Our Little Strauberry Patch

A Brand New Baby...

2010-07-15T20:48:00.001-07:00

So, for all of you who religiously read my last pregnancy blog which abruptly ended on Karson's birth-day.....(which wasn't my intention, but life happened) and have been hounding me to pick it back up again ever since, I am back!

As many of you know, I'm pregnant again with baby #2... and everyone has also been getting on my case about how I did such an elaborate blog for my pregnancy with Karson and how psychologically damaged this baby will be if I don't continue the blog, so I'm going to do my best to keep track of what's left of this pregnancy but there is and has been quite a lot going on lately!

So far, this pregnancy has been going very smoothly. I'm currently in week 14, which means this baby is now about the size of a lemon... about 4 and a half inches long. I'm starting to be less nauseous but am still ridiculously tired.... I don't quite remember being this tired with Karson... but then again, I am spending my days running after a 10.5 month old and my nights trying desperately to get pictures edited, keep our house relatively sanitary, and spend time with my husband... so, I guess it's understandable.

I'll try my best to keep up with this again but it may be less of a pregnancy oriented blog and more about what's going on with our family (which is the direction I had intended it to go in after we had the baby)... I figured, kids start to do more and more funny things/say funny things, etc so it would be nice to have a place to keep track of all that. Hopefully I can be a little more faithful than I've been this past year!

Happy Birthday Karson!

2009-08-21T23:59:00.000-07:00

Aunt Kacy made sure to get Karson a birthday cake before he was born so that we could sing to him and celebrate his birthday! I knew there was a reason we kept her around! :)
So, I spent the evening on 8/20 with my mom and sister watching the movie August Rush... a movie Jason and I LOVED and we continuously referred to the August Rush we would be experiencing when the baby came! I secretly thought to myself... this movie is going to bring this baby!

I started having contractions around 7:30 pm... every 7 minutes (just like the night before). Then, around 11:00, they were coming every 5 minutes and Jason started keeping track on the computer. As I frantically scurried around the house puttering and cleaning in a frenzy, he was able to call out, "you're going to have another contraction in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...." and the next one would start. He was thrilled with his psychic abilities.

After about an hour and 15 minutes of this, Jason called the doctor and he said since I was a day late and the contractions were so regular for so long, it warranted a visit to the hospital even if only to get checked out.

I still felt nervous about going in and being turned away to wait a few more days. I decided I really needed a shower.... so Jason patiently waited. Then, I decided I was hungry, and that I wanted eggs over easy, scrapple, and wheat toast.... so we went to the diner. Yes, at 1:45 am.

As I sat in the booth, each contraction would distend my belly so far that I was touching the table! I was able to house the WHOLE plate (and Jason didn't eat a thing! lol! He was a little nervous I guess).... anyway, with so much room in my stomach, I knew the baby had to have dropped even further.

Here's the short version of the story... We went in. I was checked out. The baby was kicking the heartbeat monitor and it sounded like he was stuck in a tin can. It was totally cracking us up! I was still 80% effaced and 3 cm dilated but since the contractions were every 3 minutes (now that the nurse brought on stronger and more frequent contractions by whatever they heck she did to me), they told me to walk around for an hour. Jason and I started our laps at 3:30 am. He was counting for me and would call each contraction before it happened. Soon they were 2 mins apart and then 1 min apart and then just continuous and more difficult to walk through. At 4:30 am, I was checked by the doctor and he said "don't let anyone let you leave here without your baby!" After I had my epidural, he came back in to break my water before his shift was over around 7 am just to make sure that didn't happen! lol.

Around 8 cm, my epidural started wearing off.... and I was experiencing "back labor" which SUCKS, by the way! The anesthesiologist took freaking 45 minutes to get up to my room so by the time he finally came in, I was 9.5 cm.... the contractions had gotten stronger the whole time and the epidural was wearing off the whole time... it was wonderful. UGH! Probably the worst pain of my life.... although a root canal I had a year ago is a very close competitor.

Anyway, around 11:30 or so, I decided it was getting close to time to push..... I started pushing around 11:50 or so... and that whole process really wasn't bad at all! (Thanks to the new epidural)... I think people who do that without drugs are insane! Maybe it's because I was having back labor but.... wow.

And now for the grand finale!!! Drumroll please.....................................

At 12:43 pm, on August 21st, 2009, Karson James Straub squeezed his little way into this world!

Our lives will never ever be the same!

.............weighing in at a whopping 6lbs, 8oz....19 1/2 inches long! what a peanut!!!

Karson with Grandmom... (Maska)And Mom-Mom (Straub)........Pop (Maska)

.........and Pop-Pop (Straub)

Mommy admiring her little snuggle bug!One of the best moments of the day... one I will never forget... Karson grabbed my finger and pulled it to his face and he just looked SO adorable! It was melting my heart, so I told Jason to grab the camera and I made him get the picture at exactly the angle I was seeing him from... I had to move my head out of the way to accomplish this, but Daddy did such a great job! Now, I not only have it burned into my mind, but it's actually in picture form as well!
It's amazing how much you can love someone you've only known a few hours!

Waiting, planning, pregnancy, labor, delivery, etc etc etc....
IT WAS SO WORTH IT!

41 Weeks

2009-08-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

I didn't really think I'd be writing this post! lol. 41 weeks! Wow!

My doctor told me at my due-date appointment yesterday that only 5% of babies come on their due date! about 85% of first-babies come late... and it's quite possible that he's not overdue at all because I may have ovulated late or something (but I don't think the due date was TOO far off because I DID know exactly when the first day of my last period was AND I found out all the way back in December and he was measuring like 5 or 6 weeks... and at each ultrasound, he was measuring pretty much right-on so I'm sure he'll be here soon...)

He also told me it's a mystery what actually "starts" labor... that it's thought to be completely up to the baby... when his brain sets off a relay of chemical messages that set of a chain reaction of hormones in mommy and off we go! What's been sort of confusing for me is that I've had "sessions," so to speak, of regular contractions.... happening every 7-10 minutes for several hours but there are usually only a handful of contractions that are hard to breathe through.

I had another "session" last night... they always happen at night... but I was eventually able to fall asleep and then nothing came of it. They usually go back to being a little more sporadic by morning and continue that way throughout the day.

So, now that I've been through this a couple times (charting the times, etc) I'm nervous that when I ACTUALLY go into labor, it will be like the boy who cried wolf! lol. I'll be like "yeah yeah, they're every 5 minutes whatever..... this happened before" lol

Come on, baby.... this HAS to be at least as uncomfortable for you as it is for mommy!!! We want to see you and hold you and love you! :)

"Come out, come out.... wherever you are........ and Candace she said was the name of her star...." lol.... that's what Daddy was singing and we cracked up when he said Candace (as in Aunt Candace) instead of Kansas, where Dorothy was actually from! It really doesn't take much to get us cracking up...

The Due Date Is Here!

2009-08-19T05:54:00.000-07:00

Aunt Kacy came over last night and we took some "due date" pictures...

This is why Mommy can't sleep.............Mommy & Daddy can't wait to meet you!!!

This started out as a pregnancy blog.......

2009-08-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

So, even though I've talked about some other random things going on in life, this started out as a pregnancy blog... a place for me to document when things were happening and how I/we felt about those things, etc... Well, the problem is that pregnancy can be a little "gross" to the average Joe/Jane. Talking about dilation and cervix effacement may make some people go... "why on earth are you posting this online?" Well, BECAUSE IT'S A PREGNANCY BLOG! lol. At least it started out that way......

So, without further ado..... I lost my mucous plug... or at least a good portion of it! All this to say, grossed out as you may or may not be.... this is a process that brought us all into the world! And baby Karson is almost here!!!!!!

All the gloves are off at this point. Jason's mom called him this morning and told him we should have sex a lot so the baby comes soon. That's it. This is just a process of preparing me for 10 people staring at my naked behind while I push a human being out of my body!..... and quite possibly some other things as well.... :)

YAY PREGNANCY! YAY LABOR! YAY LIFE! Ready or not, here we go!

Week 40

2009-08-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

Okay... so, we're officially in week 40 now! This week marks the official end of the pregnancy. We had another appointment today and the doctor said that over half of all pregnancies go past the 40-week mark, many first-time babies coming about 5-8 days late, but that we seem like we'll be right on time or maybe even a couple days early! I'm still about 80% effaced, but the endless Braxton-Hicks contractions last night served to dilate me to 3 cm! This doctor also commented on the consistency or whatever of my cervix and how it's exceptionally good for a first-time pregnancy... and that it should help the labor to go very smoothly and much faster than many first time-mommys. (Yes, yes.... good things, keep telling me good things! Even if you're lying to me!). It was interesting how both doctors commented on that this week. She also said his head was very low and reiterated that it shouldn't be long now...

I tell ya, those exams really suck!

A REAL update!

2009-08-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here's a decent update: I just got back from the doctor's... they did the exam and the doc said I was 2 cm dialated and that my cervix is thinned to 80%!!! He said the baby's head was "nice & low" and that that was actually making the exam more difficult for him to do... (it hurt like a bugger!) but that the baby was in an excellent position. He commented on how great a position he was in, given that it was my first delivery... not really sure why, but I also didn't ask. My blood pressure was a little high again (122/90 and then later 130/90... which is actually very high for me) so they want to see me again on Friday morning (instead of in a week). He said at this point, I really could go any day and he went over with me again what the procedure was about when to call, etc.

He said he felt like a "nice sized baby"... I asked about how big and he said "about 8 pounds!" I was like WHAT? Really? He said, yeah I wouldn't be surprised, he feels like a nice sized baby! I was just like.... everyone just keeps telling me how small I am and how he's going to be such a small baby... but he said, "well, it's not a science... give or take 5 lbs!" and then he said "no, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was close to 8 lbs! He's a nice size!"

It made me a little nervous that he said this shortly after feeling his head! Ugh.... I hope he doesn't have the Stinger head! aye aye aye!

What if he comes early!???

just a random post...

2009-08-11T08:18:00.001-07:00

So, I'm sort of feeling like I should give some sort of update... but nothing is really going on! Haha. I have 8 days left till the due date and other than getting up... oh about 85 times a night to pee, nothing feels all that different. I never ever imagined I would feel so normal a week before I was about to deliver a human into this world! I thought I'd be HUUUUUGE and SOOOOO uncomfortable and just ready to do whatever it took to get him out! I don't feel all that desperate!

I have to say, though... packing our bag for the hospital was pretty exciting. Picking out a little outfit to bring him home in was fun and made me get really excited to have him here! It's just weird to try to think about the next couple weeks and just all of the unknowns! I wonder when his birthday will be! It becomes such a special day.... but it's weird to wonder what it will be and to know that I'll know soon enough. It must be fun to be God and see the future when no one else can! :)

Baby Pool !!!

2009-08-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

So, we've been asked to create an online baby pool on Expect.Net! Click the picture or link below the picture to enter your guess (and be sure to leave your name!) and we'll figure out some sort of fun prize for the winner!

Enter A Guess!!!

Week 39

2009-08-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

Coming down to the wire now, we're into week 39! Yikes! The baby could weigh anywhere from 6-8 lbs and may measure anywhere from 17-21 inches (I'm so curious!). Those measurements won't change too much from now on, but his brain is still growing at an astonishing rate, a pace that will continue for the first three years of life. His pink skin has now turned whitish and his head may have dropped into my pelvis by now, which (based on what I've read) makes breathing easier but walking harder... sounds about right! But the end (and a whole new beginning!) is in sight. As Mama Minter so kindly reminded me, I'm in that "two weeks either way" period now! That sort of freaked me out a little, I have to say! I just don't know that I feel like I'm really going to GIVE BIRTH in like 11 days! I just don't feel like it's "time" yet or something! I'm really excited to finally get to see him (obviously) but for some reason it just doesn't quite feel like it's actually happening "any day now." Maybe that means he'll be a little late? Who knows!

So, now begins my task of paying extra-close attention to my body... watching for any and all signs of labor! Crazy......I can't believe we're this far along already! I'm really having a hard time believing it's happening this soon!

The Nursery is DONE!

2009-08-05T21:22:00.000-07:00

Aside from a couple small things (like hanging a curtain in the window and painting the door), the nursery is DONE! I'll give you a quick overview and then I'll show you some details!

Okay, now for some of the fun little stuff!...

Here's a front shot of the crib...

And a little closer...

This is his special embroidered monkey stuffed animal/blanket!And his mobile (compliments of Nana Minter!)and the wall hanging, compliments of Aunt Shannon!And his super-soft monkey chillin' in the crib!and some other monkeys chillin' in the crib, compliments of Aunt Tara (left) and mommy & daddy (right)... the one on the right is the Build-A-Bear monkey with his heartbeat in the arm!Renee had the coolest thing made! I have to ask her again for the website of the woman who makes things like these but she gave her the baby's initials and told her the theme and she made her these and shipped them! So cool!Here's a close-up of his closet/changing station...

note the adorable little wall decals! (thanks to Mandy.......

...and Rachel.... and Kristen

....and Jenna!and his little lamp that goes with the whole theme!

So... to re-cap... we'll do a few fun before & after shots!

We'll start with the crib...

BEFORE
AFTER
Aunt Kacy wants to paint a mural or something on this... so whenever she has time, she'll go for it! It will be pretty stinkin' cute, but until then, it's just plain old brown.

BEFORE
AFTERI should take a shot of this without the blanket draped over so you can see the spindles and how they're all the different colors of the room...

... and now for the furniture...

Tall Dresser - BEFORE
Tall Dresser - AFTERLong Dresser - BEFORE
Long Dresser - AFTER
I didn't catch this in any random "before" shots... but this is the little night stand "after" with some cut-outs from extra border we had that didn't make it on the wall... :)and here is our shamelessly trash-picked lamp BEFORE
... and AFTER, thanks to Jason's crazy spray-painting skills and our cheap Target lamp shade!

SO, just in case you need one last re-fresher.... (and because it's so fun for us to see this!) Here are some before & after shots of the whole room from different angles!

Corner #1
Corner #2
Corner #3
Corner #4
It's amazing what a little paint and a vision can do! (And of course a baby shower or three...)

WHEW! We feel much better about going into labor at any minute now! (we just have to make sure we paint that door and get a curtain in that window!). But other than that, the nursery is DONE!

Special thanks to Dad (Straub) and Mommy (Maska) for all your help finishing the room! We (quite literally) couldn't have made this happen without your help! Thanks to you, baby Karson will come home to a really cool room that can grow with him! Love you!

DROP!

2009-08-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

So, last night I was getting ready for bed and I looked in the mirror and my belly looked strange... I was thinking... what the heck?

Then, I turned sideways and realized he had dropped! Just like that! It was like all the sudden I had ribs and space under my bra and the baby was just so much lower and my belly was a completely different shape! It looked like a ski slope! I just couldn't believe how it was just like all the sudden he's not where he was anymore!

So, he has officially dropped, for all of you who may be interested! :)

progress above, progress below...

2009-08-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures on our progress.... we're still movin' along! Thanks to Adam, (Rachel's fiance, for any of you who don't know him from Adam..... baaaahhha), Jason had the proper tools to finally finish the flooring! Once we got those tools, he banged that floor out in no time! (No pun intended). MAN, I am on a ROLL!

Floor - done!Then, we installed the ceiling fan.... and here's Jason reaching down for his screwdriver! Although, this could have been a great decoration if we decided to go with that Thriller themed nursery!

Fan - done!

No, no folks. We do NOT mess around!

Week 38

2009-08-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

It's possible the baby may weigh close to seven pounds this week (although I'm thinking he may be under 7 lbs...) and may be measuring about 20 inches long. Fetal development is nearly complete as the baby tends to a few last-minute details like shedding the skin-protecting vernix and lanugo into the amniotic fluid (which he swallows..... eww) and some of it winds up in his intestines where it — along with other shed cells, bile, and other waste products (yum) — will turn into your baby's first bowel movement (meconium) and perhaps his first diaper change. He's also producing more surfactant, a substance that prevents the air sacs in his lungs from sticking to one another once he starts to breathe. So, at 38 weeks, all systems are (almost) a go!!! Very exciting!

Meanwhile, my body is tending to its own final touches before the big day, one of which is getting that milk machine up and running. Part of the process is producing colostrum, a thin yellowish liquid that's the precursor to breast milk.

Colostrum is full of antibodies that protect your newborn, and has more protein and less fat and milk sugar (the better to digest it) than the breast milk that arrives later. I read that many women start leaking around this time, but I haven't yet (that I know of)... This may be TMI but I thought it was REALLY cool.... what I read said that if I wasn't leaking but was curious about this miracle substance, that I could gently squeeze my areola to express a few drops... I thought about it........ and I wasn't really that curious but reading that MADE me curious so I tried it and it worked!!! I was really excited! It was so weird but really cool! It made me feel like he's going to be here REALLY soon! And when he gets here, he's ready to be fed! :)

One Week of Progress...

2009-07-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, so we've been asked (by several avid blog viewers, as well as some other family & friends) to post some pictures of our progress on the room. As of 7 days ago, the spackling on this first wall was still incomplete... Jason's dad came to the rescue and that night (after sanding) we began painting... I've taken shots of all 4 angles of the room, but I'll only post two corners because it gets a little redundant (being as it is a small room...). When we complete the whole room I'll do a post with a 4-corners "before" shot and a 4-corners "after" shot, since with furniture and such it won't look as repetitive. Alas, for your viewing pleasure.......... I introduce to you our weeks worth of progress:

The walls aren't as dark as they look in these pictures... it's actually a very bright room! (especially during the day... these pictures just happened to both be shot at night with bad lighting....). If you notice, in the last shot, Jason has started laying the flooring!!! WOO HOO! (Should be done by tomorrow!).

Notice the excersize ball in the bottom right corner? That's what momma Kris has been sitting on to paint drawers and dressers and stuff! It's soft on my bum and gives me a little mobility to roll around lol. I'm sure I've been pretty funny to watch.... but unfortunately, we haven't been taping me work! :)

I'll try to post another set after tomorrow's "session"..... We should have some furniture back in the room by then!!! I didn't take before shots of the furniture... but the furniture appeared in some pictures so I'll be sure to show you (as best I can) what I've done with the furniture!

Love you, Poppy!

2009-07-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

Norman C. Stinger

12.24.30 - 7.22.09

Some of you may know my grandfather just passed away this past week. He had been battling Parkinson's Disease for about a decade but it got really bad over the past few years. About a month ago, some tests came back that said he had cancer and it was basically everywhere so he didn't have much time. He passed early in the morning on July 22nd... so it's been a pretty rough week (and busy... preparing the service and everything).

He was quite the "free spirit".... and he always said he wanted us to have a big party when he passed. So... after the viewing and funeral and everything, that's exactly what we did. We went to the 25 club in Maple Shade, where he was a member for a LONG time! We've had tons of family parties, anniversaries, weddings, holiday parties, etc at this place so it feels a little like home for us.

We had tons of food and had the slideshow Jason & I made playing for most of the event, but my uncles (Kurt on the red keyboard, Mark on the microphone) sang a few songs and played some of my poppy's favorites; all dedicated to him, of course. It was really cool.

My cousins are goofy...
My mom & her siblings got to see some of their cousins from out-of-state... which was really nice.
I am the first grand-baby on my mom's side of the family... and following me was alllll girls! He didn't have any grandsons! So, you can imagine how thrilled he was to learn that he was having a great-grandson!!! Every time we saw him, he kept telling Jason "good job... I'm finally going to have a grandson!"
Sucks that he didn't get to meet him, but... I think I might call him peanut every once in a while since that was my poppy's nickname for me!

Love you Pop!

The Last Shower (I promise)!

2009-07-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

So, as most of you know, my bridal shower was ENORMOUS! There were something like 88 women there and it was awesome but I felt like I didn't have time to do anything but open gifts and I felt like such a spoiled brat! lol. So, imagining myself 8 or 9 months pregnant in the middle of the summer, I requested that if any showers were going to be thrown, could we do a few small ones instead of another huge one? Well, I really liked having the time to hang out with people at each shower this time! But I STILL feel like such a spoiled brat! At least now, I know these gifts really aren't for me! They're for the baby... but it's still overwhelming to be "showered" with so much love!

Candace & Steph planned this shower... and they got a bunch of help from awesome friends like the Minter clan (which still includes you, Shannon...) and Bernie and Alicia and Beck and I'm sure many other people I'm forgetting. Thank you everyone!

Steph drew this sign behind me in this picture! So cute! Look at all the monkey paraphrenalia surrounding me in this picture! I sure hope this kid doesn't grow to HATE monkeys!

Christin was my very special helper all day! She brought me gifts, took away trash and made sure I didn't miss any extremely important photo ops! :) She kept me on track!

Shannon made this AWESOME cake! I really really really didn't want to cut it, but I think everyone appreciated that I finally made myself, because even better than the decoration was the taste! WOW! Everyone was raving about it!

This is me "trying on" the baby's clothes at Nana minter's request... (corrected by Shannon to hold the onesie upside-down because that's most likely how he's positioned). I think they'll fit...
Just a shot with me & bester...
Here's the typical Messiah friends picture.... Amy wins the prize for traveling the farthest distance to attend! She came from a REAL jungle to the jungle themed party... and back to Africa she goes!What a pathetic "camp friends" picture..... WHERE THE HECK IS EVERYONE!!! lol.And one with my high-school girls! Jenna, Mandy, Rachel, & Kristen... can you tell we were all at the beach together the day before the shower? lol.
And Leeshie-poo....
And the baby kicking Alicia.... this was totally her idea............ :)
And while we have our bellies out, might as well compare to Aunt Candace..... who is not expecting.... so this makes no sense but it doesn't have to because it's Candace! I'm re-thinking this shot now that I see how stinkin skinny she is and how HUGE she makes me look! lol. I'm like 3 times her width!!!
And what would a baby shower be without a disgusting poopy-diaper game!

SPECIAL THANKS TO EVERYONE! Karson can't WAIT to see his new room decorated with all the fun things everyone bought and I don't know if he'll even be able to WEAR all the clothes he's been given!!! Again, Jason and I feel so spoiled and blessed! Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to bring it all together!

Week 37

2009-07-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

The baby is officially considered "full-term" this week! Of course, that doesn't mean he's finished growing — in fact, he's still packing on about a half pound a week (at this age, the average fetus weighs about 6.5 pounds). Right now, he is busy rehearsing for his big debut, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid (to get the lungs ready for that first breath), sucking his thumb (to prepare for that first suckle of milk), blinking, and turning from side to side, which Aunt Kacy got to feel the other night!

There's not much else to report this week... as he's pretty much just packing on the pounds over the next few weeks. One thing I just read was that mother's carrying boys tend to eat more than mother's carrying girls.... and since I really haven't been eating much more than normal (even less, actually since there's no room in my belly!) Jason and I just started cracking up thinking about how ridiculous it would be if the anatomy ultrasound was wrong and he's actually a she........ oh well, she'd be dressed like a boy for about a year or so! lol. Let's just hope that's not the case!

Straub Family Shower!!!

2009-07-21T08:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Jason's sisters threw us a baby shower for his side of the family/family friends... and the amount of detail that went into these decorations is unbelievable! First, you have to check this out... They bought six blow-up monkies (monkey theme...) and realized that there would be six grandchildren once Karson is born so they got this AMAZING idea to put diapers on the monkeys and name them! First, we have the eldest grandchild/cousin, Kylie... she'll be 4 in October.
Next, we have Cameron, who just turned 2 in March.
And Savannah... who is about a year and a half old...And Emily, right behind her... also about a year and a half old!
Next, we have our newest addition, Peyton... born May 3rd, 2009... (notice the nook in his mouth to signify his infant-hood... :)
And finally, (also with a nook) is Karson, hanging from a lighted palm tree right over where I sat to open my presents! lol. So cute, right?

Laura made this amazing diaper cake... I still haven't taken it apart.... I can't bring myself to just yet...

and they made a ton of these chocolates as the party favors! It must have taken them FOREVER! Some of them have 6 different colors of chocolate.... which is just SO tedious! I can't believe they did this!And here is the beautiful cake!They also made banana pudding, monkey bread (note the theme), and tons of other desserts in true Straub fashion!

Jason's cousin's made us this pizza!

Inside the box are clothes in ths shape of a pizza! SO CUTE!!!! What a creative idea, right? I loved this!Kylie was such a great little helper!

I don't know if you can see Kylie's shirt, but all the girls were walking decorations as well, decked out in monkey outfits! ADORABLE!

It was a really great shower!
I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE BABY TO COME so he can appreciate all the beautiful gifts he's been given! (and I mean that in the actual shower gifts, but also the gift of what an awesome family he's being born into! Thanks everyone! :)

Week 36

2009-07-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

It's a good thing this baby's almost done cooking, cuz my body is feeling pretty "done" by now. I keep saying "I'm finally starting to understand why women are considered disabled around this time... I'm really starting to feel disabled!" In the morning, I literally feel like I can't walk for a while. I feel like my limbs may start falling off behind me as I go. And depending on the distance or really just randomness, I've been starting to do the full-term pregnancy waddle, which is apparently the result of hormone-triggered loosening and softening of my connective tissue. I really just do it because it hurts not to sometimes. Unfortunately, those loose joints can lead to some pretty serious hip and pelvic pain. They say the baby could be about 6 pounds by now, but I'm wondering. I think our little one may be a little one. :)

One exciting thing is that most of the baby's systems (from circulatory to musculoskeletal) are ready for prime time, though his digestion system — which has done only practice runs so far — will kick into gear as he takes his first shot at a meal through the mouth!

Everyone seems to have gotten the memo to start telling me (this week) all about everyone they know who ever gave birth 5 weeks, 4 weeks, 3 weeks early..... I think just to freak me out maybe! I dunno. lol. but it's working! I can't imagine going that early for my first baby! Ahh!

I went to Ikea with Renee this week. She was about ready to burst but she was so cute! She's officially 2 days late as of today!

Last night, Jason and I went on a tour of the maternity ward at Underwood Memorial Hospital! Parts of the tour made me really nervous/scared... (because I'm sort of a wimp) but a lot of the tour made me really excited too! I just kept feeling a weird sense of eeriness about what our future held in that very hallway or room... It was a very surreal feeling to think "In about 4 weeks or so, we'll be in here doing this for real...I wonder what that will be like...." It's strange when you're in a place where you know you'll soon be experiencing something completely life-changing!

Today, Jason and I are celebrating our 36 monthiversary since we officially began dating!

Oh yeah, this is a fun story too... last night, Jason was singing to the baby as he does many nights. Once he was done he hummed the tune "pigs in the barn yard, pee yew......" (you know the tune?).... Except he hummed the equivalent of "pigs in the barn yard, pee......." and paused... and the baby kicked or punched or something very abruptly right near his face as if to finish the line "...yew". We were cracking up because this is now the THIRD time the baby has done this... bringing the song back to the tonic when Jason leaves him hanging, so to speak! Jason is convinced he's beginning the journey of raising a musical prodigy! I, however, am convinced that this baby has inherited my intense fear of performance (which I've grown out of quite a bit since childhood)... but, I swear that every time I want to let someone feel him kicking or want to let someone watch him squirming and moving all around, he stops. I don't know if he gets distracted by my changes in breathing as I'm concentrating on watching him or what but I swear that it's just that he isn't a performer! I guess we'll see. Tonight was the first time I was able to have my mom and Kacy actually catch a good session of squirming and wiggling as I sat my cell phone on my belly and told them all to be quiet and "NOT TO LOOK AT ME".... and once they "weren't looking".... they got to catch quite a show of cell phone surfing and shaking! FINALLY!

Anyway, musical prodigy? Consummate performer? I guess time will only tell!

*** NOTE: for some reason I find it easier to see what's going on when you can't hear Jason narrating... so if it helps to mute it, try that! We caught him at the end of a really active spell but he was starting to calm down when we were taping this.

bum genius!

2009-07-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

So after talking with many a friend and researching quite a few brands & sites, Jason and I finally decided to make the commitment to cloth diapering (at least for when we're at home, anyway) and we decided to go with bumgenius! Their design is SO cool and they've gotten GREAT reviews online but also from some friends of ours who have used them!

One of the coolest things about them is that they fit babies from 7 lbs to 35 lbs (or from newborn to potty-training) just with a few snaps to change the size!

Below is a little bit of a clearer picture... and it's in one of the colors we ordered several of. I got so excited when they came in the mail! They seem like they're going to be really easy to use and will work really well! Let's hope so!

We also got these colors too...

Week 35

2009-07-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

A rapidly growing brain makes the baby's head weigh more and that means more pressure on Mommy's bladder! I never imagined I'd literally wake up in pain, having to pee so bad that I'm afraid I won't make the 10 foot trip to the bathroom after only two hours of sleep! It's unbelievable! But what's even more unbelievable is that Jason has started getting up just as many times per night to pee as I do! But we don't wake each other up and we're up at different times! It's TOTALLY sympathy pee! I feel bad because there's really no reason for BOTH of us to be that exhausted... but it is sorta sweet. lol.

The baby should be measuring in at about 20 inches this week, continuing his steady weight gain to about 5.5 pounds. While he won't get much longer now, he will continue to pack on the pounds — including large amounts of baby fat — right up 'til delivery day. Fetal brain development is moving along at a mind-boggling pace these days as well! Good thing Daddy has been reading some of those books to him at night! Hopefully he's switched to being head-down in preparation for delivery, which is hopefully why my bladder is feeling the squeeze, causing an occasional leakage when I sneeze (or cough or laugh) without much notice. :(

Mommy & Daddy celebrated their 2 yr anniversary this week! We had SUCH a great time together on Tuesday (7/7/09)... we spent the whole day at the beach with each other, went back to the campground to get showers and were planning on finishing out the night on the boardwalk but it started storming! So, we changed plans, went home and caught dinner & a movie! We saw The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. It was a great movie! We had such a great day together! We probably won't celebrate another anniversary without thinking incessantly about our kids for quite a while... :)

Week 34

2009-07-05T21:39:00.000-07:00

So, apparently a change in eyesight is another fun pregnancy symptom (but thankfully one that I haven't experienced!) Not only can your vision seem less sharp, but a decrease in tear production can leave your eyes dry and irritated... which is certainly happening! The baby should be clocking in at five pounds and could be as tall as 20 inches by now! Holy moly! This week, a boy's testicles should start making their way down from his abdomen to their final destination: his scrotum. His tiny fingernails have probably reached the tips of his fingers by now also — and getting ready for that first postpartum manicure... which reminds me of a really funny story.

At Renee's baby shower, Justin's mom was telling me how he was like 2 weeks late and she could feel his fingernails scratching from the inside! When he was born, he had scratches all over his face! That's so sad but it is sort of funny! She said it was like the hottest summer in years so Christy and I were just cracking up picturing him dragging his nails down his face screaming "WHY!!!" about his being stuck in his mom 2 weeks late during the hottest summer in years! Ahh...

So, Jason thought it'd be fun to DRAG me up to Massachusetts for a wedding while I was good & fat... uncomfortable and insomnia-ridden!
(j/k... we were so looking forward to seeing Mandy & Vinny get hitched!) We had a really great trip with relatively NO traffic even though it was 4th of July weekend! It was a nice way to start celebrating our 2 yr anniversary!
The location where they were married and had the reception were beautiful and the weather, even though it looked really scary for a while there.....
really turned out to be a beautiful night!
These will have to suffice as my "34 weeks" pictures... I hope y'all aren't disappointed!!! I'm still waiting for this kid to freakin' DROP already! He's basically IN my bra.... especially when I'm sitting down I can feel him moving the underwire when he wriggles around! Crazy, right?

My family's baby shower!

2009-07-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

So, here are some pictures from my shower (finally!) My mom and I had cute matching sashes saying "mother to be" and "grandma to be" and Jason had a cute little pin that said "dad to be" (which he wore PROUDLY!).

Jason was the first person to open up a gift (and that was really the only one he opened) but it was a special "Daddy" T-shirt! He keeps looking at it every day saying "I can't wait to wear that at the hospital!"

I'll save you some of the million pictures Jason took of me opening gifts and just cut to a really adorable one! I don't know if you can even read it, but this little monkey blanket is SO soft and cuddly and on his arm, "Karson" is embroidered... SO ADORABLE!

Here's a shot with me and my sisters....
and my momma with her sister... (my mom, sisters, and aunt all chipped in to get us an AWESOME new video camera for the baby! We've already started making some fun videos of getting the room ready and so forth... hopefully we'll be posting some soon!)

And... here's a shot of my mom, aunts and a couple cousins with me and Jason outside...

And... this is just a really funny picture (even though you can't even read the ribbon...) but it says "How big is mommy!" :( lol It's for the game where everyone guesses how much ribbon it will take to make it all the way around my belly. Pregnancy certainly is not a time to be self conscious in any way! Your body gets groped by strangers, and family makes a game out of guessing how fat you are! AWESOME! :)

And... this last one is one of my favorites! Jason, totally pooped (after his first shower experience....). Guys totally can't handle the whole center-of-attention-for-4-straight-hours-when-you-have-to-be-super-appreciative-and-polite..... lol. I also like that you get a little sneak peek into the baby nook behind him... with some of the blankets draped over the crib and some of the monkeys and other stuffed animals peeking over the top. :)

Some first attempts at "maternity pictures"

2009-06-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

So... after the baby shower, Jason and I got inspired to take some "maternity pictures" before I get too huge to be the slightest bit "cute" anymore... :)

Here's just a little idea we had...

.... that we kept experimenting with ...

... and then Daddy had a goofy idea that ended up being absolutely hysterical! In order for me to get enough blocks balanced on my tummy for them to spell what Jason wanted, I had to push the top of my belly out as hard as I could... which meant I had to hold my breath so they wouldn't collapse. Well, I did pretty well... I only made a couple blocks fall off a couple times... Jason would set up the blocks, go back to the camera and then my light breathing would knock a couple off, so he fixed them... then it happened again... and again... so then the last time he was getting the camera more ready so I wouldn't have to hold my breath as long...and RIGHT as he was counting down to take the shot (3....2.........) Karson kicked and knocked like 5 blocks over... Jason got so frustrated (thinking I just was just trying to be a pain in the butt) and I started laughing, which made the rest of them crumble, which made me laugh more... and he was like "forget it... I'm done!" I was cracking up trying to explain that the baby kicked the blocks off... that it wasn't my fault... it was just really funny! Anyway, after a couple minutes, he wanted to try it again... conquer the beast, so to speak... here's how it turned out...

... next time we'll shoot for an essay.... I'll have to buy more blocks!

I think next time we'll also have Aunt Kacy come shoot the pictures too so that we can do some more cute ones with the two of us without having to keep running back to the tripod...

A Patiently Awaited Belly Shot...

2009-06-27T22:54:00.000-07:00

For your viewing pleasure... here's me at 33 weeks:

Sometimes being a photographer is so annoying... It's so hard to take pictures of yourself! Daddy helped with this one....

Week 33

2009-06-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

With midnight bathroom runs, heartburn, racing thoughts, and my basketball-sized belly, it's no wonder sleep is elusive. Third trimester insomnia strikes about three-quarters of pregnant women and I am TOTALLY one of them! Poor Jason is becoming one of the 1/3 of men who are also affected... :( I guess it's great training for both of us for those sleepless nights to come! The baby is still gaining weight (about half a pound a week), and he could grow up to another full inch this week. With that much baby inside my uterus, my amniotic fluid level has maxed out, which explains why some of his pokes and kicks feel pretty sharp these days with less fluid to cushion the blows. Antibodies are being passed from me to baby as he continues to develop his own fetal immune system, which will come in handy once he's outside the womb and fending off all sorts of germs.

This is pretty exciting: The baby's eyes are closing during sleep and opening while he's awake! SO COOL! (but it makes my eyes scratchy thinking about what it feels like to open my eyes under water...)

7 weeks to go!

Congratulations, Kace!

2009-06-24T22:58:00.000-07:00

Aunt Kacy graduated high school on Tuesday! In some ways, I can't believe it! In other ways, I can't believe she's not almost done college! It's a very strange mix of thoughts!
Of course, as always, we're so proud of Kace! But, you should have seen my momma's face when the crowd heard how much money Kacy was awarded in scholarship money!
(such pride in her baby girl!) Over 95,000!!! Wooo Hoo! Go get 'em Kace! Featured below is Kacy's personal cheering section that turned plenty heads...
Momma and I didn't have to be embarrassed though, in the quieter (handicapped) section! Lol!

GREAT JOB KACY! Congratulations! You're finally outta there!!!

Week 32

2009-06-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

They say that this week, my body may start prepping for delivery day by flexing its muscles — literally. I might feel my uterus bunching or hardening periodically, those are practice contractions, otherwise known as Braxton Hicks. These rehearsals are said to feel like a tightening sensation that begins at the top of your uterus then spreads downward, lasting from 15 to 30 seconds (though they can sometimes last two minutes or more). I haven't experienced this yet... but I have had some minor crampy contractions that last about 10-30 seconds.

Karson's starting to get ready for his big debut, tipping the scales at almost four pounds and topping out at just about 19 inches. In these last few weeks, it's all about practice, practice, practice as he hones the skills he'll need to survive and thrive outside the womb, from swallowing and breathing to kicking and sucking. Another change this week: As more and more fat accumulates under the baby's skin, he's becoming less transparent and more opaque.

I've definitely started feeling more squirming and tapping than huge kicks or jerks lately. Sometimes I think I can distinctly feel fingers or hands sort of grazing the outside wall of my uterus... it's pretty gentle and very strange.

I'm getting really nesty... but don't have much of anything to nest with yet! We're still working on finishing the baby's room... spackling and stuff so that we can paint! But we found flooring yesterday (or... JASON found flooring yesterday) on Craig's list! 1,000 square feet of laminate hard-wood flooring for free! No way!!! So we drove (an hour) to pick it up and brought it home! So, the baby's floor will be MUCH cheaper to finish than we expected! :) We'll start there and get a feel for installing the flooring and then when the baby's room is all set up & perfect, we'll (or more likely Jason) will work down the hallway and into the living room/dining room replacing the flooring out there as well! We're SO excited about that!

The flooring just has some spackle dust and drips on it that need to be scrubbed off, but with a little elbow grease, we'll be good to go!

What a great find! Daddy is quite the scavenger! :)

2009-06-17T07:21:00.000-07:00

Okay so here's another one of my pregnancy inventions! For the working woman.... :(

The desk (top left) is conveniently shaped with a semi-circle pocket to fit the belly that is crushed by the straight edge of any normal-shaped desk!

But the CHAIR.... (bottom right)... this is my special creation! This chair allows for maximum breathing ability by allowing you to stretch out your abdomen... the bottom part is for your knees/shins to rest on so you're not sliding off of the chair or anything... this.....THIS is what I need TODAY!

I CAN'T BREATHE!

2009-06-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

I can't breathe! It doesn't matter how I sit, lay, etc... work is becoming torturous because I can't sit at my desk! I squirm around and the stupid desk pokes me in the belly... they need to invent a special chair for pregnant people! ugh. The most relief I get is being on my side but that's about it! I do NOT know how I'm going to do a 6 hour car ride to Massachusetts for a wedding in a couple weeks! UGH!

This poor kid.... looking at this picture makes it VERY clear why breathing is becoming nearly impossible for me! Geez!

Neurotic Mommy

2009-06-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

So, I had a bit of a scare this morning... I tried to talk myself out of it, but it just wouldn't go away. I was thinking last night that I hadn't really felt the baby move that much during the day... and then he didn't really move at night either. Jason tried singing and there was really just like one small movement that either of us felt. So I just figured he must be tired and went to sleep. Then in the morning, I was laying there expecting to feel him moving because he's been moving more often in the morning lately but ... nothing. I was getting nervous but I just told myself "okay, calm down just eat something and see if that makes him move...." and still nothing. So, I called the doctor's office and left a message... my mom randomly called me and of course she just sets off the water-works immediately. But, as I was talking to her, he moved and it was a pretty big one... so that calmed me a little. Then the doctor's office called back and said that since he's getting bigger, he'll start moving less because he has less room (which I knew)... but that I should be able to expect 4-6 movements after I ate... I told her I felt one... so she said to wait and eat lunch and pay close attention; if I didn't feel 4-6 movements after I ate lunch, I was supposed to call her.

So I ate lunch... and waited in angst! I felt a couple movements but not 4-6 and as I sat and debated calling, he moved about 5 -7 times in a row... it was like a jungle gym! So, I just sort of laughed to myself and took a deep breath! Whew.

I guess this is the beginning of my neurotic behavior as a fretting mother............. great.

31 Weeks

2009-06-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

Okay so it's week 31 and I officially cannot breathe! The diaphragm is feeling a little cramped these days. It's weird to imagine your UTERUS pushing up on your diaphragm! It just seems like those things are designed to be so far apart from each other! lol! From what I read, my body is going to be spare on air until the baby drops near the end of pregnancy in preparation for birth. He should be weighing in at three-plus pounds and measuring 18 inches long, quickly approaching his birth length though he's got to pack on another three to five pounds before D-day. The baby's brain connections are also developing at an amazing speed! He's now processing information, tracking light, and perceiving signals from all five senses. He's also putting in longer stretches of sleep, which explains why I'm noticing more defined patterns of awake (and moving) periods and sleeping (still) periods. He's starting to move quite a bit in the morning these days, whereas I would feel the majority of his movements at night before. Jason is excited that he might be a morning person like daddy, after all! (although that makes me a little nervous! I'm SO not a morning person!).

He shoots! BRICK! Off the rib!

2009-06-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

So, lately (meaning the past week or so) when the baby jerks or kicks, my whole body shakes... like sometimes when I'm laying in bed, I wonder if the bed shook or if it just felt like it from the inside. It's crazy!

Today I had another "first." At work, we had a meeting and I was getting really uncomfortable sitting there for so long so I kept changing positions. Well, one of the positions, he must not have liked because I felt a kick in my rib cage and it HURT! It actually really hurt! It sort of felt like a kick that sent a pinched nerve sensation across the front of my body... Some of the other women in the meeting who have had children knew by the look on my face and where I grabbed that the baby just kicked my ribs! I thought that was funny.

It really hurt!

Sunday Stretches

2009-06-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

So today in church, Jason and I were holding hands and his arm was sort of on my leg but part of his arm was touching my belly. The baby decided he wanted to stretch and Jason was surprised to have felt him bump his arm but I was even more surprised that I felt him on the other side too! He like.... stretched out straight from one side of me to the other! It was so weird to feel him on both sides of my abdomen at the same time!

A New Experience...

2009-06-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

So, we made a trip to the emergency room this morning (not the new experience, if you haven't guessed; I feel like I've been living at hospitals the past 5 months or so!). Kacy got clobbered in gym class playing volleyball and it was recommended she go get checked out.

After a CAT scan and other basic diagnostic tests, they ruled out any brain bleeds... she just has a minor concussion. BUT.... while we were waiting for her in the ER room, I had a brand new experience with baby!

You know that horribly annoying beeping that those machines do while you're in there... sometimes they're not on... but when they are that sound is just like SO unnerving. Usually, you can just tune it out after the first few "errrrrr"s happen since you're prepared for it and you know it's coming... but, when there's a little baby experiencing the world vicariously through your experiences, he doesn't really know how to just tune things out just yet....

Well, let me tell you! Karson does NOT like the "errrrr" noise at all! Before today, when my mom would tell me stories about how she could tell which types of music I liked in her womb on her hour long drives to work every day, I always thought to myself "well, how do you know I didn't like hard rock? Maybe I moved around more because I LOVED it!!!" I mean, it's believable because I still don't like very loud bouncy music unless I'm really hyped up for some reason, but I still wondered how could you possibly know the difference. Now, I understand.

His movements were so jerky and almost even panicky in nature. He was like punching my belly button and it was making me feel uncomfortable like I needed to leave. It was very strange, but also kind of cool in a way... being able to distinguish between feelings of enjoyment and agitation just by the type of movement. Nana (Minter) said he got nervous because he knew he wasn't ready to come out yet... lol.

Week 30

2009-06-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

So, reading about this week, I've learned to be thankful for heartburn....

Yeah, sounds bizarre, I know but listen to why it happens! The same pregnancy hormones that cause your body's pelvic muscles to relax so you can deliver your baby also relax the ring of muscle that separates the esophagus from the stomach. The upshot? Food and digestive juices can head upstream from your tummy into your chest and throat — hence, the infernal inferno. Very cool!

The baby should be weighing in over three pounds now. Also growing daily is his brain, which is actually starting to look like the real thing with those characteristic grooves and wrinkles. And now that the little genius can regulate his own body temperature and turn up the heat, he'll start shedding lanugo, the downy body hair that's been keeping him warm up until now. Also very cool! No monkey baby! Unless, of course, he's like his mommy... who had dark brown hair in swirls all over her face and back when she was born. lol.

So, now I'm officially 7.5 months pregnant! Only 10 weeks to go already! CRAZY!

Renee's Baby Shower!!!

2009-06-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

Renee's baby shower was this weekend! It was very fun to go and it started to make me more excited and made it more real that the baby is coming so soon! (because, I'm only a month behind her!).

This was my table having a blast............................................

We played JONAH (instead of BINGO)... and Christy won our centerpiece.

She cheats.

AND I FINALLY GOT TO MEET LITTLE NOA! She's so stinkin' cute and her eyes are so blue!
The next baby shower that will be reported on here will probably be mine! But, I had to make mention of some of these other little ones (like Noa, Jonah, and whatever Tina names the bun in her oven).... because these will be some of Karson's favorite playmates!!! :)

29 Weeks

2009-05-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

Well, it's week 29 and the baby should weigh in at nearly three pounds now and measure about 17 inches. Though he should be getting pretty close to his birth length, he still has to chub out a bit. In fact, over the next 11 weeks, he'll more than double — or even come close to tripling — his weight! And as he grows and room in the womb gets tighter, I'll be less likely to feel those big kicks and more likely to get poked by an elbow or jabbed by a knee, which I can already feel happening a lot more frequently. Just this week I've begun to see movement across my belly that isn't kicking or jerky... much more fluid and quite alienesque! But, of course, every time I tell Jason to look, he's done moving for that moment... figures! :) The picture below is a drawing of about what the little bugger looks like in my womb now, but I'm pretty sure he's breach right now, judging from the way he responds when Jason is singing to my belly... It really feels like he's trying his best to push his head as close to the sound as possible and it also feels like he reaches for it with his hands and pushes against my kidneys and liver with his feet to get his head closer to the noise......... It's very strange.

Kicks for Kacy!!!

2009-05-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

YAY!!! Aunt Kacy got to feel her little nephew move and kick tonight!

She was complaining (as usual) that she's the only one who hasn't felt the baby move.... (which, of course, isn't true....) but since she was over catching up on the entire season of LOST that she missed, I figured I'd wiggle the baby around and try to wake him up and get him moving for her....

IT WORKED! He gave her a few solid kicks and she could also just feel him squirming around and re-positioning himself after being rudely disturbed by mommy... she cried. :)

The torture begins........

Grandmom felt Karson kick!!!

2009-05-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

Grandmom finally got to feel Karson kick tonight!!! So exciting! So far it's been Daddy, Aunt Candace, and Grandmom...... hopefully more people will start feeling him too!

Really cool story!

2009-05-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night, before bed, Jason laid his head on my belly and sang to the baby (which he's done a few times before) but something really cool happened! During the first song he sang, I felt the baby move around like he was getting excited. I told Jason to sing another one and as he did, the baby starting kicking (or pushing) up right where Jason's mouth was... right where his voice could be heard the clearest! He pushed up or kicked 4 times in a row RIGHT in that spot! Jason joked that the baby was telling him to shut up.... but I really believe he was showing us that he liked it!

So, of course, we decided to try it again last night... as soon as Jason came in the room and started talking, the baby started moving around a lot! I was like, "I think he's recognizing your voice!!!" As Jason sang, he did the same thing again, hitting right where his mouth was... which isn't by any means a usual place where I feel kicks. I also felt like the baby was trying to push himself up closer to Jason's voice like he was trying to get close to it but there was this stupid pesky wall in between! It was SO cool! I really think he might be our little musical prodigy.... We keep talking about whether he'll enjoy athletics or music or both.... he's not all that acrobatic so far... not very jumpy.... but he REALLY seems to like Daddy's singing! :)

It was just a really really cool experience on both occasions!

Week 28

2009-05-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

Around this time, the should be settling into the proper position for birth, with his head facing downward. He should now be about 2.5 pounds and almost 16 inches long. He's busy adding new skills such as blinking to an already impressive repertoire of tricks like coughing, sucking, hiccuping, and taking practice breaths. His sleep now includes the REM (rapid eye movement) phase — and that means he could be dreaming already! (feel free to comment on what you think he may be dreaming about). Though his lungs are nearly fully mature (so both of you might breathe a little easier if he were born now), your baby still has plenty of growing to do. Of course, it's still best that he doesn't check out of that uterine hotel just yet — there's still a lot of growing and maturing to do over the next 12 weeks.

He's started kicking and moving around a lot more lately. And it's been happening all throughout the day instead of predominantly at night, which is exciting. Aunt Candace actually got to feel him kick this past weekend! Grandmom and everyone else are a little jealous.

Week 27

2009-05-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

At this stage of pregnancy, we officially start measuring the baby from head to toe, rather than crown to rump... which means the baby should be about 15 inches in length. He should also weigh close to (if not over) two pounds! Wow!

Most babies this age still like to snuggle in a slightly curled position inside the uterus (thus the term "fetal position"). Maybe because they don't have much of a choice! haha. But when my friend Casandra's baby Ashton was born, he always used to love laying on her stomach all curled up in a snuggle ball. So cute!

The baby's auditory development is progressing as the network of nerves to the ears matures. And even though the sounds he hears are muffled, he or she may recognize both yours and your partner's voices already. I've also read that if Jason presses his ear to my belly, he might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat.... he's excited to try that this week sometime.

The baby's taste buds are very developed now too (with more taste buds than he will ever have outside the womb, actually). Some babies will even respond to certain tastes (like spicy food) by hiccupping. I've read that hiccups feel like belly spasms... which is so weird because I was JUST telling Jason I've been feeling a new kind of movement that feels like muscle spasms in my belly.... So, now I know what that is!

The baby has been moving around quite a bit lately! Sometimes, I can even see my belly move when he kicks or squirms, which is so cool! He's also been really cooperative for Daddy.... on several occasions, Jason has put his hand on my belly while he's kicking and he'll kick right where Jason's hand is several times in a row. Maybe he's slapping him a high-five.... or saying "yo, dad... I'm already crammed enough as it is, can you give me some space?" ahh.... not looking forward to those teenage years quite yet :)

This is my last week in my second trimester! I can't believe it!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2009-05-10T20:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day! Today is the first time I've been able to celebrate this holiday as a mommy-to-be! Until now, it's always been more of a "happy-unfertilized-egg-day" haha!

We really enjoyed the weather today with my mom, sisters, hubby, nephew, and max (my sister's boyfriend) at Bethel Mill Park; our traditional mother's day activity. Played some tennis and other games, barbequed, etc... it was nice. Then, Jason and I went to his parents house for dinner (or more like dessert!) to celebrate Mother's Day with his mom, sisters, etc.

Then, when I came home, my mom gave me a really cool mother's day present; MY FIRST MATERNITY CLOTHES! yay! Even though I'm not showing a ton quite yet, these clothes are much more comfortable on my belly and will give me a little room to grow. I was so excited! (Thanks, Mommy!!!).

Just for fun, I'll post some of the mother's day pictures we took for my mom! Funny story first... I usually get pictures printed online but I didn't have much time so I took them to Walgreen's instead... well, the dude behind the counter told me I needed to have a signed release from the studio that the photos were taken in or I couldn't have them printed... I tried explaining that we did them in my living room, but he didn't believe me. I had to get a business card from my car and then I STILL had to sign a paper, releasing the prints to myself!!! lol. Geez!

The Fam (minus quite a few)

Kacy & Max....... & Jason & me... (like the symmetry? we didn't even plan that!)

Jason & Bid (my nephew)

Me & My Sisters (again... minus a couple!)

There's plenty more to choose from, but you get the gist. It was a goofy, yet fun event.

R.I.P. little bunnies....

2009-05-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

So... during our yard sale, I almost stepped on a tiny little bunny who was sitting in a puddle, soaking wet & shivering... about to get run over or eaten (or stepped on). I picked the little guy up and took him to dry land... Jason's paternal instinct kicked in early, as he held the bunny close to his chest with a towel to get him dry & warm him up. I wandered back over to where I found him and found another one in the same condition! After a fervent search, I concluded that these must have been the only two.... so, we decided we would try to take care of them.

We got some kitty milk and pulled out our old dropper bottle we used to feed Oliver... and Aunt Kacy finally took over after a few days since she was better at getting them to eat. They were doing really great for about a week... but sadly, one died. A few days later, brother followed suit. :( They were so cute (& so sweet).... but we didn't have as much luck with them as we have with our other stray vagabond pets. Look how cute they were.........

bye-bye little buddies! sorry we couldn't spend more time with you!

Week 26

2009-05-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

This week, the baby opens his eyes for the first time! I, on the other hand, can't keep mine closed! I have fallen helpless victim to pregnancy insomnia. I have trouble getting comfortable and being able to breathe at the same time... lol and I have to get up every 2 or 3 hours to pee.... and then start the whole process over again, but sometimes strong pangs of hunger take me on a tour of the kitchen at 3 am first.... then no matter what I snack on to quench the hunger, I get heartburn when I lay back down and have to chew one of my little tablets... lol. What a mess! The dog is so confused every night.

The baby now weighs a full two pounds measuring 9 or more inches! This week, his eyes, which until now were developing under fused eyelids, start to open! This means if the baby spots a bright light, he may move around a little more! The baby's brain-wave activity is kicking in at this stage in fetal development as well, which means he can not only hear noises but can now also respond to them with an increase in pulse rate or activity. Last night, Jason and I were singing a song that was stuck in both of our heads and he started moving around SO much!!! I was amazed! It was like he was telling us he was enjoying the serenading (or he was telling mommy to shut the heck up so he could hear daddy better!)... lol.

He started kicking up a storm and Jason put his hand on my lower abdomen and the baby kicked his hand like 5 times in a row! He was so excited! We were both so thrilled that Jason could feel distinct kicks and feel more than one.... it was very cool! Then daddy fell asleep and baby kept dancing for about an hour........ lol. And mommy stared into the darkness of her room, listening to daddy slumber oh-so-peacefully and laughing at the dog whimpering and dream-barking.... I'm starting to get used to the idea that it will soon be a common experience to be wide awake with baby in the middle of the night. ahh..... I can't wait!
The baby will soon be feeling a little cramped in my uterus...(as you can see above) There's still plenty of room for him to grow, but he'll soon have less room for those somersaults, cartwheels, and other Olympic feats.... such as using my bladder as a soccer ball!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

2009-04-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

A special shout-out song to our newest additions to the world!!!

Happy BIRTH-day to you, happy BIRTH-day to you,
Happy BIRTH-day dear:

Jacob ("Jack") Price DeVol - 7 lbs., 2 oz. (5 weeks early)

and

Noa Claire Hewlett - 6 lbs., 7 oz. (5 days early)

Happy BIRTH-day to youuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!

- Hey, way to get an early start on life, kids! That's how to do it!

Week 25

2009-04-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

So, today starts the 25th week! That means on some calendars, I'm officially in my 6th month starting this week (although some say I was there last week... who knows). It also means I'm 3 weeks away from my third trimester already!!! WOW! What? haha!

The baby should reach about nine inches in length this week and pass the pound and a half mark. Under his skin, capillaries are forming and filling with blood and by week's end, air sacs (also lined with capillaries) will develop in his lungs, getting them ready for his first breath. They're still developing surfactant, a substance that will help them expand after birth. And speaking of breathing, the baby's tiny nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open and his vocal chords are getting ready to roar. Hopefully he'll be able to use them like his daddy does! Sing, baby, sing!!!

One thing I read this week that I thought was so cool is that the amniotic sac is climate controlled, keeping the baby at an always comfortable temperature! That's pretty neat! Another thing I read that's not so neat is that more than half of all pregnant women experience swollen, itchy veins in the rectum due to that big old uterus pressing down as well as to increased blood flow to the area (but THANKFULLY I'm not one of them... keep your fingers crossed!)

I've felt (the past two days) that I popped out overnight. Suddenly, one day (... I guess it was Tuesday, 4/28...) I just felt huge. I felt like I couldn't breathe and I could barely eat anything without getting immediately and uncomfortably full.... and my clothes started to feel a little tight. Hmm... then, last night I was telling my mom how I felt and she said "yeah, I actually noticed today but I didn't want to mention it!" lol. So, I guess I'm not imagining things. Maybe I actually look pregnant now! Maybe people at work will stop insinuating that I'm faking it!!! :)

I can't believe I only have 15 weeks to go. It just doesn't sound like much time at all!

Our new "song"

2009-04-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

"Then" - Brad Paisley


"I remember trying not to stare the night that I first met you 
You had me mesmerized
and 3 weeks later in the front porch light taking 45 min to kiss goodnight
I hadn’t told you yet; I thought I loved you then

Chorus
Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than it’s ever been
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then.

I remember taking you back to right where I first met you 
You were so surprised 
There were people around
But I didn’t care I got down on one knee right there
And once again, I thought I loved you then...

Chorus
Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Like a river meets the sea
Stronger than it’s ever been
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then.

I can just see you with a baby on the way
I can just see you when your hair is turning gray
What I can’t see is how I’m ever gonna love you more
But I’ve said that before..........

Now you’re my whole life now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you girl
Someday we'll look back at this moment that we’re in
And I'll look at you and say, 'I thought I loved you then'
And I thought I loved you then..."

_____________________________________________________________________

So, this is SO CRAZILY our new "song"........ for many reasons...
One reason is that one time, my good friend Shannon & I drove to see
Tara (her sister, my best friend) in Georgia.  On the way there, we
had this great conversation about relationships, dating, & marriage.
She was saying how crazy it is how she feels about George (her husband)
now, versus when they were dating, got engaged, or even first got married!
How when you know it's right, you look back every so often and think,
"MAN!  and I thought I loved him THEN!  I didn't even KNOW him then!"

After our honeymoon, Jason and I were reminiscing about the wedding
planning and the few days and weeks before our big event.  Jason said
"man, I feel like I didn't even know you then, but I thought I loved you
SO much!"  After a year or so of marriage, we had the conversation again
about our honeymoon... and feeling like we barely even knew each other but
we thought we loved each other then... and Jason said "man, how scary is it
to find someone to marry... you think you know them & love them but you
really barely even know them!!!  Thank God He's in control and not us!"
I said, "yeah, I'm sure we'll feel the same way about THIS conversation
after we have kids!  We'll be like "geez, I thought I loved you THEN!"

So, a couple weeks ago, we were watching the American Idol results show
on DVR and we usually fast-forward through any guest performances but this
one was Brad Paisley!  We love Brad Paisley!  So we listened.... and holy
moly!  We were amazed!  He got in our heads somehow and wrote the perfect
song!  We were cracking up because Jason has described himself as being
mesmerized the night we met... and we sat out on my front porch till 3 am a
week after we met talking & had our first kiss that no one knew about... lol.
He said he knew that night.... He said he knew the night we met...but he
REALLY had a feeling the night we sat out till 3 am.  Then, he took me back
to where we first met to propose!!!  (except there wasn't anyone around...
that part of the song isn't accurate; COME ON BRAD, get with it!!!)

So we were laughing at these two verses and then we heard the bridge and
we were just like "what the heck!"     I can just see you with a baby on
the way.... etc etc etc...what I can't see is how I'm ever gonna love you
more.  But I've said that before.....

CRAZY!  Good writing, Brad.  Kudos, as usual!


"Someday we'll look back at this moment that we're in, and I'll look
at you and say... I THOUGHT I LOVED YOU THEN!"

... love you honey!  (I think....)  :)

A picture from our honeymoon... July 2007

I'm having a heart attack!!!

2009-04-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

So, this morning, I was starting to get really nervous because I was sitting at my desk and I just started to feel like I couldn't breathe. When I breathed in deep, I got this stabbing pain in my chest like behind my sternum and a little bit to the left side.... almost where my heart is.... I waited a bit and it didn't subside.... so, I finally just started looking up my symptoms on websites like WebMD and all (like I always do)... but, what I was reading didn't give me any solace. The options for diagnosing my symptoms were Indigestion (probable) and a Pulmonary Embolysm... which, I have to say freaked me out. I kept reading that pregnant women are at a higher risk for heart attack... Now, I'm not a hypochondriac; I don't jump to "heart attack" when I feel the slightest symptom, but I wasn't getting any answers whether my symptoms more closely resembled Indigestion or some heart issue. So, I finally just called my OBGYN's office and spoke with the triage nurse and after answering some of her questions, she wanted me to come in immediately.

Yeah, so that made me nervous.

Anyway, I saw the doctor and she just started asking me her own questions about what I was feeling. The baby's heartbeat was at 146 and mine was fast too (because I was nervous) and my blood pressure was 130/85 when two days ago at my last appointment, it was 110/70! lol. She said she was pretty confident it was indigestion I was experiencing because I wasn't short of breath, and I wasn't getting cloudy vision, feeling dizzy, turning blue, etc... and the pain wasn't traveling down my arm or anything. She asked me what I ate for breakfast (a banana & a baggie of some dry cereal)...... then she looked at me puzzled and said "okay, what did you have for dinner?" I said "a turkey & cheese sandwich........ but then I had 2 tacos at 2:30 am because I wa starving!" She said.... "did you go to bed right after that?" I said "yeah.... immediately after. The baby was REALLY active last night and when I laid down to fall asleep I kept waking up hungry and the baby was going crazy so I figured he was hungry too.... left over tacos just sounded reallllly good." She said, "yeah, I'd definitely say it's indigestion!" haha.....

Moral of the story: 1) Don't eat right before laying down. 2) Don't eat tacos right before laying down. 3) Don't eat tacos at 2:30 am right before laying down!

Anyway, she said she was glad I came in, which made me feel less stupid. I told her my main problem is that I'm really healthy. I've never felt any of these crazy things that most people get every now & then or even often! I've never had indigestion! I've barely even had heartburn or acid reflux.......... but at least I can easily identify those things. But all these other querks..... most of them are brand new experiences for me! Luckily, I usually find comfort in my research online, but today.... I just didn't.

So, don't worry everyone..... no heart attack! Pepcid AC should fix this one! Whew! Dodged another bullet!

Oh yeah, and that pound I gained this week..... forget it. I lost it again already. My weight is remaining the same, but my belly is getting fuller & harder..... explain that.......

...... still not complaining!

Strawberry Party!

2009-04-23T23:00:00.000-07:00

So tonight we were watching the Dave Ramsey show (as we do nearly every night these days...) and it was actually the TOWN HALL FOR HOPE special, which we were very excited about! I had some strawberries as a snack....ya know, an entire plate full....whatever. lol.

Anyway, as we were watching, the baby kicked me SO HARD in my bladder that it actually hurt! It was the first time it was strong enough to hurt! Then he did it 2 more times! I was really stunned! Jason said, "maybe he likes STRAWBERRIES!!!!!!!! Or maybe he's really passionate about our economy!!!"

Anyway, then, he started kicking more toward the outside of my body (like near my belly button) so I wondered if Jason would be able to feel it if he put his hand on my belly.... and after a couple minutes, he felt him kick!!! It was really exciting! He felt him kick a couple more times (faintly) and just began getting so excited for when he can feel big kicks! (although I'm a little scared about what that will feel like after tonight!!! haha...)

Week 24

2009-04-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

Almost every expectant mom's pregnant belly button pops at some point as her swelling uterus pushes on everything in its path... but mine isn't popping out (I guess I'm too fat?) The baby is about eight and a half inches long and one and a half pounds, gaining steadily at a rate of six ounces per week! Much of that weight comes from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones, and muscle. By now, his face is almost fully formed, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair! Is he a brunette, a blond, a redhead? Actually, right now his locks are white since there's no pigment yet.... (but he'll be a brunette, most likely... as Jason and I are both and have both always been brunettes)

Wondering what (and who) the baby will look like? If we had a baby cam, you'd almost be able to tell by now because that beautiful face (though still tiny) is almost fully formed!!! Our last ultrasound picture showed the baby's profile and it looked like he may have my nose & chin structure... although it doesn't seem that he has the Stinger forehead (thank God!)... lol. It's more like a 7-head and poor Aunt Kacy got stuck with it! Bwaaaahhhahahah!

All kinds of sounds can be heard by the baby in the womb: from air exhaling from my lungs, those gastric gurgles produced by my stomach and intestines, my and Jason's voice (which he'll actually be able to recognize at birth!!! SO COOL!), and even very loud sounds such as honking horns, Jantzi barking, or a wailing ambulance. We've gotten sick of Norah Jones and have introduced more variety into the baby's musical repertoire at night... to include Josh Groban, Jack Johnson, the wonderful piano playing of my good friend Lucas Cusimano, recordings of Daddy singing (one with Daddy & Aunt Lisa).... and all kinds of other decent music.

Contractions?????

2009-04-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

So, today I was sitting at my computer at work and I was thinking.... "hmm... it feels like I'm gonna get my period soon...." and then I thought.... "wait a minute!!!! INCONCEIVABLE!" So then I began to wonder if it was a problem that I was feeling a tiny bit crampy.... And this is what I found:

"As early as your fourth month, but usually in your sixth or seventh month, you'll experience what may feel like mild menstrual cramps. This is your uterus tightening in what are called Braxton-Hicks contractions (named after the doctor who identified them). These "practice" contractions are getting your uterus ready for the hard work of pushing your baby out when you're ready to give birth. They can last anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes, and will become stronger and more frequent as your due date approaches. If you're uncomfortable, try lying down, shifting position, or getting up and walking around. Sometimes a change of position is all that it takes to ease the contractions."

So, I was having contractions! CRAZY! Just sittin' at my desk....... having contractions. No biggie.......

Week 23

2009-04-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

This is about the time I'm supposed to be noticing the linea nigra, but so far, nothin. Other (less than delightful) skin changes on the body around this time can include red palms and soles, bluish blotchy legs, heat rash, and skin tags. So far, none of that has happened yet either, but my mom's palms turned BRIGHT RED when she was pregnant with me and never went back to normal! It also happened to my grandmom and aunt as well... so I might be saying goodbye to my white palms. :( The picture below is one we took a few years ago of my mom's hand (left) next to mine (on the right)....pretty crazy huh?

I'm almost in my sixth month and the baby is about to chub up a bit. His saggy skin will start to fit his frame as fat deposits fill things out. Beginning this week, he'll start to pack on the pounds (which supposedly means I will too...) and by this month's end he'll be double the weight he is now (though I shouldn't be — whew!). Right now, the baby's organs and bones are visible through his skin, which has a red hue due to developing veins and arteries beneath. But once those fat deposits settle in, he'll become less transparent, too.

So, the baby is cozily ensconced in my abdomen — yet, I'm noticing that pregnancy affects you head to toe, and pretty much everywhere in between. My head is fuzzy (this is your brain…this is your brain on progesterone), and your toes (well, your feet, at least) are SO sore! I keep saying to Jason "I've been on my feet a total of about an hour today, but I feel like I just walked New York City all day long!"

Supposedly I should be able to hear the baby's heartbeat through a stethoscope now instead of just through a dopplar! That's pretty exciting! Stethoscopes are much cheaper than dopplars!

Week 22

2009-04-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

This week, the baby weighs in at a whopping pound and measures nearly eight inches, about the size of a small doll. He can now perceive light and dark and can hear our voices, my heartbeat, and my gurgling stomach and the whoosh-whoosh of blood circulating through my body. Must be a warm, calming place to be (except when I'm yelling at Jantzi! haha).

At 22 weeks pregnant, my uterus is now about an inch above my belly button — growing by leaps and bounds. It definitely feels harder & more rounded... I haven't particularly noticed my feet growing, though... Jason's sister, Laura, said she changed a whole shoe size during pregnancy!!! crazy! Apparently, there's a pregnancy hormone called relaxin that helps loosen your pelvic ligaments (to make room for baby) but it expands ligaments all over your body (including your feet!) ... weird huh? My feet have definitely been sore & retaining a little fluid (edema) but I don't feel like they've grown at all............... What on earth would I do if I couldn't fit into my shoes that I've had for 10 years? lol.

He moves!!!

2009-04-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

I officially felt the baby move tonight!

Like I said before, starting about a week ago I began having mild suspicions that things I felt may have been the baby moving... the first time I was sitting at my computer and all the sudden my stomach felt like it would if I were being called out onto stage.... only I wasn't nervous. I was sitting in my sweatpants and tee shirt in my dining room.... so I wondered if that was what people refer to as "fluttering." I couldn't quite explain it any other way. A couple days later, I would be sitting down and would periodically feel like I had to pee immediately and then it would go away for a couple seconds and come back again... so I wondered again.... "hmm... could that be the baby just pushing up against my bladder?"

But tonight!!!! Tonight I was sitting on the couch watching American Idle (catch the pun?) and I felt really strange "gas-like" sensations, only they didn't feel like they were in my stomach or in my intestines at all... it felt like it was in my belly... and if I had to describe it as "bubbles" they were each very distinct bubbles followed by that same "I have to pee" sensation. The two repeatedly came hand-in-hand. I guess Karson likes American Idol! (or maybe just the opposite! maybe that was his "vote" to "kick" someone off the show!)

Anyway... tonight.... for the first (official) time, I know I have unmistakably felt the baby move!

Week 21

2009-04-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

The baby is about the size of a large banana now!!! (and I believe now we start measuring head to toe instead of crown to rump, which will make measurements by fruit more difficult....) — and speaking of bananas, if I eat one this week, there's a good chance the baby will get a taste, too. That's because he swallows a bit of amniotic fluid each day (for nutrition, hydration, and to practice digesting), so he eats whatever is on my menu. (I wonder if that means he likes Pepsi.... Pepsi has never tasted so good in my life as it has the past few weeks! And it STINKS because I have to be really cautious of how much I'm having due to the caffeine. I particularly like fountain soda which poses a problem in the "solution" people keep presenting me with which is, "why don't you just get caffeine free?" YEAH! I would! But no one sells it in fountain form or at any restaurants or anything! But thanks for your help!!!)

I think it's pretty cool that the baby has very developed taste buds already! I've read that researchers have noted that babies who were exposed to certain tastes in-utero via the amniotic fluid were more eager to eat foods with that same taste after birth! How cool is that? I guess I better start eating a lot of Broccoli and veggies so I don't have to struggle with him in 6 months or so! lol.

From what I read, the baby still has a lot of room in my womb right now — though like anyone who lives in one space for a long time, my little tenant will soon begin to feel cramped. :( But until the uterine walls start closing in, there's plenty of space for twisting, turning, and even an occasional somersault. I think I may have felt a little bit of fluttering last week.... I was sitting down doing bills and my stomach felt like I was being called out onto stage or something.... but I wasn't. I was in the comfort of my dining room, completely calm. So those little butterflies.... I believe may have been the first time I felt him move... but I'm not sure.

Anatomy Ultrasound!

2009-04-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

So, today was the official anatomy ultrasound! After the past two weeks running around to and from the hospital and everything like a psycho getting no sleep, no rest, and unbalanced/untimely meals.... I was so afraid they were going to tell me something was horribly wrong with the baby.... Being at the high-risk doctor for this ultrasound didn't assuage that fear at all either....

When the technician turned the screen on, I was so shocked to see how much the baby had grown since my last ultrasound!!!! I mean, you expect that he'll grow, of course, but it was just shocking to see how much bigger and how much more human he looked!!! All of his measurements came out great again, everything measuring right on time and looking great! The doctor told me he didn't want to see me ever again (meaning that my blood tests were fine and I don't have any reason to be at the high-risk doctor...) So that was excellent news! The technician was able to clearly show me testicles AND penis this time.... so we're 100% sure it's a boy! (Congratulations to those of you in the majority on our guess-the-sex poll; and to those of you who went back and changed your vote after finding out inside information: shame on you!).

They printed me out one picture (cheap bastards!) so we'll have to scan it in and see if I can post it later... but it's very cute! You can sort of see what he's going to look like already! He has this little button nose and you can see his lips and that he has no chin (like mommy!). My sister Brooke said that she has an ultrasound picture of my nephew from around 20-22 weeks and his profile is identical to what it is now. I thought that was pretty cool :) Jason and my features are so similar that it's going to be tough at first to try to figure out what of whose he has (what of whose he has... say that 5 times fast! Sounds like Dr. Seuss) Anyway, our eyes aren't hugely different in shape and we both have light eyes (his green/hazel, mine blue... we're voting on the blue genes for that one)... our noses are very similar in shape... his is just bigger (obviously) because he's bigger and he's a boy and boys have bigger noses... but the shape and the bridge and everything are very similar. Our lips have similar shapes...and are both right in the middle as far as not-to-thin, not hugely full.... Our ears aren't that differently shaped and the earlobes connect the same way. We have the same hair color (pretty much exactly) and we both are extremely muscular.

So here are the differences... our wish list for God as far as the gene pool goes:

I have blue eyes, Jason has hazel/green... both nice but if we had to pick, we'd pick blue!
Jason and I both have nice teeth but Jason didn't need braces and my teeth SUCK as far as being soft and cavity-prone! They've always been that way (same as my mom's) and no matter what I do, I'm doomed. Jason could not brush his teeth a day in his life and never get a cavity. He didn't go to the dentist for 10 years and I MADE him go... no cavities. I was so pissed. I go every other day and they always find new surprises. So... JASON'S TEETH, JASON'S TEETH!!!!
Jason's eyebrows are bushy and straight (good for a boy, bad for a girl...) Mine have a weird Dr. Spock shape... but they're not bushy, thick, & undefined so, a girl might appreciate that. :)
Jason gets allergies in the spring but other than that, neither of us are allergic to anything really... But, no spring allergies would be a nice gene to pass on.
My family is crazy... genetically predisposed to addiction (but that can be managed with a healthy fear of substances)... but the Bi-Polar/Depression piece isn't as easy to manage. We're PRAYING that gene doesn't get passed along... it seemed to miss me, so hopefully it misses my kiddos too.
Jason has a butt-chin. Well, not a total butt-chin but there's an adorable dimple and I REALLY want our kids (especially boys) to inherit that gene! I love it!
Jason has long beautiful fingers & hands (but appropriately manly)... my fingers are chubby & stubby... I have triangle fingers and meat-hook hands. So, I'd like ALL of our kids to have his hands (but a girlier version any girls...)!
My mom is almost 53 and has 2 gray hairs that she savors.... I hope I inherited that gene! But it'd be nice for our kids to have that one too!
Jason needs glasses and my eyes are better than 20/20. Actually, they were 20/12 last time I had them checked a year or so ago (which means I can see something 20 feet away from me as if it's 12 feet away! That's pretty sweet! Even if they get "worse" they're still getting closer to "perfect" before they go bad, lol).
Perhaps the most obvious I've saved for last... I have musical ability... I have an ear for music and can pick up instruments pretty quickly, but Jason is incredible! I would be so excited if they inherited his singing ability & musical talent. The same goes the other way, Jason is pretty coordinated... he can pick up sports with a little practice and his accuracy & agility is pretty good... but my family has a pretty awesome athletic gene coarsing through! If Karson (or any of our kids) could inherit both of these genes, they'd be set! I don't think our kids will be struggling for smarts, so that shouldn't be an issue... but with the best of both of these worlds, plus the brains.... they'd be unstoppable! :)

Week 20

2009-03-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

If, by chance, we're having a girl, her uterus is now fully formed and her ovaries are holding about seven million primitive eggs. If we are, in fact, having a boy, his testicles have begun their descent from the abdomen to the scrotum. The baby is about ten ounces, six and a half inches long now (about the size of a cantelope), but there's still plenty of growing room (somehow) in the oven, which allows him to twist and turn.
I've begun to notice that my fingernails are stronger and they grow REALLY fast! I just clipped them down to the finger and a week later they're long again! My hair all over my body is supposedly also thicker and fuller than usual as well (although I haven't particularly noticed that....) all thanks to pregnancy hormones and increased circulation, which furnish extra nutrients to hair and nail cells. I'm definitely getting a beard.... but I've been tweezing those little sprouts on my chin and have been comforted by the knowledge that this situation is indeed, temporary!!! But, I'm not excited about that excessive hair loss that people talk about after delivery.... when you feel like you're going bald! :( lol.

Week 19

2009-03-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't felt the intense leg cramps that people describe around this time... just some minor you're-about-to-get-a-leg-cramp-if-you-keep-stretching-like-that sensations. I have, however, wondered about the tingling & numbness in my fingers I've been experiencing every now & then. Good to hear that it's TOTALLY normal and that it's most likely a result of my body's swelling tissues pressing on nerves. whattoexpect.com describes the baby as looking like a mango dipped in cheese this week (gross!)... he's about a half-pound and around 6 inches long (roughly the size of a large melon).
The greasy white stuff called vernix caseosa (vernix is Latin for varnish; caseosa is cheese.... very original, people....) covers the baby's skin, protecting it from the surrounding amniotic fluid so he doesn't get totally pruny & wrinkled from his 9 month bath! It's made up of lanugo (the downy hair), oil from the baby's glands and dead skin cells. Thankfully, it sheds this as delivery approaches.....

The baby is able to choreograph Matrix-like moves at 19 weeks and his arms and legs are finally in proportion. Neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles and cartilage throughout the body is turning to bone. All these upgrades combine to give him more control over limb movements, although I haven’t felt anything yet (I don’t think). Although, from what I’ve read, it may be harder for me to feel him so soon because I’m very muscular… (yeah, I have a protective layer… but under that is some seriously dense & hard muscle!). We’ll see; hopefully I will start to feel him soon. Maybe once things calm down a little.

4th Prenatal Appointment

2009-03-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

Today was our fourth pre-natal appointment! The doctor said we were very boring... because it was like a 3 minute appointment... lol. Which means... everything was fine and we had no questions because I research any question I have and find out the answer before I go... unless I still think it's worth discussing with the doctor. So here's the update on Baby Straub:

The heartbeat was 136 and the doctor said that this early on, that sounds like a boy's heartbeat... yet another confirmation!

All of my tests were good... I gained 3 pounds in the past 4 weeks (and this was the first time I hadn't lost weight!!). My blood pressure was 112 over 80 (even though this has been one of the most stressful weeks of my life!)... my pee test was good and everything went well. I have to schedule an ultrasound for 20 weeks.... so, someone remind me!

On a goofier note... I locked my keys in my car again...... this time at a REEEEAAALLLLY inconvenient time! After 14 hours in the ER and hospital as we admitted my mom..... and this time it wasn't the car with the spare under the wheel well.... so we had to call public safety at the university to come bail us out by breaking into our car. ugh...... and I was SO excited that I remembered where I put the parking ticket after 14 hours... AND where the car was PARKED... AND how to even get to that parking garage from where my mom ended up (which was different than where she went in!).... I was so pleased with my high-functioning pregnant self.... until I began searching for my keys. ugh.

aye aye aye. I'm a mess.

Week 18

2009-03-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's week 18... and "they" say it's about time to start feeling some back pain! Right in time, as usual! What I thought was especially interesting was that JUST THIS MORNING I was looking at myself in the mirror thinking... "wow....I don't remember my lower back curving forward that much.... hmm... maybe it always has..." Apparently, my cantaloupe-sized uterus is causing my center of gravity to shift, pulling my lower back forward and pushing my abdomen out! Hmm... who knew?

The baby is about five and a half inches long from crown to rump (about the size of a grapefruit) and weighs about five ounces.

The art of the yawn has been mastered by the baby this week! In fact, it's possible that we might catch a glimpse of that adorable yawn if we're lucky during our ultrasound this month. The baby is finally big enough to be felt moving (and everyone and their mother has asked me if I have yet) but I haven't.... :( Although I am very excited for the day that I do!!!

The baby's nervous system is in working order and rapidly maturing during this time. Nerves, now covered with a substance called myelin (which speeds messages from nerve cell to nerve cell), are forming more complex connections. And those in the brain are further specializing into the ones that serve the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. The baby's hearing is growing more acute, making our little one more conscious of sounds that come from inside my body (which must get noisy!) like digestion, hiccups, my heartbeat, etc. The baby is supposedly hiccuping now as well... but like I said, I have yet to feel it.

Daddy is starting to talk to the baby more & more and sometimes sings us to sleep :)

Just another day...

2009-03-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

So, one thing I forgot to mention about the ultrasound was that at one point, while we were watching the screen, my uterus began to change shape and looked like the baby's living space was getting smaller & smaller.... I was like... umm, what's going on? Why is my body suffocating my baby? They (completely nonchalantly) said... "oh you're just having a contraction..." WHAT????? Who the heck knew the contractions started this soon? I couldn’t feel anything, of course… but they said pretty much all women have them this early but usually never know unless it’s caught on an ultrasound like this. SO WEIRD!!! I didn't feel even the least bit crampy! I was just so confused! lol. The poor kid looked so cramped up until it passed... I felt bad!

So, just for your reading amusement, I decided to stop at Rita's today (since it JUST opened today in Gloucester County)... and I buy my gelati and everything is fine.... then I go to get in my car and I realize I can't find my keys. Oh, right... they're in the passenger's seat. And I locked the door..... um... GREAT! So, of course I called Jason and of course he was teaching so he couldn't answer....

So I stood there and debated walking to my office.......... then I remembered that we have a spare under the wheel well.... whew. Bailed out of yet ANOTHER D.I.P.S. moment.

Aye aye aye! But I must say.... the ordeal was well worth the fuss!

Another Ultrasound

2009-03-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

I had another ultrasound today... at Jefferson University Hospital. This one wasn't as fun as the others, though (unfortunately)... I didn't get any videos or pictures this time because the guy who knew how to work the machine wasn't there to burn me a DVD.. :( So basically I was a pregnant dummy-model for students who were definitely learning..... lol. They must be the new kids on the block.

What we did get out of this ultrasound was seeing a bigger baby in there who was actually starting to look a little crowded, a heartbeat of 156, and all measurements looking very consistent (still) with most of them showing up as 17 weeks and 3 or 4 days (which is pretty close).

I tested the students to see if they could tell me what the sex of the baby was... and I didn't tell them about the other appointment. Again, they found what they thought to be "male parts" but weren't confident so they called the instructor in and she said "I can pretty confidently tell you that it's a boy but I don't want to say 100%, since it's still sort of early to know for sure." At that point, I told them all that I had another doctor say the same thing the previous week so I was just trying to see what they'd say and if they could find anything.

So, that's another confirmation to us that Baby Straub is, in fact, a baby boy! :)

Week 17

2009-03-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

Welp, Baby Straub is about the size of my palm now... about the size of a mango. His heart is now regulated by his brain (no more random beats) to beat 140 to 150 times per minute — about twice as fast as mine! The baby's body is accumulating fat (join the club, kid!) and will continue to do so throughout the entire pregnancy. By the time the baby is born, his body fat will make up about 2/3 of his weight!

The baby is almost certainly listening up by now. Loud noises — i.e. the dog barking or mommy/daddy yelling at the dog — will actually startle your baby (and also get him or her used to such noises) I've read that fetuses who regularly hear a dog barking will become babies who sleep right through the dog's outbursts, which means Jantzi might just survive this transition!

The baby's eyes (which have fortunately finished their migration to the front of his head) are making small side-to-side movements and are perceiving light, though the eyelids are still sealed. The baby is perfecting his sucking and swallowing skills in preparation for that first "meal" in the real world.

Within the next week or so, the pads on your baby's fingertips and toes will become adorned with completely individual swirls and creases...making his fingerprints one-of-a-kind!

It's a ....................... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-02T18:12:00.000-08:00

So, many of you may have already heard, but here's the scoop:

Today we went to our appointment at the high-risk doctor (they wanted to test my blood because something goofy showed up in my iron count or whatever... nothing to worry about). Anyway, unbeknownst to me, they had every intention of doing an ultrasound! What a fun surprise!

As Jason and I sat in the room waiting for the technician, I said... "hey, how weird would it be if she could actually see the sex of the baby today and we weren't even expecting to know till next week or 2 weeks from now!" Jason said he was thinking the exact same thing but didn't want to get too excited!

She came back in and started taking all of her measurements and whatnot. Then, when she was getting the femur length (femur = thigh bone for those of you who are going "fe-who?"). She was taking the measurement, and I was looking at the screen and I saw something between the kiddos legs. I thought to myself... um.... is that what I think it is? Then the technician stopped and said "oup.... look at that! It's early yet, but if I had to guess, I'd definitely say that's a little boy in there!" I said "yeah, I was about to ask if that was something... I saw it too" Then a couple seconds later she tried peeking again and found that little spot again with no problem. She said "Yeah, if you asked me, based on that I'd definitely say it's a boy... although I would wait for a few weeks before you go paintin' the nursery!!!"

So, the vast majority of you who have voted boy... chances are you're very good guessers! Like I said, we may not know for absolute sure, but it seemed awful promising that the little bun in the oven will be named Karson! :)

For now, we have the pronoun we were asking for. From this point forward, (or until further notice), we will refer to said baby as "he."

And all God's people say: AMEN!

Jantzi's Hair Cut!!!

2009-03-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

This post is for anyone who is interested... I'm just really excited to show him off!!! I'm sure Tara will appreciate it more than anyone but it really is remarkable!

Jantzi got a REALLY great grooming from a good friend of mine who is AWESOME at her job! Take a gander at our gorgeous pup...

BEFORE

AFTER

WHOA! He looks like he (somehow) got 2 years younger! What a difference!

Beard.....No beard... What a pretty little face! Who even knew it was under all that scruff! And who the heck knew this dog even had a neck!???? Turns out he does... and that it's like a whole foot long!

Trying to get a full body shot...

Yes, Jantzi has a very "unique" look, ungroomed. It's charming and adorable in it's own special little way... but I just can't get over how ADORABLE he is after being groomed! He looks like a tiny little puppy! Losing all that scruff and that beard makes him look so skinny and he just moves around like he feels lighter... (and if you saw HOW MUCH HAIR was on the floor of that grooming salon, you'd completely understand!)

He's just so soft & handsome. I can't imagine him getting in trouble for anything over the next few weeks.... lol. He's just too cute!

The Name Game

2009-02-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

Okay... it's time for some fun! After much deliberation, we've decided on two names (one for a boy, one for a girl).

We had this idea that it would be really neat to name our kids after us, but in reverse. The name we came up with for a girl named after her daddy was Jasey and we loved it! Jason means "healer; to heal" and Jasey means the same, but also means "a gift." So we just liked the name all around and it was a go.

Coming up with a name for a boy named after his mommy was a little harder. Of course, we originally thought of the obvious... Kristopher.... and considered Kristian... but for whatever reason, I just wasn't really "sold" on either of those names. I don't know whether they felt too common to me or what, but they just weren't sinking in as much, as quickly, or as deeply as "Jasey" had.

So..... I kept pondering........................

Kristy is derived from Christian (which isn't news to anyone...) so I started looking up Christian and trying to find other derivatives of the name. The first one I read was Carson and the wheels started turning!

I thought... Karson.... oooooh, I like that a lot! Karson is also derived from Christian (it sort of sounds like it a little if you think about it... makes sense), so Karson, like Kristy, means "bearer/follower of Christ."

The coolest thing (I think) about this whole thing is that Jasey and Kristy have the same ring to them as do Karson & Jason. Both names just seem to really fit!

So, as of now, we're pretty set on those names as our top choices. We thought it would be pretty fun to post a poll for everyone to try to guess what we would choose for middle names. But before we send you into the game blindly, let us explain a little bit about each middle name we're listing so you can make a better-informed decision.

Middle names for Karson:

James - "to follow" - James is Jason's father's name.
Josiah - "healed/supported by God" - Jason's middle name is Joseph. Sort of sounds similar, plus we like the meaning.
Micah - "who is like God?" - with this name, Karson's initials would be the same as mommy's! K.M.S.
Elijah - "my God is Jehovah" - This has been one of mommy's favorite names for years.

Middle names for Jasey:

Margaret - "pearl" - Margaret is Kristy's mother's name.
Jordan - "the descender/the watering place" - with this middle name, Jasey's initials would be the same as daddy's! J.J.S.
Hannah - "favor/grace" - This is a name mommy really likes. Aside from being pretty, I think it would be a really fun way to teach Jasey what a palendrome means! :)
Rebekah - "captivating/beautiful" - This is a name daddy really likes; plus one of Jasey's meaning is "a gift"... so a "a beautiful gift" is a pretty cool first & middle name.

So, now that you've been given all of this education/information... vote wisely! There will be great prizes for our winners...... (umm...... except voting is anonymous). Feel free to leave comments as well explaining why you voted the way you did! Have fun! (we sure did!)

Week 16

2009-02-27T14:26:00.000-08:00

So I'm starting to feel like my belly is feeling more bloated than usual. It's a little hard to get a good breath sometimes... and that could also be because I'm completely congested as well... I love that I feel every single symptom listed on websites... of course I couldn't just feel a few... or a couple; every single one. Jason said it's because I'm an over-achiever. ha. ha. ha........

Good news is that the baby is bulking up too, now weighing close to 3 to 5 ounces and about 4 to 5 inches in (crown to rump) length, about the size of a granny smith apple. His/Her tiny muscles, especially the ones in his/her back, are gaining strength so he/she can straighten out a little more soon (at which point we'll start measuring head to feet).

The baby has eyebrows and eyelashes! And his/her vision is developing very quickly and the eyes are finally working able to perceive light and make small side-to-side movements (although the eyelids are still sealed). So, technically, we could play peek-a-boo with a flashlight! lol.

So, I know I read before on some other site that the baby's hearing develops at 13 weeks but what-to-expect.com says it's during this week! So, who knows! At least we can say the baby can DEFINITELY hear us now even if it couldn't the first 2 or 3 weeks we were playing Norah for him/her! Apparently it is THIS week that the bones in the baby's ears are in place, which make it possible to hear our voices or Norah's.

The baby's skin is practically translucent now, so if you took a peek inside my uterus, you'd be able to see the baby's blood vessels under his/her thin skin!!! It won't be until the last few weeks (as far as I understand) that the skin becomes less see-through as it develops pigment and as the baby gains more fat on its little body.

2009-02-24T21:53:00.000-08:00

I just added tickers to the bottom of the site! Yay!

That pregnancy "glow"............ or jaundice.

2009-02-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was at a Chinese Buffet for my cousin for her graduation party. My sister, Brooke, (pictured with me below) brought her camera and we took tons of pictures... and when I saw them I was like wow... I definitely have that preggo look. lol. That... ugh,-even-Chinese-food-is-unappealing-right-now-look!

I also felt like I look like I'm 12 yrs old (that may be an exaggeration)... but it explains the you-have-7-heads look I got at Walgreen's when I told the woman I was married & pregnant. I felt like she thought I was 16. I was thinking... do I really look or come off as that young? What's the deal? (feel free to leave comments... "yeah you look 12"...."you look your age".... "you look like a 43 yr old haggared mother of 7"....whatever.)

Psalm 78:4, 6-8; NIV

2009-02-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

^"4 We will not hide [what we have heard & known] from our children;
we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his power, and the wonders he has done.

⁶ so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.

⁷ Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.

⁸ They would not be like their forefathers—
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to him."

Psalm 78:4, 6-8; New International Version

This is one of many prayers Jason and I are praying for our little one (we especially love the line "even the children yet to be born"). Just that we will always remember to teach our children of the things God has done in our lives in hopes that their generation will be more loyal and faithful than our generation has been!

Dancing

2009-02-20T20:21:00.000-08:00

This video was taken during our ultrasound. It was just an experiment... we could have gotten much more entertaining "footage" of el bambino, had we recorded it sooner, but we're hoping that next time we'll get a cool video! It's still pretty neat to watch him/her dance around in there... Hope you enjoy!

Week 15

2009-02-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

Okay so it's week 15 now and the baby is about the size of an orange! The ears have migrated to the sides of the head from their original resting place; the neck. Thank God they don't stay there... how weird looking that'd be! The eyes are also moving to the front of the face and now the baby can wiggle his/her fingers and curl his/her toes and is starting to make breathing movements in preparation for life outside the womb. He/she is flexing those little arms & kicking those little legs... (I saw that on the ultrasound and couldn't BELIEVE I couldn't feel the calisthenics I was watching go on inside my abdominal gym!)

As for me, I again appear to be right on schedule, as I'm coping with a chronic stuffy nose as progesterone surges through my system (which is frequently mentioned in week 15). My "round ligament pain" is becoming more bothersome every time I change positions, stand up, etc... and my stinkin lower back (particularly the left side) is KILLING me!

Speaking of surging hormones and a sore back... poor Jason. He was rubbing my back for me yesterday and I was saying how this whole pregnancy thing is really rough on your body! He jokingly told me I was "such a complainer" and I just started bawling. He felt horrible... because he really was kidding and playfully messing with me as he listened to my ailments and massaged my sore back... poor guy. It was like he broke me and was trying to figure out how to put it back together! lol. He's such a good hubby...

Rough Day...

2009-02-18T17:56:00.000-08:00

Ugh. I had a migraine that started yesterday at 1 pm and persisted through the night and ALL DAY today. I slept so much and it didn’t matter. Tylenol stinks when it comes to migraines and nothing helped.

It just so happened that I had a pre-natal appointment today and I had to go with sunglasses on (even though it was rainy) and I wore them inside for my visit. (Jason kept saying it looked like I had a hang-over....lol). The doctor told me to take an Excedrin, which I was surprised about… but she said it’s like a cup of coffee and the aspirin isn’t good to be taking all the time but if it might relieve the migraine, it’s worth it… just don’t take them very often (like one a day if necessary). It was the first time I felt normal in 2 days! And the headache is gone now! yay for Excedrin! One of my best friends in this world. As Tara said... "Excedrin [not beer] is proof that God loves us!" Amen Sistah!

We recorded the heartbeat and will be getting a Build-A-Bear monkey today! I’ll post pictures as soon as he/she is made! :)

OUR FIRST ULTRASOUND!!!

2009-02-16T20:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, so we cheated… we just couldn’t wait for 18 weeks! (Especially when we had the opportunity to have an ultrasound sooner for free!)

Today, we went to Jefferson University Hospital in Philly and participated in a “study” that students in ultrasound class are doing. It was very very cool!

I was the first “patient” the students had on their own besides themselves so they were really excited and were so happy to explain everything they were learning to us! They took measurements of the baby and all of the measurements were indicating that the baby is growing at just the right pace! Each measurement showed the baby to be just over 14 weeks (one 14 weeks, 3 days… another 14 weeks, 2 days… another 14 weeks even…) so our proposed due-date is probably pretty accurate, since by that estimate we should be 14 weeks, 4 days!

The baby was moving around SO much when we first started! It was amazing to see a face and movements… waving, kicking, squirming… unbelievable! I wished the baby could see me too, but I guess we’ll just have to wait! The baby will see me when I hear him/her; it’ll be a trade-off.

This first picture (below) is one of the best… The pictures appear to be losing quality as I load them to this blog, but if you’d like to see them a bit clearer, go to facebook or come over! This picture is a full-body shot… a head with a defined chin and jaw line… a few little white lines for ribs, a leg, and either a hand, or a foot peeking from the other side of the body. Take a gander, will you?

This picture (below) is one of our favorites! The people who did the ultrasound let Jason and I take control of the little ultra-sounder and snap any shots we thought were cool. This one is one I took, but Jason really LOVES it because the baby is laying just like I do when I sleep; on the side with one hand under the head. These pictures aren’t as easy to see on here, for some reason, but this shot is definitely cute!

Baby Sucking his/her thumb…. not the clearest… the next one (scroll down) is a little clearer...
The above picture is a cool shot of the spine… but the main attraction is the butt (just kidding)…. the main attraction is the thumb sucking action! Again… right on schedule according to our week-by-week progression. The baby was moving around so much… almost waving to us! holding his/her ear…. touching his/her feet… sucking his/her thumb… kicking and squirming. It was amazing to watch but I couldn’t believe that I couldn’t feel it as I was watching it on the screen. It was very strange!

The photo below shows a pretty great shot of the baby’s spine, ribs, head, arm, etc. The chin is pretty defined in this shot… I wonder if it’s a butt-chin like Daddy’s!

The picture below (not very clear on here, unfortunately) is of the baby’s full arm, hand, and fingers!

Mozart Effect

2009-02-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

I felt the most connected I have ever felt with the baby last night… even moreso than when we heard the heartbeat, believe it or not! Jason and I got out my headphones and I randomly picked an artist for the baby to listen to. I figured… Norah Jones would be great… She’s soothing, there’s a lot of piano and her vocals are great. She’s very talented and I am always relaxed by her music so I figured it’d be perfect. But… something happened when I put the headphones to my belly… I just started wondering what the baby was thinking… what the music sounded like to him/her and if he/she liked it. I was sure he/she did…because why wouldn’t anyone? It was just very apparent to me that there was a listening human inside of me and we were both grooving to the same tunes! It was an awesome feeling! I fell asleep with the headphones on my belly!

Right before I dozed, I had this really cool idea. Jason and I agreed that we’d like to do an experiment: We’ll pick a quality artist to play for each baby and only play that artist…until they’re born, of course; at which point we’d expose them to many different artists… Now, this is a two-part experiment. One: we’d like to see if that particular artist would be more soothing/calming for the baby than any other artist and Two: we’d like to see if each kid shows a preference for that artist later in life before we tell them who their special artist-of-choice was. We just thought it’d be interesting to see if they subconsciously favor their chosen artist as they get older.

Get back to us in like 10 or 15 years and we’ll tell you how it’s turning out. It’s one of those long-term studies, of course. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

Today is Valentine's Day and it's also Jantzi's birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PUPPERS!!!
TWO YEARS OLD! I can't believe it! It seems like just yesterday when Aunt Candace dragged you across the country in the back of her Honda and brought you to our house on April Fool's Day! You were so traumatized by the car for so long, but we knew you'd pull through! We're so proud of you! :)

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone else!

Week 14

2009-02-13T15:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I was mistaken… for some reason, I thought the 13^th week was the first week of the second trimester, but I haven’t “officially” entered into the second trimester until THIS week. (my bad). But… my nausea is certainly subsiding and my energy level is making a comeback.

One thing I started experiencing very frequently this week has been these sharp pains in my lower abdomen (usually when I suddenly change positions or when I get up too quickly…). I wasn’t quite sure why this was happening but I just figured it was normal. Turns out I’m RIGHT ON TIME…. That this pain starts to appear around 14 weeks and it has an official name: round ligament pain. It’s basically what I figured it was; the muscles and ligaments of the lower abdomen stretching to accommodate the rise of the uterus into the abdomen. So, I’m not crazy, abnormal, or anything like that… I’m a perfectly punctual pregnant person. (p-p-p-p-pppp-p-p).

In week 14, the baby is about the size of a lemon and is becoming extremely active, moving almost constantly! The baby is learning “better posture” now… not slouching or crunching up anymore… His/her neck is getting longer and the baby is looking much more straightened out (if we could see it).

It’s very possible that the baby has hair now that could possibly be his/her final color! The eyebrows are filling in too. The baby is also growing hair all over… a downy coating of hair called “lanugo” that keeps him/her warm & toasty! The monkey fuzz will shed after the baby packs on some pounds… but if it’s anything like me, it’ll still have black hair all over when it’s born!!! Lol. My mom held me for the first time and then cried and said “She looks like a monkeyyyyyyyy” to my dad. Lol. It all went away during my first bath (Thank you, Jesus!)

The baby is also able to clench his/her fists. It can wiggle his/her fingers and toes and even suck his/her thumb! SO CUTE!

Week 14, but sweet... not sour

Build-A-Baby

2009-02-10T12:13:00.000-08:00

Today I stopped into Build-A-Bear to pick up one of the sound recorders so that we can record the baby’s heartbeat at our next pre-natal visit (next wednesday, 2/18). We’re so excited! We’re going to put it into a little monkey and wait to buy clothes for it until we know the gender of the bambino. Such a cute idea, right???!!!

So we’re full of exciting news! Let me see if I can remember it all.

One of our friends told us about one of her friends who is an ultrasound technician in training at Jefferson University right over the bridge in Philly. They’re looking for “pregnant models” to come in and let them do ultrasounds as practice & for educational purposes. I can go as many times as I’d like, as they’re pretty desperate for “models” and each time, they pay for my parking, give me free pictures & videos and let us listen to the heartbeat! How cool is that!!! Our first visit is on Monday (2/16) at 5:30! If the baby is extra cooperative, they MAY be able to tell the gender or at least give us a good guess! It’d be especially easier if it is a boy, obviously… but how exciting! There’s a possibility we may know as soon as Monday!!!

Next, one of my friend’s aunts had twins a few years ago and is trying to get rid of two cribs and some other baby stuff depending on the gender (she has stuff for both!) She’s going to sell us the cribs and throw in a bunch of extra stuff for really really cheap! So, we don’t have to worry about a crib and my mom can have a crib downstairs! So cool!

Jason’s sisters have given us all these neutral clothes that are SOOOO adorable! We have like 5 outfits for newborn and 0-3 months and a few for 3-6 months! It’s so cute to look at the clothes and fold them and we set up a little drawer in our dresser for those clothes! It’s so cool to be able to see the clothes and picture a little baby in them! It feel so far away yet so close at the same time….

Also, Jason’s sisters helped me find a diaper bag that I LOVE and I’ll post a link to it if anyone wants to take a peek! I LOVE it!

Petunia Pickle Bottom

This image to the side here is pretty crappy quality but if you click on the link above, it will take you to Petunia Pickle Bottom's site which has all the bag's specs and you can enlarge a better image (if you're interested!). I LOVE IT!

Week 13

2009-02-08T11:02:00.000-08:00

Well, it’s week 13 already and the baby is about 3 inches long and the size of a peach. Now comes the time for the baby’s body to grow grow grow to catch up with the head in terms of size. (Let’s hope it accomplishes this task efficiently and doesn’t come out looking like Aunt Kacy!!!). The intestines are now moving from the umbilical cord into their permanent resting place; the abdomen. Daddy is especially excited this week, as this is the week the baby’s vocal chords are developing and it should now be able to hear us! You know what this means…. Mozart Effect! Daddy’s been talking to Mommy’s belly like a crazy person and will soon start singing and playing music through headphones to develop the baby’s brain musically as far as tone, pitch, and rhythm are concerned. He’s been waiting weeks for this day!

The baby has fingerprints now! How cool is that!!! Also, if it’s a girl, she has over 2 million eggs! Crazy!

Yesterday we opened up our registry at Babies R Us, just to get the ball rolling. We were told by a good friend that we should register early (before we know the gender) for as much as we can so we’re sure to pick as many neutral things as possible (so we can reuse them when we have more kiddies). So, we registered for some of the big stuff… and got totally overwhelmed by all the millions of little things on our registry checklist. I have a feeling the registry process will take 4 or 5 trips! It was totally intimidating! There are just so many things on the list, SO many choices and we (never having a baby before) have no idea which kind/brand/etc will be the best. We felt totally clueless for the first time. (I’m sure that will become a very familiar feeling in the months to come).

Lisa & Laura (Jason’s sisters) have been giving us newborn and 0-3 baby clothes in neutral colors… We’ll really only need maybe a couple newborn outfits, but we’re basically already set! It’s awesome! We’re making a list of all we have so that we know what to ask for or register for as far as sizes go. It’s also really cool to be able to look at the clothes and imagine a little tiny body in them!!! (Thanks guys!!!)

Still waiting for the random nausea and chronic fatigue to ease up……… should be any day now………………

Wow........

2009-02-03T22:59:00.000-08:00

So, of course (since my body hates me right now) I’ve been picking up every little bug; sniffles here, sore throat there… Well, sometime this weekend I caught the mother of all bugs. I can’t even call it a bug… it was a plague! It started off with a sore throat and stuffy nose… I went to sleep and woke up with a very sore throat, very stuffy nose, huge headache, body aches all over, and stomach pains. The stomach pains were what kept me from being able to sleep so I just laid in pain wherever I was… I spent about 4 hours laying on the bathroom floor because I was sure I was going to need to call Ralph on the big white phone. Of course, that didn’t happen until I was back in my bed with my little trash can.

I hadn’t eaten anything so being violently ill was extremely painful… after this episode, I sucked on a starburst (it’s what was close) to get the taste out of my mouth and in about an hour it started all over again. It was this knot in my chest that hurt so bad… then seemed to grow and grow (ever so slowly) until it was time. I couldn’t keep anything down… clear liquids, beef broth, tomato juice (which is supposed to be a sure bet… it always stays down)… nothing. I was getting so upset because I knew that the baby was starving inside of me (not to mention probably dehydrated as well) but I couldn’t do anything about it. It was terrible. Jason was seriously considering taking me to the hospital because we didn’t know what else to do.

Suddenly, I had an idea. Why don’t I try something solid like crackers? I know I can’t hold liquids down and that’s supposed to be the first step, but maybe the problem is partly being caused by this post nasal drip thing I’ve got going on here… and maybe something solid would absorb that a little. So, Jason went out to the kitchen and came back with Goldfish Crackers… Meanwhile the next knot had already been forming and growing so I was a little nervous to try the crackers quite yet, but I did it anyway…. I was amazed!

With each cracker I ate, the knot grew smaller and smaller again and finally disappeared… I hadn’t been without that stomach pain since the morning so I was finally able to sleep for a few hours (on the floor of my closet, right outside the bathroom where I had moved…). Ah, man I was quite a mess… and still feel pretty horrible but now it’s only full-body achiness, severe headache, and congestion. That’s NOTHIN! (not compared to last night, anyway).

Let’s hear it for Jason, my mom, and Pepperidge Farm!!!

Awesome Venn Diagram

2009-01-31T14:35:00.000-08:00

Compliments of a dear friend, Christy B...... uh....... I mean H.

Week 12

2009-01-29T17:48:00.000-08:00

The little strauberry weighs about as much as half an ounce now, and the crown-to-rump length is about two and a half inches (roughly the size of a large plum — busily working his or her way through the whole produce department!). You should have seen Jason and I with our mini tape measurer in Acme… The produce lady thought we were nuts!

It’s hard to believe since I don’t look or feel all that much different, but the baby has more than doubled in size during the past three weeks!!! The fetal digestive system is beginning to flex its digestive muscle as it starts practicing contraction movements, a skill the baby will need after birth to push food through the digestive tract. The bone marrow is making white blood cells, which will one day help him or her fight infection once he/she’s out of my safe haven. The pituitary gland at the base of the brain has started producing hormoneswhich will enable him or her to make babies of his or her own in a couple of decades or so!

This week marks a turning point for baby Straub. At 12 weeks, the herculean task of developing new bodily structures is nearing an end as most of the baby’s systems are now fully formed. Now comes the maintenance phase, during which the baby’s systems continue to mature for the next 28 weeks and the organs get to work…. which still sort of grosses me out if I think about it too much… so I don’t.

I had my first maternity clothing issue this week… even though I’ve lost 15 pounds since I found out I was pregnant, I TOTALLY had an underwear issue the other night! I woke up in the middle of the night in so much pain because my underwear were DIGGING into my hip bones! I don’t know if my hips are already expanding or if it’s just my baby bump making them squeeze tighter around my hips or what but it was SO painful! I got up and changed into a pair of Jason’s soft & comfy boxer briefs and all I could think about as I was trying to fall back asleep was “these are SO comfortable!!! But they would totally bunch up in my jeans!” Why on earth don’t they make women’s underwear that comfortable & soft? Oh no… they reserve the goodies for the guys, as usual! For us, we get grannie panties, yarn that rides up the crack, elastic that digs into the crease of your thighs if you end up with the wrong brand/pair… I mean… come on! Can’t we think of something better than this?

I can’t believe I’m a week away from my second trimester already! What on earth!??

D.I.P.S.

2009-01-28T15:46:00.000-08:00

What is DIPS, you ask? A very real and very severe condition known as Dumbness In Pregnancy Syndrome, and I have been afflicted!

I believe I failed to report this incident when it occurred, but nearly two weeks ago, on January 16th, I was on my way to the teen center (where I work on Friday’s)… when my car started making funny noises and I felt like I was starting to slow down even though I wasn’t pressing on the brake… I looked down at my speedometer and realized that I was COMPLETELY out of gas! I have NEVER done that! 90 year-old women and 17 yr old girls run out of gas…. and to top it all off, it was the coldest day of the year and I was stranded on the side of the road. I called my good friend and Teen Center co-worker, Steph, to come bail me out and of course THIS was the day she was realizing her phone may be broken… I could hear her but she couldn’t hear me… So I’m screaming into the phone and she keeps hanging up on me! Finally I just texted her and she came & found me! We went to the closest gas station and begged the guy to let me borrow his gas can… he gave us this dinky little oil funnel which we realized AFTER we started pouring that it wouldn’t work… because it just poured right onto the ground… all but that which the wind blew onto my sweatshirt.

With FREEZING HANDS, we continued to struggle to get gas into my car. McGuivers that we are, we found a gallon milk jug in my car and scissors in hers and we made our own “funnel” to get enough gas into the tank so that I could fill up. Gasoline is VERY cold…. When we got to the point where we were trying to close the gas can, our hands were so cold they didn’t even work anymore and we were like trying to turn the cap with our wrists. It was horrible. I wreaked of gasoline and had to take off my sweatshirt…. so then when I got to the teen center (which had no heat, btw, due to a broken heater) I had to go into the mall and buy a jacket so I wouldn’t freeze to death over the next 6 hours or so.

The reason I tell you this story is that it is merely one in a series of events of my recent stupidity and new-found ditzy-ness. Jason and I agreed that we must document these “episodes,” as they are quite amusing. I’ve been having brain issues since Christmas, but I’m just recently starting wanting to document them, as they’re getting progressively worse.

Today, I had another such moment…

My keyboard at work was dusty… and I wanted to clean it off. I spotted a can of what I thought to be the aerosol air spray cleaner… so I put the little straw into the top of the can, shook it up and proceeded to spray all over my keys… when it wasn’t coming out as air, I started thinking “what the heck??” So I shook it more and sprayed it away from my computer…. and it was still a stream of moisture, not air. Perplexed, I began to examine the can for directions that I may have forgotten or missed…. when I realized it wasn’t aerosol keyboard cleaner at all…

IT WAS WD-40 !!!!! WD-40!!!!! I had just drenched my keyboard (and subsequently my laptop screen) with grease! You’ve got to be kidding me!!! What makes it worse was that I BOUGHT THE WD-40 myself for my squeaky computer chair…. WHY, OH WHY ON EARTH did I think it was keyboard cleaner??? What is WRONG with me???

They TOTALLY look the same, don't they? Anyone could mix them up!

Week 11

2009-01-23T19:59:00.000-08:00

Welp, it’s week 11 and the adorable little alien inside me is really starting to look human! (not that I can see it or anything… that’s just what ‘they’ say). The baby is about 2 inches long (or about the size of a kiwi) and weighs about a third of an ounce with a head about as long as the rest of the body! Can you imagine if that’s how all people still looked? HA! We’d all be top heavy, like the opposite of wee-bles! “Pee-ples wabble but they always fall!” Bear with me, I’m at work and I’m over-tired. :)

He/She is growing hair follicles (kinda like the kiwi!!!), has ears that are almost their final shape, a tongue and palate in the mouth and visible nipples!!! (So does mommy…. from down the street! Such weird things that happen to your body, I tell ya….). Fingernail and toenail beds are developing this week, so nails should start growing by next week! Hmm.. will baby have Daddy’s alien finger-toes or Mommy’s Fred-Flinstone stubble feet? I really can’t even say which one would be better…….. lol. Poor kid…

The baby’s body is straightening and his/her torso is lengthening. It has most likely started stretching, doing somersaults and forward rolls, although I won’t be able to feel that till the baby gets a little bigger. If it’s a boy, the testes are developing and if it’s a girl, the ovaries are developing! Very cool!

This may be a very strange thought, but I was watching a basketball game yesterday, thinking about the heartbeat and I had this all-consuming thought! There were just crowds and crowds of people in the stands and players on the court & benches and I was like man…. every single one of those people (with absolutely no exceptions) was in some woman’s belly! Unbelievable! Then I was thinking about ALLLLLLL the people that were at the inauguration on tuesday, and ALLLLLLLL of those people were inside a woman’s uterus. Everyone! I can’t really explain it… but was a very strange thought! It’s like when you’re walking home from school as a kid and totally zone out and realize you’re home already…. and you just forget (or take for granted) all your body had to do to get you there without you even thinking about it…. breathing, digesting calories & converting them to energy, muscle movements, BALANCING…. not to mention being on auto-pilot in your brain and just zombie-ing your way to your house! It was kinda like that…. like everyone knows babies come from mommies’ bellies……. but when you really look at an ENORMOUS crowd like that….. it’s a crazy thought!

The-theee-ttthee-thhhheeee-

theeeee-THAT’S ALL FOLKS!

Our Second Pre-Natal Visit!

2009-01-21T17:12:00.000-08:00

Today we went for our second pre-natal appointment! Yay! This one was a good one! There’s a lot to tell so bear with me!

First of all, I lost 7 pounds… which, they say, is normal in the beginning due to lack of appetite. My blood pressure was 110/70 which is great!… all my pee tests came back good; no protein or sugar in my urine… all good.

The doctor said that we would try to listen to the baby’s heartbeat but that many times, they have trouble hearing the heartbeat until about the 12th week or so… So, she put the cold jelly on my belly and searched around for a couple seconds…she found my heartbeat (I guess in a vein or something…lol) and then shortly after, we heard a really strong and fast heartbeat! She said it was pretty strong and didn’t seem to have any trouble holding onto it after she found it so it seems the baby is already cooperative!!! The heartbeat was 170 and she said during week 12, a heartbeat anywhere from 110 to 180 is good… so we’re in week 10 with 170…. sounds like a strong heart! woo hoo!

It was so cool to be able to hear the heartbeat! It was sort of surreal because I remember wondering what that would be like years and years ago… how that must feel to hear a heart beating inside of you…. It definitely made it feel much more real and made me much more aware that there is a tiny human inside of me who has his/her own little heart! It also made me very very excited for the first ultrasound! Oh yeah, and the doctor told us that we could go to Build-A-Bear and buy one of their little recorders so that on our next visit, we can record the Doppler heart beat and then go back and put it in a little bear for our baby! What a cute idea!!!

After all this excitement, I had to have my blood drawn and I was a little nervous, as I usually get when I have to get a shot or have blood taken… but, the woman was asking me if I was okay and she said that I looked patchy… I figured my face just got a little red or something because I was tense but when I went to the bathroom to give them my pee, I realized that the whole right side of my face was patchy and there was a little red spot peeking through the collar of my tee-shirt and when I lifted that my WHOLE chest was broken out in hives!!! I was like WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS!!!!!!

So when I went back out, I showed the nurses and Jason and I was like “this has NEVER happened to me before… I’ve NEVER gotten hives!” I kept reassuring them that I felt fine… they were acting like I was about to pass out… I was just thinking “this is a really querky pregnancy thing….” and I explained to them that a huge part of my job is speaking in public and what am I going to do now? lol! If I’m randomly getting HIVES ALL OVER MY CHEST, NECK and FACE when I get the least bit nervous…. I’ll have to quit my job!

What a strange experience!

When we were checking out, the lady at the front desk made a HUGE fuss about what a GREAT JOB I did filling out all the paperwork they gave us. She said it’s been years since she’s gotten a set of paperwork that didn’t need to be corrected at all! She had me and Jason pick out lolli-pops as a reward for our “excellent work!” It was very amusing. When we got in the car, Jason commented about it and I said “yeah, it must make a huge difference to have patients who are out of high school with college degrees!” lol. I mean, how hard is it to fill out basic paperwork? She really hasn’t had a perfectly completed set in years? No wonder she was so excited!

Anyway, thanks for checking in! That’s our latest (albeit very exciting) news!

Week 10

2009-01-20T22:35:00.000-08:00

Here we are; the post we’ve all been waiting for!!! WEEK 10! Why are we so excited for week 10? Well, because baby Straub is now the size of a STRAWBERRY!!! YAY! Perfect! (and we’re all excited because Momma Kris hasn’t updated the blog in “over 10 days”……..geez… I didn’t know I had such avid readers! I’ll have to hold myself more accountable so I don’t get anymore hate emails!) Haha…

I’m actually flattered and surprised that so many people have been reading this! I figured it would end up just being me and Jason and probably the Minters. lol. I do have to clear one thing up, though…. there has been speculation as to whose hand is holding these model fruits… and, I’d like to throw it out there that my arms are not that hairy. Plus, use your brains people… who’s the photographer in this gig? :) lol. Yes, mystery solved… Jason is our hand-model! I feel the need to share with you that he especially loves having sharpee on his hand for two days after we take each picture. I tell him I’m growing a human and it’s a small price to pay! No, he has fun doing the pictures too. He’s no scrooge.

So What to Expect has informed me that I should expect to be constipated, but don’t worry folks, I’m not… at least not yet. The baby is taking on human shape now, as bones and cartilage are forming and tiny indentations on the legs are developing which will be knees and ankles! (let’s pray the strawberry doesn’t get mommy’s crappy knees). The arms already have elbows and can flex already! Even though the arms are getting stronger, each one is only about the size of this number 1.

This is a very bony week… the tooth bud fairy is making her appearance as well, as the strawberry’s teeth are forming under the gums. The baby’s stomach is producing digestive juices, the kidneys are producing more urine (gross) and if the strawberry is a boy… he’s already producing testosterone!

I haven’t had an ultrasound yet and they tell me I won’t until I’m 18 weeks along unless something is wrong (bleeding, cramping, etc). I go in tomorrow afternoon for my blood work and second pre-natal appointment. Hopefully we can listen to the dopplar or something to hear the baby’s heartbeat.

Keep praying for us! That we’re creating the healthiest little bugger possible! I’ve been so exhausted and have “episodes” where I literally cannot stay awake for another second and I crash (even at work). Jason has been so awesome taking on so many of the household things I used to be so on-top-of. Just a couple more weeks and I’ll be in my second trimester and will hopefully wake up.

Stay tuned, it’s almost week 11!

BARACK ATTACK!

Week 9

2009-01-09T10:45:00.000-08:00

I can’t believe how fast these weeks seem to be flying by!

Right about now, the baby is about the size of a large grape/green olive/or grape tomato! The baby’s head has straightened out and is more fully developed. His/her ears are becoming more prominent (I wonder whose he/she will have!!!). Pigment has formed in the retinas of the baby’s eyes (hopefully blue!!!) and bone cells are starting to form. The liver, spleen, and gall bladder are forming and the baby is making spontaneous movements of his/her arms & legs because it’s tiny muscles are beginning to develop!!!

No wonder I’m so tired!!!!!!!

This week, we will celebrate the baby’s first graduation! Baby Straub is no longer an embryo, but is now a fetus!!! yay!

Back to work...

2009-01-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

Ugh. It’s my first day back… nobody was wearing any nasty perfumes yet today, but they were drinking coffee! YUCK! I had to walk out of my boss’ office. Luckily, he’s a great guy (with 3 kids) so he understands! He just laughed at me as I finished my conversation with him from the hallway.

I had a pop-tart and a lot of water for breakfast…. I think baby Straub likes pop-tarts! Baby Straub does NOT like coffee!

Week 8

2009-01-05T10:22:00.000-08:00

According to our calendar, we should now be in week 8 of our pregnancy! (2 months already!) It doesn’t seem right that you find out you’re pregnant and all the sudden you’re 2 months in already!!!

Baby Straub isn’t quite Strawberry-sized yet! He/She is closer to the size of a raspberry! (Still very big in comparison to a couple weeks ago!). His/her lips, nose, (tiny & very thin) eyelids, legs, and back are continuing to take shape. He/she is looking less like a reptile and more like a human! (good thing….)…although the fingers and toes are still webbed. The baby must be excited about something because his/her heart is beating about 150 times a minute! (about twice as fast as mine!!!) Maybe that’s why I can’t seem to sleep for more than 4 hours at a time but ALWAYS want to sleep!

The baby should start making tiny movements this week as he/she twitches his/her little trunk and arm & leg buds! Very exciting!!!

Daddy is still taking very good care of mommy… she’s tired ALL the time and is completely worthless around the house (especially in the kitchen…gag!).

I took off from work today because I’m getting over a cold and am so tired and knew I wouldn’t make it through the day. Tomorrow should be my first day back since I came home in tears on the 29th! Wish me luck! Hopefully no one is wearing perfume

New Year's Eve

2008-12-31T09:57:00.001-08:00

It’s New Year’s Eve!!! We’re hanging out with the Braun’s, having a blast playing games and telling funny stories!

This is a big “NEW YEAR” for us!!! 2009 will bring so many things for us! It’s so exciting!!!

Week 7

2008-12-31T09:57:00.000-08:00

We’re now in Week 7 of our pregnancy and our baby is now about the size of a blueberry... (AMAZING!!!). The baby looks like a comma with a huge head and tiny body because brain cells are being generated at a rate of 100 per minute (which is why I’m sticking to sparkling cider tonight!!!) The baby’s mouth and tongue are forming and he/she is sprouting arm and leg buds. And… something I found as weird and even a little gross is the baby’s little kidneys are getting ready to do their job (pee production and excretion). The baby is going to be peeing inside me? What? This is not something I need to be learning when I’m already queasy!!! (which is, by the way, about 10,000 times bigger than he/she was at conception!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR BABY STRAUB!

Feelin' Queasy

2008-12-29T09:52:00.000-08:00

Ugh…. I’ve felt so gross! I’m so hungry, but nothing is appealing to me. I’m so tired that I can’t function, and I always feel like I’m just about to spew, but never do…

I came home from work today in tears… but thankfully, I am off for the holidays this week so I’ll be able to rest a lot!

Luckily, I have a wonderfully supportive hubby who is taking incredible care of me! Cleaning the house, cooking for me (even when I can’t eat what I just requested him to cook!!!!)…. and giving me lots of love & support. He just keeps reminding me… you’re growing a HUMAN! You’re working 100% of the time! Even when you’re sleeping!

This whole pregnancy thing is just not as glamourous as people make it out to be!

I love my hubby

Week 6

2008-12-26T09:45:00.000-08:00

On December 26th, we went for our first prenatal appointment! The doctor said that based upon the first day of my last period, I was approximately 6 weeks along! I was given a tentative due date of August 19th, but it will be easier to tell once I have my blood tests done.

If I am 6 weeks along, the baby is about the size of a grain of rice! The baby’s jaw, cheeks, chin, eyes, ears, and nose are beginning to form what will eventually become the adorable little face of our precious baby!!! His/her kidneys, liver, and lungs are also developing, and his/her heart is now beating 80 times a minute!

Stay Positive!

2008-12-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

Jason and I have been married for almost a year and a half. We’ve both been so excited to have kids… we joked that we wouldn’t mind coming home from the honeymoon pregnant, even though it may be less than ideal, financially.

Over the first year there were a couple times we thought we might be pregnant, but weren’t. It was always so exciting to take the home pregnancy tests…. but always so dishearteneing when they were negative. After about a year, we decided we wanted to be more intentional about “trying” but we were having a little trouble because I was so irregular. My doctor gave me a choice between birth control and Clomid to “straighten me out”….. Clomid being the choice that supports ovulation… so we chose that one!!!

The first month on Clomid, I was 6 days late and was experiencing some whacky PMS symptoms…. since I was on a constructed cycle, we thought… “maybe it’s real this time!!!” We tested…. and it was negative yet again. We tried not to entertain the idea that there may be something wrong because we both knew that God had placed this desire in our hearts and he would be faithful in his time. We made a pact that we wouldn’t take a home pregnancy test again unless I was at least 14 days late.

The following month, I noticed that I had an elevated temperature for several days in a row and wondered if I had some sort of infection I was fighting off because I didn’t feel feverish at all; just warm to the touch. I started researching it and realized that elevated temperature was a very common early indicator of pregnancy! Who knew?

I tried not to think about it… but I was 10 days late now and just had a “feeling” this time. Jason and I bought some home pregnancy tests and agreed to test the next morning. We prayed that God would bless us with a family, joking that we wanted to be fruitful. We also prayed that if this wasn’t God’s time, that he comfort and encourage us in the event of another negative test.

Jason woke me up the next morning and like a zombie, I stumbled to the bathroom to pee on a stick at 7 am! We couldn’t believe our eyes! THE TEST WAS POSITIVE IMMEDIATELY!!! Jason ripped open another test and tested again and it was immediately positive again! We couldn’t believe it! We’re going to be parents!!!

Our Little Strauberry Patch!

2008-12-18T09:30:00.000-08:00