Sneak Peek!

I'm so happy Todd and I decided to have a 3D ultrasound! I've been wanting to but Todd wasn't really interested until about a week ago. Well I guess he's getting a little anxious to meet the little guy as well because he asked me if I was still interested:) Of course! So I made the appointment for Monday evening and we were so excited. The only problem was that Matthew really didn't want his picture taken! He was sleeping and had his face covered with his hands and his feet! We tried putting pressure on my stomach and he wouldn't budge so we had to reschedule our appointment. We went back earlier this afternoon and were able to get a few good pictures. The placenta was covering the left side of his face most of the time but it was still really neat to see him. It's amazing how you can get early baby pictures before your child is even born:) We also have a 15 minute video of the whole session but I'll just post a few of the pictures on here. We can't wait to meet Matthew in 8 1/2 weeks!

Third Trimester!

I'm a week into my third trimester and I'm feeling so excited! I have 11 weeks left and it seems so close now. I'm still mostly excited but every now and then a little nervousness kicks in. Sometimes I'm a little nervous about the actual birth process, wondering if my baby will be healthy and well, and wondering if I'll be a good mom. I think about this precious spirit that has come from our Heavenly Father and I pray that I will be able to teach him and help guide him to live a righteous life. I want Matthew to know we love our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ with all our hearts. I love that he will have great examples in his grandparents, aunts/uncles, and his cousins.

It's been fun feeling Matthew move around and even more fun watching him. I remember the first time Todd and I saw my stomach move we just looked up at each other and laughed. It was such a fun time together and we still enjoy watching our little guy roll around:) I still haven't had any pain from Matthew moving around and I usually feel pretty good. I'm enjoying watching my stomach grow each week and I wonder what I'll look like by June! I feel big now and I still have 2 1/2 months left.

Here's a little story about my growing stomach:

The other night I was sitting on the couch with my nephew Rexford (he's 2 1/2) watching "Caillou" and he was leaning against my side. Then he sighed and moved to rest over my legs. I asked him if my big belly was in the way and he said, "Aly, can you move your belly?" We both started laughing, it was pretty funny. I just kind of shook my belly and said, "No, I can't move my belly, baby Matthew is in there." Then I told Rexford that Matthew would be here in a couple more months. Rexford said, "Yes, in the hospital." It's fun to see how much he knows about the situation. Whenever we play together and he runs into me or knocks my stomach he says, "Oh, sorry Aly, I didn't mean to hurt your Matthew." I think it's so cute and I hope I'll still have some Rexford playtime when Matthew is born. I'm hoping Kim and I will still hang out a lot:)

28 Weeks

29 Weeks

Pregnancy pictures!

I never posted my ultrasound pictures from January (which I still haven't scanned to the computer!) but I do have a few pregnant pictures I can post! I haven't been great at snapping a picture every week but here's what I have so far!

19 Weeks

20 Weeks (Forgot to close the closet door!)

23 Weeks

26 Weeks

26 Weeks Front View

Baby Updates

So I am pretty sure I am feeling Matthew move around a little bit now. I first felt it last Friday after a long day at Disney. I was exhausted so I laid down on my dad's couch to rest. It was then that I felt a few little kicks (very light). I was really excited but also not sure that I was really feeling the baby. Since last week I have felt that same feeling several more times so I'm pretty sure it is our little Matthew. I'm over 18 1/2 weeks now so it's about time I start to feel him move, right?! It's a fun feeling and I'm really excited that I will be able to feel him move more and more as time passes. I also have a nice little baby bump that seems to have doubled in size since last week. I will definitely take a picture so I can post it for you guys to see. I will have more exciting baby news next Wednesday after I have my ultrasound. I'm sure I'll have some new pictures of Matthew to post!

Visiting Utah

Todd and I were able to go on a wonderful week long vacation last month! We love being out in Utah and had originally purchased the tickets so that we could go snowboarding. Shortly after purchasing the tickets we found out that I was pregnant so we decided snowboarding might not be the safest activity. We were still able to visit with family/friends and just enjoy some time alone together.

Here's a little summary of our visit. It probably won't be as detailed as it would have been if I had written it right after we returned. Upon arriving in Salt Lake our first stop was Crown Burgers. We love this burger restaurant and made sure to stop there a few more times before our trip was over:) Our first night in Utah was especially neat because we were able to watch our nieces perform in their school choir. We loved seeing Brad, Ali, and the girls and wish we could see them more often! Then we were able to spend a few nights with Mark and Jen (Todd's brother and his wife). We loved meeting their beautiful daughter (our newest niece!) Mary and watching her smile while sticking out her tongue. We were also able to get in some much needed Bang! playtime (one of our favorite activities to do together). It's pretty much one of sweetest games ever!

Avie (7) in her cute red dress

Sydney (10) Front row on the left

Todd with adorable Mary

Mary loves sticking out her tongue

We continued to visit Mark and Jen even though we spent the last part of our vacation staying in a hotel in Salt Lake. We really wanted to make the most of this vacation as it will probably be the last one we take for a while. One thing we did together was visit Temple Square. It was so beautiful with the lights and Christmas decorations. Despite how cold I was, it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We stopped in the Assembly Hall to hear a children's choir perform and they were incredible. I love the sound of children singing!

We were able to spend a little bit of time with Seth, one of Todd's best friends. Our plan was to go ice skating at an outdoor rink in South Jordan but Todd and I were struggling. I think if we had stayed longer we would have gotten better but I really didn't want to fall so I wasn't really trying. After about 5 minutes of being on the ice, Seth showed up and we decided to go bowling instead. It was a great game and I wish I would have snapped a few pictures. Todd loves to take goofy shots like rolling the ball between his legs. I'm just glad Seth and Todd could spend even just that small amount of time together.

The day before we had to leave we spent some time with the Garlicks. This family is so amazing and we love them dearly. I'm so grateful that I've been able to get to know them since being married to Todd. He really does have some wonderful friends! We were able to hang out for a little while and have lunch together before we left to go sledding with TJ and Krystal! This is another activity Todd and I really enjoy so being with friends made it even better! We also had some fun throwing a few snowballs at each other.

TJ about to go off the jump

Krystal

I almost forgot...Todd and I made a snowman together. I promised my nephew Rexford that I would make a snowman and take some pictures for him. We had fun trying to put our little snowman together because the snow wasn't cooperating! Luckily we were able to build him a few feet tall and just used some sticks from the park to decorate him. We took a few pictures and then went back to the hotel to make some yummy hot chocolate.

Our trip to Utah was wonderful and every now and then thoughts would come to mind that we could still be living there. I would entertain those thoughts for a few seconds and then remind myself of how freezing I was and how much I love living close to my family in Florida. Todd and I love Utah but we are okay with just visiting for now. There are several reasons we moved back to Florida and we know we made the right decision for us. There will be plenty more Utah trips in our future and who knows, maybe Todd will be able to go to medical school there in a few years.

Girls Night Out

Okay, so first let me start out by saying how much I love having my best friend home for a few months! Dodie has been living in Germany for about 3 years and I have missed her so much! It's wonderful being able to spend some time with her again. We went out tonight just the two of us to catch up. We had dinner and then bought a few baby outfits at Carter's which was really fun! Then we went to watch Twilight. Dodie has read the series and has now seen the movie twice. I absolutely loved the movie! Now I'm going to get the books so I can catch up!

It's A Boy!

Todd was able to come with me to my ultrasound last Wednesday. I was 12 weeks 3 days but the measurements put me up to 13 weeks 2 days. Even though it's still really early, we were told that we are having a boy! We are both so excited! It was so much fun to see the growth of the baby, it's amazing how fast they grow! He was really active and even did a little turn around flip for us. He also relaxed for a second putting both hands behind his head. I am so grateful to have had so many ultrasounds so far, it's been very exciting. I've had 3 ultrasounds and have heard the heartbeat during those and also one extra time. I love getting to see and hear our little baby and know that everything is going well. I actually look forward to every doctor appointment I have:) We are just so grateful for this wonderful blessing and opportunity that has been given to us. We have two trimesters left but I know the time will go quickly.

Todd and I have been talking about baby names for quite some time now. We had a girl name picked out already but we were struggling with boy names. Since all five grand kids on Todd's side are girls, I guess I was thinking it would probably be a girl. Anyway, we've looked at names and have received many ideas from our families. I was thinking about each of the names on Thanksgiving night but my thoughts kept returning to a name that Todd and I have talked about for quite some time...Matthew. Todd and I both like the name, I've just been hesitant because I wasn't sure how I liked Matthew Todd together. I looked up the meaning of Matthew in our name book and found out it means "gift of God." I instantly decided that this is going to be the name of our sweet baby boy. We have such a strong testimony of prayer and know that Heavenly Father does hear and answer our prayers. We feel like this baby is a miracle and is most certainly a gift from God. We look forward to meeting Matthew Todd Eichelberger next June!

Our baby boy with his hands in front of his mouth