We're having a baby

My wife, Melinda, and I are expecting a baby in March. (Woohoo!) We have been incredibly slow to post details, updates and the likes so I'll try to sum it up in one post...

When Melinda found out we she was pregnant
I was off on a weekend cycling trip with Cycle Oregon. I arrived home very late on Sunday (pushing midnight) and knew nothing of the exciting news. I slept in late to catch up on some sleep which resulted in Melinda waiting until she returned home from work Monday evening before telling me the news. When the time came, she told me in an excited manner to close my eyes and hold out my hands. I obeyed (as any truly obedient husband should) and when I opened my eyes there it was... the test. It took about a second to comprehend what that meant and then looked into Mel's eyes and knew it was true.

Our first ultrasound
at 10 weeks was amazing as we caught the first glimpse of what is aptly described as a "peanut". Everything became a bit more "real" than it previously was but it still seemed a bit surreal at the same time. After the ultrasound at the 10 week appointment, there have obviously been other appointments and most have them have been quick "how are you feeling" checkups as we haven't had any concerns or issues along the way.

The next milestone
for me was when we first heard the heartbeat. It clocked in at a whopping 168 beats per minute. ...and everything became much more real.

Yes, we want to find out!
Melinda and I had already decided that we wanted to find out the gender of our baby. There was no question about it. I can see us waiting for our second child but not on our first. Besides, there's all those cools toys clothes, toys decorations, toys furniture and toys to buy! Well, the day came and our little one was not shy about declaring for all to see that...

It's a BOY!
The ultrasound technician must either like to prolong the moment of truth or has a checklist to follow as she performs the measurements and image captures. I'd like to think it is the former but she was a sweet gal who didn't look like she possessed a single evil bone in her body which therefore meant the later. Anyways, it was pretty cool seeing the different things she was focusing on and at times explained to us, like the spine, four chambered heart, skull measurements, etc... We'll post some of the pictures we have very soon.

Since that day
we have had one appointment to perform the glucose test (A-OK) and will likely be starting the first of a few appointments that are only two weeks apart with our next appointment. We have already scheduled pregnancy classes through the hospital and are trying to pick out a Pediatrician. Before long the holidays will have passed, our sister-in-law will have had her second child and we will be seeing the doctor weekly. I'm sure time will fly and we'll have a little one before you know it.

(Stay tuned for ultasound images!)