+ 1

January 16, 2012 is definitely a date that will live on in my mind for a long time. You see, I got to see my child for the first time today. I was giddy. I don't even feel ashamed to use that word "giddy." I definitely was. The pictures on the sonogram were much clearer than I anticipated, so I got to see my child's mouth, his/her (but let's face it...it's going to be a boy) little hands and feet, his/her eyes, his/her spine, and even his/her ventricles and atria! The baby appeared healthy in every aspect, much to Tiff's and my joy. We got pictures of the little rascal, despite his/her best attempts to move out of the screen as much as possible. There is no doubt in my mind that our child is going to be amazing. Amazing! That's about the best word to sum up everything that's going on in this process. The Vande Kopples are now +1!

--Jon

January 16 is a special day for two reasons: it's my dad's birthday (today happens to be his 50th!! Happy Birthday dad!!); we got to see our baby for the first time! We decided to not find out what we are having, so while Jon continues to confidently believe it's a boy, we'll have to wait and see! He even claims to have picked up on some images during the sonogram that solidified his feeling, but who knows :) As J said, having the sonogram was amazing! While a bulging belly and other wonderful pregnancy indicators should be enough 20 weeks into a pregnancy to make it real to me, there are many days that it just doesn't feel real :)

Baby VK stayed mostly in the same position throughout the sonogram, with quite a bit of movement from side to side! It was so beautiful to see him/her open and close his mouth, to see one of his arms tucked up under his body (which I believe he/she gets from me - one of my favorite ways to sleep!!), and another arm bent with fist at chin in a sort of "thinking" pose - which he would of course get from daddy! His/her legs were moving about quite a lot which was so cool to see! We also got an incredible view of the baby's entire profile from head to toe!! No pics of it, but wow what an amazing mental image!! His/her spine is clearly defined and he/she is already just perfect!!

I've felt gentle and sporadic nudges since the 1st or 2nd of January, but wasn't quite sure that they were "kicks." However, after today, I'm sure that I've been feeling the baby! Those nudges are becoming more and more frequent, and I can't wait until Jon can feel them too!!!!

This DEFINITELY was a special day that made this experience even more real for me and for Jon! I can't stop looking at the pictures of our little one, and can't wait to see him/her in just 20 weeks!! We are so blessed, and are grateful that the Lord has called us to be parents! You can check out all 10 of Baby's first photos by going to our photo album page!!

--Tiff