17 Weeks

I've reached the 17 week mark. This week I have noticed much more movement of our little one. I can't wait until we find out if the baby is a boy or girl so we can quit calling it the little one. We will find out of May 13th. Then the planning will really begin. We can select furniture, bedding, and even a name for this little one. Wayne is really hoping for a boy because he wants someone to carry on the family name. I'm just happy with a healthy baby. If it's a girl, she will definitely be the most spoiled little girl around. On both sides of our family, Wayne and I only have nephews. They are great little guys ranging in age from 9 to 3 months. Wayne and I love to be around "our boys" on both sides and make every excuse to do so. Since we haven't had one of our own, we have taken every chance to spoil Will, Josh, Stephen, and Christian. Will and Josh, the older two, have been picking out names too. I'm pretty impressed with their selection--Michael, Chad, Brandon--those are the ones I can remember.

Selecting a name is extra challenging when you have worked with as many children as I have in the last 10 years. For those of you who don't know, I'm a speech-language pathologist and work with preschool children with speech delays and other special needs. Currently there are about 100 children in the program I work with. And I can only guess how many more I have seen over the years. So almost every name we discuss, I see a little face pop into my head. We have been throwing around names, but have not made the final selections yet. My mom had a suggestion for a name early in my pregnancy. She said it was the perfect name and could be used for a boy or girl. I think she was actually serious when she suggested "Robin". That's a fine name, but who wants to punish a child from birth by giving it a bird name for it's first and last name. So, this little one is affectionately know as "Robin" for the moment. When we finally decide on a name, I will post it.

We are headed to Montgomery this evening to celebrate my uncle's 60th birthday. He's that uncle that everyone should have that is full of life and loves to keep everyone entertained. Fond childhood memories include him scaring us to death with a stocking over his head, racing around in the go-kart in his backyard, swimming with his family in the pool next door, and him pulling my brother, cousin, and I out into the ocean in a blowup RC boat to let the waves crash on us and push us back in. I can't wait to create those kind of memories with my little one. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Uncle Mike!

Welcome

This is my first attempt at "blogging", so bear with me. I started this blog after several friends encouraged me to do so. I haven't gotten to the point of creating my own website, so this will have to do for now.
Why a blog? I'm hoping this blog will be a great way for friends and family to keep up with the progress of my pregnancy and little one who is due to arrive on October 2nd. My husband Wayne and I have been trying to have a baby since May 2002. It's been a long journey for us, but we are so excited to have our little miracle baby on the way. I'm sixteen weeks pregnant now and ready to tell the world about our little one. My last appointment was on April 15th and everything appears to be going well. I got to hear our little one's heartbeat for the second time at that appointment and it is the sweetest sound in the world. April 15th also happened to be the 3 year anniversary from the confirmation of Wayne's cancer diagnosis and surgery. He went to the doctor on April 14th and got the "all clear"--PRAISE GOD! I never thought I would say I was grateful for our infertility struggles, but without it Wayne's cancer would not have been diagnosed so early and his outcome may not have been the same. In so many ways I can see God's hand working throughout this infertility journey. I will share more about this later.
My next appointment is on May 13th. I will have an ultrasound that day and find out the sex of the baby. It will be the first time Wayne has been able to see or hear the baby. I can't wait to see his expression. I have had several ultrasounds (weekly from weeks 5-10), but am excited to see how much our little one has grown and developed since then.
Now a little explanation about the title of my blog. I love music, especially contemporary Christian music. It has always been a source of strength and pleasure for me. Throughout this journey, I have listen to the song "In the Waiting" by Greg Long thousands of times. The words have been a comfort and encouragement and seem to fit with our situation so well. After all we are all "in the waiting" for something throughout our life. I'm just glad I'm finally waiting for my little one to arrive. I'll close with some of the lyrics from "In the Waiting".
Pain--The gift nobody longs for still it comes.
And somehow leaves us stronger when it's gone away.
Pray--I try to pray for Your Will to be done.
But I confess it's never fast enough for me.
It seems--The hardest part is waiting on you
When what I really want is just to see Your hands move.
Chorus: I want a peace beyond my understanding.
I want to feel it fall like rain in the middle of my hurting.
I want to feel your arms as they surround me.
And let me know that it's okay to be here in this place
Resting in the peace that only comes in the waiting.

Rebecca