Half Baked

We're almost there....one more day and we are officially half baked! Our anatomy ultrasound is on Thursday at 3:00 and we can't wait. I'm so ready to get another glimpse of our Cocoa Puff and make sure that everything is looking good. And, of course, we hope CP cooperates and lets us know if we will be buying trucks or tutus. By the end of the week CP will have a name.

Here are our updates:

At 18 Weeks:
-Blinking and frowning reflexes are developed
-Bones started to calcify
-You have finger and toe prints and are totally unique! There will NEVER be another baby like you.

At 20 Weeks:
-You are about 6.5 inches long and weigh a whopping 10 ounces (although when you sit on my bladder, you feel like you weigh a ton)
-I can feel you move almost every day
-When I stand up after sitting, I can feel you roll from one side into the middle and hang out over my bladder. This makes me waddle my way to the bathroom like a crazy woman!
-You have unique sleeping pattern and have a favorite position to sleep in

I'm wanting to eat strange things. Your Dad took me to Luby's tonight (you must know I hate Luby's) and I ate fried okra (something I don't like). Go figure.

We are having a garage sale this Saturday to make room for you. Even with all the conversations that led up to the cleaning of the study, I was overwhelmed when we actually started. We're getting ready for you little one!

Yesterday was a crazy busy day. We had a Parents' Information Breakfast for our teen parents, church, board meeting, lunch, a baby shower, and then I was supposed to teach youth Bible study. Luckily, our youth pastor offered to teach last night and I GLADLY accepted his offer! I'm so glad he did because I was exhausted.

Joe went to go grab dinner (our kitchen is a mess because we are getting some new furniture today) and CP started having a party. I was pretty sure that some of the movements could be felt from the outside too. Of course, Joe was gone and by the time he got home CP had totally settled down. After dinner I laid in bed and waited and waited and waited. I would feel the small flutters and Joe and I would wait and wait some more. CP would move but Joe couldn't feel them. We were both getting pretty bummed. Finally, CP packed a powerful hit and Joe was able to feel it too. I don't know that I will ever forget the look on his face. All in all he was able to feel about 4 kicks, punches, head butts, or whatever CP was doing in there. It was really exciting and he probably would have missed it if I had to teach Bible Study.

We sure are ready to give CP a REAL name. We have an appointment tomorrow afternoon, and will get the referral to call the other office that will actually do the ultrasound. Hopefully, the referral process will happen quickly and they will have an appointment available soon. I don't know that I can wait much longer to know if this baby is a boy or a girl. My entire pregnancy (18 weeks--15 weeks since I've known), I've felt CP is a girl. I never really had a moment where I thought I'd have a boy. Then, on Saturday, it was like someone flipped the light on and said "this could be a boy." Either way, we'll be thrilled. I'm just so ready to know!!!

Washington Re-Cap

Well, we are back to reality and have caught up on all of the things we missed while we were gone. Our time in DC was great (not restful by any means)! We took over 500 pictures on our cameras. I'm still trying to sift through our photos and get them posted on Snapfish.

Here are the highlights:
-Arrived at our hotel about midnight Thursday. They didn't have a room for us, so they put us in the hospitality suite on a pull out sofa bed. Needless to say, we got that night for free and a complimentary night if we ever want to go back. I found out yesterday that the hotel had some flooding in some of the rooms.

-Friday we had breakfast at Union Station then headed over to the Capitol Bldg, toured the inside, hit the Library of Congress (its BEAUTIFUL), then swung by the Supreme Court Bldg before hitting the National Mall. We saw all of the memorials and monuments (more on that below)

-Saturday we jumped on the subway and went out to Arlington National Cemetery and on to Mt. Vernon (Washington's home). Arlington was amazing. I can't even begin to describe the gratitude that came over me for the sacrifices made by those buried there. Of course, they are just a fraction of the total number of men and women who have died for our freedom. I was so blessed to be reminded of our history and the sacrifices that it has taken for us to have what we have.

-Sunday we had brunch with some old friends of mine before heading to the International Spy Museum. That may be the best museum I've been to, SO interesting! Sunday evening/night we took two "hop on/hop off" double decker bus tours. We just rode around looking at all the sights and taking it all in.

-Monday we met Joe's Aunt Molly in Bethesda for lunch. When we got back into DC, we hit up the National Archives building and saw the Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. They even had the Manga Carta (I had to REALLY think hard to remember learning about the Magna Carta) from the 1200s. The bulk of Monday was spent at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Joe liked the exhibits on inventions and electricity. My personal favorites were Julia Child's kitchen and Judy Garland's Ruby Red Slippers.

-Tuesday we got up, packed our bags, and headed to the airport. We were NOT ready to come home. The longer we were in DC, the more I found that I wanted to do. But, truthfully, I missed my dog and was tired of the crowds. We chose the busiest weekend of the year to be in DC. It was Cherry Blossom Festival, Easter Weekend, and Spring Break all wrapped into one. As you can imagine, we spent a lot of time in lines waiting. Oh! We encountered countless horrible children...HORRIBLE!

I definitely want to go back, there is still so much to see!

There were a few things that really concerned and challenged me in DC, so now, my soap box:

My MIL has accused me a few times of being an army brat. Maybe because I'm an army brat, somethings we saw bothered me, or maybe its just because I believe in reverence and respect...While we were on the National Mall on Friday, we went over to the WWII Memorial. Inside the Memorial is a pool/fountain. Its a beautiful Memorial. When we got to the middle, there were kids and adults wading and "swimming" in the pool. I about came unglued. I was so disappointed in the apparent lack of understanding that we were not at the public pool or beach, but at a Memorial designed to recognize and honor those who served and died for us. We encountered similar disrespectful and ignorant attitudes at Arlington as well. People were hollering and yelling throughout the cemetery, cell phones went off during the Changing of the Guard/Wreath Laying Ceremonies, etc...I couldn't believe it. Parents were as guilty as their children. I'm pretty sure my Dad would have busted my butt if I behaved that way in a place like that. I'm so thankful that my parents instilled in me a strong sense of gratitude, respect, and admiration for those who have served for our country. I'm pretty scared that people are not instilling those values in their children. I can't begin to think about what will happen when we get so far removed that we can't appreciate and honor the sacrifices made in our past and present.

Ok, off my soap box...

Mover and Shaker???

After packing last night, all I could think about was going to bed. BUT, I was too keyed up trying to figure out just what I forgot to pack and thinking about our trip. I finally got out of bed and decided to sit in the jacuzzi tub and relax to clear my head (it almost always works to make me tired). While I was relaxing (and getting super sleepy), I felt three very small and fast "taps" on my lower left side. It was so small and so fast that before I realized I was feeling it, it was over. I'm pretty sure CP was having a party in there. I figured if I was feeling CP, I could get him/her to move again. So, I squished around and poked trying to get some movement...NOTHING...
Then, when I finally gave up and laid in bed, I felt one other little "tap" ---fast and small. I'm assuming this was my first of many kicks, elbows, and bumps from CP. Exciting!