Lil' Lurleen says "Howdy!!"

Sorry if these images look a little blurry, but I had to get creative in making them digital from black and white stills--the scanner we use is temporarily down. Anyhow, we thought y'all might like to have a first look at lil' Lurleen!! For those of you still trying to decipher these ink-blot tests, the head is on the left side of these pictures, the bottom on the right, and the feet and legs are stretched out over the head.

Before y'all ask, no, we don't know if "Lurleen" is a girl or boy--we aren't planning on finding out till the critter is born...the knickname "Lurleen" came from a trip we made through Alabama, where we passed "Lake Lurleen State Park". Since we had already used the classic "Bubba" and "Cletis" knicknames for Kenny and Beth, respectively, we needed some new inspiration, and Lurleen was it...

Everything looks like it's going smoothly. Lurleen is of the right size and weight (13 ounces) for its age (21 weeks), and all the parts seem to be there (note the leg bone in the picture above). Hope is doing well, and they are closely monitoring her to be sure that gestational diabetes and preeclempsia are not problems this time.

Kenny and Beth got to see the ultrasound on a big-screen TV at the doctor's office. The thrill kind of wore off quickly for them, but at least Kenny seems genuinely excited about the prospect of a new sibling. Beth's not quite so sure--she's still quite a momma's girl, and I think is realizing that the new baby will reduce her mommy time and increase her daddy time--not a fair trade, in her mind.

I will be leaving Sunday for a business trip to Ketchikan, Alaska, and will be gone until at least the following Sunday, so there may be a pause between posts. I've got to try to fix our computer at home before I leave so Hope can check her email--and see the blog, which she hasn't been able to do over the last couple of postings.