11 weeks + 0 days

I just wanted to check in.  No news is good news, but I wanted to be sure to let everyone know that!  I'm feeling really good.  Haven't been sick.  I know I'm very lucky for that!

We've been overwhelmed by the statistical information we're dealing with.  Because I'm turning 35 during my pregnancy, we are now in a general category considered "at risk".  It's frustrating and irritating, but we're trying to keep perspective.  The statistics, after all, take the entire world into account, regardless of family history, personal health, etc.  I know that Jerry and I have many big, healthy branches on our beautiful family trees.  We're trying to remember that when we're battered by the statistics, about which we understand the medical industry is legally obligated to inform us.  So - with all of that in perspective, we're feeling really great!

Last week, I learned that the baby is now officially considered a "fetus".  It has now developed all of it's organs and from now on, will just continue to grow!  It's so amazing what our bodies are capable of doing!

We're off to our Costa Rica vacation next week!  We'll be sure to take lots of pictures and update you as we can.  (Don't worry, our doctor said the trip is a great idea!  I just have to be sure to move around on the plane and drink safe water.)  It is going to be a well-timed beautiful getaway before the next phase of our lives starts!  (Quite the birthday celebration, I must say!  But, this will be the last birthday before I'm a Mom...  Yikes!)

We have a wonderful village of people looking after us.  We love you all very dearly and are excited to share our little one with all of you.  We are very blessed and are so grateful to have you in our lives.

9 weeks + 0 days

Well, this is a fun update!!  We bought ourselves a new car this weekend!  Well, new to us.  It's a 2011 Toyota with only 7000 miles on it!  We've been going back & forth on ideas for how to replace Jerry's truck, which was starting to act up pretty dramatically in the past few months.  We honestly didn't want to travel together in it in case it broke down and needed rescue!  So, this weekend we found what seemed like a deal we couldn't refuse.  It was at Carmax, where I've been checking their website and keeping an eye on price range for what we were interested in.  We wanted a 4Runner, but we didn't want the car payment it would have required...  And a smaller wagon like mine just doesn't have enough space.  (On a camping trip last year, with just the two of us and our dog, Vesper, my little wagon was so packed we had to use the roof rack for some of the cargo!  Imagine how much more space we'll need when we add a baby, baby stuff, and our new puppy!)
So - a minivan it is.  But I've always told Jerry that if I had to drive a minivan, it would have to be cool.  And, that is what we found.  A cool (very cool) minivan with great mileage, quality, and bells & whistles.  I'm more than happy to drive it!

I have been saying I married a great man, who traded his truck in for a minivan.  I'm very grateful!  He's going to be such a good daddy!  He looks pretty good driving it, too!

I've attached some pics to show it off.  Watch for us cruising comfortably to a town near you!

8 weeks + 1 day

We have a healthy little baby with a strong, fast heartbeat! We were bombarded with crazy amounts of information today and feel a little overwhelmed, but we are very happy and excited! It feels more and more real every day!