Just About Half Way

Well, here are, right around 4 1/2 months. We've made it to the top of the hill, so to speak. According to my fancy little countdown calendar, we've still got a whopping 134 days of incubation remaining till Baby H reaches touchdown.

Neat things starting to occur:

1. Visible Pregnancy Confirmation for Daddy!

Loving the belly bump. And for those of you keeping track, yes those are my college football sweats she's sporting.

2. Sarah's also feeling lots of movement from our little dancer. She's especially active in the afternoon and after meals. Can't wait to see that foot roundhouse her belly.

3. The nursery's coming together. We're lucky enough to have the exact same crib Sarah slept in herself as an infant, and Katie & Brian officially brought her first stuffed animal.

4. I'm on a mad blitz to finish the projects we've started so we can focus on the baby. We laid new flooring down in all the bedrooms thanks to my pops and Mr. V. We're almost finished painting everything (except the nursery. Please ignore our previous tenants odd choice of light baby-blue above). The house is really feeling like a home.

So up to this point we've had an ideal pregnancy. Healthy baby, healthy mom, and (thanks to all my friends continuous reminders to keep my mouth shut and do what she says) a healthy dad.

We have a great video of the sonogram in which you can see her moving, kicking, spinning, jumping, stretching, or whatever the heck she's busy doing in there. It's on a VHS tape, but I hope to move it to digital and get it on the blog. Pretty incredible what these machines can do.

Hope all is well for all of you out there, and I can't wait to see you holding her soon!

Drumroll Please!

Yesterday we were finally able to get Sarah in for her 20 (now 21) week check-up. She had a regular appointment at 11am, then the big reveal at 12:20pm.

As for the health of the baby, everything seems to be in perfect working order. In the sonogram the doc pointed out the kidneys, the liver, all four chambers of the heart, the lobes of the brain forming, and a completly intact spine. All of this was made slightly more difficult due to the aerobics class Little H seems to be enrolled in; we couldn't get it to stay still! It was pretty entertaining though, I will admit. They also performed all the tests, such as downs and some others, and everything seems normal.

So here's a few photos for your viewing pleasure:

The Head-On Profile:

Apparently we're giving birth to a beautiful baby skeleton.

Here's the profile view. I'll admit, this was pretty surreal. We could see every kick, punch, and dodge. Everything gets very real when this one pops up:

And now, without further ado, I present our beautiful baby girl...

I know, I can't really tell what that thing is either. But hey, that's my daughter so quit staring you perv...

It's a relief to finally quit calling my offspring "it". We're working on names right now and I think we're getting it narrowed down to a few. I didn't even name my own dog, so needless to say I'm not an expert.

So here we are, at week 21 with a very healthy baby girl waiting in the wings. Sarah's feeling her movements now, and I'm pretty giddy about the first day I get to take part in that. Next up: nursery painting! Who's in???

The Big Reveal - Take 2

Well, the doc was "gracious" enough to reschedule for next Wednesday. So, barring any further minor excuses for cancellations, we should have a gender determined around 1300 hours. We'll keep you posted!

And the Mystery Continues

Today was supposed to be an exciting day for the Hollands. Today we were scheduled to arrive at Sarah's doc and decipher, through all it's grainy wonder, whether that little peanut was going to bless up with a princess or a, well, not princess...

Mother Nature had other plans.

Last night a somewhat severe ice storm made it's way through DFW. It did get cold. It did rain. It did ice. BUT, my pregnant wife and about 90% of the population still made it to work this afternoon! God forbid the doc keep his schedule. They could have moved the appointments later, but alas, they cancelled everything altogether.

So the mystery of the peanut's privates continues. We're supposed to hear some word about a rescheduled appointment tomorrow. In the meantime house prep continues: We've picked out the colors for the nursery (except the choice depends on this whole genitalia thing), the flooring goes in this weekend, the painting of the living room is almost finished and, thanks to Jenny, the bedroom paint is all done. Lots of work, but worth all the effort. I think...

Another update should come tomorrow once we get word of the new sonogram date. Stay tuned, stay warm, and stay safe!

Visual Confirmation

Hello all!


If you've been wondering what's taken us so long to post, hmmm, let's see:


12/15 Closed on the house.
12/19 - 12/21 Moved into house.
12/24 - 12/28 - Had family in for Christmas (and help!).
12/31 - Had friends over for New Years Eve.
1/1 - 1/3 - Had friends stay for the Cotton Bowl.
1/5 - 1/9 - Sarah came down sick, played doctor and worked on house.
1/10 - Present - Recovery...


It's been one heck of a whirlwind month. However, fun things have been thrown in from time to time to remind us of what's in store! Dates have been set for events and the ever growing belly of my wife remind me daily that yes, I am in fact going to be a father before I know it.

Sarah's currently right on track. During her last check-up they informed her that's she up 9 lbs, which is right where she's supposed to be. All the check-ups have shown that she's in tip-top shape, probably even better than I am unfortunatley. The big check-up comes next Wednesday the 28th when we'll find out if "it" becomes "him" or "her". Thank God, I'm tired of referring to my child like something out of a 50's horror film.

Other than that we're just working on prepping the house. Sarah's begun painting the place (except the nursery. Need to wait to see what the kids packing before we can pick that color!), we ordered some flooring so we can get rid of the carpet, and I'm up to yard bag number 40 trying to clean up the mess the previous residents left in our yard. Sarah's pretty excited about fixing up her and Jenny's old crib for her own little one and getting the nursery in order. I have a feeling, after the sex is discovered, that this little shin-dig will be thrown into overdrive. So be prepared for a few more rapid posts in the months to come! Talk to you all soon!

Merry Christmas To One and All!!!!

No News Is Good News

Right now is a good time to be a Holland.

Today Sarah and I closed on our home in Bedford. I'm sitting here trying to contain myself from planning parties every weekend for the sake of my wife's sanity. As often as we used to have people over in San Antonio, it's been more than a little painful to reside in such a small abode. Between me, Sarah, a 90lb dog, and el gato loco there isn't a whole lot of free air in here! Now we'll be able to spread our wings a bit, so to say.

We also have absolutely NO news in regards to Baby H right now. Boring, but good news! About the only visible progress is the "baby bump". I won't lie, it's pretty cute. Just below Sarah's belly button is the emergence of Baby H's cocoon. I plan on taking photos every two weeks and trying to prepare some sort of collage once all is said and done. Ashlee, I may hire your professional services for the final touches! (That girl's good....) I'm sure Sarah has a little more insight into what exactly is going on in there, so hopefully she'll write up a post soon.

So, here we stand at 13 weeks. According to my sappy count-down timer we still have 192 days ahead, leaving me plenty of time to daydream. Next big waypoint: Gender discovery in week 20! It'll be here before we know it!

Happy holidays everyone, and stay warm!