Baby Dos: 26 Weeks And Counting

Well hi there bumpity bump!!  I've been horrid (that was for you hubs! ha.) about keeping up with my weeks, but thankfully everything has been documented.  So one day....you know with all the free time I have these days....I can update this blog of mine for our blog book.  Side note: that "horrid" word is a word I use all too often for anything and everything and the hubs makes fun of me.  He thinks its funny but obnoxious at the same time.  :)  

So, let's talk about the bump turning 26 weeks.  It can be described as: fast.  This whole pregnancy has been on speed mode and so has the baby's growth.  This week, it's been a great week so far.  Although, I can't really complain about any of the weeks except for two early on where I had a few major headaches which I've never really had.  I've never really been a "headache" kinda person.  So to me they were migraines (which totally weren't, that I know of) because they hurt so bad.  I was O.O.C. (out of commission) for a few hours those days.  But here lately, things have been mucho bueno.

At night its a different story, for some reason I fill up too much on food during dinner that I feel like I'm carrying around 2 tons of water in my front area and I become really uncomfortable.  The hubs says it looks like I should be tipping over.  Ha.  When I feel so full I can't ever lay down for bed.  Ever.  It's just something that I've never been able to do.  Jer, he can lay down and fall asleep after eating a meal.  Not me!  I have to sit up until my food goes down.  Add that fullness with being pregnant and already filled up with a baby equals a little misery right before bedtime.  But that's okay because that's when we get our time to sit in bed, wind down, watch some recorded shows and watch the baby move in my belly!  The best time of day if you ask me.

Sunday, for the first time this pregnancy, I went into full on "nesting" mode.  Things had to get done....and soon.  Luckily Jer was on board, too.  So we sat down got our phones out and made a list of everything that we needed to get fixed/accomplished/diy'd before the baby comes.  What's funny is, most of the things on our list were non-baby stuff.  It was diy'ing things we wanted to do to our house.   Probably because we won't really fix up the nursery until the baby is born since we aren't finding out the gender.  Other than painting walls and setting up the same white crib Boston used.  So we figured, why not work on the rest of the house, first?!

There's one thing about me and pregnancy and that is that I start getting "large and round" about this time.  With Boston I started getting round in the face and feeling heavy along with retaining some water.  The other day I was convinced that my rings weren't going to come off for the remainder of this pregnancy because my fingers had gotten so swollen which I thought would be weird because that meant I would have to sleep and shower with them.  Ha.  Yeah, my mind is weird.  So expect to see chubby cheeks and some round-ness going on with this barely 5 foot frame from here on out.  :)

xo

The Good Ol' Glucose Test

Confession: I've not been so good about updating this blog/memory journal throughout this pregnancy.  Life of a wife, mom and a small business owner can surely do that to you.  :) 

However,  I have managed to write everything down.  So very soon I'll be "back-dating" everything so that I can have it for our memory book when I make this years blog posts into a book!

Okay, so, let's get on to talking about good ol' glucose.  

Last Thursday at 24 weeks and 5 days I had an OB appointment scheduled.  It was a regular OB appointment where they took my pee, checked my blood pressure and listened to the baby's heartbeat.  Plus....a glucose test to check for gestational diabetes.  What you do is, drink this not so yummy sugary drink within 5 minutes, sit in the doctors waiting room for an hour, go back in and have blood taken.  They took 2 viles of blood.  One to check my blood sugar (the glucose test portion) and one to check for anemia for any iron deficiency.  Then you wait a few days for the results.

Well those few days ended today when my doctors nurse called to inform me that I had PASSED my glucose test.  Praise God.  If you know me, then you know I'm always a nervous nelly.  Over the weekend, I had even convinced myself that I had gestational diabetes.  Yup, after reading Mr. Google I was convinced I had it and started freaking myself out.  So to hear that my levels were normal was music to my ears.  

However, she did mention that my iron was a tad bit low and that my doctor wanted me to take an iron pill each day.  It's a bummer but I'll definitely take that over gestational diabetes. 

Now here's to praying that I don't develop preeclampsia, again!  

xo

The Day We Found Out Blessing #2 Was On The Way

On the morning of February 23rd, we were reminded once again of Gods love and faithfulness.  

I had been feeling a little different.  Different in my lower stomach area.  I knew that it wasn't time for "that time of the month" but kinda thought something was going on downtown.  :)  And since we had been trying for a baby I figured, why not.  Why not take a test.  So we woke up, got Boston some breakfast and I went to do my thing.  We waited about 5 minutes and we were itching to go into the bathroom to read what it said.  Since I am always too nervous, I sent Jer into the bathroom while I watched from the bed.  His reaction is always priceless.  It was just like last time...he picks it up, mouth opens wide and smiles.  By that time I'm standing right next to him and we both just start laughing/crying/oh my goodenss'ing/in shock/ecstatic....well you get it.  It was amazing!  All in about 30 seconds our lives had changed for the best.  Meanwhile, little Bossy is still sitting in the kitchen eating his breakfast.  

We knew that since he's a chatty little thing it would be best to keep this to ourselves until we get everything confirmed at our first sonogram appointment almost 3 weeks later.  So a secret we kept.  From everyone! For almost a month.

For about a week after learning about a new baby, every time we would think about it it would put a huge smile on our faces.  They were definitely "wow I can't believe this is happening" kinda smiles.  

However, the special day wouldn't be the same without a similar picture like the one that we took the day we found out we were expecting Boston.   

We stuck with the same Clearblue tests since we like seeing the word pregnant on it.  :)  This time around they had new and improved tests.  They now say the week of gestation that you are.  And I have to say, it was right on the nose since I was a little more than a week out from it being "that time" for me.  Isn't that cool?  How clever, Clearblue!

 It's fun to see this picture with our little man in it with us.  And daddy representing baby #2.  :)

It was such an awesome morning.  One that we'll never forget.  And it will definitely go into the memory book.  It's often still so weird to think that we won't only have Bossy anymore.  That we will have another little human running around here eventually.  I can't quite fathom it just yet.  But I know it'll be amazing.  We are so thankful to our Lord for His grace.  It always amazes me that we as woman can grow a human.  Absolutely miraculous.

Next up....our tradition that we did for Boston and now for the new baby.  :)

xo

Something Exciting I've Been Cooking!

Coming in November.....a BABY!!!!  

We are absolutely thrilled to be expanding our little family and to finally share the news!!  After a private/devastating miscarriage in early December we wanted to safely get past the first trimester before giving our announcement.  I'll be 15 weeks tomorrow and feeling amazing.  This pregnancy is very similar to the one with Boston (his was perfect till the end).  Although, this one, I've had a few headaches and one episode where I thought I was having a heart attack.  Turns out it was just heartburn.  As for energy and nausea, energy hasn't changed a bit and I had nausea roughly 4-5 days (right before bedtime), which is 4-5 more times than I had with Boston, but thankfully they were all in the evening since I have an active toddler to chase around all day!  

This pregnancy is considered high risk due to the birth that we ended up experiencing with Boston which you can read about HERE.  But we're confident that the Lord is going to give us a smooth end-of-pregnancy this time around.  :)

Oh and gender....well, like Boston, we are not finding out the gender until the birth!  I'm an odd duck in the fact that I have no desire to know the gender.  Plus, we had such a fun time being surprised when Boston was born we plan to do it all over again with this little Cook.  It's such an amazing surprise, too.  Especially since Jer got to walk out into the waiting room where all of our family and friends were and announcing...."It's A...." and "It's Name Is....." while it was videotaped.  

I absolutely love being pregnant and I'm extremely excited to grow this little human that will soon become our son/daughter and Boston's sibling.  

Can't wait to share more of this pregnancy along the way!  

Next week I'll be sharing what tradition we are continuing to do that we also did from the beginning/still do for Boston along with the day we found out we were adding a little addition.

xo

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

Our New but Old Bassinet!

My mother kept my bassinet that I used as a baby and she gave this to me at one of my showers filled with gifts.  I was impressed with how good it still looked.  She added a little more padding to it but that was it.  She also got us the bedding that goes in it.  I can't wait to wash the bedding for it and put it all together. 

Here's Jer about to enter our room with the bassinet where the baby will sleep for the first couple of weeks/months. 

The bassinet is in it's place.  Everytime I walk into the room and see it, it makes me smile, to think that a baby will be laying in it real soon.  Eeekk! 

Blessings,

Jeni

Christmas in September...

Our first baby gifts arrived a few weeks ago!  We were really giddy, like it was Christmas.  The first couple of things we got were the bath tub, body wash and lotions, and wash cloths, all of which came from Tony and Kristen Roy, a sorority sister that lives in Nevada and couldn't make it to the shower. 

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

Mexico 2010 Vacation

In celebration of Jennifer's and Lauren Jones' 30th Birthdays, Casey and I took the girls to Playa Mujeres, Mexico (just north of Cancun).  The resort we stayed at was excellent, which is fitting because it's called "Excellence Playa Mujeres."  With 7 pools, 8 restaurants (of different cuisines) and 11 bars (including a swim-up bar in the main pool), it was a very nice, relaxing place.  We rarely stay at the same place twice, but I could see us return here at some point.

A few photos of our room.  Yep, that's a hot tub in that corner.

 

Our room was right on the lazy river. 

A few more shots of the lazy river.

The main pool.  The elevated portion is a restaurant and beneath it is the swim-up bar.

We visited a few times. :)

We are headed to the beach.  What a total hottie!!!

Believe it or not, I'm actually miserable.

A fabulous shot of my gorgeous bride in the surf.

The following photos are of a few nights out we had, all within the resort.

Our 4th Anniversary Dinner at a French cuisine restaurant at the resort. (July 8, 2010)