Meeting Ely for the first time.

As most of you know, our next (an possibly last) ultrasound was on Friday, April 28, 2006 at 5pm. During this appointment, the doctors are doing tests and measurements to check for any problems or birth defects. And, if the parents like, the gender of the baby can be seen. OF COURSE, we wanted to find out! There's no way I could wait another 4.5-5 months to know if Baby E is a boy or a girl. About 15 minutes into the testing the doctor asked if we'd like to find out the gender...my heart began pounding SO HARD! The words that would leave this woman's mouth would change my life forever...would I be attending football games in the misty rain of Seattle or would I be spending hours waiting in line for ballet recital tickets???? I was dying!!!!! Finally, she pointed to Baby E's area between the legs. She said, "here are his legs and..." OBVIOUSLY, there was something there :)

IT'S A BOY! We both had big grins and tears in our eyes (I think). No longer is this Baby E (which he will always be Baby E), but he is now Eleazar Gipson Malaki (he will go by Ely, pronounced: E-lee). He's this little man growing inside of me. This wonderful being that one day will be climbing trees, breaking bones and wanting a cool car. Crazy thoughts roamed through my head as she continued to point out different angles that assured us that this baby is a boy. It was a wonderful feeling that I'll cherish for the rest of my life. My first child, my first son, my first dose of TRUE motherhood...who in the world will ever love him as much as me? I'm already worried about who'll he'll marry :)

The good news continued...the radiologist was observing all tests during the ultrasound and came into our room to share that Ely looked great. She saw no problems in his growth or measurements. All of his fingers and toes were accounted for. And, as far as she could tell, we had a healthy baby boy. WHEW!

It was fun to watch Ely roll around, kick, play with his "parts" and practice nursing. We were able to watch him for about 45 minutes and even have a 5 minute video of him! After our appointment, Anthony and I decided to celebrate our news with a nice dinner in Belltown where we discussed what kind of career we think he might have or what college he might attend. Yes, we're getting a little ahead of ourselves, but it's fun to think about.

Saturday morning had more surprises in store for us. As I was writing to Ely in a journal we started for him, I felt a little flutter in my stomach. I've been feeling these "flutters" for a week or two, but have not been able to determine if the feelings were of the baby or just gas :) I placed my hand on my stomach, and within seconds Ely kicked. I screamed with excitement and Anthony came running in to make sure everything was ok. He didn't kick for daddy again for another half hour, but soon enough, Anthony was able to feel Ely kick. It was a fantastic morning.

The surprises continued into the day with a surprise engagement party hosted by several (dozen) of my friends. It was an amazing party and a great way to continue the weekend.

The final surprise came at bedtime Saturday night...as I was watching TV in bed, Ely kicked so hard it made me jump. I couldn't believe the strength of the kick. Honestly, it scared the crap out of me. I didn't know what to do. I was scared to move. But, also excited that Ely was giving me "love taps." I can only imagine these "love taps" will continue to get harder and more often. This is finally getting interesting.

I know this entry is VERY long, but I didn't want to leave out ANY of the details. Enjoy the ultrasound pictures, as they might be the last photos of Ely until he is born.

I love you all!