14-Weeks Pregnant

Today marks 14-completed weeks.  This week my overall mood has been:  good.  Energy:  good, normal, moments of extreme exhaustion.  Appetite: increased.  Morning sickness:  none!  Cravings:  Italian ice, food in general, mashed potatoes.
LB is the size of a lemon this week.  And hello baby bump!!!  Popped up out of nowhere yesterday.  "Hair is starting to sprout on the baby's head, which is about the size of a gumball.  The head is now in better proportion to body size.  Simple facial gestures may now be visible on ultrasound, including grimacing and squinting."  Hmmm...the hair growing probably explains the sudden onset of heartburn.  I didn't get heartburn with Avery until the 3rd trimester...so maybe this baby will have more hair than Avery?  Avery had a lot of hair...so we'll see.
Here are some pictures of my new little "lemon"...

Christmas 2010

Avery's Christmas Eve dress

Mommy & Avery on Christmas Eve

I know what this is!

Let me help you!

Christmas morning:)

Princess ball bounce house

The shoes mommy got her

Her giraffe

Trying to figure out what this dress is

Zany Zoo, love this gift!

Not the best picture, but her dress is so cute!

Christmas Eve was spent in Rockwall with the Jones side of the family.  Avery got her Laugh n Learn door that she loves!  She also got the cutest boots!  Christmas morning we spent playing Santa at our house.  Avery got a Princess ball jump house and a giraffe that you put balls in its mouth and they go around and around until they reach the bottom.  She loved both of those gifts.  I also got her some pretty white shoes that she was able to wear today, size 5...I can't believe how big she's getting.  Christmas afternoon was spent at my parents house.  Avery got her Zany Zoo cube, some sleepers that are adorable, a rolling horse, a tea set, and some books.  I got my new laptop, YAY!!!  And we ate a lot!!!!  Avery has been absolutely adorable playing with all of her toys.  She has been a busy little baby!

13-weeks PG/Appt.

Today I am 13-completed weeks.  Overall mood for the week:  good/calm; Energy: tired during school, good on break;)  Appetite:  normal.  Morning sickness:  none!  Cravings:  movie popcorn, food in general, canteloupe, Cheez-its. 
This week LB is the size of a peach.  "Up until now, your baby's head has been proportionally larger than the rest of the body.  But around this time your baby's body will start to catch up and grow more proportional to the head.  If you could peek inside your womb, you could see your baby's motor skills starting to work.  Your baby is able to move and flex the arms and legs, but you won't be able to feel this movement until later."

I also had my doctor's appointment this morning.  Everything went really well.  I got to listen to the heartbeart for a long time.  I swear that is the best sound in the whole world.  The heartrate was 187 which is super fast!!!  Avery was in the 140's the entire pregnancy.  The old wives tale says that the faster heartrates are girls.  We shall see!  AND Chris and I finally decided on a girls name...I think.  We already have our boys name...I think;)

12-weeks pregnant...YAY!

I am officially 12-weeks today, YAY!  Mood:  a little snappy, moody; Energy:  exhausted, good tired during 3rd period (1:00-2:30pm);  Appetite:  normal; Cravings:  canteloupe, chips, jolly ranchers, cheez its;  Morning Sickness:  none.

LB is the size of a plum!  "The features on your baby's face are becoming more defined.  The eyes have moved towards the front of the face and the chin and nose have taken more shape.  Your baby's tiny fingernails are now well formed on fingers that will soon be able to open and close.  In your baby's brain, synapses are rapidly growing.".

11-weeks Pregnant

I am officially 11-completed weeks today...yay!  Mood:  sad, struggling, strong and doing better by the end of the week.  Energy:  started out exhausted, then got really good.  Appetite:  started out hungry, needed to eat every hour, then went back to normal.  Cravings:  Enchiladas, cantaloupe with yogurt, watermelon, Chick-Fil-A.  Morning sickness:  started out bad, then went away completely.
LB is the size of a lime.  "This week your baby is officially developed enough to be called a fetus.  The good news is that the critical part of your baby's organ system development is over.  Your baby will grow very rapidly and will double in size by next week.  On your baby's head, the ears are moving to the side of the head.  Reproductive organs are becoming more distinguished."

December Pics

Sleepy baby

Avery's Christmas pictures



Avery meeting Santa for the very 1st time.  No tears AT ALL!  Santa asked me, "Is she always this good?".



10-completed weeks

Yesterday, I was 10-completed weeks...only 30 more to go. Mood: like a roller coaster, most of the time I am sad, but there are times where I am good. Energy: Same as mood, moments where it is good, moments where I am really tired! Appetite: normal to increased. I am having to eat every hour or so to keep the sickness at bay. Cravings: fruit, apples, cantaloupe. Morning sickness: in waves.
LB is the size of a prune this week. "The 10th week marks the beginning of a critical period in your baby's development when all the vital organs have formed and are beginning to function. Your baby is growing tiny nails on the fingers and toes as well as tiny buds for teeth.
I also took the Intelligender test this morning. I took it 2X with Avery and it was right both times. This morning it was definitely clear and easy to read again. Only this time it says BOY.

1-year pediatric appointment

And what a fun day it was...NOT! I hate these stupid appointments and I know it's only going to get worse when she knows what's happening. Although I honestly think she knew what was happening as soon as she saw the nurse. The 2 nurses that gave her shots kept saying, "I think she already knows what's going on." Sigh...my smart little baby. She weighs 21 pounds and is 30" long putting her in the 25th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height. She shrunk so to speak. I asked about her bow leggedness and pigeon toedness and she said she wasn't concerned right now. They would look at it again at 15-months, her next appointment. And she said we would consider "treatment" then. How do you treat that??? I don't think I want to know.
And of course to top off the entire lovely visit, I got my flu shot, and Avery got 4 shots (Hepatitis A, the flu shot, MMR, and the Chickenpox vaccine). I gave her some baby ibuprofen when we got home and she is taking a nap right now. Poor baby:( Thankfully we don't have to go through this again until the end of February or beginning of March.

9-weeks pregnant

Avery is officially 1-year old today and I am officially 9-weeks pregnant today. This week has been the roughest week so far. Overall this week: Mood: good/happy/bad at the end of the week. Energy: Very good. Appetite: Hungrier than normal. Cravings: food in general, chips, fried chicken (which I don't like when I'm not pregnant), french fries. Morning sickness: Absolutely none all week until last night. Last night was the 1st puke of the pregnancy. I had Stovetop Dressing last night and puked it all up.
I had my 2nd doctors appointment today. Everything looks good, saw the heartbeat:) And I lost a pound...already doing better than I did with Avery. Must have been my awesome night last night...
As for LB: "This week the embryonic tail disappears. The hands and feet look a lot less like paddles and have more formed fingers and toes. These changes give your baby a more human shape. Your baby's head is still larger than the rest of the body and the eyes are fully developed, but are covered by the eyelids which are fused shut for the next 16 weeks or so. Inside your baby's body the internal reproductive organs, testes, or ovaries, are starting to form but will not be quite distinguishable until the next couple of weeks." And according to my BabyBump app, LB is the size of a green olive right now.

To Avery, Love Your Mom

I remember when I saw my 1st ever positive home pregnancy test in March 2009. I never liked small children and approaching 30 years of age, I had finally come to terms that I might not ever be a mom. And I was fine with that. God has the most unbelievable sense of humor. This is never the path I would have chosen, but God does not think like we do. He is not small minded and is not trapped nor confined by our human understanding. I knew as soon as I found out I was having you that I wanted a daughter, badly. At my ultrasound in July, the Tech said, "Congratulations! It's a girl. You're having a daughter". I saw our future flash before my eyes. Pink, bows, dance, gymnastics, the clothes and of course the name. Avery was my FAVORITE name, had been since 1999. 10-years later, I would finally get to use it! I loved being pregnant with you! My favorite memory with you was taking baths. You were not active and did not move that much. When I would pull the stopper out of the bath, you would jump as if the noise had somehow disturbed your tranquility. I would take baths just to know that you were OK. Once we made it to November, I thought about each passing day. Would it be your birthday? I was due the 21st, but was convinced you would be early, because I don't do anything slow. Boy was I wrong! As your due date came and went and my anxiety, impatience and excitement increased, I wondered if you would ever come. And when you did, who would you look like? Act like? How much would you weigh? Would you have a lot of hair? Would I have a vaginal birth or C-section? When would my water break? All of these questions were answered on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009. I was scared and nervous about being induced. Your birth, in hindsight, was an omen as to what kind of daughter you are. The birth was far better and dare I say, easier, than I ever thought it could be! I prayed the night before you were born that because I had waited so long to have you, could I please take delight in you and not be depressed like some women are after giving birth. I had no idea how clearly God would answer that prayer. I loved and was completely enthralled by you as soon as you were born...screaming, yet again I had disturbed your tranquility. The doctor had me hold your legs while we both got cleaned up. My first thought was how tiny you were. It felt like forever until I got to hold you!! They even let your daddy hold you before me! As soon as I held you I knew God was everything I thought and more. You were so perfect and that was the day. The day I realized my old self was dying, but it needed to die. You were my new life, my new reality. Before getting pregnant with you, I always felt like I had a hole, like something was missing. I always thought it was because I hated my job so much and that I should be doing something else. Once you were born that hole closed up and I know what was missing, you. I had finally come to terms with never being a parent and then God gave me you. Being your mom is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love everything about being a mom and you. We had our rough spots, I still cringe when I think about how I yelled "at you" because you would not stop screaming (colic and reflux). Despite that rough patch, you are a remarkably amazing baby. Love isn't a strong enough word to describe how I feel EVERY time I look at you! My friends all talk about how crazy it is that you and your sibling will be so close in age. They say,"I love my kid so much. I can't imagine loving another one." "I'm just so in love with my kid that I want to enjoy my time with them and not have to split my attention." "My kid is such a good baby, I'm scared to have another one." My answer to all of that...Avery is such an amazing baby and I love her so much that I want to multiply her. Avery, I know you'll never understand just how much I love you until you become a mom. My hopes and dreams for you are for you to be smart, happy, in dance and/or gymnastics, and of course for you to go to Texas A&M. Or at least a 4-year university, preferably A&M...And for you to always know and never to doubt what a true gift you are. You were not planned, but a surprise. Much like a surprise birthday present, you were our Thanksgiving miracle. I love you!

Avery's 1st Birthday Party!

One year ago today was my due date. I was sitting in my dining room putting a puzzle together trying to pass the time. Now I am celebrating my baby girls 1st birthday party! What a difference a year can make!

Her party was a huge success. It was nice to see everyone from both sides of the family and Jen and Ryder too. I was worried about Avery because OF COURSE her naps were off today. She was a little fussy, but not too bad. She got lots of great presents, I can't wait for her to start using them! Her smash cake experience was too cute. She didn't want to touch it at first and just cried. Then she got more adventurous and started touching it, grabbing it, smushing it and faceplanting in it.

It was a great party, I am glad it's over and I think I might have gained 10 pounds...sheesh that was a lot of food.