The Big Reveal!!

I had a lot of surprises up my sleeve today for TJ's birthday!

The first one involved obtaining an iPad 3 for him. I knew how badly he wanted this little gadget, so I had to be sneaky and ask one of his best friends, Heath, to buy it for me and then cash the check I paid him back with after April 16th. He was nice enough to go out of his way to do that to help me surprise Teeje - and he even threw in a Smart Cover as a bonus gift! Why did I have to go this route, you may ask? Because TJ is very on top of our finances and monthly expenses (he uses mint.com to track our transactions) - I knew he'd be too suspicious if he saw a big withdrawal from Apple. My sneakiness paid off. TJ was completely surprised when he got his iPad! 

My second surprise was the one I had been most excited for. I moved the date of our second trimester ultrasound from April 27th to today! TJ thought it was at the end of this month because that's what I'd been telling him for the last few weeks. Little did he know, the doctor gave me the go-ahead to have it anywhere between weeks 18 and 22. I told TJ last night to get ready early this morning because we were going to a secret location. The suspense nearly drove him crazy! It was so much fun for me to watch him squirm and keep asking, "Where are we going?!?!" :) I refused to tell him anything as we drove along to the clinic, so he just kept guessing based on the businesses he saw along the road. "Are we going to play laser tag? Are we going to breakfast? Are we going on a hike? Are we going bowling? Are we going to a vending machine at the U of U?" Even when we pulled right into the parking lot and saw the big sign that said "Millcreek Imaging Center", TJ said, "I'm still confused. Are we getting a family photo?" Haha! Oh, Teeje. When I finally told him we were going to find out the gender of our baby, he was thrilled and completely surprised. 

So, what will we be having?

Meet Baby Boy Nicholes!! 

Coming September 2012. :) We couldn't be happier. Isn't this a cool image? They used a 3D ultrasound to capture our little baby's face, arms, and legs. He's just so precious. I can't wait to hold him for the first time. Everything looks healthy and perfect - he's even measuring a few days ahead of schedule! It's incredible what happens to the love you feel when you see that little baby moving around during the screening. I think mine and TJ's hearts tripled in size. Oh, and he is such a wiggly little guy! He was bouncing all over the place. Just when the nice ultrasound technician tried to take a picture, he'd wiggle out of the way. Looks like someone inherited my camera-shyness... :)

Speaking of which, let me just get this out of the way and post some bump pictures (exposure therapy!). I look huge because I usually take these pictures at night - after I've eaten dinner. Since my stomach has nowhere to go but out when I eat, I look bigger than I really am right now. I've decided to just embrace it. Oh, and I'm usually either in my pajamas or workout clothes. Super attractive, right? :)

16 weeks

18 weeks

In addition to the surprises for TJ's birthday, I made him his favorite dinner - beef tenderloin steak with cilantro lime butter, creamy mashed potatoes, and roasted asparagus. He was very sweet and said it was better than a restaurant (but I doubt it). 

Oh, and here are some fun pictures of me and TJ grabbing a late night Kong cone from Macey's. I'd never had one, and TJ insisted on taking me there after work one day. They are enormous!! But delicious. Notice how we're showing off our Synergy pride by wearing our jackets. :) 

It doesn't matter what TJ and I do, he always makes it a fun adventure. And speaking of adventures...

We will be vacationing in Kauai this summer for a whole week! By that point, people will probably be mistaking me for a beached whale in my swimsuit, but I don't care. I can't wait for a tropical escape!! It seems like we're making Hawaii a yearly summer tradition in our family. Oh, and did I mention we're going for free? :) More on that fun trick later!

Wish us luck with this little boy! We just couldn't be happier or more excited for this little guy to join our happy family. What an incredible blessing.