Fantasma la Storia

The sickness that has been floating around our friends and family has been awful. Over the weekend and specifically Tuesday I decided to join in on the fun!
I have had the stomach flu. I have never been one to catch anything like that very badly but this really knocked me down....I'm guessing because I have another person that's trying to live inside of me.
I called my OB at about 4:30 Tuesday evening and told the nurse that I couldn't even keep a sip of water down. She said...ok then...you need to go to the Emergency Room.
So off we went. When we arrived we were supposedly the first ones in line because by blood pressure was in pretty bad shape. Two hours later they finally brought us back to our room and put me on some meds to get me rehydrated and then they started an IV to get me to stop being sick. Then the doctor gave us a pleasant little surprise. He asked if we wanted to hear the heartbeat or anything to make sure the baby was ok and of course we said yes. Then he said that he could do better than that and could let us see our baby instead. We were so excited. My doctor had told me on Monday that she didn't want me to have a sonogram until I had hit 18 weeks so this was very welcomed.
He brought the machine in right away and we got to see our baby for the first time! It was so awesome! It was just bouncing around in there, probably really pissed at me for the hell I put it through. Then it waved it's little hand and put it's thumb right in it's mouth! It was so cool. The doctor had perfect timing in snapping the baby's first picture too...it's thumb is still in it's mouth...as you can see below :)
Even better was that Brian and I got to have our own little moment seeing our baby without any distractions.
Now I have reached prepregnancy weight, am completely sore, and have a rediculous headache, but I would take the stomach flu any day to see that sweet baby again. It was so worth it.

I was recently challenged by a friend to write more, and with all of the changes that have been going on in the fabulously frantic lives of the Fantasmas I figured this would be a good way to get my writing in.
As I sit and think how to sum up the latest events...the only thing that comes to mind is...Life is good.

We are expecting our first baby in September and could not be more thrilled! After having been told by doctors that it would be difficult for us to conceive, that positive pregnancy test was such an answer to prayer! We will find out the gender of the new Fantasma in April or May. It's hard to be impartial about the outcome of that sonogram but we are super excited that either way Vince will have a new best friend to play with!

Brian and I are both staying very busy with our new church, work, and just being crazy. In all of the madness we have tried really hard to make sure that we save time for ourselves...so if you call us on Wednesday nights and we don't happen to answer our phones that would be because it's our date night! As busy as our schedules are we have to take that time out to just be together otherwise we would be completely mastered by the madness of our frenzied lives. It has been really fun to try to be creative with our date nights - we try not to just watch a movie, or eat dinner with the TV off, but actually spend time together instead of just being in the same room. It's difficult to think of something new every week but it sure has been fun!

Our new church move was a surprise to us but it has definitely been a blessing. We had no reason to leave LSCC, it has been a great church family to us for many years, but the opportunity to assist in spreading Jesus love throughout the area and to be a part of our ever expanding community was something we just couldn't pass up! LSCC has recently conceived a brand new church to be delivered in July to a new location in the Northern Lee's Summit/Blue Springs/ Independence area. It has been really wonderful to be a part getting everything started. We are on the communications team which has established the look and feel of the church i.e. the logo, colors, and any media work and we are both doing the music thing still as well. Brian is drumming away and I am singing a couple times a month. Once again...it has been a joy to be worshipping with such an amazing group of people.

Work is busy. Brian is a Web Designer for an advertising company called Builder Consulting. He's learning a ton about website coding and design. We're really hoping that experience will help with his income, because after baby is born we will be a one income family! We have decided that I will stay home with the little bambino which will be a challenge for us financially, but I'm not carrying this thing around so someone else can raise it!! We have peace that this was God's timing for us to have a child, so there is no doubt in our minds that He will take care of us! Keep us in your prayers that Brian might either get a new job or a pay increase at his current one :) My job has been busy because I am trying to remember everything that I do so that when they have to do without me things won't be as difficult to keep track of. It'll be even harder for my employer because of the three of us gals running the office; two of us are due to have babies at the beginning of September! It's crazy.

Well...I think that's all for me now. I'm really going to try to keep on top of this.