Long time, no update, huh? We’ve been busy – check out the progress in the nursery! It’s been painted and Travis obviously put a lot of work into the crib (thanks to G-mom for that contribution!). Now we are on the hunt for the perfect chair – you know, the kind that is so comfortable, you forget it’s 2 AM and you’re up with a screaming child. They make those, right?

Now that we have a place for Cletus to sleep, the next few weeks will be spent getting ourselves ready. We’ve got birthing classes, a hospital tour, pediatrician interviews, and most important – baby showers! I think Travis gets a little twitchy thinking about the amount of baby “stuff” that will soon invade every inch of the house.

We had a doc appointment a few days ago and found out Cletus is a bit of an overachiever – he’s growing ahead of schedule. They assured us that doesn’t mean he’ll make an early appearance, he’s just shaping up to be a big ole boy! We’ll have new pictures of him shortly – our 3D ultrasound is coming up. Check back soon (really)!

We’re getting into summer and man, it is hot! We’re both trying to squirrel away as many vacation days (and dollars) as we can, so we’ve been staying local. There’s been plenty to do here in ATL: art festivals, BBQs and outdoor concerts (all of which make me miss cold adult beverages). Carting around this extra weight in 95 degree weather is a work out! Many have asked if I’m showing now and the answer is most definitely YES (see picture).

Well, we’re over halfway there and it’s time to really start preparing. The room designated as the nursery-to-be has been cleaned out. (Step 1!) I think it’s already a nice shade of green (see picture again), but Travis will have none of that – there will be a fresh coat of paint on the walls for his boy! We’ve started the process of shopping around for furniture and such, but haven’t committed to anything yet. Some of those stores are a bit overwhelming.

Cletus has become very active the last few weeks – I can feel him kicking and moving around. It’s a strange new sensation. And not to be outdone, I will be engaging in my own new sensation – exercise. I start a pregnancy yoga class tomorrow. We’ll probably look like a bunch of zen beached whales. See, I’m already making sacrifices for this kid!

Apparently our intuitions were correct from the start when we picked Cletus the Fetus for a nickname. As a proud father-to-be, I have no problem telling the world that my son was ready and waiting for inspection at 9:30 sharp this morning. The ultrasound tech squirted that blue-goo on Amanda’s belly, and before she could even get the words “it’s a … ” out of her mouth, we both knew! Let’s just say he had positioned himself perfectly for his … um … close-up (don’t worry, those photos are not included in the slideshow). I am convinced he knew what our purpose was for visiting the doc today and wanted to remove any uncertainty on the matter.

We are both thrilled, as you might have guessed. Naturally we would have been happy either way, but I have to admit I feel an immense amount of pride knowing that the Cook family name will continue on. Amanda was leaning toward a boy anyway (only one princess per household, you know).

Now what? Well, Amanda wasted no time and already started knitting a baby blanket. And of course, finding a proper name is on the agenda now that the field has been narrowed by 50%. True, we have many wonderful options to choose from already, but I suppose we should do our due diligence and see if we can top Cletus/Mortimer/Horace/etc (no offense folks).

Whatever his name ends up being, he certainly is active and seems to enjoy hanging-out upside down. Check out the ultrasound pictures and see for yourself!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Good news – it seems I’m finally over my morning sickness. Bad news – I’m not currently drinking a margarita. But speaking of margaritas, we (Cletus and I) went to the Jimmy Buffett concert last week. I haven’t missed a show since 1994! It was a little rainy and a lot cold, but we still had a great time! Trav designed these fab t-shirts for Sandi and I (she’s due 2 days after me). Check out the pictures here.

I’m officially in maternity clothes. I’m not really “showing”, but it got to the point where I couldn’t zip my britches up anymore. Luckily there seems to be a pretty decent selection of expandable pants available.

Next time I post, we’ll have big news!

I think the blog is a hit! We love all the comments, advice, and name suggestions (???). OK, let’s address this picture before we go any further. Saturday Trav and I attended a fundraiser called the Big Wig. I know some of you thought Trav grew his mullet out again, but no, it’s just a wig! (Feel free to comment on your memories of his long luscious locks.). Will Cletus have red hair? Who knows. There’s an awful lot of that Cherokee Indian blood on the Cook side.

You guys have a lot of opinions about potential names! We decided to put together a survey of the contenders. Vote away!

Now that we are parents to be, we understand the importance of forcing our stories and pictures of the most fantabulous child in the world on everyone. We might talk about ourselves occasionally too. Since we both reject the popular social networking outlets, Travis (being Travis) came up with a solution – a blog! So here we are – entry #1 – welcome!

The baby (aka Cletus, Mortimer, Little Travy) is due 10/10/10. Cool birthday if we can pull it off! Despite what the nicknames imply, we don’t know the sex yet, but we will soon: May 17th. Let the betting begin!

Here are the most recent ultrasound pics from April 5th.  He was quite active – rolling around, hiccupping, sticking his tongue out and generally being uncooperative. Already a trouble maker! My fav picture is the one with his arm above his head – he kinda looks like Mr. Potato Head!

Feel free to leave a comment and check back often for updates!