Last Pregnancy Pictures

Before I *try* to go to bed tonight, I am going to post some last minute pictures of our little girl in utero. Here she is at 41 weeks:

Hiding from the front:


Side view- wow, there she is:
Contractions are getting heavier and more regular, so I think tonight is the real deal. The next post will be pictures of our new little girl- stay tuned. :)

Father's Day and Dr. Appt.

Yesterday, we really had a lovely day. We went to church in the morning and stopped by Subway on our way home. One of Nathan's favorite things is to stop by Subway and get the 2/$10 footlong subs on Sunday after church. Then we go home and read the Sunday paper. It has become sort of a special routine for us, so being that it was Father's day, we made sure that it was on the agenda.

Later, I made eye round steaks. I found a recipe from Cooks Illustrated that turns out fabulous, so we have made it for a few special occasions. Luke even devoured his portions.

After dinner, we all went outside. Luke and I went in the pool (which was glorious!), while Nathan sat on the patio and just enjoyed the outside. We have had great evening weather lately and still no mosquitoes to speak of (due to the really bad Texas drought).

Today, I had an appointment with the midwives. They are pretty sure that there will be no baby this week, but I have dilated 1-2cm and am beginning to efface. The baby still has not dropped too low and was at about a -2 station (for those who speak baby positioning language). That is good news for us- on one hand, she will probably wait for Nathan's mom to get here (June 28th), and on the other, I am actually progressing.

34 Weeks and Outdoor Play

Well, here I am at 34 weeks. We are getting close! She should be about 5 and 1/2 lbs right now and I can feel all sorts of feet, elbows, and knees.
Also, I took a few pictures of Luke playing in his water and sand play table. He plays in it about an hour at least everyday and loves it. We find all sorts of things to pour water and sand around with. The current favorites are matchbox cars and the plastic eggs from Easter.
Happy kid:
Oh, yes, and another shot of the garden. So far we have taken in about a dozen cherry tomatoes and 5 beefsteak tomatoes. There are many many more on the vine too!

Our weather has been downright gorgeous- which is really saying something for Houston in mid-late May. Last year, it was already unbearably hot and muggy and the mosquitoes were out in force.

Birth is Messy

Luke: You have a big baby in your tummy
Me: Yes, I do here she is (put hand on belly)
Luke: And she isn't going to pop out yet. She is still growing.
Me: Yes, she is growing bigger and bigger.
Luke: (covering his face) Then she's gonna pop out your belly and its going to get all over my head.
Me: (Where in the world did he get that from?)

He has also told me on a few occasions that "You gonna need a new shirt mommy, when the baby pops out."

We haven't shown him any birth videos (and won't). Where does he get this? :)

New Room

On Monday, I had a baby shower for our new little one (thanks Bethany and Kathy!). It was a lot of fun and I was excited to receive some things for the nursery. So... Luke and I have been working on turning his little jungle room into a cowboy/cowgirl themed room.

The idea for the room began forming in my mind when I came across two cool old cowboy pictures that I picked up at a yard sale a few months ago. I love them, Luke loves them, and they were only a $1 for the pair.


Part of putting together the nursery included moving Luke to a true big boy twin sized bed (so I could have the crib mattress again. Nathan has the wood for the bed frame, but for now, Luke is learning to sleep on his new mattress alone. It is much softer than his crib mattress and he loves it.
We also repainted and repositioned Luke's name:
Here is the crib transformed by pink. I haven't painted letters for our little girl yet because we are still wavering about a name. I am now pretty sure that I have settled on what I would like it to be, but Nathan is not sure. :)

6 and 1/2 Months

Bellies and the Week Without Daddy

This past week, Nathan was in CA on business and to be a groomsman in a good friend's wedding. While he was gone, Luke and I kept the home fires burning so to speak. Acutally, we were not home much at all. Thanks to the kindness of friends and family, we only ate dinner by ourselves 3 of the 7 nights Nathan was away. Thanks to everyone for the help- especially Aunt Bethany!

Last week was tough on Luke emotionally. I didn't realize how much he missed Nathan until we got him back again. Last night he was bubbly and happy and sooo excited to talk to and hug him.
It was tough on me as well, being pregnant. I took a nap everyday and was still really spent by the end of the day. I also felt faint at least a couple of times each day and was a little worried about that.
Today, I had a Dr.'s appt. The Dr. visit went really well and Luke was still in such good spirits that he was a very good boy all the way through the hour or so at the office. Whew! I am now seeing each of the midwives (there are 4) for a second time. I just keep thinking how lucky I am to have them.

Everything checked out as normal and the baby's heartbeat was nice and strong. About the feeling faint, they said that it was relatively normal, especially with extra work at home and encouraged me to keep resting and eating well. Today I felt strong all day.

Here are some pictures from today at 23 and 1/2 weeks along:


Luke wanted you all to see his belly too:

Changes, Changes

We have some exciting news! No, its not another baby related announcement. Today's post is all about LUKE!

Big news #1: Last weekend Luke began sleeping in a toddler bed. Yes, this is a bed that he can get out of if he so chooses (scary!). He was a little sad at first and missed his crib, but once he found out how nice it was to get in and out all by himself, he enjoyed it more. He has been great at staying in the bed so far and as a bonus, the transition has motivated him to try to do lots of new things for himself.

Big news #2: We have officially begun potty training in earnest! Luke has been trained on #2 for about two weeks now, and now we are working on #1. Yesterday he kept his new undies dry all day long, even including two trips out. (By the way, any tips on how to help a child use the potty in a store restroom? Costco's seats are very big!)

We have used 2 jelly belly's and big boy underwear as a reward. I was fortunate to find some really great undies on clearance at Gymboree around Christmastime that have cars, Jeeps, planes, and all other sorts of things that go on them.

These two things (new bed and potty training) are what I was most determined to get done before baby #2. I think with continued vigilance, the potty training will be done soon. Luke is really taking to it.

Well, a little update on baby #2- she is still kicking away and is definitely showing now. I am now unable to wear most regular clothes and officially pulled out the maternity gear. I'll post a progress picture next week (5 months!).

Drum Roll Please....

Its a girl! We are delighted.

Gina (who is staying upstairs at our house), bought me beautiful pink roses. I dropped off some of our extra toys/clothes at the local consignment shop and actually picked up a few little things for the new little one.

I will post pictures of the sonogram later (when my headache goes away).

Pregnancy Pictures: Week 18

Well, since there is a little bump showing now, I thought I'd add some pictures. Here they are:


In other pregnancy news, I am still struggling with morning sickness int he evening and any time I have anything remotely spicy. Ugh. One nice thing is that I can feel the baby moving around. It makes the discomfort more worth it. This baby is so strong that I have already felt the kicks from the outside. Nathan has felt the baby too. I am afraid that it is a big baby or Hercules (maybe both?) This is a bit amazing to me since I didn't fell Luke until about Week 20, and Nathan didn't feel him until at least 22. Oh boy (or girl!)

Oh, and my sonogram is next Monday, February 7th. I'll keep you all posted on what we find out!

15 + weeks and Richard Scarry

I do seem to write a lot of dual purpose posts don't I?

Part 1:
Today I had an appointment with the midwives. I got to see midwife 3/4 (only one unknown now), and I have loved every visit so far. Today was pretty routine, get weighed, run a simple lab, hear the heartbeat, and chat a little. Everything looks good so far and I am grateful for that. It is always a joy to hear the heartbeat too. My "big" ultrasound is 4 weeks from today. Any bets about boy or girl?

Personally, I have a feeling that it is a girl. Nathan thinks it is a boy, a brawny, manly-type boy due to my unusual cravings. (for example, earlier this week he asked me if I would like a steak and I said yes. Usually, it is not my thing.) I really don't care what it is, but I am leaning toward wanting a boy so that Luke has a brother close in age.

I would post a picture too, but not much has changed. Sometimes, late in the evening when I am full, the belly shows a little, but it is gone again by morning. My regular clothes still fit fine too.

Part 2:
In other news, Luke is very happy to be home. Not that he didn't enjoy seeing all of his grandmas, grandpas, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, etc... He just is becoming more of a homebody. I have to have a really good excuse to go out nowadays or he fights it. Good excuses include: going to Clara's house, the library, Costco or HEB, the park, or church on occasion.

When we do leave the house, we must not leave one very important thing behind. Can you guess? No, it is not a stuffed animal or blanket or favorite toy. He must have this book. Yes, Richard Scarry is Luke's new hero (and mine!). He read his book on the kitchen floor this afternoon while I made a very good dinner and dessert. Usually, I have a whiny, clingy boy at that time of day. Today, he was happy and occupied, reciting nearly every vehicle listed on the 60+ page book. :) Will I have a reader? I hope so- I was!

Little Peanut

Here is our second little peanut, all almost 11 weeks of him/her.The baby wiggled and kicked and wiggled and kicked, had a very strong heartbeat, and everything looked normal so far. I have to admit that it was nice to hear that there was only one little peanut in there. I am showing a little bit more this time than last time, and I thought it might be two.

The midwives are excellent. I am SOOO happy to have found their practice. I love having a midwife because the midwife stays with you while you are at the hospital, generally as much as you want, start to finish. They add such a human touch to things too.

Thank be to God for a good report.