Pictures

Welcome to Elizabeth's home page Elizabeth Kay Hammis has arrived on September 8th, 2005. Time since Elizabeth was born:

Guestbook Archive

I thought that I would create this page to track our experience with the pregnancy and keep people informed of how Elizabeth is growing up.

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4/10/2008 - I'm nothing if not slow with updates.  I've posted pictures from the past year and a half of Elizabeth in the picture gallery.

12/7/2006 - At long last I've posted an update with pictures.  We've been incredibly busy for the last few months, as we've moved into our house and acquired a puppy as well.  Elizabeth is walking everywhere and talking up a storm.  She's got almost all of her teeth in and she's growing out of clothes faster than we can buy them. 

9/14/2006 - I posted a bunch of photos of Elizabeth taken over the last few weeks. We also got professional pictures done at The Picture People which I posted.

9/11/2006 - Elizabeth had her 1 year checkup with Dr. Beamer. She's now 29 3/4 inches tall, putting her in the 75th percentile for height and 21 lbs 12 oz, putting her in the 55th percentile for weight. Dr. Beamer says "She's perfect. Very healthy and developmentally at an 18 month level."

9/9/2006 - We celebrated Elizabeth's first birthday with family and friends. Pictures are posted.

9/8/2006 - Elizabeth turned 1!

9/7/2006 - Elizabeth came home with White Grandma and Uncle Treg.

9/1/2006 - Elizabeth took a train to Michigan from Chicago with White Grandma to visit with Papa, Papa Craig, Aunt Ronnie, Orange Grandma and Aunt Taylor. It's her first trip without Mom and Dad.

8/27/2006 - Elizabeth went to Chicago with Evie and I for a few days. We met with White Grandma while we were there and Elizabeth got to see all kinds of neat things including the Sears Tower and the Children's Museum at Navy Pier. Pictures of our trip are up.

8/26/2006 - We took a couple of short videos of Elizabeth walking with our camera.  First attempt.  Second attempt.

8/23/2006 - Elizabeth started standing on her own and taking short steps to walk to Mom and Dad. As soon as she does it long enough to be able to get a picture I'll have it posted.

8/20/2006 - More pictures are posted in the gallery. Still not walking but we're trying to help motivate her. She'll be taking a trip to Chicago and then to Michigan to visit with family up there in a week. We're planning her birthday party and all that are invited should have recieved invitations. We've made $.61 from the Google ads so if you see something that you are interested in please click on the ads.

8/9/2006 - I've added some advertisements and a Google search box to the website in an effort to save money for Elizabeth's college fund. If you see something worth clicking on in the ad please do so as well as use the Google bar for your web searches.

8/8/2006 - Elizabeth is 11 months old today. Start checking your postal mail for invitations to her first birthday party, as they should be arriving soon. I've posted some pictures that our friend Ren has taken of Elizabeth during the summer. They are at the end of the gallery on the pictures page. I've also started a blog about our house that we are having built.

7/24/2006 - I've posted yet more pictures of Elizabeth and the family. These include her first 4th of July fireworks experience. She's starting to stand for very short periods of time on her own so walking can't be far. She continues to grow and develop well. She's started to say "Uh-oh" as well as "DaDa." We're trying to get her to say more all the time. We're also planning for her first birthday party so if you have any ideas please let us know.

6/17/2006 - More pictures have been posted. No more teeth but she did have her 9 month doctor's visit where she measured 28 1/4" long and 19 lbs 3 oz. She's not walking yet but we're pretty sure that she will be any day now.

5/31/2006 - Elizabeth got her 8 month pictures taken at The Picture People this past weekend. The pictures have been posted in the gallery. She's also cut two more teeth, one on the top and one on the bottom.

5/17/2006 - I just posted more pictures including our Easter trip back to Michigan. Elizabeth has cut another tooth, her other top front tooth. She learned how to climb stairs on Sunday at our Pastor's house. She's cruising and crawling quite well these days. It won't be long before she's walking on her own we're sure. Evie's mom just finished up a visit and the pictures from that have also been posted.

4/25/2006 - Another big update. Elizabeth finally has not one, not two, but three teeth! She cut the bottom two shortly after Evie's family visited in late March and then cut one of the top teeth last week when we were on vacation. We had Elizabeth dedicated at Evie's church in Michigan on Easter. She started crawling on Easter when she decided to chase Easter eggs. When we got back from vacation she started to pull herself up to standing by grabbing onto the couch and her crib and soon thereafter started cruising (walking when holding onto something.) I've updated more pictures and will have some more from the trip back to Michigan.

3/23/2006 - It's been over a month since the last update, but it's because we've been very busy.  Elizabeth had her 6 month checkup and was 16 lbs, 10 oz and 26 1/4 inches long.  She's sitting up on her own now and eating some solid foods as well.  She's in a larger carseat and has recently gotten her first boyfriend at daycare.  She hasn't cut any teeth yet, but we're pretty sure it's any day now.  She's babbling quite a bit and sleeping through the night, which makes Mommy and Daddy very happy.  We're trying to teach her baby sign language to help communicate better and she's already picked up the sign for dog, which she makes when she sees our dog Eric.  Evie's friend Lynn came to visit in early March and she got to meet Elizabeth during that time.  Grandma Linda Kay stopped in for a short visit immediately afterwards and got a few days of Grandma-Baby bonding time.  Elizabeth's Papa, Orange Grandma and Aunt Taylor will be out to visit tomorrow for a week.  I updated some pictures tonight and finally got them all in the new gallery.  Elizabeth just had some pictures done at her school today and when they arrive I'll get them scanned and posted.

2/13/2006 - I added some of the professional pictures that we've had of Elizabeth in the past few months. They are in a different location than normal. I'm trying out some new picture software and want to see how it works. Let me know what you think. The pictures can be found here.

12/29/2005 - Pictures from Elizabeth's first Christmas and first plane ride are up. Elizabeth also went to her first hockey game on Tuesday where she saw the Detroit Red Wings play the Dallas Stars. She had a blast while we were there. She has recently found her feet and started to grab and suck on them when she can. She has her four month doctor's visit scheduled for January 10th, so we'll have weight and length updates then.

12/12/2005 - The lack of updates is a result of our move to Texas.  We've slowed down on pictures but they will continue to be updated every so often.  Elizabeth had her two month checkup on 11/21/05 (which was actually two and a half months) and is doing well.  She was 23 inches long and 12 1/2 lbs.  She got five shots and cried a lot but came through it just fine.  She's not rolling over yet, but the doctor suspected that she will be very soon.  She has started daycare when Evie went back to work and is doing pretty well with that.  She's starting to almost sleep through the night, which is very nice for Evie and I.  I'll try to be more diligent about putting up pictures and updates from now on.

10/15/2005 - Life has been very busy for us, as I've returned to work and we're busy preparing for the move to Texas. We have been taking pictures and I posted them here. The program that I'm using isn't putting them in the order that I'd like, but I'm working on fixing that.

9/19/2005 - We've had a pretty busy weekend, with Elizabeth getting a number of outings. I also redid the pictures so they would be easier to view. Click Here to see all of Elizabeth's pictures. This is where all of the picture updates will go from now on.

9/16/2005 - Here are today's pictures.

9/15/2005 - Part 2 - Here are today's pictures.

9/15/2005 - Part 1 - Elizabeth had her first visit with the pediatrician. She weighs 9lbs and is just over 21 inches long. The doctor says she seems to be quite healthy, with all of her vital signs doing well. She expects no recurrance of the infection that kept her in the NICU at the hospital.

9/14/2005 - Here are today's pictures.

9/13/2005 - A good day at home. More pictures.

9/12/2005 - Part 2 - I've rearranged Elizabeth's pictures by date to make them a little easier to view and follow. The directory is still here.

9/12/2005 - The rumors are now comfirmed! Elizabeth and Evie will both be coming home today! Lots more pictures to come shortly.

9/11/2005 - Elizabeth is now off her IV but is still receiving anti-biotics. Her lab results were much improved today and there are rumors that she may be able to come home with Evie tomorrow if her lab results are better.

9/10/2005 - Elizabeth had a spinal tap at about 1am to check for meningitis but the doctor was unable to collect any fluid. She has been improving and was able to get off of the oxygen and they are trying to wean her off the IV, although she'll still need the anti-biotics for a couple of more days. She's feeding well and looking very healthy. The nurses and doctors are saying she looks much better today than yesterday. Also, I put up some new pictures and took down some of the first pictures of her.

9/9/2005 Part 2 - Elizabeth has had some complications with her lab work and doctors suspect she may have gotten an infection from the long labor process. They have admitted her to the NICU to give her IV anti-biotics. Overall she looks pretty healthy and is eating, sleeping, etc well so we just have to wait and see what the lab work continues to look like.

9/9/2005 - Elizabeth's first pictures of her life are here.

9/8/2005 7:53pm - Elizabeth has finally arrived! After 18 hours of labor Evie gave birth to Elizabeth Kay Hammis, via C-Section. She was 9lbs 1oz, 21 inches long and very healthy.

9/8/2005 Part 3 - Evie's labor isn't progressing fast enough and she seems to have developed a slight infection, so she's on anti-biotics and will have a C-Section at about 7:30pm tonight.

9/8/2005 Part 2 - Evie got an epidural at about noon today. The contractions were coming hard and fast with no letup. She's now resting and having contractions with little to no pain. Elizabeth is still quite active and all is well.

9/8/2005 - Evie's water broke at 1:45am this morning. We arrived at the hospital and were admitted around 3am. Evie will be having a baby today!

9/6/2005 Part 2 - Evie was having regular contractions every 5 minutes of pretty good intensity for a few hours this evening, so we made another visit to the Labor and Delivery center. They said the contractions weren't strong enough to progress with labor and since her water hadn't broken they were going to send her home. They did give her some medication so she could sleep, which she did quite a bit of when she got home.

9/6/2005 - We had a final pre-natal office visit with Dr. Gretkowski today.  Evie had another NST, which was normal, and an exam that showed she had dilated to 2cm.  Evie has been having pretty regular contractions of 10 minutes apart or less for the last couple of days.  Dr. Gretkowski said that when they reach 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute each, for an hour or so to give a call to her office or the on-call doctor.  She said that it appeared her bag of waters is bulging, but had not broken and that increased contractions may break it.  She canceled the appointment for Thursday and said that if Evie hasn't gone into labor by Friday morning at 6am to come into the hospital to be induced at about 7am.  Dr. Gretkowski suspects she won't make it that long though.

9/5/2005 - Evie had thought her water broke and visited with the Labor and Delivery center at the hospital.  After some tests they determined that she was likely in the early stages of labor, but had not broken her water and sent her home. 

9/2/2005 - Evie started having contractions during the night, but they turned out to be a false alarm.  She had a visit with Dr. Hua today since Dr. Gretkowski was out of town.  She did an NST, which was normal and another exam, which showed the dilation had increased slightly.

8/30/2005 - Evie had her final visit with the nutritionist today.  She'll see the endocrinologist about 6 weeks after Elizabeth arrives and just before we head out to Texas.  She also had another visit with Dr. Gretkowski.  The NST was normal, ultrasound showed plenty of amniotic fluid and the exam showed dilation to be about the same as before.  We've got a visit on Friday with another doctor in the practice, as Dr. Gretkowski will be on vacation.  We've got a visit with Dr. Gretkowski on Tuesday where we'll discuss in detail what will happen with the induction process if Evie hasn't gone into labor already.  If she hasn't gone into labor by Thursday she'll visit the Labor and Delivery center where they will give her some medication to help get things started and Friday morning at 7am the induction process will begin.  By the end of September 9th or 10th Elizabeth should be here.

8/27/2005 - Here's a picture of Evie now.

8/26/2005 - We've reached 38 weeks and had another visit with Dr. Gretkowski today.  Evie had another round of tests, which showed that she's closer to 2cm dilated, 60% effaced and progressing normally.  Fluid levels were still normal and had increased since the previous exam.  We also made plans to induce on September 9th if she hasn't already gone into labor.

8/23/2005 - The first of two visits with Dr. Gretkowski this week.  Evie had another NST, ultrasound and exam.  Things are the same as before, holding steady.  Elizabeth is still plenty active and appearing healthy.  Dr. Gretkowski estimates she'll be about 7 1/2 to 7 3/4 lbs when she's born.  She also mentioned that if Evie hasn't gone into labor as we get closer to her due date then we'll schedule an induction sometime between 9/9 and 9/12.  We'll see her again on Friday.

8/19/2005 - Another visit with Dr. Gretkowski.  Evie had another non-stress test, ultrasound and exam.  Everything seemed the same as before and since we had now reached 37 weeks, we were considered full term.  Dr. Gretkowski said that the fluid level problems that we thought we had seem to have gone away and all is well.  Still at 1cm and 50% effaced.  We'll continue with visits on Tuesdays and Fridays until the baby is born. 

8/15/2005 - Another ultrasound, NST and exam with Dr. Gretkowski.  She said that things looked very good and the initial concern about low fluid levels seems to have vanished.  She was still dilated to 1cm and things looked normal.  Dr. Gretkowski still wants to see her twice a week until the baby is born, but says that things look very good.

8/12/2005 - We've reached 36 weeks today.  We had another ultrasound, non-stress test and exam with Dr. Gretkowski today.  She said that the fluid levels looked significantly better than earlier in the week and had returned back to the normal range.  She said that this could fluctuate but the rest of the tests all looked very good, with Elizabeth remaining active inside Evie's belly.  During the exam we discovered that Evie is dilated to "a loose 1cm" which is pretty normal.  Dr. Gretkowski wants to see Evie this coming Monday, next Friday, and then every Tuesday and Friday until the birth, which could be any day now.  Dr. Gretkowski also speculated that Evie would not reach her due date of September 9th and would deliver early.

8/9/2005 - We got a call from Dr. Gretkowski today requesting that Evie come in to see her today because of the results of some tests that we've recently had done. Unfortunately we didn't get any details in the message, so a mild amount of panic set in, because Evie had a previous scheduled appointment for tomorrow, so whatever it was couldn't wait one day. When we arrived at the office the doctor immediately told her that she was to be off of work for the rest of the pregnancy (starting her leave three days earlier than planned) and that she wanted to do a non-stress-test because Evie's amniotic fluid levels were borderline low and they wanted to verify that the baby was getting all the stuff it needed from Evie's body. If the results of the test showed that the baby was not getting the proper things from Evie then they would weigh risk versus benefits on taking her early. After an hour's worth of testing we found out that the baby is fine, everything is working the way that it should be, but weekly checks and ultrasound scans to check the amniotic fluid levels will be done from now until the baby is born. She reassured us that the baby was growing well, ranking in the 52 percentile in size and weighing about 6 lbs. The Dr. estimates about 7lbs 4oz for the total size at birth, which is pretty average, but might seem large for Evie. She said that Evie is not at any higher risk of requiring a c-section than the rest of the population, so about 10-20%, which reassured Evie and I quite a bit. Evie will see Dr. Gretkowski on Friday and again on Monday.

8/8/2005 - We had our ultrasound today.  There aren't any pictures from it because they can't get an entire picture when she's that big.  They took some measurements of her head, legs and various other body parts.  We saw the heart beating strong.  We had the technician verify that there's still only one baby girl in there.  We'll get more information about it when we see Dr. Gretkowski on Wednesday.  We came home and found that we had gotten some gifts from my client, Yaca.  She sent us some onesies and a very nice diaper bag. 

8/7/2005 - We had our second childbirth class today.  We've learned a lot more about the birthing process and decided to make an attempt to go without pain medication for as long as Evie can tolerate it.

8/5/2005 - We've reached 35 weeks.  We're counting days until the due date now.  Evie had a visit with Dr. Gretkowski who put her on desk work only for the remaining work time before her leave begins.  She estimates that Elizabeth will be about seven and a half pounds, which will be large for Evie but otherwise normal, and will have a better idea after the ultrasound on Monday.  She still wants to see Evie on Wednesday, when we'll discuss the results of the ultrasound.

8/4/2005 - Evie has been feeling extremely tired lately, so she's going to see Dr. Gretkowski early to make sure everything is still ok.  She's made a new appointment for tomorrow.

8/2/2005 - Elizabeth started to "drop" just before we went to bed.  Here's a picture of Evie that morning.

7/31/2005 - We started our childbirth preparation classes today. 

7/30/2005 - Evie's hair has been getting much thicker and more difficult to manage, so she got it cut much shorter.

7/29/2005 - 34 weeks today!  Only 42 days to go.  We're in the home stretch.

7/25/2005 - We were supposed to visit with Dr. Gretkowski and the nutritionist today, but Dr. Gretkowski had to reschedule.  We wound up meeting with another doctor in the practice, Dr. Takeshi Inouye.  He was very nice and did a good checkup on Evie and Elizabeth and answered even more of our questions.  He remarked that Evie appears to be having a rather large baby and that all of her weight gain and size is due to the baby.  He was mildly concerned that Elizabeth might be too large for a regular birth based on the vast difference between Evie and myself in size.  We've got another appointment with Dr. Gretkowski on August 10th, when we can discuss the ultrasound that she should get on August 8th.  Evie's visit with the nutritionist went well though and Evie is following her diet and medications properly to keep her blood sugar in check.  She will have weekly visits with both the nutritionist and the endocrinologist until Elizabeth arrives.

7/24/2005 - Our landlord gave us a second car seat, another mobile, a baby mirror for the car (to keep an eye on Elizabeth while she's facing backwards) and some toys.

7/23/2005 - We went to the store and spent a bunch of the gift cards that we got at the baby showers and then some.  We've got tons of clothes and most everything that we need for Elizabeth's arrival.

7/22/2005 - 33 weeks today.

7/15/2005 - Evie went to Michigan for one last vacation and the Michigan Baby Shower.  Many pictures of the shower and the gifts are soon to come.  Today is also the 32 week mark.

7/14/2005 - Evie had another visit with the nutritionist where they upped her insulin doses.  I finished the page for the California Baby Shower.

7/12/2005 - Evie went to see Dr. Gretkowski today but the appointment was rescheduled for July 25th, after Evie returns from Michigan.  Evie also made an appointment for another ultrasound on August 8th.

7/10/2005 - Since Grandma Linda Kay was in town we went to Target and picked up a few more things for Elizabeth and Evie.  I'll include it with the baby shower page when I get there.

7/9/2005 - Today is the baby shower in California.  We had a slight change of location but still had a good time and a good turnout.  15 very generous people showed up and brought some nice gifts.  I'll be building a page all about the baby shower shortly.  We got a lot of clothes, towels, washcloths and blankets, along with a number of other very nice things.  Evie's friend Crystal did a great job with the last minute changes.  Evie and I both got a bit of sun today and Evie's got a sunburn from being out in the sun all day.

7/8/2005 - We are at 31 weeks!  Looking forward to the baby shower tomorrow.

7/7/2005 - Evie met with the nutritionist again today.  Diet and exercise aren't enough to keep her sugar in check, so she's starting insulin treatments to make sure that her and Elizabeth are ok.

7/5/2005 - We saw Dr. Gretkowski today.  Things appear to be going well.  Evie's measuring at the right sizes for how far along she is.  Heartbeat and activity are still strong.  Our next visit is on July 12th, before Evie goes on one last vacation.

7/1/2005 - Evie's bellybutton popped out!  We reached 30 weeks today.  Only 70 more days, or a little more than 2 months to go.

6/30/2005 - Evie had another visit with the nutritionist today.  She said that things were looking pretty good with her blood sugar.  We see Dr. Gretkowski again on 7/5/2005.

6/27/2005 - We got married at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas today!  Pictures of the wedding can be seen here.  Grandma Hicks and Evie decided that Grandma Hicks would be called White Grandma, because that's what Evie's nieces and nephews call her.  Evie's stepmother is called Orange Grandma, also because that's what Evie's nieces and nephews call her.  Our friend Danielle gave us a box full of clothes as well as a Huggies gift set.  Today is also the day that the invitations were sent out for the California baby shower, to be held on July 9th.  Evie's mom confirmed that there will be a second baby shower in Michigan on July 15th, when Evie will be visiting.

6/25/2005 - We left on a trip to Las Vegas to get married.

6/22/2005 - We received a gift from Grandma Hicks.  She sent a very nice blue sleeper for Elizabeth.  Evie met with the nutritionist today and started her new diet to help keep her blood sugar in check.

6/20/2005 - Our visit with Dr. Gretkowski didn't go as well this time, as we found out that Evie has Gestational Diabetes.  Evie will have to make some rather dramatic changes to her diet in order for her and Elizabeth to be healthy.

6/18/2005 - We received a gift card to Babies R' Us for attending a childbirth class.  We bought a Snugli from our own registry and some Pamper's Swaddler diapers.

6/17/2005 - Week 28.  Our appointment with Dr. Gretkowski was rescheduled until Monday.

6/16/2005 - The grandmother of a child that Evie used to teach gave us a very nice gift set.

6/10/2005 - Week 27.  One more week before our next appointment with Dr. Gretkowski.

6/8/2005 - I was traveling in Dallas and picked up a Texas Bear.

6/7/2005 - We received a gift from Evie's friend Kareen.  It's a set of Baby Einstein color blocks.

6/5/2005 - I was traveling to Chicago for work and stopped at the Navy Pier.  I picked up a cute onesie and some socks.

6/3/2005 - Week 26 is today.  It's been pretty quiet lately.  We just passed 100 days to go.  Evie is growing a lot.  For a recent picture click here.  We got a gift from Evie's friend Ruth.  It's a cute t-shirt.  Invitations for the baby shower should be in the mail very soon.  We've confirmed the location, day and invitees, so now it's just a matter of getting the invitations filled out and in the mail.

5/21/2005 - We were at the mall and saw that the Carter's store was having a sale.  We bought a bathrobe, some hats, some more socks and some more bibs.

5/20/2005 - Week 24 today.  We met with Dr. Gretkowski again and she told us that we are now at the point of viability, so if Elizabeth decides she wants out early she has a good chance of survival.  Everything seems to be quite normal, with a strong heartbeat and lots of movement.  We have another visit at 28 weeks then we will start seeing her every two weeks.

5/17/2005 - Evie's co-worker Marquela gave us a onesie and a few other gifts.

5/13/2005 - It's been a pretty quiet week.  Lots of movement and Evie is growing steadily.  We're waiting on our next appointment on Friday, May 20th.  We are now able to see Elizabeth kicking and moving from the outside.  I found out this week that the woman that does Evie's hair gave us a very nice baby book, but I'm not quite sure when we got it..

5/9/2005 - We received a care package from Grandma Hicks today.  It had a bunch of cute outfits and bibs in it.  We got a green jumper, a pink dress, some pink pants, a yellow sleeper, a white sleeper, an "I love mommy" bib, an "I love daddy" bib, an Eeyore bib and a bib that says "That's it! I'm going to Grandma's!"  Here's a recent picture of Evie, taken this past Saturday.

5/6/2005 - We have reached the 22 week mark today.  Elizabeth has been very active kicking and moving inside of Evie.  We started playing music to her this week.  She kicks a lot when she hears Will Smith music.  We set the date for the baby shower to be July 9th, 2005.  We also set a wedding date of June 27th, 2005.  The guestbook got full so I had to archive the entries and start over.  The old guestbook entries can be found here.  I placed an order for three Metallica outfits from the Metallica Fan Club.  One says "Gimmie Milk".  The second is Spongebob and Metallica.  The last one is a sketch drawn by the singer called "The Scary Guy," but in a baby friendly design.

4/30/2005 - Yesterday we reached 21 weeks.  We stopped at Babies R' Us to pick up the crib mattress and wound up buying some more clothes and supplies.  We bought a sundress with a hat, some pink onesies, yellow onesies, a skirt and some bibs.

4/26/2005 - We had our 20 week visit with Dr. Gretkowski today where she did a checkup on Evie and Elizabeth and gave us the results of the ultrasound and AFP test.  The AFP test returned completely normal, meaning that Elizabeth is not at risk of birth defects such as Down's Syndrome.  The ultrasound results were equally as good, saying no fetal abnormalities were found, all vital organs checking out OK and her size indicating that she is due on September 9th, 2005.  We go back on May 20th for the 24 week checkup.

4/24/2005 - We returned from Las Vegas today with a ton of stuff for Elizabeth.  Grandma Linda Kay bought her an Elton John onesie, two Harley Davidson onesies including one that says "Wild Child" on it, a bear from the Paris hotel, an I Love Mom bear and a black stuffed puppy from FAO Schwartz.  Evie and I bought her a Hard Rock Hotel shirt that has wings on it, a Hard Rock Hotel bear, a Hard Rock Cafe onesie, a pink and white Harley Davidson onesie and an all pink Harley Davidson onesie, a ring toss toy from FAO Schwartz, a Ty baby girl bear and a sleepy bear from FAO Schwartz.

4/22/2005 - We've hit 20 weeks.  We're halfway there.  Evie and I are in Las Vegas with Grandma Linda Kay.

4/21/2005 - I took pictures of our ultrasound photos.  They gave them to us on x-ray film, so I had to hold them against the window and take a picture of them.  I think that you'll get the idea. The pictures are very large, but I had to do that so you could see them clearly.  Elizabeth on her back. Another pose on her back. Between her legs. Facing down.

4/19/2005 - I reorganized the page so the most recent updates are at the top.

4/18/2005 - The most exciting day so far has arrived.  We found out that it's a girl!  The ultrasound technician clearly found her parts and was able to take a picture for us on the ultrasound sheet.  We were so excited we went to Target and bought two outfits and a toy for Elizabeth Kay.  Here is the first outfit.  Here is the second outfit.

4/15/2005 - A pretty quiet week so far.  Evie felt some regular kicking today for the first time.  We're very anxious about the ultrasound on Monday.  Here's a picture of Evie at 19 weeks.

4/9/2005 - We bought a bear and rattle toy from Kohl's.

4/8/2005 - Only 10 more days until the ultrasound.  We're very anxious to find out if it's a boy or a girl.  Here are some pictures of Evie.  12 weeks.  14 weeks.  17 weeks. Another angle at 17 weeks.  We got the crib put together and started working on getting the nursery setup.  We have a ton of bears and other various stuffed animals.  We're thinking of having the room painted after we know if it'll be a boy or a girl.

4/1/2005 - 17 weeks. Evie is really starting to show and is almost exclusively wearing maternity clothes now. I'll take some pictures of her today. Since things are pretty quiet for the next I looked up other events that have happened on September 9th in history. Some interesting birth company that he or she shall be in: Leo Tolstoy (wrote War and Peace), Adam Sandler (comedian), Joe Theisman (Football player), Tom Wopat (Actor, Dukes of Hazzard TV show) and more. It's also the day that California became a state.

3/26/2005 - We bought two onesies from Hot Topic.  One of them is Happy Bunny and says "I'm cute. I get it. Put me down."  The other one is a Guns N' Roses outfit that says "Sweet Child O' Mine."

3/25/2005 - Another visit with Dr. Gretkowski. Evie was told to have blood drawn for an AFP test to check for abnormalities and problems.  It's a routine test and so far everything seems normal.  We'll get a call from the Dr's office if there is a problem.  Dr. Gretkowski also did an ultrasound in her office to see if we could figure out the sex, but it was still too early to tell.  We did get to see the baby kicking and moving, as well as seeing the heart beating normally onscreen.  Once I have access to a scanner I'll scan the pictures and post them.  We're anxiously awaiting April 18th to find out the sex.

3/22/2005 - We received a package from Great Grandma Hammis.  It had shoes, a monkey that plays music, and four outfits.  Outfit one. Outfit two. Outfit three. Outfit four.

3/18/2005 - We've hit 15 weeks. Only one more month until the ultrasound.

3/16/2005 - Our first gift from the registry arrived. We received a swing from some friends in Michigan.

3/12/2005 - We went to Babies R Us to add more things to the registry that we want/need for the baby.

3/8/2005 - Evie felt the baby move for the first time.  She said it felt like having butterflies in her stomach.  A Gerber bath set arrived from Grandma Linda Kay.  Evie and Lynn bought a Puppytunes dog from Learning Express.

3/7/2005 - We made an appointment for the anatomy ultrasound on April 18th. We should find out if the baby is a boy or a girl at this appointment.

3/6/2005 - We bought a crib today!

3/5/2005 - Evie and I went to San Francisco with her friend Lynn.  We bought a babyhat and a onesie from the Alcatraz store.

3/4/2005 - We had another visit with Dr. Gretkowski.  We heard the heartbeat again and the doctor said the baby was very active and sounded good.  Our next visit is on March 25th, when we'll be at 16 weeks.

3/3/2005 - A gift set from http://www.target.com that Evie had bought showed up today.  It's got lots of cool stuff in it.  Here's a picture from the front.  Here's the back, listing all the stuff it comes with.

3/2/2005 - Our landlord gave us a bassinet, a kick and play bouncer, a flow-thru baby bath and a discovery playgym.  We also got a stuffed Easter Bunny.

2/28/2005 - I created a guestbook for people to sign so we can have an idea of who has been here. You can leave messages for Evie, myself or the baby. You can find the guestbook here. The comment field is kinda small, but we can't make it any larger so be careful that all of your comments get posted.

2/27/2005 - Earlier in the week I rented a fetal Doppler from http://www.babybeat.com/.  Today we used it and we were able to listen to and record the heartbeat.  I put it up here for you to listen to.  Click here for .wav format, click here for .mp3 format, and click here for .wma format.  The wma format is the smallest, so it would be easiest for those of you on dial-up.  Evie started a registry at http://www.babiesrus.com for us.  The registry number is 86970524.  This will be changing and we'll add things to it from time to time.

2/26/2005 - We went to Hot Topic and bought a bib.  There's a lot of cute baby clothes that we plan to get from Hot Topic.

2/25/2005 - We have officially hit the 12 week mark.  The first trimester is over, which eases our fears of a possible miscarriage.

2/21/2005 - If you'd like to receive a birth announcement then fill out this form here.  Also, I'm moving this page so that it can also be referenced at www.hammis.com.  Please update your bookmarks.

2/19/2005 - We went to Babies R' Us yesterday and looked at a lot of different things but didn't buy anything.  We have decided that we like the Graco line of products and really like the Ivy League pattern.

2/18/2005 - Week 11 has started.  Evie had her first official "New OB" visit with Dr. Gretkowski.  We heard the heartbeat and it was between 150 and 160 beats per minute.  We reviewed Evie's lab work and that came out all normal and positive.  We're still on track for a September delivery and have another appointment scheduled for March 4th.

2/17/2005 - Grandma Hicks bought two pairs of pajamas from JCPenny for the baby.

2/13/2005 - I bought a Boppy for Evie and the baby.  It's a funny shaped pillow designed for resting and feedings.

2/11/2005 - Today is the 10 week mark.  Evie bought some bottles for the baby today.  We've decided to use the Playtex Premium Nurser bottles.  They should make feedings a bit easier we hope.

2/4/2005 - We've officially hit the 9 week mark. I bought a shirt and another stuffed bear for the baby while in Los Angeles for work.

1/30/2005 - Our landlord has offered to give us a bassinette, a bouncer and an exersaucer.

1/29/2005 - We decided that we like the Graco Travel system. We've passed the eight week mark now.

1/27/2005 - Great Grandma Hammis has apparently been on a shopping spree for the baby according to Grandma Hammis. All we know as of yet is that she bought some shoes in addition to the outfit that was mentioned earlier.

1/25/2005 - Evie had another visit with Dr. Gretkowski today. The baby is at 1.2cm and the doctor estimates Evie at 7 weeks and 4 days, pushing up the due date to September 9th rather than September 10th. Everything looks good and the next appointment is for February 18th. Once I track down a working scanner I'll post a picture of the ultrasound.

1/23/2005 - We bought a blanket and some bibs from IKEA today.  We bought a rubber ducky bath buddy and some socks from Target.

1/22/2005 - Today we're seven weeks along. Things are still pretty normal. Evie has been craving jalape�o peppers, but hasn't been eating them. Our neighbors Betsy and Charlie gave us a bunch of books and a baby bath. Grandma Hammis bought this for the baby today.  I bought a stuffed bear for St. Jude's Children's Hospital today.

1/19/2005 - Great Grandma Hammis bought an outfit for the baby today. No pictures yet but I've been told that it's white. More info to come I'm sure.

1/17/2005 - First visit with Dr. Gretkowski. She does an ultrasound and finds the baby without a problem. It's where it's supposed to be and about 6mm long. We can see the heart beating on the ultrasound monitor. Based on Evie's hormone levels and the size of the baby the doctor estimates it's 6 weeks and 2 days old and should be born on or about September 10th, 2005. We have a follow up scheduled for 1/25/2005.

1/15/2005 - We went shopping for maternity clothes and also purchased the first thing for the baby. Click here to see a picture of it.

1/14/2005 - First doctor's visit. He does a hormone level test and says that the levels are where they should be. He refers us to an OB/GYN and makes us an appointment for Monday morning.

1/10/2005 - A fourth positive test. Nearly a week since the ER visit. The bodily changes are quite apparent and the symptoms are getting stronger.

1/7/2005 - A third positive pregnancy test. We're more optimistic now about things but still not convinced. We have a week to go before the first visit with the doctor.

1/6/2005 - We settled on the names. Nathaniel William if it's a boy and Elizabeth Kay if it's a girl.

1/4/2005 - Evie was having pain in her lower abdomen. Went to the ER to get it checked out. After hours of tests and waiting for the results we learn that either the dates are off or Evie has miscarried. No way to know for another week or so.