Oh my goodness is lots going on!

WHEW...I feel like the last few days have been whirlwind! There's so much I've been planning on writing and just not enough time to do it. I don't want to have mega-posts either, so I'll try to bullet and be brief. Try being the operative word.

• Matthew is "thriving" according to the doctor! Our appointment was yesterday and he weighed 16 oz. The sono tech said that's dead average, I wasn't destined to have a large baby (fine with me!), and amniotic fluid and placenta and all that stuff looked great. Then the doctor came in, looked for the kidney (Uni-Kidney he still is!), didn't find it but said all was well, he's growing fine and thriving. I told John as a mommy, I LOVED hearing the doctor say "thriving." They'll continue to monitor throughout pregnancy and closer to the due date, they'll do a last ultrasound, write up a report and have it ready for the pediatrician for when Matthew is born. More than likely, when he's born, they'll do a renal ultrasound, confer with Children's or Bethesda and go from there. Depending on our pediatrician's advice, he'll most likely just be monitored at a yearly physical for kidney function, but all in all, he should be just fine. So many people only have one kidney, whether they were born that way or donated, and knowing he only has one will just be a little more of an advantage in precaution--though the specialist said that nowadays with protective gear, even contact sports are not necessarily out of the picture. So, long story short, it was a great day and I loved seeing him again. I have been sort of sweating this last month out, hoping for good growth and amniotic fluid, and God has provided! He's gained 7 oz. (I gained 5 pounds!) in 28 days and at the next appointment, he should be a 2 pounder! The pictures weren't super this time because there was something going on with their machine, but I still love them.
  

Face is a bit blurry, but that's my angel!

This is his profile...already looking like he's furrowing his brow!

• After hearing Matthew was thriving, I finally felt a little better about registering, which John has been pestering me about for a while. It was very, very strange for me to do that because for years and years, I've always bought OFF the registry for others...haven't even THOUGHT about having one of our own! I'm also a bit uncomfortable 'signing' up for things for people to buy. The presumption that people will buy makes me feel weird, though I LOVE that people register because it makes gift buying so easy and I HATE it when I know I'm going to buy something for someone but have NO IDEA what to get. In any event, it was weird. We registered in Annapolis because the Waldorf Babies R Us has the WORST customer service EVER (I just got off the phone with their corporate office complaining because there is just NO reason for other stores to be lovely and theirs to be HORRID!) and whenever I go to Waldorf, they act as if I ought to be charged for breathing the air. But I digress...the gist was, we registered and John had fun. We also got a SUPER deal on a stroller. We've already bought an infant car seat and stroller frame to get us through the first year or so and give us the opportunity to not have to have the huge travel system (difficult for me to deal with, really) and then had planned on getting a Britax convertible for once he's forward facing and the Chicco Capri for stroller duty. Well, while registering, we came across 2 Peg Pereggo Aria OHs that were on sale for $80! This is a $200 stroller that gets great reviews, is a *little* bigger than the Capri but has better features and was a super deal--they just had too many of them! Well, I was glad to take one off their hands, and even John was glad about the great deal we got. Here's a picture:








• Since our last visit in Annapolis, I've been craving two things...Macaroni Grill's Pinot Grigio Chicken and Cheesecake Factory's Blackout Cake. I haven't had much as far as cravings go--beef, bacon and Granddad's Brown Rice have been it, really. HOWEVER...as much as I do not like chocolate (no, I don't...never have...like Rollos or Reese's but only because of the caramel or the peanut butter), Matthew DOES! Yep...I've ordered chocolate cake, pudding and even ate cheesecake the other day (another NOT LIKE of mine) because it was chocolate. Funny sense of humor that little guy has, huh? Anyway, imagine my extreme and utter disappointment when we got to Macaroni Grill and I was told that they DO NOT MAKE THE PINOT GRIGIO CHICKEN ANYMORE!!!!! "What?!" I asked in disbelief. "Does Macaroni Grill not realize I am PREGNANT and have desperately been craving that?" Yeah...guess not. So, I logged right on to their website and ranted and raved. We'll see what that does. On the upside, I *did* get the Blackout Cake and it is divine, really. I'd share, but it's gone.

As this is lengthy, here's other news:

• Dixie is still so mourning Raleigh. The other day, she brought his bandana downstairs to us...gently holding it in her mouth and looking at us like she didn't understand. Me neither, Dixie...me neither.
• We got Raleigh's ashes and will be putting them with Random's this weekend and letting them go in the woods he loved so much. We got a card from our vet that made us cry our eyes out and we are getting through day by day.
• John's gearing up to leave on Tuesday for hopefully a month, but probably more like a month and a half. I'm dreading that, but being a military spouse, I can't complain because him being gone could be SO much worse than it is.
• I went to a GREAT conference on Wednesday and it was like God planned it just for me. The speaker was Frank Kros of the Upside Down Organization and it was basically a whole day about the brain differences between boys and girls. It was an AMAZING conference, and in the next few days, I'll blog about it because there are lots of things I want to remember as the mother of a son. I love that. The mother of a son!
  
  

Mundane Monday

Not too much going on at the Ennis house today...and honestly, I'm thankful for that. Between all these appointments for my back, I seem to be always gone or something going on every day. We enjoyed being out in Northern Virginia this weekend, did some shopping, picked mom up, John made it out there, had a wonderful summer dinner on Saturday, picked up the baby furniture (looks great!) and just sort of relaxed a bit. The carpet cleaner is here today and I'm LOVING it. He's a small, owns-his-own cleaning company and is doing a great job. He's very reasonably priced, and basically has turned his life around after coming to Christ a few years ago. That's TOTALLY the business I want to support. Anyway, the whole house smells fresher, though Dixie is frustrated and I'm sure contemplating how to make it smell like dog again.

Speaking of Dixie Belle...she's having a rough time of it without Raleigh, and especially now that mom's dog Lola is back at home. She's not eating (not too unusual, but even wet food!) and is just sort of moping around the house like she doesn't know what to do with herself. I hate it for her because at least I know what's going on...I don't understand it sometimes, but I know what it is. Not so for her...she just knows her Raleigh Bear is gone and she's sad. Don't tell me dogs don't have some sort of sense of feelings...I don't know what to call it, but I KNOW it exists.

Having to move all the furniture is a great opportunity to do some much needed spring/summer cleaning, so I'm glad that today is that day...we had horrible storms last night and looks like we may have a few more this afternoon, so it's a great chore day. Plus, my back hurts less when I'm standing/moving around. Sitting really just does me in. More reason to NOT be a couch potato!

John really felt Matthew kick around a lot last night. At first he didn't, and John wanted to know why. I told him that Matthew was mad at daddy for being so grumpy with mommy earlier in the day. (I LOVE this excuse!) John has been completely and totally busy and consumed with work recently, and his 'plan' for the furniture yesterday just wasn't really a plan (and fizzled to boot) so he was frustrated and aggravated that my pestering for him to have more of a gelled and confirmed plan may have been the right road to travel. In any event, I was really just joking...I didn't know why he wasn't kicking either, but maybe three minutes later, Matthew started to go nuts! John held his hand on my stomach for a good 3-4 minutes and kept feeling all kinds of leaps and bounds! He could even hear little 'thunks' when he put his ear to my stomach.

I've always said that I wanted to be a mom...and when I was younger, I assumed it would be because I had given birth and as I got older (and realized that's not always the way it works) I realized that being a mom was WAY more important to me than giving birth. I have to say, though, I LOVE how much John loves me being pregnant and I love how much he already loves this baby. I could have lived a life never once regretting I didn't give birth, if that's what was to be in my life but I still had children, but I really am thankful to God that John has had the opportunity to experience this all. Pregnancy definitely agrees with him.

Moving on.

Okay, so after having a good cry over our answering machine (which says, "John, Lori, Dixie and Raleigh can't come to the phone *insert Raleigh barking*), and listening to John tell me last night that he couldn't even look at my blog because that last sweet picture of Raleigh made him...well, made his eyes sweat (Marines don't cry), I have to help move things on.

He's been pushing for more pictures, so I guess I can put a few up.

Me before Baby Birthing Class

I need to preface the next picture with the information that I did NOT necessarily want to do a 'belly' shot, but my friend Deb (who was with us) and John kept pushing for it, so I did ONE. You can tell by my face it was not of my own will. I'm posting it, however, because I cannot BELIEVE how big I look--and since this book is for Matthew, he should know that it is THIS STOMACH (okay, and maybe those 'girls') that's making mommy's back hurt SO MUCH!
This is 21 weeks and 4 days...basically 5 and a half months. I'm already growing out of a lot of the maternity things I have...and have a while to go still! YIKES!

Don't get used to this pose.

As for baby birthing class, we passed. John kept trying to be class clown (which he got away with since we had just found out about Raleigh and no WAY was I going to give him a knuckle sandwich then) and really, it was pretty much stuff I knew. In fact, I found myself getting aggravated with people who were telling other people information like they knew what they were talking about. I guess because we went the "engineered" way, and I am an information-aholic (not to mention, married to Daddypedia) I am WAY more educated about a lot of this stuff than the average first time mom. I didn't really get too much new information from the nurse giving our class, which was sort of frustrating because I would rather have been with Raleigh, but we did practice some breathing and it was hammered in to John that his job was to make me comfortable. So, something accomplished. In any event, I still say, even in a birthing class, when showing the videos, there should be a "WARNING--GROSS STUFF COMING" disclaimer before they just flash to the money shots of childbirth.

EWWW. I will *NOT* be asking for a mirror for the process. Trust me.

Goodbye, Sweet Raleigh Bear

My heart is heavy, but I am so grateful for so many kind hearted words and comforts this weekend. We enjoyed the time we could, as best we could considering Raleigh was on a lot of pain medicine, and this afternoon, he went to join his brother Random and his Granddad Ennis and to meet his Grandma Jane. I'm thankful for the opportunity to take him to the beach one last time.

Raleigh Bear

Matthew,

I'm so sorry to tell you that you will never get to meet your Raleigh Bear. Daddy and I just got back from the vet and the news was not good. Raleigh has cancer of the spleen and it has spread throughout his body. Daddy and I brought him home today so we could spend one last weekend with him, maybe take him swimming and play ball a bit, but we have to go back on Monday and we won't have him after that.

Raleigh enjoying the yard this June...he loves his yard and the ball!

My heart hurts so much right now. Raleigh has always been such a dear, sweet dog. He had a rough life before we were lucky enough to adopt him, and he helped heal my heart some after we lost Random. He has always loved food, pets and playing ball or swimming, and now he just really doesn't show interest in food. He's breathing heavily and though the doctor said though he's not in pain, he's certainly not comfortable. So, we're going to love on him and feed him steaks all weekend and see if he's up to swimming a little bit.

Raleigh on the deck today...looking tired, but still happy and eager to please.

This is hard! The vet suggested we just leave him there today, because there was nothing that can be done and it's just going to get worse. We just are going to have such a hard time on Monday because as uncomfortable as we know he is, he still is wagging his tail for us and wants to be near us. Making decisions that you know are for the best isn't always easy, but they are a part of life. My hope for you is that when you come to these types of decisions, you will have the peace of mind that comes with knowing you've made all previous decisions in good faith and conscience, and directed by your moral compass--and that allows you some calm.

We adopted Raleigh in January of 2005 from the Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue. He was named Snorkel, and we couldn't understand why. Having a penchant for dog names having some significance, we changed it to Raleigh Snorkel--seeing as he came from Raleigh. Well, sort of. He actually was *rescued* from Raleigh but he was saved from a pound in Onslow County--where we lived!!! We drove all that way, but it was meant to be!

Raleigh's referral picture...he's always been very handsome!

He's checking out his new house...fresh after a haircut!

Our Random was not really sure of why we brought this new dog into the house, and honestly, Random was not the nicest to Raleigh in the beginning. He seemed to think Raleigh was sort of a 'dumb blonde' but that never phased Raleigh. He just grinned and gallumped around the house and loved every second of life. Eventually, Raleigh and Random learned that they were ok with being brothers, and I loved having my sweet boys. Raleigh lives for food, his ball and pets, and has such a gentle and calm spirit...most of the time.

Random seriously questioning our decision making skills...he couldn't believe Raleigh had the audacity to be so, well...goofy!



"Seriously?" Random always seemed to say...(this was our Easter picture that year!)

Raleigh was living the good life and Random was just thinking we were NUTS!

This was our Christmas card that year...

At Grandma's...finally accepting that the big goofy bear isn't *all* that bad...

Raleigh likes his ball a bit too much sometimes. When Raleigh is hunkered over his ball, it's best to just NOT mess with him. He'll "smile" at you if you do. "Smiling" comes from your cousin Ryan--who was making some gestures at Raleigh that Raleigh didn't like, but Ryan thought the raised lip was a smile, not a snarl! One of the things we've noticed lately is that Raleigh doesn't even seem to be too concerned with his ball anymore, and it's pretty easy for either me or Daddy to get it away from him.

Raleigh "Smiling" at Dixie...and she has never been daunted! He ONLY gave it up for her!

After Random died and we brought Dixie home, Raleigh really was concerned about what to do with that little furball. She was a spitfire, and bless his heart, he has always been so good about tolerating her! Up until recently, Dixie has been the only creature on earth that could ever take take a ball from Raleigh or get away with half of the stuff she does! He has come to love Dixie and she's going to be so sad without her big brother.

Dixie has never been afraid to play and Raleigh was a little unsure about this little girl!

Dixie desperately wishing she had her big brother's ball...

"WHEW...she makes me tired!"

Raleigh has a sweet heart and is a love. I am so sorry that he will not be *your* Raleigh Bear, as we have been so blessed to have him be ours.

One day, sadly, we'll have to have this conversation for your Dixie Belle, and you'll know that I will truly understand how your heart hurts. The worst part of pet ownership is this part...when you realize that he won't be with you anymore and you'll miss him so. Take comfort in this--the time you have is so worth it, though. The memories and joy and love and dedication that comes from having a pet (and especially a dog!) are *so* worth it.

Dixie's always loved her brother...

One of Daddy's favorite memories of Raleigh Bear...he loved that day with Uncle Kevin!

We make a difference!

I got this email and then saw Cindy's post. At the time Cindy did this, there were 291 signatures. I was just 430. It makes a difference, and it is so easy to do.

In a world where we are concerned about RATS being "confined to squalor," (see John Wright's post on this if you really want to be aggravated!) seriously...can't we take a minute to try and make homes for children happen?

Call to Action: Families For Orphans Act!

I received the news item below and want to encourage everyone to sign the petition available via a link at the JCICS web site at http://www.jcics.org/ and to contact your senators and representatives to encourage them to pass the act. There are currently 291 signers as of this moment...let's get that to 1000 quickly! Then 10,000!!
We all know it would be best of there were no orphans, if children could remain with biological families and within their birth culture. But the fact is that for the forseeable future this will be impossible on a global scale. Institutions are not the answer, lingering foster care is not the answer...permanent families of any color, race or culture IS the only "next best" answer. Please support this Act!

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CALL TO ACTION: Families For Orphans ActDear Friends and Families,Anshula has recently come into an orphanage. She is four years old and alone. Where should she spend her childhood? In an orphanage? In temporary foster care? Or in a permanent and loving family?

The answer should be obvious: a safe, permanent and loving family. Unfortunately, the U.S. government and many aide organizations do not seem to agree. In fact, the U.S. sometimes spends millions of dollars, ensuring just the opposite. And while beloved organizations such as UNICEF keep millions of children alive, many believe it is better for children to live in temporary foster care than in a permanent family. The children of our world need your help to make a change. They need your help to live in a permanent family.As a founding member of the Families For Orphans Coalition, Joint Council is proud to announce that the first step in making this much-needed change is upon us. In a bi-partisan effort, landmark legislation was introduced into Congress, which will ensure that U.S. government programs, policies and funding are directed towards a singular goal: a permanent family for every child.The Families For Orphans Act (Senate Bill 1458 and House Bill 3070), sponsored by Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and James Inhofe (R-OK) along with Representatives Diana Watson (D-CA) and John Boozman (R-AR) demonstrates our collective commitment to the millions of children living outside of permanent parental care and proactively addresses a global gap in the most basic of human rights - the right to a permanent family.While the introduction of the legislation is an important first step, there is much more to be done. Now we must ensure that the Families For Orphans Act becomes the law of the United States. To do this, your voice is needed. Speak for those to cannot speak for themselves by supporting the Families For Orphans Act and joining our Call To Action.What can you do?Sign the Families For Orphans petition, make three simple phone calls, and get the word out!

Here are the details...1. Sign our Petition!Sign the Joint Council Families for Orphans PetitionThe Petition will be delivered to the U.S. Congress

2. Call Congress!On July 28th, 29th, and 30th, call your three Members of Congress (two in the Senate and one in the House of Representatives).You can find your Representative at http://www.house.gov/You can find you Senators' at http://www.senate.gov/Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of StaffFor maximum effect, we are asking you to make these calls within this 72-hour window!

3. Get the word out!Send this email to friends and family. Post to your Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, blog or website .What should you say or write to your Members of Congress?This is an issue that is critical to children in need, so speak from your heart. Tell them why ensuring more children living in families is so important to you!Ask your Senators and Representatives to become a Co-Sponsor of the Families for Orphans Act.Please feel free to use the following text as a guideline when speaking with your Members of Congress."As a constituent of we are requesting that you support the Families For Orphans Act by becoming a Co-Sponsor of the legislation. For information on becoming a Co-Sponsor, please contact Senator Mary Landrieu, Senator James Inhofe, Representative Diane Watson or Representative John Boozman. Thank you for representing your constituents by becoming a Co-Sponsor of the Families For Orphans Act (Senate Bill 1458 and House Bill 3070)."More Information For detailed information on the Families For Orphans Act visit:The Joint Council website (www.jcics.org)For minute-by-minute updates, see Joint Council's page on Facebook

Rebecca HarrisGovernment Relations and Communications Manager

The Families For Orphans Coalition

Bye-Bye Music...

Oh dear Lord...the music drives me nuts. Cute, love Jack Johnson, love the Upside Down song, but the music bothers me. That was my fear considering on other blogs *I* turn volume down, so the music will have to go. I'll save it for cute little videos I make once I figure out Adobe Photoshops Video Premier program. Add that to my list.

John felt Matthew kick for the first time two days ago! I'm feeling it more and more, and finally am getting some kicks that even Daddy could feel. Matthew likes sugary stuff, apparently (Moose Munch, anyone?), and is pretty active just about ANY time I *lay* down. Ha ha...that'll be fun in a few months, huh? In any event, Daddy was very excited about feeling him and I love that he enjoys this pregnancy so much. Then again, growing babies is HARD so I bet it's pretty fun to be on his side--watching and experiencing without the physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractor, sleepless nights, ligaments tearing, sore chest (those girls...it's like they are in a race with my stomach..and they're actually putting up quite a good fight!), and oh-so-many-more *fun* things that accompany human growth.

My favorite response so far? "You ate the apple."

Ha ha...actually, *I* did NOT eat the apple, and I'm fully aware that this is all what comes with bringing a human being into the world. Doesn't mean that it's comfortable. I'm a good 10 years+ past the point where most of my peers had their kids, don't even hit 5 feet and was 97 pounds (wet) when I got pregnant. Yes, my body is amazing and God made it capable of glorious things...but doesn't glory often come with a price?

And worth it? Absolutely.

Music?

So, I just love Jack Johnson and really loved his music for the Curious George Soundtrack when it came out....then I thought about how cute a couple of those songs were for my little monkey and was determined to make a music background for the blog. MUCH to John's dismay. He said he HATES music on the background of blogs and I told him maybe he just needed to like the songs...and he loves Jack Johnson. The Dixie Chicks? Not so much (me neither, really, but the gal wrote that sweet little song for her son and since there are hardly ANY baby/little boy songs, I'll go with it).

Anyway, I spent, literally 2+ hours working on that last night. I went to several different googled sites, followed directions, yada yada. I am not truly high tech, but I'm certainly somewhat clued in. So, you can imagine my frustration. I Facebooked my status and went to bed.

Well, Marnie commented on my status and told me to go to a website I spent a good amount of time with last night (with no success!) and today? Voila. Thank you, Marnie, for whatever it was that worked today and didn't last night!!!

So, now the question is.....and put your honesty hats on, please, is the music distracting? I admit that I often find myself turning the volume down on blogs I go to and music is playing. I am not sure why, because I always *look* to see what the music is and I love finding new songs, but John does have a point...I tried mine this morning and it was a little hard to read because I was listening to the song. I'm throwing it out there then....music or no?

Oh, and one more thing--is anyone else who blogs find when doing spellcheck that words they TOTALLY spelled correctly are coming up as misspelled, then the *suggestion* is spelled EXACTLY THE SAME? Is spellcheck really just trying to make me crazy?

We'll see...

Well, do not ask why but in a serious procrastination moment (actually, trying to get some relief for my back will be my story!) I googled "What will my baby look like?" and came across this website. Not necessarily having the best pictures loaded on this new laptop, I figured I'd still see what came of it. So, here's what http://www.morpthing.com/ says Matthew will look like.

I have to say that considering the pictures of John and me used to 'morph' were not the best pictures, as I was sort of in a hurry (an awful by-product of procrastinating!), I'm don't think that the kid looks too bad. I still envision brown eyes and maybe not quite the wide forehead, but compared to a 'morphed' picture we got 12 years ago at Dave and Buster's, we'll take this kid any day! That picture 12 years ago nearly scared me to death and reminds me (scarily) of the locals Mala encountered last week. Seriously.

Grandma Jane's birthday....

....was yesterday. She would have been 61 years old and it's hard to believe she has been gone for 6 years.

I miss my mom every day. I miss her even more because I know she'd just be thrilled to death to hear every single second about Matthew. She'd have already sent me 1000 articles on how uni-kidneys (as we are affectionately calling him...gotta have a smile about it!) grow up to rule the world. She'd probably have already called my OB-Gyn 15 times (and would have worked her way around the privacy laws too!) just to make sure care was top-notch and anything to make me comfortable would be happening. She'd have told all her blog friends about how she was going to have another little grandson and she would have been so excited because she loved her little Jakie-Baby and all his energy! She would have framed all the sonogram pictures and had them all around her computer (her favorite place) with pictures of Kayla and Jake and she would have been SO proud!

She would be THE one the doctor would NOT want to mess with if I looked like I was in the slightest bit of pain during delivery and I'd not have to worry a second about the cord being wrapped because she'd be *so* all over that situation.

The thing I miss the most...and there are so, so, so many...is that to my mom, I was her baby. I think of how much I love and adore this little one growing inside of me and think of how whether it was a good day or bad, I was my mom's baby. It's a comforting feeling, knowing that you are someone's baby and knowing what my mom went through just in having me and then comparing that to what we've gone through to have Matthew..well, I appreciate that love even more.

My hope for Matthew is that he always, always, always knows he is my baby...and he's very loved, and he would have been an apple of his Grandma Jane's eye.

Video efforts revisited...

***UPDATED---Apparently, on Youtube, I have to make it viewable to the world in order to have it viewed here. I actually think it is kind of funny that I have no problem sharing the intimate details of in vitro (among other things) but didn't want the world to be able to see this video, just people who make it to this blog. I'm a nut. In any event, it's viewable now, so it SHOULD be working. Then again...I've typed that before.***

Well, what a PAIN IN THE BOTTOM this morning has been. I took Maria's advice and went the Youtube route. (This is what Blogger suggested I do as well, so good on you, Maria!) After 2 HOURS of uploading a blipping minute and a half video, trying to follow the directions that did NOT necessarily work, I *think* I may have Helen-Kellered myself into getting a video to work. We'll see. According to 'preview', it worked, but I'm just going to hold my breath until I play it after I've published. Ahh...technology. Actually, I love it, but it sure can be frustrating sometimes!

In any event, HOPEFULLY, here's my boy!

Daddy's a fabulous photographer!

At our appointment on Thursday, John took some videos on our FABULOUS little camera...Seriously, this camera was well under $200, takes awesome still pictures and the video is pretty good too! It's small, has great zoom and captured THE moment...the moment MOMMY WAS RIGHT! I tried to play around with it, but didn't get too far. Darn it. Guess I'll have to actually READ some more and figure the Photoshop Video program out. Of course, I just tried to upload it and it wouldn't let me, so here's the raw video that proves mother's intuition speaks volumes. Hopefully, I'll figure out why the one I made in photoshop doesn't work. I reported the info blogger told me to, so we'll see...awww, heck...I'm having trouble with just the stupid little video clip.

It may be easy to tell that this post took a good 40 minutes to complete--base that assumption on my cheery mood at the beginning of it and my FRUSTRATION now. I'm trying ONE LAST TIME, BLOGGER, and then I'm going to bed. (I'm sure Blogger is quaking in its boots.)
One more thing...since WHEN was this character (!), my much-loved little exclamation point, NOT allowed in a post label? UGH.

Oh, for Heaven's sake. Take my word for it. He's a boy. Who wanted to see the video anyway?
(Written 53 minutes after I started typing...and I'm a VERY fast typist.)

A slight change and the winner....

Today is officially the halfway point of the pregnancy. It seems like it has flown by, but then again, it seems like the next 20 weeks are going to drag! John decided that he liked the Ahoy, Mate bedding (glad we saw it in person, we'd have never known) because he has liked the deep blue color since we started looking, loves the little monkey and hey--who can resist baby bedding that has Fudgie the Whale? (Maybe just a Northern Virginia commercial staple, but we sure did love the early Carvel ice cream cake commercials where "Fudgie" was featured!)

Because he chose that bedding, we decided that it would look better with the darker bedding furniture (and frankly, I think I liked the darker just a hair better anyway) so he called Baby2Teen (great store, ask for Suzy if you are in the NOVA or Fredericksburg area) and she was coincidentally processing our order as he called. "Perfect timing," he said!

I'm also going to go give acupuncture a try today. My back has really just been *uncomfortable* and I'm not sleeping or doing much that I want to do. I have PT tomorrow, so hopefully something will come of it. I'm a bit apprehensive about the acupuncture, but I know people SWEAR by it, so I won't down it 'til I've tried it.

I cleaned out the baby's room on Saturday, so all traces of baby girl are gone and the stockpile for baby boy has begun! It's definitely a lot harder to find cute boy things that daddy doesn't feel are too 'sissy' but they are out there, so I press on! Until then, here's the final choices for the bedding and the furniture.

Same crib, different finish--Java

Tuscan dresser by Pali, Java

Ahoy, Mate! (I LOVE that monkey!!)

Your nursery furniture...

Boy, is daddy having fun! Today we dragged Grandma out and we looked around at nursery furniture. For the record, don't let anyone tell you that *I* am the one who has expensive taste, because daddy gets to take that crown. In his defense, though, he picked out very solid, strong and handsome looking furniture. Now, if I could just get him to pick out the bedding. He's leaning toward the Jungle Babies, but today we found a cute pattern called Ahoy Mate that has the blues daddy likes as well as the cute little monkey. So...I'm going to just have to force him to make a decision. Until then, here's what your furniture looks like (as well as the Ahoy Mate pattern).

Tuscan crib by Pali

Tuscan Double Dresser by Pali

Ahoy, Mate! by Nojo

Some options...

Well, since Matthew is a boy after all, daddy gets to pick the bedding. (Plus, I don't get the Vera Bradley diaper bag...girl I did, boy I didn't.) So, we've been looking at a few things and wondered what others thought....here are a couple of pictures; let us know what you like!

What pilot daddy can resist an aviation theme?

Daddy has always liked his tropical fish!

OR...can't decide which we like better....

But...you ARE our little monkey already....

Feeling a bit better...

Okay Matthew, I will admit. I was thrilled to learn you are going to be a (bouncing!) baby boy, but a little overwhelmed at some of the information that goes with finding out you may only have one kidney (and if I'm honest, wondering how to turn that totally girl haven into a Little Monkey jungle).

I'm feeling a bit better today. Stress is the last thing your poor little body needs, so I'm going to do my very best to not stress so much. As you grow, you will find you are the son of the most worrisome and overprotective mother alive and you will be annoyed. I apologize now--it is just because you are so precious to me, and have been since the very possibility of you existed. But...dear friends and family have given lots of encouragement and advice, so I'll take it to heart and be thankful to God the kidney Dr. Sweeney saw was evident and doing a nice job. After reading up on this all, daddy and I realized we were so blessed they found one!

Some little pieces of notes that mommy has found encouragement in...

From your Aunt Heather's friend, who is a pediatric nephrologist at UNC---
One kidney is actually quite common. We re able to diagnose this more frequently antenatally now due to the availability of prenatal ultrasounds. A good marker of in utero renal function is amniotic fluid level. In infants it can be due to: (1) unilateral renal agenesis, (2) regression of a malformed rudimentary kidney (multicystic dysplastic ... Read Morekidney - MCDK) or (3) there can be a fusion of the 2 kidneys (i.e. horseshoe kidney or cross-fused ectopia). We manage many kiddos at UNC Pediatric Nephrology department with solitary kidneys who are all normal and healthy. Really, in essence all renal transplant patients have only 1 solitary functioning kidney (the actual transplant) in addition to their 1 or 2 non-functioning native kidneys. Some patient resources:
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/solitarykidney/ http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.kidney.ca/page.asp?intNodeID=22142 http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.revistanefrologia.com/fileingles.asp?ID=2795
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1472993

Remember, Matthew is "made in God's image" and is "wonderfully and fearfully made". God knew him before he "knit him in his mother's womb". Give it all to Him and know that He will handle it and you won't have to.

Don't borrow trouble with the kidney, wait and see what develops. If its only one, he'll be OK anyway and it might just prove to be two!Hmmm...boys...man are you lucky!

Hey Lori,
Just wanted to let you know my sister only has 1 kidney and all is well!!

Just wanted you to know too that when I had my u/s with the genetic doc with R that she thought there was a problem with his kidneys too. We went back 4 weeks later and it turned out every thing was fine.

A**** has left renal agenesis. She will be 2 in Jan. and so far no kidney issues. Congrats!

Trust in God's plan, He will take care of everything.

Little Monkey (for I already know that's what you are!), you are a very loved and lifted little boy!

Something to be said for Mother's Intuition....

Well, John Matthew, mommy was RIGHT! You are our baby BOY!

Let the record reflect that mommy has thought you were a boy before you were even conceived! Daddy is very sorry he's been calling you Molly, and is very excited that someone else in the house will like snakes. The sonographer said you were VERY wiggly (You are! We couldn't believe how much you moved around and loved seeing you yawn!) and stubborn (soooo your daddy's boy!) and liked...well, enjoyed your boy parts. Which, were pretty obvious! You are already pretty freaking adorable.
We are a little worried about you, though...so hang tight and keep growing nicely. Neither the sonographer nor the doctor (who everyone raves about, by the way, so I felt pretty confident with him) could find both of your kidneys. The doctor said it could just still be not noticeable (which I doubt because the other one very plainly was) or it could be ectopic and/or in your pelvic area or...and here's what I think...you just only have one kidney. I asked him what that meant and he said, "Well, he'll never be a kidney donor."

Ba-dum-dum.

He then went on to tell us not to worry too much just yet (yeah, right) and that the one he could see looked like it was doing a decent job of urinating and creating the amniotic fluid, but we had to come back in 4 weeks and they would monitor closely throughout the pregnancy. He told us that it was called unilateral renal agenesis and that if I looked on the internet and wanted to talk to him I could. Ha ha, he seemed to know me! We have looked into a lot of things and basically see that once born, with good management, things can very likely be fine. This will sort of put a damper on things should you be interested in wrestling or boxing, but that's fine with me.

Mommy's concern is that your poor little kidney can handle doing all the work by itself and can keep making that amniotic fluid you need. We'll know more on July 30 because then they'll again measure the fluid and see if anything has changed. If you do indeed just have the one little kidney, when you are born, we will have to monitor you lots and say prayers that you don't have UTIs or kidney stones or some other stuff I can't explain right now, but we will certainly and gladly do that.

Dear little boy...I just so strongly believe you are ordained by God and destined to be our boy. I have always dreamed (save the Molly-half hamster dream) that if I was a mommy, it was to a little boy named Matthew. I am very, very worried about you, but have been since the second we learned you were alive and I don't think that will change. Please, please, please know how much you are already loved and that I will do all I can to make sure you are healthy and happy.

Daddy said we had a lot of shopping to do (since your room is FULL of girl stuff!) but I told him that was not a big deal since we were off the hook now with paying for a wedding! (BTW...I know it's early, but PLEASE find a good girl to marry and not some hoochie-mama that I will cry about!)

Speaking of daddy...don't worry. I made things easy on him. I went ahead and just told him I was right and he was wrong so he didn't have to break down and do it himself...

Lots of love to you baby boy...and no worries about your blog background. I'll work on getting a boy background!