Ugly Baby

I know that it is difficult to tell people that they have an ugly baby...I hope our little boy doesn't look like this, but if he does...please don't try to spare our feelings - of course, we'll love him no matter what...but, whew...that is an ugly baby!

Baby Commercial

This was one of my favorite SuperBowl commercials...it has a baby in it, so I thought I'd share it here. Enjoy.

Baby-Moon

Well, we're headed out on our "Babymoon" this afternoon. If you've never heard of such a thing, you're not alone. I thought a baby-moon was what you got each time you changed the little guy's diaper. But, apparently it has become pretty popular for pregnant couples to go on a mini-vacation a few months prior to their due date. This seemed like a good idea, since the baby is due just before our anniversary which means we won't be going anywhere this year and since we haven't really gone anywhere for the past couple of years on our anniversary, I felt somewhat obligated to make this happen for my lovely wife. Even better that the trip happens to fall over St. Valentine's Day - of course, I can't take credit for that, since Sara made the initial plans.

We're going somewhere familiar and somewhat close - Eureka Springs, Arkansas. We are heading back to a Bed & Breakfast that we stayed at during our first three anniversaries, but we haven't been back for over three years. It should be a nice, relaxing get away. If the weather was a tad warmer, that would be even better, but we can't really complain.

Eureka is an eclectic community that offers a unique vacation experience. (I should be writing for their tourism department.) I hope we really enjoy this little mini getaway because it could be our last for quite some time - May 8th is quickly approaching.

Until we return - Blessings in Christ ~ RLS

The Miracle: 26 Weeks

I can't believe we are at the end of the second trimester...it has gone so quickly that it seems strange to think that 2/3rds of the pregnancy is behind us already! I definitely feel like we are "counting down" rather than "counting up" at this point.

The nesting instinct is kicking in pretty hard, and I am feeling the crunch to hurry up and register for baby things and get the showers scheduled so that we can finish decorating the nursery!! Thanks to all of my mom friends who were so gracious in helping me sort through their own lists of most useful (and useless!) baby items...as a new mom-to-be with no younger siblings, I feel so clueless about every little detail! I know what things I think are pretty, but that doesn't mean that they will be helpful in the long run, so thank you for helping me to steer clear of things I won't really need. Less is more!

I can tell "E" is getting bigger all the time. He seems to be developing a schedule of sleep and activity...now if when he arrives we can just get him on our schedule! :o) Just yesterday I realized that he has started to have hiccups...I didn't recognize them at first because they were happening very close together (unlike when adults have hiccups), but when I asked a mom friend about it she confirmed that's what I was feeling. "E" also seems to be somewhat of a show stealer...on Monday evening I was with some of my Mary Kay girlfriends, and he was moving around so much that everyone was watching my tummy and getting distracted from what we were trying to talk about! Could we have a "ladies' man" in the making?

Here is a little about how "E" has been developing over the past week:

Your baby now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber), from head to heel. The nerve pathways in his ears are developing, which means his response to sounds is growing more consistent. His lungs are developing now, too, as he continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when he's born and takes that first breath of air. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

Those Manning Boys!

What a game! I just thought that I would let everyone know that the New York Giants Super Bowl victory may have narrowed down our name choices. Before the game started, Sara and I informally agreed that if the Giants won, we would take Eli out of the running for name considerations.

I know...I know that sounds backwards. It is because we're afraid there is going to be a sudden spike in baby Eli's running around this year and we don't really want to be a part of a popular trend.

Nothing is set in stone yet, but it looks like we're leaning more and more toward Ephraim Todd. Thanks for voting...but it seems that the Manning boy may have sealed the deal - I'm sure he could care less, after all he just won the Super Bowl.