Baby Showers

Just a quick note for all you family and friends who have calendars that quickly fill up---we will have a friends baby shower on either the Saturday of Valentine's weekend or the Saturday following, and we will have a family baby shower one of those same weekends on a Sunday. Once Matthew has his next term of classes scheduled we will settle on one of those weekends. It will most likely be Valentine's weekend, though--in the Seattle area. Mark your calendars because we'd love to see you all!!
Also, about 6 weeks after Greta has officially arrived in this world we will have another shower for girlfriends to meet her at my mom's in Olympia.
Can't wait!

It's a Girl! Part II

Matthew and I both thought it was a boy for some reason.....but we are overjoyed to know that we are having a daughter! Greta Bess Bradsher is on her way.

For several weeks we looked forward to this ultrasound, a routine procedure for all mothers-to-be at around 20 weeks of pregnancy. We couldn't wait to see the baby, make sure it was developing properly, and find out if it was a daughter or a son. When we arrived at the ultrasound place, though, we were told we wouldn't find out the sex of the baby! Due to BC abortion laws, technicians and doctors are not allowed to tell parents the sex of their baby until after 24 weeks of pregnancy. I was so disappointed!! The technician said that sometimes the baby makes his or her sex really obvious, though--and in that case there's no way around the parents knowing what it is. However, I would NOT have known by the looks of things that it was a girl...all of the sudden the technician just told us--despite what she'd said earlier!! She said "It's a little girl!" and I said "Matthew did you hear that?!" and looked over at him and he just looked dumbfounded and so happy and nodded and said with a laugh "Mmmm Hmmm"---I must say I did shed a little tear of joy :-) I would've been happy either way, of course, but KNOWING is so huge! In general the technician said the baby looked healthy and beautiful--all her organs and her spine were great, and she is in a great position. I am a little worried, though, because she's already 1 pound 6 ounces--at 20 weeks! My book says by 21 weeks baby is supposed to be 12 ounces....yikes!!! We've got a good and healthy one in there.

It's even more fun to talk to baby and about baby now--she's even more of a real person to us now that we know she's our little Greta. We can't wait to see her again in a little less than 20 weeks!

It is a Girl.

We had our first full ultra-sound scan this morning. I will write a more in depth entry later, but for now, know that our baby is a girl, seems healthy and normal, and is now due on March 28th.

Kicks!

I (Matthew) felt baby kick for the first time this morning!

Growing, but not slowing.

Here is a picture I took last night of Megan. We thought it may be fun for you all to see how she has grown since the last time you saw her.

She went for a run on Saturday, and when she returned she told me that she felt like she could have kept going, she said she felt like her old self. So I think that she is doing really well. While she hasn't been running quite as much as she usually does, she often walks to or from work- that is about an hour long walk. She has been doing a water aerobics class on Thursday nights while I am in class, and she frequently does her 'body-building' exercises around the home: she does dips, and strange leg exercises (that are always interesting to watch), and generally continues to out-pace me in nearly everything. So, Megan is growing, but she is not slowing. I think that is a good indication that she and baby are healthy and happy.

Megan tells me that the books say that babies like when mom goes running/walking as it tends to rock them to sleep. Exercise also tends to make delivery a bit easier on mom and baby, and usually considerably faster. Let's hope!

We are very excited to have our first full ultra-sound scan in one week. This should tell us a lot about the baby, its health, its sex, and give us a cool picture to post on this blog. Be sure and visit our blog next Monday night, to see the picture and find out what we have learned.

We both enjoyed dinner with friends on Saturday; Nathan and Marisa have a three month old baby boy named Daniel. I had a lot of fun holding Daniel for extended periods of time while he drooled and stared at various things around the room, and I dreamed of April and holding our baby. I am beginning to feel the impatience that I have heard some of my male friends who have recently had children speak of. Its tough to have to wait to hold baby, know baby, take care of baby- especially since Megan is already experiencing those things. I can't wait until I get a turn!

I leave you all now with one more picture of Megan's baby bump, this picture was taken a week ago...