Remembering Gabriel

Today I remember our first baby, Gabriel David Erickson, who would have been one year old today. It is always with mixed feelings that I celebrate my birthday, knowing that a special little one in Heaven was also supposed to share it with me. I told the Lord earlier this year that all I wanted for my golden birthday (today) was a healthy baby and He granted my wish. As I sit hear and marvel at the beautiful life within me, I also think of how life would be so much different if Gabe had survived. I don't yet know what we will name our baby, but I especially like the meaning behind Zachary Gabriel. Zachary means "the Lord remembered" and Gabriel would be a tribute to his brother in Heaven. Together, it also means "The Lord remembered Gabriel" (and gave us another son).

Nursery is Completed!

Today I put the finishing touches on the nursery. Special thanks to mom and Luke for all your help in decorating, sewing, painting, carpentry work, etc. It was a lot of work, but I think it paid off in a big way! I can't wait for our baby to enjoy this!

Baby Name Poll

Since Luke and I are still undecided, please help us out by voting in our naming poll:

http://www.babycenter.com/403_completely-undecided_8746765_165128177986.bc

Baby Hiccups

Today was another first! I felt the first baby hiccups today. It was so cute, I first thought they were little kicks, though they felt a little stronger then normal. However, it was very rythmic and continued for longer than normal (about 1-2 minutes) in the same spot. That's when I realized what they were. So darn cute. I can't wait to see the little baby, I know I'm going to coo over every little hiccup and sneeze when he's born. Only 18 weeks, two days, and ten hours to go... =)

It's a Boy!

Sorry about the delay in posting, I was pretty exhausted after all of the running around we did yesterday. I will post picts later, but it is a boy! My mommy instincts were right! I was asking the ultrasonographer about something on the screen and referred to "is that his.." and she said, "Have you been calling it a him the whole time?" I said "yes" and she said "well, you are right!" Baby was sleeping at the appointment (he was up at around 9 am and the appt was at 10)and had his little legs crossed. The nurse had to prod the area to get him to kick and show his goods. =) She said he was a perfect baby, and I was really happy to hear that. The picts aren't the traditional profile shots as baby was facing the camera the whole time, but we luckily got to video the whole thing so we can replay those moments. He kicked a little bit (when she was poking) and also opened and closed his mouth a few times (that was Luke's favorite part).

19 Weeks

Hard to believe I'm almost half way done! It is so very fun to feel baby move throughout the day. This morning at around 5:45 am baby was up and squiggling around and it was the first time I could feel distinct body parts. Usually it's a kick or punch here or there, but hard to determine which. Well, I felt a kick, then I felt the baby's head graze my tummy, and then a soft punch after that. I could tell baby was upside down! I have been having fun "playing" with baby when (s)he is awake. They say baby has a favorite sleep position by now, so I was on my right side and could feel the baby moving around trying to get comfy and when it settled down I flipped to my left side. Sure enough, baby squiggled around trying to get comfy again. Actually, baby has been very active since I ate two killer Oatmeal Caramel Chocolate bars that I made last night. They were soo good. Baby has been on a sugar high ever since. Baby is still awake right now and it's only 8 am, whereas (s)he usually sleeps until around 8:30am. Next week I get to find out the gender of the baby! I can't wait, and just hope baby participates so we can know for certain.

Adorable little baby

The above picture is how a 17 week old fetus looks in the womb. Very cute and looks just like a baby! I have now had the pleasure of feeling baby for almost a week. This morning the baby did the first somersault that I could identify and it was also kicking away. I heard the baby's "schedule" isn't fixed until next week, but so far it seems (s)he is most active at night. From about 6pm to 9pm I feel constant wiggles and kicks. Also, I feel them in the middle of the night visits to the restroom, so I have a feeling we are in for some long nights ahead of us!