It's a ... (and we have a name!)

The magical fairyland that is Ava's Kindergarten organized a Bug Walk field trip and I was so excited to help.  All the kiddos brought their favorite riding toys and helmets and we set off from the school to hunt bugs.

Scooters and bikes away

Stopping to let everyone catch up

Armed to find critters

Into the forest

Spiders and scorpions were off-limits, but anything else was fair game

Ava scooped up what I thought was a bee.  An entomologist joined us on the field trip and informed us that it was actually a type of fly that imitates a bee.  Proud of her capture anyway.

Bringing in the big guns

Ants and crickets

Always prepared, Gingerbread had arranged a yummy snack for the hungry hunters.  After snack the bugs were released and the kiddos rode back to school.  What a fun day!

I spent the past week in Texas recruiting students for law school at OU.  While I was sad to leave Josh and Ava, and a little nervous to be on the road between Norman, Houston, Dallas, College Station, San Antonio, and Austin (yes, in that order) while pregnant, I was excited to meet all of the prospective students.  No trip into south Texas is complete without a stop at Buc-ee's.

I stopped in the Woodlands to have dinner with the Broaddus family and was surprised to see the parking lot patrol on horseback.  Oh Texas.

My first-ever solo recruiting gig, it was exhausting but so exhilarating.  The life cycle of law school recruiting is so similar to teaching elementary.  Just when you really know and love the students you have been working with, it's time for them to grow up and become someone else's responsibility.  Then you get the energy from a fresh new batch of excited newcomers.  It's the most refreshing and wonderful experience!

Even though I get a per diem for meals from the school when I'm traveling I usually try to eat frugally.  However, sometimes when you're a hungry preggo you just need the full American breakfast delivered to your hotel room.  Gherkin was super thrilled with this decision.  I'm feeling so much movement, especially after meals.  I know it's early to be feeling movement, but I found out why (see bottom of post).

I was so excited to have the opportunity to recruit Aggies at Texas A&M.  I had to pull over for a quick photo of the famous Aggie Barn on Highway 6.

I know I'm pregnant and emotional, but returning to College Station after a couple of years away caused a torrent of tears.  It's just home; always will be.  After Josh proposed to me in December of 2003 I finished the spring semester at Texas Tech and then transferred to A&M to be with Josh in May.  We began our lives together on that campus.  We were engaged and then newlyweds on that campus.  We survived losing our first baby in that town, an event that haunts me every time I drive down Texas Avenue.  I know I'm so lucky to have many places that feel like home to me, places that cause my heart to ache when I leave them.  College Station will always be one of those places for me.

After my recruiting event I stopped at Aggieland Outfitters to grab new Aggie shirts for us and came so close to buying this for the Gherkin.

Though I don't have photo evidence of it, I was able to see lots of friends and family during my time in Texas.  Dinner with the Broaddus family, a gas station hug and treat with Mimi and Coach, dinner with Jaryn and Dusty, a night in Clifton with Mom and Dad, two nights in Austin with the Crawfords, and dinner with the Raines family.  It certainly made my long week away from Ava and Josh more tolerable.

My precious nephew, Nolan, is really growing up.  It seems we share the same taste in house shoes.

I definitely felt like an outsider on campus at TU.  The Austin crowd was kinder than I anticipated.  Being an Aggie behind an OU table I wasn't expecting much love from students, despite the fact that many of their students wind up at OU Law.  Overall it was a good day and a fine end to my week of Texas recruiting.

Later that night I had dinner with the Raines/Crawford crew.  It was raucous and laughter-filled, just like you'd expect a large gathering of extended family who don't see each other nearly enough to be.  I loved getting to spend time with everyone.

I left Austin early Friday morning, hoping to make it to Norman in time to surprise Ava by picking her up at school.  Gherkin had one request on my trip home: lunch from Food for Thought in Waco.  I happily obliged.  (And yes, I did make it in time to surprise Ava at school.  She was so excited!)

On Saturday morning we headed to see an ultrasound genius friend of mine.  With my crazy travel schedule this month there was no way to know when I'd fit in an ultrasound with my doctor.  Waiting until November was not an option, so we were thrilled when Billie volunteered her services on a weekend.  Ava woke up not feeling very well, but determined to see her baby sibling for the first time.

Billie scanned for a bit just checking in on baby.  We heard a strong heartbeat, 160 bpm.  Saw four chambers of a sweet little heart, a healthy umbilical cord, placenta, fingers and toes, and spine.  We asked Billie to whisper the gender to Ava and then she would get to tell us.  Once she knew what it was Billie told her, and Ava quietly told us with a big grin, "It's a boy!"

He is measuring 6 ounces already; most 15-16 week babies are around 2.5 - 3 ounces.  Either he's a real chunker or I'm farther along than we thought.  I'm really hoping for the latter.  We also found out the reason I am feeling him so much, the placenta is on the backside of the uterus so there's no cushion between him and my front side.  Plus at 6 ounces it makes total sense that I can feel him moving about.  According to this ultrasound my due date is around March 23.  We were not shocked to find that his legs are already long, by femur measurement.  He was completely laid out straight at a few points during the scan - taking advantage of the room while he has it.

I know it's skeletal, but here's his little face.  We are so thankful for a healthy baby!

AND this healthy baby boy has a name.  Since we decided to add to our family we've had two names ready for baby depending on gender.  Our boy name is steeped with meaning and, in my opinion, so perfect.

Levin Alexander Lockett

Levin is Hebrew in origin and means heart.  It's also a very popular boy name in Switzerland, which is special to us.  We also love that it has an internal 'v' like Ava - she is thrilled that they'll have that in common.

Alexander is Greek in origin and means defender.  It also happens to be the name of Josh's favorite founding father, Alexander Hamilton.

So there you have it.  Ava will have a little brother and Josh and I will have a son.  We are thankful and excited about this entirely new experience.  Ava is the most thrilled that our family will be even, 2 boys and 2 girls.  Oh boy, I sure hope Levin is ready for his big sister!