What Dreams May Come

He's Coming!!!

2010-05-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

baby Sam will be here tomorrow! I go in around 6am and they begin the induction! Today at my appointment I had dilated a little bit and she liked what she saw on the Ultrasound as far as his size. She did not like, however, the way that he is folded in there. Because of his length, he's in an upside down "U" position and this could cause future fetal distress if he gains anymore weight. Based on the measurements taken at the time of ultrasound, she estimates he will be around 7.5 pounds. I am so excited!!

Mom and Keri will be here tomorrow around lunch time. My dad has to take a test on Friday for a computer training course he's been doing and should be here on Friday evening. Tom and Pat are still in Spain, but should arrive back in Tyler on Saturday. Wish me luck!!

38 Weeks

2010-05-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

Is this the week? Will I be able to post a "39 weeks" blog?? Whooooooo knows!!!!

I am really hoping for this week to fly by. Today should be the longest day, really. Tomorrow is my birthday, so that will make Tuesday go by fast and then Wednesday is my appointment. This weekend Jake and I took 2 very long walks to try and get the ball rolling. I would start contracting during the walks, but nothing painful. It's weird because for every 3-4 painless contractions, there is one monster painful one. The Dr. told me that I wont "not" know Im in labor when it's time, so that's reassuring. How great would it be to just go into labor on my own sometime between now and Friday?? :) Jake and I tried to really understand that we could have just had our last weekend with just us two for the rest of our lives. On Friday we went to Sam's and bought a few items. We got up early on Saturday morning to drink coffee on the porch and watch the Susan G. Koman runners run past our house. We had breakfast tacos at this great little Taquiria down the road. It was funny because as Jake was paying for the tacos he pulled out his wallet and it was so packed full of junk he could barely get his debit card out. I looked at him and said "I think its about time..." and was going to follow up with "to get a new wallet." but before I could, he goes "REALLY?!" because he thought I meant "ITS TIME!!!!" Haaaaahahahahaahhaaaaaaaaaaaaa. You should have seen the look on his face. He was so excited! Aw, poor guy. Haha. After breakfast we went to Lifeway Christian stores and he bought me a new pink Bible. I had needed a new one badly. I love it and I will always remember that he got it for me on my first unofficial Mother's Day weekend. :) Sunday we slept late and then did our small Bible study. We finished our series on Character last month and this month we are doing one on Raising Godly Children. Since we dont have a church home here ( i know, i know) we do online devotionals with one another on Sunday mornings. I know it's not church, but it works for us right now. We cant wait to get back to Houston and return to Sugar Grove or Cinco Ranch Church of Christ.

Have I told you guys recently how much I look forward to seeing Jake as a father? He's just going to be SO good at it. He has truly been the best husband EVER during this pregnancy. He's just a great husband, period. He helps me out around the house and does whatever I might not have gotten to during the day or might need to get done at night. He never complains, he just does it with a quarky little smile. He rubs my feet and back the best he knows how. And the way he talks with Sam just melts my heart. He goes straight to my belly when he arrives home from work to tell Sam hello (before he even kisses me!) and tells him he loves him. And this is something he's done all 9 months! Not just when the belly started bulging. Sometimes when we are watching TV I will catch him staring at me and when I ask him what he's thinking about, he says Sam. Watching him grow to love this person he's never even met has made me fall in love with him all over again. I cant wait to see him when he finally gets to lay his eyes on his baby boy. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So awesome!

I have a lot to be thankful for in my life, that's for sure. This week could potentially be the biggest in my whole life, and I just cant wait to see how it all plays out. I can take walks and do other things to "begin" labor, but when it comes down to it, God is in charge. This pregnancy has taught me so much about patience, faith and courage. From the miscarriage, to the 11 months of trying afterwards, to the bleeding during the first few months and the cyst on Sam's brain, God has led me through some pretty dark moments. To get through all of this on earth, He blessed me with an amazing husband, a wonderful family and some pretty awesome friends. Thank you guys so much for being so supportive and helpful. From showers, to kind words of encouragement on Facebook and through email, y'all have made this so much easier and less scary. I love you so much.

So let's get this week started, shall we. It's already a quarter till 11am and that means that Monday is almost half way over. Yay!! I will be back on Wednesday as soon as I know something. My appointment is at 11:40, so I figure by 1pm I should be out of there and ready to give everyone a date for his official arrival. Y'all have a great week!! xoxo

37 weeks

2010-05-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

Hello, Sam Bender Fans!!

Well, we had our 37 week appointment today and I have some interesting news to report. I have made zero progress since last time! You may be thinking to yourselves, "why is this a good thing?" It isnt. HOWEVER, she was feeling around my belly and measuring it and was looking a bit concerned. She asked me if I felt like I had "grown" a significant amount since last visit, which was just 6 days ago. I told her yes, I did feel that way because honestly, I really have had a miserable 6 days. And she was like "He's VERY big. And I dont like the way he is wrapping around" Hmmmmmmm. Sooooo, she said she'd like to give me one more week to dilate and she wants to take a look at him via sonogram. She said that if we look at him and he's a biggin, like she expects, and I have dilated a little, we will induce late next week. If he is a biggin, and I have NOT dilated, then we will do a c-section the next week. So she gave us some homework and will see us on Wednesday. So Sam will be here next week or mid-week that next week. Does that make sense? What a good birthday present. If he's huge and they induce me, she is going to let me labor for just a small amount of time and probably end up doing a c-section anyways. I know this is confusing.

So, that's our story. If anything, I get to see him on the big screen again on Wednesday and you know what that means. PICTURES!! Although by that point you will probably be able to wait a few days and see real life pictures. Meh, oh well. It's all so exciting. :)

36 Week Appt.

2010-04-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

My appointment went very well today. I am 50% effaced and 0cm dilated. She said he is sitting very low and measuring right on target. I saw a different Dr. in the practice this week because my Dr. is out of town. I go back on Tuesday at 4:20. Being "checked" was very uncomfortable. Meh.

The Dr. also said that normally they are open to inducing up to one week early and normally dont let you go more than one week over your due date. This makes me feel VERY good. I'd love to induce the week before as long as its on a weekend. My due date falls on a Sunday, and I would like to maybe have a Friday induction that way my family could get there and stay for the weekend and not have to take off very much work.

I dont really have much more to update on. Keri and her family come home from Disney tomorrow and I cant wait to see all their pictures. Pat and Tom leave for Spain on Saturday and will be gone until the 14th. Jake and I are just planning on another restful weekend. Hope everybody has a good rest of the week!!!

Umm...

2010-04-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

Had a little talk with the Lord this afternoon and we decided that I need to be patient and relax. I'm giving all my fears and anxiety to Him. What a load off.

35 weeks

2010-04-19T12:50:00.001-07:00

I know I have mentioned this before, but let me just say this again. I dont want your mouth on my child. Like, people who smother new babies in kisses, like babies that dont belong to them, really gross me out. Maybe a little kissy on the hand or forehead, but like, only one. I saw this lady at CVS slobbering all over this new baby and I almost had a panic attack. I myself dont even like hugs, much less kisses from people (besides my family) and I REALLY dont want you putting your germs on my child. So that's that. Lips off people. Green lights for hugs and snuggles, but no mouths please. You've been warned.

This weekend was pretty good, with the exception of being 100% uncomfortable 80% of the time. It just started off bad with a drive to Katy on Thursday. First off, we didnt get to leave when I wanted. I just cant stretch out how I want to in the Jeep. I told myself that I wasnt going to buy any more maternity clothes so I am having to wear jeans still. I was hot and it felt like they were digging into me. Every bump we went over felt like the Grand Canyon. Not to mention Jake was on the phone with work the whole time and that's always stressful. I was happy to see my lovies when we got to Katy, but I didnt sleep well that night. I knew I had to get up at 6am so I tossed and turned until about 30 minutes before the alarm went off and I just decided to get up. I sat in an uncomfortable chair for 6 hours during THE WORST dental seminar I have ever been to. I have been going to this convention for 3 years and this was the biggest disappointment yet. None of them are totally entertaining, but this was just AWFUL. Terrible speaker, terrible material. I wanted to lay out on the floor so bad. That night was good, though. Keri made some AWESOME chicken sour cream enchiladas and mom and dad came to eat with us. She made brownies and ice cream for dessert. It was a nice end to a rough day. That night I slept MUCH better, but you know, its just not a GREAT sleep when it isnt your bed at home. The next morning we went to Grayson's T-ball game and it was really fun. Grayson is so attentive when it comes to T-ball. I'd probably say he's one of the best on his team. After the game we went ahead and left so that we could make a crawfish boil back in Tyler. Steph, Chip, Griffin and Will were in Tyler visiting Jake's parents so it was nice to see them. I wish I'd have had more energy and enthusiasm. It had been a long weekend and all I wanted was to sleep and rest my feet. We ate our crawfish, went home, and on Sunday we were pretty much comatose the whole day. We slept until 10am, took naps at 4 and stayed in bed all day watching TV. It was great.

Today I was treated to a wonderful massage and pedicure, care of Pat. She had set it up for me last week and I have been looking forward to it since Thursday. Because I cant lay on my stomach, it made it kinda awkward, but it was a nice treat and I REALLY needed and appreciate it. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MOMO!!

So we are at 35 weeks!!! This is so exciting. I had a Dr.'s appt. last week and everything is still looking good. I go to my next one on the 28th, next Thursday, and from then on I will have them every week. I will get checked next week and I am very excited about that. At this point we are just waiting on my little lovebug to make his next move. :)

Have a good week, everybody!!

34 weeks

2010-04-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

My sweet little boy looks so cute on the big screen. We have 35 new pictures of him! I just want to kiss him so bad. Look at that mouth. We went to Stork Vision of Tyler to get some good pics of him before we get to meet him in person. Im not sure when exactly they will look at him again at the Dr.'s office, but Im sure at that point they wont be interested in getting me some money shots. So, we did it ourselves. He was very sleepy when having his picture taken, so we got very few with his eyes open. Sometimes I think he was just "acting" like he was sleeping because he was annoyed with us. Ha. It wont be the last time.

I have a Dr.'s appointment tomorrow. I am 34 weeks this week and feeling exhausted. My feet still hurt, mostly my heels, and I have now begun to walk with a limp. It just hurts so bad to put my weight on my heels, so I walk on my toes. Sam is "head down" most of the time at this point, and having him weigh on my bladder is VERY interesting. I try so hard not to complain about this experience because I know how blessed I am to be going through it. It's getting harder though, I'm not going to lie.

Right now I'm especially annoyed with people who make having a newborn sound so excruciating. I'd like to think I'm not a fool, and I realize that they arent easy. I'm fully aware that the first couple of months involves lack of sleep and lots of confusion and frustration. I mean, arent we all aware of that? I just wish people would just stop giving me their horror stories and their "well wishes" for the "misery" to come. Isnt that annoying? They are BABIES, people. And also, I dont care about your awful labor and delivery story. Just let me have my experience. The last thing Im going to tell a soon-to-be mom is how much pain it involves. Sheesh!! That also, I'd like to think, is pretty much a given.

This Thursday we are making our last trip to Houston. I have a dental convention to attend on Friday in order to get my "CE" credits for dental hygiene. My license expires on May 1, so I better get to it! I have to sit all day through one class. I plan to bring some snacks and a pillow to lean against. I'm going to try my hardest to sit in the back row, that way I dont annoy anyone when I get up 30 times. They give you breaks, but mine might need to come sooner than every hour and 15 minutes. HA!

Jake and I have the "delivery day" bag all ready and packed. It's sitting in Sam's room, just ready to be snatched up and thrown in the car. We talk almost every day about what the "day" might be like. We are SO excited. I'm happy to say that the nursery is READY, as well. We are very happy with it and cant wait to lay little Sam in it. He's gonna love it.

Ok, I'm off to the grocery store. Im cooking tonight for Pat and Tom and I'm trying a new recipe. Wish me luck!!

soooo sorry

2010-04-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

Hellooooooooo? Is there anybody still out there? I am such a bad blogger. These past few weeks have just been so busy. The kitchen demo and remodel took a bit longer than we thought and I was just miserable. I tried to stay out of the house for as much of it as possible. It was noisy and dusty and I hated it. Poor Jack was miserable as well. :(

On March 27th I had my baby shower at Keri's. Keri, Darcie, Bern and Steph did an awesome job preparing and hosting. It was really fun and we got a lot of great gifts. It was so wonderful to see all my friends, and I wish I had gotten to spend more time with everybody. Heather and her mom flew in, so that was really special. On Saturday night, Heather spent the night at my sister's with me and Jake and we all went out to Lupe Tortilla. It was the first time in this pregnancy that I have ever been jealous of those who can drink alcohol. It was a gorgeous warm day and they all had a margarita. Mmmmmm. And I dont even really love margaritas. I think it was the atmosphere that did it for me. What I'd really kill for is beer and crawfish. Yessssssssssssss. When we got home from the shower we put everything in its place and now the nursey looks official. Not official enough for pics, however. All in good time, people.

Well, I am 33 weeks this week. I am gaining weight like a walrus and dont know how I feel about it. It's weird. My feet hurt really bad. It's probably been the worst part of this whole deal. I have had slight discomforts and annoyances throughout the past 7.5 months, but this takes the cake. I try and stay off of them as much as possible, but even when sitting still, they are still throbbing. Sleep has become a bit more tolerable, which is weird considering im getting bigger. People told me it would just get worse, but I seem to be adjusting or something. I think the fact that I dont have too much longer to go is what's getting me by. That and the fact that he's 100% worth it. :)

Sam moves all day every day. He is getting excited about his grand exit, I can tell. I cant wait to snuggle him and love on him alllllllllll day. Sigh.

Mom and dad came for a visit Easter weekend. We had a really fun time just hanging out and relaxing. It was the first time for them to see the nursery, and might be the last before it is occupied by a cute little Bender baby. They left on Saturday, and on Sunday we met Kellye and Lance for Easter brunch at the Horseshoe Casino in Shreveport. It was AWESOME. The food was amazing, and it was nice to get to spend some time with them.

Thank you to Ryan Zeman and Lindsay Novy for complaining about how they need a blog update. I need the reminders because I get so caught up in silly things throughout my day. Right now I have a load of onsie sleepers in the wash. I'm so afraid of shrinking all his clothes. they are so tiny and fragile. I just want everything to be perfect.

The Dr. said that after 34 weeks, they will not stop labor if it begins. This is so exciting. I want him to be as healthy as a horse, but we just want to meet him so bad and have him come early. Keri says I cant have him until they get home from Disney World on April 29th. ha! My dear friend Amanda is scheduled for her c-section on the 30th of April and that is SO exciting. She has been such a great friend to have along this pregnancy journey. I remember the day she called to tell me that she was preggo and I got to scream back at her "ME TOO!" Ahahahahahaha. Time flys.

um

2010-03-22T08:34:00.000-07:00

I would just like to apologize for the music on this page. I cant remember my dang password on the site that creates it and so I cant change it. Im working on it. :(

30 weeks!

2010-03-16T11:44:00.001-07:00

Whoops, I just let 29 weeks get right past me! I kinda like it when that happens.

Ok folks, Im 30 weeks and you know what that means!! It means that basically in the next 10 weeks Sam could come at any time and be juuuust fine. My sweet Makenna was born at just 31 and look at her now! Though it would not be ideal, it's very possible for him to just start making his way down. I'd like him to cook until at least 37 weeks. That way his little brain and lungs can develop a bit more. Not to mention that Jake and I would like a little more time to get some things done around here!

This past weekend we had a great time in Sugar Land/Katy. Mom and I went to Amanda and Noreen's baby shower on Saturday, as well as Makenna's 2nd birthday and Jake and I went to Lacey Janik's reception. It was nice to see everyone and it went by too fast. Jake and I had a great time with Makenna and Grayson and were so sad to leave. I cant wait to see them again on the weekend of the 26th!

We were so excited to get to bring home the crib and changing table. I put all the bedding on, and with the exception of some slight bumper issues, it looks really good. We need to get a brown crib skirt to hide the underlying metal from the mattress lift, but other than that, all is well and perfect! My mom and dad bought us our glider and Jake assembled it as well. It's soooo comfy! Jake and I kept pushing each other out of it. I will post final pics when they are available.

The weather here sure is gorgeous. It's been sunny and warm with a bit of a breeze. I think we are going to get some rain this weekend, but that's ok. Jake is in Center, TX right now working on a job sight. I'm not sure what time he will be home tonight, but I'm just hoping the sun is shining for them out on the job.

This weekend the Rice family is coming to Tyler for a visit. I am excited about seeing everyone. I think Pat and Tom are going to have a crawfish boil. I love crawfish, but am not 100% sure I can eat them right now. I will have to look that up. I have a Dr.'s appt. on Thursday and Im looking forward to it.

Last night Jake and I went to a breastfeeding class. It was very informative and I'm glad we decided to go. It was a bit of information overload and I hope I can remember all that I learned. If not, no biggie, I know of a few people I can ask for help. :)

Oh, and I got my glucose screening results back. They were great.

I will post a 30 week picture tonight. He's getting so big and I can feel him up under my ribs from time to time. He's a busy little bee and stays up for longer periods as the weeks go by. He kicks harder, which is always "fun", but it feels cool when a big hand or foot glides across my belly. He really responds to me singing to him, as well. Ever since he was about 14 weeks I have sang to him. Mostly it's Carol King and lullabies. I love singing to him. I cant wait to sing him to sleep. With Daddy's guitar playing and Mommy's love for singing, he's sure to be constantly entertained.

Hope everybody has a great week! Happy St. Patrick's Day on Wednesday!! Happy Birthday to Pawpaw, Heather Ann and Makenna Noelle!!!!

28 weeks

2010-03-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

Today was appt. day! I had my glucose testing done, but wont know the results until sometime next week since it's Friday. I had to drink a pretty good amount of mediocre fruit punch before I went. They sent it home with me before I left my last appointment. So we'll see. I was excited to get to this point because from now on I go every 2 weeks. My next appt. is on Thursday, March 18. She gave me some good tips and pointers on how to manage this last trek of the pregnancy. It was Jake's first appointment to miss and he picked a good one. I imagine the next few wont be too exciting. I mentioned how at the last appt. he was measuring big, and she said that we will check at 36 weeks. She said if I am measuring (with the measuring tape) 3 or more centimeters ahead of where I should, we will take a look at him. I am still measuring 2 cm ahead at this point. I dont know what this means, but whatever. She didnt seem concerned. :)

Jake is going to take a new pic of m belly today when he gets home. I think Im about to develop a linea negra, the dark line that runs from bellybutton to pubic area. NO, it's not hair, its just a dark line of skin. I'll take this over stretch marks.

This weekend we dont have many plans. Tanner and his wife were going to come and stay with us, but their plans changed, so that's not happening. I look forward to getting to hang out with Jake. He was in Louisiana and Missouri this week. I love weekends when it's just him and I. We get so much done and really enjoy our time together.

Next week there isnt a whole lot going on. We leave for Sugar Land on Friday morning. Saturday brings Amanda and Noreen's shower, Makenna's birthday party and Lacey Davis's reception. All these things in one day. I need to look for something to wear. That will give me something to do next week.

Have a great week and stay tuned for a new picture! Love you all!!

The 27th is a great week!

2010-02-26T12:51:00.001-08:00

Well today has just turned out to be a great day! Jake was supposed to be in Shreveport early this morning but ended up not having to go. His wonderful father went instead since Jake had been having bad allergy trouble the night before. Jake decided to take it easy all day and just work from home. Even though I dont get to bother him much when he does this, it's still nice to have someone else in the house. Thanks Tom!! And then, to make the day even better, I found out that another friend of ours is expecting a baby in September! I just get so excited when others get that wonderful news! This is a friend of mine that has experienced a pregnancy loss in the past, so I can really relate to the joys and fears she is going through right now.

The cabinet guy came over this morning around 9am. We are re-doing the cabinets and counter tops in our kitchen in the next few months, hopefully before baby arrives. They say the complete job should only take at the most, 5 days. Fingers crossed that we can meet the deadline and stay in our very small budget. The counter tops we have at this time are faux concrete and they trap stains and germs and I just cant have that with Sam. I need smooth clean surfaces. The cabinet problem is just the result of living in a house that was built in 1937. They are funky and weird and we are adding more of them. The kitchen is the weakest part of this house. We plan to fix that up really nice so when we want to sell, it'll be quick and painless.

I'm sure you have noticed that to the right of this post there is a pic of my bare belly. I will be posting bare belly pics from now until the end. Just think, only 12 more pics to go. If things start to get funky then I will switch over to non bare belly pics, but hopefully that wont happen. Hooray for 3rd trimester!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jake and I got our new king bed this week!! This is a huge deal because as you all know from my constant complaining, I need more room. Our old bed was very high up and not fun to climb into at my size. The mattress is super comfy on our old bed, so whomever gets to sleep in our guestroom is very lucky. The new mattress is a Tempurpedic. It's a big adjustment because it's just so different. But after 2 nights on it, I can honestly say I'm adjusting well. It's awesome having so much room!!!!! You should all come over and take a nap on it!

Well I hope everyone has a great weekend. We have plans with Kellye and Lance for Saturday. I think Jake is going to take Lance out to shoot some guns with Brian Ostten at his place in Gladewater. Kellye and I will probably find something to get into, as well. You all take care, have fun and stay safe!

Snow Pics

2010-02-20T18:38:00.000-08:00

For PawPaw

2010-02-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

Pawpaw, here are two great recipes. The first one is the one you requested, and the last is one that I know you will enjoy. :)

Keri's Chicken Enchilada Soup

3 cans (14oz. each) chicken broth
2 cans sweet canned creamed corn
1 can hominy (drained)
2 cans red enchilada sauce
12 oz. canned chicken
1-1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. crushed oregano
1/2 t. onion powder
1 (5 oz.) box vermicelli pasta
1 can diced green chilies

Add all ingredients to stockpot, except vermicelli, and heat until boiling.
Add pasta and reduce heat to simmer for about 8 minutes (until vermicelli is tender).
Optional toppings include shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips.

* We could not find a box of vermicelli at our grocery store. When in a box, the pasta is broken into 1 inch pieces. I had to improvise by buying a package (12oz.) of long vermicelli, brake it in half and then break the half into little pieces. It's nice when you can find it in a box because it creates more of an even texture to the soup. Since I had to do it myself, some strands of the pasta were longer than others and it was strange.*

Another TERRIFIC soup to try is Mom's Taco Soup. This is another one you can eat on for days...

1 lb. ground beef
1 sm. onion, finely chopped
1 envelope Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning
1 can each of: ranch style beans, black beans, hominy, corn and Rotel Tomatoes...all drained.
2 cans diced tomatoes (not drained)

Brown together beef and onion and drain. Combine all ingredients and bring to boil. Simmer 1 hour. Garnish-olives, chips, cheese, corn tortillas or sour cream.

XOXO

2010-02-15T09:18:00.000-08:00

26 weeks!

As I write this I have a foot or hand pushing on my ribs. It take my breath away sometimes! Pushy little toot.

I hope everybody had a great Valentine's Day weekend. We sure did. It all started on Friday morning when we woke up to about a foot of snow on the ground. It was MAGICAL! I would post pics, but my silly husband has misplaced the camera cord that allows me to do this. They will be up soon. Jake stayed home from work and we got to really enjoy the beauty and fun of the snow. We went to the park where kids were sledding and people were making snowmen. It was nice because the temperature was around 32 degrees, which isnt THAT cold and miserable to be in. It was great! On Saturday we ran some errands. Jake replaced his shotgun that was stolen, so I know he is beginning to feel better about that whole ordeal. I dont think I blogged about it, but about 4 weeks ago someone broke into Jake's trailer he was pulling on his way from a hunting trip and stole every bit of his hunting equipment. Insurance is helping us replace most it, so this was his first big purchase after all that. Ugh. On Saturday Jake picked up my Valentine's Day cookie cake from the mall and it was so pretty and SO delicious. Saturday night we stopped by the Yaht Club to check out their Mardi Gras party that Pat had cooked a gumbo for. We stayed for a little while and Jake had a bowl. While we were there we ran into Pat and Tom's friend Mike Butler. Mike has been inviting us to the bible class that he and his wife lead on Sunday's ever since we moved here. We have never attended, mostly due to being out of town on most Sunday mornings, and partly just because we are shy and lazy. I figured now was probably a good time to check it out since we dont have very many plans in the upcoming weekends, and so we went on Sunday morning. It was great. It's held at First Baptist Tyler and it was full of young normal people. That may sound odd, but it's pretty hard to come by. The lesson was great and we plan to go back next Sunday. Some of the couples in the class even live in our neighborhood. So that's neat!

Tonight I am going to make Keri's Enchilada soup. I have had it a few times at the Mosk house and it's always soo good! I need to get my hands on some of the Marie Callender's cornbread mix. It's some of THE BEST cornbread Jake and I have ever had. Kellye brought some over to have with our Taco Soup last week. It's a "just add water" mix that she and Lance always get and it's terrific. It even comes in a "light" mix. Mmmmmmm. Now I'm starving. Of course.

Have a great Monday! Stay warm and Happy President's Day!

Hump Day

2010-02-10T11:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Hump Day!

Im just sitting here watching A Baby Story, eating a cookie. It's moments like these that I will look back fondly on when remembering my pregnancy with Sam. Pat just stopped by and dropped off some cake for me to enjoy later. I had some leftover Taco soup for lunch and it was delicious. Over the past 2 weeks my appetite has spiked to an unearthly level. I think once I had our appt. and saw that I was doing good on weight gain, I gave myself the official green light to pig out. I dont eat cookies and cake everyday, I'll have you know, but my day is filled with a constant flow of apple sauce, pudding, graham crackers and cheese. And cereal. And waffles.

These last three weeks of my 2nd trimester are going to fly by I just know it. I cant believe I'm almost there! I can tell things are changing and at a rapid rate. I feel like I literally get bigger everyday. He's big boy, so it makes sense. I went to Bed Bath and Beyond today and bought some plastic storage drawers. We arent buying a chest of drawers just yet because I feel like we can do it with the cheap stuff for right now. Plus, you can never have enough plastic storage drawers! Keri said that we will be able to take the nursery furniture when we come to town for Makenna's birthday celebration on the 13th. That's so close! I cant wait to get it all put together and feel like it's officially a nursery. I made a frame for him and also painted and decorated some wooden letters that spell out his name. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought all these raw wood decorations to paint. I bought a shelf and a little ABC block along with the S-A-M letters. It's been fun to paint and spray paint and create things to jazz up his room with. I will post pictures of these things.

Jake and I are happy to say that we have the whole weekend to ourselves this weekend. I'd like to maybe go see a movie or something. Has anyone seen anything good lately? I'm sure being Valentine's weekend the movies will be nice and crowded. Speaking of Valentine's Day, I hope Jake likes what I bought/made him. It's a secret until the actual day. He asked me for ideas on what to get me and I said that all I wanted was a cookie cake. It just sounds so good. :) I told him that I dont want to be able to take a bite without biting into icing, so he might want to get some extra.

Toddlers and Tiarra's comes on tonight!!! It's the worst show ever, but I cant stop watching. And it's American Idol night! I dont know what we will be having for supper, but I know that there is cake for dessert. Mmmmmm. Life is so good.

25 weeks!

2010-02-08T07:22:00.001-08:00

Hooray Saints!!

This little guy is SO busy. He moves and moves and moves! After last week's appointment we are just bouncing in our seats to meet him. We dont want him to come early, but we just want to hit fast forward and have him in our arms already!! LOVE!!!!!

I am kinda having a down day today. I dont know what brings this on, probably hormones, but sometimes I just get so very homesick. I love being pregnant and I just wish I was closer to my mom, dad and sister while experiencing all this joy. I know that we are in Houston a lot, but I still miss having them right down the road. Three and a half hours is not very far away, I am aware, but the rides are getting harder and harder. Ohhhhh well. I am blessed. Period.

Not much to write today. I finished a few details on the nursery. I'll post pictures soon, I promise. I hope everybody has a great week!

Appt. Day!!

2010-02-04T09:19:00.001-08:00

Well everybody, today was appointment day!! And we have good news to report. The cyst has vanished!! Yaaaaay!! We are so thankful to get this great news!! Thank you so much for all your prayers and encouragement. Our little boy is doing just fine with one "big" small exception. This kid is BIG. He jumped from the 60th percentile for his age to the 84th in just 4 weeks!! He's teetering on 2 pounds at this time, she said. The Dr. predicts that at this point we are looking at a 9 pound baby or bigger. The "problem" this presents is mainly with delivery. C-sections tend to be safer for baby when it's a matter of "largeness". Truthfully, it doesnt matter to me, either way. I welcome both types of deliveries. Keri has had 2 c-sections, so I feel that I'm ahead of the game on front. :)

My next appointment will be my last "every 4 week" appt. and at that time they will test my sugar levels. They gave me some super fruit punch drink for next appointment. After that appt., I will begin to see the Dr. every 2 weeks. We discussed child birth classes and she gave me a schedule. I mainly would just like to take a breastfeeding class. I also asked her about pediatricians and she gave me her recommendations. It's hard when you have no friends with children in the town you live in. It would be nice to have someone's opinion who uses a specific Dr.. Oh well.

They made us a disk with 13 photos on it. He was being stubborn once again and hiding his face so we were only able to get side views. The ones up top are of his face and of him hiding his face with his hands as if to say "No pics please!" He was moving all around but would never give us that perfect angle we needed for a full frontal face shot. From what we did capture, we can tell he's just as sweet and cute as can be. In some of the shots he's got a very pouty lip like he was just so put off that we were trying to see him. I guess I can understand that. I would hate it if someone was trying to look at my before I was fully developed and not quite ready to make my debut. We will get another sono at about 36 or 37 weeks.

Have a great day!!

A long one!

2010-02-01T06:55:00.000-08:00

I am 24 weeks today and couldn't be happier!!

Yesterday was a bit unnerving. I went to Canton on Saturday morning in the blustering cold and came home with a giant back ache and frozen toes. The toes defrosted, but the back ache got worse. On Sunday morning I woke up with the WORST cramps that would come and go about every 20 minutes. It was a little too much for me to bear, and had me pretty nervous. I called the nurses hotline, just to make sure this was all alright, and I was then instructed to go ahead and go up to the hospital. Soooooo, Jake and I headed up to East Texas Medical Center. When we got there I was admitted and then hooked up to a few monitors. The Dr. checked my cervix and said it felt great, nice and high and CLOSED. They monitored me for an hour, just watching the baby's heart rate and checking for contractions. They said the baby's vitals were perfect and that I was able to go home. I was so relieved. As scary as it was to be there, it was a nice learning experience for Jake and I. We had never even been to the hospital! Now we know exactly where to go and what to do on delivery day. The nurse showed me a delivery room and they are so nice. Basically the Dr. said that I need to just take it easy and not walk around for long hours at a time, especially when it's 30 degrees outside. I agree.

Anywho, it's the beginning of the week and I have high hopes. We have a Dr.'s appt. on Thursday and I just know it's going to be a good one. They will be taking another look at Sam's cyst to see if there have been any changes. Even if there havent been, I have full faith that God is watching over our precious baby and that he is 100% perfect. We ask that you please keep him in your prayers as he continues to grow and develop at lightening speed. I can't believe he's estimated to be over one pound and about 11 inches! :)

Did you all remember to watch the TLC special on Michelle Dugger's baby born at 25 weeks?? I did. Baby Josie is such a precious miracle. She is so tiny, but a huge example of God's mercy and unwavering faithfulness. I think preemies and micropreemies are just SO AMAZING!! The perfect example is my niece Makenna. She was born at 31 weeks and was SO tiny. She was so fragile. She had to put up a fight that was, in essence, bigger than she was. It was scary to watch and each day brought new mountains for her little body to climb. But she did it! This little baby at 2 months old had fought harder than most of us will fight throughout our entire lives. And boy is she spicy today!! She shows me that feisty determined spirit every time I'm with her. It's hilarious. I have never known a 1 1/2 year old with more spunk. I view these characteristics as God's fingerprints. He worked through her body to create in her a fighter and what we see as fiestyness is God's personal touch. It's awesome.

Well, we hope you all have a great week!! Jake will be traveling to Austin on Tuesday and home on Wednesday. I was tempted to ride along, but passed. It's probably not the best idea. Love you all!!

It's Friday!

2010-01-29T08:14:00.000-08:00

It's Friday and I have nothing to do!!!! Woo-Hooo!

I am actually supposed to go to Canton tomorrow morning to meet Amanda and her sister, but the weather is going to be bad, I think. The high is supposed to ge 42 and the low 22. And it's supposed to be rainy with a chance of frozen precipitation. Ummmmm....yeah. I just really want to go and look at some thing to go on Sam's walls. There is always next month. Amanda is due about 3 weeks before me, so we are really looking forward to just going crazy on whatever we can find. She is having a little girl, Caroline Kate, and Sam and her are going to grow up and get married one day. It's already been decided.

So our big appointment is coming up on Thursday. I know it seems like far away, but to me it's so close. I just wanted to get past this week and then once it hits February, it's pretty much here. We are excited to get to see our precious little miracle on the big screen once again. We know that he has probably changed so much from 4 weeks ago. The Dr. said to look forward to it because he will have more fat on his face and look more like a cutte little squishy baby. Yesssssss!

We ordered his Sam's baby book from babysakes.com last week and received it on Tuesday. I have had so much fun filling out what I can and putting pictures in it. I think baby books are so important. This one is really nice because it's packed full of pages to fill out and gives nice writing prompts to fill out different little feelings and stories. I have to pace myself. I get a little excited.

I would like to say CONGRATS to Lindsey (Martin) Campbell and family!! Their precious little Ava was born on January 23rd and she's gorgeous. I was looking at all her pictures from the hospital and it just got me so excited!! She is the cutest little bug! Lindsey and her husband just glow in all the pictures. It's awesome!

Ok loves, I must go now. The housekeeper is coming today and I have to pick up around here for her. Im not going to let her in the nursery. I just dont want any strangers in there. Is that weird? There is nothing even in there except clothes and a rug. I feel like I'm going to be a real freak about strangers. I dont want anyone touching or getting too close to Sam or anything that has to do with him. Like in the grocery store if anyone tries to touch him Im going to swat them. You just dont touch babies that arent yours or your family's. Or their stuff! Sick. People are gross.

Have a great weekend!!!!!

Painted Nursery

2010-01-22T09:15:00.000-08:00

Pat was so nice to come over yesterday and paint the nursery. We originally wanted to pay someone to do it, because painting is SUCH a pain in the butt, and I didnt want anyone I love to have to do it. BUT, she insisted and claims to enjoy it, so I let her have at it. She was also sweet enough to clean all the mold off the shutters and mop the floors! SPOILED!! I know, I know. Our rug we ordered arrived today, but I will wait to post pics of that when the room looks a bit more complete. It feels nice to have the painting done. Now, all we have to do is fill it with furniture and baby!

Last night I had a dream that the baby was born. In my dream it wasnt early or anything, but I couldnt remember the labor. I just remember being asleep in my dream and waking up (in my dream) to Keri holding the baby. The baby was sleeping and I reached for it and she wouldnt give it to me. She kept telling me, "Lindsey, the baby is sleeping, you dont wake it!" I got upset because I hadnt ever held it before!! And she hogged him the whole time and wouldnt even let me feed him. LOL. I was like Um, hello, my baby, MY BABY! In the dream the baby suuuuuure was cute. I can picture the face right now. I just can't wait to meet him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know I drive Jake bonkers because I am just constantly telling him that I am so excited. I just have this anxious/excited feeling that wants to burst out. Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, going to Sugar Land in about 30 minutes. After this trip I am not traveling anywhere until March. NOWHERE. NOT ONE PLACE. I just want to sit at home on the weekend and enjoy my sweet husband and our time together. :) I do look forward to Grayson's birthday party on Saturday, however. More the cake, than the party. Sorry, Gray. Ok, I gotta go. Love you all!!

PS- Duggar Baby (19 kids and counting) was born at 25 weeks in December. I will be 23 weeks next week. I cant even imagine having this tootie in 3 weeks. I havent heard much on the news about that Duggar baby, but I know it's still alive. They are doing a special on it on TLC on the 31st. So scary, but good to know that not all hope is lost with a delivery that early.

What a great weekend!

2010-01-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

Just as I had expected, the weekend was terrific! We woke up early on Saturday morning, had a good pancake breakfast and got to work. We cleared out the entire room and managed to transfer it all into the other guest room without anything breaking or scratching. We broke down pieces of furniture to get ready to be transferred next weekend, and even managed to make the experience fun. I think we were both just so excited to actually be getting stuff done. We went to Home Depot and picked the Behr paint color "Basketry". The painting hopefully should be done in the next 2 weeks. I cant do it, because of the fumes, and Jake says he doesnt think he will do a good job. I'm going to trust him on this, and just pay to have someone do it. Pat volunteered to do it, but it's just such a pain in the butt to paint, and I dont want her to have to do it. My mom volunteered as well, but I am not about to let her do it either. Sorry ladies, I appreciate the help, but Im no fool as to how miserable painting can be. :)

Yesterday we finally took down our Christmas lights and raked some of the leaves in our backyard. It was nice to see grass, I had almost forgot we had any. For dinner last night we went to Sonoma Grill with Kellye and her older sister April, along with her two girls and husband. It was delicious. I had the calamari salad. Tonight we will have chili and I cant wait.

Well folks, we decided on "Jacob" to be little Sam's middle name. Jake is so proud to have that as his middle name, and I just couldnt resist. I feel like he's growing up already! I am 22 weeks along today, and I'm getting big. I know I keep promising you all a belly pic, but honestly I just cant get a good one. We have tried to take a few, but I just hate the way I look in them. The belly is cute, but my acne face and fat arms just kill the cuteness of it all. I will work on that. I know I shouldnt be vain, but c'mon. :)

Well I hope you all have a great week!! Happy MLK Day!
Oh! And I would just like to offer my condolences to all you Dallas Cowboy fans. They personally make me want to vomit, but I do understand the heartbreak you must have all felt this weekend. I shed a tear for every mexican in Tyler that has a giant star on the back of their suburban yesterday. :( Sniff, sniff.

Sam

2010-01-15T12:26:00.000-08:00

Hello! Long time no write! Well, I think things are finally slowing down a bit for the Bender Family. This will be the first weekend in about 6 weeks that we will actually be IN town. It feels nice and we have great things planned. Although we WILL be out of town next weekend...

Jake has been out of town for the past two days in Little Rock Arkansas, so I will be so happy to have him home tonight. I think we are going to go eat some Mexican food! Even though he was only gone for 2 nights, I seriously missed him. On Wednesday night I went over to Lance and Kellye's to have a good dinner. Lance grilled some chicken kabobs and some bacon wrapped shrimp with jalapeno and cream cheese. Kellye made aspargus and wild rice. It was FANTASTIC, and I know Jake was jealous. :)

I can officially say that we have decided on a name for this active baby boy. It's Sam! Not Samuel, but Sam. We figured that it would be just silly to name him something that we'd never call him and that we wouldnt want others to call him, so we didnt bother making it Samuel. The middle name is a toss up, but should be decided by the end of the weekend. Now that we have an official name, it's Sam this and Sam that. I cant believe how much we talk about him! It's nice to identify him by an actual name, and not as "baby". I love it. Sam Bender.

Tonight on 20/20 they are going to do a story about a woman who didnt know she was pregnant and delivers in the middle of the night. This seems to be a lot more common than I thought. How can you NOT KNOW that you are pregnant? I just...well...I mean...c'mon!! uuuggghh. Oh well.

Have a great weekend everybody! I will take some pics of the work that we get done on Sam's room this weekend. I think we might start painting!! Love you all!!

It's a BOY!

2010-01-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

It's a boy!!! hoooray!

Silly face!

Well, we are officially having a boy! I tried to take a better pic of the actual sonogram, but it kept coming out blurry. The appt. went good, but they did find one spot on his brain that they need to monitor. They found a Choroid Plexus Cyst. This is a small fluid filled sac in the area of his brain called the Choroid Plexus. The CP does not play a role in development or personality, but instead makes the cerebral spinal fluid that surrounds the brain and keeps it nice and safe. These cysts can be found on one or both parts of the brain and sometimes there can be up to 4 at a time. 99% of the time these prove to be harmless and insignificant. The 1% of the time when they do indicate problems, its usually a sign of the disease Trisomy 18. The Dr. seemed very unconcerned about this and heavily stressed to me that this isnt something to lose sleep about. We will do another ultrasound in 4 weeks to monitor its growth and position. The baby's heart, spine, kidneys and tummy all checked out perfectly and he was NOT in the mood to have his face photographed. He kept hiding behind the placenta, but the ultrasound tech was able to get a nice look at the nose and lips to confirm that there is no cleft present. She said at my next ultrasound she will give me one of those cool 3D pictures as well as a disk with the baby moving.

Today after our appt. Jake went back to work and I hit up Target. I bought the bedding since we officially know now, and I cant wait to get started on that nursery. I will be using Makenna and Grayson's crib and changing table, so I wont get that until March. Little Mak is still sleeping in her crib, although she is about 2cm away from being too big for that changing table. :) We plan to paint the room and move the furniture that is there now to the other guest room. My nephew Dillon will be going to college this year, so hopefully he will be taking some of this furniture off our hands.

Thank you so much for all your sweet messages. Jake and I continue to ask for your prayers during this exciting time. We will announce the name as soon as we are 100% sure and agree on something. Have a great weekend!

Ummmmm

2010-01-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

Sooooooooooooo, they just called from my OB's office and said that if Tyler ISD is closed tomorrow, then their office will be closed. Ummmm, I will SLAP SOMEBODY. What kind of a rule is that????? Two words, HORSE-HOCKEY. The weather report on weatherbug.com says that it will be windy with a high of 31 and low of 17. A chance of snow and rain. Ummmm, and they should add to that "a chance of someone getting slapped."

If they do in fact CLOSE the stupid school district because people in Tyler are stupid, I will make an immediate appt. at the overly priced Stork Vision and get my gender scan. I know that if I have to reschedule the appt. at my OB's office, it will be a LONG time away. That's just how they are. DANG IT. Pray people, pray.

Still not feeling well

2009-12-30T08:06:00.000-08:00

Well it's Wednesday and Im still not feeling any better. I developed a little bit of a head cold over the holiday weekend. It's probably the result of living in a bubble most of my days here in Tyler. I have a runny and stuffy nose. I have a junky cough, but no fever. I think it also has a lot to do with being in the car with the heater on full blast. Oh well. I can take it.

So our holiday weekend was great. Christmas and Christmas Eve with my mom and dad was very nice, and Christmas day lunch was delicious with Jake's family. We had shrimp and crab gumbo with potato salad and bread. I brought the Mocha Chocolate Triffle to both Bender Christmas as well as San Marcos Christmas at my grandma's. It was a hit! Jake was very sad to not join the guys on the Christmas hunt, but he will be hunting this weekend as well as the next 2 weekends, so I dont feel tooooo sorry for him. When we were in San Marcos my family threw us a little baby shower since most them wouldnt be able to attend any other shower that I might have. It was so cute and we received some great gifts! I have the best family.

I cannot believe that I am already 19 weeks! Next week will mark the "half way there" point. I am very excited about our appointment next Thursday. It's pretty much all I can think about.

Tomorrow we leave for Sugar Land, again. Jake has his annual hunt with his friends at Cedar Creek in Needville. Him and his friends have been doing this hunt for years and it's a great time for them to all get together during the year. Now that many of his friends are married and starting families, it gets harder and harder for them to ever see one another. I dont know what Im going to do over the weekend. I hope to stay half the time with my parents and half the time with my mom and dad, but if Im not feeling well I dont know what I will do. I dont believe that I am contagious, but I still am not sure being around Grayson and Mak-a-roon is the best idea. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Siiiiiiiigh. Cough, cough. Smile.

19 Weeks

2009-12-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

19 Weeks (lol, uh...)
Baby's sensory development is exploding! The brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision and touch. Baby weighs about 8.5 ounces now and measures 6 inches head to bottom. His/her arms and legs are proportionate to the rest of the body now. The kidneys continue to make urine and the scalp on the head is beginning to sprout hair. A waxy protective coating called Vernix Caseosa is forming on the skin to prevent pickling in the amniotic fluid. :)

Im not feeling good. Have a head cold. Have a nice day!

18 Weeks

2009-12-22T07:07:00.000-08:00

18 Weeks
You know, all this is really becoming repetitive. I'm sorry, and I know none of you really read this part anyways. So, I will just pre-read the developmental aspects of the week and if anything is new and huge, I will let yall know. All I can say right now is movement, movement, movement. It's awesome.

Well, we are home from Oklahoma and the trip was a success! It was the first time in like 5 years that it wasnt bone cold. I secretly kinda like it when it's that cold because its really the only taste of truly cold weather I get all year. I enjoyed visiting with all my family, and the car ride wasnt that bad. Jake had a great time with his remote control car out in the yard at my grandparents house. They have lots of space! :)

I am so sad about Brittany Murphy. I really hope there was no foul play involved in her death.

Jake gave me the BEST Christmas present ever last night. A SNOOGLE!! Do you know what a snoogle is? It's the best pregnancy pillow ever. I have been having a really hard time sleeping and this is like a dream come true. He even bought me this cute cover for it. He's the best husband ever!

Well, I look forward to these next few days at home. The traveling picks up again on Thursday as we leave for Sugar Land. I hope you all have a great Christmas week.

And it begins...

2009-12-17T08:05:00.000-08:00

Today- Lunch at Pat's with the TWS secretaries, finish Christmas Shopping, dinner with the Casey's.

Friday- Housekeeper comes at ?? time and I have to stay while she de-molds the blinds. All day.

Saturday- Drive to Oklahoma

Sunday- Oklahoma

Monday- Drive home from Oklahoma

Tuesday- Jake goes to Arkansas, I have an eye appt.

Wednesday- Jake eye appt.

Thursday- Drive to Sugar Land

Friday- Sugar Land/Richmond

Saturday- Drive to San Marcos for the day

Sunday- Sugar Land, maybe drive back to Tyler

Monday- Drive back to Tyler if not there already

Tuesday- Nothing

Wednesday- Nothing

Thursday- Drive to Sugar Land

Friday- Jake leaves for annual hunting trip with friends

Saturday- Visit with friends and family

Sunday- Drive back to Tyler, maybe, or wait a night

Monday- Drive back to Tyler

Tuesday- nothing

Wednesday- nothing

Thursday- BIG Dr.'s APPT.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday Shmoozday

2009-12-15T09:46:00.000-08:00

You know, the cold really slows me down. I dont know what it is about my body but it just goes into slow motion when it's chilly outside. It's not that I want to crawl back into bed, but I just find it hard to move off the couch to "do" things. Our house in an icebox, I know I have mentioned that before, and it kinda irritates me. I dont give a crap about the excuse "you live in an old house, they are just like that.". Why didnt someone tell me this before we picked an old house? That among 100 other things that come with an old house. Grrrrrrrr.

Tonight we are having dinner with Lance and Kellye and I am in charge of a dessert. I am bringing some sort of peanut butter chocolate bars. I found the recipe online and it looks good. Im not sure what the main course will be, but I'm excited.

Yesterday was a sad day in the late afternoon hours. Jake's father Tom had to put down his old black lab, Max. Max was an old dog and in pretty rough shape, but he was a best friend to Tom and it was hard. Jake, his mom and his dad buried Max in Pat and Tom's backyard, and Pat is going to plant some pansies over the grave. Pat has a gorgeous backyard, so it's fitting to be Max's final resting place.

Time to go grocery shopping. I cant go another day without my milk and cashews. I had gained 6 lbs. at my last appt. which brings my grand pregnancy weight gain to 1 pound. I had lost a few from being sick and all the nausea. I dont want to over do it, but if I get fat off of oranges, cashews, milk and Sunkist orange drink, I will feel pretty good about it. These are the things I have the most.

Yall have a great day!

17 Weeks

2009-12-14T15:17:00.000-08:00

17 Weeks
Baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone-and the umbilical cord-the lifeline to the placenta-is growing stronger and thicker. The baby now weighs about 5 ounces, about as much as a turnip, and is probably around 5 inches long from head to bottom. He can move his joints and the sweat glands are now developing. :)

Well we felt our first kicks/movement! It was really on Tuesday night, but it was exciting when I came to the realization that what I was feeling was the baby moving. It happens about 2-3 times a day where I can really tell what it is. It's always VERY quick and its kinda a small tap or poke to my lower belly. I try to feel it with my hand when it happens but its not quite strong enough yet. I thought I may have felt it once, but Im not sure. I wish Jake could feel it. It's really neat and I cant wait for it to get stronger and more frequent.

Over the weekend I had some time to discuss pregnancy with Jake's cousin Sarah who is due about a week and a half after me. She's having her 2nd baby, so all this isnt as new to her as it is me, but it's always nice to hear other preggo experiences.

The Louisiana trip was a success. All the car travel wasnt so bad, and we returned to Tyler around 9:45 this morning. It's nice to be home and it's time to start preparing for our next adventure on Saturday. We leave for Oklahoma on Saturday and will be returning on Monday. It's a bit longer of a drive, but Im very used to it. Living in Tyler we actually save about 3 hours. My parents and sister's family have a long one, but they are splitting it into 2 days. I look forward to seeing all my family in Oklahoma!!!

Happy Monday! Only 10 shopping days left!!

APPOINMENT DAY!!!

2009-12-09T12:33:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody!

Our appointment went very well this afternoon! We got to listen to the heartbeat again, which is always an amazing experience. Jake always really likes that part. We went over all the results of my bloodwork from last time, and everything returned normal. We scheduled my next one, the big one, for Thursday, January 7th at 9am. At this appointment we will find out the sex and the Dr. will look for any major malformations or developments. She measured my belly, and said I was growing good. :)

This is my first appointment to not come home with a picture. :( Next time I will get the good one. It will come fast with the holidays thrown in the mix. So exciting.

Ok, well now I have to start packing. Jake will be here in a few hours and we will leave for Sugar Land. I hope everybody has a great weekend!

1 more day!

2009-12-08T09:23:00.001-08:00

Ok, I was wrong, my appt. is at 11:30am, not 9. Glad I checked.

So last night we went over to Lance and Kellye's new house and had some dinner. It was cold and rainy, but we were glad to have them here finally. They have a really great house and I know they are so happy to be out of their apartment. We ate Fat Catz, which is cajun food. I had some shrimp and french fries. Yesterday was a bad day for food and me. I ate terribly. I hate it when every meal I eat is awful. HA. I havent gained any weight, I have actually lost weight, but still, I know how important it is to get my vitamins. I promise to be better.

Tonight we will get packing and get ready to leave tomorrow night. There will be so much driving over the next few days, but it will be worth it. I'm sure I will get my fill of cajun food in Louisiana this weekend. Im not supposed to have more than 6oz. of seafood a week, so I might have already ruined it for myself. We'll see.

I wish so bad that we would get to find out the gender tomorrow at my appointment. I know I wont, but maybe there will be a Christmas miracle. It is so hard to pick out what I am going to do with the nursery when I dont know these vital details. Jake and I have pretty much decided it's a boy based on last appointment's events. I'm pretty sure she knows what she saw. Boy, boy boy. We will be naming the boy, if it is indeed a boy, Samuel Jacob Bender. At least that is the plan for now. Having all these friends who are pregnant, it's important for me to throw the name out there NOW, so nobody else can use it. Whahahaahhahahaaaa. Although all my friends are having girls. I'm the only one I know of that is potentially having a boy. We have a girl name, just in case, but it's a secret. JUST IN CASE.

We registered for a few things on Saturday at Babies R Us. Yes, I know it seems early, but with Christmas right around the corner, I had a few requests to maybe get some things on there at this time. Our Babies R Us is really junky, and everything there is off the shelves or on the floor, so it made it hard to really get a lot on the registry. That and not knowing the gender. I also placed a thing or two on a registry at Target. Target has the CUTEST stuff for baby. I just love Target. Almost as much as I love oranges and cashews. ;)

Have a great Tuesday!

16 Weeks

2009-12-07T06:39:00.000-08:00

16 Weeks
Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now he's sitting at the size of an avocado (4 /12 in.) His head is more erect and his legs are much more developed. The eyes and ears are moving closer and closer to their final positions. There is a lot more happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

I have an appointment on Wednesday at 9 AM. I think it's at 9..? Ha. I just want it to hurry and be here, blah blah. Getting worried, blah blah.

We leave to go to Houston on Wednesday evening when Jake gets off work. Jack has an appointment for his 3 week check up since his heavy dental work. This happens on Thursday at 7am, so we have to be in Houston the night before. From Houston on Friday we will drive to Louisiana for our Christmas celebration there. Then we will drive back to Houston to get Jack and drop off Will, my nephew who will be riding back with us. I look forward to kicking off the Christmas season officially!

Lance and Kellye move into their house today! They are officially Tylerites. I look forward to having them so close. Longview was close, but Tyler is closer. Love it!

Snow Day, Friday!!!

2009-12-04T14:36:00.001-08:00

Have I mentioned how much I love fruit? I just cant get enough Granny Smith Apples, and then this weekend I bought a big bag of naval oranges. They are all just delicious and juicy and I LOVE them. :)

So this week I have been trying to think of nice meals to have that accompany this cold weather. We have had chili this week and tonight Im making goulash. Jake has never heard of goulash, so I hope he really likes it. It's easy and it's a nice way for me to get some veggies in. We'll see.

I was happy to see that the Houston area got some snow today!! We had a good amount, but nothing that stuck. My dream is to just wake up to a winter wonderland. Is that possible in Tyler, TX? Who knows.

Pat was so sweet to arrange for her cleaning lady to come and clean our house today. She is so sweet to think of me like that! I will admit the house needed it bad, and the clean house really has me ready for Christmas!!!!!! Jake was pretty excited, too. That has me a bit embarrassed. haha.

Well, this is our only weekend in December to not have any travel plans. We are going to just take it easy and hang out around here. Next weekend will be our trip to Louisiana. I'm excited to kick off the festivities. I am going to go and get a Christmas CD for us to listen to and get sick of when we drive.

In the land of baby, not much going on. My next appointment is on Wednesday. I will be 16 weeks and it's totally possible to find out the gender at this point. I wont be having an ultrasound, unfortunately, but Jake and I might schedule to have one done somewhere else between now and my next ultrasound at 20 weeks. That seems so far away!! All my friends are finding out what they are having. I want to know!!

You know what I also love? Cashews. Dang, I love Cashews.

15 Weeks

2009-12-01T07:27:00.000-08:00

15 Weeks
Baby now measures 4-4.5 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). He is busy moving amniotic fluid through his nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in his lungs begin to develop. His legs are growing longer than his arms now, and he can move all of his joints and limbs now. Although the eyelids are still fused shut, he can sense light. If you shine a flashlight on your belly, for instance, he's likely to move away from the beam. There is not much for baby to taste at this point, but he is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out if baby is a boy or girl. (We dont have one this week )

Thanksgiving was great, but I ate too much, duh.

On the Friday night after Thanksgiving around 10pm I started to feel TERRIBLE. I woke up in the morning and BLUGH!!!! I couldnt even keep down water. I had it coming out of both ends and I felt miserable. I had this terrible burn in my stomach and my back was KILLING me. I could tell this was NOT pregnancy related, but instead some terrific bug I picked up at Thanksgiving. Later I found out that not only was I suffering, but my sister, my aunt, my grandma, my cousin and 2 of my little cousins were all going through this as well. SWELL. So of course this puts the worry in me. I was terrified that I might have the swine flu, but when it started to subside after 2 days I began to drop the theory. Out of all of those who have died from H1N1, the most have been pregnant women. It's very scary and very real and I dont want to die. So that's that. Im feeling better today. Jake and his mom drove back to Tyler on Sunday and my dad took me back on Monday. He left this morning. It was SO nice of him to make the special trip for me. I have the best parents!!!!

Ok, that's all for today.

14 Weeks

2009-11-23T06:11:00.000-08:00

14 Weeks
This week's big developments: Baby 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 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, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. baby is also beginning to stretch out. From head to bottom he measures 3.5 inches, and weighs about 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits on a more distinct neck. By the end of the 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 Lunago, all over his body. Baby's liver starts making bile this week- a sign that its doing it's job right-and his spleen starts producing red blood cells. Though you cant feel his tiny punches or kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 in. long) are more flexible and active.

Well it's Thanksgiving week, finally!!! I have been waiting for this for months. Today and tomorrow are crucial "get things done" days. We leave on Wednesday for Sugar Land/Katy. We are going to take our Christmas card pics in Katy at Katy Heritage Park where Keri and her family got theirs done. Hopefully I can get this hair under control so it looks decent. I plan to do some Christmas shopping today and tomorrow, as well as get the house cleaned. We went ahead and put up our Christmas decorations this past weekend so we can come home to a decorated house after Thanksgiving. On the actual day of Thanksgiving we will head over to my Mimi and Grandaddy's house in San Marcos. Jake will leave to go hunting the day after, and I will get to hang out around Sugar Land with some friends.

So I changed my mind about the belly pics, at least for now. I dont like the way they look, and I feel like they just make me look fat. HA. I mean, i know that's part of this whole deal, but i need more of a round look, rather than a wide look. I'm teetering between the two right now. Meh.

Well folks, I dont assume I will be posting much more for the week. I have been feeling a little under the weather, and Im so exhausted! They talk about energy returning in the 14th week, but last week and this weekend were so tiring. I have a runny nose, a small cough and a sore throat here and there. Ugh. My chest kinda hurts, too. I think it's probably the weather change. We'll see, I guess.

If I dont say it later, HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!! Love yall, and hope the week goes great. Dont forget Old Navy starts its massive sale at midnight on Thanksgiving. $5 fleeces, you cant beat that. :)

12 week pics

2009-11-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

Little Foot

The Grinch Baby, look at those eyes!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Silly baby. Is that a smile?

SOOO Sowwy!

2009-11-16T06:31:00.000-08:00

I am so sorry it has been so long since I have posted anything new! This weekend I was in Sugar Land helping out where I was needed. I had a great time with the Mosk family. I am actually still here and will be until tomorrow. I dropped Jack off this morning to have his big teeth cleaning. I have been putting this adventure off for a while now due to my huge fear of little Jack going under anesthesia. He's just so little and little dogs sometimes dont have good luck when they go under. But really, his breath and oral condition were just awful. I felt a little better about it after I got there and was reassured by the Dr. that things would go smoothly. My poor, poor Jack. Leaving him is always so heartbreaking. I pick him up in the afternoon after he's had time to fully recover and "come out" of his fog. I cant even imagine what it's like to send your human baby back for surgery. I dont want to think about this.

Speaking of, this week on the baby front...

13 Weeks
Fingerprints have now formed on baby's tiny fingertips, organs and veins are now fully visible through the still-thin skin, and the body is starting to catch up in size with the head! Baby is now almost three inches long, about the size of a medium shrimp, and weighs about an ounce. This is the last week of the first trimester and the risk for miscarriage has dropped significantly. Hip Hip Hooray!!!

I promise I will post the pictures from my last ultrasound when I get back to Tyler. I dont have my camera here to take the pics of the pics. At that time I will also start posting pics of my growing belly. I can sufficiently say that my appetite has returned, and the nausea is fading away. It comes more in waves now days, and not so much at a predictable time. This makes things a little more tricky when making plans. My sleeping is getting better and less spotty. I do wake up a little here and there in the middle, but it doesnt take long for me to fade back to sleep. I have been more tired during the day, but I am pretty sure that I can chalk that up to the baby tripling in size over the next few weeks. Right when I think the bleeding has stopped I will find a little present waiting for me. Ugh. Oh well. At least I feel better about it now.

I would like to welcome the new readers of the blog! After I officially hit my 12th week and found out all was well and underway, I shared our good news with my wonderful friends!!! Thank you all for your sweet messages and responses. I have THE BEST friends and family, and yall are a HUGE reason why I have made it this far without losing my mind. You's all TOPS.

Have I mentioned to the group yet that I have a total of 8 friends that are all due within three weeks of me? 8! That is just incredible. It's really helped me get through the "ify" times when it comes to weird symptoms and side effects. I love it.

Ok peeps, I will be back tomorrow with the good stuff. Have a great Monday!

APPOINTMENT DAY

2009-11-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

WELL, WELL, WELL! You would not believe the crazy night I had! Let me tell you.

Last night I went to eat dinner with my cousin Sarah, and upon returning home I realized that I had been bleeding! I would say a good heaping amount. I freaked out. Well, kinda. I was more in a state of shock. This was not spotting, this was bleeding. I had been having some cramps for about a day or two, but nothing that alarmed me. Keep in mind this is the second time this has happened, only this time much more blood. I called the Dr. and she told me to just monitor it and if it becomes a threat to my health, go to the ER. Well, I crawled into bed, terrified, and just kept trying to tell myself to stay positive. I dont give up on my babies! Of course my mind would start to wonder and it would be bad, but I just wanted to get to sleep so I could wake up and it would be time to go. To be 100% honest, I was ready for the worst. I am not an idiot and understand completely that bleeding in pregnancy is normal, but when it happens to YOU you think its the end. So, after about 3 hours of sleep it was time to get in the shower. We went to the Dr. and sure enough we found a baby in there with a beating heart and a giant alien head. She took some pics, which I will post later, and in them she says she thinks she saw boy parts. BOY PARTS. Hmmmmmmm. That's so exciting! But, she said not to paint the room blue or anything, it's just what she thinks she was looking at. I'll take it!

So anyways, she basically told me that she has no explanation on why the bleeding happens, it just does, and to not freak out about it until its "life threatening" because there is nothing they can do otherwise. Well, Im sorry Dr. Klouda, but I am going to freak out every time. It's blood, and I'm growing a human, for Pete's sake! We did our family medical history and they took some blood. We talked $ with the financial lady, as far as labor/delivery costs go, which was nice because I had no idea how much it all ends up being. They gave me a nice book and a planner, and we all know how I feel about planners. Love, love love. OH, and we got to hear the heartbeat. It was super. Really, really cool. So yeah, that was my appt.. My next one is Wednesday, December 9. It'll be here before we know it!

Less than 24 hours, people!!

2009-11-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

So, this time tomorrow I will be writing my full report on how the appt. went! I am really requesting that one of you manage to find me that fast forward button Im always talking about, and put it in my stocking this year. Anyone? Anyone?

Well today is a silly day for me because Im going to be doing all I know how to stay busy and sane. I will be leaving for the grocery store here shortly, and then after that it's stocking time. Jake is in Shreveport for the day for work, and I promised him that when he gets home we will have a delicious meal. Now, about that meal....???? I'll come up with something great while Im at the store...or something. All I know is that I'm getting lots of granny smith apples and oranges. I just love fruit right now. It's so cool and refreshing, and makes me just want to get up and dance. Softly, of course, no booty clap while pregnant.

Tonight is a good TV night, and that really helps with my "staying busy" cause. The new show "V" comes on, which last week proved to be very entertaining. Also, my beloved Biggest Looser comes on. As much as it makes me want to vom while watching them grunt and sweat, its such great inspiration to watch them transform. I'm planning on a little transformation for myself when all this is said and done. Remind me of that in May. I'll probably have forgotten.

Ok loves, Im off to Brookshire's. I'd normally go to Walmart to save money, but I feel like Walmart is a Swineflu nest. I will spend the extra money to not die. Have a great day!

12 Weeks

2009-11-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

12 Weeks
The most dramatic development this week: reflexes! Baby's fingers will soon be able to open and close, the toes will be able to curl, the eye muscles will clench, and the mouth will begin to make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm is response, although you wont be able to feel it. The intestines, which have grown so fast they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into the abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will start excreting urine into the bladder. Meanwhile, the nerves cells are multiplying rapidly now, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. The face looks unquestionably human: the eyes have moved from the sides to the front of the head, and the ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, the baby to be is about 2 inches long (about the size of a lime), and weighs half an ounce.

We just returned from our weekend in Dallas. It was exhausting! I didnt do much on my stocking over the weekend, but am going to work a bit more on it today. I am counting down the hours until my appt. on Wednesday. It's at 9am, and they said it will take a while because they are going to do a bunch of paperwork. Hmmmm. I am a nervous wreck of course, and at this point am trying to just make it to Wednesday. I would like to really give myself a pat on the back for making it this far without freaking out ("this far" meaning from last appt. to this one). Dont get me wrong, I have my hours where I convince myself that I am not pregnant anymore, but overall, I think I have done a pretty good job. Today and tomorrow will be the toughest, but after Wednesday things will dramatically change. I will be over the first trimester hump. I mean, as stupid as it may sound, the relief brings tears to my eyes. I am no fool, and understand 100% that the worry for your baby never goes away, ever, but my thoughts will become hopefully more "rationale" from this point forward. :) Woo-Hoo!

COMING SOON!!!! Belly pics!!

Blah

2009-11-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling tired and kinda sick today. My throat hurts and I think it's traveling to my ears. All I have done today is laundry and work on my stocking. Who'd of ever thought I'd be at home pregnant, doing laundry and sewing! Man, I'm an adult and it feels weird.

Not much to write today. As far as the PG goes, not much happening. I promise to write more tomorrow.

***BAD SISTER-IN-LAW ALERT***
I totally forgot to wish my darling Bernadette a Happy Birthday on Friday, October 30th. Bern, forgive me, and I hope you had a very Happy Happy Birthday. Please blame this on my altered state of mind, and not my inability to be a good in-law. You're tops, and I love you!

This is what the stocking will look like when its finished

This is what I have done so far since Monday

I know the name part will probably have to be "gone over", but the trees and cabin are coming alone quite nicely. The green part hanging down is a piece I just put on. I'm not good at the different kind of stitching, but will have to wait to see my mom to get it right.

Buenos Dias

2009-11-04T10:07:00.001-08:00

Happy Hump Day! Today is Wednesday, and ya'll know what that means. Only one more week exactly until my next Dr.'s appointment!!!! I am getting anxious and counting down the days. I cant wait to hear that little heartbeat and get another thumbs up. :)

This is week 11 and many say that your symptoms may start to calm down around this time. I'd say....maybe. I just dont feel pregnant, which could have a lot to do with the week Im in, however, it could also have to do with the fact that Im just getting used to it. I am still nauseous when I get hungry, but in the evenings it's beginning to calm down. I'm really not as bloated, which is nice, but as you all know, I hate when things disappear. One symptom that has just developed is an increase in salivation. I have so much saliva, and it makes me sick. I looked it up and its normal, so I think the fact that Im getting the 11 week symptoms is a good sign. The pooch has kinda gone away. Maybe I was just bloated. Meh.

Today I am supposed to have lunch with Kellye. She is closing on her new home today! I remember how exciting that was, and Jake and I are so happy for her and Lance. HOORAY!

The stocking is coming right along. I had a bit of trouble putting his name on it because Im very new to embroidering. I will post a picture of how far along I am on it as the days go by. I try to do little bits at a time that way I dont get frustrated.

This weekend we are going to Tanner's wedding in Dallas. We arent going up there until Saturday evening because it's a Sunday wedding. It'll be a quick trip, and Im happy about that because I just dont have the energy to have a full weekend of wedding fiascos. AND Im loving that the drive isnt that long. I hate riding in the car! We do so much traveling around this time of year. For Thanksgiving we will go to my parents house the night before, that way I can make all the food Im bringing at her house, and only have a 2.5 hour drive to San Marcos. Actually, its a 5 hour drive because its a day trip. We'll make sure my food is nice and digested before we leave. ;)

Welp, Im gonna go and put some make-up on. I have put on make-up probably three times in the past 11 weeks. With this new clear skin I just dont feel as obligated to do so. It's a huge change from a few months ago. yesssssssssssssssssssss.

11 weeks

2009-11-02T10:45:00.001-08:00

Hello everybody! Welcome back! I hope that everybody had an excellent Halloween weekend. This weekend for me was great! I got to spend time with the family as well as Darcie and her family, just as planned. It was so nice to get to see all the kids, and enjoy some Halloween candy on the side. I actually ate like an animal and was paying for it on Sunday, but hey, that's how it goes on a holiday weekend. Below I have some pics of my time with Grayson and Makenna. I had just gotten out of the shower in these, so you will have to excuse the way I look.

Look how sassy she looks in her shades. She pointed at my glasses and then pointed to Grayson's glasses and then went and put her's on. UGH, so cute. She took a moment to warm up to me, and then all was well. Besties, her and I. Love it.

Well, in the world of pregnancy, here's the latest:

11 Weeks (I dont like that its upside down, but I guess that's how they are)

Baby is now about 2 inches, the size of a fig, and weighs about 7 ounces. At this point, baby is now fully formed. His/her hands will soon open and close, and some of the bones are beginning to harden. Baby is already busy kicking and stretching, and the tiny movements are so effortless they look similar to water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. Movement wont be felt for probably another month or two- nor will you notice the hiccuping that may be happening now that the diaphragm is forming.

Yay!

Darcie gave me some maternity clothes of her's this weekend, although I'm not too sure I will fit in many of them. She may have birthed twins, but she is still one tall drink of water. Bernadette's load of maternity clothes are going to last me a good while. She was so sweet to give me a whole storage tub full of her stuff. My friends and family have great style, so Im happy to take these things off their hands. Everyone is being so generous! Kellye, I'm saving them allllll for you, friend. :)

Today I had a dentist appointment. It went well, and I never gagged once! I think it really helped that the hygienist kept talking to me and kept me distracted. It feels good to have my teeth cleaned. I went over to Hobby Lobby after that and bought our Christmas tree! They are on sale, 50% off right now. All the Christmas stuff is out and I just felt so giddy. This will be my first Christmas tree that isnt desk sized. I look at all the ornaments and cant make a decision on color scheme. I do love a hodgepodge of color, but Im thinking just red, gold and silver might be good for this year. I will add more as the years go by, but I cant wait until my tree is filled with homemade ornaments from preschool projects and such. Do I sound gay? I feel kinda gay. Anyways, I also picked up a stocking kit. I am going to make Jake a stocking. My mom made our stockings, and now that Im older and have the one my mom made, Jake needs one to match. This is a rather brave endeavor for me, seeing as that I have never in my life sewn anything. I will show yall the project in process, and you all can see its progress. (read that sentence again, ha!) This is no simple stocking.

ok, nap time. love yall.

One more day!

2009-10-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

Week 10, you're so mean. :( I barfed my dinner last night. The nausea is tolerable, but the barf is just painful. I just have to keep telling myself that its allllllll worth it. Grrrrr....

Sorry to discuss the barf, but you guys have to remember that this a blog about my pregnancy. My little nugget will one day have this printed out and made into a book. Imagine having a gift like that? I would have loved to read about my mom's barf. Oh wait...she didnt barf. At all. Lady says she never got sick. Hmph. (shaking fist)

So, I have had nothing to drink but water since about 5 weeks pregnant. I know this sounds crazy, but water is really starting to gross me out. Today I went to the grocery store (finally) and I bought some Gatorade and it tastes DELICIOUS! I gulped a bottle down right when I got home. I know that because of my new distaste for water, I hadnt been drinking enough, which makes me sad because I know how important it is. So Im glad to have found this new lovely form of hydration. I bought the blue and the red kind. Im excited.

Tomorrow we set sail! It's supposed to be cold and rainy in the Houston area, but I hope its just cold with no rain in the Port O'Connor area. I know that the lower temps bring good things for the duck hunters. I want Jake to have a good hunt! As much as I hate hunting, I know that there is nothing that makes him more happy than a fun successful weekend duck hunt. It's just what he needs. I dont eat duck, dont know how to cook duck, dont want to see the ducks. Pictures are ok, but dont think for one second you will ever find that purple mess in my freezer. When we get an extra freezer that goes in the garage, he can store his ducks in there. What he does with them after that is up to him. :)

Tomorrow night I will have a slumber party with my babies in Katy. I look forward to seeing them, as you all know, as well as Darcie and her 3 babies. I never get to see them, and they are all getting so big. I will take lots of pics this weekend so you can see them too. And of course, I look forward to seeing my terrific parents and wonderful sister and brother-in-law. I am so blessed. I love my nerdy little family. You all have a great weekend, too. Ciao!

Ugh

2009-10-28T10:33:00.000-07:00

Sick sick sick. I feel soooooooooooooo sick.

I dont know what is going on here...but I feel so bad this week. Was last week and weekend just a teaser? All I can do is gag and eat. If Im not constantly eating I am feeling terrible. It's like I cant get full enough to satisfy my sick feeling. I had planned on going to the grocery store and everything today, but there is no way I can go feeling like this. I would rip into things like a maniac and go running down the aisles gagging and eating everything in sight! Ugh.

I think Jack and I will take a walk here in a little bit for some exercise. I will of course bring my trail mix with me, but it'll be nice to get some fresh air. Poor Jack just stares at me all day and is probably wondering what the heck is going on here. I let him run around in the backyard during the days so he can have his playtime. He likes that its a bit cooler outside, and I like that the mosquito's are dying off. It's been raining here a lot, and there is more in our future, but I think it might be getting too cool for the buggies.

I cant wait to see my Makaroonie this weekend!!!!! I got to hang a little bit with Grayson last time we were in town, but didnt get to see Makenna because she was napping when we got to the Mosk house. I am going to spend the night with them on Friday when I arrive in Katy/Sugar Land. I know all the little people are getting so excited about Halloween!!!!!!!!!!

I really enjoyed the Charlie Brown shows last night. Right now Im watching Friday the 13th, and as corny as it is, it's still kinda hard to watch while Im home alone. But you know me, I LOVE to torcher myself. Plus, I have to get in the holiday spirit. :)

Ok, well, I hope everybody has a great hump day. I assume I'll write tomorrow, but Friday will be travel day, and I'm not good at finding time to write when I'm out of town. Until then!

Toooosday

2009-10-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

So I think Im finally not full anymore from the weekend. I really over did it. It was fun, but man. Not doing that again.

So today is a chilly day and our house does not hold heat. I hate that. I remember last year how hard it would be to get out of bed because our house was like a dang igloo. We have tried to put weather stripping, but that doesnt help. I think it's just because this house is old. Ugh.

Well, unfortunately the nausea is back. Im not sure if its the new prenatal vitamins, or if it's just because Im harvesting a human in my belly right now, but its making me squirm and nothing sounds good to eat. The only thing that cures the nausea is food, but what do you eat when everything sounds yucky? Oh well, maybe it'll all fade away magically in the 2nd trimester. It never did for my sister, so I'm crossing my fingers for a miracle. Oh, and you know what they say, severe nausea means you're having a girl. Hmmmmmm...

My pants are getting tight and my belly is beginning to pooch a little bit. It's more after I eat that it really takes a nice "pregnant" shape (not the normal full belly look) and I like to stare at it in the mirror. It's nice to be fat(ish) and it not be because I'm a glutton. :)

Before I go today, I would just like to remind everyone that tonight on ABC they will be showing Charlie Brown's The Great Pumpkin.

Obama sucks.

10 weeks

2009-10-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

10 Weeks

Though he's barley the size of a kumquat- a little over and inch or so long, crown to bottom- and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, baby has now completed the most critical portion of development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in the body rapidly grow and mature. Baby is swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs- including his intestines, brain, kidneys and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac)- are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout the pregnancy. If you could take a peek inside the uterus, you'd spot minute details like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin. In other developments: Baby's limbs can bend now. His/her hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over the heart, and the feet may now be long enough to meet in front of the body. The outline of the spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from the spinal cord. Baby's forehead temporarily bulges with the developing brain and sits very high on his/her head, which measures half the length of the body. From crown to rump, baby is about 1 & 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks baby will again double to size- to nearly 3 inches!

HIYA

2009-10-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

Hello! Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. We just arrived back in town after being in Sugar Land/Richmond for Jake's 10yr. reunion. It was so nice to go home and spend some time with my mom and dad, as well as my sister and her family and Jake's sister and her family. We are scheduled to have dinner with Jake's brother and his wife tonight, so this has really turned out to be quite the family weekend. :)

My favorite part about this weekend was all the food. My appetite is back, and in full force. Since I got the "Ok" from the Dr. to have minimal sushi, we hit up Japaneiro's on Friday as we pulled into town. Mmmm, so good. And then to my surprise when we got to my folks house, Dad had just much chocolate chip cookies. Mmm, mmm Mmmmm.

The car ride was a little rough on the way back to Tyler. It was later in the day, which I dont prefer, but I just hate leaving to go back home so I try and stretch it out as long as I can. I will actually be back in Sugar Land next weekend, but it still sucks to leave when we have to. Every time we go back to Sugar Land I realize how much I miss it and would kill to live there again. Ok, so I wouldnt kill, but you get the picture. It's my home.

This 9th week went by so fast, huh? I cant wait to be in the double digits tomorrow! 10 weeks, wow, only two more weeks until 2nd trimester. I'm so happy, and I feel like Tuesday's Dr. appt. was just what I needed to pull me to week 12. It'll be here before I know it!! I feel like the whole holiday season is just going to fly by. We already have our weekends booked and filled with fun holiday shopping trips, family trips and hunting trips. This time of year is my favorite, and I get to do it big this year since last year sucked so badly.

Well, I better start getting ready for our supper with Bern and Luke. Tune in tomorrow to see what new developments the 10th week brings. I hope everybody had a great weekend!

Little Boogie

2009-10-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

TA-DAAAA!!!! Upside-down baby!!

Yesterday was a great appointment! It really could not have gone any better! I was a nervous wreck, as you all know, but MAN O MAN, I never expected to see what we got to see. Right when we got a good view of our now 9 week and 2 day old boogie, the baby started doing a tap dance right in front of our eyes. Ok, not a tap dance, but there was lots of wiggling and squirming as if baby was saying "Hello Mom! Im doing just great in here! Look at my new fingers and feet!" It was amazing. We got to take a look at the baby's spine, and the Dr. said she couldnt have asked for a better view. Ugh, what a relief. My next appt. is scheduled for November 11, and at that time we will get to hear the heartbeat. I will be 12 weeks at that time, and officially on my way into my 2nd trimester. I dont think that I will actually get to see the boogie again until my 20 week scan.

Ok, Im off to visit Jake at work. Have a great day and I will be back tomorrow!!

Dr. Day!!

2009-10-20T08:23:00.001-07:00

Well, today is the big day! It will drag on, but regardless by the time I lay my head down tonight I will know. Nervous. And for all you trying to telepathically trying to tell me to calm down, shut it. Just pray. :)

Last night I had a really good dinner with Pat. We ate at Traditions, and I had a good slice of turkey. Normally I would never get turkey, but it looked good. Jake is out of town until later today. Sigh.

Ok, I dont have much else to say. My day will consist of TV shows to help pass the time, a trip to the bank and a shower. Hopefully I will be back tomorrow bouncing with joy and good news.

Until then...

9 weeks

2009-10-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

9 Weeks

My new resident in about an inch long, the size of a small strawberry. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers- and the valves start to form, as does her tongue. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. (Yay, no more sea horse) The baby's organs, muscles and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there, but wont be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. The eyes are fully formed, but remained fused shut until week 27. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth nose and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that baby's physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain!

If baby takes after mama, he/she will be very good at that last part. :)

Appointment with Dr. tomorrow at 4:20pm. Getting very nervous, but very excited.

I didnt post anything yesterday, but will post a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sister today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KERI BERRY!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!! I PROMISE TO BE A LESS CRAZY SISTER AFTER TOMORROW!!!

Faturday Fun

2009-10-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm, I just got done eating what could be the best meal I have had in days. I had craving for rice, so Jake went to Peking and got me an order of brown rice and egg drop soup. DELISH. Bland with a little bit of salt. Mmmmmmm. Oh, and our fortune cookie read " You will have good luck in the Spring." May 24th is still Spring right?

Yesterday my plan was to take my prenatal vitamin at a later time in order to avoid the ickyness. Yeah, that didnt work so well. I think I just have it, and need to deal with it. Today I am going to try and do without any dairy and see if that makes any difference. I am thinking that maybe I have a bit of pregnancy induced lactose intolerance. It's real, I looked it up. :) I eat so much cereal and cheese throughout the day, it wouldnt surprise me if that is one of the main causes of my bathroom trouble. Who knows, we'll see. Doc called me back yesterday only to tell me to take some Imodium. Uhhhhhhhh, no duh. But what I really wanted was for her to say, "Oh Lindsey, this is normal, you are fine, would you like to come in right now for some reassurance?" Buuuuuuuut, no such luck. I did ask her if she thought it was normal and she said yes, and that she thinks I got ahold of something that might be messing with my tummy. Um, I have had diarrhea for 3 weeks. I dont think I "got into anything".

Jake is out running his new remote control car. It's big and loud, and Im pretty sure all the nice people at the park arent going to be thrilled with his gas powered monster buzzing through their picnics. It's nuts! I'm going to have to blame Reid Dawson for this one. :)

Ok, time for my nap. Stomach is rumbling and Texas is playing like crap. Meh.

TGIF

2009-10-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

I cannot stand it when my Dr. takes 4-8 hours to return my calls. I put in a call at 8am this morning and it is 11:56 and still no call back. One time I called at 9am and got a call at 6:30pm. Ugh. I called this morning about my stomach bubbles and diarrhea. Nice, I know.

So last night was another failure with food. Jake and I went to the store to get some good fixins for baked potatos. It all sounded so good at first. We also bought some fruits and veggies to snack on while they cooked. I loaded myself up with carrots and ranch and by the time the pots were done, I couldnt even look at them. Jake ate his, and I puked my carrots. Lovely.

Today I am going to take my prenatal vitamin in the PM. Hopefully this will calm down my stomach. Last night I woke up because the bubbles in my stomach had made their way into my dream and they were being so loud. That sounds kinda crazy, but literally, all the squeaks and gurgles in my stomach woke me up. There was no way to fix the issue. I tried laying on both my sides, my back, pillow under bottom, pillow under knees, pillow in between knees, NOTHING WORKED! I was kinda hungry, too, but didnt want to get up and make a lot of noise and wake the sleeping beauties. My eyes were wide open and it took a good while to make it back to sleep.

So yesterday I realized that my appt. is on Tuesday,not Monday like I had been thinking. I'm a little off these days. This is so irritating because any time you have to add days to your countdown sucks. Oh well. We dont have many plans for this weekend so Im sure it will drag on and on and on. I just get so excited for the appointments!!!!!!!!!!!! And just think, I get to add another picture for you guys to see!

So how about that Balloon Boy...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHIP!!!!!

#1 Husband

2009-10-15T08:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have failed to mention this is my previous posts, but I pretty much have the BEST husband in the whole world. Jake has just been an angel since I have become preggo. He is constantly going the extra mile to see if I am comfortable or if I need anything. When its time for dinner, he is always making sure I have enough to drink, and when Im not feeling good he rubs my back. He makes sure I take my vitamin every day, and encourages me to eat healthy. Last night he even swept the living room for me! Last week I was sitting on the living room floor with my legs out in front of me, trying to do some stretches, and as I leaned forward to touch my toes he told me that I need to not do that because I might fold the bean in half. :) He's always looking out for us. I have really felt terrible for him these past few weeks with me being so sick and worthless. I do the laundry, but must admit it rarely gets folded. He doesnt complain an inch, and is even steaming his own clothes. He's the greatest. I cant wait for duck hunting season to roll around so he can have some fun for a change. God has truly blessed me with a wonderful husband. I love you, Jake!!

:(

2009-10-14T09:49:00.001-07:00

Not a great day. I am short of breath and cant get it together. A bit of light spotting this morning. Trying not to panic...

I have read that shortness of breath during early pregnancy is a sign of rising progesterone levels and the expansion of the uterus. Let's hope that's the cause. I'm totally taking it easy, not ever "over" doing it. I dont know if I could be more "relaxed" and "still" in my days. Sigh.

Oh, and my fingers still smell like onions from the chicken spaghetti. I dont know what else to do about that. I have washed them over and over and taken a shower and scratched the soap bar to get soap up under my nails. It's so gross.

Wednesday is a great TV night. We are really enjoying the new shows Glee, The Middle and Modern Family. The good thing about the later two is that they are only 30 min. each. These one hour to two hour shows exhaust me these days. :)

I would like to congratulate my darling father today!! He is now a licensed Realtor!! Hooray, Daddy-O, I love you so much and am so proud of you!!!!!!!

um

2009-10-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

I take it back. I feel terrible. Thank goodness for goldfish crackers.

**Note to self** Nausea worsens in evening time. Chill out, Lindsey. :(

Mmmmm, english muffins

2009-10-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to stay positive, but these really good days worry the crud out of me. This morning I feel great. No cramps, no nausea, no bloating. I felt this way last Tuesday, too and was just fine. I did puke last night, but it was more like an exaggerated yawn that turned into gagging that turned into my dinner in the toilet. Who knows.

So last night I got off my rear and made Jake some chicken spaghetti. The blander, heavier foods sound so good me recently. Lots of easy mac and oatmeal. Anyways, the spaghetti was a success, only Im not doing so well these days with onions. I have a huge aversion to onions. It's really sad because I normally LOVE onions. I'll eat them on anything. So I had to use half an onion instead of a whole one. It was still delicious. We have a ton left and Jake took some to work today. Im not sure if I will be able to have it for lunch, or if it's a better idea to maybe skip a day....? Maybe for dinner. Meh.

My next order of business with my Dr. will be if I should get a flu shot or not. I dont normally get one, although I should. I have had one in the past and didnt get sick or anything. I'm definitely not getting the swine flu shot. I have heard too many bad things about it and feel like it will have to be out a bit longer before I have any confidence in it. I am pretty much quarantined in my house throughout the week, so I dont think I'm at that big of a risk. I did however go to the grocery store yesterday. Surprisingly, nothing looked good to me. Last time I went, everything looked good to me. Consequently, I have a freezer full of food that makes me sick to even look at. Ugh.

One symptom of my pregnancy that has really remained a constant is my weird/bad dreams. They get weirder and scarier every night. I will have about 2 per night that I can vividly remember. Im not going to share all the gorry details, but just know that miscarriage is a huge theme and it makes me crazy. Any tips on how to have good dreams?? It's driving me crazy.

Well folks, that's it for today. Take care and dont forget Biggest Loser and Hell's Kitchen comes on tonight. We love Tuesday TV. Love yall!

8 weeks

2009-10-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

8 weeks brings many new developments for baby! Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from baby's hands and feet, eyelids practically cover the eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of the developing lungs, and the "tail" is just about gone. In the brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. It's liver is churning out large amounts of red blood cells, and will continue to until the bone marrow forms and takes over this function. During this busy week, the baby's ears and tip of his/her nose begins to appear. Teeth are also beginning to form under the baby's gums. The baby at this point is about the size of a kidney bean or small grape. :)

Sunday Funday (not really)

2009-10-11T15:54:00.001-07:00

I am happy to announce that last night I DID NOT lose my dinner. I think this is partly because I didnt have much dinner, but whatever. I was in bed by 8:45. Between feeling bad and Jake screaming at the LSU game, I didnt have much to stay up for.

The good thing about the weekend is that there are movies on. I watched Saved, Footloose, Higher Learning and Coyote Ugly so far today. Football for Jake, movies for me. During the weekdays its Court TV and TLC's Baby Story. Yuck. :(

I am so excited for fall and the upcoming holidays. Fall in East Texas is really pretty. It came as a huge surprise to me last year when I opened my eyes and saw bright orange, red and yellow leaves. It was like I was wearing some kind of crazy glasses. You dont see that kind of thing in Houston. It's very cool.

The Christmas holiday travel plans have been set, and are already being put into action. When I'm feeling a little more up to it, I'm going to get a head start on my shopping for the little ones. I love my sister's suggestion of foregoing gifts this year to help put more emphasis on what Christmas is really about. It's a great time to shower the kiddos with fun and gifts, but the adults probably could use a little reminder. I know I can. I get so wrapped up (no pun) in the shopping and traveling chaos, that I totally lose focus on what we are actually celebrating. Two thunbs up, sister-friend.

We want to take this time to say thank you to all of you who have written us such sweet congratulatory messages, cards and emails. It means a lot to us to have such a supportive family. I also want to say thank you for the compliments on our blog. I know it gets to be a bit of a ramble, but your interest in our journey is very special to us. So, thank you all so so so much. We have decided to wait until the 10th or 11th week to share our good news with friends. I cant wait, and it is becoming so hard to not just blurt it out. However, this is what feels right to us, so we have to wait just a little while longer. We'll see if we can make it...

I hope everybody has a great Monday tomorrow! I begin my 8th week on Monday, and am anxious to see what new joys it brings. Wish me luck! Only one more week until the next appt.! yessssssss. Take care!

Please vote in our gender poll to the right...

2009-10-10T13:34:00.001-07:00

Last night was a wonderful repeat of the night before. I guess dinner just doesnt work for now. Oh well, thats ok. It's 50 degrees outside!

Today is a good day so far. Breakfast and lunch worked wonderfully. I feel terrible for Jake because all I feel like doing is sitting on the couch. But really even sitting on the couch hurts my back. We watched The Texas Rose Parade this morning. Now there's something to puke about.

So I guess it's football for the rest of the day. Maybe I'll go sit on the proch and get some fresh air. Happy Saturday!

Rainy Friday

2009-10-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

Ugh, so last night was a mess! And such a shame! Pat cooked a terrific meal of steak, twice baked potato's, salad with my favorite dressing and rolls and I barfed it all up! I was so sad! It was weird actually because I hadnt really felt ill all day and then it hit me right before the meal. I tried to take it slow, but it was all so delicious. I made it half way inside our house, and up it came. Jake and I mourned over the loss for a few seconds, sitting there in the bathroom talking about what a waste that was. We were both so sad. I'm so sorry, Pat, but I enjoyed every second of eating the meal. Dont give up on me.

So one thing that I have noticed this past week is that my joints are becoming very stiff. In the middle of the night I will have to pop my fingers or my knees because they become locked. It happens with my jaw, as well. My shoulder is giving me problems, but that isnt something that I can pop like I want to. It reminds me of what happened to Bern with her wrists when she became pregnant. I guess joints and ligaments flare up with the hormones or something.

Jake and I decided that I wont work during the first trimester. This way I can take it easy and just relax, and not push myself too hard. I also enjoy the fact that I will not be leaning over open mouths all day with the flu going around like it is. I feel bad because when offices call I have to decline and give them some dumb excuse. They are going to totally mark me off their lists of fill-ins. :( Soon enough I will be able to explain.

We dont really have any plans for this weekend. Darcie may or may not drive up. It's supposed to get down to 48 degrees here after the rain moves through. We are having some pretty intense storms right now, even. I love the rain, only right now the thought of curling up in bed makes me cringe. My back hurts so bad. I take Tylenol, but it doesnt do much. Sigh.

Yall have a great, safe weekend. Steph, I hope Will's party goes well. Keri, I hope yall have a great time at Sea World! Love everyone!

Fabulous Feast...down the drain

2009-10-08T18:17:00.000-07:00

Well...I found out how steak goes. It sure felt better going down, than it did coming back up...

Good Day

2009-10-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

Well today has been a pretty good day. I woke up with a little nausea, but it faded away after I ate a good breakfast. It always kicks in right around 5pm, which is like right now. We are having dinner with Jake's mom and dad tonight. I requested that we have a dinner that involves twice baked potatos and so Pat planned a steak dinner. I cant say that I have had many "cravings" as it's maybe a bit too early for that, but there are sure some things that sound terrible and things that sound good. Like for instance, chicken, unless processed and ground into a little crust coated nugget, sounds awful. We had a pesto chicken meal and I couldnt do it. I am weird about my meat anyways, so Im sure this will be interesting. We'll see how steak goes.

Today I got this wave of tiredness that hit me like a rock. It's happened before, but not like today. I almost fell over. It's so weird! And then I sneezed and felt like I popped an ovary, which happens daily, but today it was bad. It took my breath away and I panicked for a brief 5 seconds. Ugh. I have also been having some really bad shoulder pain. Usually it comes when I sleep with my arms up over my head, but these days I think it's from sleeping on my sides. I cant raise my arm up straight without a piercing pain. But, other than that, and the fact that my hair is falling out an alarming rate, is all I got.

Oh yes, my next appt. will be Oct. 20. I'm going to see if I can go a full 2 weeks without freaking out about something. I will be 9 weeks at that point. That will be a milestone for a Lindsey Bender pregnancy. Until then! :)

Mmmmm, risky

2009-10-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is my blog about my pregnancy. My 2nd pregnancy. I have zero children here on earth, so you can guess how that first one went. Needless to say, this is a very very frightening time in my life. My sister suggested that I begin a blog to document the next 8ish months, and I thought that seemed like a pretty good idea. I am 7 weeks pregnant at this time and it has already been a crazy ride. Let me explain.

I found out that I was pregnant on September 11, 2009. I found out I was pregnant with my first one on September 17, 2008. Same cycle. Scary. I called my sister first. I was freaking out because...well because I just was. As exciting as it would seem to be, especially after 11 months of trying, I was just terrified. 100% freaked out ALREADY. I kept saying, "I think it's positive. I think I see a line. I think...it's positive because I think I see a line." Keri was very excited for me and she kept saying "ok, ok, I believe you!" Ha. Jake was out of town on a "business" trip and wouldnt be back until Monday. It was Friday! I just kept thinking that I couldnt tell him over the phone, I had to wait until he got here. So I decided on the phone with my sister that I would wait until Monday to tell Jake. It seemed like a decade away.

That weekend dragged on FOREVER. Every time I spoke to Jake it was on the tip of my tongue. I ended up having to tell Kellye because we were scheduled to have dinner and drinks that Saturday and TRULY she would have thought I was a complete weirdo if I would have just ordered water. I mean, really. Finally it was Monday, and Jake was home. After a weekend's worth of deliberation on how to tell him the news, I ended up just going with a card and a picture of positive test. He was THRILLED! We celebrated with Jalapeno Tree afterwards, and it was just perfect.

So let me give you the run down of how this pregnancy has gone since happy September celebration weekend.

September 14: Went to Dr.'s office to have blood drawn for HCG and Progesterone testing.
HCG= 372 PG= 54.6

September 16: Went back to Dr.'s office for HCG comparison just to make sure levels were doubling as they should be. HCG= 820 (yessssssssssssssssssss!)

September 18: Britney Spears Concert, very exhausting, but a great time. I cant wait to tell the little pootie sprout that he/she attended a Britney Spears concert. ha

September 25: Road trip to Houston and then on to San Marcos. This was the first weekend that I truly felt like a pregnant nut. The sickness has decided to kick in full force while in the car. This 5 hour road trip was not the best. On the way home I held my puke in for the last hour of the trip. I was just hitting my 6th week.

October 1 : Begin spotting bright red blood, the kind they warn you about in EVERY pregnancy book and on every website. I FREAK OUT, call the Dr. and am in her office two hours later. At this point I have convinced myself that I no longer have a baby, this is the beginning of my second nightmare and I should just throw in the towel. I am having cramping and lower back pain as well as no nausea. I get in the stirrups and 3 seconds later see the most gorgeous little heartbeat I have ever seen in my whole...dang...life. Tears of joy for all involved.

6 weeks, 4 days

October 3: Keri and Marc arrive. Im still a little shaken by what happened on Thursday, but decide to just put up a good face and enjoy the weekend with my family.

October 4: Keri and Marc leave, and I begin to panic again. Nausea seems to have 100% disappeared and im not feeling pregnant AT ALL. I get about 1 hour's worth of sleep. Terrible night.

October 5: At this point Im not feeling pregnant. My bloating is gone, my nausea has magically faded and Im feeling physically as if I could run a marathon. WTF. I call the Dr. at 9:45am to see if they can get me in and she calls me back at 3:30. I begin spotting. She gets me an appt. for the next day at 3:30. I'll take it. I spend the whole night and rest of the day preparing myself once again for the worst. I know this feeling. The feeling where everything in your body is telling you something is wrong. I had it last October.

October 6: Watching.The.Clock.All.Day. More morning spotting. I am at this point coming up with battle plans on how I am going to deal with the misery that will be my holidays, once again, as well as how I am going to deal with the D&C, and all that comes with that. Terror. 3:30pm rolls around and I am a limp biscuit with no joy in me whatsoever. There is a small amount of hope, based on last time we were in this position, but I feel it's just not going to happen twice. Sure enough, in the stirrups, gorgeous heartbeat and a baby that now measures 7 weeks and 1 day. Joy and shock all around.
7 weeks, 1 day (that floating cloud is the yolk sac, and is it just me or does the baby look like Stitch from Lilo and Stitch...?)

So that brings me to today. I can honestly say that today I feel good. Not un-pregnant good, just good. Confident. Hopeful. Crampy, but regular. There will always be that fear that is standing in the corner of my mind, but how much power I give it from this point forward is up to me. I trust in God, and God is faithful. If there is one thing that has been proven to me over the past three weeks it's that God is faithful, and I have people in my life that love and care for me. Prayer works and miracles happen. I look forward to keeping yall updated on my journey. Please pray for our continued success with this pregnancy. We have a long way to go...but Im very excited.