Carter Abraham

Carter Abraham Wright was born this morning at 3:06am. He is 7lbs 7ounces and is 20 inches long. Kevin Wright, the excited papa, called us last night at midnight to let us know they were at the hospital. When I talked to him this morning I could here Carter crying in the background and Kevin couldn't have been happier. Crystal, his wife, is doing great and accidentally did the whole thing without an epidural because her labor went so quickly. They went in at 10pm and he was born at 3am! Now I know how I want my labor to go! We are so excited for our friends and it's crazy to think in 6 months we'll be making that phone call! Just wanted to share our happiness! I'll put up a picture as soon as Kevin gets one online.
It doesn't feel like that long ago that Kevin and I were pulling all nighters studying for music theory and music history tests, and Crystal was still just a girlfriend. All the band rehearsals, choir performances and Dr. Budds lectures wouldn't have been bearable without my dear friend and I just can't believe he's a daddy. I guess we're growing up, but I can't wait to tell Carter some stories about his daddy's college days!

As for our little one, he/she is now 3 inches long, fingerprints are forming, the head is now proportionate to the body, and he/she can grimace, squint, and suck his thumb! Not to mention that mom's jeans are not fitting very well anymore. Maybe I'll be brave enough to put up a picture of my pooching abdomen soon.

We returned from a week and a half in Texas last night and were quickly blasted with the reality of winter in St. Louis vs. San Angelo. While in San Angelo they are still having weather in the 50's, 60's and even the 80's on Saturday, in St. Louis today the high is 11. It's cold. But, I must admit, it puts me in the Christmas spirit! We had a great time in Texas. We watched the Cowboys almost win on Thanksgiving day and we got to go to an amazing marriage retreat called Hidden Manna outside of Houston. It was so, so wonderful. Thanks Dan and Linda for such an amazing anniversary gift! Only 3 more weeks or so in St. Louis and then it's off to Colorado Springs! We are really excited - especially to have our own place again - not that we don't love my family! Time has been flying, but we are ready to work. The weather there is about like here though. In Denver yesterday the high was 6. At least we can ski! I'm starting to ramble, so I'd better stop now.

Little Lizzy

For all of those who know my sister Elizabeth, brace yourself. Lizzy has her first boyfriend. His name is Parker and he is also in the 7th grade. He officially asked her to be his girlfriend on Friday night and offered to buy her a pretzel with cheese at the Westminster basketball game. "Isn't that sweet"? Those are her words. Apparently my brother Elliot and his friends know Parker and approve, but I'm feeling a little protective here. This is Lizzy, my sweet, shy little sister. I asked if he's held her hand yet and she said no. Phew. No physical contact. Maybe it will stay that way... I just can't believe she's in junior high and doing these junior high things. She wants a North Face Denali jacket, just like all of the other junior high girls (along with many sorority girls across the country) she wants a cell phone, her clothes are more hip than mine, and people, she is just too cute. That's what worries me. She blushed a little when I asked her about Parker - that was pretty cute. She said it's a long story and just as she was going to tell me this long story she recieved a phone call. Note: none of us even answer the phone in this house because we know it is for Elizabeth. The funny thing is that when she's not here we just don't answer and sometimes they call two times in a row, just to make sure she's really not going to answer. Funny. She also recieves prank calls from boys. One day, I made the mistake of answering the phone, and someone asked for Elizabeth. I told them she wasn't here and then suddenly the voice of Napoleon Dynamite was in my ear asking, "Is Pedro there?" That is my cat's name, but they didn't stay on the line long enough to find that out.

It's just funny being in the house with a junior higher again - we all remember being there - but it's different this time even from my brothers, cuz this is my Lizzy. If this Parker kid, or any other 7th grade punk makes her cry I swear, he will regret it, oh yes, he will. I guess I have to let go a little. If it's this hard with my sister I can't imagine what it will be like with my own kids. I look forward to hearing the long story and I guess I'd just better get used to it as I'm sure there will be many more long stories coming soon. Just had to share!

10 Weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby is no longer an embryo! Though she's barely the size of a kumquat — just an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, she now has completed the most critical portion of her development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in her body rapidly grow and mature. Her vital organs — the liver, kidney, intestines, brain, and lungs — are now in place and starting to function (although they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy). Her liver continues to make blood cells, and the yolk sac, which previously supplied these cells, is no longer needed and begins to disappear. She has tiny fingernails and toenails and is beginning to kick and swallow.

During the next three weeks, your baby's length will more than double to nearly 3 inches. Her head is proportionately smaller now than it was a few weeks ago, but it's still almost half the length of her entire body. Her forehead temporarily bulges with her developing brain and sits high on her head; it will later recede to give her a more human appearance. Each day, more minute details — including tiny fingernails, toenails, and peach-fuzz hair — start to appear on her body. Her fingers are now completely separated; her arms bend at the elbow and curve slightly; her hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over her heart; her legs are lengthening; and her feet may be long enough to meet in front of her body. She is busily swallowing amniotic fluid and kicking her legs.

If you could take a peek at your baby this week, you'd be able to clearly see the outline of her spine through her parchment-thin skin. Spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from her spinal cord.

What your baby looks like at two months

9 weeks pregnant

For those of you who care about the details, I'm going to post the update I get each week from babycenter.com It's pretty cool stuff

"If dramatic mood swings leave you feeling like a soap-opera actress this week, you're not alone. Hormonal fluctuations are giving your emotions the yo-yo treatment right now. One minute you're ripping into your mate for leaving the toilet seat up, and the next you're weeping over a telephone company commercial. Take comfort in knowing that those same volatile hormones are helping your baby grow. In fact, this week marks the first time that your baby looks almost human. He's nearly the size of a grape and has all the standard body parts in place now — though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning between now and your due date."

So if I cuss you out for a not so obvious reason, or call you crying about how much I value our friendship, you know why.