almost 1/2 way:)

Well, we are edging closer and closer to the half way mark this week. Sunday marked 19 weeks for Baby T. We still haven't picked out a definite name yet. We promise we will let you know just as soon as we know! We have a list of first names and a list of middle names, just haven't figured out how or if they go together. It could be something completely different...who knows:) Our email tells us that our baby boy is the size of a large heirloom tomato this week. That should be about 8 1/2 ounces. Well, he was 12 ounces last Wednesday and unless he went on a diet this week I am sure that means he is even bigger today. So, who knows how accurate our fruits and veggies are anyway. If Allyson's belly is any indicator, he is growing! By the way, thanks to our great friends Dave and Bradie for the extra special surprises this week....we love and appreciate you both and your cute girls (definitely daughter-in-law material one day...we don't care which)!

Love,
Mark and Allyson

No Doubt About It

Sooo...all of Mark's coaching for cooperation paid off. The baby cooperated and as I'm sure most of you know...the bell pepper is a BOY!! 'He' (still getting used to that) is supposed to be a 7 oz. bell pepper right about now. The nurse told us he is more like 12 ounces already! Whoops. He may be two weeks ahead of schedule so we will now be referring to the due date as January.

The nurse doing the ultrasound wasted no time in getting to the point...at least for us. The image you see was the first we saw and the following is what she said verbatim.

This is the right cheek, this is the left cheek of his butt [top right of image]. This is one leg, this is the other. Bet you can't guess what that is??

She then proceeded to put 2 arrows pointing it out in case there was any doubt by us or the rest of the world.
Baby looking at you. Side view of baby.

We had a recording of the ultrasound on DVD, but got home with the disc and it doesn't work. Sorry.

Allyson and I are so thankful for this blessing and gift from God! Many prayers have already been prayed for our boy and Allyson. Thank you!! Time to get to work. We will be holding him in our arms before we know it.

Filled with joy and love for our son and you!
Mark and Allyson

Best Ever in Chicago

We recently took a trip to Chicago. Mark's first time...Allyson's 3rd time. Allyson has been the past 2 winters, but never in the summer. While in Chicago, we experienced some of the best things EVER! So, we thought we'd share them with you in case you are ever there and wanted to see if we are right. In no particular order...

Best Italian food ever. Maggiano's. This nice little Italian restaurant was quite a find. Allyson got some old school 4-cheese ravioli while I ate the classic fettuccine with alfredo sauce & chicken.
Got the lunch portions (at dinner) and couldn't finish them. The building and atmosphere were old school as well with creeky wood floors to add to the character.

Best popcorn ever. Garrett Popcorn. The fact that the only thing this place sells is popcorn and stays in business is amazing. The line was long, but worth it. We recommend the cheese (get a lot of napkins). If you are a caramel fan, it's really good too. This was the entree for our dinner Saturday night. The side dish was...

Best ice cream ever. Haagen-Dazs. Mark already knew this. Allyson is a huge Graeter's fan, but mentioned her Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream rivaled Black Raspberry Chip. Of course, Mark went with good ole plain vanilla...mm good! I know what you may be thinking...you ate popcorn and ice cream for dinner on Saturday night?!? Yes. You should try it some time. Hey, we were on vacation!

Side category. Biggest slice of pizza ever. Bacci Pizzeria. We didn't get a chance to devour some deep dish pizza. Definitely on the top of the list when we go back. The last day we were there we rode up to Wrigley Field to see it. Craving some pizza, a local directed us to this pizzeria next to the stadium. Although it wasn't Chicago style pizza, it did not disappoint. To say this place was shady would be a big understatement. But the pizza at this place was big...I mean really big. As in Allyson and I split 1 slice and barely finished it. Good stuff.

Best baseball game result ever (besides Braves winning). Yankees lose It was nice to catch a game at U.S. Cellular between the White Sox and Yankees. Yankees lost, fun game, enough said.

So for those who have been there, what did we miss??? We are usually up for trying just about anything at least once.

Until tomorrow...
Mark and Allyson

Big Day!

Big day tomorrow! As long as the baby cooperates (we've been urging him/her to cooperate every night the past 2 weeks), we will find out if we are having a boy or a girl! We will be getting a recording of the ultrasound, so perhaps we will have some video to post later this week. We have had more people tell us they think it's a girl than a boy. But it's all guesswork. Stay tuned...


18 Weeks...almost halfway there!

Much love and excitement!
Mark and Allyson

A Turnip? Seriously?

Well, this week's produce is the weirdest of all, a turnip.
I(Allyson) mean, a peanut is cute, a shrimp is fun, an apple is pretty...but a turnip? I have nothing good to say about a turnip except the fact that our baby weighs about the same as a turnip, and we love our baby, so I suppose we will love the turnip as well:) Thankfully, once Sunday comes we will come to a more exciting fruit or veggie. Some pretty great things are going on in the life of Baby Thompson this week. #1 Cartilage is turning into bone. We like Gumby and everything, but are glad that our baby will be able to hold his/her form. #2 We have moved up in weight this week to a whopping 5 ounces. #3 Not only did we grow in weight, the baby is now 5 inches from head to bottom. #4 and last but certainly not least, our baby is making sweat glands. Sweating is not always attractive, but necessary to maintain homeostasis(Mark is rolling his eyes at the mention of this "scientific" word, but oh well), so we are into it.

I am headed back to reality this week as I start school on Wednesday. I am actually ready for it. Starting school brings tons of fun things that will happen this fall, so it will be ok:) Mark is finally slowing down and able to breathe again after another crazy summer of camp, mission trip, district assembly, ordination, and everything else in between.

Overall, things are going well. Only 9 more days until our big ultrasound...not that we are excited or anything.

Love and miss each of you!
Mark and Allyson

16 weeks...Guacamole anyone?

Neither one of us have ever been fans of guacamole. I (Mark) have developed a little bit of taste for it because of a friend's amazing mexican dip that includes it. Allyson would rather not think about it, much less smell or taste it. To be honest, if you think long enough about what it looks like...it may cause you think twice about eating it. However, we are fans this week! Well, at least it's source.

We are moving through week 16 and the baby is the size of an avacado. Some things happenin' right now...s/he has toe nails, eyes are moving to the front of the head (don't know exactly where they begin, but glad they are moving to the front), and the heart is pumping 25 quarts of blood each day. As we took a look at Allyson's 8 weeks photo, she has changed. But the changes are getting ready to speed up. In the next couple of weeks, the baby will double in size and weight. And she (Allyson) is ready!! Here's the 16 weeks photo.

Love you all!
Mark and Allyson