Baby G's Modeling Debut

This was close to one of the most exciting things Mark and I have ever done! We got to watch Baby G move around all over the screen before he/she fell asleep. At that point, the nurse started pushing/punching on my stomach (didn't hurt...lol) and telling Baby G to "move more." She wanted us to have some more entertainment.

Here are the photos. I think you can see a lot more detail than I thought.

Pic 1: Side view (look at that nose and belly that matches Mark's!)

Pic 2: Can you see the hand and foot in this one?

Pic 3: Still the side view.

Pic 4: This is a shot of his/her legs (there are two!) It's almost like an areial shot if the baby was sitting on the floor with his/her legs straight out. (They look pretty long to me, mom!)

Pic 5: It's time for your closeup!

Pic 6: Is the bottom of his/her feet.

We are so excited! We will know if Baby G is a he or a she in about 8 weeks. I cannot wait to find out. Mark won't even discuss baby names until we know and I'm ready to have a name. Can 8 weeks come sooner?

It's a...

Whirlpool Washer!!

I'm only kidding but that's certainly what it sounded like at 160 beats per minute. Mark was quick to point out: 'That's over 2 beats per second.'

We didn't get the picture. We had to schedule that appointment for tomorrow at 2 p.m. Come hell or highwater, we will see Baby G tomorrow.

I can't tell you how relieved I am that I've heard the heartbeat.

I finally met my doctor today. She seems super so far! Up until this visit, I've been seeing a nurse practitioner, who I love, too. I think using my friend, Katie's, recommendation was perfect. Thanks, Katie!

That's all I have for now, I think.

Sunday Funday

The phrase 'Sunday Funday' brought on a new meaning in the Grantham household today. We spent the afternoon rearranging the house. No, not a room. The entire house. I think it's too early to blame it on nesting.

We moved all the furniture from the 'orange room,' which is the former guest room, and into the 'man cave' (that never really was). We then spent the rest of the afternoon shuffling unwanted/unneeded belongings into the orange room to price them for our garage sell that will be next Saturday.

We have been talking about having a garage sale for over 6 months now and there is nothing like the impending doom (kidding...don't freak out) of having another person in the house to force you to purge yourself of all the clutter in your home/life.

So family, friends and nomads that bunk at our house on occasion...you have a new place to sleep! It needs to be painted but for now, I would say that you're going to like your new quarters.

In less than 48 hours, I should get a preview of Baby G! Hopefully, I will be able to figure out a way to post the sono on here so everyone can get a glimpse of our little baby. I think he/she is about the size of a plum now...according to the books.

I also want to thank my mom for taking me to buy a few maternity items last weekend. I can't wait to start wearing them. FYI-if you have never tried on or worn maternity clothes, you are in for a treat. They are sooo comfortable! Hello elastic waisted jeans!

Post Vacation Update

I have a blog half written about our trip to New York. I'm just not sure I feel like finishing it. Call me lazy. Instead, I thought I would give you a prego update and post a few pictures of our trip/anniversary. For the record, we had a blast in NYC.

Sorry there are no 'belly pics' yet. That's because there is no bump really. I can see it but I'm positive that anybody else would think I was crazy if I mentioned my 'baby bump.' I expect that sometime in December we might have a reason to start snapping belly shots.

I'm at 11 and a half weeks which means that we will hear the heartbeat for the first time on Tuesday's appointment. I'm ready to get more confirmation than a blue line and nausea that there is actually a baby on board.

I have no idea what I want to do with the nursery but I do know that I want to keep things somewhat gender neutral so we can reuse some of the stuff for future babies. If I was going to play the odds in Vegas, I'd say that Baby G will be a girl. Everybody we know has a boy. When you're playing roulette and winning on red, black is bound to hit soon. We know it's a 50/50 chance and we can think of a million reasons we want a boy and a million reasons we want a girl. So here's to the cliche'. "All we really want is a happy, healthy baby!"

Here is our 2nd year anniversary picture. Can you tell we were exhausted from our trip? I didn't even do my hair that day!

New York State of Mind

Thursday is the Big Apple day! Mark and I leave Austin at 7 a.m. for NYC. This will be our last vacation as a childless couple. We still plan to travel once we have our little one, but we know finances and circumstances will change the types of trips that we are able to take. In other words, we plan to live it up starting Thursday.

I usually like to wing it on these trips, but New York has WAY TOO MUCH to offer for us to rely on our spontaneity. Today I bought our tickets for the Broadway show we plan to see. Lion King is supposed to be great and I got a pretty stinking good corporate discount. I guess corporate America does have it's benefits. We are going to be going to Broadway on Sunday night (our last night in NYC). Here's some info: We paid more for our Broadway tickets than our Billy Joel/Elton John tickets. (Blows my mind but I'm a sucker for a musical, huh mom?)

I also bought a New York City Pass. It's a lot like to Chicago Go Card that we bought last year for our 1st year anniversary trip. I highly recommend these things if you are going to any major metropolitan area. It gets us into all the stuff we want to do for one low price. In this case: Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty tour, Empire State Building observation deck, Museum of Natural History, Central Park Zoo, Museum of the City of New York, Skyline cruise and a lot of other museums and tours. We WILL NOT have time to see it all but we can go to as many as we have time for in 3 days. It really pays for itself.

It's supposed to be in the 40's and rainy while we are there, but we won't let that slow us down. I'll be sure and post pictures when we get back (assuming my camera doesn't get jacked in Harlem...jk).

Enjoy your week!

P.S. Shout out to the little Bro! He just bought his first house (here in Austin) and I'll be excited to help him decorate and do some yard work (if Mom leaves any for me to help with) when I get back. ;)

And 'Baby G' Makes Three (humans...not dogs)

First I want to say that Stuart and Renee had a gorgeous wedding on September 26th in Irving, TX. We were honored to be a part of it. I didn't get many pictures but here are a few of the guys getting into the limo from the hotel and one of Mark and Melissa walking into the reception. I'm really sorry I didn't get a picture of the bride (she looked gorgeous) and groom (Stu cleans up real nice, too) but I'm sure I can steal some from Renee's facebook when she gets them loaded. Mark and I had a lot of fun at their celebration

The Friday before the wedding, Mark and I found out we were going to be parents! That's right...God had chosen to trust us with the giant task of raising another human being! We are grateful. It has been a long road and we continue to pray that things will go smoothly and have faith that it will.

I went to the doctor on Friday, October 1 for my first appointment. It was all talking and a little a blood work. I was glad the nurse confirmed that I know how to read a pregnancy test. We go back on the October 20 (our 2 year anniversary) for our first ultrasound and to hear the baby's heart!

Mark and I drove to Houston later that Friday to tell my parents and brother. I'm pretty sure they had no idea. We had sold our tickets to ACL and told my mom that it was because we needed the money for our trip to New York next week. Then I casually told my mom that since I already had the time off (from ACL) that we would just come to Houston to enjoy their pool one last time before it gets too cold. She bought it! (Thanks Mom, for taking me to get the baby book and for passing the receiving blankets on to me!)

We drove back on Sunday to tell Mark's parents, brother and sister. Over all, I think everyone is excited.

I'm feeling so many emotions since I found out about this. Mostly, it's joy. However, it varies from second to second. At the moment that I'm writing this...all I can think about is everything I've been putting off for another day. I feel an overwhelming sense of urgency to go complete these random tasks. An example: I need to get Mark's Christmas stocking completed so I can start on Baby G's. Even though he/she won't be around until December 2010. Geez.

So on that note, I'm going to go sew Mark's stocking. I'll try and keep you all updated.

Sorry for any randomness. My mind is going 1 million thoughts a minute.

Still Kicking

I'm still here. I have a very good reason for being m.i.a. for the past month or so. Mark and the computer had a little disagreement and let's just say that Mark won. That is, my $1700 computer is no longer with us. Poor Mac. Until I save enough money to purchase a replacement, you will have to be patient. I do not have regular computer access. It makes checking e-mails, facebook and other fun stuff very difficult. For those of you that see me on facebook, I update through my phone via text messages so I'm really not checking facebook either.

A few updates from the Granthamania here in Austin:

• We are anxiously awaiting Austin City Limits this year with Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, John Legend, Ben Harper and so many more. This year is going to be the best one yet! October better get here soon.

• We are also excited about going to New York for our 2nd anniversary in October. I really, really, really need to start planning a few things out. Normally, we like to just wing it. However, I've been to New York before and the fact is that there is far too much going on to just fly by the seat of your pants. I really need to prioritize before we make touch down in the city that never sleeps. I LOVE NY!

• Mark's best friend Stuart and his fiance Renee are getting married on September 26th. Mark and I are both very excited about the wedding. They just purchased their first home here in Austin and we are thrilled they decided to call Austin home. Plus, I'm really jazzed about seeing Mark in a tuxedo, again!

• My brother is moving to Austin. Hopefully, he will find a house soon.

• Last week, we went to see "Our Lady Peace" in concert! It was so much fun! All I can really say is that it was a great throw back to my junior high days and Mark, Josh and I stayed out way too late for a Tuesday night, but it was worth it.

Hopefully, I can update this sooner rather than later and next time, cross your fingers for some pictures.