It's a Blessing, it's a BOY!

Truth of it is, my husband is gone more than he's home. That being said, I've learned to appreciate the time he's home and not take it for granted! Becoming pregnant in the military isn't something that can easily be planned.  Some of us never know when our husbands will deploy or return, therefore it's even harder to plan for your hubby to be home for the actual birth of said baby. 

14 Weeks
(I haven't taken many photos, and really only share these with my mom and husband, but some of you have asked, so here's a few to show the progression of how large I'm getting ;)

Somehow though, Nick and I got extremely blessed and got preggo in the small window that he was home.  Overjoyed with the news of a growing baby, Nick deployed soon after we found out.  He left with the realization that he would miss a big chunk of my pregnancy, but fingers crossed that he would make it for delivery.  

Almost 2 weeks ago, we got blessed again...Nick sent word that by some miraculous stroke of luck, his boat would be pulling into port for 3 DAYS and it just so happened to be during the time I had a scheduled 20 week doctor's appointment!  That might not seem like any big deal to most people, but he wasn't supposed to come home for months, and his boat was pulling in just in time for him to make the VERY apt where we found out the gender of our baby!!!!  (Out here in Japan we only get one BIG apt! One real sonogram.)  This appointment was crucial and the only time we would be able to see our baby until he or she was born.  AND NICK GOT TO BE THERE!!!!!

18 Weeks

No words can express how lucky we both felt that he was home for that appointment, it's more than we could have ever hoped for.  The timing was simply too perfect!

20 Weeks
(And no I was not drinking...but I was at a Japanese Beer Festival with friends and sending Nick a joke!)

He held my hand as we watched the monitor where the Japanese technician showed us our baby..."See that?  It's a boy part!  Congratulations, you are having a boy!"  

With happy hearts, we were able to call our families and tell them the news together!  

And together, we got to decide and announce the name we've chosen for our son:

Vander Holman, after my grandfather, Charles Vanderbilt.  With only one son, who had only one daughter, there's no one to pass on the family name.  We love my grandfather and wanted to honor him.  He served in the Army many moons ago, fighting overseas in many of the Asian countries that Nick and I have traveled to.  It seemed fitting to name our son the very name that my grandfather's comrades called him...he was known as "Van" in the war, and that's just what our little man will be nick-named as well.  

Vander - meaning, "A Good Man"...very fitting indeed!

It's a blessing, it's a boy...

We can't wait to meet our sweet little Vander, and hopefully we will be blessed again and Nick will get to be there for the big arrival!!!