Progress Report

Thursday we went to my 36 week appointment...I was 36.5 weeks, actually. We did the oh, so glamorous GBS test and then Dr. Cone checked my "progress." He said I was dilated to 3cm and 60-80% effaced. I think it's safe to safe Emerson will be born before June 29th. Dr. Cone said "you won't make it!" and to come back in one week (if not sooner). So basically, it could be any day now. Crazy! I guess it is a good thing we finished her room...it seems that she will be inhabiting it sooner than we had thought. If I do not go into labor before then, we go back on Wednesday for the next check.

Emerson's Room

...is just about done. All we lack is the lamp shade, I need to finish the mobile & a few accessories. I think it looks REALLY cute! My mom did an AMAZING job on the bedding & chair pad. I absolutely love it! Aaron did an AMAZING job on the walls & chair & side table. What a good Daddy! I must admit that I am so relieved that it is done (or almost). Last night I was having some pretty intense, but irregular contractions. We are about to leave for my 36 week appointment, so we'll see if there is any progress. I'll keep you posted!

Enjoy the pics of our baby girl's room....

I think the chandelier is one my favorite parts!

Imagine the mobile in the corner and some sort of accessories on the wall or dresser...

Emerson's Baby Shower

Finally! I finally got my camera back from my parents' house and could download some pics & blog about the FABULOUS baby shower Denise & Tiffany threw for me & Emerson on Saturday. Denise was so sweet to host the shower at her house, which is always pristine! How does she do it with little Miss Abigail now mobile? We got some really great necessities and soooo many sassy things for Emme to wear -- I'm still doing laundry (I think I've done 5 loads so far and that is just clothing through 3-6 months). The food was so yummy -- Denise sent me home with a whole ziploc full of jalapeno chicken salad sandwiches and boy were they scrumptious! I had a wonderful time and my sweet friends and family went above and beyond! Here are many pics from the day...
Me & my lovely hostesses

Opening a precious outfit Gabby & Papa gave Emme

Old Mother Hubbard...

Me & D

Yaya, me & Nana -- 4 generations if you count Emme hiding in there

My sweet aunt Christie that flew down from West Tx to be there

The best we could get of Tiff, me & the kiddos

What a wonderful time! Thanks girlies -- you have no idea how much I appreciate everything you did! Can't wait to return the favor when the time comes - Emme needs friends! ;)

Euphemism

Yesterday I had my 34 week check-up. We had a long wait -- apparently Dr. Cone was slightly behind, but once we got in a room, it didn't take too long. Emerson's heartbeat was still good & strong. He did the external fundal height measurement to assess the uterine growth. He said I was measuring at "just about full term." Fabulous -- I am supposed to have 5 & a half weeks to go! At my 36 week visit we will do the Group B Strep test & start assessing the progress. As he was reminding me of this, he said and I quote "We'll know more after the 36 week appointment, but based on external measurements right now, she isn't a petite one." Basically, "that's one big honking baby you have there!" Jackson was 8 lbs 1 oz and Dr. Cone never once even came close to saying he was going to be big. I knew there was a toddler growing in there! Dr. Cone said we'll hope for early labor. Great. I am totally to the point where I want her to come, but I also was looking forward to having 3 uninterrupted weeks, with no school, where I could give Jackson his last few moments of only-child attention. Guess we'll have to start having our fun before school gets out!

The best we could get!

So we went for our THIRD and final attempt to get a peek at Emerson. She is a stubborn one already! We were able to get some better pictures this time, but not much better. The first & second times she was hiding in the oh-so cushy placenta. This time she had backed off the placenta, but had her face turned away from us. Here's what we were able to get...

First attempt May 9, 2009 - Wearing the placenta as a hat.

She & Wacko have the same nose!

Second attempt May 14, 2009 - still hiding in the placenta, but we caught a glimpse of her ear

Third attempt May 16, 2009 - she has her foot up by her face & a hand under her chin.
You can just see little fingertips sticking out at you.

Another shot from today. Would you look at those chubby cheeks?

Today

Video - she doesn't do anything really exciting, but I'm sure she'll be doing tricks in no time!

Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day! My sweet husband & baby boy met me getting out of the shower with roses & a gift. The flowers are beautiful and so is the necklace I received! We then met my parents, Nana & uncle for brunch at The Tasting Room. It is a wine room by night, but a fabulous place for brunch on the weekends! Yummy yummy vanilla orange french toast! We then went back to my parents for gift exchanging and relaxing. Later in the afternoon we went to LaPorte to see Aaron's parents. We hung out at their house for a bit with Jackson at center stage, of course, and then we went to Monument Inn for dinner. We had never been there (well, I was later told that I had been there once when I was about 3) -- it is on the waterfront of the channel and Jackson could watch the ferries & giant ships come through all evening. I thought the food was great, especially the cinnamon rolls they serve with every meal! When it was all said & done, I had a great Mother's Day with my family and especially the little one that gives me the right to celebrate it! Happy Mother's Day to Yaya, Nana & Gabby and all my mommy friends!

Yaya reading to Jackson

Mommy reading to Jackson -- he refused to pose for any pictures

My two guys!


Papa, Jackson, Daddy & Gabby

Jackson was one unhappy kid & the mosquitos were horrific!

Oh, Emerson did not cooperate at the 3D/4D ultrasound on Saturday so we are trying again tomorrow. Hopefully she will stop hiding in the placenta long enough for us to see her cute face! Wish us luck!

32 Week Appointment

I had my 32 week appointment yesterday afternoon. All in all it was pretty uneventful & fast! My Dr. did say that I was measuring a week ahead (33 weeks). He did not indicate though if he thought Emerson would make her appearance a week earlier. So who knows??? Gabby & Papa graciously met us near my Dr's office to take care of Jackson while Aaron & I went to the appointment -- we have learned that it's a recipe for disaster (or at least some restlessness or the occasional screaming fit) when he goes with us & Dr. Cone is running behind. They took Jackson to the park nearby where Jackson got to see his favorite feathered friends, the ducks. (I can hear Jackson's quacks in my head right now - too cute!)

Once we were finished, Aaron & I met them at the Children's Museum. Thursday night is family night & all families get in free after 5pm. They just opened up the new, improved & bigger Tot Spot area. Jackson had a spectacular time! His little face was aglow the whole time -- he kept bouncing around from activity to activity -- you could tell there was so much he wanted to do but so little time. It really was a great place for him! There were mirrors everywhere, balls, blocks, cars, slides, places to climb, doorbells to ring, buttons to push....everything a toddler could want! I think we are going to have to invest in a membership!

Again, I didn't have my camera, so all pictures are courtesy of Papa & Gabby, who just got her own camera -- thanks guys for watching him & taking pictures!

Peek-a-boo at the park

Giant lite-brite -- pretty cool!

Fun cars to "drive" - notice the gas pump in the background. When you put the nozzle in the car, the counter would start going up.

32 Weeks

I am now 32 weeks and utterly exhausted! I feel the same way I did when I was 9 months pregnant with Jackson. I assume the difference is that I now am not only 32 weeks pregnant, but also chasing a toddler around. I have no energy and I get winded so easily. Emerson kicks -- more like does round-off flip flops -- ALL the time. Most of the time it is fine, but occasionally she uses my ribs as monkey bars and that sort of hurts. I like that she is very active though. With Jackson I used to have to poke around to get him to kick sometimes, so this is more reassuring and usually makes me smile. Aaron has been busy working on her room. It is really coming along and we should be ready to go pick up the crib & dresser this week. My mom is busy working on the bedding also. It is going to be so cute! I can't wait for it to be finished. Saturday we will go for the 3D/4D ultrasound -- we can't wait to see what our little girl is going to look like. Jackson popped out looking just like what we saw at his 3D/4D, so that makes it even more exciting! Hopefully, she will cooperate and we'll get some good shots. So...8 weeks to go & what's better only 4 more weeks of school!

HUGE -- don't judge.

Aaron working on the nursery -- we have put up wood on one accent wall to make it look sort of cottage like. Aaron has done so much labor intensive work for what he calls his "favorite client ever!" He's the BEST daddy and I am so pleased with how it is turning out!

Here you can see the aqua colored walls. The wood on the accent wall was painted that same color then painted white over it & sanded in places so that the aqua would show through. He has now finished the accent wall & is in the process of putting up crown molding. Hopefully, I can post pictures of the finished room soon!

26 Week Update

I am now 26 weeks 1 day into this pregnancy and huger (I know it isn't a word, but "bigger" didn't seem to adequately describe my size) than ever! My doctor's office called Friday & said I passed my glucose tolerance test. My mom said that I have always been a good test taker. ;) I passed with Jackson too, so I wasn't really concerned, but it is good to know. It would explain these giant babies I seem to produce though if I did have gestational diabetes. (Not that I would want that!) My babies are healthy and we couldn't be more grateful for that! Here is a pic from tonight to show my "progress." If you compare it to the picture from 6 weeks ago, there has been significant growth.


Jackson got a hair cut FINALLY - his 2nd one! We went yesterday after school and waited for 1 hour. Ugh! We were a walk-in and arrived about 4:40pm. Let me first explain why we were late -- my students are doing a project on the Animal Kingdom and a few students asked if they could dissect an organism for extra credit. Being the science nerd I am, I said sure and agreed to help. So, I had two groups come in, one with a catfish & another with a lobster. I got the catfish going, explained what to do and turned them loose. The lobster on the other hand, was not so easy. You see, they brought the dang thing in ALIVE! Now tell me how we're supposed to dissect a live lobster? You can't without being just downright cruel, so we have to kill it all the while maintaining it's internal structure. No choice but to boil it. So we borrowed a large pot from the cooking/Home Ec lab and had to wait for the water to boil and then a little longer for the lobster to die. By the time all of that was done, it was 4:30 before I even left to go get Jackson. A day in the life of a biology teacher! So we get to Cool Cuts for Kids at 4:40 and sit down to wait. They finally take us at 5:35 but only after taking two 5:30 appointments before taking us. Moral of the story....make an appointment!

Jackson enjoyed his chicken & mac-n-cheese tonight. He took 2 reluctant bites of his asparagus and then wouldn't budge. We're working on using a fork. He will gladly use the fork if we stab the food for him, but seems to take the path of least resistance if we try to get him to stab the food himself. It's a work in progress and we'll keep trying....

Tooth #8

Monday Jackson cut tooth #8. To this point, he had the top 4 teeth & 3 of the bottom ones. He started running fever Monday afternoon and the rest of the night. I thought he was coming down with a virus (this teething thing can be so tricky & disguise itself) -- he had a runny nose, was waking in the night & had a yucky diaper or two. I didn't think it was teething initially because there was no sign of the 4th bottom tooth, but alas I flipped him upside down, waited for him to holler, and there it was - molar #1! Phew - at least he wasn't sick! It was a few days of misery & not eating, but he finally seems just about back to normal.

Yesterday, I had my 25 week appointment. I had to drink that yucky glucose stuff for the glucose tolerance test. For those of you that aren't familiar, it tastes like really flat orange soda -ick! Other than that, everything was routine. Emerson kicked as we were listening to her heartbeat on the doppler. It sounded as if she kicked a duck or something, but it was neat!

Spring break has been pretty uneventful & I can't believe it is almost over. Boo! Tomorrow I am getting a massage (much needed) and Saturday I think we are going to take Jackson to the beach for the first time. Don't get too excited -- it's just Galveston, but it isn't far and we're curious to see how they have recovered to this point after Ike. Hopefully, I can get rid of this pastiness I have since I haven't been able to tan....

Update

As of Sunday, I am officially half way through my pregnancy -- 20 weeks. As you can see, this time is no different from last time. I get giant fast! I've been feeling good and last night Aaron was able to feel Emerson kick for the first time. I guess she's getting big enough now. He was really excited! We have picked out fabric for the bumpers - we think. We're waiting on the swatches to come in the mail before we make the final decision. Hopefully, we will find a crib this weekend and then officially begin work on the nursery.

Jackson is growing like a weed. He seems taller (and heavier) everyday. He is a walking CHAMP these days and can even carry large toys while he walks. This afternoon he was carrying around this barrel-shaped inflatable toy that is supposed to encourage crawling. It is bigger than him, but he carried it all over the playroom throwing it around then retrieving it and doing it all over again. He often carries his pool boat around also. Too funny!


Here is Jackson enjoying Nana Linda's chicken spaghetti recipe -- a favorite in our house! Linda used to make an extra batch just for me when she'd come to visit Tiff in Lubbock.

Jackson can now get on & off his Bounce & Spin Zebra all by himself. He has a blast once he's on, but seems to enjoy just getting on & off of it too.

We have been working on manners lately. He has always been able to express his thanks by nodding. We'd say "can you say thank you?" or "what do you say?" and he'd nod. Now, he actually says Thank You or even Thanks from time to time. You can sort of hear it in this video after he gets a raisin from Aaron.

It's A ......

GIRL! Yea! We are thrilled! I guess all our "thinking pink" worked! I even wore all pink today -- pink shirt, pink eyeshadow, VS Pink perfume & a pink scarf. I did wear blue jeans though. Aaron wore a mauve shirt that people always call pink & when my mom showed up, she had a pink sweater on. So we are getting the girl we had hoped for. More importantly we have one healthy baby! The 18 week ultrasound & visit went very well. All of her organs are functioning as they should at this point of development and all bone measurements are where they should be. I also was told, much to my relief, that I have an anterior placenta, so basically there is a buffer between my abdominal wall & her. This is why I haven't felt many kicks. When the sonographer told us the sex, we all cheered & then Aaron squeezed my hand so hard (in an attempt not to cry, I think), but Yaya & Gabby couldn't hold it in! They hugged each other & cried. It was really sweet! We have chosen a first name, which will be Emerson, but we can't decide on a middle name yet. Here are a few pics of our little one: (Isn't she precious?)

The "money" shot

As long as I am bragging, today is also the day Jackson turns 14 months old! Can't believe it. Some of his recent stats:

- He weighs 21.5 lbs (as of last week)

- He is now wearing size 4 diapers (size 3 still fit, but 4 are just a little roomier)

- He is walking all over now. He still stumbles & sometimes reverts back to crawling if he's in a hurry, but he's getting really good at it!

- He says: mama, dada, ball, dog, cat, hi, bye-bye, milk (sounds like milllllll), uh-oh, book (sounds like bouu) & Aaron claims he is starting to say thanks, although I've only heard it once & it may have been a fluke. I was reminded that Jackson can also say Yaya. Sorry Yaya & to forget on your birthday -- I am so bad! (Revised 1/29/09)

- He knows where his nose, ears & teeth are. We are working on eyes & hair.

- He will go to Elmo or a phone if we tell him to go get it.

- He has just started this hilarious form of dancing -- I'll have to post a video soon.

- He loves to play catch, swing outside, play in the grass, climb, take wagon rides, play in his ball pit (he manages to throw almost half of the 225 balls out within 5 min of being in it), sing "If you're happy & you know it," stuffing blocks in shoes, boxes or baskets, read bedtime stories, and pretending to talk on the phone. He LOVES being outside!

- He has recently become scared of the bathtub. He used to squeal as I took his clothes off and could spend an hour in the bath, if I let him. I put less water in the tub this morning & he seemed to do better. Hopefully, he'll get back to lovin' it soon!

Ok, that's all I can think of right now. I'm sure there is WAY more, but I'm too tired right now. ;) We are so happy & thankful to have 2 healthy kiddos! Jackson's going to be a wonderful big brother!

Flutters At Last!

I am FINALLY feeling flutters. They started Friday morning & I got 3 big ones right in a row, then another that afternoon. I had been praying for this! I was starting to get worried because "they" say that you should feel kicks sooner with the 2nd baby. Everyone, and I mean everyone, I talked to said I should feel them sooner than before. I felt Jackson kick at 17 weeks, so at 16 weeks I was all in a panic that I hadn't felt it yet. I asked my mom, friends, and finally the nurse and all said not to worry, but you can't help it. Friday I was nearing the end of my 17th week and was very concerned. Now, I have been feeling them at least once a day, which is so comforting!

Wednesday is the big day! We go for the 18 week check-up and THE ultrasound. Wednesday is my mom's birthday so she will get an extra special treat that day. Aaron's mom is going to come too, which is exciting! She didn't get to come for Jackson's "reveal." We will soon know if this is a prince or princess I'm growing. We're all "thinking pink" as Aaron's aunt, Anita said. We will be perfectly delighted with another boy too, but those of you that know me, know I would LOVE to have a girl! Aaron wants one too. Anyway, we'll keep you posted. For now, I am just happy with the tiny whallops this little one is finally giving me!

13 Months Old

Jackson turned 13 months old 2 days ago. Here is the latest on him....

Sleeping: He sleeps for about 9.5 hours at night when we are in school and around 10.5-11 hours at night when we are out or on weekends. He takes 2 naps (usually - he is currently screaming in his bed refusing to nap) per day, both anywhere from 1 hour to 2.5 hours.

Eating: Wacko has become uber picky! All he seems to want is bread or some sort of carb. If he never sees it, then he will eat anything else, but if someone else is eating a biscuit, roll, tortilla -- forget about it! He HATES ground beef. I'd say he will have a long life ahead of him considering half of what we cook has ground beef in it. His favorites are Cuties (clementines), pizza, & mac-n-cheese. He loves yogurt too.

Words he says: "Dada", "Mama", "Yaya", "Hi", "Bye-bye", "Cat", "Leyla" (our dog's name, but it sounds more like Lah-la) and I think he has been trying to say "light" too.

Tricks: He can tell you where his nose is (he has been doing this for about 2 weeks, but just recently started doing it consistently); when he hears a phone ring he will put anything up to his ear & say "hi" - very cute!; he can take 2-4 steps by himself and is getting much more brave about it; he will give kisses or sugar & he wants to kiss pictures all the time especially his own baby pictures; he will blow kisses, but usually just puts his hand over his mouth & doesn't actually "throw" the kiss; and rocks in his rocking chair by himself

Favorites: swinging; riding in the wagon; rocking or standing (shame, shame!) in the rocking chair; playing ball; chasing the dog or cat; climbing the stairs (supervised, of course); eating Cuties

I can't wait to see whatelse is to come! He gets cuter & cuter everyday and Aaron & I simply adore him!
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I went for my 14 week check up today. It was very quick. Dr. Cone said everything is going perfectly on schedule and we have a healthy little one with a strong heartbeat. We go on January 28 for the big ultrasound when we find out the sex and can start working on the nursery!

Nuchal Translucency

We got preliminary results back today & the numbers look good. They gave me a 1/10,000 probability of this baby having Down Syndrome and a 1/10,000 chance of having Trisomy 18 (Edward's Syndrome). Even though I wasn't worried, it sure is a relief to hear those words! I will have one more round of blood drawn in a couple of weeks and then we will get the final results. Because these results are good, they expect the next ones to be also.

Drumroll please.....

Those of you that don't know already, I think it is finally time to announce it. Jackson is going to be a big brother. Yep, that's right, I'm pregnant again. I am 12 weeks and 5 days as of today and I figure now is "safe" to spill the beans. The baby is due June 29th and that makes my babies 20 months apart. Our neices are the same distance apart in age and it seems to work out perfectly! I love that they always have someone to play with even without inviting a house full of friends over. I am a little nervous that this might disrupt Jackson's potty training, but we'll make it work. Everything has been pretty good through the pregnancy so far -- I have been WAY more nauseous & sick than with Jackson (I never got physically sick with Jackson and it has been the pits with this one!) and the headaches have been worse, but overall the first trimester was pretty smooth. Looking forward to more energy & nausea relief!

Monday I went for the Nuchal Translucency ultrasound, which is a 2 part test that gives you the probability of having some funky genetic disorder. It is a no-frills sort of ultrasound and they don't even let the father back there, so Aaron didn't even go. They simply meansure the fatty pad on the back of the baby's neck and then let me go. We did a test sort of like this with Jackson, but this one is suppose to be more accurate due to the fact that you repeat it all again a month later. I pray that everything is normal, healthy and the baby stays safe and comfortable in there. The only real reason we opted for this test was because we get 2 extra ultrasounds than you do if you don't do it. That's 2 more peeks at my "bean" before his or her arrival. We are hoping that this baby is a girl, but we just want a healthy baby either way. Aaron's aunt, Anita says that she will be "thinking pink" for us. I love it! Here is what I got to see Monday--