Baby Pete at 14 weeks

Our doctor's appt Monday went great. We kept hearing "terrific" over and over again when they looked at the data. Every parent gives a big "Praise God" when hearing such a thing.

I'm feeling a lot better, now dealing with tiredness (still), smells (but better), and indigestion. I've gained a few pounds but still don't really look pregnant - soon enough, I'm sure! Strangely, none of my pants will close, so Brad gets to see me in the "gym outfit of the day" each evening. Haha! Here's a pic in Fort Lauderdale - you can see my tummy poking out a little.

Oh, and yes, our vacation was fantastico!! We had a wonderful, relaxing time.

And now, without further adieu - pics of Baby Pete! I got a 13 minute DVD too, which is so cool. I can't seem to get it in digital form, though, b/c it's a big file! I would love to play it for you anytime though. Some things we saw in the video: the heartbeat (and heard it!), the brain, the spine, little arms moving (we even thought the little one was about to suck its thumb), legs (the baby was sitting cross-legged the whole time), the mouth opening and closing, and the nose. It was truly joyous.

Here's a picture of baby Pete's profile. The little ribcage and hand just make me smile! Can you see its brain? How about the nose? See how it looks upturned? Now, that is mommy's nose. ;-)

Here's where the practitioner is taking the baby's heartbeat. Very strong, she said. If you look closely, you can see a little black mark in its chest - that's the heart!

Here's another profile shot - the mouth is open! Apparently, baby's practice sucking in the womb, and we kept seeing the mouth open and close - it was so precious. At one point, the baby lifted its hand like it was about to suck its thumb. OK, I want this job! You can also see a leg - the baby was sitting cross-legged the whole time.

Now, here's my favorite picture - the baby looks like a little turtle with a darth vadar helmet! And, if you watch the video, the baby reminds you of a turtle, too. It's so neat that you can see both hemispheres of the brain, huh?

Drumroll..... we have a good idea of the gender!! We're not supposed to know for sure for another two months, but the practitioner saw a "structure" (haha!) between the legs! These two pictures are from the bottom of the baby looking toward "his" head. Notice, the baby is sitting cross legged. Now, it looks to me like the structure could be a little foot (OK, daddy, a BIG foot), but when you watch the video, you see three somethings! Don't start buying blue yet!! We'll let you know for sure. But I did change the blog background in honor of this news. Either way, we're so thrilled! And we're thankful you're on this journey with us.