Well, we saw the doctor this week, and sadly no picture but everything is still going well and we did hear the heartbeat. And our childbirth class got cancelled on the first Wednesday we were supposed to have it. Kristin and Lauren got there after rushing from work only to be told the class didn't have enough couples to have it continue. So now we are looking at other options.
The belly is growing steadily, sorry for no pictures yet but we really will try to take some and put them on soon. There is lots of movement in the belly, and Lauren tries to catch it when it starts by putting her hand on her stomach but she usually just misses it, though a few times she thinks she actually has felt it outside. She's an active kid so as she gets bigger we are sure we will all be able to feel the movement.
Other than that, we are making some progress in choosing themes for the room, choosing other accessories and deciding a date for the baby shower - thanks in advance to Aunt Pam, Kelly and Kristin who have so far generously offered to be a part of putting a shower on. We have not actually started a registry yet but will probably do that at the end of the month.

Oops, as you can see by the date, this was supposed to go up mother's day - two weeks ago!
Lauren got more preggy clothes for mothers day, and she is very excited about it. In just a few days, her stomach really started protruding. What looked like a bloated belly on a Friday was a definite bump by Sunday. We have taken one belly shot but Lauren is not happy with it so we will try to post one soon, even though we are already half-way through!
In the past few weeks, the activity in the tummy has majorly increased. The other day Lauren got a few good hard kicks, and is feeling lots of fluttering. Basically every day she feels some movement. Lauren has also begun sleeping with a body pillow because she is quite uncomfortable these days sleeping, and since she can't sleep on her stomach that seems to be helping. We also signed up for lamaze/childbirth prep classes. They actually begin this Wednesday. Yes, it seems early, but they recommend signing up 3 months prior to your due date, and we would miss one class of the next session which begins at the end of June so they told us to sign up for this one. It is 5 weeks long. Sadly, Aaron will miss the first class because he was informed last Thursday that his work needed to send him out of town for a repair - to Denmark! He left Sunday and will come home this Thursday, but Lauren's oldest and greatest friend Kristin has graciously offered to go with Lauren - thanks, Krist! So, that's about all the news I can remember for now... we have a doctor's appointment next week and we are crossing our fingers we get another picture!

Okay, so we have been seeing some really great t-shirts for pregnant couples, and while we would never actually wear most of them we are getting quite a kick out of them - just had to post a fave... Oh, and we want to give a shout-out to Aunt Pam who has sent Lauren a tank top that says 'We're Hungry' on it, which got delivered to us with no note or invoice and we were sort of freaked out because we had no idea who it came from! We finally tracked down the sender, and a few days later received a shirt for Aaron that says 'My boys can swim!' Too funny, Aunt Pam! (For those who can't see the pic very well, its a stick figure with a pregnant belly and underneath it says 'LOOK WHAT I DID!')

As you can see, we have decided on a name - for now. So, Peanut is now Hayden Sienna Miller's nickname. Everything is trucking along just fine, just wanted to post a quick update to let everyone know that the results of Lauren's AFP test came back just fine, not that we were worried but it is good to know things are fine.
Other than that, Lauren has gained weight - she thinks is excessive but it is just right - and she does have a bit of a bulge going on. She definitely can't button any of her non-maternity pants which is quite a thing to get used to but she is managing. Aaron has done a little of the sympathy weight/cravings, nothing too bad though he has had some interesting cravings and eating habits. Lauren's favorite was the night he combined Mother's oatmeal sandwich cookies with icing filling, macaroni and cheese, and his cayenne pepper in one bowl - yuck!

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Well, we have not posted in a while, so lets get you caught up. Two weeks ago we had a doctor's appointment - no new pics but we did hear the heartbeat - it sounded like a stampede in Lauren's stomach. Then, the biggest thing: we scheduled the "big ultrasound" where we could find out the sex of the baby.
So today we went in with our blank VHS cassette which Aaron will add shortly to the blog. They made us wait, of course, and Lauren was going crazy - the not knowing was killing her! Now, we both figured it was a girl, and everyone who made predictions said it would be a girl. Aaron was definitely hoping for a girl.
Finally we get called in, and the technician tells us that he has had boys all day. We said we would be the exception to the rule - and we were! He measured the baby's head, torso, legs, and heartbeat. Everything is perfect and right on schedule. Then he gave us the big news - ITS A GIRL! So now, we have got to concentrate on names. We had a boy's name picked but now its back to the drawing board :) Afterwards, Lauren had to get more blood drawn for the AFP test which will test for Down Syndrome, etc., and we will get the results next week.
We went to Babies'r'Us to try to get something "gender specific" now that we know its a girl, but couldn't figure out what to get so we just looked around and tried to settle on bedding and other things we will eventually register for.
Above, these are the pics we got from the ultrasound. The top one is proclaiming our little girl is in fact a little girl. The technician said he saw from every angle and is 100% sure she is a girl. The middle pic is of her facing upwards, not a great shot but we think we can see her cheekbone and head and torso. The bottom pic is of her facing down. The dotted bright white line is her spine.

Our Family is Doubling in Size!!!
And no, we are not having twins. As some of you know, Aaron has a son, Gavin, who is now 4 years old. Just yesterday Aaron was awarded 50% legal custody and a visitation schedule. Aaron began seeing Gavin in December, but Lauren was not allowed to meet Gavin or Aaron would not be allowed to see him. So, papers were filed with the court and not only did Aaron get visitation, but the court ruled that there were to be no exclusions - meaning Aaron can bring Gavin around anyone, and Lauren finally gets to meet her step-son. Congrats to Aaron for holding his own at court, it was a long day and he did a fantastic job representing himself - it was tough and Lauren and Peanut were very proud. And Peanut is so excited about this, too. (S)He was jumping around all morning - Lauren swears she can feel Peanut moving. So now what was a two-some at the beginning of the year will be a foursome before the year is out! We are all so excited to incorporate Gavin into our family and our life. So thanks for the well-wishes and support.

These are the pics from our second appointment which was March 9. As you can see, it actually looks like a little baby. While we were watching the screen, we could see the heartbeat which looks like a flashing light. We also watched the baby kick, punch, and move - it was pretty cool! An active little guy/gal, that's for sure! As of now, the due date is still September 25, and growth wise we are right on schedule. Two more appointments and we will be able to know if it is a boy or girl - we are dying to know!

So far, everything is good - I have had nausea but no throwing up or anything. I do get lots of headaches, though. I have gained a few pounds so far - I feel like its very noticeable but I am still wearing my clothes (for now), though I have gotten a few maternity clothing items already...

Sorry it has taken us so long to get this up and running but now we've done it. This is the picture from our first appointment back in February, when it was confirmed that indeed we are preggers. So far we are due September 25 - 2 weeks before my birthday and 4 weeks before Aaron's.
We were taken a bit by surprise with this - we made the decision to start a family mid-December thinking we would have a few months before anything happened, and WHAM! within 2 weeks Lauren was pregnant. Surprise! But, we are happy. We weren't sure at first, when I took the first 2 pregnancy tests the lines were quite faint, so Aaron took one to compare - his had no line, thank goodness! But, just to be on the safe side we got 2 more tests, each of us taking one, and yet again Lauren's had the faint line and Aaron's had none. So, we knew for sure Aaron was not pregnant, but Lauren probably was, and now its confirmed! Aaron, of course, is thrilled because he has been wanting me to get "knocked up" since we got married. I, with the help of all these new hormones, am feeling excited and scared and everything else. But all in all we are really happy and feel very blessed that this has happened. Stay tuned!