Both kinds. Today I’m going to share some big news with you. This included new people we met, new offices we went to, and a whole new experience for my little family. Let’s start with the big news. We’re having a baby!! This little peapod is set to arrive on August 23. I just typed 2014, then deleted it, because then I realized “Duh, Amanda.” Anyways, we are currently 8 weeks cooked and our newest little guy has progressed from sesame seed, flown by lentil and is full on kidney bean sized.

A little back story. I got pregnant with Hayden and gave birth at St Joe’s in Lewiston. I had the pleasure of having Dr. Berg as my ob-gyn and she was amazing. Her office staff was fantastic as well, and the whole experience was just a breeze. So moving to Alaska and realizing I would have to start from scratch again and find a new doctor eventually was a bit daunting. I’m sure some of you critics out there are wondering if we even have recent technology in the arctic or if I’m going to have to give birth in the back woods with a wolf hovering by, ready to pounce on my newborn baby, all while I’m fighting to stay warm in my igloo. Luckily, I’m due in the summer so it will just be bugs that I’m fighting off of me as I lay in a green meadow. Just kidding.

After some research and inquiries to friends and family here, we chose the lovely Dr. Harrison. To my relief, she was so nice. Friendly and encouraging. They are in the process of moving to a different office so the one they are currently in isn’t the classiest to the say the least, but who am I to judge. At least their staff was great. With the exception however of the receptionist. As my husband put it nicely, he was struggling with his paperwork AND his sexuality, making his job of helping us, somewhat difficult. There were a lot of uh’s and um’s involved in our conversation, some struggles with explaining the paperwork and any question I had for him, resulted in a complete blank stare at me, until that marble rattled around long enough in his head to give me an answer. Let’s give you guys a visual.

Imagine this cool cat, with a little more hair, in a smedium (meaning he could have used a medium but squeezed into that small anyway) light purple shirt, in a small cubicle style corner behind a glass window adorned with the smallest curtains I have ever seen. At least when I’m that giant pregnant lady waiting impatiently to be called back for my bajillionth check up, I’ll be able to get a laugh in. Sorry it’s at your expense, receptionist man. It was that bad, we don’t even know his name!

The fun part came next. Picture day! And I didn’t even have to worry that I was having a bad hair day. We took a quick drive a few blocks down to another office, where we met an even nicer doctor who would be giving me my ultrasound. We managed to get a receptionist that knew what she was doing this time, but we aren’t giving her a standing ovation considering she still spelled my name wrong. Seriously lady, you entered that paperwork seconds after I gave it to you.

This was Andy’s first experience with an ultrasound and even though it wasn’t mine, I can imagine even if we have 17 children, that first time you see your tiny human, it makes your heart skip a beat. It’s absolutely amazing to witness something so itty bitty move and see it’s little heart pitter pattering away. We were lucky enough to walk away with some great pictures and even a DVD of the whole ultrasound. Better yet, we walked out with some amazing memories of this milestone. Meet the kidney bean yourself.

We made a quick stop to the lab to have my blood drawn and it really was my lucky day, because my fantastic sister in law was working today, and I got to have a friendly chat while she poked me. With a needle. Just being clear.

After a day filled with news, it’s time to be home and enjoy all the things we love. They might not be shiny anymore, or be that exciting, but they still make each of our days something worth being around for.