The Best Part of My Day

Sadly, the best part of my day used to be when they handed me my half-caff/non-fat/no-whip mocha each morning at Starbucks. But now I think I have something to top that. Let me tell you about the thing I look forward to most each day.

I LOVE coming home from the gym every night, having some dinner, and then just lying down on the couch and feeling Tanner wiggle around. He does it around the same time each night and I just LOVE to sit there and feel his little movements. I definitely think it has to be one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. What a miracle! I LOVE being pregnant right now! (Hopefully I'll be singing the same tune once 40 weeks has come and gone in the middle of summer and I'm STILL waiting for this little guy to make an entrance.)

Jon's job search is going well. He got a great offer from Kraft in Chicago and is returning home tonight from an interview in Virginia with a company called Barton Malow. He still has two more interviews to go with Exxon Mobil in TX and Whirlpool in Michigan before we make a decision. Thank you so much for all of your prayers. We feel EXTREMELY blessed with the opportunities that are being presented to us. I think Jon feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders after getting an offer somewhere. I'm sure he's been feeling A LOT of pressure lately with a pregnant wife who is adamant that she wants to stay home with her baby and not work. My poor sweet husband! I'm so proud of him for working so very hard to try to find a good job and a good place for our family to live and grow! I'll keep you updated once we start making some real decisions!

It's A ...

BOY!!

Sweet little Tanner Michael Hall. I am still not believing it. I really thought it was going to be a girl! Jon has been smiling from ear to ear since the ultrasound tech showed him the penis. He says his cheeks are sore after 5 hours of grinning. I swear he made that poor lady go back to the scrotum at least 4 times while we were in there. Of course he's already trying to tell everyone our baby has a huge dingaling. It must be a guy thing -- I was thinking it was pretty tiny! :)

So looking at those pictures just made me so excited to cuddle with my snuggly little boy! He was all snuggled up and comfy in there and refused to move into any position that would help the tech get any of the really important pictures that she needed. He was definitely wiggling, though and it was fun to see him move. Here is a picture of his profile. Hopefully you are able to make it out okay.

We are so happy and it finally seems very real that I have a baby in my tummy. I am so excited to start bonding with this little guy! I do have to admit that I'm a little nervous to have another little Jon running around the house. The Hall house will be pumping with testosterone, that's for sure!

What Not To Say To Your Pregnant Wife

We've had a much better week this week at our house. We are all settled in our new home (which is basically an exact replica of our old place except for no paint on the walls). No more late nights moving -- Thank The Lord! I am a different woman than I was at this time last week! In fact, I'm not sure I even know who that other woman was -- all I know is that she was REALLY CRABBY!

Jon returned from his career conference late Tuesday night. It went really well and he came back feeling pretty good. Thanks so much for all of your prayers! He's going to be traveling to some different places for some follow-up interviews during the next two weeks. Hopefully, we'll know something by the end of February! One of the jobs is in Chicago and I am secretly hoping that we get to live there -- only about 2 hours away from our family! We'll see what happens!

We got to go for another prenatal checkup yesterday. My little sweetheart was being such a stinker, though! Everytime my doctor would find the heartbeat, the baby would move and we'd have to find it all over again! I found it so amusing! Too bad Jon had to miss it -- he had to run home to let the cable guy in and by the time he got back, my appointment was over! Hopefully the baby will be more cooperative on Tuesday when we get to go for our ultrasound! The kids at school are just DYING to know whether its a boy or a girl. I swear they ask me everyday! And I am a little bit anxious to know, too. Yeah right -- just a little. HMMM. Here is my belly shot from this week (19.5 weeks). My tummy is definitely growing, as is the rest of me. I talked to my doctor about my weight worries, but we both agreed that if I hadn't gained so much during Christmas it wouldn't be a big deal. I actually did okay this month, gaining about a pound a week, which she said was normal. Hopefully I can keep things under control this next month.

So my husband has tried REALLY hard to be extra sweet to me since I got pregnant. However, he just NEVER says the right things, bless his heart. He just digs himself right down into a hole most of the time. The other night we were getting ready to go somewhere. He knows how sensitive I've been about gaining a little too much weight. I was admiring my growing bump in the mirror and casually said "I really am getting bigger." Jon's response was "Yeah! IN THE BUTT!" I looked at him like he was a moron and of course he was just so pleased with himself for making a joke he thought was so funny. Later that evening at dinner I was telling him how I was dreading getting on the scale at the doctor's office the next day. I told him that if I just wouldn't have gained that holiday weight I would be fine. His response to that was "Yeah, you totally HOGGED DOWN when we were home for Christmas." I've decided that I should start keeping track of all these comments so that when I am finished with my pregnancy, I can actually make a little bit of money as a stay-at-home mom by writing a book entitled "What Not To Say To Your Pregnant Wife." He's lucky I have a sense of humor. And it does help that he's cute, too.