Little one is a...

I realized that I never let everyone know the gender!

We found out at our 21 week anatomy scan that little one is a little girl! She was hilarious moving all around during the scan and showing us how flexible she is.

See her legs all the way up at her head? 

The ultrasound tech even let us see her in 3D for a little bit. I usually find those pictures a little freaky looking (just being honest) but in real time it's very cool. Her cord was in the way so that's the funny looking thing you see on the left of her face. Brian and I laughed because there is no doubt who's nose she has :).

We also found out that we needed to have another ultrasound to check on some things. We have an appointment with the specialist on Tuesday and are looking forward to checking on our little one. Hopefully we will get good news and have more pictures to share!

I'm ready

Or at least I think I am :).

This is a big year for the Longs for a variety of reasons. Brian is working hard to keep up with Post doc work and get ready to apply for teaching positions. There are many late nights of proposal writing and searching for universities that are hiring. As ready as I am to know we will be living in a place for a longer period of time, it's also hard to believe we are finally at this point! The changes for us don't stop with jobs though.

Do you know what all these things have in common?

We had a pantry closet full of these things for several months. And I ate them exclusively :). Because our growing little one was making their mama sick. I have never been so thankful for morning/all day sickness in my life!

We found out at the end of April, right before we left to spend Ethan's birthday in Georgia. Knowing didn't diminish the sadness we felt missing Ethan but I do think it gave us hope. We debated over and over when we would tell others. We aren't naive to the things that can go wrong, but we also wanted to enjoy every moment we do have with this new little one. It has been an interesting juxtaposition of emotions and I don't always handle vulnerability and emotions together well. So, please forgive us for waiting until now to share in our news.

9 weeks

11 weeks

21 weeks

 

Our due date is January 4th, and we are currently 22 weeks. We have met with a MFM specialist, and have a plan for how things will be handled differently this time. Growth scans have started every 3-4 weeks and it has been nice to get the extra peeks. Our appointments will start to get closer together starting at 24 weeks and will continue until little one is born.

So now you know why things have been quiet around here lately. I've actually written a few posts and just kept them in draft since I don't want to forget this time in our lives. You may see them popping up periodically as I backtrack. We are happy for the gift of this little one, and ask you to join us in celebrating the gift of today.

Will you join us in praying that we get to bring this little one home?