Holy Milestones, Batman!

Boy, the closer we get to Christmas the faster the weeks fly by.

Milestone #1 -
Well, Dustin and I have officially been married for over 5 years!! Seriously! Am I the only one who cannot believe how fast five years have gone? It's funny, because I remember when we were dating like it was yesterday but I can't really remember what our life was like before Josh. Does that make any sense? Josh was such a natural addition to our family that I really don't know how we ever lived without him. What did we ever talk about? :-) I'm sure there will be a time when I can't remember what it was like with just Josh. Ha....."Just Josh". Dad asked him this weekend if he was someone, I can't remember who, and he said, "No, I'm just Josh." I totally died because it reminded me of Will and Grace - Just Jack!

Anyway, I won't give details (per Dustin's request), but I received the nicest card I have ever received, in the history of card giving, from him this year. He wrote such thoughtful and kind words to me. I read it and immediately my eyes started filling up with tears. Now, normally I would blame it on the hormones, but that is not what happened. Dustin is a man of few words (everyone who knows him will verify) so I know how difficult it is for him to say exactly what he's feeling/thinking. I was deeply touched and it was definitely the best gift ever!

Milestone #2 -
I am almost out of the first trimester!!! Yippee!!! My next doctor's appointment is less than a week away and I am getting so excited!! Can you tell?

Here are the latest developments...

Your baby is now almost 2.5 inches long (6.1cm) when measured from crown to rump, and weighs between 0.3 and 0.5 ounces (9 to 13g). Your baby's fingers and toes have separated and are getting longer. Your baby can open and close its mouth and drinks amniotic fluid which it passes out as urine. Its head is becoming more rounded, though it is still large in proportion to its body. It has eyelids. And you can now hear your baby's heartbeat with a Doppler Ultrasound device!
Your baby continues to grow rapidly and has doubled in size in the last three weeks alone.
The face is beginning to look more human, and all body structures are present with a few refinements still in progress. Fingernails and toenails begin to develop this week. Your baby's muscles are sufficiently developed to allow for involuntary movements at this time. The messages which control your baby's movements are sent from the spine, rather than the brain, which is not yet sufficiently developed.

Not much else is new in the Bricker household. We got to spend all weekend with Papa Thomas and Papa Adam. We were part of a surprise party for Thomas and Josh took his duty very seriously. He sat at the piano by the front door and played the piano to make sure no noises could be heard upstairs. Then as people started coming he shouted, "They're here!". That's my son.

This weekend the big plan is to put up Christmas trees. I've waited long enough and the suspense is beginning to kill me. I will also admit, I've been listening to Christmas music for weeks now. I love this time of year (however, most of my family does not share this sentiment). Well, they enjoy Christ's birth, but that's about it. ;-)