Baby Lauer,
I'm practically counting down the hours until I go our first prenatal appointment - 2 days, 13 hours, and 40ish minutes. (I guess that means that I'm literally counting down the hours). There are a million reasons why I'm excited to go:
1. I get to talk about you more! :)
2. We found out about you very early, so we can make sure everything's going well with you developmentally.
3. I get to ask a million questions about the new things going on.
4. There's a VERY small chance that I might be able to see your heartbeat. (I'm torn here, b/c I know daddy would be really sad if he didn't get to see your little heart pumping away too).
5. There's also another very small chance I might get to get my first glimpse of my future son or daughter!!! (Again, I know daddy would be upset if he didn't get to see you).
6. We'll find out your official due date! (So excited to hear when you might grace us with your presence!)
So by now, you know your dad's not going to be able to make it to the appointment. There are a few reasons for this. This was the earliest possible time they could get me in and since it's during the day, dad will be at work. Also, I know that it's going to be a long, grueling appointment because of your sister and I didn't think it was necessary for your dad to miss several hours of work. He drove me by the doctor's office this morning, so he would know where we'll be on Wednesday morning and I know where I'm going. He's a pretty sweet guy, your dad - we're pretty lucky. So please, little one, be on your best behavior Wednesday morning - we certainly don't want to miss the appointment or get sick on the doctor or anything.
Yesterday, you and I took an adventure up to Vernon Hills, Illinois to hang out with Emily! It was a fun day and she surprised me with some adorable pregnancy scrapbook stickers! (And as I'm sure you're already finding out in there, your mommy loves paper and scrapbooking and you. So anything that combines all 3 is heaven!!!) Auntie Em (as she likes to refer to herself) also took us for an amazing brunch to celebrate you! She's just the sweetest, isn't she? You liked lunch a lot, I promise. We got to preview where her gorgeous wedding will take place on July 23rd of 2011 - it's hard to believe that you'll be 5 months old by then! On the way home, there was a lot of heavy traffic and someone cut me off. To avoid the accident, I had to slam on my brakes and swerve - and the seat belt really dug into my tummy where you're living right now. I was so upset because I instantly started cramping up, but I prayed and the pain went away. You're doing just fine today and not giving mommy any troubles, so I'm hoping that all is well in there. Daddy is very much in love with you already. He keeps touching my tummy and he's been sleeping with his arms wrapped around your home. He's so excited to see you for the first time and hear your little heart beating away. We talk about you nonstop and he makes sure every morning that I'm taking my prenatal vitamins. (Your Grandma Royer keeps on me about feeding you constantly!) Dad and I have already discussed a few possible names for you - we're just so excited about you! He told me that I had to sing to you everyday and that he's never going to sing to you. (You'll learn this quickly about your parents, but mommy can sing pretty well and poor daddy can't carry a tune!) He wants to make sure that you have the best advantages in life. We went by a gorgeous college prep high school today and if we live in this area, we decided today that we'll send you there.
I hope you can tell that you're the center of our world even though your little organs haven't developed yet and your heart hasn't started pumping. We talk about you all the time, think about you nonstop, and our love for you has continued growing since the moment we found out about our wonderful surprise. I know you've heard some talk about your angel sister, who would have almost been 2 months old by now. She was a very sick little baby and she came way too early. Since daddy and I have already done so much for you, I'd like to strike a deal with you. We will continue to take care of you the best we can for the rest of your life, if you promise to stay in there for 9 months and stay healthy. That would be wonderful.
