Storytime

I've been reading Winnie the Pooh poems and stories to Lil'Bit everynight this week. He's began to move a lot when I start to read so we think he likes it. After the story last night Jenna put my hand on her belly to see if I could feel him move. Up to then this consisted of the following conversation.
Jenna-Did you feel that!?!
Chad-No
Jena-Did you feel THAT!?!
Chad-No

But this time it was different, after about a minute I felt a little thump against my hand. My eyes got HUGE and I looked up at Jenna who was smiling and shouted "That was it." It was awesome. It was so cool to feel him move. I know he's in there moving. I mean I have the video to prove it. But it was so cool to feel him move. I think I talked to him for 30 minutes after that. I mean how many opportunities are there to talk to your kid when they have no choice but to stay there and listen :)

Have a Happy New Year everyone. Stay safe.

1st Christmas Present

Ok it may not be the first present bought, but your mother and I opened your first Christmas present yesterday. Since you won't be able to see it for a while I'll spill the beans and tell you what it is. It was a ... Christmas ornament. Imagine that. You are definitely a Sullivan. You'll get used to, the whole fam is big on the whole 'ornament' thing. Your Gramma has 4 Christmas trees up at her house. Four!!!!!!! Your mother spent the morning making helping your Aunt Melissa throw a gingerbread making party for 20 kids. Christmas is just in your blood.
You also got your first baseball outfit. Your mother has you playing shortstop for the Yankees in 2025 (I have you on the mound). I know you'll get more loot while we travel for the holidays. In fact, you're going to end up with more loot than your mother or me.
Well go back to sleep and keep growing. We'll meet soon. I love ya.

P.S. When your mother says your low, that means get off her bladder. Dude, she can't even watch a 5 minute weather report without going to the bathroom.

Love,
Daddy

Congrads!

This is too neat and I love being able to keep up with you guys! Another baby in the family I cannot wait and a little boy at that, poor Olivia and Jana, they are out numbered. Jenna, I wish the best pregnancy for you, have you had any problems so far, morning sickness, well, that is the biggest problem. You two will make great parents, how much Yankee and golf stuff has Chad bought?
I love you both and Lil' Bit! If you need anything, feel free to call, motherhood is a great thing, cherish the sleep now.

ultrasound...

Hee, Hee I am having so much fun teasing you all about when we go to the doctor. It will be soon. Hopefully we will get good, healthy news and find out what we are having. We can hardly wait. I really want to see what this child inside me looks like. I think that will be the defining moment when I go, Oh my gosh, I am going to be someone's mother. I'm scared! Can I do this??? Love you all much and can't wait to spend time with you over the holidays. Everyone say a prayer for lil bit's development.

Pictures

Just wanted you guys to know I haven't found any cool pictures for the 17th or 18th week, that's why there have been no updates. On a side note, Jenna is really enjoying no one knowing the date of the ultrasound. When I told her about Mom's fishing for details story she let out a maniacal laugh not at all unlike Jack Nicholson in the first Batman movie. At least she wants to tell you guys. I voted to make it everyone's Christmas present in person but she doesn't want to wait. Love you guys.

Fishing...

I called Chad this morning to say that I couldn't remember the exact day of the next appointment. Couldn't remember if it is a Wednesday or a Thursday. Couldn't remember what Jenna had told me.
He got quiet - then said "Muuuutherrrrr - you are fishing!"
He then called me "Evil"! He knew that his sweet Jenna had not told me any such thing....

I am getting impatient to find out the gender of this little whipper-snapper.

Granda and Aunt Marg's comments

Hi guys!! I just read all the stuff on your website, and I got all choked up. I am so excited about this little fliberty jibbet I just can't wait.
We have really had a nice day, wish you were here, but I guess we can share you this year.
Jared is trying to slip out early on us, thinks he is fooling us, but we know what has his interest in Texarkana. I love all three of you with all my heart!!! Aunt Marg
Hey Chad boy, you really have a way with words. Miss you all and wish you were here.
With love, Granda

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm sure everyone knows, but we are at Aunt Holly's house in Yuma for Thanksgiving We're having a ball. Lil' Bit had her first plane ride (unfortunately it was the bumpiest flight Jenna or I have ever been on) and made her first trip out of the country to Mexico. He's still not as well traveled as his cousin Jana, but she's got 2 years on him. I bought a leather cowboy hat from a street vendor in Mexico and Holly bought a sombrero (if you are surprised Holly bought a sombrero then you just don't know Holly). After that, we were marked people. We sat in a bar for a couple of hours and every traveling salesman and their brother came by with their wares. After the 5th purchase (you wouldn't believe how many we turned down) we decided to put all of our bags under the table and pretend we weren't "those tourists." It didn't work.

Anyway, today is Thanksgiving and I'd like everyone to know that what I'm most thankful for is my wife. I don't know how a man could have a better friend in this world than she is to me. I don't know why God brought her into my life. I can't imagine a less deserving person for such a gift, but I can never express my gratitude to Him in a way sufficient to how I feel. Jenna just knows me and more importantly she 'gets' me. She loves me. I've never been more sure of anything in my life. Everything she does, I can actually feel the love from her. She's everything I admire and respect in a person and everything I want to be. She's everything I hope my child becomes. When he or she makes mistakes and they need a solid role model to lookup to, we're actually going to have that person in our home. For that, I am thankful.

Have a happy Turkey Day everyone. I wish we could be with you all but we can't. So instead I'll just chill out in Arizona where its 80 degrees and sunny. Our tee time is at 9:45. Life is good :)

Names

The site emails me when you or anyone leaves a comment or a new post so when I got 2 emails today I got all excited. I'm starting to look at myself in the mirror and wonder whose looking back at me. Its amazing how much this can change a person.

Jenna and I have a couple of names we like but we are still open minded. If anyone has an idea for a name leave a comment to this post and we'll see what we come up with. Just one thing, no criticisms of names. If we like a name and you don't then keep that to yourself for now. We don't need little Widget to be tramatized because his family didn't like his name :)

(p.s. we're not naming him/her Widget)

Amazing

Isn't the sound of that little heartbeat amazing? It is the sweetest sound in the world. When I hear it, I just want to shut my eyes and really listen. I am so, so excited. Our next appt. is going to seem like it takes forever to get here. I am keeping the date of the appt. secret so that I can share the news of the gender in some sort of special way (if I can keep myself from calling everyone the minute I walk out of the clinic). I know that if you all knew when the date was, my phone would be ringing off the wall, he, he! I will tell you this, by the next time you see your sweet Jenna and Chad at Christmas, I will be much bigger and will know the gender of the precious miracle I am carrying inside me. Love you all.

back to normal

Hey- I am so glad to see Granda and Gramma have already been on here and posted. Everyone keeps asking how I am and now I can finally say, "I'm doing fine!" I am feeling like my old self. By that I mean perky, social, and interested in activities besides sitting on the couch. Chad is having so much fun with me watching me get all crazy. I have not felt quite as scatterbrained this week, but man sometimes, I feel like a complete blonde! I am going to have to go shopping again soon. It is a fight in my closet every morning. Before I could fit in my jeans and pants and just couldn't zip them. Now, they are just plum tight. Every morning when I ask Chad, "are these too tight" or "does this make me look fat?", he replys saying, "Jenna, you are pregnant." I guess eventually that will sink in and I won't care about my bulging belly. The other thing that is starting to come is money worries. Are babies expensive?? Can we afford one? If we could find part time daycare and Springdale would let me work 3 days a week, is that worth it? Should we give up that money? Will I still be a good momma if I stay home a few days a week? Will I be a bad momma if I go back full time? And many more...I am sure others have struggled along the way with the same sort of questions. I guess Chad and I just need to stick together and take one day at a time. It is amazing how much you start to love someone you have never met. I will let you all know what doctor says tomorrow!

Making your mother crazy

I swear, if you are near as much fun driving your mother crazy when you get here like you do now, we are going to have a ball. On Friday, she forgot how to read a calendar and how to count. I'm getting e-mails from her co-workers to have me remind her of things since she can't remember anything at work. I swear she gets half of every conversations. The other day she looked for her keys for 10 minutes and they were in her hand the whole time (I've actually done that before). Then this morning she was trying on different pants to determine which she could fit in. She's had 2 girls at work give her a lot (I mean a ton) of maternity clothes, but the vast majority she can't fit in yet. So she tries on some pants turns around and asks me, "Does it look like I'm wearing a diaper." I swear she's lost her mind. She thinks she looks puffy and awful but the reality is she's never been more beautiful. She just can't see it. After the heartbeat incident this past weekend, I'm starting to think of you as a little Calvin. If you come out with a stuffed Tiger, I'll know for sure we're in trouble.

You're such a little pill already

We were at a wedding in Little Rock this weekend and Jenna's friend Cara stayed in a hotel room with us. Cara's a nurse practitioner and she brought a heartbeat monitor thing so we could listen to the heartbeat. She only had a pulse tip though so it was little and difficult to find. Friday night Jenna and Cara were in the room without me and got to listen to the heartbeat. Saturday morning when Daddy has the video camera ready so he can email the heartbeat to everybody, Lil' Bit decided to hide. After 10 minutes of filming and getting nothing, I decide to shower. While I was in the shower what do you think Jenna finds? That's right, the heartbeat. When Daddy comes back over with the camera...nothing, zip, zilch, nada. What's funny is that when I was in the room Cara (who's also pregnant) she couldn't find her baby's heartbeat either, but when I went down to watch the ducks (we were at the Peabody) she found it.

Its gonna be ok, cause we go to the Dr. on Thursday and we'll hear the heartbeat again so I'll get an audio capture and post it so you can download and listen to it if you want.