Lately

I FINALLY started feeling like my old self again once I hit 15 1/2 weeks. I'm happy to report I am officially DONE with morning sickness. I have gagged a few times since then but it's only happened when I'm sneezing. Weird right?? But I'm also happy to report that since I'm not sick anymore, I finally gained my first 5 pounds of this pregnancy. I think I put it all on between week 13 and week 15, just because I was so excited to have some of an appetite back. Now I'll start being more careful, but it just feels so good to feel NORMAL again. Such a blessing. By the way, right now I'm 17 weeks. :)

Here is a picture of me at 15.5 weeks. That's another thing that has been so different this time around... the fact that I'm showing so much faster the 2nd time around. With Grace, I wasn't showing like that until at least 20 weeks. But it's also sort of fun because there wasn't much of an awkward in between stage.

Here is a recent picture of Grace and Ryan. They were both looking so cute all ready for church and I had to snap a photo.

After church our home teachers came over (who we just love) and Grace apparently loves them even more! When they came inside, Grace ran over to Brother Lancaster (on the right) and gave him a big hug. Then she insisted on sitting in between them on the couch. She's such a flirt. ;)

The three of us are in Salt Lake City for the entire month of September so Ryan can do a pediatric rotation here. It's not through the residency program (since they're not being workable with Ryan's school/type of degree), but just a local pediatrician. We wanted to be up here specifically this month so that we can spend lots of time with my brother, Thomas, who is returning from his mission next wednesday! Plus we were all beyond ready to escape the Vegas heat that just doesn't let up at all until October/November. So it was perfect timing. :) Since I'll be 22 weeks when we get back to Henderson, we didn't want to wait THAT long to find out the gender of our baby. So yesterday we went to Fetal Fotos and found out we're having a BOY!!!

Here are the photos we were given, but I had to just take a picture of the pictures. So they're not great. We'll get better ones at our real ultrasound next month. Click on them to enlarge.

(the one above is of his elbow resting on his bent knee, just posing there for us. So cute!)

Baby Boy was moving around a ton during the whole ultrasound and it was the highlight for me! I loved seeing him stretch, open and close his mouth several times, bring his hands to his face, move his head backward and forward. It was so great!! I admit that it's strange to imagine a baby boy in our future, but I love him so much already. Plus, now that we know it's a boy, it means I have lots of fun shopping to do!