Marvelous Mango

This week baby M is the size of a mango. She is the cutest mango I've ever seen! I'm sure that more intesting things are going on in there besides this week's description which is below, but hey everything, even the slightly gross things are amazing and important to Joel and me. Last night we were talking about how we can't belive we are 1 week away from being half way through. Time continues to fly! I hope you all enjoy the week 19 update
Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

Sweet Dreams little girl

We ordered her bedding and it arrived this week. I'm in love with it. It's girly without being too babyish, plus it is mainly PINK! Joel is actually the one that pushed me to order it and I'm so glad we did. I have big plans for her room, pink walls with hand stenciled details by yours truly. I can't wait to get started! We have her furniture picked out too, we're just waiting for it to go on sale before we officially purchase it. I can't wait to bring her home and put her in her beautiful crib with her super cute bedding! Here is a preview of the bedding. I'll post pictures when we actually have made some decorating progress.

The Sweetest Sweet Potato

Baby Girl Mathews is a mover and a shaker this week! I've even been feeling little taps and pokes here and there. It is pretty cool now that I've figured out it is her. She sure is making mommys belly stick out too. It's becoming more obvious to people other than just Joel and me. I'll post a pic soon, I promise. Until then check out what our sweet little sweet potato is up to in Week 18.Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon.

Fireproof

Joel and I went on a date last night to see Fireproof. We both absolutely loved this movie and the wonderful message it portrayed. I suggest that married couples young and old and engaged couples go see this movie or rent it when it comes out. Joel and I were so thankful to see a Christian message on the big screen. What we liked even more is that it showed "real" Christianity, not sugar coated at all.
For those of you who have not heard of the movie I suggest you check out this link, it will tell you all about the movie plus the production company that put it on
www.fireproofthemovie.com

And while I'm making suggestions, I'll tell you about the book that Joel and I are currently reading for our Newlywed bible study group. It is called Love & Respect by Dr. Emmerson Eggerichs. The main principle behind this book is that husbands need respect from their wives and wives need love from their husbands, but in order to gain either of these from their spouse they must give the other what they need. This has been a hard lesson to for us to grasp since women are wired to love but not necessarily respect and men are wired to respect and not necessarily love. The movie Fireproof mirrored several aspects of this book, which is why we like the movie even more.

So now that I've given two thumbs up for Fireproof and Love & Respect I'm off to enjoy a beautiful sunny Sunday with Joel and our puppies. Happy movie watching and book reading to all!

Think Pink!

Some of you may have guessed by the change of our blog scenery or may have already heard, but here is the official announcement.

Baby Mathews is a healthy little GIRL!!!

Joel and I went Tuesday, October 7th for a second ultrasound with our friend Sara. My mom and dad were able to come with us, so that made it extra special. Our little girl was pretty shy at first and had her legs crossed at the ankle and wouldn't give us a good look. Daddy was happy that she was being "modest" as he put it. She finally decided to show us that she is a girl and there is no denying it. Especially when you compare what we saw to a little boy's ultrasound pictures.
She was moving around like crazy and we even caught her sucking her tiny little thumb. My heart melted right then and there. Sara again said everything looked perfect, which is a word I never get tired of hearing. Joel and I are so thankful to Sara for giving her time to let us look at our little girl, we couldn't have been blessed with a better friend or neighbor.

So now it is time to for mommy to go shopping! And I should have you all know that daddy is already talking about walking his little girl down the aisle and having tea parties with her, oh how I love him even more now!

Officially an onion!

This week Baby M is the size of an onion, and a big onion at that. Check out what our little guy or gal is up to this week.....

Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

In other baby news, Joel and I are going TONIGHT to see if Baby M is a boy or girl so get your last minute votes in now. Our dear friend and next door neighbor Sara is an ultrasound tech at a local hospital and has graciously offered to give us a sneak peek at our little one. I should mention that we went last Tuesday as well but Baby M was shy and wouldn't let us get a good look. It was super cool to see an actual baby in there though. I'm proud to report that Sara said Baby M looked "perfect" and was right where he/she should be developmental-wise. Joel and I were so thankful to get that reassurance and so grateful to Sara for spending a lot of time explaining everything about the ultrasound to us. We're hoping for better luck tonight in the gender discovery department though. I'm more than ready to go shopping!!

Our next appointment is tomorrow afternoon so I'll be sure to post about mine and baby's stats as well as hopefully do a big reveal of Baby M's gender. Until then lets all hope Baby M cooperates!

My best friend.....

Besides being a amazing friend, great source of advice, and a strong Christian woman my best friend Crystal is now a mommy!!! She and her husband Aaron welcomed their daughter, Rylan Renae in to the world October 5th. Rylan is a healthy 6 pounds 13 oz and 20 inches long and looks just like her daddy but with her mommy's skin color. A beautiful combination!

There is just one thing that is a tiny bit sad, they live across the country so we're not able to see the new family in person just yet. They'll come back to KC soon enough though and when they do I'm ready to cuddle that beautiful little girl :o)

So please pray for Crystal and Aaron as they embark on their new journey with their baby girl Rylan. They are going to make wonderful parents.