the rhymer life: December 2011

We are celebrating the fact that we have made it through our first trimester! My energy levels are slowly starting to rise and my belly is slowly starting to pop. My normal clothes are becoming just a bit too snug for comfort so I have been wearing maternity clothes on occasion. The days that I do are significantly more comfortable than the days I squeeze into oldies. Yoga pants have always been a favorite of mine and they make their appearance even more often than before - poor Trent!

I wanted to share my growing belly with you. To most people I look like I've been to Five Guys one to many times, but to those who know, it is evident that Eli is growing!

We return for a follow up appointment on December 27th. Although we won't get to see baby Eli, we should be able to hear his strong heartbeat. We look forward to seeing him again at the end of January and confirming that he is, indeed, a boy.

Week 14

We are more than blessed this Christmas season. Trent and I have so much to be thankful for and as we are in the midst of the holidays and hear songs about a little baby that was brought into the world over 2,000 years ago to save the world, it somehow hits the heart a little different this year. Why? Because in just six short months, we will be entrusted with a little BABY too!! God has called us to be parents and we will be given the most precious gift of all, a child he is knitting together and calling His own.

Trent and I found out that we were expecting back in October and although the last three months have been filled with exhaustion and queasiness, there has been no sickness - I am one lucky Mommy! From all these books I've been reading my energy level should bounce back soon and I am thoroughly looking forward to that day - even if it only lasts a couple months.

We have had exciting doctor's appointments filled with tears and smiles as we see our baby growing. "It" has gone from a grain of rice to a "blueberry" (that name stuck on the Alvarez side) to a "gummy bear" (that name stuck on the Lunsford/Rhymer side) to a plum. Our last appointment was last Wednesday and it was amazing how real the baby looked. It didn't have an awkwardly large head, or webbed feet, or floating limbs, it looked just perfect, like a perfect little baby.

We were really looking forward to this appointment because Trent and I had been told by our midwife that the ultrasound tech had a "really good" track record at seeing what gender the baby was at the first trimester screening and being correct at Week 20. Oh my! We went in with high hopes that maybe she would be able to get a glimpse at our baby and see what it might be.

Friends and family, she is 85% sure that we are having a little Rhymer BOY! WE ARE THRILLED! Mommy is a little nervous about all the cars and trains that will soon be crashed together, along with the mud that will be played in and the dirt that will build up under fingernails, but knows that the Lord will prepare me for a boy that is ALL BOY! Daddy can't wait to play with the little squirt and teach him all the things that Mommy is nervous about.

We announced the name this past weekend, but have continuously reminded people to please not monogram anything or purchase anything blue without keeping a receipt - if HE winds up being a SHE in 7 weeks, we would be in trouble! However, if indeed our little man is a man, his name will be Eli David Rhymer. Eli is not a family name, but a name that Trent and I love. As you all know, my Dad's name is David so it is special for Eli to carry his name.

The Lunsford/Rhymer side has a family full of boys so Eli will have lots of playmates, including his favorite boy cousins Brody and Connor. The Alvarez side doesn't have a boy yet, so Eli will make the way for boys and welcome anymore that come along......maybe from Auntie Jenica and Uncle Aaron! Eli is also very lucky to have two girl cousins, Kaydence and Ansley, that will care for him and love him like only a girl can do.

Thank you for sharing in one of the most joyous times in our lives. Your prayers are appreciated as Eli continues to grow into a healthy baby boy.

Enjoy the photos below from the "gender reveal" party. A big thanks to Grammie, Poppi, Grandma, and Grandpa for coming to share in one of the most special days so far for Trent and I. And thank you to Brock, Alicia, and Brody for wanting so desperately to be a part of it and Skyping in. You guys made the moment unforgettable for us!