Just Awesome

Zach came home from work today and decided to take us out for dinner. We settled on Golden Dragon, a newish Chinese buffet that we LOVE because (1) everything on the (huge) buffet is super-tasty, (2) they have mac and cheese and lots of fruit so Austin is always a happy camper, and (3) Austin eats free for another year. One of our favorite places in town.

But I digress...I didn't decide to blog just to tell how much we love the restaurant. As with most Chinese dining establishments, at the end of the meal you get a fortune cookie. And this is mine.

Just sit back and let the irony wash over you.

"No Whiney!"

Austin has a new phrase...

We think he's saying "No whining," which would make a lot of sense, since he hears that phrase, oh, maybe a hundred times a day or so. :) He's listening to his mother's instruction! Now, is he putting her wise words into action...? We'll get back to you on that.

This is unrelated, but as I was trying to get Austin to say his new phrase he noticed the camera and put on a little show. (Our camera has a viewfinder that can flip around to face the front so he could see himself.) I thought it was pretty funny.

By the way, both videos are really short, but for some reason when I rendered them in our editing software it edited in a bunch of empty space at the end. Not worth redoing the whole project, but I don't want anybody watching a blank screen waiting for something exciting to happen.

Park Outing

We went to a local park for the first time of 2010 last night. We have been enjoying sunny warm weather for the last couple of days--what a blessing! Giddy is the only word I can use to describe how Austin feels about being able to play outside. Every time we go out he runs around, bouncing up and down with a constant smile on his face. So precious.

My pictures certainly aren't of the highest quality but the sun was in my face so much that I could hardly see the images on the screen. Oh well...I think you can see how much Austin was enjoying himself.

Update for Eager Grandmas

I heard from my doctor and he told me that my ultrasound results were okay, but because of the low placenta I will be getting another ultrasound between 32 and 34 weeks. That translates to early-mid June. A while to wait, but we should have a good shot of confirming baby's gender before the birth. So grandmothers, if you can just hold your shopping off for a few months...

Just Couldn't Resist

We went to the mall tonight and bought this little item. Just couldn't help it. If baby is not a girl, somebody will be receiving a super-cute shower gift in the future!

Oh hey, I have a cute kid, too. Haven't seen many pics of him lately, huh? Hmm, I'm not so good at taking them but after taking the above picture, I turned the camera to my little man.

He was running laps around his room. That's a pretty good snapshot of life these days, I'd say.

Ambiguity

We had our ultrasound today, and found out that maybe we are having a girl. The ultrasound tech said she thinks it is but took great pains to tell us that she was not at all sure about that and that it certainly could turn out to be a boy. Baby was curled up in a ball and would not unfold enough to get a clear view down there. She (?) was pretty stubborn.

So this is a pretty tough spot for me and Zach to be in. We have always been so sure that we would have a family full of boys. There are just too many Collins men to think anything else. So we certainly don't want to get our hopes up too much that this is a girl and then be disappointed if it turns out to not be. Not that we would be disappointed with a boy...but you know what I mean, right? Ironically, I feel more up in the air than I did this morning before the ultrasound! Beforehand I was pretty sure it was a boy, and now to be told that maybe it's a girl...rough.

My doctor normally just does one ultrasound. However, the tech said my placenta is a bit low; she thinks my doctor might order another at a later time to check if it has moved up. We are hoping for that. (Not hoping for anything wrong with my placenta, of course; just hoping for enough uncertainly to warrant another look at baby!)

I certainly don't want to give the impression that our ultrasound was a negative experience. It was great in every other way. Our tech was wonderful and really took the time to explain what we were seeing on the screen. I feel like I understood the images much better than I did with Austin. We saw bones, organs, the umbilical cord, even a glimpse of the lens of the eye. (That looked kind of freaky, to be honest.) Baby is measuring a few days ahead of my due date; Austin was as well and look when he was born! (I am making no unchangeable plans for the month of July.) Weight estimate is 12 oz. Everything looks healthy!

Here are some pictures of (maybe) baby girl!

See the little mouth open? Her skull is also very visible (the white outline). And I think that's a hand underneath.

Baby wouldn't really turn her head for a profile shot but this one is pretty good. The dark spot on the left is an organ; the stomach, I think.

Showing off some muscles!

"Don't worry, Mom and Dad, you may not be sure if I'm a girl but I'm happy and healthy in here!"

Quick Funny Story

When Zach came home from work tonight he said he thought he should take me to H.B. Culpepper's, one of our favorite Indiana restaurants. Sounded like a plan to me; off we went. Another young couple sat down in a booth near our table at about the same time. A few minutes later Austin started whining and pointing as the waitress brought drinks to the other table. As far as we could tell, he was jealous of the man's beer because it looked like apple juice to him!

Son, you're a little young. :)