Baby Morgan

Thanks to Facebook, many of you already know that Dana and I are going to be parents! We are super excited about what is to come. And to be perfectly honest, we're a little nervous and scared too. I'm guessing that it just goes with the territory. My fears are centered on is the baby ok, is Dana ok, and will I be a good daddy. Dana's fears are centered on will the baby look like Matt, will the baby act like Matt, and what am I going to do with another Matt???? (I'm going to get in trouble for that one later!)

We were guessing that most people got the announcement on Facebook but might like to hear some of the details, so that's what we'll blog about first...

We had our first ultrasound today. All I can say is...amazing. To know that the baby is the size of an olive, and yet to be able to watch and hear the heartbeat. I think the nurse and Dana were talking to me, but I was in a complete haze just watching that little screen. Dana and I felt relief knowing that everything was well with the baby and the pregnancy was progressing as it should. So here are some of the fun stories about what has gone on so far...

Oddest Moment of the Pregnancy (So Far)
So the oddest moment definitely came from Jessica. (Congrats Jessica, you made it into the blog) Only a few days after Dana and I learned about the pregnancy, Jessica calls Dana and leaves a message. The message from Jessica says, "Dana, I had the weirdest dream last night that you were pregnant. I never remember my dreams, but I remembered this one. Is there something that you need to tell me?" HOW WEIRD IS THAT?? So Jessica was actually the first person to find out about the baby. How could we not tell "The Prophetess"! That will make a really fun story to tell throughout the pregnancy and to our child. Now if we could just get Jessica to dream that we win the lottery!!

Telling Our Family
So we decided to break the news to our families at Christmas. We framed a family photo (Dana, Me, and the dogs) for our parents. Then we gave them a duplicate frame, only instead of the picture there was a note saying that we'd give them an updated family photo in August. They immediately got the message. Everyone was excited and it made us feel special that they were so happy.

Naming the Baby
No we haven't picked a name, but when you know that there's something in there you have to start using some type of term! So Dana thinks it's a boy and I'm thinking it's a girl. Being that I think it's a girl, I've given her the name Shanequa. I looked through some name books and it was really high on the originality scale, so I picked it. I'm not sure that it will stick, but it will do for now. I'm trying to get Dana to buy into my scheme of naming the baby. I want to allow people to bid on the naming rights of our child. I think it would be a great way to pay for all the baby stuff! Dana's not to keen on the idea. We'll see who wins this one!

Serious Stuff
For those of you who were looking for the sappy stuff, here ya go! On our way home to Missouri from Christmas in Arkansas, we decided that we wanted to write a journal book to our child. So we picked one up on the way, and started the project. We're using the journal to record our thoughts and emotions as key things happen in the pregnancy and eventually the life of our child. We're undetermined when we'll pass this project on to the kid, maybe at 12, 16, or 18...who knows. What we're hoping is that whenever he/she reads it they will be able to see and understand that in every step of life, Mommy, Daddy, and God truly loved them no matter what. After hearing the heartbeat today, it makes the letter so much more real.

Well that's all for now, but you can bet there will be more to come!