News on Baby Boy Malone

First off, thank you to everyone who contacted us with regard to our son!! Our Iowa sonogram confirmed his gender, as if it were in question, and we are still thrilled.

However, we would like to ask any of you who are wiling to pray for our son- I got a call from the doctor that said his kidneys are slightly dilated, but that it was not a huge deal. Essentially, they are retaining some fluid, but not a lot, which would have been bad, b/c my amniotic fluid levels are good. Dr. Wenzel says she normally has 4-5 patients at a time whose boys have this "condition." Normally, it corrects itself by another sonogram at 30-32 weeks and if not, they will check after birth. The kidneys can still correct themselves, but antibiotics and/or surgery would be the ultimate options. It does not appear to be life-threatening or anything and she was not very concerned.

As for us, I handled the call well, until 10 minutes later, Josh got home and I balled. :) It just kind of hit me all at once. Josh sweetly said it was a great way for us to trust the Lord and commit this to prayer every day. We had been talking about a possible name we both loved and we confirmed it tonight as we prayed for our son. It will still be a surprise for y'all ;) b/c that's what we (yes, we) want and we ask that you honor that by not hounding us or trying to trick us!! (Grandparents ;))

In the grand scheme of things, this does not seem too worrisome. It was just hard for me, at least, because I feel like I am just getting to know my boy- I feel him a lot now and know he is a boy and we have been so enjoying that. To know that he might be struggling with something is difficult to imagine, but I am so glad to know Jesus Christ and to trust in Him.

I imagine we won't hear anything more until that next ultrasound, but know we will keep you informed and truly appreciate your prayer.

It's a ...

BOY!

That's right, we're having a baby boy!!!!! We are so excited! Our Iowa sonogram isn't until next week, but that was way too long to wait, so if you know my mother, you know she has connections. She hooked us up with a free sonogram in Dallas for us to find out the baby's gender with family. Josh and I were hoping for a boy, but trying to be prepared for either. Rebekah wanted a sissy, so we'll have to deal with that later. The whole experience was hilarious- Mom, Dad, Josh, Rebekah, Becky, Riley, and I all trotted into the lab and the doctor was super-patient with all the extra folks. I didn't realize he had even started due to the fact that my own daughter was sobbing out of worry for me! She ended up having to sit next to me to ensure that I was okay or leave with my mom. Anyway, during those few seconds, Dr. Toofanian announced, "Well, first off, it's a boy!" I started crying out of shock and embarassment for my unborn son as his scrotum (I can feel Amanda blushing) were highlighted again and again for effect. Apparently, he is definitely a boy- Texas-sized, according to the good doctor. (Amanda is blushing again and deciding if it is worth reading further.)

So, Rebekah is still reeling from the news- not really, she of course has no idea how much her life is going to change- I don't think I do either! However, we are excited and now just have to think of a good name, which will still be a surprise. Josh's parents are calling him Little Josh, which amuses us.

As for the rest of the trip, we are having a blast! Rebekah ADORES her cousin Rirey (aka Riley) and looks for her everywhere in the house and in the car, calling out her name in frustration when she can't find her. All 4 grandparents are loving their time with her and us- it's mutual!

We are also learning that Rebekah is very particular about being clean- she fusses about dirty hands, even if it's just a speck until I clean it off. She won't even consider going down the slide until she has meticulously cleaned it. I guess my OCD tendencies are coming through afterall.

Well, time to finish Thanksgiving preparations...have a good one!

Rebekah's Big-Girl Room- take 1

When we moved in last year, the back 2 bedrooms were stark white with blue trim. It killed us b/c the trim is a gorgeous dark wood underneath...we didn't understand who would paint over it- much less blue! Anyway, Josh and a buddy painted our room and Josh did all the trim- it was a lot of work! So, we never got to the guest room- aka Bunny's big-girl room. Now that we have #2 on the way, we decided to work on making her room ready for her so that sometime after Christmas we can get her into it and clear the nursery. I love my old furniture- white and blue- because it is lovely but more b/c it was my mother's, too. I have always dreamed of sharing it with my daughter! :) So, white walls and white furniture was no good to me. I painted her room a lovely light blue to match the furniture and comforter I picked out for her. Josh and I hoped that the paint would mix well with the trim so we wouldn't have to paint it, too. I think it all looks lovely! I simply need to clean the rug and find decorations for the walls, etc. Oh- and get a dust ruffle and the shams...I think I might paint the play crib white, too(it was a gift from Nana). As for the rug- Bunny has the pink version in her room- if we have a boy, we'll switch the rugs. If it's another girl, we'll leave the pink one in the nursery. So, I'll check back with you when I get more done on her room.

p.s. Our camera is broken- agh!!! So, there might be a lull in posts for a while...sad!

My newest favorite commercial...

First time for everything...

...we'll get to that in a minute....

These are of the Iowa River- thought it was pretty!



Most of these I took simply b/c I thought she looked so darn cute in those crazy tights!

Throwing Sam's bone for him- she now calls him Sammy...

Loves to play with coasters...there are pics of us and Sam in them and she loves to name us...

Playing with a McDuff dog she lovingly calls "puppy"...this was from Nana...

Playing hide and seek behind Sammy...

Funny girl...

Giving Sammy a hug...

Sammy kissing Rebekah!

Okay, this is after Rebekah threw up for the first time...since Rebekah never really spit up even as a newborn, we were stunned to find her sobbing in a puddle of puke (sorry) this afternoon...assuming/hoping it was a fluke, we bathed her and redressed her. She proceeded to get sick every 15 minutes for 2 hrs! Poor baby! Plus, it was flu shot night, so she had to get a shot to top it all off...anyway, it's almost worth the throw-up all over us for the extra snuggles...

Halloween Pumpkin...25 pics of fun!!

Seemed fitting to dress our little pumpkin as a...pumpkin! We took some pics of our kids at play group, so those are the ones on the couch!





With her pumpkin basket for the first time...
Not really sure how to go about this, but Josh did teach her to say trick or treat...we only hit 2 houses, then answered our own door.
Loved watching her walk with Josh.
She was delighted with her tootsie roll pop! She devoured it in an hour!



Yes, she's running!
Josh took her hand then let it go. Rebekah stopped, looked up at him, and held her hand up...it was a precious moment for us all!
A littles rest so she could eat her sucker better.
The corner of our street- we promised LuAnne we would stop by...good times.




A little sugar high- she bounced back and forth on the cushions many, many times!

Then, she noticed our bowl of candy!

Getting Chased by Dad

Who could resist this winsome face??? Rebekah was practically begging her Dada to chase and catch her! The funny thing was that she was too impatient to wait for him to get her- she would run right into his arms! Too cute!














Apparently her short nap combined with all that play was just too exhausting! No, she is not asleep- she reenergized in about 10 seconds and was back at it!

I forgot to mention that Rebekah has started singing- she tries to sing the theme song to Backyardigans the way her dad does...he'll start it and she'll try to chime in. So, now she hums the song to get to watch it.