ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

Well, Nick and I have some news!

We are going to be parents...

(3D Image: a profile view with his right hand in front of his face)

...to a little boy!

We found out we were expecting at the end of May and held it in until my birthday (June 7th) when we told both of our parents. We waited until we had gone to the doctor to tell our siblings...so on Nick's birthday we spread the news to them. We kept it pretty quiet until I was out of the first trimester, but now the news is out there!

I am 18 weeks along and feeling great- no real sickness or anything, just feeling a little extra tired and I know where every public restroom is. I am still running in the mornings and teaching dance in the evenings...and will until who knows when. I haven't had any big cravings or things I can't eat yet...most things seem pretty normal still!

Last week I think I felt him move; everyone describes it as a "flutter" and I think I am starting to feel it, especially in the mornings.

Yesterday I had the "big" ultrasound, so Nicholas took the day off and, after my morning run, we headed to the doctor. I didn't have a regular appointment, just the ultrasound, so it actually went pretty quick.

(Even I could get what this one was! No need to count when he comes out...he has 10 toes!)

The first thing we saw was his feet...then she moved around and we got to see everything from his kidneys to his spine to the four chambers of his heart. He was breech at the moment and thus it was very clear that he indeed was a boy- we had kind of thought he was a boy, but didn't really have any reason to justify that feeling so it was nice to confirm our suspicions. He looked completely healthy and weighed 8 oz. and was 6 inches long yesterday.

(Proof he is a boy: there are two thighs sticking up...at about 10 and 12 o'clock. Then there is a little arrow pointing to a little something between the two legs!)

Nicholas couldn't be happier :) He subconsciously wore blue to the doctor and I told him that was what sealed the deal. And even though bows and ruffles are fun, I am excited for Nick to finally have a little boy to play with since he never had a brother! He will be a great dad :)

(His head is on the left- you can make out a skeleton head right? Two dark spots are his eyes and the big dark spot at the top is his brain. You can kind of make out his ribs in the one too)

After the doctor we headed to Target and each picked out an outfit- I guess trying to make this feel a little bit more like a reality. I found a perfect onesie and Nick picked out a really cute sleeper.

(The outfits we picked out for Tiny...mine is on the left, and Nick's is on the right)

Then we ate lunch at Pei Wei and went bowling...I had a bowling coupon that expired today and since Nick was home we figured we might as well use it...but yes, bowling was kind of random. Then we came home and I gave Nicholas a much-needed-and-wanted haircut and then took a quick nap before putting on something blue and heading to work for the evening. Nick got to enjoy fiddling with the budget and watching Lord of the Rings while I was gone :)

(3D Image- he is looking right at us in this one...the dark spot is his eye)

I am definitely starting to show now- I held it in for 16 weeks, but now that my "Dancing with the Managers" performances are over it is like my belly knows it doesn't have to get into any more costumes and can just stick out...and stick out it does! We haven't got a name picked out yet- I am pretty sure "Nicholas" will be his middle name, but we haven't really thought of what will go in front of it yet. His official due date is February 1st, so of course I am hoping for the end of January :)

(Profile shot- head is on the left, looking up)

We are very excited for our little boy to join us...and anxious to see how Koshka responds to him as well! :)