I forgot...

...to post earlier that Nate (my brother) got engaged! On August 9, he asked Brittany to marry him and we all just could not be more thrilled!! Right now it looks like they'll be having a June 2007 wedding. We're so excited! I am loving that Brit is going to be my new sister-in-law and Ashlyn's loving her "Auntie B". I don't think I could've done a better job picking a wife for my brother. Actually, I think I remember telling Nate about three years ago that Kyle and I REALLY liked Brittany, but no...they were "just friends" ;)

I haven't wasted any time in picking out the decor for Maguire's room! Kyle and I decided on this bedding, although my mom and I will be making it. It'll be just plain black, white and lime...sort of like our kitchen, I guess. No wonder we like this color combo! I'm thinking his bedroom will be painted white with a few small/narrow stripes in black and/or lime to match. Should be fun and stimulating for little Mac, or MJ as Kyle has already taken to calling him :)

A few of you have asked if there's a story or anything behind the name Maguire. Not really. I mean, I liked the name when I was in college and heard it on a TV show (did anybody watch the VERY short-lived "Party of Five" spinoff with Jennifer Love Hewitt called "Time of Your Life"?). And a few years ago, our good friends, Brad & Lisa, named their son Anderson (Anders) Maguire. I, again, really liked the name and told Lisa that we might have to steal it for our son someday. Well, now we get to! Before we knew Ashlyn was a girl, Maguire James was the boy name we had picked out. We still liked it this time around, so that's what we decided on. This time, though, I was so convinced that it was a boy that I couldn't really even stand to think about girl names, so we didn't have even one possibility! Ok, so I guess that's a little bit of a story behind Maguire's (or Mac or MJ) name :)

IT'S A...

...BOY!!! Looks like we're going to have to teach this one a little modesty ;) Almost the first shot we could see was this one at the left. From then on Kyle and I just relaxed! We were so glad he cooperated and let us see, and we're THRILLED that it's Maguire James in there!!

It was so fun--my parents were there, Uncle Nate was able to be home for this ultrasound again, and Jim & Judy (Kyle's parents) were able to join us too! Ashlyn sure didn't know what all the fuss was about, looking at a screen that just had a bunch of black & white "nothing" on it. Plus, we weren't completely focused on her...what's up with that?! Ha ha!


We were so amazed at this 3D pic of Maguire's face and hand--usually at 18 weeks the pics look much more "alien" than this.
Kyle and I (the jury's still out on how Ashlyn feels!) feel so blessed to also now be having a son. We're so excited about all the new things that a little boy will bring to our family. Now we just pray that Maguire will be born healthy...and slightly smaller than his sister, who weighed in at 8lbs 12 oz!

Tomorrow's the big day! We'll be heading to Muskegon for the ultrasound after a day of hanging out with Grammy and Uncle Nate (who's in town for the week). And no, Calvin, there's no chance we'll change our minds and want to be "surprised" when the baby's born about whether it's a boy or a girl! :) I'll post the U/S pics on here as soon as I can, but in the meantime, here's a "generic" update on where the baby is at this stage of the game.

YOUR BABY THIS WEEK...Week 18
You’re gaining weight and your baby is too, weighing over 5 ounces (.14 kg), and measuring over 5 inches (13 cm) in length. What an adorable pair you are!

Your Baby: Baby's rapid growth period begins to slow down, but his or her facial features starting to form. Your baby can now yawn, frown, smile, and make other facial expressions. Taste buds have developed, and your baby can sense bitter from sweet, and swallowing reflexes are now present. He or she may even start getting the hiccups! Because baby's eyes are still developing, they're very sensitive. If a light is shined onto your belly, your baby might flinch and try to cover his or her face.

On Monday I had another prenatal appointment. Everything looked good--I've gained a grand total of 1.5 lbs. and the baby's heart rate was 144 bpm. I scheduled my ultrasound for Monday, August 21 in Muskegon. Kyle and I are so anxious to find out the sex of the baby! I've got less than two weeks to wait--woohoo!

Some fun beach pictures...

My dad decided to create a work of art on the beach. Whenever he and my mom go walking they find balloon strings, so he found a long/tall log and Ashlyn helped tie the strings onto the log. Then they buried one end in the sand so it would stick up. It was...interesting...and fun!

Meeting cousin Lisa!

At the end of July my aunt Marty flew from California with her newly (2 months) adopted Russian daughter, Lisa. Lisa is just a month and a half older than Ashlyn. It was so fun to meet Lisa and to see her and Ashlyn play together. They bonded almost immediately! It was so fun--we went to a garage sale and found a swim suit that matched the one I had packed for Ashlyn, so the girls had matching suits. Ashlyn stayed the weekend at my parents' house so that she and Lisa could maximize their time together. They would hold hands, hug, kiss, giggle and run around together. Ashlyn came home on Sunday night, then we got together with my mom, Marty and Lisa again on Tuesday to play at the mall. When Ashlyn and Lisa saw each other again, they got so excited and went right in for a hug. So cute! It'll be so fun to watch these two girls grow up together :)