Our Little Athlete

Dennis wanted a baby boy so he'd have a sports partner and recent events indicate that Ben will be quite the little athlete. I had another ultrasound done yesterday and again Benjamin had his feet up by his head. I'm beginning to think that's his favorite position. He's so flexible! After the ultrasound on the way back to work, I felt the first kick that not only took my breath away but also hurt a little. Kicking like this at such a young age leads me to believe he will be good at soccer or football. (Or both!) Dennis and I decided that Ben could be a punter. This is an ideal position in football because there aren't a lot of serious injuries suffered by a punter, aside from pulled muscles. Also, a punter can play until he's much older than the rest of the team and he makes quite a good salary for only being on the field for a few plays per game. Of course we'll love Ben whether he's an NFL punter or a Nobel Prize-winning scientist or an artist or even a businessman who works 9-5 like most people. Dennis will be happy just having someone to watch the game with him.

The Inauguration

Tuesday was an historic day as the first black president was sworn into office. I hope he can lead well enough to make the US a great country for my children. There was one phrase from his inauguration speech that stood out to me in particular:

"It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.”

This phrase gave me a spark of hope that President Obama will focus on the family as an important American institution. I hope that he will take these family values into consideration as he makes decisions that affect this country and its citizens.

It's a BOY

We are very happy to announce that we're having a boy! Dennis is so excited to have a boy to watch/play sports with. He's informed me that I need to start watching more sports to expose the baby at an early age. (Just for the record: Dennis said he could "probably" love a girl too.) We are planning to name him Benjamin Michael Mecham. We'll probably call him Ben. Michael is my dad's name and Benjamin just came to me one day. We looked it up in our baby name book and it stuck out as a good decent name that is classic but not too popular. Dennis and I both like traditional names, which helped a lot in the naming process. A few people told me you can't totally know a baby's name until you see him, so we are keeping an open mind and welcome any suggestions, just don't be too offended if we don't use your ideas. Dennis' grandma Shaffer said she is very glad we are having a boy because "every little girl needs a big brother". When I was telling everybody that it was a boy the most common response was "I knew that". Dennis' mom had all ready started crocheting a blue baby blanket, my sister Stephanie answered the phone with "It's a boy, isn't it", and my sister Liz said she knew it would be a boy because she'd had a dream about it. As I've said before, I thought it was a boy, but hearing the ultrasound technician say it and seeing the pictures as proof was still one of the greatest moments of my life.



Showing off his muscles---------Feet up by his head

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

I have started looking around for baby items I want to put on a registry for baby showers and relatives, and so far the only thing I can figure out is that baby things are expensive and I feel greedy putting those expensive things on my registry. I honestly hope that if somebody wants to buy me a baby swing or a stroller, that about 10 people all go in together to buy it. Another problem with a baby registry: different stores have different things I like. I can't find one store that has everything I like. I like a pattern for the stroller and carseat that is only available at Target (Safari Sun), but Target doesn't have a cheap crib set that Walmart does (green gingham). Also, I don't think Target has site-to-store shipping (free!) like Walmart does. Babies-R-Us has been a real disappointment so far with everything costing more and their selection doesn't suit my tastes. I may be creating my own registry, but for all of you wanting to buy me something for my baby shower or just because you love me please get me: diapers, wipes, onesies, washclothes, outfits. Useful (cheap) things.

Cravings!

I have gone through different stages of cravings, but I'm starting to settle in on what sounds good a lot of the time.

• Chinese food from this place in the mall called Little Tokyo
• Salads
• Pickles
• Toasted pepperoni sandwiches (I don't like lunch meat)
• Salsa con Queso dip

I've decided I can pretty much live off of these mostly unhealthy things. Don't worry - I eat better than this, but these are the foods I want most often and the cravings are the strongest at different times of the day. I crave Chinese food or salads for lunch, sandwiches or queso later at night, and pickles when "Everybody Loves Raymond" comes on.

The Perfect Year

I don't need a crowded ballroom;
everything I want is here.
If you're with me, next year will be
the perfect year. - Andrew Lloyd Webber

2008 was a good year for us. Dennis got a full-time job, we're having a baby, we went on some great vacations, and BYU had a passably good sports year. I'm so excited for what 2009 will bring. I wish everybody a wonderful new year.