...very healthy baby! Praise God! The ultrasound went very well yesterday, and everything looked great. The boys and Beau came with me, so that was even better. The ultrasound tech said that in 2 years of doing this, she'd never seen any siblings as into watching the ultrasound as the boys were - fun!

About 1.5 seconds after the ultrasound wand made contact with my stomach, the tech asked, "So do you want to know?" "Wait...now?" Didn't she want to wiggle it around a bit just to make sure? No - apparently it was very clear. Just like that. That immediately said "boy" in my brain, but in case you were wondering, it's a girl! Our children have no problem letting us know ahead of time what gender they are.

Luke and Silas were not surprised. They knew all along. Beau and I were both shocked, as we believed that we were destined to make boys, though Beau had had a hunch. I believe I was the only one completely surprised. Whatever happened to mother's intuition??

We are, of course, thrilled. As we would be either way. But this throws an added element of unpredictability and newness to the mix. A girl with 2 older brothers! Double the amount of grilling that future boyfriends will get. Bring on the pink!

Posted by Jeanine at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

Happy birthday, buddy! You're such a big kid now. As we saw "5" approaching, you seemed to get older by the second. And you certainly didn't let us forget the number: all your clothes have to be 5T, you yearn to swim in the 5 ft. end of the pool, and your naptime can only last a maximum of 5 minutes (and that's just cause you don't want Silas to feel bad about the fact that he actually has to fall asleep still).

You've grown up so fast! We are so proud of you and the young man you're becoming - so responsible, loving and thoughtful. You're the best big brother a little brother could have, and you're teaching Silas how to treat the baby that's on the way. We can't wait to see what this next year holds!

Posted by Beau at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is my third pregnancy. My body knows what to do and roughly how big it's going to get, so I guess it has no problem getting a jumpstart. However, I am 18 weeks today, which doesn't seem that far along to me, yet people instinctively know and comment on the fact that I'm pregnant. It's good, because that means that people no longer think I'm "fat" and have moved on to thinking I'm pregnant. But it's a little unsettling because this seems kind of early for people to be assuming that about me, right? Unless I see a woman who is doubled over with contractions, I'm still a little reluctant to admit that I know she's pregnant.

Anyway, yesterday while ordering at Arby's, I had about the 214th person look at me and say, "Aw, look at your belly! Congratulations!" It got me thinking of possible reasons for the early attention:

1. Since I refuse to make the switch to maternity clothes until I'm halfway along (20 weeks), I am squeezing (or straining, as one of my friends' husband hilariously referred to her tight jeans) into my pre-pregnancy clothes, making me look bigger than I am, or

2. the people I'm running into are more forthcoming in their opinions, or

3. I'm actually huge.

So, as I'm thinking about what had just happened at the ordering counter, I was composing this post in my mind and trying to figure out which of the 3 categories above I fell into. I mosey over to the pickup counter lost in thought when the lady who is putting my order together ("We're just waiting on your mozarella sticks...") happens to glance at me:

"Oh, wow! How far along ARE you?"

"18 weeks...so just about halfway there..."

"Giiiiiiiiiirl, you are going to have a BIG baby! Are you sure there aren't two in there?"

"Uh, yeah...so the doctor says..."

"Really? Well, good luck with THAT!"

So, yeah. I guess I'm actually huge. :)

Posted by Jeanine at 05:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

So today Beau and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. 10 years! Hard to believe, and yet...not so much. Is that weird? It's weird for me to think back to when we got married and where I thought we would be now. I recently pulled out our premarital counseling book and took a look at the answers to questions about our future. Would we have 2.5 kids in 2008? Maybe. Would we still be living in Atlanta? Probably not. Have a dog? Definitely yes.

I feel so incredibly blessed to be married to Beau, the man of not only my dreams but of my actual real life! God gave me such an incredible gift in him, and I am so grateful for every second of our 10 years together. To have a husband that is such a strong spiritual head of household, best friend, wonderful father, advisor, confidante, comedian, and life partner is more than I ever wanted or imagined. We were talking as we went out to dinner tonight about how ridiculous it would seem to be married to anyone else. God made us for each other, and I am so grateful! Beau, thank you for marrying me and being such a wonderful father to our 2.5 kids. Besides the day I gave my life to Jesus, our wedding day was the most beautiful, special and important day of my life. I love you! Happy 10th anniversary!

Posted by Jeanine at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)