Half Way There (20 Weeks)

I have so much to share, so let me get started...

From Babycenter.com...we are half way to meeting our little baby. This week, the baby weighs around 10 1/2 oz and is around 6 1/2 in long head to bottom and 10 in from head to toe (about the length of a banana). He's swallowing more these days which is good practice for his digestive system. He is also producing merconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and we'll see it in his first soiled diaper. This is what he looks like this week.

We went for the 20 week ultrasound this past Monday, March 8th, and what a day it was. It was a very memorable one for many reasons...one is that we found out we're having a boy!! We can hardly wait to meet HARRISON GLEN HOLMES! We got to see him moving his little arms and legs, and we got to see his spine and his heart beating (at 146 bpm), and it was so amazing. I started to cry the second I saw his little image pop up on the screen...it's just so amazing that that is my son...other mom's can totally identify with the feeling; I can't even describe it!

After the ultrasound, I'm thinking I might be a week farther along than what we've been thinking. The lady said the measurements put me at 20 weeks, 6 days (basically 21 weeks), and I was thinking I was 20 weeks, 2 days. Also, she said Harrison weighs around 12 oz., and according to several of the books that I have about growth and development, they should weigh about that at 21 weeks. So, Harrison may be here around July 15...he may even make his grand entrance on our anniversary which is July 19th.

Mama and Stephanie came into town for the special occasion. Mama arrived on Saturday afternoon (Steph got here Sunday afternoon), and she, Jeff and I went over to the baby store that night to just start looking at things. We browsed furniture and bedding and strollers and car seats and soooo much more! We spent a good amount of time in furniture and bedding sections. The funny part of the trip is that Jeff found some boy bedding that was on one of the display beds that he really liked. I wasn't 100% sold on it and just kept looking around. We agreed on bedding for a little girl (because remember, at this point we didn't know the gender). So mama and I wandered over to the section where all of the baby bedding is located, and I found this adorable boy bedding immediately...Funny thing...it was the exact same bedding Jeff had just picked out!

Jumping back to Monday after our ultrasound appointment...we were all super excited. Jeff immediately called his mom, who like the rest of us minus Jeff, thought it was going to be a girl. She was so excited. She has two grandsons now and is excited to have another one on the way! We texted and called and chatted and posted to Facebook until our fingers hurt. There were so many people to inform about the news! Mama, Stephanie, and I stopped at the baby store on the way home and bought Harrison his first two outfits...we couldn't resist!

I wish I would have had a camera to take a picture of Jeff's face the instant the sonographer said it's a boy...his face lit up like fireworks. He would not have been disappointed to have a girl, but he really wanted a boy!!! This is going to sound funny, but looking at the ultrasound picture, I think Harrison is going to look like Jeff! It already looks like he has Jeff's nose and lips! I can hardly wait to find out for sure.

Monday night after Jeff got home from work, we did go back to the baby store and get started with our registry. It's not even close to being completed because we have so much research to do on bottles, strollers, car seats, etc. We put a few basic things on there just to say we got started, but we are going to have to go back and be prepared to spend at least another 4 hours in there!!

Well, I know this post really jumps all over the place, but that just shows you how excited I am...I can't even keep my thoughts on track. This has been a tough week to work because of the excitement...I just want to think about and research baby stuff all day!!!

I'll post pictures soon!

Until next week...have a magnificent day!!!

19 Weeks

I'm now into my 19th week of pregnancy and really beginning to show, and I love it!! I'm excited about getting a belly (I may not be so excited about the belly in another 4 months or so when I'm about ready to pop) and getting to wear the cute maternity clothes that I'm starting to acquire.

I had my monthly check-up today and got a good report. The baby's heartbeat was 144 and the doctor says the baby is growing right on schedule. We have our 20 week ultrasound next week and we'll get to (hopefully) find out if we're having a boy or a girl, and the doctor will be able to confirm that everything is as it should be at this point in the pregnancy. I'm looking forward to seeing the baby through the ultrasound...the last time we had an ultrasound, it honestly looked like a peanut.

According to Babycenter.com, the baby's sensory development is in overdrive. The brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, vision, hearing, and touch. Some research suggests that the baby can hear my voice now, so I will start reading to him/her very soon!! The baby probably weighs around 8.5 oz and measures about 6". The arms and legs are now in proportion to each other and to the body. The kidneys continue to produce urine, and the hair on the scalp is sprouting (I wonder if he/she will have hair at birth??). In order to prevent the baby's skin from "pickling" in the womb, a waxy protective coating called vernix caseosa is forming on the skin. This is probably what my baby looks like now.

As for me, I got a good report at the doctor's office today. My weight gain is on target and the doctor was able to find the heartbeat much easier today (the baby wasn't dancing around in my belly). I have an undeniable baby bump that I'm absolutely loving!!! I'm super excited for the ultrasound next week...I'll get to see my baby again!!

Stephanie and Thomas visited yesterday and spent the night, and we had a fun little old school birthday party complete with Catch Phrase, Mad Gab, party hats, decorations, and homemade birthday cake with homemade hot pink icing!! What fun memories...I have pictures that I'll post soon!

~Until next time~

Week 18

So, I'm now into my 18th week and super excited that I have begun to feel the baby move. It's not a feeling that is easily described, and at first I wasn't sure if it was the baby moving or not. After experiencing the feeling a few times, I realized that it was in fact, the baby dancing around in my belly!! What an awesome feeling!!!!

This week, I learned that our baby is about 5 1/2 inches in length (about the size of a bell pepper) and weighs around 7 oz. The baby is busy flexing the arms and legs - a movement that I will begin to feel more and more in the weeks and months to come (EWWWWW!!!!)

The blood vessels are visible through the baby's thin skin, and the ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his/her head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to develop around the baby's nerves, and this will continue for up to a year after birth. If the baby is a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place; if the bay is a boy, his little genitals are now noticeable, but he may hide the goods in an ultrasound (we'll see in two short weeks).

This is what the baby is looking like this week.

I'm now starting to be noticeably pregnant...several people in my office have commented on it in the past week, and I'm actually wearing a "real" maternity shirt today, hehe!! I'll start posting pictures of my belly soon.

That's all for this week's update! :-)

17 Weeks

So, I'm now 17 weeks and 4 days into this journey called pregnancy. I have already experienced a range of emotions, and I'm sure that I have only just begun. Sometimes I will cry at the drop of a hat, and other times, I'm just "blah."

I'm super excited that we only have 2 1/2 weeks until we get to find out the gender of our baby. Sometimes I think it's a girl, and other times I call the baby "he." I sometimes want to have a girl and other times want to have a boy...I really just want my baby to be healthy and happy!!

This week, I found out that our baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord is growing thicker and stronger. The baby weighs around 5 ounces (as much as a turnip) and is around 5 inches in length. The baby can move his/her joints, and the sweat glands are starting to develop. This is what the baby looks like this week.

Steph had surgery on her broken wrist yesterday, and unfortunately she is in a lot of pain. The pain medicine they gave her after surgery yesterday is not working very well. Hopefully she'll be doing better before too much longer.

Until next week...

A Little Behind

So I'm a little late with this post because I'm wrapping up my 16th week of pregnancy...Sunday starts week 17.

Anyway, 16 weeks (courtesy of BabyCenter.com):
We're getting ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, our baby will double his/her weight and add inches to his/her length. Right now, he/she, is about the size of an avocado; 4 1/2 inches long and about 3 1/2 ounces. The legs are more developed, the head is more erect than it has been, and the eyes have moved closer to the front of the head (the ears are close to their final position as well).

The patterning of the scalp has begun, though his/her looks aren't recognizable yet. Toenails have started to grow, and a lot is happening on the inside of his/her tiny little body. For example, the heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and the amount will continue to increase as the baby continues to grow.

This is what my baby looks like this week.

As for me, I am feeling great. I no longer find myself wanting to take a nap everyday and overall, I feel really good. Physically, I'm at that in between stage where people look at you and wonder if you're just fat or if you're pregnant... :-)

I'm super excited about my growing belly...I went shopping again yesterday and got some really cute shirts and a pair of Capri pants. If the temperatures would warm up, I could wear my new stuff now. I think I will be able to wear most of it until the very end of the pregnancy. Actually, I will probably be able to wear the shirts even after the baby is born.

Our friend Paula (I used to work with her, and she's one of Jeff's current co-workers) had a baby on 12/30/09, and yesterday she visited Jeff's office to show of the baby. Jeff said he held the little guy and it made him excited for our little baby!!

As for names...we're working on that. We certain on the first names, but still working on the middle names. We actually get to find out if it's a boy or a girl on March 8th...only 3 weeks!!

In other news, my sister, Stephanie, fell down a flight of 20 stairs last night and broke her wrist. We are so thankful that is all that happened because the stairs are steep and it could've easily been her neck or a leg or something more severe than her wrist. She's at the Orthopedic today and will have to have surgery sometime next week...she says they're going to have to put pins and a plate in her wrist...OUCH!!!!

Well, check back on Sunday or early next week for the 17 week update!

15 weeks

This week is my 15th week of pregnancy, and things are rockin' along very nicely!! I went to the doctor yesterday for my monthly check-up and got a good report! The baby's heartbeat was 152 bpm...strong and healthy!! I was able to record the heartbeat on my phone, and I swear, I think I listened to it about 20 times yesterday...I could listen to it non-stop...it's just so precious!

My weight is okay...I gained another 2 lbs according to their scales, but I don't really think that's correct. I'm keeping a close watch on my weight using my scales at home, and by my records, I've only gained 8.8 lbs. I guess I can attribute the additional 1.2 lbs at the doc's office to clothes and the fact that I had eaten breakfast and had fluids prior to my appointment. Anyway, the doctor said I'm looking great and everything is going very well!

I made the appointment for the 20 week ultrasound...MARCH 8TH IS THE BIG DAY!!! We'll get to find out if our baby will be wearing a UCF cheer outfit or UCF football jersey...either way, our baby is sure to be the cutest baby every (I'm sure every mom/dad says that, right?!?!?) We now just have to hope and pray that the little rascal doesn't "hide the goods" when we go in for the ultrasound!

As for the baby's development this week...
"Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). He/She is busy moving amniotic fluid through the nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in the lungs begin to develop. His/Her legs are growing longer than the arms now, and he/she can move all of the joints and limbs. Although the eyelids are still fused shut, he/she can still sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, he/she is likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but taste buds are forming."
(courtesy of www.Babycenter.com)

Click HERE to see an image of what my baby looks like this week!! Super exciting! :-)

I'll have another update on the baby next week!!

Be sure to enjoy the wonder of what each day brings your way!!

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Another New Beginning

Today marks the start of my 2nd Trimester. WHOOO HOOOO! I'm really excited to start this new chapter in my pregnancy. This trimester, we will get to find out if we're having a boy or a girl, and we're super excited about that. We already have names picked out...Harrison Glen for a boy, and Riley (still working on a middle name) for a girl.

Also this trimester, we will get to see my belly start to grow, and as crazy as it sounds, I'm ready for it! It's so hard being at this in between stage...I feel like people look at me and question if I'm just heavier or if I'm pregnant. Jeff and I are definitely seeing a very small little bump, but underneath clothes, you can't really tell.

I've been receiving weekly e-mail updates from BabyCenter, which is the coolest website ever for moms. It gives me a weekly peek at what is going on with our little one, and I have to say that I look so forward to that e-mail every Sunday.

Listen to this...
This week your baby is 14 weeks along, and can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches - the size of a lemon - and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Well, I just don't know what to say after that other than WOW! God and His love are so amazing, and I am so thankful that He has blessed us with this baby. We can't wait to meet him/her!

Chores

I don't think I know anyone that enjoys doing chores (except for maybe my mama)! Jeff and I spent the better part of the day doing chores. It always feels so good when they're done, but when you're up to your head in things to do, it's no fun!

Here is all the stuff we did today...and we're not finished with the list of things I wanted to get done:

• Sweep
• Dust
• Mop
• Vaccuum
• Clean Bathrooms
• Change Bed Linens
• Laundry (all 6 loads...I'm a total slacker to have let it get to that!)
• Clean out closets in spare bedrooms (we managed to get one completely cleaned out, but we have junk everywhere; the other closet is still in process)
• Paint Baseboards (Jeff is doing this and finished the foyer, kitchen, and our bathroom...he still has the living room, dining room, hallway, and guest bathroom to finish)

Now, here are the other things I wanted to get done today, but they'll have to wait until next weekend:

• Move office "stuff" (we're moving our office to the other room as we start to prepare for this little baby to get here...the room that is our office now will be the baby's room, and the guest room will double as our office)
• Pack clothes (as my mid-section and belly are beginning to expand, I am not able to wear many of my clothes; so, in order to make room for the preggo clothes that I'm getting, I need to temporarily pack up and store some of my pre-preggo clothes)
• Purchase sleeper sofa (we found a great leather sleeper sofa that we will be getting to go into the room that will be the office/guest room so that when we do have guests, they have a place to sleep)

Well, now that I wrote that out, it doesn't seem like it's a full day of chores...but it was! We started at 10 and didn't get finished until close to 5. We'll wrap up the baseboard painting and start on the other list next weekend.

Tomorrow, we're going to church and then to cheer on our UCF Knights cheer team and dance squad in the UCA National Cheer & Dance Competition at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

First OB Visit

I had my first OB visit on Monday. It was exciting; I got to meet the midwife, and she was awesome. I have to say that I was very nervous about having a midwife/nurse practitioner as my "doctor," but after meeting her, I love her! Of course, I'll meet the three doctors that are in the practice later in the pregnancy because we have no way of knowing who will be on call when this precious little angel decides to make his/her grand entrance into our lives.

Anyway, after the "not fun" part of the visit, she got the Doppler Stethoscope so we could hear the little heartbeat. IT WAS SO AWESOME!! It was at 160 beats per minute this time (when we had our last ultrasound, it was at 169). I was disappointed that I didn't have my phone handy so that I could record the awesomeness that was my baby's heartbeat...next time!

Well, overall, I got a good report. I have gained 8 lbs., which is a little more than what they would like to see, but hopefully, I'll do better this next month. Of course, she said they really don't want me to gain more than 30 lbs.; and thinking that I've already almost gained 1/3 of that scares me since they say in the last 6-8 weeks I'll gain a lot...oh well, we'll see.

She did preach to me about walking at least 3 times/week for a brisk 30 minutes. I've not been great about exercising since, oh, about 8 months ago. I've been so bad...not motivated to exercise (even before I got pregnant). However, today I went for a 45 minute walk, and it felt really good (even though it was cold outside...I had on two pair of socks, two pair of pants, and two shirts).

I go back for my next check-up on February 1, so I'll have another baby update then!

~S~

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year...welcome 2010.

It is so hard to believe that last night we said goodbye to the first decade of the 21st century. So much has changed in my life in the past 10 years...

I won't go into all the things that have changed in the last 10 years, I'll just say that I'm thankful for the changes and happy to welcome 2010!! I'm thankful for a wonderful husband who I love and adore, and thankful that he feels the same!!

This year, we will welcome our first baby into this world, and I pray everyday that God will prepare us to be the parents that He wants us to be! I guess it's probably normal to fret about the what, how, when, if, etc. when you think about having a baby, but I just have to remind myself that God is in control, and His perfect plan will play out exactly as it is supposed to.

Happy 2010!!!

BIG NEWS!!!

Well, we can finally tell everyone...WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BABY!!! I posted on FB last week because I was just too excited once we finally told all of our family members, so now is the time to post a blog about the last 10 weeks...

11/16/09 - the day I found out...
So, there I was in my broker's office, and she just up and asks me when Jeff and I are going to have a baby. I told here that we had put it in God's hands and when it happens, it happens. That is not to say that I hadn't been thinking about it and hoping and praying that we would be lucky enough to get pregnant before Christmas (I had this great idea for how to break the news to our moms with little baby charms for their charm bracelets, but it would only work if we were pregnant before Christmas).

So after I said what I did, she said, "well, I think you already are pregnant!!" I was shocked and speechless when she said that! I didn't even know how to respond, so I just said, "why do you think that??" She was confident, but I just kind of blew it off.

After I ate lunch that day, I was feeling pretty rough and felt like I could go to sleep and sleep for days! So, I went home and because of what my broker had said earlier in the day and how I was feeling, I could not stop thinking about the fact that I might be pregnant. I decided to just take a test so I could put it out of my mind. I was so sure it would say "NO," and then I could just move on and get back to work.

Well, I got home and took the test, and to my surprise, it said "YES!" I literally almost passed out! I thought there is no way that's right, so I ran to the store and bought two more tests. When I got back home and took those, they both said "NO." I was SOOOO disappointed because by this point, I was getting super excited about the idea of being pregnant! Well, I called the doctor and explained what I had just done, and she said that I was probably very early and there was only a small amount of the pregnancy hormone in my system which is why the 2nd and 3rd tests said no. She told me to take another test the following morning and then call back.

That afternoon, I couldn't wait to take another test, so on the way home, I bought another two tests and took one when I got home. Sure enough, that one said "YES" too, and I was just giddy! I printed this silly little thing on the compute for Jeff, but I was so excited, I called him at work and told him. I was so mad at myself because I didn't even get to see his face when I told him the news.


11/24/09 - Initial consultation
When I called to let the doctor know that I was in fact pregnant, they set up my initial pregnancy consultation to get medical history and confirm the pregnancy. This was a quick visit, but exciting nonetheless! They gave me a goodie bag full of all kinds of information on pregnancy and FAQs and all kinds of goodies! Also, they set up my first ultrasound, saying they needed to measure "crown-rump length." I was really excited about this, but Jeff was a little unsure?!?!?

11/26/09 - I had to tell somebody
Although it had only been a little over a week since we found out, I was dying to tell someone!! On Thanksgiving, Jeff and I went to Tampa to have lunch with Stephanie, Thomas, and Thomas' parents. I got a "congratulations" card for Steph and wrote inside, "you're gonna be an Aunt!!" When she opened the card, she was speechless! Her eyes filled with tears, and we just started hugging and jumping for joy!! It was great, and I am so mad that our camera didn't work right; Jeff had the camera ready to snap a picture when she opened the card, but the camera stalled! UGH!

11/30/09 - first ultrasound
Our appointment was set for 1:30 pm, and Jeff and I both arrived around the same time. We were super excited! When we got in the room, it was very relaxing and felt very much like home, which was great considering! She got started with the ultrasound, but she quickly realized that it was too early to get the measurement that she needed, so she just snapped a few pictures, and we were on our way. We set up an appointment for two weeks later so they would be sure to get the measurement they needed.

12/10/09 - breaking the news to my mom
By this time, Jeff and I had known for almost a month, and since I talk to my mom everyday, it was extremely difficult to not tell her the news. However, waiting to tell mama in person was SO WORTH THE WAIT!! We arrived at mama's around 1:00 am, but we couldn't wait to give her the little gift we had for her.

Ever since I started thinking of having a baby, I wanted to be able to be pregnant before Christmas so that I could give our mom's a baby booty charm for their charm bracelets (that is how I wanted to break the news to them). So, there we are in the middle of the night and mama opens up her little gift. Jeff had the video camera rolling and caught it all on video. It was so awesome to see her reaction as she opened up the package and realized that we were giving her a baby booty charm, and then she realized why we were giving her that...it was awesome!!

12/12/09 - telling my dad
I thought it would be funny to have Jeff tell my dad that he's pregnant as a way of breaking the news. So, we arrived at my aunt's house, and I was so ready, so I said, "Daddy, Jeff has something he wants to tell you." Then Jeff, with his cute little face, just smirked and said, "I'm pregnant." It took everyone a few seconds to realize what he said and then they just looked at me and we all started hugging and jumping for joy!! It was cool.

12/22/09 - telling Jeff's mom
Okay, so by now, we've known for almost 6 weeks, and we've talked to Jeff's mom and Wendy multiple times, and it's been tough not to accidentally spill the beans. Again, it was SO worth the wait to be able to capture Ms. Beverly's reaction on camera. We spent the entire day driving to Charlotte to spend Christmas with them. So, about half way, Jeff called his mom and told her that we had a gift for her and John, but they would need to open it that night when we arrived or else it would spoil. This threw them way off course because they never had a clue what we were giving them!!

So we arrive, and Ms. Bev, Mr. John, Wendy, and the boys were there waiting for us. We got all of our things in, and then I got the video camera ready, and Jeff handed Ms. Bev the little package. She sat down and opened it, and her reaction was hilarious! She looked at the little booty, and immediately screamed, "NO YOU'RE NOT!!" It was great, and I got it all on camera. Ms. Bev and Wendy both started crying, and it was just a great time!!!

Well, that brings us up to date. I have my first OB visit next Monday, 1/4/10, and I'm sure I'll have more to update then.

~Stacy~

On the Road Again

We're leaving town again tomorrow and heading up to Charlotte to visit Jeff's mom and sister and her family for Christmas!! We are super excited and can't wait to get there and spend some time with them and our little nephews, Griffin and Colton!!

We'll be back on Saturday and will hopefully have lots of pictures to share!!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Away We Go!

Jeff and I will be hitting the road tomorrow to go visit my family! I am super excited to see everyone and have an early Christmas with them. We'll leave tomorrow after Jeff gets off work and make the almost 6 hour trip home to mama's!! I can hardly wait to get home and see her...it's been too long since I was home last.

Anyway, I'll miss Flashback Friday this week but didn't want those of you that read this blog to be shorted of some type of communication from us! Here is the picture I was planning to use for this week's Flashback Friday picture...Halloween 2008

Jeff as Payne Stewart and me as an Eskimo

Until the next post...peace!

:-)

Flashback Friday

So, I'm totally copying Jennifer Ross' Flashback Friday idea because it's so fun!

Jeff "working"

Happy Friday!!