. Unfortunately, he got a little sick after the shot so we've been dealing with that for the last week. Ugh. Sick babies are no fun because you feel extremely helpless as a parent. All you can do is use a humidifier and torture them with the bulb syringe. And let me tell you, he HATES that syringe. We bought a battery powered aspirator that is better but he still screams and cries, making the mucus even worse. Plus, no sleep for all involved.

Like I said, no fun.

New Experiences for Caleb

2010-11-04T13:47:00.000-04:00

I guess the title of this post is misleading. Everything is a new experience for Caleb. Too bad his mom isn't more creative. The new experiences that I'm referring to here are shoes and a coat. Gammy put shoes on him on November 1st in order to keep his socks on. They actually gave him a little more traction as he was jumping in his jumparoo too.

It also has become a little chilly here in SC and made me realize that the boy needed an actual coat for his first winter. This picture is actually from this morning. Gammy thought that it would be too big as it is sized for 18 months. I got the size based on the suggestions for height and weight. As you can see, he has some room to grow into it, but that won't take long! He does have to wear it for 4 months and I think it's going to work just fine.

Halloween

2010-11-04T13:33:00.002-04:00

No, I don't have any super cute pictures of Caleb as a puppy dog, superman, or a tiger (would have been my choice). I was a very lazy mother who didn't dress Caleb up at all! He got a "My 1st Halloween" bib from his Gammy, but that was all. Also, this look you see here is typical of what I get when I break out the camera. The "Are you talking to me?" look. He knows what it is and refuses to smile. The only reason I got the good pictures in the previous post was because Chris was entertaining him...and I was being sneaky by only bringing it up to snap a picture here or there. Little booger...

The Amazing Dancing Jumping Bean...I mean Baby

2010-11-04T13:25:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, Caleb finally learned to actually jump in his jumparoo, a present from the baby shower courtesy of Mandy. We have hardwood floors, as you can see, so we keep socks on Caleb all the time. Well, most of the time...when he isn't pulling them off to eat them! Anyway, because of the socks, he slips all over the place so it looks like he's dancing. As you can see, he gets a kick out of it! I think we are definitely starting to see a turnaround from the "laziness" we were getting. He goes back to the doctor next Tuesday, Nov. 9th so I'll let you know what he says!

Fall for Greenville

2010-11-04T13:14:00.000-04:00

We enjoyed the festivities of Fall for Greenville on October 8th, so I'm a little behind. I actually forgot that I had these pictures. They were just too cute not to share. The festival was fine at the beginning, but ended up being a shoving contest in order to get through the crazy crowd. Not fun with a baby and stroller. We won't do this again next year, unless we go REALLY early. I love the first picture as he is looking at his Auntie Carrie wondering "are you serious?" He's the one who looks serious.

7 MONTHS OLD!

2010-10-18T12:34:00.000-04:00

Caleb just turned 7 months old yesterday! I believe that this weekend also marked the beginning of a growth spurt. Or it could be that I'm just trying to starve my son? The only time that Caleb is unmanageable is when he is hungry. Even if he's tired, I can still manage to get him calmed down to sleep. But if he's hungry - WATCH.OUT. He will get upset to the point that he makes himself gag and cough from crying. We had one of these episodes on Saturday and Sunday, so I think it's the latter. I've been trying to starve him. Or maybe it's a little of both. I thought that we had done a good job of steadily increasing the amount of solids that he eats. But now, all of sudden, it just isn't enough. It's just hard to know when he's full since he has reflux. Oh well. Trial and error parenting. I've just been told to keep shoveling it in until he doesn't open his mouth anymore. Let's see if that works...

Lazy side of normal?

2010-10-15T09:53:00.002-04:00

Yep, that is what the doctor said about Caleb at his 6 month wellness check (actually 6 months 21 days). However, let me first tell you his stats - 19 lbs 5 oz and 29 inches long! He is in the 97th percentile for length...which I believe is why the doctor thinks he is "lazy". I just think he is so tall that his muscles haven't been able to catch up. We go back in a month for a recheck, so we will see what he thinks then. I will also ask what he thinks of my little theory. In the mean time, we are making sure he gets lots of exercise that consists of pull-ups, sitting for longer and longer periods of time, and more time in his jumper and exersaucer. He hasn't quite figured out the jumping part yet, but all in time!

On another note, I've always said that Chris should start a blog, and he finally did. It's just getting up and running, but he is a great writer and quite funny, so you should check it out.

http://www.adventuresofamodernrenaissanceman.blogspot.com/

Go Tigers!

2010-09-11T21:37:00.000-04:00

So some of my friends up north, or out west, won't understand the complexity of marrying a USC fan...considering I'm a Clemson graduate. This has gotten even more complex with the birth of our son as we are vying for his allegiance to our team.

I however have to say that I scored a point today as I got to put Caleb in a Clemson outfit (courtesy of the Bolin Family). It almost didn't fit, but I would have squeezed him into it anyway. It was a must - we needed the good luck charm. Especially against PC - or as Chris likes to call it, the University of Clinton.

Here are more pictures from today. This was Caleb and Chris playing Superman! He loves to be up in the air and flying! Some are just Daddy loving on him too.

Credit Card DEBT FREE!!

2010-08-30T12:28:00.000-04:00

Ok, it's a very small milestone, but I'll take it! We paid off our last credit card EVER on 8/13/2010!

Next on the list to eliminate:
1. Personal Loan
2. Student Loans (4 total)

Total remaining $81,500! We have paid 36.4% of our debt since starting this "adventure".

101/1001

2010-08-06T22:40:00.000-04:00

So, I've decided to set some goals to accomplish between now and the end of the year. These will also be part of my 101/1001 which is 101 goals to be completed in 1001 days (2.75 years).

1. Read 4 non-fiction books.
    - Shepherding a Child's Heart
    - Boys Should Be Boys
    - Return to Prosperity
    - The Power of Positive Thinking

2. Complete 3 photo sessions.
     - Caleb (4.5 months)
     - Hope's twins, Luke and Levi (10 months)
     - Abby (3 weeks)

3. Pay off another $11,300 in debt and save $5,000 for a new heat pump!

The Day Zero Project - This is another name for the 101/1001! You can go to http://www.dayzeroproject.com/ and create your own list. Come on and join me - it'll be fun!!

Here is the link to my list. It isn't quite done yet, but I've got plenty to start on!
http://www.dayzeroproject.com/user/OMIvester

I have already scheduled my first photo session for tomorrow at Hope and Reid's house. I hope I am able to take some beautiful pictures of their handsome boys! I'll post here (with their permission of course) and you tell me what you think. I was getting my camera bag ready for tomorrow and started playing with the camera. The kitty was too close and she became fair game. I think it's a neat picture. She always looks this grouchy, but she is really sweet!

4 months 10 days

2010-08-05T22:07:00.002-04:00

On July 27th, Caleb was 4 months and 10 days old. This is the date we had his 4 month wellness check, that comes oh so thankfully with vaccinations (boo). However, he does really well and doesn't cry but for a couple of seconds. He is a very big boy weighing in at 17 lbs 1 oz and is 26.5 inches long. He is in the 89th percentile for weight and 82nd percentile for height. Dr. Clayton says that he has a perfect height to weight ratio, so he's not fat...just big...like his Daddy (but he still looks like Mommy)! The pictures of Caleb in the Bumbo are from a month ago. The other where he is eating his taggy blanket is more recent.

Dave Ramsey

2010-08-04T22:12:00.002-04:00

So Chris and I have been on the "Dave Ramsey Plan" for over a year now. If you haven't heard of him, well you should. You should read My Total Money Makeover to see what I'm talking about. Yes, many say that it's all just common sense. Well if more Americans had this common sense, we wouldn't have as many defaulting on mortgages that they couldn't afford in the first place. Ok, I'll get off of my soap box now!!

Dave teaches the 7 Baby Steps:
1. Save $1,000 Baby Emergency Fund
2. Pay off all debt with the Debt Snowball.
3. Save a Fully Funded Emergency Fund of 3 to 6 months worth of expenses.
4. Contribute 15% to retirement funds.
5. Fund childrens' college funds.
6. Pay off the house.
7. Give like no one else!!
(Steps 4, 5, and 6 are worked simultaneously.)

Chris and I have paid off $38,500 of $128,100 total debt in about a year. Wow, I didn't even realize that the total was that high! Nearly $66,000 of that is student loans, ugh! In the meantime, we have cash flowed home repairs and the birth of our first son Caleb.

Yes, all of this is very embarrassing for me. To let you know that we've done that many stupid things with our money. What we had to learn was that it wasn't our money, but God's money. We have become much better stewards of God's money and we'll get through this, and we'll be stronger for it. We can be thankful that we discovered the error of our ways now instead of later in life.

I can't wait for payday now because I get to see our total debt decrease every two weeks. It makes me mad every time I have to pay interest (stupid tax) because I bought something I didn't need with money that I didn't have. It's also the reason that I can't stay home with Caleb right now. We are working really hard to change our family tree and teach our children (and anyone else who will listen) how to manage their money in order to become millionaires in retirement!! In the meantime, I'll just take being able to work part-time!!

All that being said, we will finish Baby Step 2 in May 2012. Then we should have our meager little house paid off by the end of 2012. Then we will be saving for a down payment for a bigger house for at least one more little rug rat.

Sorry the last couple of posts have been so long. I just really needed to get some things off of my chest and evidently this blog is acting as my confessional! I swear I'll make the next post shorter and not as bleak! Actually, this post is good news and we are excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not an oncoming train!!

R.I.P. Marty McFly

2010-08-02T13:18:00.006-04:00

AKA. Marticus, Marcus, or just McFly

First, how we "acquired" Marty. He was just a stray living around our house that the little girl next door inexplicably named "Martha". "Martha" was very much a little boy and really, who names a cat that? So, to keep his name similar to his previously given name, we called him Marty. McFly seemed to fit and was a homage to "Back to the Future". Anywho, he started playing with our indoor/outdoor cat Cubbie and they were instant friends. They would stalk each other in the yard, chase each other, and most days it ended up being an acrobatic show with the high flying flips that Marty was able to do!! Cubbie really needed a friend because our 8 year old calico Persian is antisocial. He was super sweet and gorgeous. He was a gray and tan tabby, with spots on his belly and stripes everywhere else. I had never seen a cat like him before. No one was feeding him, so I would leave food out for him and all the while Chris kept saying "he's not my cat". Cubbie is more than a handful, so he wasn't excited about having another cat terrorizing our house. I assured him that Marty would be a strictly outdoor kitty and he was okay with that.

Then enter "The Big Gray Bastard" (duhn, duhn, duuhhnn). This is another stray in the neighborhood that started attacking the other male cats around our house. So I brought both Cubbie and Marty inside to keep them safe while we tried to catch the evil cat and have animal control take him away. Unfortunately the BGB was too smart and we didn't catch him...however, he stopped coming around so often because there wasn't any food out for him to steal.

During the time that Marty spent inside, I became attached. Of course, right. He was sweet, loved to show and get affection, and was a lap kitty. He did have some horrible breath though! I just thought it was some kind of trait he had. Come to find out, there was a reason for that horrible breath. About 3 weeks ago, Marty started throwing up, but then he would still eat and he wasn't losing weight. Then about 2 days after that started, I was petting him under his chin and noticed that his lymph nodes were swollen...really swollen. I took him to the vet the next day and found out he had feline leukemia. Since I had other cats, the vet recommended that I go ahead and put him to sleep. I had noticed that Cubbie's lymph nodes were slightly swollen and I told her that I wasn't going to do that if my other cats already had the disease (it's contagious through saliva). Turns out Cubbie has it too and there was no way I was doing that to both of them. So I got antibiotics and interferon to get rid of the infection and to boost their immune system. It seemed that Marty was doing better until I had to spread the antibiotics doses further apart, then he got worse. He got so worse that he didn't recover. Last Friday, I noticed that he wasn't eating, so we tried to feed him soft food, but he wouldn't eat that either. I took him to the vet on Saturday, and I had to say goodbye.

It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. To make that decision. Chris tells me that it wasn't my decision, that God had made it already, but it still sucks. Yeah sucks. Not very eloquent, but I have no other words for it. At least I was with him in the end and he knew that I loved him. I never thought I'd grieve so long over a cat I only had for 4 months.

I think that this is the only picture I have of McFly. I wish I had more. I wish I had let him go outside one last time. So many second guesses. I love you little guy and I will see you again.

Blogging to resume...

2010-07-22T15:35:00.000-04:00

So, my friend MH has inspired me to start blogging again. However, I intend to blog about more than just Caleb now. Although his extreme awesomeness cannot be denied, I think it's time that I try to gain my own identity back. Not that anyone reads this anyway, but I believe it will be a way to discuss what else is going on in our lives and an outlet for stress!

Although I said I would start blogging about things other than little man, I can't help to tell you that we started feeding him rice cereal this past Sunday - one day after his 4 month birthday. He is doing well with it, I think. Gammy has been doing all of the feeding, except that first day. Ugh...the joys of being a working mom. Please excuse the clarity of the pictures. They are from camera phones...the most readily available cameras.

Caleb has arrived...8 weeks ago!

2010-05-12T12:48:00.005-04:00

Ok, so I'm just a little behind on keeping the blog updated, but here is the rundown:

Caleb's due date was March 16th. However, being on bed rest since Christmas and taking medication to stop contractions, I thought for sure that he would be born a little early! But even after the doctor stopped the medication, he did not show himself. As the days wore on, mommie-to-be was a basket case. I was so worried the last two weeks because he wasn't moving as much as I was used to. Caleb rolled, kicked, and punched constantly during the majority of the pregnancy and his inactivity was unsettling no matter how much the doctors tried to convince me that he was fine. I went for a check up on Monday, March 15th and the doctor told me that I could be induced as early as the next day. Since Chris was very busy at work, I figured that he would need a day to get things in order at the office. And it just so happened that Wednesday was St. Patrick's Day. So, we picked the induction date of Wednesday, March 17th.

Being induced on March 17th meant that we had to check in to the hospital the night before. So, on March 16, 2010 at 6:30 pm, Chris and I checked in to St. Francis hospital. I was already dialated to 3 cm, but the doctor wanted to go ahead and start a medicine called cervadil to move things along. However, this didn't cause a change at all. Regardless, the pitocin was started the next morning at 6:30 am, and we were on our way. Long story short, after an epidural that didn't work and 2.5 hours of pushing, Caleb was born on March 17, 2010 at 5:30 pm. Our St. Patrick's Day baby was finally here!!

Fast forward and Caleb is now 8 weeks old, today! He started smiling about a week ago and I can't wait for the giggling to start. He is in general a good natured child, with reflux, and he doesn't like to nap during the day...at least in his crib. I couldn't believe how hard the delivery and the first 4 weeks were! I swore that I would never forget the pain and I totally believed that Caleb would be an only child. Now I can say that he probably won't be, but not ANYTIME soon!

33 weeks and counting...

2010-01-28T12:30:00.002-05:00

Well, little Caleb is still located inside Mommie's tummy at 33 weeks! Yay!! He is still a very active baby and I imagine that will carry over once he makes his appearance into this world too. He gets the hiccups at least once a day, but they only last about 10 minutes or so. He also gets very active during and after I eat and of course at bedtime! The nursery is a work in progress, but at least there is progress. Chris and his dad have been very busy the last couple of weekends trying to get everything finished before Caleb arrives, and I'm very grateful. Unfortunately, I've been called a "nag-a-saurus" recently, jokingly by Chris, but I know there's some truth to it. It's mostly because I have to sit on my bum and can't do even the simplest things on my own. Urgh - how frustrating!!

At our doctors appointment last week, the doctor decided to keep me on bedrest and the medication. Then last weekend, we learned the hard way that the medication is actually working very well. We had a childbirth preparation class last Saturday to find out what to expect during this process considering this is our first child and we haven't been around any other births in our families. It was an all day class from 9 am to 4 pm, but we thought we'd see how it went. On the way, however, I realized that I hadn't brought the medicine with me...uh oh. By 2:30 pm, we had to leave the class and get home ASAP! Chris was skeptical and thought we should just go one floor up in the hospital and have me admitted. Luckily, I was able to take my medicine, drink a couple of glasses of water, take a nap, and the contractions stopped. Whew!!

The doctor also said that she would likely stop the medication at 36 weeks. That's actually less than 3 weeks away!! I imagine that once I stop the medication, Caleb will make his appearance shortly thereafter. 36 weeks is February 16th - CRAZY SOON! However, my beautiful sister is planning and organizing a baby shower for the following Saturday (February 20th), so I'll have to convince the doctor to leave me on it until then. So much to do in so little time...

28 to 29 Weeks and Counting!!

2009-12-30T21:48:00.006-05:00

Last week, Chris and I went to the OB again for the 28 week appointment and got some 'not so good' news. Not horrible, but not great either. My cervix has started shortening/thinning and was half the thickness compared to the appointment at 24 weeks. My OB decided to send us to a high risk pregnancy doctor to double check the findings. So at 8 am on December 23rd, we went to the new doctor for another ultrasound. The measurements weren't as bad as the day before, but still cause for concern. So I was basically benched Christmas week like the Colts starters, which was really difficult to sit still with all of the activity. Thank God for a short work week, understanding boss, and fantastic husband!

I went back to the high risk OB again yesterday for a check. The great news is that I haven't progressed any further. However, I'm still on bed rest and medication to keep it that way! We are taking things week to week and if the doctor sees that I'm stable at 32 weeks, then he may allow me to be more active. I'm currently working part days from home and working with HR to determine where to go from here. All in all, we are very thankful that the last week has gone well. Chris wasn't able to go with me yesterday, so Grams (my Mom) went with me to the doctor. She was very excited to go see her first grandchild and I talked the ultrasound technician into giving us some pictures.

This picture is adorable!! I think he has my little round nose, but he still has some growing/developing to do. I'm really surprised that she was able to get a great picture like this because he moves SO MUCH! Ever since I've been able to feel him move, Caleb's nickname has been "Wiggle Worm".

24 weeks and Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T19:48:00.008-05:00

Caleb reached 24 weeks on November 24th and we had another ultrasound! He appears to be growing well and his heartbeat is very normal. This was a regularly scheduled appointment, so nothing to be concerned about. We got a couple of pictures and because of the way he was positioned, it doesn't look like he has a neck! Chris wasn't able to be there for this appointment, so the ultrasound technician wrote a little note to daddy on the picture below.

A couple of weeks ago I had to go to the emergency room because I lost my peripheral vision (while driving, I might add) and had a headache afterwards. I had something similar happen when I was a sophomore in college, but it hadn't happened again in almost 10 years. The ER doctor diagnosed it as an opthalmic vascular headache - a type of migraine. My OB doctors were, and are still concerned that it could be some rare onset of pre-eclampsia, so I had some extra bloodwork done as a baseline in case something changes. I haven't had any more vision changes or headaches and my blood pressure has always been fine, so Chris and I are not worried. Well, I'm not worried, but Chris still is. He'll argue that it's his job to worry about me and Caleb.

Thanksgiving Day was great with most of the prep work completed Wednesday night so all we had to do was bake everything on Thursday. Grams (my mom) was in a much better mood because it was a much easier day for her. I am very thankful for my loving family and that we were all able to get together for a very nice day. Below is a picture of me, Caleb, and Grams and then a new belly picture outside my Uncle B's house.

Halfway there!!

2009-10-28T21:17:00.009-04:00

Chris and I went to the doctor's office yesterday for our 20 week check-up. Not really our check-up, but Caleb's check-up...you knew what I meant. It was the most productive doctors visit that we have had. Over the course of the last 8 weeks, we have had numerous genetic tests and we knew that no news was good news, but it's still good to hear it from the doctor. Based on what they have seen from the blood tests and the ultrasounds, it is not likely that Caleb has any chromosomal defects or any heart defects. Of course they have to say that they are 85% sure, but really it's a higher percentage than that. We are elated and are getting ready to start the nursery this weekend! The belly has gotten considerably larger, so I will be posting more belly pictures tomorrow. The next couple of pictures are from yesterday.

They aren't as good as usual, but they were looking more at specific areas like the heart, brain, liver, and taking measurements. He is measuring at 19 weeks and 5 days - right on schedule!

It's a BOY!!

2009-09-30T10:45:00.011-04:00

Well, it took her a while, but the ultrasound technician made positively sure that we will be welcoming a baby boy next March! The reason being that he was a wiggle worm and wanted to sit with his legs crossed almost the entire time. Stubborn already!! I wouldn't expect anything less from our child...

We are a little eager and have already picked out names (as you read a couple of days ago). His name will be Caleb Matthew; Caleb being a Biblical name and Matthew being the first name of Chris's late best friend. I am so excited to get started on the nursery, but I told Chris that I would wait on the "honey-do list" until after he finished with grad school in three weeks.

We got some more amazing pictures, because Candie (our technician) is so AWESOME!! We also have several pictures identifying him as a boy, which will be great ammunition for embarassment when he is a teenager. See, I'm already thinking ahead!

15.5 Weeks

2009-09-24T19:14:00.004-04:00

So my friend Kim had to twist my arm to get a picture of the pregnant belly. And while she told me I could just email them to her so I wouldn't have to get "cute", there are a lot of you that I haven't seen in a while so I'll suck it up. I'm just hoping that my rate of growth slows down between now and 40 weeks!!

Next Ultrasound Only a Week AWAY!!

2009-09-21T11:25:00.002-04:00

I am getting so excited for our ultrasound next week! I will be at 16 weeks, so hopefully we will leave the doctor's office knowing whether our baby will be Caleb or Lorelei. I have begun to show a good bit and to tell you the truth, it's not comfortable. Something about all of your organs being compacted into less than half the space they are used to is not fun. However, I know it is all going to be worth it! Check back next Wednesday and I'll let you know the results...

The Beginning

2009-09-03T11:35:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone and welcome to my new blog. The reason that I am starting this blog is to show everyone our new surprise. That's right - we are pregnant with our first baby! Our first ultrasound was Tuesday (9/1) and even though the little one is only 2-inches long, we have some amazing pictures, and a crazy video where the baby looks like it belongs in a claymation cartoon. Watch closely and you can see our little Guitar Hero strumming the umbilical cord, about which Chris is super excited! It really doesn't seem real until you've seen and heard the undenying fact that there is actually a baby in there. The funniest thing about the little one being so small is that the printed pictures are about actual size! So Tuesday night, I illustrated this by putting the picture on my lower abdomen for Chris to see. We go back to the doctor in 4 weeks for another ultrasound and given a good look, we should know the sex by then!