almost like our own!

fast forward a year... and we could almost pass this little guy off as our own. thanks j and b for letting us borrow your babies. come back and visit again soon.

week 22

just four more, very short months left on this part of the journey. i have a feeling the time is just going to fly right by. with the new year on the horizon, it's time to start thinking about baby besmehn as our most important, life priority. i'm making lists, setting up timelines, and trying to mentally and spiritually prepare myself for the next chapter. but i know most of all, we can expect the unexpected :). and we look forward to every moment.

christmas day 2008

lots of firsts this christmas... it was the first time waking up in our new home on christmas, and also the first time we didn't open presents at mama and papafongo's on christmas morning. but as we went through all of our christmas celebrations and family gatherings, it was also the first time that p and i are going through the season of jesus as expectant parents of our son. and it brought an even deeper meaning to the importance of christmas, and a closeness between the two of us that has to be one of the BEST gifts that we could have received.

but all that doesn't mean there wasn't a fantastic present-fest later that afternoon, including the annual christmas letter from santa.

check out the spread! we are so blessed...

the aftermath... it was afternoon by the time we opened presents, but yes, those are pj's if that's what you're thinking :)

we had a chance to visit ngng and spend some time with her on christmas day. i love this picture of her hand on my growing baby bump.

special shout out to uncle c and auntie s. they were celebrating this christmas in tx this year. we missed you guys!

a fong family christmas - 2008

just a few moments captured from christmas 08...

we are missing a few here, s & c... the 4 s', t & r - but all in all another wonderful celebration of christmas with mamafongo's side of the family.

a good lookin' crew if i do say so myself :)!

we love getting practice!

t - check out the photo editing!

and yes, that is p dressing a bear bear in a princess outfit. he won't need too much more practice with that. and don't worry, i'll be buying him some trucks and blocks soon :).

week 21... i've doubled in size

in case any of you were wondering, we went to the pancake house in fremont to do the "big reveal".  we'd heard people tell us that they created more "intimate" moments to unveil the news... and since we are so close to christmas, it was almost like an early christmas present!

baby (boy) b's stats: now weighing in at 13 ounces, 10.5 inches and a strong heart beat at 150 bpm.  yes, we truly are half way there, and i am almost positive that the week 21 picture looks like i've almost doubled in size - even since last week!!!  i'll have to do a side by side comparison soon... 

i'm feeling good... not TOO big yet, but i have graduated to rubber band-ing my pants and wearing excessively long t's.  grandmama fongo took me shopping for a few things yesterday - in the maternity section.  this is to help make sure that i look my "cutest" in the months to come.  but hopefully i will see you all soon, and you can all see for yourself. 

happy almost christmas!  it's been a really joyous and exciting season so far, and growing a baby around the same time of year that jesus was born... almost helps make the miracle of christmas seem even THAT MUCH more real to me/to us.  

drum roll please...

ok, so you all know it's a boy... but here's how we captured the moment on camera :)

it's a...

BOY!!!

video post to come later in the day. thanks everyone for participating in the poll... stay tuned for the fun part.

oh christmas tree...

conquering the tree...

oh, the ribbon is missing. apparently i was supposed to put that on BEFORE the ornaments. OOPS! we'll see if we can rig it up there. otherwise we might have to call in reinforcements (mamafongo) for assistance. but we must say that we're pretty excited about this spot for the tree. it's a perfect fit.

i forgot to mention...

that i felt the baby move for the first time last week... it was on thursday evening, just before i fell asleep. i was concentrating on it actually - so that i could differentiate the feeling from others. it's stronger than a flutter, less violent than your stomach turning when you go upside down on a roller coaster... somewhere in between. it's strangely amazing!!!

i wonder what baby b is doing in there? and i wonder what baby b must think of all the things that go on in my world every day. we'll never be this close again, at least physically.

this is an incredible journey and an amazing miracle. each day it becomes more and more real and exciting. thanks for sharing this with me/with US!

week 20 - half way there and feeling great!

so they say that the second trimester is definitely the best, and i have to agree. i've now had my energy back for about 4-5 weeks, and i'm feeling great. here's what half way looks like:

baby besmehn's stats - 10.5 ounces (or so), 6.5 inches long and this adds up to about the size of a banana. hard to imagine how much life is about to change, but we're really getting excited. and although i am a BIG TIME planner, i feel a sense of ease and peace about this whole new, amazing experience even though i really have no idea what to expect - because reading books and articles doesn't really do it justice. and the comfort and peace... that has to be a God thing :).

hope everyone is experiencing a blessed holiday season, and i look forward to sharing everything that is in store for this week.

p.s. i've had a couple of requests for frontal pics to help with the b/g vote. i'll try to get those up this evening or tomorrow AM.

mop-ies, electronic soap dispenser, and the purple cast

the pictures say it all... feel free to come over and try out the mop-ies and the soap dispenser anytime! we've got plenty of mopping to do and dishes to wash.

the vote...

ok, so the vote was 5 boy, 2 girl... before i noticed my typo and tried to "fix it". for those of you who want to recast your same vote... feel free, otherwise, no worries. i'll keep my running tally.

only 4+ days left to vote. who knew so many thought "boy"!!!

celebrating in houston... let's play a game!

we were down in houston, tx this past weekend for paul's niece's wedding. of course, with all the things on my mommy brain (dress, nicer purse for the occasion, accessories, etc.); i forgot to take my camera to the wedding. DOH! but, thankfully the besmehn clan has at least 2 cameras at every occassion. so... pictures forthcoming in the next few weeks (after uncle j gets back from his vacation in the gallapegos islands).

uj - here's another shout out as you seriously consider the action going on across the room...

and... can you spot the differences?

that's sam, the newest member of the besmehn clan and the sister of the bride. it was good times with family and an enjoyable, early christmas dinner at the daily grill. thx mom and dad besmehn!

take a wild guess...

so it's about that time to start considering gender - since the week 21 ultrasound will reveal a mostly accurate answer as to the boy or girl debate. i have my feelings, but i'll wait to reveal until after i hear from you.

what's your intuition?

here's a few helpful facts for you to consider as you register your vote:

1) morning sickness - mostly tired, not a lot of sick

2) baby's heart beat - registering in at between 136-140 bpm

3) how i carry the baby - you've seen the pics, you decide

4) family genetics - this all has to do with the boy's part in the process right? p has two brothers. if it skips a generation... grandpapa besmehn has a brother and a sister, which makes this last part not as helpful.

bonus: twins - these do run in the family, but up until now... we've only seen and heard one.

ok, time for you to vote. and don't forget to leave a comment if you're interested in the prizes. can't tell who you are without a comment :).

week 19... starting to feel more and more real

looks a lot like week 18, with a different outfit.

this week... baby b is the size of an heirloom tomato, weighing it at a whopping 8.5 ounces and and its arms and legs are becoming more proportional to the head size.

one big development, is in the sensory organ department. some research says that baby b will start to hear things soon - if not already. but don't worry, i've already been talking to baby b for quite some time now. we chat in the morning as we're getting ready, on the walk to work, and randomly throughout the day. i'm never alone :). but, it's time to start getting p into the action. he mentioned on the plane ride to houston that maybe we should start reading some books to baby b. not a bad idea...

week 19 was quite eventful

i need some pictures to post an adequate recap of the week, but here's a preview:

1) mop-ies - a picture will define this much better in a future post
2) an electric soap dispenser - self explanatory and very handy for dish washing

(at, t, k, and mm - thanks for the fun stuff!!!)

3) a purple cast - ok, so this really doesn't have anything to do with either p or i, but the foot surgery has been a hot topic for quite some time for auntie b. i hear the doctors took a cue from her fashionably, purple glasses, and decided she was a purple kind of girl. (b - if you are reading this a) i need a picture and b) we'll be over to leave our mark when we're back from houston)

oh and the actual, week 19 pick - that's coming soon too; along with a poll to guess baby's gender. still considering prizes for first responders and accuracy. we're off to get our ultrasound dec. 19th, and YES - we want to find out. what can i say, i like to plan!

baby b's second plane ride

we're on our way to houston for a wedding this weekend for p's niece. looking forward to seeing family, the wedding celebration, an early christmas dinner... BUT, definitely not the cold weather. the wedding is on saturday, 6:30pm, outside. so baby b and i will be well bundled for the 38ish degree weather that is predicted.

the plane ride was mostly uneventful, except i have to say that our southwest flight crew was very entertaining and friendly. the pregnant lady was particularly parched and needed several glasses of water throughout the 4 hour flight, and i was offered as many snacks i could down. there was a little girl behind us, i'd say she was about 4 years old... do children that age have volume control? can you teach that? just wondering outloud...