We're having a Boy!

Little Baby Ririe - Practicing the BYU Cheer!

It’s official!  We’re having a boy!  Okay, so we may have already known that, but today we were reassured of the news.  Today was Lisa’s second ultrasound.  Per the birth mathematicians, our little guy is 21 weeks and 2 days, and based on everything the nurse measured (head circumference, abdominal cavity, umbilical cord, femur, IQ, etc), our kid is right on schedule to be born near the previously announced expected delivery date of August 29^th.  We are so excited!  It is definitely a little bit overwhelming that in less than 20 weeks, the two of us might be holding our very first child – but … wow!  We will be holding our very first child!

So to step back a little bit.  Lisa and I have only been married now for 6  months.  A lot of people would counsel that newlyweds need at least a year to get to know each other before entering the parenting stage of life.   Reasons for waiting could include additional time to allow the relationship to mature, time to become more financially stable, time to simply enjoy living before you are bogged down by the consistent demands of children, time to pursue careers, schooling, or other life goals.  The problem with these reasons, is that they all involve time.  When time has passed – it is gone forever and can never be redeemed.  I am currently 28 years old – and Lisa 27.  For us, a lot of time has already passed.  We have each already pursued a degree, enjoyed and begun careers, and had time to become financially stable (although we would love to have a lot more!).  We have used much of our time – and the reality of a marriage in our later twenty’s is that that time is now gone.  

As Lisa and I looked forward into the future, we started asking some important questions – How many children do we want? And how much time between children is needed to fully appreciate and dedicate attention to each?  As we started asking these questions, the next question became very real – How old do we want to be when our children are graduating from High School?  Hmmm.  This question really got us thinking.  20 years from now, I will be 48 years old.  If we were to have 5 kids, spaced at 3 years, I’d be nearly 60 years old as the youngest prepares him/herself for college.  Now that final number can change based on the number of children you have and the spacing between each  - both questions of which we cannot answer at this time.  But we do have control over when we decide to have children.  In addition to our desire to have children, we also recognized that we have been commanded to do so by our Heavenly Father and promised that they would bring joy and happiness into our home.  So after weighing all of the above – we decided that our family was the most important thing and we would make it a priority.

21 weeks and 2 days into pregnancy, we couldn’t be happier.  It is amazing how much stronger our family has become over these last few months as we contemplate the responsibility that lies ahead.  More so than before, Lisa and I are a team with a God-given duty to raise one of his children in our home – teaching him to make correct choices, be kind and empathetic towards others, develop a strong work ethic, and learn of his Heavenly Father and the plan He has prepared for him.  Our small two-person team gets better every day and we continue to be amazed at the trust we feel to have this incredible opportunity.  On one of our nightstands, two of the ultrasound images are tucked into a picture frame.  They give us a detailed image of what our baby boy looks like right now.  He looks strong, healthy, and happy.  It is simply amazing that the human body can produce such a perfect child. 

Well, the time we spent with our ultrasonographer was priceless.  For just a couple of extra dollars, we were able to get a DVD of the entire ultrasound session which allows us to watch all of his movement inside of Lisa and hear again that amazing heart beat.  We thought we'd share a couple of pictures and a quick video clip of the heartbeat.  Again, we feel so blessed and are so happy for this child to come to our home.  We couldn't be more excited!

Here are a couple 3D Images, profile shots, and a heartbeat