Aunt Barbara & Lennox Visit

Dear Pickles,

This past weekend, your aunt and cousin came to visit.  Your Aunt Barbara came down to help me and daddy register for gifts for a baby shower.  (Your Aunt Barbara and Aunt Jeanine are throwing you a baby shower in April.  It's going to be so fun!)  A shower is a time for friends and family to "shower" you with gifts so that you have everything you need when you get here.  Mommy and daddy still have a lot of work to do for you in the nursery, but we promise to make it spectacular for you.

One person I can't wait for you to meet when you get here is your cousin, Lennox.  She will be turning three years old a month after you are born.  She is so funny and smart.  I think you will really like her.



While she was here, Aunt Barbara and I took Lennox to a place called Monkey Joe's.  It's an indoor park with inflatable slides and fun places to jump.  (I promise to take you there when you are old enough.)



Mommy had fun playing with Lennox.  We did make-believe cooking, we put together a Disney princess puzzle like 20 times, we shopped for baby Disney characters, we learned to slide safely down the stairs, and we snuggled while watching The Princess and the Frog.

 

Mommy and daddy really enjoyed Aunt Barbara and Lennox's company this weekend.  After they left, the house was so quiet, and we were a little bit sad.  But then we remembered that soon you will be here to fill our home with joy like the dreamy weekend we just had.

Love you to bits!

Love,

Mommy 

Fish in My Belly

Dear Pickles,

Ever since our last ultrasound, I've been starting to feel you move.  So many people have told me that it feels like having a butterfly flutter in your tummy, but I think your Aunt Barbara was right -- you feel like a fish flopping around in my tummy.

It's been such a neat experience.  Luckily for me, I notice that you move around when I'm awake and not so much when I'm asleep.  (I don't want to miss any movements.)

Is it weird that I imagine you doing this song and dance when I feel you move?




That's what I thought, too.

Love,

Mommy

Boy, Oh Boy

Dear Pickles,

Today, you had your 19-20 week appointment.  Daddy came with me to the hospital -- this was one appointment he was not going to miss.  You see, at this appointment, we were scheduled for an anatomy evaluation with the sonographer.  In addition to finding out if you were growing properly and that all of your organs and bones looked satisfactory, we would also be finding out if you were a little boy or a little girl.

Since you were about 13 weeks along, people have been taking guesses as to what you were.

"Oh, by the way you're carrying, it's definitely a boy."

"I heard if you drink a lot of orange juice, it's a girl."

"Are your legs hairer than normal?  If so, it's a boy."

"You're craving hamburgers?  I did, too, and I had a girl."

In my heart of hearts, I had a feeling you were a girl.  Your dad, on the other hand, didn't really have a guess either way -- he just wanted you to be healthy.

So, there we were in the sonographer's office, as she began her check.  As soon as she slathered on the ultrasound gel and began probing on mommy's stomach, there you appeared on the television monitor.  Up until this point, I have not been able to feel any movement, but, boy, were you jumping around like a fish!  It made mommy giggle.

19.5 Weeks Ultrasound

The sonographer started with your head and worked her way down your body. As she showed us your brain, your spine, your heart, your kidneys, and your femur, mommy and daddy held hands.  We were so worried that she'd find something abnormal, but, at the same time, we were so excited just to see you on the screen.  You have the cutest little profile!  We were in love.

"Do you want to know the sex of the baby?" the sonographer asked.

"YES!" I said.  "You do, too, right?" I asked your father.  He said yes, too.

"Well, there definitely aren't any boy parts down there.  It's a girl, and she's so cute!" the sonographer announced.

We were overjoyed!  Our little Pickles can now be referred to as a "she" and not a "he or she" or an "it." 

"Did you have an inkling of what you were going to have?" the sonographer asked.

"I knew all along, " I bragged proudly, half joking.

This is what love looks like.

"No one better hurt her," your daddy warned.  Then he went on to say, "I can't wait to get her a cheer leading outfit so that she can help me cheer my favorite football team!"  You already have him wrapped around your little finger, my dear.

As we walked away from our appointment, we couldn't stop smiling.  A little girl.  Little Miss Pickles Patten.  We can't wait to meet you and give you all the love we have.

Love,

Mommy