Here is the next belly photo! It's at 31 weeks pregnant. Just a few more to go! We are still doing great here in Seattle but we're looking forward to moving back to Rexburg soon. My belly feels tighter everyday. I don't know how it's going to get any bigger, but it will. Reas has been a big help. Bringing me things, making me comfortable and telling me to eat healthy! He's going to be a great dad.

Update on Aevlyn's Name

This post is probably a relief to most of you. We have decided to spell her name 'Aevlyn.' Don't worry though! It's still got Irish elements. Spelling it Ae is like the spelling of the word gaelic. It helps tie it to the Irish roots. Also it helps so there's no confusion, whereas if we would have used Avelyn, some may have said ave-a-lyn or 'a' as in apple.

More thoughts about her name

We are still talking about how to spell Eihvlyn. We really like this spelling because it is more true to the Irish spelling I posted about earlier. Our question is how do look at this spelling and say it? Do you say Eh, as in Canadians say Eh? Or do you think EE like in sleep? We want her name to have the Eh sound. Also, I researched the other spelling, Avelyn and that is English, not Irish. So write back and tell us what you think.

Here are the pictures of my belly! The first one is at 22 weeks and the second at 26 weeks pregnant. That was just a month difference! I didn't even realize it got this much bigger until I took these pictures. I keep feeling her rolling around in there so it not for nothing. :) I can't believe how big it's going to be at the end.

Our favorite name

We have discovered a name both of us like a lot. We are considering Avelyn Marie Shanahan as a name for our daughter. We found the first name on an Irish names website http://www.babynamesofireland.com/pages/girl-names-d-g.html and it was spelled in Gaelic. That spelling is Eibhleann, which would be very confusing to English speakers to figure out! So we are considering other spellings like Eihvlyn, Avelyn, or Avelinn. The meaning of the name is "pleasant, beautiful, radiant." There was a 17th century love-song composed by the harpist Cearbhall O'Dalaigh that uses a variation of Eibhleann in the title and it is still a popular piece of music at Irish weddings. We really like the meaning of the name and that it is irish like our last name.

Here's our beautiful baby girl! You can see her little mouth and eye well in this picture, too. I was so sure there was a boy in there but I was wrong! Of course, they always say you can never be 100% sure until they are born, but we're very happy with a girl. Next post should be a few pictures of my bump! Some of you don't get to see us until Christmas so we're taking pictures of how far my belly sticks out.

Baby Names!

We want to let you all know what baby names we're thinking of so you can say if you like them or not. For a girl we like Charlotte, Marie, Emma, Leia, Chloe, Ella, and Claire. As you can see we really like classic names. For boys we like Scott, Aaden and William. We really need to find a few more because we have a while to decide, so if you have any other suggestions, let us know! We also like original sounding names, or I should say, I like them, but the ones I've told Reas, he doesn't like. So I guess you could say classic, yet original? Anyway, tell us what you think.

The Shanahans

So, about us. We are expecting our first child and we will find out the gender in about 3 weeks! This ultrasound is the very first we had a 10 weeks. I need to get the second ultrasound on here - at about 13 weeks. That one is much better, you can see little bones and a face and longer limbs. Now I am almost 16 weeks along and starting to get a little belly!
We are really excited to welcome the baby. We are also almost done with our schooling. Reas is majoring in Ballroom Dance and I am in Horticulture - Floral Design. After about a year, we will be done and ready to teach dance! Right now we are in Seattle while I do my internship and Reas teaches at a dance studio.

New bloggers!

Hey everyone! We're so excited to start this new blog (having been out of the loop for a while)but we decided to give in. I love reading my sisters and cousins blogs and helping with the Three Sister's Cookin' blog. I also have my floral portfolio blog, but that's what it's for, just my portfolio. So finally, we get to brag a little on our own family blog.