20 week ultrasound pics

This is the one of Caleb yawning--how cute!

This is his little foot...I like this one.

Sorry it's taken so long to post these (I'm at 24 weeks now), but I wasn't too excited about the quality of them, so I've been procrastinating. These are my 2 favorites. We get another ultrasound at 28 weeks and I'm hoping they're a little bit better quality-maybe even a 3D one?

I've been feeling him move ALL the time now, which is so cool.

The first step to getting Caleb's room ready...

is finished! We (with the awesome help of my mom!) got the entire garage organized and everything we had in the 2nd bedroom is now either at Goodwill, the garage, or the trash! It was an ALL DAY process. I never realized how much JUNK we have, and how disorganized all that junk was!! So now we have an empty bedroom ready to be painted for our little Summertime Sweetie! Bryan is going to paint next weekend (he won't let me, due to the fumes) but I hope to put up the border. Then we can start assembling the crib, changing table, etc. I can't WAIT until it's all ready for little Caleb! I think that will make it seem really real. I am so excited!!

On another note, we went to Easter service at church on Friday night because Bryan has to work the 11:30 service today. It was really good..."Little Breaux" sang "Cinderella" by Stephen Curtis Chapman which totally made me cry.

Have a happy Easter! It's hard to believe this time next year we'll have a little boy to put rabbit ears on and dress in a little sweater vest!

Well, I did it...

I checked the box on my "intent to return" form to LCA that said "No, I do not plan on returning to teach at LCA for the 2008-2009 school year." Wow. I cried. Am I excited/happy about knowing I will be at home with my little Caleb next year? Definitely yes. Am I also scared out of my mind about how we're going to do it, financially? Yes, even though I KNOW God will take care of us. Am I sad that I'm going to stop doing what I've done the past 6 years, where I feel comfortable and know what to expect (mostly) each day? YES. I'm really going to miss what I do, my little windowless classroom that is always too hot or too cold, depending on the season, my little smiling uniformed students, my constantly disorganized desk and closet, the slow copy machine (even though it's brand new), the amazing support of loving parents, the great staff, and most of all, being able to constantly teach children about the love of God. But it felt good to make a decision, put it in writing, and know that God will bless this LEAP of faith. It makes the whole "becoming a mommy" thing more real as well...wow, it's really going to happen. I'm really going to become a mother. You would think my rapidly expanding stomach would be enough to make it real, but this really did it for me...

Registering for a baby is NOT as easy as it is for a wedding!

So, Bryan and I went to register at Babies R Us today, and WHEW! was it overwhelming!!! I had read a book about baby bargains--what is a waste of money, what is essential, etc. so I THOUGHT I was educated. We found a lot of great things we wanted for little Caleb, but then I got home and thought I'd read the reviews about these products, certain I had chosen wisely. Well, for some things (such as our crib bedding set and travel system) I had, but other things, like the bath tub, got TERRIBLE reviews (as it "it leaks!" "smells" "terrible product" and "don't waste your money!") which totally freaked me out, so we're going to have to take them off our registry, quick! Other things, such as the bouncer and swing, got mixed reviews, and I don't really know what to do about that. Do most people who write reviews do it because they want to complain, while for most people who love it they don't think to write a review? All in all, it was fun but definitely not as easy as doing our wedding registry. Plus, the store was closing early due to the weather so at the end we had to hurry. I plan on taking back some girlfriends who already have babies the next time so they can point me in the right direction with some things Bryan has NO knowledge or interest in (i.e. breast pumps, LOL). I have to brag on one thing though...a parent in my class was working the Lil Lambs sale at Centenary this weekend and found me a brand-new looking pack n play for $20!!!! It's awesome...missing the changing table part but I don't think I'll need that anyway since we will just change him in his room, since we don't live in a 2-story house. I was super excited! We put it together to see what it looked like last night and it DEFINITELY made it seem real! We're going to have a BABY to put in it!! WOW!

It's a BOY!

We're so excited to find out we're having a little boy!! The ultrasound went very well today, although they couldn't get a good look at the heart so I get another ultrasound at 28 weeks, which is fine with me!!! We're thinking about names right now and our current favorite is Caleb Michael (Michael is Bryan's first name and also was his dad's name). This could change, but it's the one we like currently. We liked Aidan too, but we have a good friend who is due a month before us who is naming hers Braden, and we started thinking that might sound a little cheesy...Braden and Aidan...especially since they'll probably be spending a lot of time together. We didn't get really good pictures, sadly, but I'm sure the ones at 28 weeks will be better...I'm hoping to talk the tech into giving us some 3D ones then. And we're considering paying the extra money to get another ultrasound session at around 30 weeks, which is all 3D and you get a DVD and stuff. Bryan and I went and bought a cute little outfit at Ladybug Landing, a new baby consignment shop across from the hospital...it's summery and says "Daddy Loves Me" and has an alligator on it. It comes with a little summery hat, too. I cannot WAIT to go and register now, and start thinking about the nursery (which is currently our extra bedroom which is filled with OUR stuff...all of this will be going into the garage on spring break, and I'll have to start parking in the driveway or street!).
I've always loved the idea of an older brother, so I'm so happy that was God's plan for us! I can't wait!