Midway point between appointments can feel like an eternity. This is especially true because we know that we will get to see Bun on the ultra sound again! We can't wait. :-)

This week we have been spending some time putting white stars on the blue dresser Jon originally painted when we found out Scarlett was pregnant. It is looking really cute, but has a ways to go I fear. We bought a curtain rod and will be working on putting up the starry curtains Scarlett made for the baby. We are pleased to report that the room is looking more like a baby room and less like a storage area.

Bun continues to grow and kicks more and more each day. This week Bun is working on using facial muscles to practice making faces and growing eye brows to accent when he frowns or smiles. He is getting more on a set schedule and Scarlett can tell when he is feeling more energetic or when he is peaceful. It also appears that he is getting used to her eating schedule by kicking about 15 minutes before breakfast and lunch time.

Jon still can't really feel him kick yet. He thinks he may have felt Bun last night, but is not convinced thinking that it was probably just Scarlett's pulse. For now he will just have to live with smiling when Scarlett jumps because the baby is tickling her from the inside.

This week Bun's favorite trick: kicking Scarlett in the bladder... he especially likes to do this when she has to go to the bathroom before he even kicked her. We think it must be fun for him to jump up and down on it, or it could be that he just wants Mommy to move, not to sure on that one. :-)

It has been a little under a week since we found out that Bun is a boy and we are so excited! This week we have been window shopping for lots of baby items and filling out our baby registry at both Target and Wal-Mart. There is still a lot to learn about bottles and baby tubs, but we are learning.

We are both feeling under the weather (colds)... but I think Jon is worse at this point. However this is not stopping us from being excited and shopping for Bun. We bought some baby outfits and are spending a great deal of time talking about names.

Now that we know the baby is a boy it is getting easier to discuss names, but we are still undecided and are always taking suggestions.

Two days ago Scarlett felt some tightness in her abs... stretching and growing... the next morning there was a baby bump that looks like it doubled in size. There is no doubt about it that Scarlett looks pregnant to even strangers now and she seems to be suited to her pregy clothes. It looks like Mommy and Baby are growing nicely.

That's all the news for now... more to come as we get closer.

WARNING: The following post contains the gender of baby Turf... if you do not want to know, you have been warned. For the rest... enjoy the result and the photos!

Welcome to the most anticipated blog post to date! We went to see Dr. Olson yesterday and found out some great news. First of all Bun is happy and healthy and finds Mommy very comfy. We had an ultrasound to determine that Bun is progressing on schedule. We have an official birth date : May 29, 2010! Bun is progressing very well weighing in at 12 ounces, or as Jon says, is the weight of a can of Diet. Dr. Pepper! Scarlett and Jon were very excited to see the baby move and actually witnessed the baby wave and put hands over the face.

After several photos, measurements of weights, and viewing of vital organs, such as the brain and heart, we looked for the baby's sex.... and they were able to say without a doubt that Bun is....

Yep, we are expecting a bouncing baby BOY bun! They were able to see clearly his little wee-wee... snips and snails and puppy dog tails on the way :-)
Now we are going to show the ultrasound photos- keep in mind that they are blurry, but I will do my best to describe the photos.

The clearest best photo that I have of my future son! We were lucky and they had just got a new machine and they tested the 3D on me... for just one photo... this photo. The bright white to the right of the photo is the wall of the uterus.... right in the middle of the photo is our little guy. He is sucking on his right thumb with his left hand over his left eye..... head tilted down... he was trying to nap, but we kept bugging him!

The top photo is the one that proves are having a boy! Seeing as he is made of flesh it is very very hard to make this out.... but both technicians confirmed that there is a little wee-wee there... I think I can see it, if I squint.

The bottom photo is a profile of Bun. His little belly in the right bottom... if you trace up the white you will see a round head... the tiny bump on the top of the head is his nose and the longer white piece by the nose is his hand! He is sucking his thumb!

The top photo is one single Bun foot. There is a black triangle in the middle of the photo and the white in the middle of that triangle is the foot... sorry that it is blurry but if you can make it out.... you can see toes!

The bottom photo is a front on photo of him laying on his side. you can see in the middle there is a face with eyes and nose as well as two tiny hands above a belly :-)

The top photo is daddy Jon's favorite: if you look at the right side of the photo you can see the ribs clearly, but the most amazing part are the tiny hands you can see to the middle of the photo. Bun was hiding his eyes... so shy :-)
The bottom image is of the baby's feet... it is alright if you can't make it out. We couldn't even make that one out when we were there live.

The top photo shows Buns leg bones..the white straight lines in the middle of the photo are the femur and show up well.

The bottom photo was the first image that we saw of our child. Bun is laying on his side facing away from the camera. You can make out the skull and ribs as well as a tiny little butt! Cute!

That's all for now... the next photos we will have of Bun will be when he comes out and greets the world!

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas! Scarlett, Jon, and Bun went to Osky for Christmas. Scarlett's sister Sam and her Grandma teamed up to make a quilt that they presented to Scarlett (which made her cry... it was so cute!). This quilt had the same animal patterns that her and her sister had on quilts when they were babies. The pictures of the quilt will be coming later.

We are one week away from the ultrasound and we are going to find out if Scarlett is holding a hamburger or hot dog bun. Then we won't have to "wonder" anymore. So we are starting a list, we would like all of you to cast your vote for what you think it will be. Opa Ruggles told us he thinks that he is 80% sure it is a boy, and his name should be Marshall. (We hadn't thought of the name before and liked it...so if you have any more name ideas keep them coming because we are still finding names we hadn't considered). Auntie Sam has changed her vote from a boy to girl, and Oma Ruggles refused to comment. Great Grandma Lillian told us to wait and not find out, but that is not going to happen. We are going to be traveling to Freeport to see Jon's parents in a couple days, so they have a couple days to figure out their final votes. As far as what we think, Jon has changed his vote from a boy to a girl. Scarlett still thinks it is a girl as well.

Scrlett has been feeling Bun move around more the past few days. A couple hours ago she let out an "ouch!" out of nowhere. Bun had kicked her harder than it has ever done, and continued kicking for 20 minutes. Jon tried feeling to see if he could feel it as well, but everytime he went to feel, Bun calmed down. He hopes this means that Bun likes Daddy more.

Cookies, divinity, and pretzels... oh my! Scarlett has been working hard on goodies to take to Osky for Christmas. It has taken most of the week, but they are delicious! Christmas can't come fast enough. Scarlett still wishes for white Christmas. Jon says that the current snow will last, but a new dusting might be nice, as long as driving won't be a problem.

Christmas presents are purchased (mostly) and wrapped (almost).

Bun is growing as was expected. At the last appointment Scarlett weighed in at exactly the same weight as she did before she was pregnant. Not to worry, Dr. Olson says that weight gain won't be needed until after the 6th of January, but some Christmas goodies ought to help. Despite movement on the scales Bun is popping out more and more each day. Jon asked this morning if Bun doubled overnight when he saw Scarlett this morning. The bump is growing nicely.

More news on the Bun and the bump to come!

So we had the baby appointment yesterday. It was very short as it was just a checkup. Dr. Olson felt and determined that Bun is growing at exactly the right pace. Scarlett is now 16 weeks and 2 days along. We heard the heartbeat again. This time it was much stronger and a little slower coming in at 152. Next appointment set for January 6th is the ultrasound. Dr. Olson asked if we wanted to know the baby's sex. We do want to know and will be finding out at the next appointment. Yeah!

In other Bun related news we went out this last Saturday and found a rocking chair at Stuff Inc., a very good consignment store here in town. The chair fits Scarlett well. It was hard to find one that is tall enough as it turns out that Scarlett is long legged. It is very comfy and is another piece of Bun furniture to cross off the list, Check. (photos at the top)

More news to come as we get closer to January 6th!

For those of you that were hoping to hear about the doctors appointment, you're going to have to wait another couple days. As you all experienced, Jack Frost nipped our rears. We woke up Thursday and saw schools were cancelled from here to Odebolt. Jon checked the road conditions on the website and it said that travel was not advised. Jon ended up calling the office and rescheduling for Monday.
We are very jealous of Bun these days, having a nice warm home when going outside.