One month . . . but who's counting?

So it's official : we've been here for one month, and have been in our house one week. Things are starting to shape up around here, which is nice, considering how most people like to actually live in their house comfortably. All the boxes are finally unpacked (though the moving company still has to come pick up the empty boxes, which are currently taking up about a third of the main floor), things are semi-organized, and we are settling into the new crib (pun intended). I've actually been working on the nursery for the past two days and got all of Liam's clothes (his many, many clothes) organized, washed some of his laundry (like blankets, towels, etc.), and am slowly working on the decorating aspect. But so far I am loving everything and can't wait till it's finished so I can share some pictures!

Speaking of Liam, we got to see him again today! Philips has a Healthcare training center here where they train customers and employees on how to use their healthcare equipment. Luckily, they make ultrasound machines and practice on employees and/or their spouses! So today we headed over to Best (the name of the city) to the training center and let Rob practice doing a 3D ultrasound on his lunch break. : ) First he did a regular ultrasound just to check everything out and see how the baby was positioned. Then he started the 3D ultrasound, which was a little more difficult mainly because I am so far along in my pregnancy. Most 3D u/s are done between weeks 26-34, and I am now 35 weeks, so I have less amniotic fluid than earlier in the pregnancy. This means Liam is taking up a lot of room in there and Rob basically had to figure out where my tummy ended and his face began!  Here are some pictures of Liam, though it is hard to tell what is what unless you know what to look for.

You are looking at a profile shot of Liam, showing the left side of his face. The shiny parts in the top and middle are his forehead and left cheek.  That dark spot at the top is just a shadow. If you look at the very dark spot lower and in the middle, his little chin is directly to the right of it and his lip line is above that. From there, you can see his nose above that and his left eye is the shadowed part in the middle of the picture. He's got big chubby cheeks! If you still can't see him, sometimes it helps to take a step back and look from a distance.

At one point in the ultrasound he had his hand up blocking his face again, and for a second it looked like he had one hand in or in front of his mouth. Rob sent us home with a CD that has several different videos and lots of pictures, so it was nice to come home and look at him more this afternoon. From what we can tell in the pictures, it looks like Liam  has my chin and lips, but Keith's mouth shape . . . we're stuck on the nose, trying to figure out if it's Keith's nose or the Camacho nose (my side of the family). At one point I even said that he looked like Papi (my dad)! The whole experience just made me look forward even more to the day that we actually hold him and see him in person, because we know even a 3D ultrasound doesn't do him justice. Only 33 days to go!

On another note, I got the greatest email today from a good friend. She became a new mom of a precious girl a few months back, and has been so wonderful about giving me advice and being so open about the realities of new mommyhood. It's nice to know that I'm not alone in my anxiousness, fears, happiness, ups, downs, and everything in between. Whether she knows it or not, her email couldn't have come at a better time, and I will definitely be saving it for future reference, because besides sharing the emotions and feelings that come, she also gave me some really good practical advice that only a brand new mom could realize and remember.

I also got an email from a Bible Study friend sharing about a recent trip she took this summer, things she remembers about raising her son, and about life in general. It was great to hear from her! I love skyping with my family and friends, and hearing from others who are enjoying the blog lifts my spirits as well. I miss you all, and want to thank you, Sherrie and Marilene, for making me feel connected to you back home today. : )

~Jessi