Almost halfway there!

Let’s see… our baby boy is getting his vernix this week (that waxy stuff that covers their skin so they don’t turn into raisins). He’s also getting hair unless we end up with a baldy. He’s 6 inches from head to bottom and is the size of a large tomato.

Caleb must be going through a major growth spurt because this week alone I have gained a whole three pounds! To put into perspective how much that is, I only gained seven until now. That bumps it up to a grand total of 10 pounds! All this weight is putting some major strain on my body. My ligaments and back are killing me.

This nursery project is starting to become a monster. All the fabric I was planning on using from the quilt is no longer available at the store I got it from. So I will have to either compromise with fabrics that look similar or go back to the drawing board. I may take a break for a few days so my brain doesn’t short circuit.

It’s started. I am officially entering the “nesting” phase.

I’ve already made a crib quilt for Caleb’s room. It looks kind of blurry in this pic, but click on it and it’ll look way better.

It took me a record time of three days to complete. I’m planning on using the colors in the quilt for the nursery. If i’m feeling ambitious enough, I’m going to make curtains and a crib bumper to go along with it. The walls will be a light blue and I’m thinking dark cherry furniture. It’s kind of hard to picture now, but I’m pretty confident It’ll look fabulous when finished.

Other little projects I’ll work on when I will be more “ahem” with child will be to wrap some of those wooden letters in fabric and hang them up. We also have these shadow boxes that are cherry colored. I’m thinking of displaying little artifacts from when Andy and I were little in them.

I may be getting a wee bit ahead of myself, but I have a whole month left of summer vacation and usually have plenty of free time during school. And making an entire quilt in three days has gotten me quite motivated.

So the usual weekly development post is a little delayed due to all the excitement that’s been happeining.

I finally got the chance to read the 18 week section of my pregnancy book and low and behold, I discover that he can HEAR! For some reason, that was something I was really looking forward to; like it’s the next milestone. But I thought it happened way later. Apparently all the equipment is there and hooked up giving our little guy the ability to hear stuff. From what I know, his hearing still isn’t that great (think senior citizen). He can only hear my heartbeat and stomach rumbling right now, but soon enough, I’ll have to start watching what I say.

He’s also the size of a bell pepper this week and his bones are ossifying.

Wow. Where to begin?

I was obviously a ball of nerves this morning so time seemed to creep by. We had our monthly doctor’s appointment at nine. Everything went well. The doctor even told me the whole sleeping on your left side thing was basically false (yay for me!). He measured the heartbeat at 136bpm.

Now for the fun part. We had our ultrasound appointment at 11. It was amazing to see how much our little one had grown since 8 weeks. He weighed in at exactly 8 ounces which is great. Unfortunately, the technician was a little too stoic for our tastes and made everything (even the gender determination) just a bit too anticlimactic. We were still ecstatic when we heard it was a boy; Andy especially. After the ultrasound, the doctor came in and said everything looked perfect (woohoo!).

My apologies for the lack of comprehensiveness to this post, but that’s always a good thing when it comes to doctors appointments and such. Everything was uneventful as it should be. We have a healthy baby boy who is right on track.

We JUST found out we’re having a BOY!!!!

The ultrasound pictures are below! Bri will write a more comprehensive update after we get over our excitement!

As the day of our ultrasound approaches, I’ve begun putting a lot of thought into whether I want a boy or a girl.

Honestly, I’m still inconclusive.

I will be so happy whatever the gender and I think that’s how I want to stay. I’ve seen a few people who hope desperately for their baby to be one sex, getting their hopes up and daydreaming about partaking in gender-specific activities. When they discover it’s the other, they are disappointed. I’m glad I don’t have a preference. But during these few weeks of anticipation concerning the ultrasound, I’ve discovered both advantages and disadvantages to each gender.

I’ve always loved boys. I find them generally easy going and more willing to try new things. For some reason, I am less intimidated by them. Perhaps because they are simple creatures who are easy to please They are, however, quite stubborn, more violent and seem to get into more trouble when they’re older. I guess as long as boys grow up in with strong conviction and steady discipline, they could turn out alright. On the downside, shopping for little boy clothes is just not as fun.

On the other hand, every time I see how girls are portrayed in the media, I freak out and pray that I am having a boy. It seems that girls have so much more opposition surrounding them both internally (self image, inferiority) and externally (peer pressure, boys without strong conviction and steady discipline). I would feel that I would have to protect a girl much more and worry about her wellbeing. Girls tend to be manipulative and difficult to understand, which I think I could handle at a young age, but once she becomes a teenager, that complexity will turn into a whole new ballgame. However, they are so delicate and sweet when little and the thought of Andy having a “daddy’s girl” just makes me smile.

Whatever this child is, God planned it before its existence:

“your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.”

- Psalm 139:14

I can only be assured that this child is not truly ours; it is God’s. He is it’s ultimate protector and parent. And I get the incredible and humbling privilege of nurturing it and raising it to the best of my abilities. Hopefully Andy and I will get to see it one day become a true child of God with true conviction. Until then, We will have to deal with the hurdles that come with having a boy or a girl, and celebrate the joys as well.

Here’s how we spent our anniversary:

Yikes! The weeks are flying by.

The baby’s skeleton is hardening into bone, and it’s sweat glands are forming. it’s about 5 inches from head to bottom; about the size of a… turnip…?

I hope it’s cuter than this….

Thankfully, next week, we won’t have to call our baby an “it” anymore. They will even record the ultrasound for us onto DVD so hopefully, we’ll be able to post a VIDEO of the actual event! And of course, we’ll post all the pictures we get.

As far as myself, nothing much has changed. A little acid reflux here and there, but its not bad. Last night I was reading in bed when the baby started bouncing around. It was moving so much that I actually felt it on the outside with my hand. I got to feel little “bump bump”s on and off for about 10 minutes. By the time Andy came into the room, the little thing tuckered itself out. I’m thinking soon enough he’ll get the experience of feeling it move around.

Today is our 2 year anniversary! We’re going out to eat at the Melting Pot (a fondu resturant) for dinner. I’m so excited! I can’t believe it’s been two years since we said our “I do”s. It has definitely been a wonderful two years and I can’t wait to spend many more together.

One of the most amazing things about this pregnancy has been the incredible awe I find myself in each and every week that goes by, as we learn about the baby’s development, and my protectiveness grows, and I have to trust God every day for the development of my child and the protection of my wife.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
- Jeremiah 1:5a

What’s even more incredible is how incredibly alive this child is so early on. At 6 weeks its heart is beating 160 times a minute, developing eyes, ears, nose, organs. It shocked me prior to our own pregnancy that some could find it conscionable to abort a child at all (outside of exceptional medical circumstances), and now, understanding more about the pregnancy, it appalls me even further. There are no morally impacting differences between a 6 week old pregnancy and a 6 week old baby. None. I am in awe of the handiwork of God within the womb of Briana. It blows my mind and gives me a humble fall-on-my-face kind of reverence for God the creator.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb”
- Isaiah 49:1,3

We’ve made it to the 16 week mark!

The baby is now avocado-sized and can make facial expressions. It’s legs are finally proportionate to it’s body and boy is this kid exercising them. I feel like I have a Mexican jumping bean inside of me.

Upon following the advice of many people and websites, I have been attempting to sleep on my left side. This is no easy feat when I have been a stomach sleeper for 20 some odd years of my life. The bed is starting to look like a pillow fortress. Last night, I had one pillow between my knees, one behind my back and two under my head. Poor Andy had about 3 inches of space for himself and kept waking up to many unintentional elbow jabs. Somehow, in my sleep, I was able to escape the pillow barrier and ended waking up on my back or stomach regardless (even though that position now feels like I’m laying on a volleyball). I don’t think this method of sleeping will last much longer.

I still haven’t fully recovered from jet lag completely but I’m in no hurry. I like having an excuse to take 2-hour naps during the day.

I’m back… and have apparently rescued Andy from bachelorhood.

Maine was amazing. I loved every part of the trip and for some reason, the days seemed to last forever because we had so much to do. I saw so many old school friends and met many more new friends. Here’s the run-down of the week:

Wednesday: I flew. a lot. It was quite boring and uneventful but I guess that’s what you hope for out of a flight. I arrived at the Bragg farm after dark and got to see Kara and Robb and about 20 other random family members. We played Mafia and went to bed. Kara and I both slept in her room so we basically talked all night and got no sleep.

Thursday: I woke three hours later to the sound of cows getting milked. A bunch of friends and cousins including Kara and Robb went to Big G’s to get some breakfast. Little did the out-of-towner’s know how much food Big G likes to serve for breakfast. Seriously… I ordered toast and a pancake and got two bricks of bread and a strawberry topped hubcap instead. Afterward, a bunch of us piled into a van and went to Blueberry Hill for a few hours.  Rehearsal was that night and went smoothly. The rehersal dinner was in the barn of one of Kara’s aunts. Much eating and socializing ensued.

Friday: Ah… The day off. Many of us took well-deserved naps while the rest went to eat Maine lobster. I have to say, lobster is not one of my favorites. After everyone finally woke up, we went to the Fourth of July pig roast at the Bragg farm which consisted of eating and socializing. Can you see a pattern yet? Kara gave some of us a tour of the dairy farm and showed the massive amount of work involved in running it. I walked away learning that cows are noxious smelling, dimwitted creatures. By the time it was dark, we all went to the fireworks show downtown. It made me a little sad not to have Andy there.

Saturday: Wedding Day!!! We woke up at 8:00 sharp to get hair an make up done. Ugh. The hotel room was a mad house of 20+ hectic girls and one very disoriented photographer. When finally finished primping, we hurried to the church. Because of overbooking issues, we only had two hours to take pictures, put on a wedding and leave. The ceremony itself was beautiful. Kara looked stunning and Robb looked stunned. The reception was on the Bragg farm under a gigantic tent and lasted well into evening without anyone noticing. needless to say, there was lots of eating and socializing. Here are a few pictures from the reception:

Sunday: The remnants of the wedding party who stayed in Maine for the night went to a brunch where Kara and Robb opened their wedding presents (eating and socializing). I hitched a ride with some friends to the airport and that’s where the fun began. My first flight from Portland to Charlotte was stuck in a long line of arrivals at the Charlotte Airport. It was about 5:00 and my next flight boarded at 5:25. I had to sit in that plane while it taxied around for 30 minutes waiting it’s turn for the gate. When I finally got off, I ran across the entire airport from concourses E to B, barely making my flight to Phoenix. I returned home unscathed and very happy to be back with Andy.

So Bri has been gone now since Wednesday, and gets back Tomorrow (Sunday) night.  These were hailed as my 5 days of bachelorhood, in which I would live the wild and crazy single life once more.  Here’s how things panned out…

Wednesday…

Sick as a dog…get my Dad to drive Bri to the airport while I attempt to wrastle up some sort of antibiotic   for a terrible respiratory infection.  The doctor doesn’t open til noon but I find out my Dad has a refill on his and get it filled early to try to get better faster.  Shhhh…don’t tell the doctor.  Day 1 of bachelorville consists of 1) coughing 2) sneezing 3) coughing & sneezing 4) sitting 5) lying down.  Woo.  Hoo.

Thursday…

Pretty much identical except the part where I start to feel a little better and start sneezing a little less.  Did I mention that my Mom & sister are in New York and my Dad is thinking about heading up north for a while, which would leave me and my brother as the last Holloways standing…I decide to watch a couple movies and do more of that fun sitting and lying down game that was so very fun on Wednesday… Yip.  Eee.

Friday…

Fourth of July and how do I celebrate?!  With Mucinex and a shiny new humidifier!  The sweet and wonderful Arizona air is as dry as my wife’s humor…(I’m allowed to say that, she’s in Maine!).  I do manage to take some pictures of our wacky sky as a storm begins to brew.  We’re not too used to clouds!

Other than that I skip the fireworks and rent a movie with a friend. The coughing and sneezing has fully subsided under the powerful help of the little pink pill.

Saturday…

Whoops.  I think I made a couple of mistakes.  1). Mucinex Sucks.  I’m coughing more and feeling worse.  2).  The Humidifier sucks.  I’m coughin more and feelin worse.

Little known fact.  Apparently if you have Asthma (which I do) then a humidifier can actually make you worse…especially if you have hard water (like we do) because it’ll push those fun little particulates into the air..and then into your airways.  You also have to be careful with how humid you make it…(which I wasn’t.)  We’ll chalk this day up as a step backwards…as I abandon my humid bedroom and sleep on the couch.  Which is what I’m going to do here in a minute after I finish this blog.

Moral of the story:  Bachelorhood does not exist after you are married.  Any pursuit of it will lead you down a dark and saddening road of sickness and misery for days on end!

COME HOME BRIANA!

Today’s the 15 week mark, horay!

Random facts:

- The baby’s now roughly the size of an apple.

- Eyebrows are starting to grow.

- (S)he is about 4-4.5 inches long from head to bottom.

I’m finally feeling great. All that first trimester garbage has finally gone away and I finally look pregnant instead of festively plump:

I’ve been feeling the baby move for a little while now (yeah I know, it’s a little early, but I’m as skeptical as the rest of you and those little “tap-taps” don’t feel like anything else I’ve felt before.) I discovered this kid loves chinese food because right after I ate a big ole plate of General Tso, I felt two of the biggest “taps” yet. It took me completely by surprise and left no doubt in my mind that those were the kicks of a happy baby loving the taste of sweet fried chicken.

I leave tomorrow for Maine so please be praying for my safety and that all goes well. I am very excited for this trip and yet a little sad to be leaving home. After I get back, I’ll be starting my second summer course. Can’t say I’m excited for that.