Taking after her daddy...

I might be carrying a little girl in my belly but she really takes after her daddy. Why do I say that? She is a ball of NON-STOP movement :) I love it. It doesn't hinder my sleep. It doesn't make me uncomfortable. It's just a constant reminder of the little one growing inside of me. A kick here. A punch there. The "flutters" seem to be unending. I just can't wait until she is on the outside and can share her activity with the whole world - not just me. I can't believe how much I already love this baby girl!!!

Shopping...

Finding clothes to fit me has NOT been an easy task. I was hoping that by this point in my pregnancy (5 months) I'd have a little belly sticking out, and maternity clothes would finally fit. Yesterday I found that not to be the case.
My husband, however, is the most wonderful, encouraging man in the world. He was patient with me when I got frustrated, and he sat with me in various dressing rooms as I sorted through piles of clothes looking for something to look decent. I finally found some shirts and a couple pairs of pants that will hold me over for a few more weeks.
The pants I found are from my good ol' standby store - NY and Co. They have some knit pants there that don't button, but rather just pull on. They still look nice, so that was good enough for me. The shirts I DID get at the maternity store. Those, for sure should last me until this baby is born. They have ties and strings and things to tighten now and loosen later.

I also had a doctor's appointment today. Everything is looking great. Rayne is growing just perfectly and her little heart was beat at 154 bpm. She was super busy while the nurse was trying to listen to her heart - kicking and turning. It sounds like we've got an active one :)
I'm so grateful for a healthy pregnancy. Now, we just can't wait for her to get here!!!!!!!

What's in A Name?

We have had several people ask us where in the world we came up with such a name, albeit beautiful name, for our baby.
Here's the story. My husband and I were friends for several years before we noticed any romantic attraction in each other. I will admit, however, that my whimsical mind did daydream every now and again. . .
One day, while I was still employed by Victoria's Secret (so, yes, that was before we were dating) we were discussing names that we would like to name our children one day. I had ideas for my children and he had ideas for his. Now, those of you who know us and know our names know that both of our names begin with the same letter (L) and makes for a kinda cute pairing - on the MOST superficial level - but a cute pairing nonetheless.
He mentioned that he would love his daughter's name to be Rayne - a name I had never even HEARD of before yet alone put on my list. But, when he said it, I thought it was absolutely beautiful. He also told me that for a boy, he would like him to have his name, at least his FIRST name. So, I took this information and hid it away in my mind, never thinking I might really use it one day.
One day when I was at work, I was talking to my co-worker, who was pregnant at the time. She asked me if I had ever thought of names that I would like to name my children, and since I hadn't ever really thought of girl names, I "borrowed" the name Rayne :) She loved it. She asked about a middle name. I said I didn't know for sure, but maybe if I did ever marry this crazy guy (that by this time I was really starting to like) it would be cool to somehow incorporate the "L" factor for all of our children.
Years passed.
We fell in love and got married, and then had a legitimate reason to discuss names for our children, should God bless us with them. We tentatively agreed that we would like a large family, and in honor of my father, would like to adopt at least one of the brood.
So, in discussing the fact that because we both have "L"s and it would be cool to continue that without being so obvious as to name each of our children a name that simply started with "L", here is what we came up with:
First born son: Luke (no middle name has been agreed on, but the initial "A" is in contention) The name Luke means "Light" which also happens to be exactly what my first name means
First born daughter: Rayne Elle (Rayne was her dad's choice and Elle was my choice for carrying on the "L" tradition) Rayne means: Queen - perfect for our firstborn daughter
Second born son: Lane Knowles (the middle name is in honor of the men on my side of the family) Lane has a meaning of "secure"
Second born daughter: Ellecia Grace (and we will call her "Ellie") Ellecia is a form of Elias and is a variation of the meaning "Loves God"
Who knows what the future will hold. Well, God does. It's fun to dream. . .and now our Rayne is FINALLY a reality :) It's fun to see God at work all those years ago.

And the Verdict Is. . .

A GIRL!!!!! Her name will be Rayne Elle. We had such a wonderful time at the ultrasound today. We saw her hands and feet. We saw her brain and her heart beating solid and even at 142 bpm. We watched her flip and turn. We even saw her yawn really big :) I think that was the best part.
Here are a few pictures of our precious baby girl. She is absolutely adorable and I am totally in love.
In the picture below, Rayne has her leg stretched out straight over her head. You can see her tiny knee right above her nose:


In this picture, you can see her face really well. Although she isn't looking straight on, you can see her eyes and her nose:


In this one, she has her mouth partly open. The technician tried to catch her yawn, but only got the last little bit. It was SO CUTE:


And, finally, in this one, if you look straight over her forehead, you can see her feet crossed at the ankles. At one point, she touched the bottom of her foot to her forehead. Can you say gymnast?


We are so very blessed. . .and now we can't wait for her to get here!!!!

17 Week Update

Everything is moving along fine. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and the little one was just moving around like crazy. The heartbeat was measured at approx. 156bpm, so I was happy :) Every few seconds or so, the machine would pick up a noise that sounded like the baby was punching my stomach. Both the nurse and I were laughing. It was cute.
A week from yesterday we'll find out (hopefully) if it's a boy or a girl. I'm excited about that.
Other than that, it's been pretty quiet on the baby front. I have been able to stay home a LOT, which is good. I've been feeling well - except for one day when I was super-dizzy all afternoon. We don't really know what that was all about, but the doctor told me not to worry.
My belly is just BARELY starting to show. Some people who don't see me frequently have commented that my belly definitely looks like it's growing - albeit slowly. Hopefully in the next week or so my belly will pop out and I'll finally get that "pregnancy glow" :)
I will post pictures next week after the ultrasound!!!!

BABY CLOTHES!!!!

We received our first baby clothes just recently. Grandpa and Grandma C sent us a hat and pair of booties for the baby:

and Aunt Bonnie couldn't resist the clothes she spotted at the Carter's outlet. Hence, our first Baby Things...how exciting. It's starting to set in more and more that we are REALLY going to be parents and have a little one to put in these things:

We are SO excited to be getting ready for the baby. . .it's waiting that's the hard part.
Speaking of clothes, finding clothes to fit mommy are another story completely. My clothes are getting too tight, but maternity clothes are still completely out of the question. My mom reminded me today to just enjoy the different stages and don't get frustrated, so that's what I'm going to do. I guess I'll just have to go shopping!!!!!!

Telling the World. . .

Ok, Aunt Candy. Feel free to tell everyone you see that you are going to be an aunt and your brother is going to be a father. We have officially told everyone that needs to know, so tell the good news. Now, we just have to wait until November third to find out if it's a boy of a girl.
Welcome, everyone, to the Tiniest Perry's own website.

The Tiniest Heartbeat!!!!

Today was a VERY VERY VERY exciting day for us!! This was daddy's first visit to the doctor with mommy. We had an important appointment. We were scheduled to hear the heartbeat for the first time. We arrived on time and waited. And waited. And waited. I'm sure that I wait that long every time I go, but since we were anticipating this major event, it seemed like it took an eternity for our names to get called.
We got called to the back and waited some more. When the nurse practitioner finally came in the room, we were about to burst with excitement.
She rubbed the cold gel on my abdomen and turned the machine on. Nothing. Not even the sound of my insides working properly. I had a split second of fear pass over my face, but no sooner did I wonder if something was wrong, than she piped up, "Something's wrong here. The battery is dead. We've got nothin'!" Whew! She quickly retrieved the alternate device and turned it on. As quickly as she pressed the probe against my stomach, the tiny quick heartbeat of our little "Cheeto" was heard throughout the room. I couldn't keep from giggling and the smile on my husbands face was a look I will NEVER forget. 146bpm was the verdict after we listened for a bit over a minute. If I ever forgot about my child before, I never, ever will again.

Our Trip to Louisville

One more part of the family to tell. . .my sister, brother-in-law, and niece, Katie. I thought and thought of a creative way to share the news. Here's what I came up with. . .The main reason for our trip to Louisville is birthdays. My brother-in-law and niece are both celebrating birthdays while we are here. Since it's Katie's 1st birthday, I thought that writing a poem in her birthday card would be clever. Tim and Bonnie would most likely read it out loud and the surprise would be revealed in perfect timing. . .

The Poem:
We're here to celebrate - you're turning One!
With presents and cake - it's sure to be fun!
There's lots of surprises - some big and some small,
But we're sure that the biggest surprise of them all
Is a present you'll get in the Spring of next year -
'Cuz that's when your cousin will finally be here!


Finally, the whole family knows. Now just a few more weeks til we can tell EVERYONE. . .if Candy can only wait that long :)

A Funny Story. . .

I have been feeling GREAT throughout my entire pregnancy. So good, in fact, that many times I forget that I am even pregnant!!!! Hence, the story:
After our trip, we spent a week in my hometown with my family. And, today, I had the chance to stop by and say hello to my cousin. He and I were very close as we were growing up, and always got along very well, so I was excited to see him.
We drove by his house, and he just happened to be outside working on his house. I asked my mom to stop by so I could say hello.
I hopped out of the car, quickly ran across the yard and gave him a huge hug. I haven't seen him in a few years, so I was glad for the chance to catch up. We chatted for a while, and got caught up on (what we both thought was) the major happenings of life. We said our goodbyes and mom and I headed home.
When I told my hubby that I had gotten to see my cousin, his first question to me was, "Oh, good. Was he excited about the baby?"
Oops...what baby?! I had COMPLETELY forgotten to tell my cousin the MOST IMPORTANT news....
Although it's not good to forget about your children, I hope the rest of my pregnancy has me feeling this well!!!!!

Grandpa and Grandpa Congdon

We headed off for vacation with the other side of the family, and started the vacation trip off with a BIG surprise.
We had discussed several options of how to tell Grandpa and Grandma C that they would now have another grandchild. Because it's not their first, we decided that we didn't want to be sentimental about the whole thing. Besides, Daddy is usually more mischievous around his in-laws, so. . .his idea ended up working PERFECTLY. We arrived at the hotel HOURS before they did, but they FINALLY made it there. None of us had eaten dinner, so we headed out to find something. It was rather late, so we ended up finding a Subway that was still open and we ordered sandwiches to take back to the room.
We got back to the room, and I was SO anxious. Grandpa C prayed, and at the end of the prayer, Grandma turned to go and sit down, and Daddy piped up with, "...and Lord, be with Lucinda, 'cuz she's pregnant!!!!"
Here's Grandma's reaction (no explanation needed, really...)

Grandpa just stood there, taking it all in:

And then, being the dramatic family that we are, they graciously posed, displaying their shock:

They had NO CLUE whatsoever that we were going to be sharing such wonderful news, but they are very happy and anxious to meet the Tiniest Perry...

The Nickname

I guess it's fairly normal to nickname the tiny baby growing inside you when you are expecting. We have been calling our little one "Cheeto." Why that name?! Well, it's simple. I've been commenting to my hubby that it probably looks to everyone else like I've been eating that extra bag of Cheetos, when, in fact, I haven't had Cheetos in months. The slight weight-gain I've been experiencing isn't enough to disclose my pregnant status - only enough to look like I've overindulged. Hence, the name. . .Cheeto.
It's cute, and a memory we'll always have.

As Time Goes By...

It's still hard to believe I'm pregnant. Yes, my pants are feeling a TINY bit tighter than normal, but other than that, no one would suspect a thing. I went to my second Drs. appointment today and everything looks good. Still slightly too early to hear the tiny heartbeat, so we'll wait til next month.
The scariest thing so far is my blood type. I know I shouldn't be worried, but it's scary at first. I'm O-Negative, which is quite rare. The "negative" part is the scary part. It COULD cause complications at birth, but I'll take a vaccination in my 28th week and again when the baby is born, and all should be ok. It was just something I hadn't really thought about until now. I know God is in control and it will all work out.
We told our Sunday School class on Sunday. We were planning to wait until we returned from vacation, but the opportunity presented itself perfectly. We were going around the room sharing the recent "high points and low points" of life as of present. How could we NOT share the news?! Everyone was surprised and excited!!!!
We'll be leaving early on Sunday for NY - and a chance to tell my parents that they will be second-time grandparents. Then, a week later, my sister and brother-in-law will find out that they will be Uncle and Aunt for the first time. It should be a VERY exciting trip!!!! I'll post pictures of the reactions!!!!

Telling Family...

Well, we have given the good news to Luke's side of the family. Because we see them all the time, we thought it would be better if we just told them. So, last Wednesday we had "Aunt" Candy over for dinner. "Uncle" Chris was coming home from work and was stuck in traffic, so he couldn't make it. The PERFECT scenario happened. I had just spent time with Candy the day before and had thwarted any possibilities of us starting a family any time soon, so she wasn't suspecting a thing. Luke made the comment that he didn't think it was fair that he had to wait for someone to have a baby in order to get treated to my lasagna. (A friend of ours just had a baby and I had made dinner for them - and made extras for us. Hence, the lasagna for dinner.) Candy replied with, "Well, at least she didn't make you wait until you all had a baby!" (How perfect is THAT?!) Luke said, "Well, actually.....she's pregnant!" It took Candy completely off guard. She looked at me and looked back at Luke and said, "No." I just innocently looked at her and said, "Yes." It was SO funny. She turned all red- her face, her ears, she couldn't talk. We got her good!!!

On Sundays we usually have family time after church by joining Luke's side of the family for dinner somewhere. This week it was a Jason's Deli. I had written a poem inside a card for Grandpa and Grandma Perry to read. As soon as we all had our food, Luke handed over the card to his mom and we insisted she read it out loud. She started reading and the further she got, the more it sunk in - they are going to be GRANDPARENTS!!!!!!! We had a wonderful time of surprise and rejoicing together.

Now, we just have to wait a few more weeks until we see my side of the family. It's so hard to wait!!!!! But, I really want to tell them in person!

The Doctor...

Today, I went for my first doctor's appointment - reality set in. It's been strange because I haven't experienced any severe pregnancy symptoms, but actually talking to the doctor about my pregnancy made it more real. Everything is fine, of course. I got a packet of goodies to read through. I'm so excited. I can not wait to tell our family!!! It's going to be such a sweet time with them. It's so cool that we had been planning to visit my family on the east coast anyway, so we'll be able to tell them in person. I'm sure they won't be TOO surprised. After all, it's getting to be that time anyway.
One funny thing DID happen. Yesterday I was hanging out with Candy, my sister-in-law. She straight out asked me if we had started trying. I had to "lie" and say No, but I think she'll forgive me when she finds out :) At least, I hope so.
So far, I'm still feeling so good, and for that I'm so thankful!!!!! I hope the trend continues.
I did break down and tell my friend Jenn the good news. I was DYING to tell someone, and I figured that she was the "safest" person to tell. She doesn't ever see my family, so she'll be able to keep a secret until we are able to share the news with everyone. . .

Keeping the Secret....

is SO VERY HARD. We had church today and spent the afternoon with family. There were so many times when the opportunity seemed to present itself, but we held out for the surprise. Actually, we are waiting until after I am able to visit the doctor. It's weird. The pregnancy test confirmed what I had suspected, but I don't seem to be having any typical "symptoms" of a pregnancy, so it's hard to believe, at times. I just want the reassurance that everything is ok. I'm sure it is, but to have the doctor tell me will be a relief.
I am going to call tomorrow to make the appointment. Hopefully, the appointment will be this week or next. I'm not sure how long daddy will be able to hold out and not say anything!!! ;) Ok, mom, too....

Telling Dad

I surprised Luke when he came home from work with some pink and blue decorations and a big cookie that said, "Congrats, Daddy."

It took him off guard, a little bit. He knew that it was a possibility, but he hadn't been thinking about it, so I was able to pull off the surprise. He was really excited and couldn't stop smiling. I was glad he was slightly surprised. Now, it's just a job of keeping a secret......Yikes!!!
Here are a few pics of the proud papas reaction:

Thoughts from Mom...

So. I don't know where to start. I'm kind of overwhelmed. I am still in doubt. The pregnancy test is sitting on my counter where I can glance at it whenever I feel the need to be reassured that this is truly happening. I'm so excited....a little nervous....and still in shock. It's kind of funny. We've been asking for this, and here it is. Did we REALLY think God would deliver - and so quickly?! Why wouldn't he?? I don't know if we DOUBTED it, but I don't think we truly BELIEVED it, either. It's strange. My husband, the father of this child growing inside me, doesn't even know, yet, that he's a daddy. I can't wait to tell him. Tomorrow. He'll be home tomorrow and his life will change forever. All I can do right now is pray. Pray that the tiny life inside me will grow into a healthy baby, and make a safe entrance into the world.
I don't FEEL pregnant. So far, I don't even think I've really even experienced any so-called "pregnancy symptoms." I've been doing a LOT of reading - and they say that it's normal to not know, so that comforts me.
I'm going to be a mom!!! Luke is going to be a dad!!! I can't wait to tell someone, but I want to go to the doctor first - just to be sure everything is on track. I think I'll try to make an appointment for this month on Monday.

August 1, 2008 Thoughts from the Tiniest Perry

Wow. Today was a big day. Daddy left for work and mommy just had "a feeling." So, when dad called to say "Hi and Bye" one more time before his trip, mom suggested that she take "THE TEST" today. Daddy thought that would be a good idea.
It took mommy a few hours to get up the courage, but at around 2:45pm, she took a bottle of water and headed for Walgreens. . .
She returned home and took the test right away. She was too excited to wait. It didn't even take a minute for the test to let her know that I am on my way!!!!!



I don't even know what's going on, but I THINK I'll make my entrance into the world sometime early in April 2009.