Name Suggestions?

Help us out with your ideas for boy names!

We're thinking:
Lance A. Lott
Noah Lott
Oom Lott

Just Kidding! We're not that mean.

IT'S A BOY!

So congratulations to Grandpa David, Ali, Nicki, Aunt Teri, Aunt Kathy, Dana, and Dr. Van Kessel for guessing correctly!

Cheers!

UltraSound

We had the 18 week UltraSound yesterday. Our baby is very healthy with all the normal measurements. Click on the picture above and you will see an enlarged view and the baby's profile on the UltraSound Screen. I will post whether we are having a boy or girl after I've had a chance to tell all our family in person at Christmas.
Happy Holidays!!

So True

Kicking!

I am definitely feeling little kicks now. When I was at the doctor yesterday, she said she could even HEAR the kicks through the doppler and wasn't surprised I could feel them. Though most women don't start feeling kicks until their 18-20th weeks during their first pregnancy, it's possible to feel them as early as 16 weeks (I'm 17 weeks now), especially women who've been pregnant before since they know what they feel like. At first I thought they were little gas bubbles or muscle twitches, but they are slightly different and a little stronger. I can't wait until they are strong enough for Phil to be able to feel.

By the way, the baby has a wonderful, strong heartbeat. It's music to my ears! My doctor is predicting a boy since the heartbeat sounds like a train. Girls apparently sound more like a galloping horse. Of course that's not exactly a scientific measurment, so I'm not taking that too seriously. We'll hopefully be able to tell next week, but my doctor said not to get my hopes up because 18 weeks is still a little early and the baby will have to be in just the right position to be able to see.

I've gained the appropriate 4 pounds since my last visit and my little bump is exactly as big as it should be, according to the doctor.

Guess the Birthday

Another chance to play along. Post what day and time you think the little one will be born. My due date is May 21, but only 5% of babies are born on their due date... Will I be one of the lucky ones?

Closest one wins...tbd...

Boy or Girl?

Here's your chance to post whether you think I'm having a boy or girl. I will reveal the answer on Christmas Day (assuming we were able to find it out at the UltraSound) so place your bets before then. Otherwise, I won't believe you if you say, "I knew it!"

We made a baby!

Yes, it's true. Phil and I are about to become parents!! After 7 years of marriage we figured it's time to really shake things up. Our little one is due on May 21, 2007. We can't wait to find out if we're having a boy or girl. I don't like calling our baby "it". So impersonal. We should be able to find out at my next UltraSound, December 20th. Naturally, Phil's hoping for a boy and I'm hoping for a girl.

We wanted to wait until Thanksgiving to announce my pregnancy since the risk of miscarriage drops dramatically in the 2nd trimester. But it's been, as Phil calls it, "The Rollout Release". It's hard not to say anything to the people you see everyday. It's also hard (for Phil) to keep straight who knows and who doesn't know, so it's easy to slip. When we told my Dad and his family on Thanksgiving, it was really fun to surprise him with a picture of a recent UltraSound. He thought at first it was a picture of me that my mom had found or something, but then he saw the date! Not 1980! Boy was he thrilled to find out he was going to have a grandchild! My mom is super excited to be a Grandma too, though I don't think she'll be letting her hair go gray for at least a few more years!

My belly is just starting to pop out a bit here in the 15th week of pregnancy. It seems you can blame almost anything on pregnancy—food cravings, mood swings, gas, bad hair days, stuffy nose, constipation—ok, I'll spare you the details! Luckily, I never had any "morning sickness", although frequent headaches and extreme fatigue are just as bad. But one thing I never really realized about pregnancy is how much you worry. I pray almost constantly that my little one will be healthy. I can barely think about anything else.

As of now, the baby is around 4 inches from head to rump, and weighs around 2 1/2 ounces. We could see and hear a healthy heartbeat on the Sonogram at my last doctor visit. Despite all the moving around he/she was doing for the camera, I can't feel any movement yet. They say the first kicks are felt at 18-20 weeks.

Once the baby's born I plan on not working for at least 3 months and then taking on whatever freelance design work I can handle/get, probably at most 15-20 hrs/week, working mainly from home. Phil also gets 5 weeks PAID paternity leave from Costco! Isn't that incredible?! I'm hoping he'll use that time to bond with the newborn and not go on a road trip with the guys... (did you hear that, honey?! Did you hear that, MARK??!!)

Phil and I are overjoyed with this blessing God has given us. Stay tuned for updates on this incredible journey.