Around the Country Baby Shower - Lake Jackson, TX

Happy early Thanksgiving everyone!  We are at home, cleaning and getting ready for holiday travel tomorrow to Mississippi. We are going to Natchez and Fayette to visit Randy's family for lunch/dinner.  Then we will head back to Baton Rouge and spend the long weekend just us - laying wood, tiling the mantel, and of course watching football!!


We also have a new entry for our baby shower - from Lake Jackson, TX.  The gift is from Lauren and Thomas Welch!  They gave baby Graves (Preston, maybe? We are still thinking!) some great baby books.  The Very Hungry Caterpillar has always been one of my favorites, and one I love to give to others expecting babies.  They also gave us 2 Dr. Seuss books, There's a Wocket in my Pocket and just in time for Christmas - How the Grinch Stole Christmas!  Thank you guys both so much!!

Around the Country Shower - Huntsville, AL

Hey guys!  We have another shower update!  This time the gift is coming from Huntsville, AL.  It is actually a little ironic being that the area is actually my hometown!  Oh how I miss it!  Baby Graves (because yes, still no name) received a really cute little boy bib set race cars.  My dad was definitely a fan of this one.  We also got the cutest little set of baby wash cloths, with turtles, duckies and caterpillars.  

I am the giant woman behind the cute baby stuff!!  Anyone else notice how small I am making that Christmas Tree look?  I am going to be outrageously huge before this is finished!  And here is the sweet couple that sent the gift!

Thank you so much to the Allens!!  

Around the Country Baby Shower

     I have awesome friends!  But one bad thing about it is they are all pretty much in every state in the Southeast.  They decided to get together and have an "across the country" baby shower.  During a selected week or so, someone is mailing me a gift and will either mail or email me a photo of themselves.  The photo will be of them giving me the gift.  I in turn will open the gift and take a photo of my opening the gift like you would do if you were actually at a baby shower.  This was so original!  And of course, when I heard about it I cried, lovely pregnancy hormones!  So I got our first gift this week!...

     This is the gift we received from Darcy and Daren Keel!  It is a super cute diaper bag and a pacifier pod.  The pacifier pod is something I can hook on to my purse so I always have a separate clean place for the pacifiers.  The things you have to think about with a baby, huh?  I guess that's why they say life changes drastically!!  I will admit to something though - we received it yesterday but I had no plans so it was a no make-up air dry my hair kind of day.  So I waited until church this morning to take the photo - had to look at least a little better!!  Thank you guys so much, I love it!
 

I've Been a Slacker!

Ok guys, sorry for not updating!  After losing the twin, I think I just wanted to wait until it was more concrete and out of the first trimester.  Well a lot has happened!  We are now 21 weeks along, and found out October 19th that it's a boy!  I will admit, I was a little disappointed (I really wanted the girl!)  But I am excited now and we are thinking of names!  The bump has really grown, there is no hiding it now.  People who see me ask when I'm due without knowing ahead of time I am pregnant.  It's exciting that the world can now see what is making us so happy.  The old ladies touching the belly is slightly weird though, I'll admit I am not used to that.  I like my personal space, so strangers touching your belly out of the blue takes me by surprise!

We started getting to work on the nursery once we found out what we were having.  In one weekend, I bought the crib / changing table, registered at Babies R Us, picked out and bought the bedding, and started laying the hardwood floors.  Picking out the bedding was a hard choice, because little boy stuff just isn't as cute as little girl stuff!  But we chose a red white and blue little aviator theme - patriotic airplanes, so fits his daddy!  And we'll paint clouds on our sky blue walls and Randy will even make a few model airplanes to hang.  It's getting so exciting.  Our next doctor's appointment is November 16th for the 24 week appointment.  
 
As far as how I am feeling, I am about 120% better!  The morning sickness is gone, I'm not very tired, and I just feel normal.  The only thing plaguing me is heartburn, and it's torture!  I have discovered I can take Zantac, but I think my body is finding a way to get around that.  I had some heartburn before getting pregnant, so I'm getting used to it.  We also get another ultrasound at the 24 week appointment so they can see some extra detail.  Here is a photo of him at 20 weeks - it's a back view and you can see his spine in detail, very neat!

9 Weeks

We have hit 9 weeks!  I want to try and write a blog each Friday, but I'm late usually!  I went to the doctor this last Friday, but Randy was out of town so my mom brought me.  They wouldn't let me go alone since I am still not supposed to be driving.  And they are strictly watching what all I do!  During the ultrasound, we got a perfect view of the baby.  As you can see, you can clearly see the baby from a side view, and even the umbilical chord!  I even saw the heartbeat finally.  And the most amazing thing, during the ultrasound the baby started to kick and wiggle.  It was incredible.  Randy hated to miss it. The blood clot is still there.  You can see it in the bottom right of the photo.  The doctor wanted me to keep taking it easy, but to have limited activity.  He was weary about me returning to work as far as I drive, so we decided that this little life is way more important than risking it.  I go back this Friday, so we are praying that we'll reach that point where the baby is that much bigger than the clot.  The doctor doesn't seemed worried, so that helps ease our nerves! On to the baby...

The baby is now an inch long!  It's amazing at how soon it goes from microscopic to now.  It is about the size of a grape.  All the essential body parts are there, even if tiny.  His teeth are starting to form, and the heart now has four chambers.  The eyes are formed, but the eyelids remain shut until about 27 weeks.  The sex organs are forming, but won't be distinguishable for a while!  The best part is the placenta is just about fully developed (between 9 and 10 weeks) and should take over hormone production soon.  Thank heavens!

If anyone is wondering why I use "he" - I just have a feeling!  I just know it's going to be a little boy :)  We'll find out in about 11 weeks!  Also, the doctor took me off estrogen patches and I had nausea relief for about 2 days.  I didn't get sick at all, it was fantastic.  And yesterday, my body caught back up to the missing estrogen.  So still nauseous - had my hopes up too soon!  I'll give another update this coming Friday.

Everyone keep praying!

Long Overdue!

The head is to the right of the arm/leg buds

Ok, so I have been REALLY bad at writing.  So much has happened since that positive, I just haven't had time.  Things have been a roller coaster since then.  First we found out it was twins at 5w4d.  We were super excited, but super scared.  Then at 6w6d I developed a massive blood clot and lost one of the babies.  It was a horrifying and painful experience.  The silver lining was the other baby was ok, but I had to stay bed rested until the clot cleared itself up.  So, I am now 8w3d and still on bed rest until this Friday when I'll be 9 weeks.  So now that our roller coaster has been told, time for the good stuff...


I am SOOO nauseous!  It started at 5w5d and hasn't let up since then.  I was hoping I'd inherit the gracious good luck of my mother and not be nauseous at all during pregnancy.  Instead, I think God let it skip a generation, and let her lack of nausea make up itself in me.  The doctor gave me a Rx for Zofran, which is fantastic.  It stopped the wake up in the morning till you go to bed sickness, but I'll still get sick at some point during the day.  I actually lost some weight the first couple of weeks due to not being able to eat much.  And I'm still limited on what I can eat, because certain smells trigger that run to the toilet feeling.  Randy and I even switched sides of the bed so I can be closer to the bathroom!  Good thing to, because I think my minimum bathroom runs at night is around 3-4 - so lack of sleep is also included!


I have a few more unsavory side effects that I won't describe!  But you can look up early preggo symptoms and get the gist!  So far, things are going well.  The baby is starting to look more baby like and less sea monsterish. He is about 3/4 of an inch long. The eyelids are forming, the nose is starting to form, and the ears are developing inside and out.  The heart has divided into chambers.  Elbows and knees have started to form and the arms and legs are growing longer!!  The fingers and toes are webbed, but beginning to take shape.  By week 10, we'll leave the embryonic phase and hit the fetus phase.  In the picture you can see the head is to the right, with the arm/leg buds to the left on the bottom.  It's amazing.  We are so excited!

It's POSITIVE

We had our beta yesterday and it was positive!!  A 128!  And as you can see from the picture the day before, I've been excited!  And pretty much too excited and busy to write this very important entry.  Randy and I are so happy, we have never reached this point.  We want the prayers to continue so we can make it past the first trimester.  

Our next step is another beta on Tuesday, 6/29.  They want the number to double every 2 days, or every 48-72 hours is ok.  They will do a couple of betas and then schedule an ultrasound around 7 weeks.  I am currently 4 weeks pregnant.  So lets pray that everything continues to go well!  

I would like to start writing about each week, where the baby is and what is happening with me, but I am afraid to jinx it!  I will say that the morning sickness has started!  The first 2 times it was when I was hungry and didn't eat quick enough.  But last night I was reading a wave of nausea hit me, I had to put the book down and lay down.  The fun has began!  I've never been so excited to get sick in my life!  

One more non-jinxing moment hopefully - the due date will be around March 3, 2011.  :)