30 Weeks!

As of Monday, August 11, Stacy will be 30 weeks along! The end is in site! We just got back from a trip to China and are very thankful both the baby and I did well along the way. Unfortunately, Kit got really sick (again) but he was glad to "take one for the team." He was glad it was him and not me. (What a sweet guy huh?) I have felt really great all through the 2nd trimester and even now into my 3rd. The only thing that has ailed me is a muscle spasm in my back that seemed to get worse on the trip, but I feel is getting better now that we've returned home.

On our way back from China, we stayed one night in Bangkok so we could go meet the doctor we plan to deliver with. We really like her (all 4ft 11in of her) and feel like she is on top of everything and is going to take good care of us. We are excited to go down to Bangkok on Sept. 22 to stay until the baby arrives and while we're there we plan on taking a birthing class at the hospital. Hopefully having so much time to read baby books and taking that class while we're there, we'll feel fully prepared (as much as you can be) for the big day. For now, we're enjoying this month and half of the "slow" life here in Chiang Mai by resting lots (getting in as much sleep as possible), working (Stacy is weening out of work), reading baby/birth books, and buying the last minute essentials for this little guy. Here's a picture of the belly at 30 weeks. I don't see how I can possibly stretch anymore, but I guess I will have to!

25 Weeks...15 to go!

We went for another check up at 25 weeks and both Stacy and the baby are doing well. The baby is right on target in size and is kicking up a storm. We love this party because it is pretty much our only communication from him. We can't believe we are well into the second half of this pregnancy and that he'll be here before we know it.

We leave this week for 2 1/2 weeks in China. Please pray for our safety and for plenty of opportunities for Stacy to rest. We are so excited for this trip and think it's great timing since Stacy is feeling so energetic right now. It's our last trip as a family of 2! Traveling will get a little more complicated for the next one. We'll stop in Bangkok for a day on the way back from China and visit with our delivery doctor. Stacy will also have to get some injections and a gestational diabetes test while we are there, since we'll be 28 weeks along by then.

We're still not fully decided on a name yet, but here are our top 3:

Jackson- means "God is gracious"
Paxton- means "Peace"
Kallum- means "gentle; peace"

Let us know what you think about these or if you have any other suggestions. Here are some belly pictures at 25 weeks!

Kit likes that my belly is getting bigger...which makes me feel better when I'm trying to squeeze into clothes!

Half Way There!

Today we hit our 21 weeks mark, so we are now over half way there! We can't believe how fast it has gone so far, and how quickly he'll be here! We can't wait to meet him. Besides our half-way milestone, we also felt the baby kick for the first time this week. Stacy hasn't been sure whether she's been feeling him on the inside or not, but now we can feel him on the outside too, so we're sure it's not just gas, it's him! He's a really active one too. He must be constantly doing flips in there. Kit says he's kicking a lot b/c he's going to be a great soccer player!

Now that the belly is really poking out and we can both feel him, it makes this even more real (I know we said that about the ultrasound too). God's design for creating human life is such an amazing thing, and we are so lucky to be included in his process. I think He gives us just the right amount of time to prepare for the baby and each little milestone we hit along the way, builds up our joy and excitement.

We're still taking baby boy name suggestions! We have a couple we like, but have not set our minds on anything yet. When we get closer and have a few narrowed down, we'll post them for feedback. Here is also an updated belly picture at 21 weeks! With the way he's making Stacy eat now, and the way her belly is already poking, we'd say he's going to be a little chunk like his dad was!

It's a BOY!!!

We had our 18 weeks check up last night (we're about half way to the finish line!) and had another ultrasound. You could tell our doctor was trying to encourage us to wait one more month to try and find out the gender, but Stacy wasn't leaving until we tried our hardest to find out! The ultrasound was amazing! We could see so much more detail this time, including the 4 sections of his heart, his brain, every tiny finger, and YES! his little man parts! We weren't sure if the ultrasound technician was planning on telling us, so Kit finally asked her if she could tell the gender. She said "Oh I think so, do you want to know?" and of course we said "yes!" He was twisting and turning the whole time but while he was laying on his stomach, he jumped up really high and you could see his little parts clearly flap up and down! She got a pretty good shot of the "proof" (below). There were a few other funny moments when he seemed to be giving us a "high five" and then a "thumbs up" at one point! So I'm sorry to those few who were really crossing their fingers for a girl (Chris), but we're really excited to have a little boy (we would have been for a girl too) to carry on the Klein name. Stacy is just really happy to know one way or the other, so she can start shopping! Enjoy the pictures!

HIGH FIVE!!!

THUMBS UP!!!

This is my cute bony body! I weigh 1/2 lbs. right now!