sara without an h

the ultrasound.

it's taken me a week to write this post, to properly do the experience justice.  my ultrasound last friday was the most amazing, magical 30 minutes of my life.  i saw my daughter, really saw her, for the first time.  the last time i got to take a peak at her i was barely 8 weeks, and she still resembled a kidney bean with t-rex arms.  this time, however, she was my little girl.  she was my perfect, beautiful little sylvie.  she was difficult, vibrant, stubborn, and a bit of a ham.  she used my bladder as a punching bag and mooned us all more times than i can count.  she is a perfect little challenge.  is there any doubt who she takes after already?  i hope there are some of her father's better qualities lurking in there, otherwise we're in trouble! the ultrasound technician was great.  she took her time, and measured everything carefully, saving the big reveal for last.  luckily, she had been paying attention the entire time because when it came time to get a good look, sylvie would NOT cooperate.  she had her feet behind her ears and her legs firmly closed.  you see that big, round circle there by her feet?  yep.  that's the top of her head. i said something to the effect of, "this baby's modest.  at least i know i'm not giving birth to the next paris hilton!"  after a little more looking around, the tech answered, "modesty is especially important when you're having a girl."  it took me a second to process exactly what she said. "it's a...girl?" "yes." i immediately burst into tears.  big, body shaking, spastic tears of pure joy.  i really didn't think i was going to cry.  i tend to stay very calm during big events.  i didn't cry at our wedding, and i was so sure i would.  i think the combination of raw emotion, hormones, and a full punching bag of a bladder did me in.  my intuition was right all along.  A GIRL.  travis had me doubting it when he woke up two days before the appointment, so sure it was a boy.  i just...KNEW from the day we found out i was pregnant..  i don't know how or why. ******** my mom gave me this necklace, which belonged to my nana, on my 19th birthday. i have worn it everyday since.  now i wear it for two women.  the star of david charm came from my husband on the first anniversary of our first date.  one day, when sylvie is grown, i will give her both for her birthday.  she will smile, and my heart will burst wide open.

sylvie ' s swag.

our little sylvie is already getting spoiled by her grandparents!  in addition to the beautiful crib her grammy and poppy bought for her and her changing table from nana and pop-pop, she also received some adorable things to cuddle and wear.  these first few gifts were given to us right after the doctor's appointment. a sweet purple hippo from her grammy and poppy: sweet little shoes from her nana and pop-pop: my mom also brought a pair of boy's shoes just in case.  haha.  she returned them to target later that day.  we picked out the rest of these items over the course of the weekend: you may be able to tell we have a thing for pandas... i'm pretty much in love with this cardigan and its matching sunglasses: any daughter of mine needs a good pair of moccasins!  i probably have 5 pairs of my own.  i'm not even joking. i love the above onesies!  they will perfectly match the giraffe hat her grammy and poppy got her: baby hats with animal ears make me melt. we snagged this sweet little flower sweatshirt on sale!  by the time winter rolls around, sylvie will be big enough to wear it! of course, every little girl needs an obnoxiously big daisy headband to top it all off! this is just a little tour of sylvie's future style!  this kid already needs her own style blog.  yeesh! **EDIT**  i can't believe i forgot to post a picture of this onesie!  it's amazing!

the name and pictures.

sylvia was my nana's name.  she passed away when i was 12.  i always knew that i would name a little girl after her.  there you have it! sylvie is  growing well, with everything right where it should be.  meet our little girl, my sylvie: look at her perfect little feet:

tomorrow!

tomorrow is the big day!  our appointment is at 11:30.  my plan is to sleep in as long as i can, go out to a late breakfast with our parents, and head straight to the doctor from there.  i'd like to spend as little time as possible sitting around, twiddling my thumbs.  originally, our appointment was today at 4 in the afternoon.  the office called me last week and asked to reschedule.  the ultrasound technician had a family emergency and would not be in the office that day.  my heart sank.  i knew it meant waiting an extra day to find out.  now, i know this doesn't seem like such a big deal, but it feels almost torturous (melodramatic much?) to have to wait any longer. tomorrow will be a super busy day.  after we find out the sex and have our appointment, we're all headed out to pick out a crib, changing table, and start registering.  our little town is sort of in the middle of nowhere.  the closest place to do any of the aforementioned activities is about an hour away.  we have a loooooong day ahead of us!  anyone want to place bets on how long our dads will tolerate looking at baby crap before they decide to abandon ship in favor of a nap in the car?  anyone, anyone?  bueller?  i give them about 45 minutes. ******** keep your eyes on this blog tomorrow for the big announcements!  if baby is a boy, you will see this youtube video of buddy holly singing "oh boy!": [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLhC_sLeBqM] if baby is a girl, look for this video of the song "daughter" by loudon wainwright, III: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVam-fshUgw] this post is your last chance to comment with any gender or name guesses!  i'm going to try to get some sleep now.  i'm not sure if i'll be able to, but i'm going to try!  goodnight!

drumroll please!

IT'S

A...

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVam-fshUgw]

GIRL!

her name is....

SYLVIA GRAY HINKLE.

MY DAUGHTER!

workin ' for the weekend.

in just a little over 36 hours, we will know if our child is a boy or a girl.  the antici...............pation is killing me. i don't think i've spoken too much about my work on here.  i believe i've mentioned a few times that i work at a bookstore.  we'll call it darns and global booksellers.  i love my job.  everyday i walk into the store and, unless i'm tired or especially cranky, i feel genuinely happy to be there.  there were a few things that made tonight's shift especially great. 1.  the two customers who complimented me on my hair.  one of them even went so far as to ask where i get it cut and who the stylist is. 2.  the customer with chronic OCD who spent over an hour straightening all the tables.  thanks, dude!  you just made my job a heck of a lot easier!  the closing staff here at darns and global thanks you. 3.  my co-workers.  i genuinely like just about everyone i work with, managers and superiors included. 4.  using my breaks to read all the trashy gossip magazines i want for free! i think that about covers it.  my feet and back are sore and i'm tired, but i had a good night.  tomorrow my parents and in-laws get into town for a fun family weekend!  i can't wait!  i have some last minute things to do before bed (fold laundry, mop the kitchen floor, etc.), so i'd better get started.  goodnight and happy wednesday.

the countdown begins.

ONE WEEK until we find out if baby is a boy or a girl. ONE WEEK until we reveal the name.  that's right, we have chosen to reveal the name the day we find out the sex!  we thought about it and decided there is no reason to wait until after the birth.  however, if it is girl we will not reveal the boy name and vice versa.  whichever name will not be used this time goes back into the vault. in case you have forgotten, if baby is a girl, her middle name will be GRAY.  if baby is a boy, his middle name will be THOMAS.  the reasons behind those choices are here.  the first letter of the girl name is S, and the first letter of the boy name is E. you are welcome to leave your guesses in regards to the name and the sex in the comments, but i will neither confirm nor deny the name guesses! ONE WEEK!  ONE WEEK!  ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK! ONE WEEK!

of hair cuts and onesies.

the "to cut or not to cut" poll was close, with 55% in favor and 45% against.  i, however, have decided i am 100% in favor of getting a hair cut.  i have also decided to forgo a super short pixie cut in favor of something a little less drastic--around chin length or a little shorter.  that way, if i want to cut even more off, i have the option.  baby steps.  i have an appointment at 10:00 tomorrow morning, and will post the results (and a 16 week bump picture) tomorrow evening! in addition to my hair cut, we also have our 16 week appointment tomorrow.  i am looking forward to hearing the heart beat again!  i also have to get more blood drawn to test for various genetic and chromosomal issues (down syndrome, tey sachs, etc).  just standard stuff.  the next appointment after this is the BIG ONE.  that's right, 3 weeks from tomorrow we find out if our little shrimp is a girl or a boy!!  both sets of grandparents will be in the room with us when we find out, making it even more special.  I CAN'T WAIT.  i don't care what this baby is, i just want to know.  i still think it's a girl.  only time will tell. i made another onesie last night: this one is for travis. and just because i love making polls, what do you think our baby will be? [polldaddy poll=2915115]

pretty darn good.

today has been a pretty darn good day.  i have been craving green beans for days now, and finally satisfied that longing at dinner tonight.  more importantly, travis got one of the coveted teaching positions at his school!  next year he will be at the helm of fundamentals of drawing.

GO, TRAVIS.

in another news, my mom is traipsing around hong kong with my aunt susan.  she emailed me the first pictures from her trip today.  here she is with a giant, technicolor lobster: check that thing out!  i would love to tour the fish markets there.  i'm sure they're incredible!  the next stop in their trip is china and then onto japan.  i photoshopped this picture (poorly) to get an idea of what my mom will look like on the great wall: she looks happy.  this must be where i get my love of travel.  i hope our baby shares this trait. tomorrow is the first day of my second trimester.  i have slowly been feeling better and growing bigger.  it feels good.  really, really good.  baby will be 13 weeks tomorrow.  i can hardly believe 9 weeks have passed since we found out about our little lime.  only 6 more weeks until we find out if lime is a boy or a girl.  i still think she's a girl, and i've now had a few dreams to back this up.  only time will tell...

the name game.

the number one question i get asked after someone finds out i'm pregnant is, "do you have any names picked out?"  yes.  in fact, we already know the exact names we want for a boy and a girl.  we do not plan to share the name of our child until after we find out the sex, if then.  we may wait to reveal the first name until he/she is born. BUT this post is not a complete tease.  today, i will tell you our chosen middle names. if little k is a girl, her middle name will be GRAY.  this name is a combination of my grandmother's name, GAY and GRANNY, which is what i call her.  i am very close to my granny, and i wanted to honor her in this way.  with gray as the middle name, her initials will be SGH. if little k is a boy, his middle name will be THOMAS after travis' granddad and his brother.  (FUN FACT:  travis' brother, preston is actually named thomas.  preston is his middle name, which he has gone by since birth.)  my husband is very close to his granddad and has the utmost respect for him.  we knew almost immediately that we wanted to use his name.  with thomas as the middle name, his initials will be ETH. if you are so inclined, you are welcome to leave comments with your guesses about the first names.  however, i will neither confirm nor deny them.  and please, if you are one of the select few to already know our names, don't spoil it! in other news, i spent the weekend with graph paper and a measuring tape and figured out the best layout for the nursery.  i managed to fit a full-size crib, a changing table, a bookcase, and a toy box comfortably into a 7'x9' space.  speaking of the toy box, i have decided to buy an unfinished wood version online.  i've been able to find some very nice, solid pine options for very reasonable prices.  i want one that is a very plain rectangular box, as my plan is to paint it to look like a giant box of barnum's animal crackers. see, mom and dad?  that expensive fine arts education is finally paying off!  i am very excited for the weather to get warmer so i can tarp our deck and start this project! stay tuned for an 11 week post and bump picture either tomorrow or wednesday!