We've had many requests for pictures of growing bellies (not just an overzealous ice cream splurge this time!) and updates on the baby (what size fruit is it this week?), so we decided to take advantage of modern day technology and start a blog... after figuring out exactly what that is, of course. So we'll try to keep up with regular updates and pictures as much as possible. Thanks to all for your excitement-- we appreciate everyone's love, support, and prayers more than you'll ever know!

Having a baby during residency may have its downsides, but having a baby during radiology residency certainly has the benefit of temptingly constant access to ultrasound equipment... so we have managed to sneak a few peeks along the way... within reason of course, just in case that guy at yale who says 48 hours of continuous ultrasound exposure alters neuronal migration in fetal mice brains isn't as crazy as the rest of the academic world seems to think. Anyway, the littlest Golding is 16 weeks now, which means we're due sometime around August 8-10. Everything looks just perfect, from the lens of the eye to 10 little fingers to a perfectly beating 4-chamber heart... ultrasound technology is absolutely unbelievable! It's amazing (and a bit freaky at times) that there's this whole little person growing inside me... 

So, for those of you who are tired of bragging about your "grandperson" or calling the kiddo "it"... we may have an answer to the eternal gender question... IT'S A GIRL! Jay's already planning her outfits complete with matching shoes (she'll need a shoe rack of course), hair bows (a whole wall of bows he says), and purses, lots of purses. She's going to start playing golf with him by age 2, and he's starting to think about her first car... The phrase daddy's little girl  really just isn't adequate... 

As for me, I've actually been feeling great the last few weeks-- there were a few unpleasantries in the beginning, but they say it gets better in the second trimester and sure enough... no more obligatory triscuits before getting out of bed to settle the stomach! I still have quite the penchant for mac & cheese, pasta, nachos, and similar comfort foods... alas, vegetables of any variety or preparation make me shudder. Hope she doesn't end up with scurvy...

Enough rambling for now, this will definitely be the longest post, and we'll get pictures up soon-- we have the full anatomy scan March 13 so hopefully will get some baby-floating-in-womb pics then-- until then you'll just have to use your imagination (combine various lauren parts with jay parts and see what happens!). To answer the fruit question, we've graduate from navel orange to avocado! http://community.thenestbaby.com/cs/ks/blogs/nb_checklists/pages/how-big-is-baby.aspx