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...