And the verdict is

It's a boy! He hasn't come out to meet us yet, but we could tell quite clearly on the ultrasound - the tech could see it, we could see it, another tech could see it, so we're pretty darn sure! We've decided his name will be Bjorn (Bjørn with Danish spelling) - which actually means "bear" and is from Peter's family. So, we've got a little bear! I'll post his new ultrasound picture soon.

And our other news is, that I've applied to several American and Canadian PhD programs in Political Science - this isn't a new development, since I've been thinking through my own research interests and researching programs for almost a year, but I was debating with myself about whether I want everyone to know I'm applying if it turns out I don't get in anywhere! So now it's out there, and if my applications bite the dust, well, you already know I'm not perfect. While I'd be very disappointed, I'll get on with life and find something I'm interesting in doing as I start my career.

How do a new baby and starting a PhD program fit together, you may ask? Good question! I'm sure it will be challenging, but here I'm incredibly blessed, since Peter wants to do the stay-at-home-dad thing for one or two years while I get started. This was a big obstacle for me when I began to think of it, and then I realized that lots of men have started careers while their wives were at home with the kids, and since Peter is such a fantastic dad and wants to do this, why shouldn't I go for it?

I'll keep you updated on what happens - I believe there is a good place for us to be, and that God does have a loving plan for our family - we're just eager to see where the next year will take us!