IT'S A BOY!!

Well, Nate and I went to the doctor today and we found out... we are having a boy! Everyone thought we were having a girl so we were a little suprised when the doctor said we were having a boy but there it was on the screen. We are very excited, grandchild #10 for the Devlins and the first Devlin boy! Mom and Dad are both ecstatic, they will now have two grandsons, both born in October! I am posting one of the pictures they took for us, you can see his cute little nose and his big Bond family forehead! There were no problems at all so, for now, our baby boy is healthy and enjoying kicking his mom in the bladder constantly! Only 4 more months till little Lincoln Richard Devlin joins us!

Trip to Cali

Ok, last post for tonight. We just got back last night from a relaxing trip to Fresno to visit with Nathan's family. A big congratulations goes out to my sister-in-law, Brenna Stokes, who graduated from CSU- Fresno after 10 years and three kids. I am amazed at her determination and perserverence (I don't know if I could do what she did). It was great to see the niece and nephews, they have all gotten so big! It also happened to be Prom weekend for my sister-in-law Heather so we spent many hours making corsages and curling hair. She looked beautiful, as always! Nate and I had fun doing all the cool California stuff that he misses so much. We went to In and Out Burger and Nate took me to the ghetto to see his former junior college, Fresno City- it was a very interesting experience. Since we flew into LAX and drove up to Fresno (that's my husband- the penny pincher) we got to stop in Valencia on our last day and see my old childhood neighborhood. We saw the old house, the community pool where we all learned to swim, and our elementary school. It was weird to be back but also kind of cool to see our old stomping grounds. We got in last night around 1am and I had work this morning at 7am so I am exhausted but it was well worth the loss of sleep. I only get two days at home before Mom and I leave for Outdoor Ed so I may not post for a few more days but I promise to take incriminating pictures of mom camping and post them as soon as we get home! Much love to all... see you soon!

20 Week Belly Bump!

Ok, so I have officially reached the 20 week mark, which means we should be getting an ultrasound any day now (that is, if life can ever slow down enough for us to get to the doctor). Here is the 20 week belly picture, Nathan thinks I have popped out a lot but people still tell me I don't look pregnant so I don't know what I'm supposed to think! Anyway, here is the picture... Oh, by the way, now that you can actually see my belly in clothes I will not be subjecting any of you to naked belly pictures anymore (I know that will make my brothers happy)

Happy Mom's Day

Ok, I know I have not posted in almost a month and I feel REALLY bad about it but life has suddenly gotten very crazy!! So, I am trying to make up for it tonight by posting several posts about what we have been up to the last few weeks. First, and foremost, a very Happy (and Belated) Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there. I was very excited to celebrate my first Mother's Day this year and Nathan really made it special. He suprised me on Mother's Day morning with flowers, a GIANT chocolate bar, and the new Chris Daughtry CD that I have been coveting. I would just like to thank all the mothers that have taught me so much about what it means to be a mom. I am so lucky to have had so many outstanding examples of good mothers in my life, with the most important being my own mom. Mom- thanks for all you do, I know that no matter what happens in my life I can always turn to you for a shoulder to cry on or a good belly laugh. I can only hope that I can be half the mom that you are. Love you all!

Housesitting

Our Bishop and his wife had to go out of town for four days so who did they ask to stay with their 14 year old daughter? Nate and I!! They have a beautiful home and it has been really nice to not be in our cramped apartment for a few days. But now I have to make a public apology to my mother for the many nights I made her worry when I was not home. Holly (the bishop's daughter) had about seven friends over last night, which was fine- we ordered pizzas and the girls just sat around and talked (Nate was a little concerned with HOW MUCH talking was going on, I guess his five sisters didn't prepare him for the massive amounts of socializing that teenage girls do). Anyway, Nate and I went upstairs to watch some TV and at about 6:30pm Holly came up and said that she and the girls were "going for a walk". This seemed harmless since they live in a very safe neighborhood but when they had been gone for an hour I started to get a little worried. After an hour and a half I was almost paniking (which I tried to conceal from Nathan so he wouldn't think I was freaking out over nothing). I tried calling Holly's cell phone but she didn't answer- let me again apologize to Mom for all the times I did that- and it was getting dark. All I could think about was the seven sets of parents who would be calling us to find out where their daughters were and what was I going to tell them? Finally, they came home after 2 hours. I resisted the urge to run into the room and question them as to where they had been (Holly later told me they had stopped by a "friends" house which I'm sure means they set out in the first place to visit some boys). All in all, I've decided we are sending our children to boarding school when they become teenagers because that is the only way I'm going to avoid going completely gray with worry. Or maybe I will just send them to live with one of their wonderful Aunts or Uncles :) Now my only concern is what are we going to do tonight? Nate and I have to go out so Holly is home alone- I know we are going to come home to some massive party and boys all over the place! Tell me again why I wanted to do this whole mom thing??

Being a Mom

My wonderful sister-in-law Brenna sent me this and I thought I would share it with all of the mothers who have helped shape my own view of what it means to be a mom...

We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family."
"We're taking a survey," she says half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?"
"It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral.
"I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations."
But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes.
I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.
I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.
I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a soufflé or her best crystal without a moments hesitation.
I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline
to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.
I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom.
However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother. Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that
eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself.
That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.
I want her to know that a cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor. My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks.
I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.
I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving.
I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.
My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.

Baby Bump #2

Ok, so I'm starting to wonder if posting a picture of my naked belly every month is normal or creepy but here it is anyway... the 16 week baby bump. I am officially 4 months along and officially liking the second trimester WAY better than the first. I don't think I have gotten that much bigger but you can scroll down and judge for yourselves. The doctor's appointment went just fine, we were actually only in with the doctor for 5 minutes. She walked in, listened to the baby's heartbeat, asked if we had any questions, and left. I was a little disappointed because we had heard from a bunch of people that we could possible have an ultrasound at 16 weeks but the doctor informed us we would be having our one, and only, ultrasound at 20 weeks. This baby better darn well cooperate and show us if it is a boy or a girl because we only have one shot! And I need to start buying stuff :) Other than that I am feeling great, I'm not nearly as tired and all morning sickness and cravings have gone away, I am now able to eat whatever Nate eats. Well, I have to run off and do the errands I have been postponing all day long. By the way, it is a beautiful 75 degrees here today and the sun is shining, maybe we will stay in Illinois after all...