The First Movement

Well, the first movement I could feel, anyway...

Last night, I got to feel my little girl moving around for the very first time. Lisa has put my hands on her belly so many times inquiring, "Did you feel? You had to feel that!" To which I always replied, "Nope, I got nothing." But this time, I finally felt her. It wasn't a massive kick, just a little tapping. Though I can only imagine that the kicking that I feel will get stronger from here. I seriously wonder what she is doing in there? In my head, I always liken the womb to what I have seen on television. You know that stupid movie, 'Look Who's Talking'? Yeah, in my mind, the womb is a place with a soft light and a perfect venue for comedic interplay. Of course, my little girl sounds nothing like Bruce Willis, but I imagine her having a little voice that makes some pretty funny comments. I always envision Jocelyn grabbing that umbilical cord and, while tugging, demanding, "Hey, let's get a little apple juice down here!" But my favorite mental movie is of her seeing Lisa's bladder, grabbing it and giving it a good squeeze. Think how fun that must be? "Hey, this bag keeps filling up! Ima give it a good squeeze." Then when Lisa goes to pee, I imagine Jocelyn kinking the line like a hose so nothing comes out. Yep, that's the interplay that is going on in my brain.

Anyway, my little girl is on her way to being quite the swimmer...

Babies Need a Lot of Stuff!

At least, that's what Babys 'R Us would have you believe. We went to that behemoth store last weekend to complete a registry for baby items. Now that we know what we're having, we can plan accordingly. I had no idea how much junk you could buy for a baby. Of course, the baby couldn't give a hill of beans, but they sure know how to market to the parents.

In the couple of hours we were there, we registered for a car seat and stroller, a crib, baby monitor and myriad other items. However, Lisa went nuts with clothes! We indoctrinate little girls early that they need lots of clothes, I guess... Lisa registered for quite a few articles of couture, even including a pair of sparkly jeans on the registry. Me? I got to use the magic gun under careful supervision. The only items I managed to get in without her seeing included baby gates and a cute little brown and pink stuffed puppy.

I have a feeling people aren't going to buy half of the items on our list, especially since it's a little girl. After all, who goes to baby showers? Women. What do women like to buy? Clothes. I rest my case.

It's a Girl!

We had our second ultrasound yesterday and it was with nervous anticipation that I waited for the appointment time to arrive. I left work early to head over to the doctor's office, and we were seated in the room and Lisa lifted her shirt and lay back on the table and the ultrasound technician did her work. We waited with excitement to see what our little blessing was to be - a rambunctious little boy or a beautiful little girl. For so long, Lisa has thought of this baby as being a little boy. However, last week, she changed her tune and confided in me that she thought it was a girl. Of course, this change was due to her looking at little girl clothes while she was out shopping...

Meticulously, the technician moved the wand across the expanse of my pregnant bride's belly. Measurements were taken, movement was seen. We saw little feet, a little face, hemispheres of the brain and then two tiny little butt-cheeks. When that little bottom came into view, I exclaimed, "Is that butt?!" The tech. confirmed my perspicacious insight and asked, "Would you like to know what it is?" To which I replied, "It's a girl. There is no twig and no berries to be seen!" Yep, we are having a little girl. We were handed a few images of the ultrasound and directed to wait for the doctor outside. While we were waiting, Lisa asked if I was 'okay'. I was definitely okay, but there was just one problem - we had a boy's name finalized, but were on the fence as to what we would name a girl. I told her I didn't know what to call it now that it was a little girl, and we decided right then and there that her name would be Jocelyn Kathleen Orrell. We had debated between Abigail Laurene and Jocelyn Kathleen, but we made the decision and now little Jocelyn will be the first child with which we will be blessed. Here are some images of my little girl - I will have to have a little talk with her about modesty based on her flashing us in one of these images...