Sign us up for the blue team!

Today was the 4D ultrasound. The tech first spotted what she "thought" looked a lot like a scrotal sac. Then minutes later she announced, "Yep. There's his boyhood laying on his leg. Congratulations."

I couldn't help but wonder whether she was commending us on the confirmation that we're expecting a son, or on his apparently rather sizeable boyhood. ;)

So, while we were able to confirm what's cookin' between the baby's thighs, we weren't able to get many shots of his face. Unfortunately for us, the baby who rarely stops moving decided to take a nice long nap during the ultrasound. Most attempts at getting a facial shot were made virtually impossible by either his hand up over his face, or by him snuggling up against my uterine wall. In any case, we got a couple that show him (kinda, anyway). In the full shot of his face I think he resembles Cece ... in the profile shot, not so much ... so it'll still be a surprise when he's born -- 10 WEEKS FROM TODAY. (Yikes!)

Meanwhile, it's hotter than a mother-effer here (92 and humid to boot). I can't wait to go swimming tonight. And yes, I AM sporting a swimsuit at nearly 7 months pregnant. You would too if you had to withstand this heat while having a virtual basketball tethered to your abdomen and the equivalent of an extra 2.5 liters of blood coursing through your veins. I'm hot all on my own, people! Throw me out into this weather & I'm likely to catch fire!

Andrew has arrived! Anyone have room for a pony?

Congratulations to my youngest sister Katie and her husband Jeff! They're now the proud parents of Andrew Lawrence. Andy was born April 21st at 7:21 P.M. He weighed 8 lbs, 4 oz. and was 20" long.

Having just visited them, I can tell you he is an absolute doll of a son! The kid never cries. He sleeps almost all night long, with just a couple brief wakings to eat or have his diaper changed. He's a dream baby. I tried rubbing his tiny hands on my belly in hopes of him giving my baby some of his "Good Baby ju-ju" ...
Guess we'll have to wait another three months to see if it worked!


The running joke is that he's so good that he keeps earning ponies. Katie calls me at least every other day and says, "I swear, I've gotta buy this kid a pony." I think he's got a couple dozen in the bank so far -- so if anyone has room to store a couple for Katie & Jeff, please let me know!

Marino, Cece & I had a nice visit with everyone in California. Cece was thrilled to get to see most of her extended family (her grandpas were notably missed). And we were all so excited to arrive just two days after Andrew was born. I think Cece now has a better idea of what to expect when her little brother is born. Before Andrew, she'd only been around older babies. Now she knows that they really ARE helpless when they first arrive. There won't be any tandem swinging in the backyard for a while!

Speaking of her baby brother, he'll be born just three months from today. Hard to believe. This pregnancy is going by so much faster than when I was carrying Cece. I suppose that with Cece in our lives, we just don't have the time to dwell on the pregnancy. We're always on the go.

But I feel fine ... I tire more easily, especially if I haven't been drinking enough water, and I feel pretty darn fat (thanks, Daniel, for assuring Michael that my complaints were merited), but I refuse to give up ice cream: It's the only thing that calms my late-night heartburn! :)

Everyone in CA wanted to know What are you naming the baby? We had a good time telling everyone that our top choice is Gulliver Cromwell ("Gully" or "Liver" for short), and then watching their reaction. Most didn't seem to know whether we were joking or not. The best response was from Steph's boyfriend, Josh: "Well, you could keep looking. You've got a lot of time left, and that's a lot of name."

To seriously answer that question, I'm leaning toward naming him "Dude." After all, he'll be the only one of us not born in California -- so a name like Dude would give him a sort of honorary status. And how cool would it be to call your son in from playing with, "Dude! Dinner!"