21-week Ultrasound Pics

Here are some of the much anticipated ultrasound pictures! You will have to forgive the quality (or lack thereof) as we no longer have a scanner. I am hoping that my new doc here in Des Moines will do a 3D ultrasound - that is the only one my sister-in-law had. If we're not going to find out this kid's gender, it would be nice to at least have some idea what he/she is going to look like!

Hi world!

BIG stretch!

My personal favorite - looks like he/she has Daddy's big feet!

Baby has been very active lately, especially in the evenings (let's hope this isn't a forecast of what's to come!) A couple nights ago, our good friend Sara (and our new neighbor!) brought us some oatmeal & chocolate chip cookies - they must have done the trick! Baby was tossing and turning and kicking all evening! So much so that even Ethan got a feel. He now asks every night whether or not the baby is kicking and puts his hand on my stomach just in case. :)

We're hoping to take in our first Waukee High School football game tonight. The stadium is less than a mile from our house, so even if we're not there, we're sure to hear the sounds of Friday night football. Earlier this week, we woke up to the sounds of the Warrior Marching Band practicing at 7:00 am! Poor kids!

Baby will also be going to his/her first NFL game this weekend. We were lucky enough to be invited to attend the Kansas City Chiefs game tomorrow. They are playing the Seahawks and I am ready with my Seahawks t-shirt! It should be interesting! The entire Owens' family thinks I'm nuts for sporting the blue and green and thinks that I will be heckled all night. Just in case, though, my dad has given me some excellent self-defense pointers. So, if the next belly pics show me with a black eye (or two), you'll know why. :)

UPDATE

Wow, has it been an eventful week (and it's not over yet!) Wednesday, I had the big ultrasound. Since Ethan wasn't able to join me, I was very lucky to have my mom along - she may have enjoyed it more than me! What an experience! As of right now, it looks like we have a healthy, bouncing baby on the way - and I mean bouncing! Baby was squirming, twisting and turning the entire time! We were able to see 2 eyes, 2 arms, 2 legs, 2 kidneys and all 4 chambers of the heart! Everything seems to be measuring just right for where we are (21 weeks) and baby is estimated to be about 14 oz - right on track! We have lots of cute pictures to share, and one of these days (hopefully sooner as opposed to later), I'll get the posted for everyone to see (belly pics too!) We still don't know what we're having and are waiting for the big surprise on baby's birthday. So stay tuned!

Mom and Dad left this morning after their week-long visit. They were able to get up to Waukee with us and see our new place. Our trip to and fro was not without adventure, though. On our trip home, we were cruising along in the Escape, about an hour and a half outside of Des Moines when, all of a sudden, the car stopped. Just quit! I have had my car for about 7 years now and nothing of the sort has EVER happened, let alone in the middle of Iowa! So, mom, dad and I got to spend some quality family time (about 3 hours) sitting alongside the highway waiting for Ethan (who ended up waiting about another hour for a tow truck to arrive) to arrive with his car. Fortunately, the weather couldn't have been more perfect - not too hot, not too cold, a nice breeze and sunshine! I also happened to have a deck of cards in the car (don't ask - I don't even know why!) so mom taught me a new card game as we sat on a blanket next to a soy bean field. :) As it turns out, it was nothing serious - some debris got in to the air filter sensor. We were expecting to shell out the equivalent of our first house payment, but ended up spending less than $100! Talk about a nice surprise. Needless to say, our 5 1/2 hour drive home turned in to about 9 hours. We were all a little cranky when we got in and my bed has never looked so good!

This weekend is the big move. Ethan will arrive in St. Louis some time tomorrow afternoon, and his brother, tomorrow evening. We have 3 other college athletes (as the Owens' boys like to be called) helping out Saturday morning, when we'll load up the truck (the biggest one U-Haul has to offer!) and head north.

A huge thanks to my mom and dad for finishing the packing process for us and a huge thanks to all the guys who will be helping us on both ends - beer and pizza will be provided! :)