Estella

hello everyone!

Judah and i have decided to name the baby, Estella. we like Stella also, it means "star". as for the middle name we are thinking about Lee, but I also really like Louise after my mother and Judah's grandmother. Estella Louise Barbee, or Estella Lee Barbee? for some reason Judah doesn't want the name Louise, but i told my mom today that i might sneak it on the birth certificate when he isn't looking....:)

At today's doctor's visit i had a complete anatomy scan where they measure the size of the baby's brain, spine, kidneys, heart, etc. to check for abnormalities. they also look at the arms and legs and fingers and toes to make sure the baby's parts are the right proportion to each other. and they also check for signs of Down Syndrome (i opted not to get the blood test, and instead they just checked her anatomy for signs). Then we had an appointment with my OB for the results, and she said each and every part was perfect and exactly the way it should be. I'm so glad they did this because it settles some of my anxieties. i had some very weird dreams lately, and watched a show on t.v about dwarfism... and that freaked me out, to say the least. but i know, for now, that she is lookin good and normal. and my favorite part was when the doctor mentioned that her legs are actually a little longer than usual, which i think is sooooo adorable. her first feature. judah is worried our long legged girl will be too gorgeous and he will have a hard time protecting her from those boys....

Lastly, we felt the baby move for the first time on Tuesday. It was really cool because i hadn't felt her yet, and i kept complaining and asking how i would know. I asked Mrs. Barbee and i described what i thought was her moving, and she said "you'll just know" and just like that, Judah was doing something on the computer and i was standing next to him and he started talked into my belly like he always does, and then, KICK! It was magical.
now she does it all the time, mostly when Judah talks to her, and he can feel it, maybe because of her strong long legs. my doctor says she will probably be a daddy's girl. we'll see about that!

what exactly does "blog" mean, anyway?

so.... as per Brenda's force, i have decided to start a "blog" to keep the barbee and extended family updated on judah's and my shenanigans particularly since we are cookin a baby in my belly, due to enter the world in late january. the due date is january 23, 2009, although as much as i wish this pregnancy were over NOW, i am actually hoping the baby will be born a little later than that....

so, as many of you already know, (actually every single one of you...word travels fast in this family!) judah and i found out last Wednesday that we are having a baby GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am so excited about this for so many reasons...... i have always known that i would be a mother to a girl, although this happened much sooner than i had planned.

let's see if Judah has anything to say:

"i'll write one later" says judah

speaking of Judah, the other day, before we found out what we were having, i over heard him telling one of his buddies that he would just send out a "massive blog" to everyone when we found out the sex of the baby. i looked at judah and asked him if he knew what a blog was or how to go about making a massive one to send to the entire family, and he said he had no idea. so this is my attempt to make all of judah's blogging dreams come true!

here's some photos of my progressively fattening belly:

June

july

August