Watching in Amazement

After numerous viewings of the ultrasound video that we recently required it is really starting to hit me that we are having a little girl! Without a doubt, seeing our baby flip and turn about and make spacelike movements is the coolest thing I have ever seen. She looks tall. Her arms and legs are really long when she stretches out. Because the ultrasound is a type of x-ray you can clearly see her bones. It is easy to recognize all her fingers and toes. You can see the two bones in each of her forearms. Everything about this precious baby is wonderful. There are a few moments when she pokes her face up to the TV screen as if to say "hello!" At one point you can see one of her little ears! We have seen her open and close her mouth and make a grip with her little fists. I think the neatest thing we have seen her do is cross her legs at her ankles. Jennifer and I both cross our legs at our ankles when we sleep on our backs and when we are sitting. To see our baby do the same thing is amazing! During the ultrasound the doctor points out her kidneys, bladder, stomach, and heart; all of which are functioning perfectly. I am literally swept away by the awesome power of our Creator and the delicacy of our baby girl. I am really excited about being a father to this little person; helping her become who she will be in the future. I pray that God will give Jennifer and me patience,wisdom, strength and love. I know we have the latter for sure!

Anyway, I feel my self starting to ramble. Just wanted to share my thoughts on how amazing it is to watch our little girl. Can't wait to see her up close and personal. Just 4.5 more months!

It's a ...

Well, after our ultra sound today we feel with certainty that we are having a little girl! We had a video made so we can watch it over and over to make sure! We are surprised because we both thought that we were having a boy. I really don't think that either one of us could be happier though. It has been a good day for us. We really needed it too with all the anxiety and frustration that we have had over our visa troubles. Jennifer and I are releaved to be having a girl in Brazil for a couple of reasons that I said I would share in an earlier blog.

1. It is rare for baby boys to be circumcised in Brazil. It is a big ordeal trying to find someone like a Rabbi to perform the procedure. Most Brazilians think that it is cruel and unnecissary. That little difference of opinion has led to some interesting conversations :).
   
2. Having a baby in Brazil means that the child will have duel citizenship. Our daughter will be a Brazilian American. Pretty crazy. Boys automatically are registered with the government and must serve in the military when they turn 18 years old. If we had a boy we would have to go through a nightmare of paperwork and maintain it to get him out of having to serve in the Brazilian Armed Forces. This would be the case even if we moved back to the US!

We would have been happy either way, but we really kind of wanted to start our family with a girl. She won't have a big brother to chase away the punks that want a date, but I'm sure that I can put on an intimidating face if I need to ;).

Anyway, we are pumped! We are thinking about names and wondering about how to decorate her room. It is a lot of fun. By the way, no names will be revealed until our precious gift from God arrives. We want to make sure that her name fits her face. We don't want to name her "Julia" if she looks like a "Molly". You know what I mean? So, stay tuned for updates. She is really growing. I will try to post some pictures of Jennifer soon so that you can see some evidence.

Tchau

18 Weeks

Well, it has been a while since I last blogged. There really hasn't been a whole lot to report. Today Jennifer completes the 18th week of pregnancy. We should be able to tell if the baby is a boy or a girl by now. We have an appointment to find out tomorrow! We are both really anxious to discover the sex of our baby. We hope that there is full cooperation. Stay tuned to find out what we are having...

Here is another excerpt from babycenter.com. It is pretty interesting information.

Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a large sweet potato) and she weighs almost 7 ounces. She's busy flexing her arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and Fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If your baby is a boy, his genitals are noticeable, though he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

-He better not!