Ultrasound today and its a....

BABY! Yay!

That's right! For all of you out there who keep asking what we're having... it's official.... we're having a real human baby. No more wondering if its a giraffe or porcupine or whatnot. Rest assured, I saw the critter squirming around in there today and its a little baby person of some kind!

All joking aside, baby looks good and we did not find out the gender. I initially decided against having an ultrasound for this pregnancy.  However, over the course of the last week I wasn't feeling a lot of movement from babe and a spirit of fear crept in. I made the appointment, just for peace of mind, I reasoned. Of course, since the scan this morning the baby has been more active than ever before. Kicking and punching, rolling around, going bananas! Tonight, for the first time, I could feel movement from the outside of my belly. So, I don't know... It's like the babe is telling me that the nosy old ultrasound wasn't needed, "if you want movement, well, here ya go!"

We are really so excited and thankful to meet this new little member of our family in March. Strangely, I feel more sentimental, emotional and excited about this baby than during either of my last two pregnancies. I can only imagine its because I know and understand the joy that lies ahead (unlike my pregnancy with Elijah, my first) and I am not scared about how I will handle another (unlike my pregnancy with Adah, my second). I am just, plain and simple, happy to be pregnant and grateful for this gift! So, please keep praying our little baby in the belly, there are still 20 weeks to go.

Here's a pic of how we're growing.
(I am working on scanning an ultrasound pic. I've yet to figure out my scanner.)

Sorry for not posting in a month. I've been debating about shutting the blog down. The day may be coming soon. Despite having a lot on my plate right now, I just don't feel like I have much to say.

We are still sorting through the details of buying the house that I told you about last time. So many details! If all goes well, we will be in the house before our lease runs out here at the end of the month. It looks to be about a 50-50 chance that it will work out that way. We appreciate all prayers on this matter, too. :)

I'll try to post more, thanks for hanging in here with me.
And thank you all for your friendship, love and support. Love you all!

Under Contract

After 6 months of diligent house hunting, Gabe and I are happy to say that we are under contract to purchase a house!

The house is in the Fairview area. It is a foreclosure and we think we got a pretty good deal for it. Its in  good condition, though it needs some updating, mostly cosmetic. Its on almost 2 acres and is about 1700 square feet. There is a small finished area in the basement that will be our homeschool room and a huge detached garage with electricity that will be Gabe's workshop.  The lovely large living room has a fireplace, big windows and nice hardwood floors. The bedrooms are small, but the common spaces are spacious and the yard is huge. The majority of the property feels private and enclosed with nice trees.  There is a little swing set for the kids in the backyard and plenty of space for gardens.These are all the good things about it.

There are a few downsides, too, because nothing is perfect in house hunting. We learned that quickly.  I blogged a while back about being prepared to make compromises; we did make a few. But, I am still satisfied with our decision. One down side: the exterior of the house was recently painted a deep "marinara sauce" reddish-orange from top to bottom and we hate it. It will take a lot of time and money to repaint, so we will have to live it with it for a while. We have an interesting neighbor situation, too. Its not terrible; though it will require a bit of landscaping to carry the private feel around to that side of the property .

There are many hoops to jump through before the house is officially ours, but we are hopeful that everything is going to work out. Especially because we had to give the required 60-day notice to the lovely Eastwood Village Apartments that we will not be renewing our lease. In other words, 60 days from today, we have to be out of here. Closing on a house can sometimes take 60 days or more. Therefore, we are praying for a speedy, smooth closing process. Ideally, we would close a couple of weeks before we have to be out of the apartment giving us time to paint and clean the new house before moving in.

Here is a link to the listing... notice the lovely chocolate brown and orange paint inside! We have our work cut out for ourselves, but hopefully, it will pay off.

Hilton Head Island, SC

Vacation 2010: 

Resting, Sunning, Swimming, Biking, Hiking, Sanding, Kite Flying, Nature Watching, Recovering, Forgetting, Remembering.

Dickinson Family Gathering

We had the opportunity to see all of Gabe's brothers and sisters together this weekend along with all of their respective spouses and children. I have so much I could say about the dynamics of such a big family. But as with all things lately, I just don't have the energy to put it into words. So I am going to keep with my trend and post a few pictures instead.

Barbara (Mom, Nana) with all of her children ( listed from the oldest who is 36 to youngest who is 23): Jessica in the red dress, Hope in the white shirt, Leah to the left of Barbara in grey, Jacob with sunglasses on his collar, Noah with sunglasses on, Gabe in the Piazza shirt, Micah right behind Barbara. (Gabe looks a little weary here; there were LOTS of pictures taken.:)

Barbara with almost all of her grandchildren ( We are missing Hailey, Micah's daughter who is in California). There 19 in all, with 2 more on the way. Gabe and I are expecting another baby in March and Hope and her husband Raul are expecting their first in December.  The ages of the children range from 5 mos to 16 years old. Cute family, huh?

  ♥The Dickinson that matters the most to me.♥

Blueberry Pickin' and a Splash in the River