Welcome Baby Walter!

Greetings and thanks for visiting Walter's blog. We are so excited to be first time parents, but please feel free to drop us some nuggets of advice while you're here.

We found out we were pregnant on July 9th, exactly two months after our wedding day. What a surreal moment that was for us! Initially, we wanted to wait to share the news with friends and family after our first doctor's appointment, but as the appointment loomed, we couldn't wait. We quickly let Brian's parents know, and then my mom and then all of our families the weekend before the appointment. Brian's dad, not wanting to call the baby "baby" or "it" for the next eight months, declared that the baby would be called "Walter." And hence, Walter it is until the Big Day. We're hoping if it's a girl that she won't have too much gender identity confusion after being called Walter for 8 1/2 months!

Our first appointment was on August 4th and everything looked great We had our first ultrasound, which was cut short due to the fact that our OB had to head out to deliver a baby. At that point in time, Walter was measuring in millimeters and we got to see the heart beat. Since multiples run on both sides of our families, I'll admit that I was a bit relieved to see one in there the first time around :)

We are finishing out Week 12 this week. Brian and I had a ultra screen test earlier in the week which was recommended by our OB since I will be 30 when the baby is born. The ultrascreen tested for Down Syndrome and other related defects. The coolest part about the day was that we had another ultrasound, this time we got to see Walter on the big screen for about a half an hour. Walter is now measuring at 2 inches (about the size of a lime) and we could see the outline of facial features, fingers and toes. Walter was scratching his/her face and kicking his/her legs. Of course, Walter was a bit uncooperative with the technician as she was hoping to get a good look at Walter's neck....but Walter was enjoying laying in a hammock-like position. Brian says Walter was being stubborn.....I say Walter was just very comfortable and relaxing. Apparently, if you touch or poke around the abdominal area these days, Walter will respond, but I won't be able to feel it just yet.

As of now, Walter enjoys a variety of foods including turkey, red meat and tomatoes. Chocolate pudding cups are also becoming a favorite. Walter, however, has a strong dislike for orange juice. As we close in on the second trimester, I'm feeling a lot better and regaining some of the energy that I had lost during the first few weeks. For the first few weeks, it felt like an out of body experience--my body was working and changing and hormones were kicking in and my head felt like it was in a fog--I couldn't concentrate on anything for long, I was lethargic and all I wanted to do was sleep. Life's definitely getting back to normal in the Tomlinson home!

Walter's had many new adventures as of late. Walter has been out boating, participated in a wedding, enjoyed crab cakes in Baltimore (although we didn't know it at the time), visiting family, riding on a tractor and showing our friend Ann Marie around the city of Columbus when she visited from Chicago. Mommy and Daddy are also reading to Walter such classics as Green Eggs and Ham as well as the Pokey Little Puppy.

Thanks for reading our first of many blogs. Be on the look out for pictures and more frequent updates as they become available! Also, please leave your nuggets of wisdom or advice! We love you and are looking forward to sharing the next six months of this amazing adventure with you.

Daddy, Mommy & Walter