Ultrasound!!

So we are officially 20 weeks pregnant and going to the doctor today to find out if Baby O will be named John (Jack) Michael or Abigail (Abbie) Marie. Shawn and I are so excited we can barely even stand it. The fruit anaologies for this week of pregnancy say that Baby O is the size of a large banana. Starting at 20 weeks the baby is measured from head to toe rather than head to rump. I am feeling great and can feel the baby kicking pretty often, especially in the morning before I get out of bed. Sunday Shawn and I were listening to Baby O's heartbeat using a home fetal doppler and you could hear the baby moving around and kicking or punching. It was so wonderful.

Shawn and I are doing great and accumulating baby clothes and toys quickly from our friends who already have their babies. Once we know the sex we will be on our way to the amazing world of Babies' R' Us to determine exactly what we think we need and of course WANT!!

We cannot wait to share the sex and of course Baby O once he or she arrives with all of you. Thank you for your love and support.

A can of soup??

So I am 18 weeks pregnant today and Baby O is allegedly the size of a can of soup. These analogies are killing me.

We are excited to find out the sex and have a lot of stuff already that has been given to us by our wonderful friends and both my mom and Shawn's mom have been buying all kinds of things. We all had Mother's Day dinner at our house last night and it was absolutely fabulous to have everyone over to our house!!!!!!!! I love our house!!

Our St. Maarten Adventure

Shawn and I just got home from a ten day “babymoon” in St. Maarten. It was fabulous and we had such a wonderful time. It is so great to have met the man for me, and there was not one second when we were tired of one another or wished we could get away from one another. That is amazing to me. We went around the island, which is 37.5 square miles, on a 4-wheeler and had a blast. The island is half French and half Dutch; the Dutch side is more relaxed and laid back. We made friends with some locals and went to a Jam where they had models showing off new clothes and good music. Then it was Easter so they have this Carnival for almost two weeks and we went to the calypso parade. It was a bit overwhelming being the minority, like we only saw maybe two other white people the whole time, but also a blast and something you would not normally get to be a part of. We took a speedboat around the entire island and spent a few hours at two deserted islands. One was Tintamare Island, and we had a volcanic mud bath there. It was a blast and Shawn put mud all over me and the baby belly. When we were finished it was amazing because we went to rinse the mud off in the ocean and our skin felt like it had baby oil all over it. Next we went to Pinel Island where we snorkeled and had lunch. It was gorgeous and I wish I could go live there. Shawn found a giant conch shell while we were snorkeling, so big he almost could not even pick it up. The ride home was very bumpy but well worth it. Shawn got sick when we got back to the hotel but it could have been all the beers, the hot sun, and then the bumpy ride. I was fine until the next morning and I was just feeling so nauseous but once I got sick I was fine. We met an awesome couple from Ontario on our boat island hopping trip and spent the entire trip with them morning, noon, and night. We were disappointed that they live so far away but they promised to come and visit.

Home on the range

So we are home from St. Maarten and boy do I wish we were back on that beautiful island. Work is so draining, but our house is finally coming together and our deck passed inspection. Shawn has been working on the deck for almost two months now and it is finally finished with the exception of a little stain.

This weekend we are having a huge housewarming party and we are so excited for everyone to see our new home despite the fact that it is not totally put together yet. We still need some furniture and stuff but it is 80% finished in my opinion. Homeownership means never being finished and we are fine with that.

Life is grand and I am going to the doctor today for our four month checkup. Keep you posted.

Oh Vacation Is So Sweet!!

Vacation is so fabulous!!

We are having a wonderful time. Shawn and I rented a four-wheeler and toured the entire island. It is only 37.5 square miles so it takes about two hours to drive around the entire island. We went to this old coral reef and Shawn found a large conch shell in the water. Even the locals we have become friends with said they have not found them and they have lived here for their entire lives!! We then went out on a speedboat the next day to Tintamarre Island, where we had an ancient volcanic mud bath. When we jumped in the ocean after the mud had dried, our skin was soft as silk. Then we went on to Pinel Island where we ate lunch, laid in the crystal clear waters, and snorkeled over reefs. We saw so many amazing fish, and Shawn found another gigantic conch shell, but the slug was still alive inside so we left it. The waves were bouncy and we were so tired yesterday that we just walked the short five minute jaunt into Philippsburg to shop and hang out. It was awesome and we are having a blast. Today we are just going to hang out and take a hike with our absolutely fabulous new friends from Ontario, Mark and Kathy. We have been having a blast with them and wish they lived closer but they are already promising many trips to see us.

We are going to be so sad to leave, but excited to see Shrek and share our adventures with everyone.

Gorgeous St. Maarten

We are officially in gorgeous St. Maarten!!!!
We arrived after about 14 long hours of flying from midnight to 2pm, but we are finally here. The water is completely clear and the color of pure turquiose. We walked into our room and have a jetted bathtub big enough for about four people and a view of the bay on our large balcony that I could take home with me.

Today we transfer to our home for the week and are looking forward to just snorkeling and swimming all day. The pina coladas are absolutely amazing and the people are friendly.

Shawn and I are so happy to be here and keep looking at each other with these huge grins, incredulous that we are finally here!!!!

This morning we woke up and worked out together, which was such a treat. Now we are off to the beach!!

VaCaTiOn!!!!!

So we officially go to St. Maarten in 38 hours and we are so excited. Our bags have been packed since Saturday and we are just waiting for Thursday night to come so we can board the plane and get to our tropical island destination.

The morning sickness is about gone but now my bottom ribs are killing me. The doctor said it is from the extreme amount of growth I have had in my breast tissue, so I am just praying they go back to their normal humongous size after the baby or I am going to have to have these puppies reduced. It is really only bad after work, when I have been sitting at a computer all day. I am working on kind of sitting back while I am typing and Shawn is wonderful and helps me get dinner and all together at night.

The deck is finished and now when we get home from vacation we will have one weekend to prepare for the gigantic house warming party we are throwing on May 2. It should be a blast and I am looking forward to entertaining eventhough our house is not in perfect shape.