Aunt Kim!

I think the news has been announced to everyone who needed to hear it from my sister herself, so I finally get to announce it on the blog that I'm going to be an AUNT!

Hillary and Allen are expecting my little niece or nephew in February :). It is an amazing story how we all found out. On July 3rd, when we were at mom & dad's house getting ready to take mom to the Hospice place in Huntersville, Hillary didn't feel that great, kinda nauseated, etc. We didn't really know anything except she wasn't hungry for lunch, but it wasn't that strange given the circumstances. So dad, my aunt Laurie & I took mom up to the Hospice place, and Hillary was going to stay in Charlotte til Allen got off work and they were coming later. Apparently she decided to take a pregnancy test then and it was positive, so she set up an appointment with her doctor for the next morning.

She and Allen came up to the Hospice place later and didn't tell any of us about this, and as the evening went on, mom wasn't doing so well and we knew the end was near. I coudn't bring myself to leave the Hospice facility that night, so dad & I slept there and H & A went home. They came back about noon the next day, July 4th, and before I knew it, Hillary came over and handed me this little piece of paper. I looked at it and was completely shocked to see an ultrasound! And to find out they had been to the doctor that morning, heard the heartbeat and everything!

It was a really bittersweet moment as Hillary sat on the edge of mom's bed and held up the ultrasound picture and told mom she was going to be a grandmother. Mom probably couldn't see anything by that point, but they always said the sense of hearing is the last to go, so I think she heard the news, even though she couldn't respond.

The other amazing thing is that the baby is due essentially on my mom's birthday. The doctors kept changing the due date around, but Hillary is pretty sure it's going to be born on February 26th, because that's just how it has to be :). In another month or so, we'll find out if it's a boy or a girl. I can't wait!