23 weeks, with a baby BOY!

So many wonderful things have happened since I last updated. For one thing, I've grown quite a bit since 19 weeks! Everybody carries differently, but this kid seems to be right out front. My bellybutton also seems to be seriously plotting its escape. I'm still very much in the honeymoon phase of my pregnancy - maybe it's just the hormones, but I'm loving being pregnant. It's been a lovely reminder of how much Dan and I love each other, how much love we have to give to this kid, and how loved we are by our family and friends.



On December 20th, we found out via ultrasound that we're having a little boy! So, LJ is actually a little john, true to his nickname! As the ultrasound technician commented, this kiddo really wanted us to know that he's a boy... no ambiguity here. More importantly, this little boy seems perfectly healthy - they measure and check just about everything during the ultrasound - and he's average-sized (52nd percentile), which I was especially glad to hear. Per usual, LJ was super active for the ultrasound, moving all around, but finally settling in towards the end and we got to watch him find his thumb and start sucking it. That's the second time we've seen him suck his thumb! Anyway, we're thrilled to be having a boy and the name game has begun in earnest!



Then, just a couple of days after the ultrasound, I starting really feeling this kid move around. The next 4 or 5 weeks are apparently babies' most active in the womb since they still have ample space to move around, and LJ is definitely taking advantage of it! Before I was pregnant, I thought it might be sort of alien to feel something moving inside of you, but it's actually the most natural and wonderful feeling (I may take that back later when his feet can reach my ribs...). Around Christmastime, LJ started kicking strongly enough that you can feel him on the outside of my belly, and I will forever remember the look on Dan's face when that happened to him for the first time.

We also had a really nice Christmas with family. We did our annual gingerbread houses with the Kyles and our Christmas exchange with the Terrys, visited with my high school friend Erin and her husband and young daughter, and then spent a couple of laid-back days working, lunching, and walking, before heading to Boston for a night with Laura and Brad and then off to the Vineyard for a fun New Year's with my extended family.







At Lucy Vincent beach, we all tried to run past the cliffs without getting sloshed by the waves, but Mariah totally bit it... and we all laughed =)