It's a.......!!!!!

Over a week ago, I had an ultrasound done at my new OB's office. I was under the impression it was going to be THE ultrasound where all the measurements are taken of the baby to make sure he/she is growing normally and to determine if it's a boy or girl. I was bummed because Eric was on call that day (it seems like he's on call everyday, but that's another issue), but I was still excited to find out if the baby is a girl or boy.

Old Man Ultrasound Tech greeted me when I got there and informed me he was going to do the ultrasound. Seriously, this guy was so old. Anyway, OMUT (this is what I'll call him for short), proceeded to perform the ultrasound. I was waiting for him to start taking all the measurements, to tell me my amniotic fluid was fine, tell me there was no signs of downs syndrome or hydrocephalus...anything! All I got was, "Yep, you're right on schedule for your gestational age. Here's the brain matter and here's a femur." And then the exam was over. I asked, "Wait, can't you tell if it's a boy or girl?" He replied, " Oh no. It's too soon yet and this machine is so old, I wouldn't be able to tell."

I was so mad! Not only did it seem like the ultrasound was for nothing except to measure the gestational age, but stupid OMUT didn't even try to find out for me. Now I know that ultrasounds aren't to determine the sex, but this guy could've tried. What made the most mad was that he told me his machine was too old. What a big fat lie!

I went home and made an appointment at one of those ultrasound boutique places. I told the lady I spoke with I just wanted to know the sex of the baby because I'd just had a ultrasound but OMUT wouldn't tell me. She asked who did the exam and when I told her, she said, "I taught him all he knows! He certainly could've told you."

That Saturday, Eric was off so we and my in-laws took the boys and went to the boutique place. It was so much fun! The lady was a really good (and nice!) tech and she made sure to get a good shot of the goods. Without further ado, here's the pictures that were taken, beginning with showing off the goods.

It's a GIRL!!!! See the three lines? Ok, it's kinda hard to tell, but they're on the left.

Her beautiful little feet are crossed. What a little lady!

Here are some 3d shots. Since it's still pretty early, she's looking pretty skeletonish, but beautiful nonetheless.

She's smiling!

And here she is sucking her thumb :)

We are so excited to add a girl to the mix! We love her so much already. Now I just hope we can decide on a name!

We made it to IL!

We are finally here and almost settled in. There are still a few lingering boxes that don't seem to be getting unpacked, but besides that, we're all in!

The drive itself was loooooong. I remember it being long, but it's so much longer with children! It seemed like everytime we got on the road, someone had a poopy diaper requiring immediate attention. It was three really long days.

We're living in Eric's parent's basement this year, so most of our stuff is in storage. What a hassle it was to divide everything up between the two places and making sure the movers got it to the right place. We're just glad to be here and that the drive is over and our stuff made it, too!

Here are a few pics of the trip and when we first got here:

Caves in AZ

Mr. Carter sleeping in the car. The boys don't really sleep well in the car, so I was grateful when they did for a little bit.

Me driving. I think this was the third day when I didn't know if I could go any further.

The little travel companions. It was so helpful to have my mom there. While one of us drove, the other would tend to the boys.

Mr. Brandt and his foot :)

The day after we got to IL, we all went swimming. I'd just changed the boys' diapers and put them in those cool designer huggies that look like jeans. We went out to the pool to show off the diapers and decided the boys should swim. Ummmm...if anyone doesn't already know this: normal diapers explode when they get too soaked. We had to invest in swimming diapers the next day. Anyway, here's Carter with his grandpa.

Mr. Brandt!

Mr. Brandt in his denim diaper

I love this picture. I look like crappola, but Brandt sure is cute!

Playing in "real" grass for the first time.

My mom with Brandt. It was so fun to swim and not be driving!

Everyone having fun at the pool.

I have so much more to post, I need more hours in the day. Both the boys have started walking. It's so amazing how they just decide one day they are going to try it out!

Baby G #3!!

Yep...the rumors are true. I'm pregnant! I can still hardly believe it. It was such a huge shock. Needless to say, we weren't trying at all. Our "plan" was to wait a few years before we wanted to even think about trying. We hadn't even decided if we were going to stop at 2 children. But, God had a VERY different plan for us.

It's already been an eventful pregnancy. I had a subchorionic hemorrhage that started at week 7. This was so scary! It ended up not being a big deal, but I thought for a week that I was losing the baby. Since the scare, I have had the easiest first trimester. No morning sickness!! The only weird thing was for a couple of weeks, dinner sounded gross. So far, this pregnancy couldn't be more different than my pregnancy with the boys.

I'm due in December. My due date has changed a couple times. Right now, it's December 19th, but I think that is still about a week late. I really think somewhere closer to the 12th is more accurate.

We're so excited to meet this next bundle of love!

Dr. Eric J. Groen

Eric graduated...medical school is over! Eric has had mixed emotions over this change. He is really going to miss the friends he's made over the past few years. He is also getting very anxious and nervous about starting his intern year. He has complained quite often over the past year that he doesn't get to do much during his rotations, yet now that he will be given more freedom and responsibility, he is questioning his readiness. During his internship year in Chicago, he will spend each month doing something different (ie. pediatrics, OB, critical care, etc.) and Eric just found out his first month is pediatrics. As Eric says, "I don't do babies and I don't do ladies." Needless to say, he's getting especially nervous starting in peds.


Below are a few pics of his graduation. It was a lovely ceremony and we can finally call him doctor! :)

Waiting for the ceremony to start. We had to get there early to get make sure we got a spot where we could easily escape if the boys were getting loud. They did great, despite missing their morning nap and stayed the entire time.


Eric is the tall blonde in the third row from the bottom and smack dab in the middle.

Our little family.

With my family

The doctor with his boys.

With Eric's family.

A cool shot Eric's dad took.

Eric with some of his friends from medical school: Melissa and Robert Nelson, Anna and Russell Horton, Saul Rosenstein and then us.

This picture cracks me up. Look at Carter giving Saul a look!

Saying goodbye to everyone

The boys turn 1!!!!!

Holy moly, I can't believe it...they're already one! The boys' birthday was on Wednesday and Eric and I tried to make it special, even though the "real" party isn't until next Saturday.

When the boys woke up and after every nap, we sang "Happy Birthday" to them. They had a grilled cheese sandwhich with grapes and manderine oranges for lunch (their favorite foods). They got to go swing at the park AND go the pool in the afternoon. Eric and I (okay, let's be honest, it was all ME) reminisced the entire day of what happen the day the boys were born. At 5:16 and 5:17 pm (the times they were born), we sang "Happy Birthday" to them again.

Mom, Kaylyn and Mamaw came over for dinner and we had pizza. Then we all sang "Happy Birthday" again (I think this might have been the last time!) to the boys and watched them smash their own cupcakes and smear it all over their face.

I think Eric and I were way more excited it was the boys birthday than they were. I can't quite figure out why it's so special to us...it is because we made it through the first year? Is it because they're no longer babies and we have toddlers? I don't really know. But I do know this: we couldn't love these precious little boys if we tried! Our lives have been so blessed by these little ones. We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know their fun and unique personalities.

Here's everyone enjoying the pizza. Think we should start thinking about getting a bigger table?:)
Brandt feeding his grandma
Me and my firstborn

Carter inspecting the cupcake

Beginning to dig into it

Brandt after his cupcake destruction. By this point in the evening, the boys were getting pretty tired. Let's just say that the combination of tiredness and chocolate in the eyes didn't make for a happy Brandt.

And then, right after this picture was taken, my camera died! I didn't get a picture of Carter all messy. Oh well, there's always next weekend!

Getting ready for a bath

The boys get so excited when they climb up the stairs and hear the water running in the bathroom for their bath. They crawl straight to the tub and stand at it until we put them in.


Here are the boys when we're getting ready for a bath

Books

In the past month, these boys have fallen in love with their books. For the longest time, I've tried to read to them, but they haven't had any interest. It wasn't until THE alphabet book. The boys love to sit with me and go through the book and hear the sound of each alphabet letter.

In addition to reading their alphabet book, they love to eat their board books. One book has already been destroyed. Poor book...it was even the cool kind with buttons that make noise. The only thing left is the buttons for the book!

Here's Brandt with his pile of books

Carter reading the alphabet book