No Question About It, We're Having a Boy

We had our BIG ultrasound today. The little guy gave us a side profile of the goods and is definitely a boy. We are so excited! As of this moment his name is Sam. Everything looked good. His legs are in the 78th percentile and his head is in the 83rd percentile, but the rest of his body it little. So he's long and skinny with a giant head. Ben says that means he is a Hanson for sure. I'm still not feeling him move but after the last couple ultrasounds I'm not surprised. He's super laid back and just moves his little hands and legs. I kept saying he's lazy but now I'm thinking it could be a good thing to have a calm baby. We will have another ultrasound in 8 weeks. Apparently with my high blood pressure they need to keep and eye on him since he'll be at risk for low birth weight. We're REALLY upset that they are making us have another ultrasound.

Here are the pictures of the little dude.

Here are his feet, his toes are to the left.

A great shot of his boy junk.

His profile, head on the right.

Another profile shot . . . so cute!

The evil toe

So some of you may know that Tracey and I teach a primary class. Because our primary is tiny and highly dysfunctional, we are stuck with kids ranging from 6 year-olds that have not learned to read to 9 year-olds that just need some attention. The age difference is made even worse by the lesson book which is aimed toward the younger kids, making it far too basic for the older ones. Aside from those issues, our class is great. The kids are really smart and funny. Sometimes we are amazed at the grasp they have on gospel principals, and if they do not fully understand them they at least come up with some funny explanations.

A perfect example of this was when we were talking about baptism by immersion. We asked the kids why we needed to be fully immersed. They responded that if one toe comes out of the water, all of the sins go into that toe and it becomes an evil toe. It was even funnier the next week when we asked a kid that was not there previously the same question and he gave the same answer. I was trying to figure out what exactly and evil toe looks like and this picture is pretty close to my vision. The only change I would make is maybe little devil horns and a devil tail. I shudder to think at what would happen if a whole foot came out.

How I know this baby will grow up to be Ben

Some of you will recall that at one time Ben told me he only produces male offspring's. Well, that part held up however, he was starting the question the baby's ethnicity because all I want to eat is yummy Mexican food from La Puente. Even my favorite waitresses tease me about it when they see me three times a week. MMMMM . . . smothered burrito. Ben unfortunately hasn't developed the same passion for "The Bridge" so I eat there during my lunch at work.

Finally tonight we found a place that we both love AND reaffirms that this is Ben's kid: Johnniebeefs. I have BEGGING for a chili-dog for the last 19 weeks, Ben finally did some research tonight and relented. The deal is I can only have them once a month (this point will be undergoing debate) and we have to make sure the are reputable dogs. None of Ben's favorite 7-Eleven hot dogs for me. Johnniebeefs is the answer to a pregnant women's prayers. The dude behind the count (a Chicago native) set Ben straight on the hot dog front. He assured my sweet husband that these aren't any sub par hot dogs and that his wife and unborn son deserved a hot dog. The dude was right. I had the chili-dogs and fries. YUMMY!!! It's been an hour and no heartburn yet! They also fit into Ben's "Support Local" plan. If you are in the Fort Union Area you should totally go try it.

Sorry Sam, I think we might be naming the baby Johnnie.

How The Baby Saved Ben

Ben is a pretty laid back guy. This is a really good thing since his wife is so high-strung. There are a few things though that get him worked up: Bad drivers, white dudes ordering in Spanish at Cafe Rio and air pockets in his milkshakes. My favorite pet peeve of Ben's is teenage girls.

Bethany is about the only teenage girl that doesn't put Ben over the edge. Now some of her friends on the other hand . . . good-ness! Time after time we have been out in public and I have seen Ben cringe at the sound of squealing teenagers. It is like fingers on a chalkboard for him. Everything about them makes him crazy, the way the talk, dress, act, sound and think. I am of the belief that this comes from him being a youngest child with very little exposure to them since he was a teenager which doesn't count because then he was an obnoxious teenage boy trying to make out with them. I have to constantly remind him that it is just how they are and eventually they will grow out of it and have a chance at becoming a normal human being.

Last night we were at a local Mexican restaurant and the booth across from us held two teenage couples on a double date. It became obvious that the girls were friends and the boys hardly knew each other. Their conversation was driving Ben CRAZY in typical teenage girl fashion. The best part of the night came when one of the girls who was drinking water said to the boy across from her, "I was looking at your Coke when I took a drink and expected to taste your Coke." Ben almost poked his own eyes out. He suddenly pointed at my stomach and said "It's a good thing you are a boy!!!"

I'm starting to think it might be a really good thing that Ben is being eased into this dad thing with a boy first.

Not what I expected

Now you may think this post is all about how I was wrong in guessing the sex of Bracey, but I still have a 20% chance of being right and I will not concede defeat until we have definitive proof. This post is all about our fun Saturday afternoon. The baby expo was in town and because Tracey is with child we were legally obligated to go. First of all, I was extremely disappointed because I thought the baby expo was going to be one of those places where you can buy a kid or maybe trade your old one for a fresh new baby. I even had in my mind one of those machines that they have at arcades with the claw that tries to grab stuffed animals but on a much bigger scale and instead of stuffed animals... well you get the point.

Anyway, it was a good time with plenty of stuff we are going to need in the future. Unfortunately at that point we did not know what we were having so it was a bit of a waste. So much of kids stuff is gender specific that shopping is near impossible if you just do not know. I do have a couple of pointers for anyone that goes to these sorts of things. First of all keep a close eye on your kid. I may not be the only person who is confused about the nature of the baby expo. Second, do not make eye contact with the people in booths that you are not interested in. Once you do they pounce and you get handed about 20 different pamphlets. Finally, be prepared to see the same thing over and over. Proof of this is there was more than one booth that specialized in gifts of cloth diapers stacked to look like a birthday cake. That is about the most specialized business in the world and there were two.

I hope these tips help when the baby expo comes back in 6 months. I know I have learned a lot and next time I will not have a pocket full of quarters, and I won't spend 30 mins looking for the crane game.