One year later...love at first sight

Today marks one year that we saw our little creation from God for the first time.  We were 8 weeks along (picture below).  He was perfect (even at 8 weeks) and A-mazing!  You can read about it here. 



I can't believe it's already been a year.  This year has passed so quickly and we can't believe we will have a 6 month old tomorrow.  Time flies when you're in love and having fun.  We have thoroughly enjoyed every-single-minute of this past year.  We couldn't feel more blessed by our Lord than we have these past couple of years.  I'm not sure what we've done to deserve everything we've gotten but we are so very thankful.  We'll always remember this day.  It was one of the best days of our lives and I know there will be many more to come with this little guy. 

TGIF,
~Jeni



Home sweet home...

Sunday, October 3rd, the day after the love of our life, Boston, was born we were moved from L&D to the postpartum department of Baylor.  While in postpartum I was able to relax and recover.  That night through Tuesday evening Jer and I or just Jer would go over to the NICU to visit Boston to change and feed him.  He was on a schedule of feedings every 3 hours and we made sure one or both of us were there, however, we did miss a few 5:30am feedings to get our sleep in before the next feeding.  Those feedings and visits were the highlights of our days.  Jer would wheel me down there each time since I was still healing and couldn't walk that far.  Tuesday, we went to one of Boston's feedings and his NICU nurse informed us that he could room-in with us!!!  We were in shock and so excited!  She brought him to our room later that evening to stay with us!  We no longer had to leave our room to go see our baby.  I was emotional about it because I had missed him so much and felt like a part of me was missing when he wasn't with us.  I felt like he was so far from us and that he wasn't getting to hear our voices and bond with us.  On Wednesday, we were told I could be released but when my doctor came by to check on me she said she was uncomfortable releasing me because my blood pressure was still too high.  She wanted me to stay another day to see how things went.  I was bummed about it but didn't mind since we had Boston in our room at that point.  :) Finally, what seemed like a forever long hospital stay, my doctor "okay'd" me to go home on Thursday.  Boston had been discharged earlier that day and by the time I had been discharged it was almost 7pm.  By the time everything was all said and done we ended up getting home around 10pm.  Getting home with our new baby was such an awesome feeling but at the same time very scary.  Here, we had this little guy that we had to feed, take care of and keep alive!  Ha.  But we got settled in back at home and everything came to us very naturally.  He has been such a good baby and we've had fun with him every since.  Of the several hundred pictures we took of the delivery and hospital stay here are a few:

My favorite - "skin to skin" with Boston at one of our feedings/visits

1st sponge bath with help from his NICU nurse

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boston in his bassinett for the first time!

Love,

Jeni

The Birth of A Boy Named Boston James

This past Wednesday night, Jennifer's blood pressure continued to climb on average, even though it would occasionally drop down a bit.  We knew that was not good, but we had no idea just how fast things could turn for the worse.  That night, actually 1am Thursday morning, Jennifer woke up with significant chest and upper back pain, which prevented her from sleeping during the 4 hour segments she was allotted between BP checks.  Later that morning, Dr. Kindrick visited and explained that Jen's BP was becoming a bigger issue and that BP medicines may become necessary.  When Jennifer informed her of the chest and back pain, Dr. Kindrick surmised that it was probably caused by her laying in bed so much, which may have been causing her to experience costochondritis, the inflammation of the cartilage in the rib cage area that causes chest and upper back pain.  We thought it may have been caused by the switching of Jennifer's bed; on Wednesday evening, she was taken out of a basic bed and put into an air bed that randomly pumps up different areas of the body so as to allow for increased circulation.  Dr. Kindrick ordered up Tylenol and advised that she would check back on Friday and if the pain had not subsided she would likely have us consult with an internal medicine physician.

Friday, Jennifer's chest and upper back pain increased, as did her BP, especially during times of significant pain.  As she had informed, Dr. Kindrick set up a referral to an internal medicine physician on call that day, who would turn out to be Dr. Uddin.  Before Dr. Uddin came to visit, Dr. Payne, a perinatalogist, came by with the portable sonogram machine and once again checked the cord's blood flow and the amniotic fluid level, both of which were great.  Afterward, Jennifer reluctantly accepted more Tylenol to help ease the pain, which was supplemented with pain from the onset of a headache and some blurry vision.  The preeclampsia symptoms continued to build and the chest and upper back pain seemed to worsen.  That night, Dr. Uddin stopped in.  After asking a multitude of questions and pressing on Jennifer's chest and back to see if he could isolate where the pain was coming from, Dr. Uddin decided it was too close to the heart for comfort, consulted with a cardiologist, Dr. Lawson, and ordered cardiac enzyme bloodwork, an EKG and an echocardiogram.  The blood was taken at several periods last night and these other tests were done as well.  We entered the weekend hours with Jennifer not feeling so well, but feeling as though the precautionary steps were nothing more than good medicine.  We had no idea what was coming our way.

Yesterday morning (Saturday, October 2, 2010), around 5am, Jennifer woke up with a severe headache that was virtually debilitating and BP that was creeping toward the 170s/90s.  Jennifer has one of the highest tolerances for pain I've ever witnessed in a woman, and she was rating her headache at a 10 out of 10.  That was very alarming and it hurt me physically to watch her writhe in agony, my mind unable to ignore what I knew was happening - that the blood pressure had risen so much that it was now affecting her brain.  For the headache, the on-call OB/GYN, Dr. Lopez, who was on her way to the hospital, ordered a shot of Demerol with Finnergran for the expected nausea.  As we waited on the shot to come, I knelt at Jennifer's bedside and prayed, asking in part, that God take the pain from Jennifer and protect her and our child.  He listened.  The shot came and the pain started to slowly subside, but the BP remained high.  Soon thereafter, a nurse brought in an IV bag with an anesthesia medicine that was "just in case we need to go into surgery."  Then, when she arrived to the hospital, around 9am, Dr. Lopez stopped in and explained that the elevated BP, amount of proteins in the urine, severe headache and blurred vision from yesterday all militated in favor of inducing the pregnancy, despite that it would bring Baby Cook into this world more than 5 weeks premature.  As she explained her thoughts, Dr. Lopez indicated that she would do her best to honor Jennifer's wish to attempt a vaginal delivery, which would involve a balanced approach of mixing Petocin (the inducing agent) with Magnesium (the BP reducer that tends to stop contractions).  Only seconds later, however, the BP machine took a reading and indicated that her BP was now 206/104.  Dr. Lopez said, "that must be wrong... take it manually."  The manual reading confirmed that Jennifer's BP was, in fact, over 200/100.  Dr. Lopez said, in effect, to ignore her previous idea, that a C-Section was imminent.  Much to my surprise, Jennifer was non-emotional in accepting the necessary plan.  Realistically, it was the extreme pain she was in and the Demerol that aided this reaction.   We both knew it was in her best interest, and Baby Cook's as well, for the C-Section to commence ASAP. 

Jen minutes before she was to deliver our baby...very drugged up at this point

Just the two of us for the last time

Jen's best friend, Lauren, who was one of many who rushed to be by Jen's side

When Dr. Lopez left the room, the team of medical professionals sprang into action much like the finest of military units.  Meanwhile, I comforted Jennifer and told her all would be well, and the two of us happily acknowledged that in less than a couple hours we would be parents and would finally know our son or daughter.  Also, because it was not lost on me, I pointed out that until that moment, Jennifer and I had always formulated specific plans - be it for college, our Wedding, or buying a home, etc. - and had always executed our plans according to the plans, yet someone had just taken complete control over the most recent big plan - that is, to have a fully natural, vaginally delivered baby - and ripped it up, tossed it out and set forth his/her own plan that we would simply have to live with.  We really had no idea just how different our plan was from his/hers.  At that point in time, we both had to just ignore the fact that we, the consummate planners, had no written birth plan, no nursery furniture, no to-go-home-in outfit for the baby, no car seat and not even that ever so important hospital bag that all expecting parents pack with all of the essentials for their usually short-lived time in the hospital.  We had nothing of these sorts - just the two of us, our laundry for a couple days, some rotting fruit and a camera with partial battery power and no charger.  But, we also had the tabletop Cross that we had bought for Boston's room.  These things would do just fine.

A loopy but smiley Jen about to have her baby

After a few phone calls and text messages, all done while the team of nurses prepared Jennifer for the surgical event, I donned my surgical suit, mask and booties.  In what felt like seconds, we were headed down the hallway toward the operating room.  Jennifer was taken directly to the operating room itself, and I was asked to sit for a few moments in a sterile area while they prepared Jennifer.  A few moments later, I was called into the room.  A team of four people (Dr. Lopez, an assisting physician, an anesthesiologist and a nurse) were situated around Jennifer and three others (NICU personnel) were holding their places around what was obviously the bed into which the baby would be placed immediately after it was delivered.  I was taken behind a curtain that was set up so that Jennifer's head was isolated from the rest of her body.  I combed her hair with my hand, asked her if she was feeling anything (as I had already watched some of the incisions being made) and we exchanged some thoughts.  Within what felt like mere seconds, Dr. Lopez looked up at me (I could stand and see over the curtain) and got everyone's attention in the room and said the baby is coming out and "Daddy" gets to tell us what it is.  I was a little nervous I'd make the wrong call given that my brain was being over-stimulated.  The anesthesiologist joked and said not to make the call too early, just in case it was questionable.  We all laughed.  A few seconds later, I saw Baby Cook's head peek from Jennifer's belly.  Baby Cook had lots of hair, as expected.  I lowered myself down to Jennifer's head and told her I could see the baby's head. As I lifted back up and looked over the curtain, I saw Dr. Lopez lifting Baby Cook high in the air, facing my direction. One glance downward was all I needed. Baby Cook was a boy and so I made the announcement, thankfully getting it right. The room cheered. I knelt down to Jennifer's face and kissed her forehead as her eyes filled with joyful tears. We had our boy, and his name was Boston James, which we had long ago decided.

Jennifer's First Sight of Boston James

By the time I raised up from Jennifer, Boston was already being handed over to the NICU team.  It didn't register to me at that time that I had not been the one to cut the umbilical cord.  I was told to go with Boston and the NICU team.  I gave Jennifer a parting kiss and went to meet my son.  While I stood there in utter amazement at the thought that this most beautiful infant boy I'd ever seen was my own son, the NICU team took various measurements of him (he was 19" long) and watched to see if he would start to breathe on his own.  Fortunately, he did so, and he was then wisked over to a set of baby scales (he weighed a whopping 5lbs, 12ozs.).  Though he was small in comparison to full-term babies, he was much bigger to me than what I had expected, given that he only made it to 34 weeks, 3.5 days of gestation, i.e., he had come 5 1/2 weeks early.  He was long and thin-looking, given that he never had a chance to gain his baby fat.  His face was round and it was readily apparent, make that blatantly obvious, that he looked much more like me than Jennifer... long and lanky torso and limbs, big hands and feet, small mouth and all.  His eyes, however, were those of Jennifer.

Boston was almost immediately taken to the NICU nursery and placed into a heated baby bed, but not before he was taken over to Jennifer's face for a quick introduction.  Before she saw him, I had made my way back around the curtain to her.  I'll never forget the look in her eyes when Boston's innocent face was placed within inches of hers.  She smiled that smile that only a mother can do at the first sight of her child.  The love affair with Boston had just begun and it was extraordinary to see from my vantage point.

Our First Family Photo

As the surgical team tended to Jennifer, I followed the NICU team as they took Boston to the NICU nursery.  Dozens of other measurements and assessments were made of him, and I just watched and kept out of the way.  As Boston's little body was poked and prodded, twisted and turned, suctioned and wiped down with various medicines, I conversed with the nurses who repeatedly stated that he had no anomalies and was essentially in perfect health.  There, all around us, were babies who were days or perhaps weeks older, most of whom had very serious illnesses, which necessitated all sorts of tubes and IVs.  Selfishly, I was proud that Boston was not going to endure that.  I never would have thought that I would feel bad for having a healthy baby, but that's what happened.  I couldn't dwell over this thought, though, because I knew that a) Jennifer was still being put back together and I felt an urge to get back to her, and b) friends and family were now waiting for some word about Baby Cook so I needed to get from Jennifer to them with all due speed.  After Boston was wrapped up, placed under the heat lamp and given a small amount of formula to drink and I had been given the run down of the NICU rules (only 2 visitors at a time and only parents or grandparents could come into the NICU to see him), I headed to our room where I knew Jennifer had been taken.

Minutes old

Boston James Cook - less than 15 minutes old

Holding Daddy's Hand - less than 5 minutes old

As I walked into the room, several nurses were still tending to Jennifer, setting up her various IVs and making sure her position on the bed was appropriate.  I was able to get near her, hug and kiss her and we both just grinned and marveled at the reality that we had gotten the boy we wanted and that he was healthy and in good hands.  This was short-lived, given the friends and family in the waiting room.  Jennifer was unable to visit them or to have them visit her, so I would make the announcement about Boston.  After corralling the visitors and making the announcement, I then took each of Boston's grandparents and my lovely Granny Slates to see Boston one at a time.  Under NICU rules, only I could touch Boston before Jennifer, so no one touched him before Jennifer, except Dr. Lopez, the NICU team and me.  After these visits, I apologized to everyone that Jennifer was not visitable and to those who were not allowed to see Boston, and then I headed back to Jennifer.

When I reached Jennifer, I greeted her once again with a hug and kiss and told her she was an amazing woman and had created a beautiful baby boy that everyone who had visited him already thought was just awesome and sweet.  It appeared as though the day's big events were over and we would soon be able to roll Jennifer's bed into the NICU so she, too, could see Boston and finally hold him.  It didn't happen that way, not even close, not by a mile.  Around this same time, the cardiologist who had been asked to review Jennifer's cardiac work-up from the evening before, Dr. Lawson, came in and, with some of the best bedside manners I've seen, explained to Jennifer that the echocardiogram had revealed that Jennifer's aorta valve was leaking.  Dr. Lawson said this can be a mere result of the high BP pushing the valve open when it was supposed to be closed OR it could be an actual tear or dissection in the valve itself, in which case Jennifer would require immediate, emergency surgery, given that such dissection is a life-threatening condition.  Amazingly, the woman I married, who easily sheds tears at hearing difficult news, fully accepted Dr. Lawson's recommendation that she be taken immediately to a CT scan to aid Dr. Lawson in determining if a dissection had occurred.  Jennifer's nurse then unhooked many of the wires that were attached to Jennifer, set up the IV tower for transportation and we proceeded to roll Jennifer across the hospital to the CT imaging room.  When we arrived, Jennifer again heard some bad news.  First, she would have to move from her recovery bed onto the narrow bed of the CT machine, which was no small feat given that she had only hours before had an 8" incision cut into her lower abdomen.  Second, the contrasting fluid used in the CT method contained iodine, which is toxic to babies and meant that she would not be able to breastfeed Boston for a couple days at least or even provide her breastmilk to him in a bottle.  Despite this news, Jennifer agreed that it was better to determine whether she had a problem with her heart.  Her so-called "recovery room" bed was postioned next to the CT machine and, in less than hours from undergoing a C-Section, Jennifer moved herself onto the bed of machine.  During the test, she remained still and (we think) followed the instructions of when to breathe or hold her breath.  The test was over in just a few minutes and, once again, Jennifer moved herself, this time back onto her own bed, and we headed back upstairs to the L&D Dept. for what we thought was finally going to be a relaxing afternoon.

Upon return to Jennifer's recovery room, the nurses set her back up again with the IV bags and other cables, and she laid back to gain some much needed and deserved rest.  This was short-lived.  Within 30 minutes or so, Dr. Lawson re-appeared.  More bad news.  Although the CT scan was good enough to show most of the aorta and heart, Dr. Lawson and the radiologist with whom he conferred concluded that they'd not seen enough to reach a final determination as to whether the aorta valve was dissected, or torn.  This left only one option - an endoscope, which could be done virtually immediately if only we took Jennifer up to the ICU dept on the 3d floor.  So, the nurses disconnected Jennifer and made preparations for her next trip.  By this time, around 5pm, Jennifer had still not been to the NICU to see Boston.  Her last sight of him was back in the OR just after he was delivered.  So, despite the urgency of the endoscope, the nurses convinced Dr. Lawson to let Jennifer make a trip by the NICU, even if it had to be in her bed.  Moments later, Jennifer was wheeled into the NICU, her bed placed so that her face was closest to Boston's.  Jennifer's eyes fixed upon her son and she went silent, much as we all do when we are observing something special or important, like the national anthem, a eulogy at a funeral or the inauguration of a president.  Given Jen's immaculate perception of the physical, it was clear that she was checking over her son, keying in on the most significant attributes.  She was already so in love and so proud of him and who he was, even as an hours-old infant.  In less than a minute, one of the NICU nurses moved in with a purpose, quickly grabbing up Boston and carrying him over to Jennifer with the obvious intent of laying him on her chest.  Seeing this, Jennifer let out a sigh like none other I've heard from her.  To me, this was the single, most important moment in our marriage.  By her sigh, she knew full well at that moment that she was finally going to get to touch her own child, something she'd waited many months for and something that the circumstances of the emergency C-Section had deprived her of.  Her entire reaction to this moment was so touching, it brought tears to my eyes, which had not happened until that point.  She re-affirmed what I always knew - that she was going to be the most loving and caring mother to my children.  I learned once again exactly why I married her.

Unfortunately, the moment for me was cut short.  As I stood by Jennifer's bed while she held and gazed at Boston who lay in her arms, a NICU nurse informed me that the courier for the cord blood and tissue samples was waiting in the L&D for me to hand over the samples.  In these modern times, cord blood and, to a lesser extent, cord tissue have been used successfully to treat a donor or his or her immediate relatives, most often for leukemia.  Despite the significant costs, Jennifer and I knew we would incur them so as to give Boston all of the advantages we could, even if the contingency never arose for him, God willing.  So, I kissed Jennifer goodbye and headed in a hurry back to the L&D.  On the way, the lactation consultant gave me a crash course in how to clean the breastpump accessories.  Oh, how fulfilling that was!  After handing over the samples and receiving a receipt in return, I then took off for the ICU.

When I arrived at the ICU, Jennifer had already been taken back to a room where the procedure would take place.  I was permitted to visit her shortly and then instructed to wait in the waiting room.  I was joined by her parents, Robert and Gloria.  Dr. Lawson visited us before the procedure and told me that it would be over in less than 15 minutes and that he would immediately report his findings.  While we waited, we recounted how the day had gone and kept repeating our wish that Dr. Lawson would find nothing wrong with Jennifer's heart.  The wish was granted.  Thank God Almighty.  Dr. Lawson came back to the waiting room within 20 minutes and told us he was able to see every portion of the aorta he needed to see and that it was perfectly normal.  That was the best of news.  We were then taken back to see Jennifer, who was already alert and all smiles.  What a huge relief to see her that way.  The nurses taking care of her told us she would have to stay in the ICU for another 30 minutes or so just so they could observe her to ensure the anesthetics wore off properly.  While she waited there in the ICU, I took Robert and Gloria back through the NICU to see Boston before they left that evening.  Within an hour, Jennifer and I were finally in our room and she was finally able to relax. 

Before Jennifer dozed off for a long, much-deserved nap, we made plans with her night nurse that she would be awakened around 11pm so she could be taken to see Boston for his 1130pm feeding.  11pm came and Jennifer woke up, refreshed, and ready to see her baby boy.  Because Jennifer was still unable to get out of bed, two nurses graciously readied her bed so that it could be wheeled once again down to the NICU so she could see Boston.  Around 1145pm, we were in the NICU and Jennifer was holding and feeding Boston and admiring his every feature.  It was confirmation, yet again, that a love affair had begun and she was going to be the greatest mother for our son, which brought a sense of peace and comfort to me.  Being married to a wonderful woman is one thing, but seeing her so easily and naturally transition into the mother of your child is beyond the greatest of moments.  Here again, I find myself so blessed to get to experience this life of mine. 

11:45pm - after a long day, mommy's late night visit

 

Thanking God for Wife and Child,
Jer

       

Dr.'s Orders

Well as you all may know our lives have changed a lot here lately...

Monday morning we went to Dr. Kindrick's office to get my blood pressure checked and it was at 150/90.  Dr. Kindrick was not in at the time, so the nurse was going to let her know about my BP and told me to wait for a phone call later that day to give me instructions on what she wanted to do.  Around 3pm, I got a phone call saying she wanted me to go to the Labor and Delivery unit at Baylor Grapevine Regional Hospital and check-in for 24 hours to monitor my BP, liver enzymes and protein levels.  The idea was that if my BP would stay low enough while on bed rest at the hospital, then maybe Dr. Kindrick would let me go home and stay on bed rest there.  That was my goal for sure.

All day yesterday, Tuesday, my BP stayed in the 120s/70s but raised into the 140s/80s when my parents came to see me.  My excitement in seeing them clearly caused it to raise.  That was not good news, as I was hoping that the numbers would stay low enough for me to get to go home.  Making matters worse, this morning, when Dr. Kindrick visited, she told us that she had received a report on my protein levels in my 24 hour urine collection, and she said the levels were too high for comfort.  The combination of easily-elevated BP and protein in the urine meant I had Preeclampsia, something I was so hoping would never happen.  Then, she said what I feared the most.  She ordered me to stay in the hospital for complete bed rest until we have the baby.  The news of this made me unbelievably sad.  Combined with pregnancy hormones and hearing the news of being forced to stay in the hospital for weeks, I was an emotional wreck all day.  Even just looking at a picture of our toy poodles would make me cry.  I miss them so much and miss my home, already!

We are currently in week 34 and Dr. Kindrick would like to keep Baby Cook inside until at least week 38.  That means no outside world for me for 4 weeks!!!  The thought of that makes me cringe, especially knowing how beautiful and cooler it's been outside.  The support from all of my family and friends has been AMAZING and helped so much.  To know that they all care so much about me, Jer and Baby Cook means so much to us.  My Facebook has had so many thoughtful comments, prayers and messages, which makes me smile each time I read them.  I feel so blessed to know so many people are thinking about us and lifting us up in prayer!  The Power of Prayer is awesome!  So, thank you to everyone, we love you all!!!

Since I now have plenty of time on my hands, I'm going to update our blog daily.

Sending my updates...

While Jer writes in our journal to Baby Cook

Blessings,
Jeni

1st scary dr appointment

We had our bi-weekly doctor appointment today and everything was as usual.  We got there, weighed in and gave them a urine sample, I know, TMI but that's what happens.  :)  When I got back to the room, the medical assistant came in and took my blood pressure...and that's where everything began to get scary!  She told me that my blood pressure was a little elevated.  Being somewhat emotional already due to hormones, as soon as I heard that my heart started beating heavier.  I guess you could say I was shocked, confused, scared, worried...you get the picture.  When Dr. Kindrick comes in, the appointment is the same as every other appointment.  Then we talk about the blood pressure.  She said there's no concern right now and to not worry...but it was too late, I was worried!  She laid me down to measure me and listen to the baby's heartbeat (140bpm) - which typically would have been VERY calming for me but this time was a little different.  I couldn't get the word "preeclampsia" off my mind.  Then she told me to lay on my left side and relax for a little bit and she would have her assistant come back and check my bp again.  She came, checked it and it was still the same.  So Dr. K. orderd me to have blood drawn so she could check some levels.  She probably told me what she was checking in my blood but I was already checked out by that point...not paying any attention.  Thankfully Jer was there to listen.  She explained to me that my bp wasn't too high but that she wanted to check everything she could to make sure I wasn't developing Preeclampsia - a word I never wanted to hear my doctor say to me.  I knew exactly what that was and how serious it could be.  She then proceeded to tell me that for the whole weekend she wanted me to rest and only to get up to make something to eat or use the bathroom.  To me that was considered : Bedrest!  Plus, she wants me to come back in on Monday morning to get my bp checked again to see if the "bedrest" helped it come down.  Needless to say, I've been bummed all day.  I know this could just be a "scare" but it's consuming me!  I keep thinking of all the things I have to do and wanted to do this weekend regarding the nursery that now I can't get done.  But I guess I better obey doctor's orders for the sake of mine and baby's health.  I guess we'll see how the weekend goes....

Blessings,

Jeni

Pregnancy Photos

16 Weeks

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, baby will double his/her weight and add inches to his/her length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His/her legs are much more developed, his/her head is more erect than it has been, and his/her eyes have moved closer to the front of his/her head. His/her ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his/her scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He/she's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his/her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as baby continues to develop.

17 Weeks

Baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — his/her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he/she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. He/she can move her joints, and his/her sweat glands are starting to develop.

18 Weeks

Head to rump, baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he/she weighs almost 7 ounces. It's busy flexing his/her arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His/her blood vessels are visible through his/her thin skin, and his/her ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his/her head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he/she's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

19 Weeks

Baby's sensory development is exploding! His/her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he/she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to him/her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His/her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his/her body now. His/her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his/her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his/her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

21 Weeks

Baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he/she's practicing martial arts as his/her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his/her activity as you get to know him/her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Fourth of July - 21 weeks & 5 days

22 Weeks & 5 Days

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His/her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he/she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his/her gums. His/her eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his/her body and the deep wrinkles on his/her skin, which it'll sport until he/she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his/her belly, his/her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Took a little day trip along the coast to Gloucester, MA on my birthday, while vacationing in Boston.

24 Weeks & 3 Days

Baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him/her at just over a pound. Since he/she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he/she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his/her body is filling out proportionally and it'll soon start to plump up. His/her brain is also growing quickly now, and his/her taste buds are continuing to develop. His/her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his/her air sacs inflate once he/she hits the outside world. His/her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Sunny Mexico morning on the beach!

28 Weeks

By this week, baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his/her head to his/her heels. She can blink his/her eyes, which now sport lashes. With his/her eyesight developing, he/she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He/she's also developing billions of neurons in his/her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

I love my bump.

Here's what's happening at 30 weeks:

Baby is about 15.7 inches long now, and it weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds it, but that volume will decrease as he/she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His/her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he/she's born, it'll keep its eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he/she does open them, it'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he/she can only make out objects a few inches from his/her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Made it 30 weeks - God is great!

The Pregnancy... so far, so good

I've been very blessed with this pregnancy with how easy it's been.  Besides the usual round ligament pain, I was fortunate to not have any morning sickness, hardly any cravings and heartburn only twice - so far.  My hands, mainly my right hand, started to swell about a month ago and has caused me to develop "pregnancy carpal tunnel syndrome."  The swelling squeezes on my nerves, which causes my hand to go numb and to fingers hurt.  My doctor suggested I wear a wrist stabilizer/splint while sleeping.  She assured me that it would go away once I have the baby.  Thank goodness!  But all in all, it's been smooth sailing. 

I absolutely love being pregnant.  It's such a miracle and I still can't believe I have a human growing inside of me.  Such a cool feeling.  It puts a smile on my face every time I think about it, which is a lot!  Jer got to feel the baby move for the first time on his birthday, July 6th.  He couldn't have asked for a better present.  It was like the baby was telling him, "Happy Birthday, Daddy!"  Every since then, each time the baby moves he constantly wants to feel it.  And we both laugh in amazement.  Here lately, the kicks have gotten harder and its movements have gotten bigger.  It's neat to look down at my belly and see it sway to the side and feel something hard in that spot, like a head or butt.  For the first time last week, we felt the baby hiccuping which was something new and fun for us.

Blessings,
Jeni

El Bebe Classes

Jer and I attended our first baby class on August 21st for 8 hours!  It was called Prepared Childbirth Class and taught us more than we could have ever imagined.  We now know everything to expect about the birth, how to make labor comfortable, the do's and don't's while at the hospital, and bringing the baby home.  It was fascinating and fun.  I listened while Jer took all the notes.  We had to take 3 pillows to learn different techniques of keeping me comfortable, i.e., giving me messages!  I liked that part. 

About to head out the door that morning...got my pillows, I'm ready!

The next 2 classes we attended were on the following Saturday.  Baby Basics and Breastfeeding.  Again, they were VERY informational and the instructors were awesome.  I loved every minute of being in our classes.  Baby Basics taught us everything we need to know about taking care of a newborn from the moment we bring the baby home.  And, of course, you know what the Breastfeeding course was about.  After taking these 3 classes I'm a lot less stressed about the "what if's."

Our next class is Infant Safety & CPR on September 26th.  Should be interesting!  

I'm ready to head to class #2 & 3!

While we were at our Baby Basic class, Jer was chosen to try on and be a model for the Baby K'Tan sling.

Looks good on you, Jer! 

Blessings,

Jeni

August 2010 - Fourth Sonogram - 27 weeks

Makes me sad, this was our last sonogram.  I L.O.V.E.D. getting to see the baby on the monitor.  It had grown so much in 7 weeks!   

Baby is sucking on it's hand/fingers.  The profile looks so much like Jer to me.  So cute.

Baby's profile. 

Blessings,

Jeni

Gifts from Mommy and Daddy

As soon as we found out we were pregnant, Jer and I knew we wanted to get the baby 2 Special Gifts - a Cross and a Journal, so we set out in search of them that next weekend. 

We wanted a cute, ornate, but neutral looking cross for the nursery and found this one while walking down Main Street in Grapevine.  It'll fit perfectly in the nursery. 

We got Baby Cook this journal a few days after finding out we were going to be parents, which we have written and will continue to write in periodically throughout the pregnancy and probably throughout the childhood of Baby Cook.  It will be given to him/her when the time is right. 

Over the past several months we've been buying little things here and there.  Since we don't know the sex of the baby it's been a little difficult to get into the mood of buying things since I didn't want to buy everything in yellow and green.  But we've managed to get some cute things without them having yellow and green in them. 

When I saw this I just had to have it.  God has blessed us with this child and we are forever grateful.

Our first box of diapers.  Cheesy, I know. 

Gotta have the gear and support the team.  Future Longhorn.

Carter's was having a sale, so I took advantage of it.

Got this from Wal-Mart.  Loved the little saying on the onsies. 

Father's Day Gift 2010

Hanging clothes in the baby's closet for the first time!  This is when it all became real for us.  I couldn't believe I had baby clothes hanging!  Makes my heart melt.

Blessings,

Jeni