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.