The Starting of the Diary...

So, I have decided to update this blog more often. Some of it might seem boring, please forgive me, but I'm just going to start keeping a "diary" of sorts documenting what happens in my day to day life and some of it might be just things that I'm thinking about.

Right now I'm gearing myself up to go back to work. Work has been VERY slow this summer and I'm ready for it to pick up again! In case you don't know I work part-time at a church daycare/nursery. My hours are not really consistent because the nursery is open whenever there is something going on at the church that requires childcare. So sometimes I work in the mornings and sometimes I work in the evenings. Starting next week I'll have a semi-consistent schedule of 3 or 4 shifts a week. I love this job because I get to bring Audrey to work with me. I can't imagine leaving her to go to work. So she gets to come with me and have socialization with other kids her age, I get to be with my daughter, and I get to make a little bit of extra money. It's great!

Another thing that's been on my mind lately is schooling. I know, I know, Audrey is only 16 months old, but I guess because of the fact that time seems to be flying and also because Audrey is learning so much on what seems like a daily basis, I think about this a LOT! My hope is that I'll be able to home school our kids. The way it is now I'm just not satisfied with the public schools in our area and private schools are just way too expensive. I'm actually going to start "schooling" Audrey in a few weeks here. It'll probably only be like 2 a week and it's not going to be a hard learning environment by any means. I'm just going to start working with her more on the basic stuff, colors, shapes, etc., but in a more constructive learning environment. Also, I found this book that I'm going to get when we get payed next. It's a book of activities for infants and toddlers, it has LOTS of neat, creative activities that are separated into different learning categories and it also tells you the best ages to do each activity with. I'm really excited about it and ready to start. I want learning to be a fun and creative experience for Audrey (and our future kids) and I want them to crave knowledge. This is definitely something that Bryan and I both agree on.

Today has been a nice, fun day for Audrey and myself. We spent most of the morning at home playing inside and then playing with the dogs outside, although the outside part only lasted for a little while because it is WAY too hot out there! After that we just went and walked around Hobby Lobby, Teacher's Heaven, and Wal-Mart. Also, we added in a quick trip to Bryan's work to drop off his wallet and say a quick "Hello!", then we came home and had lunch and then I put Audrey down for a nap. Tonight when Bryan gets home he is going to grill some chicken and I'm going to make the best cornbread stuffing in the world!!! And then after Audrey is in bed I'm going to try and sneak in a gym run.

My goal is, starting next week, to get a better daytime routine down for Audrey and myself. I don't want it to be rigid by any means, but I think it would do us both some good to set up some routines. I would really like for us to be doing some sort of activity from mid-morning until her new naptime of 1:30 or so. Whether it be "schooling", or going to work, or going to the park, or what not, I'd like for our mornings to be our "busy" time. I'm switching Audrey to one nap a day and by 2:00 at the latest she's pooped! Also, when she takes one nap a day, it's a LONG nap, upwards of 3-4 hours!!! So afternoons will be my quiet time and time to get stuff done around the house. I'm thinking that this will work GREAT for us...wish me luck!

I guess that this is it for now. I know that this is a long post. I'll post more tomorrow!!
Peace.

2007 so far....

Okay, so it's been a LOOOONG time since I've updated. And because of that I'm definitely going to forget some things, but bare with me. Audrey turned one in April. That makes her almost 16 months old now. I absolutely LOVE this stage, but it's sad to see my baby growing up so fast.

Let's see, what are some of the BIG things that have happened?
Audrey got sick for the first time Easter weekend (right before her first birthday). She had her first ever fever, which hit almost 103 degrees at one point. We've been so blessed that she has been such a healthy little one. Considering she was a preemie and everything. I remember having SOOOO much guilt when I decided to stop breastfeeding (when she was 6 weeks old), because you always hear, "breast is best!!", especially with her being a preemie and needing the extra immunities, etc. But, I just couldn't do it anymore, I was under SO much stress and wasn't producing properly. Thank God, we have one healthy little girl!!!

Right after her first birthday we moved her into her own room. I struggled with the decision, mainly because I didn't want to "let her go". She'd been sleeping in our room (in her own bed) up until this point. But she did wonderfully!! The second night in her room was the first time she'd EVER slept through the night! And she's done it ever since then!! So I've decided when the next one comes along, we're moving him or her into a different room a LOT sooner!

That same week, we weaned her off of her bottle and completely off of formula. She had these three MAJOR changes happening within days of each other and she just sailed right through them with no problems or hesitations at all. Needless to say, that was definitely a bittersweet week for me!!

She took her first steps on her own at 12 1/2 months, although it took her a few weeks to feel confident enough to take more than 3 or 4 steps! I love watching babies when they're first walking, it's so adorable!!


She is also talking up a storm. Her vocabulary is growing at such a fast rate!! Here are some of the words she says:
~Mommy
~Daddy
~puppy
~Gordy (one of our dogs)
~Rikki (our new puppy, although it comes out Kikki)
~Bite (this is what she says when she wants a bite of your food)
~juicy (for her juice)
~turkey
~hi
~bye bye
~nose (although it comes out without the 's' sound)
~no or no, no
~stop/stop it (she hears me tell the dogs this)
~bubble
~uh-oh
~gentle
~kisses
~baby
~ball
~pink ball (this is her favorite ball, which is pink)
~big ball (for her ball that is, well, big!)
~hello (she says this when "answering" her cell phone)
~doo da (she sings this along with one of her toys that plays 'Camptown Races')
~Audrey (although it comes out Aw-gee)
~ducky
~dancy (for dance)
~fishy (although it comes out pishy)
~peek-a-boo (sounds like pee boo)
~there she is! (when playing peek-a-boo under a blanket)
~bebe (this is her stuffed rabbit)
~thank you
~okie dokie
~night night (it comes out die die!!)

These are all of the words that I can think of at the moment that she says on a regular basis, although there are a LOT of other things that she has said when copying someone else.

In the last couple of weeks she has also learned where her nose is. About 40% of the time she hits her cheek or mouth though!!

Now that the school year is about to start back up I'm going to start "schooling" her a bit more. Of course I will just be working with her on VERY basic things. Body parts, colors, animals, sounds, letters, numbers, etc. Also, the whole potty training thing is starting to enter my mind, but I'm going to wait until she's at least 18 months to introduce the potty to her!

I'm very fortunate because Audrey is NOT a picky eater at all. She will eat pretty much everything, although she doesn't eat much. So I'm trying to work with her on eating more and gaining a bit of weight. At her last appointment (at 14 1/2 months) she was average for her height (31 inches, I believe), but she was only in the 10th percentile for her weight at 19lbs. 14oz. The pediatrician wasn't too concerned about it, but he just wanted to bring it to my attention. So now I'm trying to fatten her up!

Also, another thing that is great is that Audrey couldn't care less about the tv (except for pushing the buttons, of course!). I've put on a few different things for her in the past and she watches not even a minute of it and then she's off playing. Although, I have to admit that at times I wish she liked to sit and watch tv, just for a break!! ;)

One thing she LOVES so much is music. This girl is obsessed!! Bryan has an electronic drum kit and two guitars set up in our room, so if she's ever in there she walks up to the guitars and starts "strumming" them. Or if she hears Bryan on the drums it immediately draws her attention! One time Bryan was playing the drums with his headphones on, so Audrey and I went in and sat down on the bed to watch, Bryan gave me a set of headphones to put on Audrey and I tell you she sat there for a good 10 minutes or so and just listened and watched!! She LOVES music!! Which is so great because she has BIG time music lovers for parents!!

Anyways, this was a brief (yet long!) update on what's going on with Audrey. I'll try and update again soon!

Also, if you'd like to see pictures of Audrey go to: http://www.dropshots.com/jen_l_06
I try and update the pictures regularly!!

Love you all!!
xoxo,
Jen =)

9 months old!

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So today is Audrey's 9 month "birthday". I can't believe how fast time is flying by. I'm already starting to think about her first birthday party. Man, what happened to that little 3 1/2 pound baby that I once held in my arms? The tiny, preemie that seemed so fragile and just wanted to eat and sleep all the time! Well, she's now so big that she no longer resembles a preemie at all!

Our big news today is that Audrey is FINALLY no longer toothless! I actually just realized that a few minutes ago. I was feeding her lunch (guava & sweet potatoes) and I saw some white on her gums so I put my finger in her mouth and then made her smile and sure enough, her two front, bottom teeth are now appearing! After months and months of teething we're finally here. And the funny thing is, it hasn't seemed like she's been teething recently!

Audrey's first Christmas was a wonderful one! We were in San Antonio on the 23rd and 24th of December. She got to see a lot of family that we hardly ever get to see. It's funny, going back to how big she is, my cousin, Malena, is like 11 days or so older than Audrey, and she was a full term baby, and a big baby at that! Now Audrey is at least the same size as her, and possibly a bit bigger!! Anyways, on Christmas Eve my mom and I took Audrey to get her ears pierced. Yes, I put my baby through that! She actually did very well. After they did the first ear she let out a big cry, so the lady hurried and did the second one and then we stuck a bottle in her and she was a-okay! She's barely even noticed them. And since she got them, I no longer have anyone telling me what a cute little boy I have!
We came back to Austin the night of the 24th and had our own little Christmas morning at home and then went to my in-laws for presents and lunch. All in all it was probably the best Christmas we've had since Bryan and I got married!

Let's see, what else is Audrey doing. She now takes steps while holding onto things. Like, she'll walk around the inside of her playpen and her crib (holding on, of course). She's become a pro at pulling herself up! It's funny, she's now learned a way to sit down from the standing position in her playpen. She bends over forward and plants the top of her head (and sometimes her face) into the netting on the side of the playpen, lets her hands go and just slides down with her head until she plops down on her behind. It's actually quite funny to watch!

She eats lots of stuff now. She's not very picky about the baby food I feed her and will eat pretty much anything. So to keep her that way I want to stay away from feeding sweets and stuff. I want her to keep on liking veggies and fruits. I wanted to make her food, but I just never got into it, so she eats jarred food, so I'm trying to make sure the only ingredients in her food are simple ones, just the fruits, veggies, meats, grains, etc. Hopefully if I keep this stuff up it will pay off in the long run. One thing that she absolutely loves are the Gerber Wagon Wheels. She will take a whole one and stick it all the way in her mouth and then wait for it to dissolve and try to swallow it down!

She's finally on a pretty good schedule. I haven't really tried to hard in the past to get her on one, but since she is now it's WONDERFUL!! I will definitely be starting that early with the next one! Her schedule goes loosely as follows:
6:30 - 7ish: wake up
7:45: breakfast (one jar fruit & water)
8:45: bottle and nap
12noon: lunch (one jar veggies & water)
2:00: bottle and nap
4:00: snack (wagon wheels, veggie puffs, juice)
6ish: dinner (one jar baby meal & water)
8:45: bottle and bed
She's still waking up in the middle of the night, but slowly we're getting that gone!

Well, that's it for right now...
XOXO

Almost 8 months old...

Wow! In less than a week lil' miss Audrey will be 8 months old! I can't believe it. Time is just flying by so fast. A lot has gone on since my last post!

Audrey is now eating LOTS of solids. She's eating three "solid" meals a day, plus a snack of a teething biscuit and juice. All of this on top of her formula! I'm trying to get her to drink out of a sippy cup, but she would rather drink out of a regular glass, so we're working on it. I really want her to be off the bottle at a year old. Her favorite foods are apples, squash, pears, and sweet potatoes. She doesn't really care for peas or bananas. And she is completely enthralled with our food and drinks. Every time we eat or drink she's reaching her little hand out to get some. Over Thanksgiving she had her first taste of mashed potatoes, and boy did she love them!

She's still a little small for age, weighing in at about 16.5 lbs at almost 8 months. But she is sure thriving! She started crawling on her hands and knees right after Halloween and she gets where she wants to go FAST! And within the last two weeks she has started to sit up unassisted and is now pulling herself into both kneeling and standing positions. The easiest place for her to pull herself onto her feet is in her crib, a lot of other places just don't have the same good grip, but she still tries!

Audrey's also now learning to clap. It's so cute when she does it! The other day she actually made a little noise that sounded like she was saying, "Yea!" (which is what I say when falls and bumps her head). She is also a babbling fool! She's saying a bunch of different consonants and every once in awhile (probably on a fluke) she says simple words, like dada, mama, yeah, yes, okay, etc.

As far as Bryan and I go, everything is going pretty great! Bryan started a new job a little over month ago and he absolutely LOVES it! He's working at a company called National Instruments, doing customer service stuff. NI has been ranked on Forbes top 100 companies to work for 7 years running. They are really employee friendly there. Right now he's in a temp position, but it's a temp to hire! So in less than 60 days they'll be evaluating him and hiring him in full time. We also just moved into our first house and we're loving that! I'm still unpacking and putting stuff away, you just really don't realize how much stuff you have until you move!

Anyways, I will be taking Audrey's Christmas pictures this week, so I'll put those up soon!

I love my life!

Well, life has definitely gotten more and more interestingsince having Audrey! First of all I'm getting very little sleep, Audrey has put herself on a very strict 2.5- 3 hour feeding schedule, and when she's ready to eat she's ready!It's gotten a tad easier at night since I've put a tv tray next to the bed stocked with diapers, wipes, formula, and bottles. So we have our wake up routines down to 20 minutes or under each time (most of the time)! One night last week she actually went 5 hours between feedings, I felt sooo rested after that!

Audrey is growing like a weed right now. We had her weighed on Tuesday at 7 weeks, 1 day and she weighed 7lbs 14.5oz! That's double her birth weight folks!! She's also about 21 inches long (as of last week), that's up 4 inches from birth. So she's definitely had no problems in the growth area...

She's still on the apnea monitor, but not all of the time, and hopefully for only another 3 weeks. They mainly want her on the monitor when she's sleeping and we aren't right there watching her OR roughly 17-19 hours a day. The last alarm that she had was the day after Mother's Day, so we're closing in on 3 weeks with no alarms! YEA!!

Speaking of Mother's Day, this was my first one and it was great. Bryan, Audrey, and I went out to lunch on that Saturday and then on Sunday we had his family over for a brisket dinner. My gift for Mother's Day was a shopping spree at Pier 1. So I got new dishes and glasses and some candles and stuff, that was way exciting for me!!

Hopefully we'll get some new pics put up soon. We had our video camera break down and lost our digital camera charger at the same time, what luck is that?! But we just got our video camera back from being repaired and Bryan's going to hunt down a new charger this week. Thank goodness great-grandma has been taking pictures of Audrey the last two weeks!

Well, I know that this post is long so I'll put up another post later on today, seeing as I have more to talk about!!

Audrey's Home!!

So as you can tell from the title of this post, my little angel is now home! She came home on Wednesday after spending 16 days in the NICU. We are so elated (and tired)! I absolutely love having at home with us. She was sent home on an apnea monitor which is basically a portable monitor with two wires that are hooked up to electrodes on Audrey's chest, this monitor records every heartbeat and breath that she takes. It will alarm if her heartrate drops or gets too high or if she has a period of apnea (not breathing for at least 20 seconds). So far we've had two alarms, both while she was eating, one for a low heartrate and one for an apnea period, but she recovered from both on her own within a few seconds. She really is doing absolutely wonderful. Having the monitor here helps keep my paranoia at bay though. I'm not constantly checking on her to make sure she is breathing, like I know so many new mothers do! Hopefully she'll only be on the monitor for a couple of months.

I really can't believe that Bryan and I are actually parents! These last three weeks have been extremely surreal feeling. It's like I'm in a dream. Even though we are now solely responsible for Audrey it still feels surreal. I look at her all the time and think to myself, "She's mine, and she's going to be here for at least the next 18 years, WOW!". I love her sooo much! I can't believe how much you can all of a sudden love someone. But I would definitely give my life for her, even when I was in the hospital and they were talking about delivering her, I wasn't worried about myself at all, I was just worried that she would be okay. Being a mother is a truly amazing thing! Well, the little princess is stirring now, so I guess I'll go feed her!

She's here...

Okay, so Audrey is actually here! She was born Monday afternoon at 2:40. She was delivered via c-section and she is beautiful! Although she is tiny, 7 weeks early, 3lbs 15oz, 17 inches long, she is a fighter! She is now eating out of a bottle and breathing on her own. The reason that she was born early was because I developed severe pre-eclampsia, which includes high blood pressure, swelling, and protein in the urine. I'm not going to go on for too long because I'm pretty tired, but just know that she is a little angel!!

31.5 weeks...

Okay, so I didn't put up a post last week, and I haven't done a belly picture in several...I know, I'm falling down on the job!

Yesterday I had a 3D/4D ultasound done, which you can read about (and see) in the previous post. I also had a doctor's appointment, which I definitely needed. I've been swelling up really bad, to the point where it's hurting. Yesterday my feet kind of resembled blown up surgical gloves...yuck! Also, three of the fingers on my right hand have been constantly numb, and anytime I grip anything with my right hand it falls asleep almost instantly. I even have been having a hard time signing my name. Well, the doctor told me that I have pregnancy carpal tunnel in my right hand. Basically since I'm so swollen the swelling has pinched a nerve in my wrist that causes the numbing and tingling. All that I can really do for this right now is wear a wrist brace to stabilize my wrist. He said that once I have the baby it should go away. Fun, almost two more months with numb fingers!! As far as my swelling goes, he said that he wants to get it under control because it puts me at a slightly higher risk for toxemia (though my blood pressure is and has been great). I'm not supposed to drink any soda, I'm supposed to watch my salt intake, and I'm supposed to keep my feet up as much as possible. So, that's what I'm doing. Today the swelling has gone down a lot in my ankles and feet (although they are still swollen), you can actually feel the bone in my ankles now!! I slept with them up all night, which really seemed to help! So this is my main focus right now...

So, we're at over 31 weeks now. I've got 5 weeks and 3 days until I'm considered full term, and 8 weeks 3 days until my due date! Yea! It's all coming very fast now. On Tuesday Bryan and I start child birth classes, those run for 3.5 hours every Tuesday in April. I'm actually really looking forward to it!

Here's about how big Audrey is...
Weight: about 3.5 pounds
Total length: about 18 inches
(These figures are out of a book, not based on doctor's measurements!)

3D/4D ultrasound...Round Two!

So yesterday I had the re-do of my 3D/4D ultrasound. As you know Audrey was very much uncooperative the last time around. This time wasn't much better, but at least we got a few good shots of her! She spent almost the entire time trying to hide her face. If it wasn't in the placenta it was behind her hand, or even at one point she had both her hand and her foot covering her face! We got to see that she has Bryan's full lips, and my nose! Also, she is now head down!!

Picture #1: Her little face!
Picture #2: Bryan's lips and my nose!
Picture #3: Her little foot up by her face!

Baby Shower #1!!

So, this past Saturday was my first baby shower! It was SOOOO much fun! I got tons of great stuff for Audrey. She is definitely going to be one girly-girl, you should have seen how much pink was in that room!!
I guess I'll tell you a bit about the shower. It was thrown by my bestest buddy, Shannon, with some help from my mom. They did a fabulous job. I know that a LOT of thought and planning went into it and I'm so grateful! We had some light finger foods there, I left stuffed! And the cakes were actually cupcake cakes, meaning they were individual cupcakes iced as one big sheet cake and the design on top matched the design on the cups, napkins, and plates. It was very yummy!
We played three games, two were team games and one was a game between four people. The team games were coming up with a list of songs that have the word baby in them, the catch to this game is that if you didn't know the artist or movie the song came from, you had to sing it. The team with the most songs had 14, mine had 13. For the second team game each table had three unlabeled jars of baby food, and we had to guess what they were, either by smelling or tasting them. No one got all three exact! For both of those games the people on the winning teams got to pick out prizes from a box for me! They were things like baby wash, lotion, oil, a rattle, etc. The last game was hysterical to watch. The four people had four diapers and they had to figure out what substance was in each diaper (it was various kinds of chocolate bars). One of the contestants in that game was a little girl named Olivia, that is probably about 7 years old. When Shannon came out with the diapers and said we're going to play 'Guess what's in the diaper', Olivia's response was priceless, she had this incredibly sour look on her face and said 'Oh my God!' It was great! Anyways, the winner of that game won me a pack of diapers!
I had a wonderful time and I can't thank Shannon or my mom enough, it really meant the world to me!
Here's the link to the pictures from the shower...

http://community.webshots.com/user/jen_l_06

Also, don't mind the way I look in the pictures, I almost had a heartattack when I saw how swollen I was!! I've been swelling a lot lately...oh the joys of pregnancy!

3D/4D ultrasound...Round One

Well, yesterday we went in for our 3D/4D ultrasound, which you all know I was very much looking forward to.

Well, Audrey decided to be stubborn and difficult. First, she is in a breech position and second, she kept moving her head around and wouldn't give us a clear view of her face. We did get to see her face very briefly, but it wasn't clear at all...so the guy was nice enough to reschedule us for Wednesday, March 29th. Hopefully by then she will have flipped herself around and, fingers-crossed, she'll be more cooperative!

One thing that we did get to find out is that she is definitely still a she! I've been really worried lately that we were going to go in and find out that our little girl was actually a little boy (since we'd only had the one ultrasound before), so needless to say I was very relieved.

So, I'll (hopefully) be posting the 3D/4D pics in two weeks!

Also, stay tuned next week for baby shower pics!!

29 weeks...

Okay, so what's going on with me this week? Let's see...not too much. I'm just anticipating Audrey's arrival! We've got less than 11 weeks to go before her due date! Yea! It's amazing to think that I'm actually going to be someone's mom soon. Wow!

Also, on Thursday we get our 3D/4D ultrasound done. I'm really looking forward to that, I can't wait to see what her little face looks like! I'll make sure to post the pics either late Thursday or early Friday so that all of y'all can see her.

I also have a 3 hour long breastfeeding class on Thursday evening. I'm actually looking forward to that also. I like learning about pregnancy and baby related stuff.

Then, on Saturday is my first baby shower!!! As you can tell by my exclamation points I'm excited about it!!! Today I've been clearing space in our bedroom to accomodate some of her things. I also cleared out a few drawers in our dresser for her, but of course those are almost filled up with stuff that we've already bought or been given. Anyways, I'm going to keep this short and sweet, so, bye!


Your baby is accumulating more fat on his or her body, which helps smooth the skin.

Your baby is about the size of an American football.

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to accomodate her brain--which is busy developing billions of neurons.

28 weeks...

Well, now I have less than 12 weeks to go before my due date arrives. It seems crazy to me that it really is coming up that fast. Before I know it there will be a little baby here.

It's neat being pregnant, getting to feel her move around inside and seeing my belly get bigger and bigger, but in all honesty I'm ready to not be pregnant anymore. I recently began getting more and more uncomfortable. I've had some wicked episodes of heartburn recently, I'm getting up 2-3 times a night to use the restroom, walking up three flights of stairs to our apartment is now a very slow process, etc, etc! But most of all, I just want to have my baby here, finally!

I know that the next few months are going to fly by (at least that's what everyone is telling me). But sometimes it just seems like time is standing still, or maybe moving, but only at a snails pace.

Anyways, enough complaining. On Thursday I had my first prenatal class. It was three hours of baby care. I actually had a pretty good time. And if I may boast a bit, I'm a darn good baby swaddler!! So, that's one class down and five to go. Next Thursday I have a breastfeeding class, and then I have a childbirth class every week in April.

On Wednesday I have a doctor's appointment where I get to get a shot...yea!! And then I'll have one in three weeks. Also, in less than two weeks I get to have my first baby shower, which I am so thrilled about. So I guess things are moving along a bit, huh?

Right now I'm feeling huge in the belly, and then I stop and think that she has probably five or more pounds to gain before she's ready to make her entrance into the world. Man, I'm going to be enormous!!

Your baby's eyelashes are developing, as subcutaneous fat is deposited.

Your baby is about 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels and weighs about 2 pounds 4 ounces.

With her eyesight maturing, your baby can actually see light through the womb and will even turn towad a light now.

27 weeks = 3rd trimester!!

So, it's official, I'm now in the homestretch!! On Sunday I started my third and final trimester, yea!! I'm getting more and more excited every single day!

Let's see what's been going on this week? First, I had found out that I failed my one hour glucose test, so on Friday I went in for the three hour test. Let me tell you, that was so not fun...They drew blood four times in a three hour period...ugh. But, the good news is that I found out today that I passed the three hour test, so I do not have gestational diabetes...yea!

Also, I am now officially not wearing my wedding rings. Last week I decided to go ahead and take them off because they were getting a tad bit tight, well I got my engagement ring off, but my wedding band didn't want to budge. Bryan suggested that I try running it under hot water (I'd already tried cold water, lotion, soap, etc.). So, I waited until the next day (since my finger was even more swollen because of all the yanking) and I tried it and thank the Lord that it came off, I was freaking out thinking that I was going to have to get it cut off. So I'm now ringless, I'll probably go out and get a cheap wedding band to carry me through the next few months. I miss my rings!! :(

On Thursday I'll have my first prenatal class. This one is going to be an infant care class, and I'm excited about taking it...everything is happening so fast now! Also, my next doctor's appointment is next week and then my appointments go to three weeks apart and then two weeks, two weeks, and finally onto every week! And in two weeks we're getting a 3D/4D ultrasound done, I'm really looking forward to that!!

Oh, and if you're wondering about cravings, my latest thing is apple juice. I can't get enough of it. Before now I don't think that I had any in years...oh, and yesterday I finally gave into the orange sherbert craving that I've had...yum!

Your Baby's Development:
Size- Your baby has doubled her weight in the past month and is the size of a bag of flour. She now weighs almost 2 1/2 pounds. Her total length is nearly 15 inches.

Development- Your baby's lungs are now capable of breathing air! This is big news. It means that if the baby is born from now on, she'll be able to survive with less medical intervention. Your baby's main job right now is to put the finishing touches on major organ systems, such as her brain, lungs, and liver. As you can probably tell, she's also working on gaining layers of fat. Her body fat is about two to three percent. Your baby's eyes, which were covered by her eyelid folds at the sixth week of pregnancy, are capable of opening this week. Her sucking and swallowing skills are improving.

26 weeks...

Well here we are, less than 14 weeks left until my due date... That's kind of frightening! I'm definitely looking forward to being able to meet this little person who's been using my bladder like a trampoline for the last week straight!! It's amazing because I feel her moving around so much. Sometimes it's not even kicks, it just feels like she kind of floats into the front of my stomach.

I'm actually really loving being pregnant, even though now that I'm getting bigger it's getting harder and harder to move around. It's a big ordeal to just flip from one side to the other in bed, I can't even imagine what it's going to be like in another few months...

Let's see, I went and took my one hour glucose test on Thursday, but I still haven't gotten the results back on it. Hopefully within the next few days I'll know. Tomorrow I'm going to call around and get an appointment set up for a 3D/4D ultrasound, I really can't wait to see that!

I've started nesting big time...I don't have a big home (we live in an apartment), but I'm finding plenty of things to tear apart and put back together. Last night I spent about five hours finishing up my bedroom closet and cleaning out my linen closet and under the sink in my bathroom. I've already re-organized the kitchen and the laundry room and the hall closet...Now I just have a really big urge to go out and buy tons of clear plastic containers that way I can be SUPER organized!! Oh well, one can dream!

Also, now I'm craving sweet things a whole lot more. Yesterday we went grocery shopping and I had to buy some ice cream..so I got Ben & Jerry's Fossil Fuel ice cream and Stawberry Whole Fruit bars...mmmm!! I might have to go get one of those out of the freezer now...

Audrey's Development This Week:
Your baby is putting on more weight at this time. Recall that you can expect to gain about a pound a week this month as you and the baby grow. This week marks a special time as the baby's brain wave activity begins for the visual and auditory systems. It will be some time, however, until the baby comprehends what it's sensing.

Other Changes That Are Happening:
~With the nostrils now open, the baby will now making more breathing movements to prepare for taking in air at birth.
~Your baby's lungs secrete surfactant to keep the lung tissue from sticking together.
~At this point the baby has completed two-thirds of it's stay in your womb.

Baby's Size (head to rump): About 9.25 inches

Weight: Approximately 2 pounds

25 weeks...

...15 weeks to go!! Let's see, what's going on this week...I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday, everything is looking great! I have to go in either this week or next and do my glucose tolerance test to check for gestational diabetes, they gave me this lemon-lime drink that looks NASTY! Hopefully I'll pass the one hour test so that I don't have to go back for the three hour test. Also, they are going to check my blood for anemia and check my antibodies, if my antibodies are normal then I have to get my Rhogam shot at my next appointment (since I'm Rh negative). Fun stuff!! Let's see, what else? Oh, yeah, it looks like I'm going to be getting a 4-D ultrasound, yea! That will probably happen in about 3 or 4 more weeks, and we'll be able to see what little Audrey actually looks like! And we'll also be able to make sure that our little girl is in fact a little girl!! I can't wait for that!

It seems to be getting closer and closer...in about 2.5 weeks I have my infant care class, and then 2 weeks after that I have a breastfeeding class and then 2 days after that is my first baby shower!! Yea! Can you tell that I'm excited about all of this stuff?! Because if you can't tell then I should let you know that I am!

Oh, here is something kind of strange, the other night I was sleeping on my left side and I was having a dream that I was sitting on a couch and there was someone sitting next to me on the couch and they were tapping me in the side with their foot, well all of sudden I woke up from my dream and it was actually Audrey kicking me really hard in that same spot...kinda weird how reality slipped over into dream world, huh?!

Anyways, I guess that's enough babbling for this week...

Audrey's development this week:
There are many interesting developments going on with the baby right now. The tiniest blood vessels, capillaries, are developing under the baby's skin and turning the color of the baby from a transparent to a pinkish appearance. The baby's nostrils begin to open and the buds for the baby's permanent teeth begin to form.

Other changes that are happening:

• The baby will develop a very strong grip this month.
• Nails are continuing to grow from the nail bed and will cover the nail as well.
• Blood vessels are forming in the lungs.

Baby's Size (head to rump) this week: About 8.75 inches

Weight: Approximately 1.5 lbs

Your baby this week is about the size of a household telephone.

Gordy...

Okay, I know that I'm a sucker, but I had to add in this pic of my baby, Gordy. Whenever I have the camera out he never sits still. But, finally, here's a cute one!

24 weeks...

Wow, 24 weeks already!! 16 more to go...In some ways it seems like it's going to take FOREVER, but then I was reading the messageboards that I go on and 9 babies from the March 2006 board have been born already, can you believe that?!! I better start getting my butt in gear! There is SOOO much that I still have left to do, and I haven't even started my list like I was supposed to do last week. Well, maybe this week! ;p

Audrey is still moving around everywhere, as a matter of fact she's moving right now! I love the feeling of having my baby moving about inside of me! Tomorrow is another doctor's appointment, so I'm looking forward to hearing her little heartbeat again.

Only three more weeks until I begin my first prenatal class. The first one is a one night, three hour class on infant care, I'm actually really looking forward to it! I love learning new things, especially about babies, and with taking the classes it makes it feel more and more like this is happening soon!

Audrey's development this week:
Your baby is steadily growing and it is likely that each day you are becoming more aware of the baby's movements. You can expect to gain about a pound a week this month as both you and the baby grow!

Other changes that are happening:
~The baby's skin is very wrinkled right now but will smooth out when more fat is deposited and muscles further develop.
~The baby's skin is very transparent at this time. If you could see the baby you could see the bones and organs through the skin.
~At this time, you may be able to have someone put an ear to your abdomen and hear the baby's heartbeat without the aid of a stethoscope.

Baby's size (head to rump) this week: About 8.5 inches

Weight: Approximately 1.25 pounds

Audrey is about the same size as the width of a standard size sheet of paper!

23.5 weeks...

Okay, so I'm now 23.5 weeks along. In some ways this feels like it's taking FOREVER, but in other ways time seems to be flying right along. It's strange to think that in 3.5 weeks I'll be entering my third, and final, trimester. Wow! Thoughts of everything that I have to do before our little girl gets here completely overwhelm my mind. There is a whole lot to do. And it's not only the baby stuff, but Youth ministry stuff (I'm trying to get summer camp planned), and figuring out our living situation, etc. It's just a lot. And I know that especially once I hit the last three months time will really fly.

What's been going on this week? The top thing is Bryan FINALLY got to feel Audrey kicking. It happened at 12:47am on Tuesday. I was still trying to go to sleep (nighttime bathroom breaks are getting more and more frequent!) and I felt her kicking me really hard in the side, so I put my hand on my side and I could feel it really well from the outside. So, I woke Bryan up and put his hand there. I didn't know if I should wake him up considering every time that he's tried to feel her she stops moving around. But anyway, he left his hand there for a bit and then all of a sudden she kicked really hard. He felt her like 4 or 5 times that night. I was crying I was so happy! And he was extremely excited too! Later that day my mom got to feel her moving around two different times. And Bryan also felt her yesterday morning and this morning. Yea! So, that's my BIG news of the week!

Oh and my cravings are changing. Early in the pregnancy my cravings were for things that were salty and savory tasting (I think that's one of the reasons I thought that it was a boy). But now it's starting to shift towards the sweeter things. I'm really getting to where I like fruit juice a lot. I had a white cranberry peach juice the other night and it was SOOO good! I also like fruit smoothies now (I've had two from Sonic since Saturday) and ice cream is also sounding really tasty to me!

Audrey's development this week:
Your baby continues to grow and gain weight. The smallest bones in the human body are found in the middle ear (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) and are forming. This will make it possible for the baby to hear in the near future.

Other changes that are happening:
~A heat-producing fat (called brown fat) is helping to keep the baby warm.
~The baby's body is becoming more normally proportioned, though the head continues to look out of proportion.

Baby's size (head to rump) this week: 8 inches

Weight: 1 pound

Right now your baby is slightly smaller in length than a child's Barbie doll.

22 weeks...

Okay, so it's been about a week and a half now since we found out that our baby is an Audrey! We are sooo excited!! And may I say that she is spoiled already! Just since we found out that she was a girl she has gotten the following: 2 rattles, a set of bath toys, a rubber ducky, 2 pairs of butterfly booties, another pair of little booties, a pair of butterfly rattle mittens, 2 bibs, a 'dadd'y's girl' onsie, a receiving blanket, a cuuute dress, a headband, and the cutest, frilly newborn shoes that you'll ever see!
Audrey is now getting very active. There are a lot more times during the day that I feel her moving about... and nope, you can't feel her from the outside, yet! I'm also finding myself getting more and more nauseous as time goes on...and here I thought that it was just going to get better, oh well, you win some and lose some, I guess. I'm also getting HUGE in the belly. I now look pregnant even when sitting down. I can't imagine 18 more weeks of growing!! But time is starting to go by faster now. The first trimester seemed to drag, but now it kind of seems like time is starting to fly. There seems like there is still so much left to do before Audrey comes and it seems like I have just enough time to do it in!
Oh, I went and registered this past week at both Babies 'R' Us and Target. (Thanks to Shannon for helping me get over my scanner inhibitions!) ;p I went absolutely CRAZY with the scanning, but oh well! I had lots of fun. I'm really excited about her bedding, it's called Gossamer Wings and it's at Babies 'R' Us and it's soooo precious!
Oh and I'll try to put up a new pic tomorrow. Anyways, onto the baby stuff for this week.

Your Baby's Development This Week:
Your baby is able to pick up and react to more stimuli. For example, music, sudden loud noises, or vibrations from a bus ride can stir your baby into activity.

Other Changes That Are Happening:
~Your baby's brain is growing rapidly and will continue to grow for the next five years.
~Though your baby is gaining important amounts of fat, he or SHE is still very lean at 1% body fat.
~The baby's eyelids are making blinking movements though they are still fused shut.

Baby's Size (head to rump) and Weight This Week:
Size: About 7.6 inches.
Weight: Approximately 12.5 ounces.

Right now your baby is about the size of a child's mini Nerf football.