Thursday, January 14, 2010

Our Boy is Growing!

Wow ... our boy is getting big! He is over 16 inches in length from head to toe! And from everything I read ... he is headed into a growth spurt! I cannot imagine my tummy getting much bigger!

Sometimes I forget that I am pregnant ... and I will see a reflection of myself in a glass doorway as I walk by ... and I think "WHOA!" ... that was me! :)

We have settled on a name that we love! It is neat to call him by his name!
His name will be:
Cooper Roy Patrick
We like the name Cooper and the nickname 'Coop'. We chose Roy as a middle name after Brandon's granddaddy. He means a lot to Brandon and we were able to tell his granddaddy that we were naming the baby after him this last Christmas when we went for a visit to West Virginia. It was a special time.

Cooper is moving around like crazy. It's not quite as comfortable anymore! :) I have loved every second of feeling him move. God has given me such a love for him already and all I can think about is how precious he is everytime I feel him move! He's gonna have me eating out of the palm of his hand! :) Brandon tells me that I am going to have my hands full ... and I just say "But, he'll be a sweetheart!" :)

I am 31 weeks pregnant! It is hard to believe that we only have 9 weeks left! I have been praying that I will go full term because I just don't feel prepared at all!

We had pregnancy pictures made this past weekend. I can't wait to see how they turned out.
When I get them, I'll scan them in and post a few!

I had so much energy during my 2nd trimester. However, during this third trimester, I have started to feel a lot more tired. I'm still working 3 jobs and going on very little sleep. I just pray that God will help me to have enough energy to get through each day.

I thank God everyday for such a healthy pregnancy. I have not had any complications and the baby seems to be healthy! I truly could not ask for anything more. I feel so blessed!

Christmas 2009


28 weeks pregnant!


Boy oh boy ... Christmas will surely be much different next year! :)





Thanksgiving 2009


24 weeks pregnant!



Thursday, November 12, 2009

Pregnancy at 22 weeks

Wow ... am I getting big! I was in the shower last night when I realized that I could no longer look straight down and see my feet! I now have to lean forward to see them! It amazes me how God created women's bodies in such a way that would allow another human being to grow inside of them!

Our little boy is moving and kicking like crazy! He is an active little thing, but I love to feel him move! Brandon and I were laying in bed this past weekend, and Brandon had his hand on my belly just longing to feel the baby move. As soon as Brandon took his hand off, the baby kicked! :) Brandon said "That sorry sucker!" He put his hand on my tummy again and the baby must not have liked that because he kicked hard a few times! That is when Brandon was able to feel him move for the first time! You should have seen the smile that came across his face! He had longed to feel him move, and his wish came true!

Our little boy is now about 1 foot long! And he weighs about 1 pound! He literally looks like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily. Everything that I've read tells me that he will have a major growth spurt and I will start to gain about a pound a week. Oh, what I have to look forward to! :)

On a different note ... we have been working on building a nursery! It is coming together and will hopefully be painted by this weekend! Next comes the carpet! I am so excited and cannot wait to see how it will all turn out!

Our Cutie Pie!


Precious!


It's a boy!



Tuesday, October 27, 2009

It's a Sweet Baby Boy!!!

Wow ... I cannot believe how long it has been since I have updated everyone!

So much has happened over the last 6 weeks! The second trimester has been amazing! Most of the nauseousness has gone away, I officially look pregnant (see pic below), and my energy has picked up by leaps and bounds! God is so amazing to give me the energy when I need it. I am currently working 3 jobs and tend to work about 18 hours a day, 6 days a week. I feel fortunate to get 6 hours of sleep a night, which rarely happens anymore. I'm going to start calling myself "Super Mom"! :)


Brandon and I went on an amazing vacation for our 5 year anniversery! We are still amazed that it has been 5 years! We have loved every single second of being married and often wish that we would have done it sooner. The vacation was very much needed for the both of us and couldn't have come at a better time.



I am now at 19 1/2 weeks! Can you believe that we are 1/2 way there!

We went to the doctor on Friday, October 23rd for the "BIG" ultrasound! All of the grandparents were able to join us, which was special! We all found out together that we are having a precious little boy!

He is so cute already! I do not have pictures downloaded yet, but will post them as soon as I do.

It is so neat to hear Brandon say "our boy" or to hear someone say "your son"! We are still trying to get used to the idea! It is such a neat time in our lives.

I cannot tell you how emotional I get when I think about how amazing my God is! As I sat there and watched the ultrasound, our little boy looked so normal and healthy! It was so reassuring to see his brain and his heart and his body! I think God every single day for forming him and for taking such good care of him! I feel so blessed that God saw fit to make me a mother and to bless me with the precious gift of a child!
I promise to post again soon with pictures of our little cutie pie! :)












Friday, September 11, 2009

End of First Trimester

Woohoo! The first trimester is over! On to trimester #2!

This week our baby is almost 3 inches long and it's body is catching up with it's head! :)
Would you believe that if our baby is a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries!? How crazy is that! Only God could create something so miraculous!
Our little one's own little fingerprints have formed on it's tiny fingertips! God has molded our baby into one of a kind and there is no other like him/her!

I have fallen in love with the christian song "A More Beautiful You" by Johnny Diaz. It says:
"There could never be a more beautiful you ... You were made to fulfill a purpose, only you could do ... There could never be a more beautiful you." I can't wait to teach my child these words! God is forming him/her just the way He wants them -- and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Here is a link to the song if you've never heard it before:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGZkrn_vaqU

Friday, September 4, 2009

Pregnancy at 12 weeks

Wow ... 12 weeks ... that is 3 whole months!
Brandon and I are in awe that I am 3 months pregnant.

Although both of us had a million things we needed to be doing, we took the time to have a lunch 'date' yesterday. It was so nice to spend that time together. We talked about how fast time is flying. It is so hard for us to fathom that there will be a sweet little baby in our midst in just 6 short months! We feel so unprepared and realize that we have so much to do to prepare for this little one! We try to not let the 'planning' get to us. We know that having a healthy baby is what is most important ... and the rest will fall into place.

Our baby is now a little over 2 inches long! The big development this week is: reflexes. Our baby's tiny fingers are beginning to open and close, it's toes are curling, it's eye muscles are clenching, and it's mouth is making sucking movements! Also, our babies kidneys have began to excrete urine into it's bladder.

I had a doctor's appointment this week and I like to describe it as "information overload!" Brandon was not able to go with me, so I had to make a lot of decisions myself. Luckily, we had already talked over a few of them. We decided against the tests for cystic fibrosis, down syndrome, etc. We knew that it would not affect the outcome for us and we would rather have a happy, non-stressful pregnancy. I understand why some couples choose to have the tests -- especially for preparation purposes. But it was just not the choice for us. I also was able to choose whether to donate our babies umbilical cord to our own private blood bank or to a public blood bank or not at all. I chose to donate it to a public bank. I love the idea of our baby being able to help someone else in need. Like bone marrow, cord blood is rich in the blood-forming cells that can be used in transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma and many other life-threatening diseases. We talked about many other things at the doctor, such as: the swine flu, what to eat and what not to eat, lamaze classes, insurance coverage, etc!

Most of my pregnancy sickness has gone away - PTL! Yesterday morning was very rough for me and this morning has been a little tough. I really do attribute it to the fact that I am going so long without eating. I have to eat dinner around 5:30 every night now, or I get sick. And I have not been eating after that. So, by the time I wake up in the morning, my blood sugar is so low that the nauseousness is hard to get rid of. I really need to start eating a snack before I go to bed. I just find myself not feeling like eating a snack -- but I really need to make myself. However, I am very thankful that it has gotten much better! I feel very blessed!

I have a doctor's appointment again next week. My uterus has grown to the point where my doctor will be able to feel the top of it low in my abdomen. I'm expecting him to feel my tummy and measure it next week. I'm also hoping to hear the baby's heartbeat!

I'll keep you updated!

Friday, August 21, 2009

Thursday, August 20, 2009

To our Precious Baby

Your daddy and I were able to see you the other day for the first time!!! It was the most amazing thing we have ever experienced! You were as cute as can be and you were moving all around. It was so neat to see you tucked in there ... comfortable, content, and playful! We felt so blessed to see your little arms and legs moving and to see your sweet little heart beating! God is so good and we have been praising Him for taking such good care of you!

I wish we could explain to you our excitement! We have not been able to get you out of our minds! Your daddy keeps a picture of you on his phone and he looks at it several times a day! He loves you so much! And I, just simply cannot get that sweet little picture of you off my mind! You are so precious to us.

The doctor measured you as being 1 inch long. You are so tiny, yet all of your body parts are formed! God will continue to 'fine tune' your little body in the coming months as He creates you in His perfect image. You are also developing tiny little teeth this week and because all of your body parts are formed, you will start to get bigger and bigger!

One of your cousins is being born today! His name is Aiden, and I know that you will love growing up with him and playing with him. We will take a trip to the hospital to meet him today.

Your daddy and I cannot wait until the next time we get to see you again. You are growing so fast and we can't wait to find out if you are a boy or a girl! We love you so so much and we are so thankful that God has blessed us with you!

Love,
Mommy

Friday, August 7, 2009

My Sweet Husband

God blessed me with such a sweet husband! I fall more in love with him every day! He has been so sweet throughtout this pregnancy so far. He constantly reaches over and rubs by belly and he is constantly asking me if "that" is okay for me to do or not. The other day we went to get some ice cream, and he said "Is that okay for the baby?" :) Of course, I responded with ... "It's the best thing ever for the baby!" :) Ha! I was also sitting on the floor with my legs bent the other day and he asked me if it was okay for me to sit like that. He is constantly worrying about me and the baby. Although I find it very sweet now, I often wonder if it will drive me crazy by the time this pregnancy is over. :) Either way, I feel so blessed that he will be the father of our child!
Would you believe that I am already 8 weeks along? That is 2 whole months! It's certainly hard for me to believe! The big news this week is that our little baby has started to develop little fingers and little toes! I'm praying that their are 10 of each! :) Also, the nerve cells in our baby's brain are branching out to connect with one another. It's still too early to determine the sex of the baby, but he/she is now about the size of a kidney bean! I'm also told that the baby is moving and shifting all around, but I still can't feel it yet. We can't wait for the day that we can feel our baby kick! We're going to be so excited! :)

Thursday, July 30, 2009

How Our Baby's Growing

The big news this week:
Hands and feet are emerging from our little one's developing arms and legs! Our baby has doubled in size since last week (Wow!) and now measures half an inch long! If I could see inside my womb, I'd spot eyelid folds partially covering his/her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of the baby's nose. Both hemispheres of our baby's brain are growing (I'm sure he/she will be smart :), and it's liver is churning out red blood cells. The baby also has an appendix and a pancreas! A loop in our baby's growing intestines is bulging into it's umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from it's tiny body. It's crazy to think that my body is providing the nutrients that our baby needs to live off of!

How my life is changing:
My uterus has doubled in size in the past five weeks, and eating is feeling like a chore thanks to my nauseousness that last all day long. Nothing appeals to me and I find myself eating things that I don't even like just to be healthy. I figure I might as well eat something that I don't like since nothing is appealing to me anyway! :) My blood volume has increased and the extra fluid is being processed through my kidneys making restroom trips more frequent. By now, I already have about 10 percent more blood than I did before I was pregnant. Brandon and I were not able to make it to church last night because we had to deliver some jet skis to Hyco and pick up a pontoon for him to power wash. I had planned on helping him with all of this, but he decided to drop me off at home when we had to go by there to pick up something. I went inside with full intentions of exercising and cleaning. I sat down to look through the mail, and after looking through a magazine, I fell asleep for an hour and a half! I've found that if I stop -- I can't help but fall asleep!

I know it may sound silly, but as I drove into work this morning, I was singing "Jesus Loves You" to the baby. As I sang the words to that song, they hit me like they never have before.
"Little ones to him belong ... they are weak ... but He is strong!"
Wow! Tears welled up in my eyes. I praise God that even though our baby is so weak and fragile right now, God has his hand of protection on our baby and He is strong enough and able to give our baby everything that it needs!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Pregnancy at 6 weeks

So, I've come to realize that even though I am really only 4 weeks along, the doctors would say that I am 6 weeks along. Boy do I have so much to learn! The doctors count out 40 weeks from your last menstrual period. So, even though I was not pregnant the 1st two weeks, they count that as part of the 40 weeks.

For the most part, pregnancy has been pretty good for me so far! (I know I'm really only 4 weeks pregnant, so it can't be but so bad so far!) :) However ... I have experienced some sure signs of pregnancy. It's amazing how quickly your body begins to change. I am in complete awe of how God has created my body to grow and carry another human being!
I have been tired a lot, my breasts have been sore, and I have learned that if I allow myself to get too hungry, I start to become nauseous. Long car rides (which I make everyday from home to work and back) also make me a little nauseous. And sometimes, just eating, will make me a little nauseous. I have been very blessed to not have any morning sickness so far, and even the little bits of nauseousness I have experienced have not been too bad at all.

I love to read about how our baby is growing! So, here are this weeks major developments ... you will be amazed at how much our baby has formed already!
The nose, mouth, and ears that we'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If I could see into my uterus, I would find an over sized head and dark spots where our baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. The baby's emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his/her arms and legs are protruding buds. It's heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as mine — and blood is beginning to course through it's body. The baby's intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to it's lungs has appeared. The baby's pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of it's brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, our baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lima bean!

Wow! How neat is that! I have tears filled up in my eyes just thinking of how awesome my God is and how He is taking such good care of my little one!

Brandon and I were talking last night about how we cannot believe that 1 whole month has passed already! Time is flying and we have so much to do to get prepared! Please be in prayer along with us that God would help us as we make some major decisions in our life and as we seek to do His will for our future.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Special Night

The Proud Parents


The Happy Daddy


The Excited Family



Friday, July 17, 2009

Dear Little One ...

Where do I begin?
I first and foremost want to thank our Heavenly Father for blessing me and your Daddy with such an amazing & special gift. We feel blessed beyond measure and our hearts are overfilled with gratitude and joy! We are in awe, that He would choose us to be your parents!
We cannot wait to meet you! We wonder what you will look like and what your personality will be like! We talk about you all the time! We pray for you every day as you are forming in my tummy. You see, God, your Heavenly Father, is forming each and every delicate part of your little body, knitting you together in my womb. We praise God, because we know that He is in control and we know that you are being fearfully and wonderfully made! (Psalm 139:13-14)
We are excited, because we will be telling your grandparents and family about you tonight! We know that they will begin to fall in love with you immediately, just like your Daddy and I did!
I'm sure I will write you many more letters as I anxiously await your arrival. I cannot wait to hold you and to look at your sweet little face.
I love you,
Mommy