IT'S A BOY!!!

Well, for our BIG news... Toby and I had our 20 week scan today and it was more than clear that we've got a dirk bike ridin', mud eatin', stinky little boy on the way. We are VERY excited about it being a boy - Toby maybe more so than me - but I'm so happy that we are finally going to have a grandson on my side of the family... enough with those girls already. :)

The ultrasound was absolutely amazing. I can't believe what technology allows us to see in a baby so small. He was examined from head to toe, including his brain, his heart (all 4 ventricles... wait, does a heart have 4 ventricles?), the organs in his little belly, and even his little fingers and toes. I had to roll around a couple of times to try to get him to move as he wasn't entirely cooperative when it came to determining the sex. Thankfully, he did roll over... otherwise, I'd have nothing to blog about because he would still be "it" or "the baby."

While we believe he is, or will be, a perfectly healthy little boy, unfortunately we did have to meet with a genetic counselor after the ultrasound to discuss some of the findings. One being an echogenic intracardiac focus - otherwise known as a bright spot in the heart - caused by what is believed to be a calcium deposit. The second finding was a couple of choroid plexus cysts - cysts that appear on the choroid plexus, or the part of the brain that supplies spinal fluid. While both sound scary, they are expected to clear up on their own and neither will create any kind of difficulty with the function of his heart or his brain. The concern lies in that when the two are found together, there is an increased indication of a chromosomal abnormality such as Trisomy 18 or Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome). However, on the bright side, my quad screen - 2nd trimester bloodwork - did not indicate Down Syndrome and my doctor said that is generally about 95% accurate. The third "discrepancy" was that the baby's kidneys appeared to be a little brighter on the ultrasound that what would otherwise be considered "normal." Again, there is no indication that anything is wrong, as his kidneys aren't enlarged and the amniotic fluid level is normal, but it is something they are going to watch just to be sure nothing else develops.

It was quite a blow this morning to hear all of these things that "could" be wrong with the poor little guy swimming around in my belly, but we're gaining confidence that everything will be absolutely fine. Or... should I say... I'm gaining confidence - Toby is already confident. We were given the option to do an amniocentesis, which would give us a definitive answer as to whether he has Down Syndrome, but we have chosen not to have the procedure. We have another ultrasound scheduled in 4 weeks and if any other DS markers are found, we may re-evaluate at that time; but in the grand scheme of things... it doesn't really matter to us. We'll love him just the same, and the benefits don't outweigh the risks in our view.

So... in the meantime, we've got a big 'ol boy on his way. OH! And I have no idea how accurate the weight is, but the radiologist person told us he weighed 11 ounces. If that is in fact accurate, I'd just like to mention that according to my Mayo Clinic book, he should weigh about 9 oz... but not until Saturday. So one thing is for sure... he has no growth problems! If you'd like to add us to your prayer list, we'd appreciate it... and so would Baby Allen. :)

Without further ado... here is Baby BOY Allen at 19 weeks and some odd days. (Toby said I couldn't post the picture that clearly showed his boy parts, so you'll just have to take my word for it... no doubt... it's a boy.)

Weekend in Weimar

So while Toby was buying a gun that he swears he'll be able to use when zombies take over the world, and Dad and Paul were killing Bambis - Mom, Jamie, Maddie, and I were roaming around the country fighting off allergies and fire ants. But, really, we went to a Jersey cow farm where we learned that Blue Bell uses milk from jersey cows for their ice cream because it has the richest flavor. Other than that, we didn't learn too much. I'm sure it was a bit more fun for Maddie despite the fact that she was attacked by a slobbery black lab, which led to a slight breakout on her face. She got to bottle feed a baby calf that was in calf jail and she tried to feed a rabbit a Cheerio, but ended up giving it to the chicken. Yep... that was our trip to the jersey cow farm.

Other than that, Maddie recently got a John Deere Gator from Grammy and Grampy and she's bravely learning how to drive it. She hasn't quite got the pedal and steering thing down - you know, both need to be done at the same time - but I'm sure she'll figure it out soon.

And mom... this one's for you. A Weimar sunset from your backyard...

Wings Over Houston

The weekend before last, Toby's dad managed to hook us up with some VIP passes to the Wings Over Houston airshow. (Because, well, we're kind of a big deal.) I must admit, it's probably been somewhere close to 15 - 20 years since I've actually gone to a real airshow, but I remember the Blue Angels like it was yesterday. I have no idea where my fascination of jet engines originated, but when I hear one roar over head (a rare occasion), and so close to the ground, it absolutely captivates me.

After fighting through two hours of traffic to finally get to the hanger where we could park, our anger and road rage eased a bit with a great BBQ lunch provided by some aviation company at Ellington. We had pretty good seats where we could sit in the shade and still have a good view of the show. When we arrived, they began with a Pearl Harbor reenactment - complete with Japanese and American planes and bombs (no, not real ones).

There were several planes that served as a tribute to the many generations of planes that participated in various wars. Apologies for not being more of an airplane or history guru; otherwise, I could probably tell you what each of the planes are.

If I remember correctly, what was unique about this formation was that it captured 4 generations of planes that played a significant role in the wars from our history. And of course, the loudest and coolest of all, was the F-15. It was by far my fave... only because of its purr... or roar.

There was also this insane stunt pilot who had me convinced several times that he had actually lost control of his plane. It was seriously crazy, but we were definitely intrigued that a plane could perform those maneuvers and recover before crashing into the ground.

And yes, in the pictures below, there is actually someone on the top of the plane. She.. yes... SHE... (girl power!) was doing loops and flips and all sorts of things on the top of that plane.

And of course, the highlight of the show... the Blue Angels. They started off with Fat Albert - that's the C-130 that has the capability to take off on short runways and climb at a 45 degree angle and it flies at an incredibly high rate of a speed for a C-130.

I'm not sure I had as much appreciation for the Blue Angels when I was a kid... in fact, I know I didn't - not as much as I do now. Did you know that they can actually fly with their wings merely 18 inches apart??? Below is a picture. They look as though they're just one unit - or flying on top of one another.

Other pics of the Blue Angels.... Yay Navy!