The verdict is in...

Sorry for the delay folks... Amidst the excitement of Tuesday's news and my traveling on Wednesday, I neglected to update the blog...

Anyway, the baby was a little shy and wouldn't come out of a little pocket it was hiding in. In that position, the cord was right between the baby's legs so the tech was a little worried about getting a good shot, but luckily she worked her magic and the last shot we got was a definite answer (according to her):

IT'S A....

BOY!

We have a better (clearer) picture printed that even includes a little arrow to help guide your focus, but we don't have a scanner and this one was already on a CD for us so sorry if you can't see it.

It was an amazing experience to see our little baby rolling around in there, or not rolling for that matter (he hid in a little pocket and covered his face with his hands most of the time). Honestly, with my lack of any major symptoms, not being able to distinguish baby movement quite yet, and the fact that I really don't have much of a belly yet I was beginning to wonder if he was really in there. But seeing him on the screen was definitely reassuring. Everything about him measured up to the average for his age (18 weeks). His head seems to be following the Richards tradition (i.e., his head measured at 18 weeks, 4 days when the rest of him measured at 18 weeks), which should be interesting... The tech tried really hard to get a profile picture, but he wasn't cooperating. The picture below is the closest she got.

Right after this one, he opened his hand (the one just above his face) which was really cute, but that picture is printed so I couldn't post it. We also got some cute 3D ones of his face and feet (which he had tucked over each other just like his father does every night...how sweet).

Anyway, I'm done gushing. I could write quite a bit more, but it'd probably only be interesting to me, which means it belongs in my journal :) We're excited that we have a healthy growing baby. We can't wait to see him again in 6 weeks!!

Your Vote Counts!!

Actually, it doesn't, but that's a much more exciting title than "You can say what you think, but it's already been decided..."

I've been delaying this post for a while, but I guess it's about time... You see, I didn't think I'd be one of those people who post the "Yay! I'm pregnant" post (and there's nothing wrong with the people that write those posts) since I'm not the type of person who likes a lot of attention and an announcement like that definitely draws attention. Yet, here I find myself writing this post...and you can all thank the wonderful Piper for encouraging me to do so. So here we go...

In case you haven't figured it out, Shane and I will be adding a new member to our family in December. Many of you already know this--some from us, others from Facebook, my mother's mass emails, etc.--but if you didn't know, you do now! So first, here are some answers to the FAQs:

1. How far along are you? 17 weeks (and 1 day...but who's counting?)
2. When are you due? December 8 (when the doctor measured at 9 weeks, they calculated the 11th but they never changed it, so I'm sticking with the 8th)
3. Have you been sick? Nope. I've only been sick once and that was because I let myself get way too hungry and then ate some berries, which I think were too acidic for my already hungry stomach.
4. Do you have any pictures? Not quite yet...we should probably be more dilligent in documenting, but I'm not really showing much yet so I don't know how fun it would be...
5. Are you going to find out the gender? Absolutely. That's actually the point of this post...read below for more details.
6. Have you started getting ready? Yes, but if you ask Shane he'll tell you he's done most of it...which is very true. He reads all the baby development websites and can tell you the appropriate fruit/vegetable to illustrate the approximate size each week. We already have a crib and a glider chair (both awesome craigslist deals) and we may have a dresser/changing table soon... Obviously we haven't decided on colors or things like that just yet because that may depend on gender...we'll see.
7. Have you thought about names? Surprisingly, we have already agreed on first choice for either a boy or a girl (granted, the boy's name was decided when we were first married so really the girl's name was what we agreed on). I don't know if I want to share them yet...but maybe once we know which we're having...stay tuned.

That seems to cover the basics, but if you have more questions, feel free to call, email, or post a comment. Now on to the main purpose of the post. Next Tuesday (July 7) I have my 18-week appointment, which includes finding out the gender of the baby. If you are so inclined, please feel free to chime in on whether you think we will be having (a) a boy or (b) a girl. No votes for one of each...the doctor already checked for twins...

Here's a brief overview of some of the views of those I've spoken with. (Note: Shane and I have discussed the fact that we are excited no matter what the result. We would just love a healthy baby first and foremost!):

• Shane: Would definitely like a boy, but feels that it's a girl.
• Jessica: Would definitely like a girl, but feels that it's a boy.
• My mom: Boy--she says every girl needs a big brother, so we need to start the family with one.
• Shane's mom, sisters, and neice: GIRL!!

Those are the only ones I've been privy to. Every time she sees me, my cute neice Paige says, "Who thinks Jessica is going to have a girl?" And then she raises her hand and won't put it down for quite a while. She's tired of being the only girl grandchild on BOTH sides of her family. I told her I'd think girly thoughts...

There you have it folks...the big news. Sorry to those we didn't tell personally. Life's been crazy with figuring out our plans for the future, family, work, and everything else... Stay tuned for the results next Tuesady!

Whirlwind

{Sorry folks, another post with no pictures. My parents have been involved in the most recent events, which means all pictures were taken by my mom}

Whirlwind sums up the last week for me. Here's the rundown:

Sunday, 10:00 PM (PST): Board my red-eye flight to Syracuse, NY via Newark. I try my best to fall asleep (and stay asleep). Surprisingly, I got quite a bit of sleep, but I just woke up every hour or so.

Monday, 6:08 AM (EST): {{MY BIRTHDAY}} Arrive in Newark. I eat some breakfast and find my gate. I read my book while waiting to board.

Monday, 7:45 AM (EST): Board flight to Syracuse. I think we sat on the runway for at least 30 minutes waiting to take off. I don't notice, I just sleep...and sleep...

Monday, 9:30 AM (EST): Arrive in Syracuse. Wander to the cab station. Receive a full education regarding weather in Syracuse...

Monday, 10:00 AM (EST): Arrive at client site just in time for my first meeting. Good thing someone else decides they can lead the meeting!

Monday (remainder): Struggle to produce some form of work and stay awake at the same time. Talk to my mother and discover that my granddaddy passed away that morning. This was an expected event, but still sad news to receive. I spend my evening researching potential travel routes to Dallas.

Tuesday: More meetings, more struggling to stay awake... Drive to Buffalo.

Wednesday: Finally book flights for me and Shane to get to Dallas for the funeral. More meetings, lots and lots of flowcharts. We drive up to Niagara Falls (the Canadian side) for dinner. It was a little difficult to see much through the rain and the mist (we were soaked), but it was fun nonetheless.

Thursday - Friday: More meetings, more flowcharts...

Friday, 2:00 PM (EST): Leave Buffalo on a flight for Atlanta after stopping for some buffalo wings (I couldn't leave the city without saying I did...)

Friday, 7:00 PM (CST): Arrive in Dallas (via layover in Atlanta). Was greeted by Emma, who kindly drove me very much out of the way to the funeral home in McKinney. I'm glad we had the hour to catch up. I even dragged her inside the funeral home (in her capris and t-shirt) to say hi to my mom and Shane {{Sorry Em}}. Lots of hugs from aunts, uncles, and cousins I haven't seen in years. It's strange being one of the oldest. I feel like I've stopped growing up and they're all catching up!!

Friday, 8:30 PM: Eat dinner at Braum's complete with a hot fudge sundae (made with Blue Bell ice cream, of course)!!!

Friday, 10:00 PM: Arrive at our awesome room at Motel 6 for the night.

Saturday: Funeral, interment, quick tour of my old stomping grounds in Duncanville, a quick drive past the Grassy Knoll and the Schoolbook Depository, luncheon, relaxation time (this time at my parent's hotel...a little cozier than the Motel 6), dinner / movie time with cousins.

Sunday: Church, lunch (leftovers from viewing and luncheon) with cousins, dinner in Southlake thanks to an awesome family friend, and craziness at Love Field airport.

Sunday, 7:40 PM (PST): Arrive in Phoenix just in time to enjoy ice cream with Shane's family.

Sorry for the detailed play-by-play, but this was my week... I never changed the time on my watch or my work computer to have some form of constancy, but it caused some confusion. I'm glad to be home and hoping to catch up on some much-needed sleep this weekend!!

Happy Birthday to...

...me!!

Monday was my birthday, but really the celebration began last Thursday. My parents showed up at our front door with gift-wrap bows stuck to their heads. Too bad it was a surprise, or I would've thought to take a picture of my awesome presents. They stayed the weekend with us, which was full of good food from good restaurants, movies, hikes, cooking for the party, celebrating, and just spending time together. Luckily, Shane had convinced me that it was important to change my 7:30 AM flight on Sunday to a 10:30 PM flight instead. This allowed for maximum parental time, even if I only got 3 hours sleep on my flight to Syracuse :).

On Saturday, we had a birthday party with Shane's family. We had steaks, grilled chicken, and all sorts of yummy sides. I even got MY birthday cake this year--chocolate cake, chocolate fudge icing, chocolate chips... My mom and I made it together and, in the tradition of Richards family birthday cakes, we ended up with an awesome crack in the shape of a Y on top. Sadly, all pictures and video taken are on my parents' cameras so I don't have anything to post as of yet.

For my actual birthday, I flew all night to Syracuse via Newark. I slept about 3 hours total on my flights and showed up to the client site just in time for my first meeting. Due to my lack of sleep and the work I had to do, the day didn't really feel like my birthday, so I'm glad I had a whole weekend to celebrate with my family.

That's all for now, folks! I think I'm supposed to get some work done before I get to bed... {After posting this and looking at the timestamp, I noticed that it says I posted at 5:36 PM, which makes me sound like I'm planning to go to bed at 7. In my defense, it's almost 9 in New York and I need to review a report before I can think about going to sleep... There, I feel better!}

Fascinated

Lately, I have been fascinated by this book:


I thought for a while before deciding on the correct word, and I've decided fascinated is the best way to describe it. In 1993, my grandma compiled my grandpa's journals, pictures, and other significant items from his life (certificates, newspaper clippings, letters) into this book. Sadly, I don't believe I paid much attention to it until lately. I used to just flip through and look at pictures, usually for pictures of my dad. But when I was in Salt Lake in March I began reading my grandma's book (she compiled one more recently) and decided to bring my copy of my grandpa's book home (I don't have my own copy of my grandma's book or hers would've come home with me too...).

Now I read a portion of it almost every day, and once I pick it up it's very hard to put down. Generally after reading a funny story, I feel the urge to pick up the phone and call my dad just to tell him I read it (he sat through some of this retelling on Sunday night), but generally I don't since he already lived all these stories...

What's interesting is his entries are generally very factual in nature (he was an engineer after all) and at some points entire years are skipped, but I can't seem to get enough of it. Maybe it's because I never got the chance to really know my grandpa--he suffered from Parkinson's that started before I was born and he died when I was only 9. Maybe it's because I know my aunts and uncles and it's fun to see the journey they took to get to who they are now. Maybe it's because I love remembering their house in Dallas as he describes the phases of construction. Maybe it's because it's fun to picture my dad as a 3-year-old playing with his dad's tools. But mostly I think it's because I'm fascinated with the man that was my grandpa--the love he had for my grandma (shown through many wonderful letters), the love he had for his children (shown by the details he included in his entries), and the love he had for his grandchildren (as far as I've read, only one has been born, but I can sense it even from just one).

It makes me sad that I never had the chance to really know this man in person, to hear him retell these stories, to see him interact with his family. But I am thankful that I have this book to give me a glimpse into his life and who he was...and I'm glad I still have 300 pages to go!

Side note: The book also gives me some encouragement. My journal entries are a bit more sporadic than his were and he has better excuses for his lapses, but the fact that I still find so much joy in the entries he did make helps me realize that every little bit counts, even if it's only once a year!

More Mother's Day Love...

So after a delay of 1 hour and 45 minutes in Phoenix, we missed our connection in Dallas and the next available flight is now delayed 45 minutes. So, I will arrive in Lubbock around 11:30 when I was originally scheduled to arrive around 7:45...awesome.

In happy news, American Airlines gives you a whole can of soda...and they carry Dr. Pepper! The flight attendant was very annoyed because she only put a few DP's on the cart because apparently it's only a popular choice for flights originating in Texas (so she had to keep running back to the galley to get them)...then she said, "There must be a lot of Texans on this flight..." My father would be proud :)

Happy Mother's Day?

I hope you are all having a wonderful mother's day--spending time with the ones you love and expressing your appreciation for the wonderful women in your lives. I, however, am sitting at the airport....waiting for a plane that has now been delayed an hour, which means I'll probably miss my connection, which means I won't get to my final destination until 10 or so instead of 7:30...thanks American. It's bad enough that I have to spend my entire Sunday travelling, and all of this Saturday sitting in training, but now I have to waste my time sitting at the airport. Awesome.

Anyway, we did an accelerated Mother's Day this year. We took Shane's mom out to dinner last night and had a wonderful Skype celebration with my parents this morning. At least we were able to talk to both of them--I even got a present to my mom ON TIME! I'm sure she was proud that I finally learned to plan ahead.

Take some time to love your mothers today. I wish I could. Okay...I'm done feeling sorry for myself.

P.S. Still no ring... :(