"Buy the ball, bat & glove..."

Today was a big day for us! This morning at 8 am, we had our 20-week ultrasound. My sister Leslie and her husband Jonathan made a surprise trip west yesterday evening to be with us for the event, and we had LeAnne Blackmore and Brandi Onks (very important people in our local family!) with us as well.

Last night, right before going to bed, David spoke to my belly, admonishing the baby to not be shy this morning for the ultrasound. Needless, to say, we did not need to be worried. We had no trouble determining via the ultrasound photo what we were having, but we like the way the doctor said it best: "Buy the ball, bat & glove - there's no doubt that's a boy!"

They did alot of measuring and probing and based on all of their measurements, the baby is currently 13 oz, and very healthy! It was very surreal to watch the little guy moving around on the screen and imagine that that was going on inside of me. He was arching his back and moving around and it was so precious. I was excited to learn that I have only gained 8 lbs so far, which the doctor said is excellent. I need to make sure I am making time to rest, however, to make sure my blood pressure stays at a normal level - and that is something that I struggle with. David is being very sweet and helpful though, and encouraging me to take advantage and follow the doctor's advice.

No, no names picked out yet, we haven't even made a list of potentials yet, believe it or not. However we plan to keep the name a secret until the baby is born, so there is something exciting to be announced when the baby is born (since we know so clearly the baby is a boy!).

So that's where things stand right now - enjoy the photos and be sure to check back regularly for more updates and to leave us some comments :)

A note from the Father:
So I took off time from work today to watch my baby at the doctor's office. As my wife said we had the 20 week ultrasound this morning. I am getting my Ph.D. in the medical field and was still completely amazed at the little life that is growing in my wife's belly. I was not quite excited before the ultrasound as Ali but while we were there, watching our baby move, it was the best experience I have ever had. I am so proud and excited to be a dad. Up to this point, I haven't had a good chance to understand and appreciate the magnitude of this life experience(becoming a dad). Now that I have seen my son, I can grasp how much my life is going to and already has changed. I can already start to understand a father's love and I really do love our baby so much that I can barely begin to define it. I now know that everything in life will be less important than my family and their well-being. I can't wait to see our son and hold him. That will be the next greatest experience in my and my wife's lives.

This picture is 4-D and the baby's face is in profile looking to the right in the very center of the picture.
This is the definitive picture that shows we are having a boy.
This is a profile picture of the baby laying on his back with one arm showing and part of one leg.