Home Sweet Home

Greetings from Pennsylvania! I left Autrey in St. Louis on Saturday (a few hours after the mud run) and flew out to see my family until the 18th. He is so swamped with tests, practical exams, papers, and studying until the semester ends on the 23rd that I am sure he will hardly notice I am gone. In fact, when he called last night he told me he was crashing with Andy for a few days at his bachelor pad so he could stay close to campus and avoid the commute. Too bad he isn't having fun...because I sure am! I love coming home. I love talking and laughing with everyone. I love relaxing and taking it easy. I love going on walks with mom. I love the food we make and devour. (I always knew mom was a great cook, but since mom's back surgeries I have discovered my father's inner chef. He watches the cooking channel and loves to invent new recipes.) We have already had waffles, stuffed french toast, Manti pageant-like chicken, homemade egg rolls, bbq-ed burgers, and I am getting my fill of the fruit I crave. I eat watermelon all the time and I am pretty sure I ate almost all of that glorious pineapple by myself within hours of getting it home from the store. Ahhh, life is good.

Another reason life is good is that my visits to the doctor have been fabulous. He is a great doctor and I know I am spoiled. I am 15 weeks along and have already had 7 ultrasounds. The visits help to reassure me that the baby is alive and growing fast. At 12 weeks the baby was just over 2 inches long with a heart rate of 164. At 14 1/2 weeks the baby had almost doubled to 4 inches long with a heart rate of 160. My doctor keeps saying things like "That is a solid boy heart beat" and "If I had to guess I would say it is a boy" which has me thinking in a blue color scheme. The doctors told my mom that all 4 of us girls were going to be boys based on the heart rate, so I am not sure exactly what to think yet. Any guesses from the peanut gallery? The day after I fly back to St. Louis I will be having a cerclage surgery to help prevent pre-term labor (which happens quite often with those who are heart-shaped inside). At the follow up appointment a few days later we should be able to find out the gender, so tell me your guesses quick before we know for sure.