First Belly Shot

Here it is... yes, it is kind of weird seeing me with a baby bump. I have to keep reminding myself that it's a baby and I am not just getting fat, because really that is kind of what it looks like. I am kicking myself for not taking pictures of my bump before, when it was small and cute. But, here it goes... And, for those people who think headless baby bump pictures are weird, here is the whole picture...

Week 13

Fingerprints have formed on our baby's tiny fingertips, the veins and organs are clearly visible through the still-thin skin, and the body is starting to catch up with the head — which makes up just a third of his/her body size now. Our baby is almost 3 inches LONG (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce. (Some people have commented on the pictures not making sense, but this picture doesn't show the baby as the size of a shrimp, but the length of a shrimp.)

I am still have bouts of throwing up continuously, but it alternates with a severe hunger. It is the strangest thing. Everyday I wake up and I feel like I am a little bigger! I officially have a baby bump! For Christmas I received maternity clothes and bellabands, which are lifesavers right now. I am still in my old jeans, I just can't button them and wear a bellaband over the top. Maternity tops or at least bigger tops are a definite necessity, now, thanks to my growing chest and now my growing baby bump too! I ceaned out my closet yesterday, packing up all my small clothes, and there isn't much left. But, I don't need too much I guess. I will post my first belly picture here after a bit.

Mark and I are going to Big Baylor in Dallas for a Nuchal Translucency Test on Friday. All it really is, is a high-tech ultrasound, where the doctor measures the fluid around the neck to test for a down-syndrome and other deffects. Mark and I pray everything goes well. We are really excited though because by the 13th week, the doctor can usually tell the sex of the baby. We hope that the baby is laying the correct way so we can see the sex.

Week 12

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Our baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his/her toes will curl, eye muscles will clench, and mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if I was to prod my abdomen, my baby will squirm in response, although I won't be able to feel it. His/her intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his/her kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder. Great our baby can pee!

While, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in our baby's brain, and synapses are forming furiously, most important our baby's face looks like a 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, our baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

Your uterus has grown to the point where you can now feel the top of it low in your abdomen. Yes, I can say this is true. I have a very very small baby bump right now. By everything I am reading says I should be in maternity clothes by now or very soon. Woohoo stretchy pants!

This week I have been so sick. I have been throwing up everything. Finally, the doctor gave me a prescription, but it just knocks me out. At first, I thought it wasn't morning sickness because my stomach hurts really bad too. But, now I think that it has something to do with motion sickness. Every time I get in the car, even if it is just around the block, I get sick. Hopefully this will pass before the end of my first trimester, which is just days away.

Week 11

Baby Moore is between 1 1/2-2 inches long and about the size of a fig and weighs about 1/3 of an ounce. He/she is now almost fully formed. His/Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under his/her gums, and some of his/her bones are beginning to harden. Also this week, our baby has been growing hair follicles, fingernails, and ovaries (if she's a girl). She/he has distinct human characteristics by now, with hands and feet in front of the body, ears nearly in their final shape, open nasal passages on the tip of his/her tiny nose, a tongue and palate in the mouth, and visible nipples. Yay- our baby no longer looks like an alien but has graduated to a tiny 2-inch human. Well, a tiny human with a head the size of the rest of his/her body.

He/She's already busy kicking and stretching, and his/her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. I won't be able to feel the baby's movements for another month or two — nor will I notice his/her hiccupping, yep that's right Baby Moore can hiccup!

Things to look forward to in the next week: no more morning sickness!!! Eating!!! More energy. :) Heart burn? Gas... what???... yeah no one ever tells you this part of pregnancy! Gaining a pound week :/. ut-oh.

Yeah, I can definitely say I have been eating more, and I have been constantly hungry (probably because I was so used to not eating). I love the pregnancy book that tells me now is the time to start eating healthier, it suggests I try to avoid "fried foods, soda, and sweets." Umm... yeah, I would have to say that those are bad for me, thanks for the tip What to Expect When You're Expecting.

Week 10

Baby Moore is officially a fetus! He/she is about the size of a plum or a kumquat (whatever that is--pictured above) and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce or approximately five grams. Baby Moore has now completed the most critical portion of his/her development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

Baby Moore can taste and should be kicking up a storm (although I can't feel it). I saw this really cute/funny video of a 10 week old fetus jumping around, click here to see it. Maybe this is why I have sudden urges to pee, Baby Moore seems to want to jump on my bladder? Vital organs — including his/her kidneys, intestines, brain, 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. Even minute details are in place, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin. In the coming weeks, our baby will double in size to a little over 3 inches.

As for morning sickness, the last two days haven't been bad. I have been able to eat! I am starting to be more and more averse to some foods which I might just crave hours later. Maybe this is Baby Moore's taste buds forming? :)

In other news, Mark and I are in full finals mode. Mark already took one of his finals today. He has four left over the 8 days. I have only 2 finals and 2 projects due. We have both been hard at work studying. I am working at the Law firm for Mark this week and next so he can have more time to study. Today was my first day, lets just say I really don't know what I am doing. Mark doesn't need to worry about me stealing his job... I'm sure Mark's boss will be happy to have him back.

Anxiously Awaiting

I felt like I passed a milestone today, not sure what that it. Last night I got excited because I noticed my uterus has been growing. I know it sounds a bit silly, but I had noticed that it was beginning to pooch out a little. Then, last night when I rolled over on my stomach I was shocked to feel my uterus pressing back up against the mattress. My muscles around the uterus have been hurting a lot lately, so I knew they were preparing to stretch so it could allow for room to grow.

I don't know how much longer I will be in my new (fat) jeans. Which is too bad because I just bought them 2 weeks go. When I drive to school and back I have already got in the habit of unbuttoning them. I am going to purchase a Bellaband soon so I can wear all my pants unbuttoned. I know I don't need this yet, but boy does it feel more comfotable! I am not looking forward to getting fat, but I am looking forward for people to know that I am pregnant. There are a lot of people in my everyday life that don't even know yet. It is always so fun to see people's expressions when they first find out!

All day today I was just so excited about the Baby. I spent quite a bit of time dreaming about what he or she will look like. I can't wait to take care of such a small person. I just picture myself sitting in a glider with a boppy pillow holding my baby. I can't beleive how much I already desire to hold my baby, and I have 30 more weeks to go before I will get a chance. I read in my book that you can first feel the baby kick/move between week 16-20. My sister-in-law says its not all that exciting the first few times because I probably won't know what it is. Being pregnant brings an abuandance of new feelings, I don't really ever know where my new pains are coming from.

I will post a belly pic the first day I really feel like I have a good pic. Right now I just look bloated and poochy. But, in just a few short weeks, I will have a full fledge belly.

Oh, if I haven't yet told you, I am getting really tired of this whole morning sickness thing. It should stop around week 12-14, only 2 more weeks hopefully!



This is what a Bellaband is for those who don't know. You can wear you pre-pregnancy pants unbuttoned and with the band over it. It holds them up and smooths out the top of the pants. Supposedly they are really comfortable and allow you to stay in your pre-pregnancy clothes for longer.

Week 9

Our baby is about an inch long, which is about the size of a grape, and he/she weighs just a fraction of an ounce. He/She's starting to look more and more human; the essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. While the baby's heart has formed four chambers, the valves are now forming and his/her teeth and forming. Our baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. His/Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. He/She has tiny earlobes, and his/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 our baby's basic physiology is in place, he/she's poised for rapid weight gain.

I can't believe that the baby is already an inch and soon will begin doubling in size! I have been feeling really ill lately and haven't been able to eat very much. Once I finally eat something it is a chore to try and keep it down. I keep telling myself only 3 more weeks before the morning sickness should be over. I am in full pregnancy mode now, food aversion, morning sickness, cravings, and mood swings. Poor Mark! He must think I'm crazy because sometimes I do.

Have You Thought of Any Names?

The number one question we are getting these days, well, right behind when is the due date? And, yes, we have been thinking about some names. So, if you haven't heard, these are the names we are thinking about now (and might change a few more times in the next 7 months).

If the baby is a BOY...

Ethan Thomas is the front-runner.
This name is after Mark's late Grandpa Green, Edwin Thomas (Tommy, E.T.).
Ethan means "strong and firm" in Hebrew and Thomas is a family name in Mark's family.

other names we have considered are... John, Cole, Samuel, Luke, Jackson, Michael, Noah, Aiden, Caden, Caleb, Charles, and Carlton

If the baby is a GIRL...

Abigail Grace, Abigail Kate, Emma Grace, Grace Elizabeth, Catherine Grace ("Grace" or "Kate"), Hannah Kate, Hannah Elizabeth, Hannah Grace, Rebekah (Rebecca) Catherine ("Kate")

The names we are thinking about are therefore some combination of...

Emma which means "universal"

Catherine/Kate which means "pure" and is a family name (my name and my mom's)

Elizabeth which means "consecrated to God" and is my name.

Rebekah/Rebecca which means "captivating" and is my mother-in-law's name.

Hannah which means "grace of God"

Abigail which means "father’s joy"

and Grace which obviously means "grace" from God.

Thanksgiving Break

This entire past week I was off from school, and I have been really lazy these days. Unfortunately, I have been feeling really ill because of the baby, but I did get some much needed rest. I am going to try and see if the doctor can prescribe me something so I can eat (and keep it down). I know I need to eat but it has been a real chore. Although, from what I've heard sick mom means a healthy baby, which is what we have been praying for.

Mark and I enjoyed seeing the family that we were able to spend time with. It is always a blessing when we get to see Mark's brother, sister-in-law, and our nephew. Our nephew is getting so big, and he is so cute! It makes Mark and I excited to have our own. We did thanksgiving with Mark's parents on Thursday and my parents on Saturday. And, both sent us home with tons of left-overs, not to mention the roast and potatoes I made on Monday. I don't think I've cooked really all week, well except for those random cravings.

I think my first true craving came on Thursday night, when we passed several Braums on the way home from Granbury, and they were all open. But, since had other passengers in the car, I didn't make Mark stop. He picked up on my heavy signaling and right before we got home he took me to Walmart and got me my own pint of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. And, it tasted so good, nice and creamy! I also had to get some gummy bears this week after posting the picture online of them. And, then there was the green bean casserole that I had to make in the middle of the night. I am not sure how many of these were related to my random eating habits or true pregnancy cravings. Either way, Mark has been such a blessing, never complaining about my random food habits.

We began putting up Christmas decorations this week. We will have to post pictures whenever we finish all the lights outside (if Mark will please put them up for me!).

Week 8

This week our baby had webbed fingers and toes are poking out from his/her hands and feet. In his/her brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. Our baby — about the size of a kidney bean (or a raspberry) — is constantly moving and shifting, though I can't feel it. It is growing at the rate of one millimeter per day.

Most of the information I post on here is from www.babycenter.com.
I also enjoy the www.parents.com website and www.whattoexpect.com.

Books we are reading...



This is the first book we bought for our pregnancy. It is nice because unlike other popular pregnancy books it is divided by each week.




Mark bought this book and has already read the entire thing. He knows more about pregnancy than me.




I bought this book because I have a hard time with my weight management with all of my medications and a broken thyroid (i.e. no metabolism). It pretty much told me everything I already knew but it has some nice recipes in it.






I bought this book so I will know what to do with the baby whenever I bring it home. This book is essentially Baby Care 101 and goes through many different topics.




This book is one of the top rated books. I actually haven't read it yet, but it offers ways to soothe a crying baby. It is suppose to be a really good book. Hopefully I will learn all the techniques.

Second Sonogram

We had our second sonogram today. We learned that our baby is healthy! The official due date is Tuesday July 7th. Which means I am 7 weeks 6 days today. Here are some of the pics from the sonogram.


Mark thinks the baby looks like a ghost from Mario brothers....


However, I think the baby looks more like a gummy bear (minus the ears of course).


This is a lateral (side) view. That is the baby's head, arms, and legs.

The baby's heartbeat was 168 bpm, which is nice and healthy. The bottom is the doppler showing the heartbeat. We got to listen to the baby.

I don't have to go back until the first of the year (Around 13 weeks). We think we will go to the special high-tech sonogram and prenatal testing in Dallas. It will be right at the end of January or beginning of February when we will find out the sex for sure (usually around 18 weeks).

Tomorrow's Doctor Appointment

Tomorrow, Monday we will be going to the doctor for our second sonogram. We are supposed to see a heartbeat. Also, the baby should look more like a little alien (he/she had arms, legs, eyes, and eyelids even) than a black spot on the screen. We are really excited to see the baby tomorrow and we pray that everything will be healthy and have a healthy heart beat.

I will post tomorrow with the results and the sonogram pictures of our baby.

Marathon

The marathon weekend was really fun. It was kind of crazy trying to get around downtown San Antonio since I chose not to fly with my team. I wished I would have had more time to look through the expo at packet pick-up, but it was so crazy with over 30,000 participants trying to pick up all their stuff. We got a free t-shirt, unfortunately it isn't very cute, and, all the cute shirts for sale only had large or bigger left. Oh well. Friday night was the Team in Training pasta dinner which had motivational and inspirational speakers for the over 7000 TNT participants that came from across the nation and even Canada to run in this event.

Race Day. I woke up at 3:45am, thankfully the people above me in the hotel were stomping around, so that I couldn't sleep in. Mark dropped me off at the team hotel at 4:45am. We had breakfast and loaded the buses to the start line. We got to the start line at around 5:45am, and it was about 30 degrees. We had about 45 minutes to use the restroom and get our gear bags check, meaning we had to check everything we weren't going to run with (including our jackets). So at 6:30am we were standing in our corrals (Which is how you start when you have thousands of people, you group them into about 1000 people and put them in corrals, and then each corral has a different start time). Me and my friend Rita we in corral 29 out of 30. We wanted to be at the back, because it gets pretty intense in the front. We didn't cross the start line until 8:30 although the race officially started at 7:30. The chip on our shoe doesn't start counting until we cross the line.

And we're off. When we crossed the finish line we had been standing without our jackets for 2 hours, so needless to say we couldn't feel anything waist done. We took off on our nice jog like we had been practicing for about 6 1/2 months. About 2 miles in we could finally feel our feet and so we stopped and stretched. Soon after we went through our first water stop, and since my doctor told me to be really careful not to get dehydrated, I took 2 water cups at each water stop. Well about 10 minutes later, right before the 3 miles mark I had to take my first bathroom break. I said good-bye to Rita and went to stand in line for 15 minutes. This would be the first of 7 bathroom breaks during my 13 miles, I proabbly set a record. The first 5 miles or so were nice and I was just trotting along like during all mytrainings. It was so neat to have tons of people lining the streets cheering for you. HOwever, I soons tarted getting really hungry since we had breakfast at 4:45 and it was about 9:30. Luckily, a restrurant was handing out breakfast burriots. I was so excited to have something to eat. While I was walking down the street eating my breakfast burrito, woudln't you know, my coach appears. She was curious as to why I was eating, and I just laughed. I went ahead and walked/ran the next 3 miles with her, she was our pace coach. Soon, she had to leave and go back to get one of my teammates. So I decided to just take it easy and enjoy the rest of the 5 miles. I had a really nice walk and took it all in. I met some really nice TNT people from all over the country.

I finished at about 3 1/2 hours (remembering that about an hour of that was standing in line at the bathroom). It was really nice to finish, and I really felt good and didn't feel like I overdid it or was unsafe at all. I had so much fun, and I am already planning on doing TNT again so I can finally run my full marathon.

After the race Mark amazingly found me about the hundreds of thousands of people. It was like bingefest at the finish line, they were handing you boxes of all kinds of food, it was disgusting. It was really fun to get to see all my teammates (Well the one who had finished). Here are some pictures of the day...



My friend Rita and I in our corral about 10 minutes before we crossed the start line.


My TNT Jersey. This is the back. All the ribbons are those who have fought cancer. I asked everyone who donated money or supported me to put the names of those I could run in mmory or honor of.


After the finish line, when Mark amazingly found me. Under my super cool blanket is my boxof food. This is one of those sun blankets so I don't cool down too quickly, I was honestly just cold the whole race until I crossed the fnish line and got the blanket.

Mark taking a picture of my medal. My shirt says bump for my mom. She says that I trained for the full marathon but hit a bump in the road.

Week 7

Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point. Our baby has something of a small tail, which is an extension of his/her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Our baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

Our baby already has eyelids and some color in his/her eyes, I wonder what color eyes our baby will have, or I guess already has. And, both hemispheres of our baby's brain are growing. A loop in our baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body. It is surreal to think about this little life growing inside of me. His/Her heart is beating, brain is developing, and now has hand, feet, and even eyelids. We can't wait to see our baby and what he/she will look like; and, even more, we can't wait to find out the gender of our baby.

By now, I already have about 10 percent more blood than I did before I was pregnant, and by the end of my pregnancy, I will have 40 to 45 percent more blood running through my veins to meet the demands of a full-term baby. And, this is what must be sending me to the bathroom every hour on the hour!

My morning sickness is in full-swing. But, it really hasn't been that bad, I'm defiantly not complaining. I have not been able to eat anything sweet. And, I have really been wanting salty (yumm.. potato chips). And, I have been eating a lot of green apples and Sprite.

San Antonio Here We Come

On Monday night Mark and I went to dinner with our friend Mark Volk (who goes to Law school with Mark) and Annie. They are so sweet, but we never get to hang out because they live in Dallas and us in Midlothian. So, Mark has a wonderful idea of moving to Dallas right after the baby is born, which isn't a bad idea (because we would be much closer to his work and job, and possibly closer to my internship), but I just don't want to move again! We will have to wait and see about that. Back to dinner, we were really glad we got ot see Mark and Annie and celebrate the baby with them. They were so sweet and brought our baby his/her first gift... a cross for the nursery.


On the way home from dinner, I felt really special because Mark followed me the whole way home (since I drove up to meet them for dinner in Dallas, we both had our cars). Usually Mark flies by me (because I drive teh speed limit) and then pretends that he has been home forever when I "finally" get there. This is now the second time in the last few days that Mark has done this, and I love it, because he shows that he cares, and trying to protect me (and the baby).

This weekend is going to be a big weekend. Mark is in the Moot Court competition on Saturday morning, and if they win on Monday at lunch. He is partnering with Mark Volk again. They did very well last time and won some award. Best of Luck to them both this weekend. Then, on Saturday after its over, we are going to travel to San Antonio for my marathon! I have been training for this marathon since May 1st, and I am completely confident that I can finish the race (since I've run 24 miles before). However, my doctor and Mark and not as enthusiatic about the marathon; in fact, they are not wanting me to do any of it. I have been debating what I would do for a while, and I have decided to run-really-slowly/walk the half marathon because there are just oo mnay risks to the baby (dehydrating, over-heating...). And, I'm not going to lie about mile 20 it gets pretty ugly. So, I am really sad about having to drop down, but I am excited running wearing my purple Team in training shirt and all the ribbons I have collected. I will make sure to take pictures and give na update when we get back Sunday.

Week 6

This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears are beginning to take shape. His/her heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as mine — and blood is beginning to course through his/her body. His/her intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His/her pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, our baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean. Over this week the baby will double in size. Next week it will be the size of a blueberry.

Big Weekend!

This past weekend we celebrated my brother's wedding. The wedding was beautiful and so was Laura! They are honeymooning at St. John's in the Virgin Islands. Hopefully they are having the time of their life and the hurricane (now down-graded to a tropical storm) will stay away!


The beautiful bride getting ready to walk down the aisle.

Mark and I at the reception.

This weekend, I started feeling nauseated, mainly motion sickness in the car. But, also at the reception, which might have been because I was so exhausted by then, and enjoying dancing, loud music, and flashing lights. But, on and off now, I am getting a little queasy. It hasn't been that bad, and I am grateful for feeling some morning sickness, because it means everything is going well. It is hard to make myself eat, since I am not really wanting to eat anything.

The baby's heart is beating by now. I am so amazed whenever I think about this miracle baby growing inside me, and now it has a heart that beats! We are continuing to pray for health for both the baby and me. And, we have to make a decision about my marathon (that I have been training for since May) that is this weekend. This isn't an easy decision and we are praying for wisdom.


I was at target and saw this set of two matching onesies on sale. I just had to purchase it! The second purchase for our baby.

Good News

Today we got the news we have been waiting to hear. The doctor called and said that the tests he did on Monday came back. "Everything looks great!" woohoo! I don't have to go back until the Monday the 24th. I will be 8 weeks then, and we are going to do a sonogram to look for the heartbeat. Once, the heartbeat is seen, the miscarriage rate drops to below 10% some say as low as 2%. So we are still in constant prayer, but are so excited. And, we are sharing the news a little bit more.

5 Weeks

At this point, our baby about the size of a sesame seed, and he/she looks more like a tiny tadpole than a human. He/she's now made up of three layers — the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm — which will later form all of his organs and tissues.

The neural tube — from which our baby's brain, spinal cord, nerves, and backbone will sprout — is starting to develop in the top layer, called the ectoderm. This layer will also give rise to his skin, hair, nails, mammary and sweat glands, and tooth enamel.

His/her heart and circulatory system begin to form in the middle layer, or mesoderm. (This week, in fact, his/her tiny heart begins to divide into chambers and beat and pump blood.) The mesoderm will also form our baby's muscles, cartilage, bone, and subcutaneous (under skin) tissue.

The third layer, or endoderm, will house his/her lungs, intestines, and rudimentary urinary system, as well as his thyroid, liver, and pancreas. In the meantime, the primitive placenta and umbilical cord, which deliver nourishment and oxygen to our baby, are already on the job.

This week symptoms have been stronger. One of he most noticeable symptoms is my new bedtime, 8pm! I find myself kissing Mark goodnight right after dinner. Needless to say the dirty dishes and unfinished homework are piling up. Also, I have had more dully achy cramps (which I think are normal). Also, I am still experiencing random food aversion. The most shocking thing is anything sweet makes me sick to think about. I used to eat ice cream and/or m&ms every afternoon. I have also been so thirsty all the time! Which probably is the reason my frequent trips to the restroom are growing.

Once again, all these symptoms just remind me of the huge blessing we have been given. And, I am so thankful that I haven't experienced much nausea and actually haven't been sick at all. This might change, which is fine if it does, because it means you have a healthy baby. But, for now, we are enjoying our blessings.

First Sonogram

We went to the doctor today, and we saw the baby! He/She was a small dark dot right there on the screen. It was so amazing to see the baby, although he/she didn't look like anything but a dot. The doctor thinks he saw the yolk sac in the amniotic sac. Although everyone in the room saw it too.

He took my blood and said he was hoping my levels were around 2000 today since they were 986 last Wednesday. So we are just now waiting to hear the news. Keep us in your prayers!

And, we didn't get a picture of the baby to take home. The doctor said there wasn't much to see on the picture. Which was true. But, I still wish I could have taken home a picture of the fuzzy little dot on the screen!

Go Bears!

This past weekend was homecoming. Mark and I went with Luke, Brittany, and Jeff to the bonfire (and I didn't take any pictures!) and 10:30 pigskin on Friday night. Phi Chi and Tri-Delt were first and second, so we were kind of ready to leave pigskin but glad we stayed. The first place act was last, and it was worth it to wait and see it. Then Mark drove us back late Friday night to Midlothian, getting home around 2 am

Then I drove us back early in the morning so we could go to the parade. Tri-Delt and Phi Chi won first place in their class and their float was awesome (once, again no pictures :( ) It was fun to get to see a lot of our friends at the parade. After the parade Mark and I went to the bookstore and got me an him Baylor t-shirts. I didn't own a single Baylor shirt that didn't have my Greek letters on it. And, I was in long sleeves, which we knew needed to change. We bought a cute Baylor onesie and newborn hat at the bookstore! We were excited because it was our first purchase for the baby!


Then, we went to the Phi Chi tailgate and saw a bunch more friends. And, we went to the Baylor Missouri game, which was so exciting. The game started off exciting, when the team entered the field through the stands (I did take pictures of this). And, then Baylor played awesome and the fans were so loud and into the game. Unfortunately, Baylor barely lost at the very end of the game. But, I was so proud of the team and the awesome fans.

The players entering the field through the stands and down the corridors of the Baylor Line.

Sharing the News

We decided to go ahead and share the news with some people. So, they could be in prayer with us.

The Moores

We called John and Diane and said we anted to come out for dinner, that Friday night. They immediately suspected something was up. When we got there, they took us out to each at an Italian restaurant in town. We waiting all dinner, because we knew they suspected something. Then when the check came, Mark told them that we had come out there because we wanted to know what they were doing around July 4th. We then told them. They were really excited and asked us many questions. Then, John (jokingly) tried to convince us to name the child after him, John Charles.
We called Rachel and Charles later that night. They were so excited and told Colton he was going to have a cousin. We also called David and Sarah.

The Chandlers

We bought cards for Billie and Mike and Lee and wrote congratulations Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Lee and Aunt Laura. We went to Lee’s duplex in Dallas to watch the Baylor Bears Football Game with them all. At half-time Mike had been asking about our future, so we went ahead and gave them their cards. They were shocked.

Friends

On Saturday, after we left Lee’s duplex in Dallas we went over to Brian and Laura’s apartment in Richardson. Laura was at work, so we told Brian and waiting for Laura. When she got there, we told her. They were both so excited and supportive. After we left there we called the Beazley and told them we needed to go out and celebrate our big news, they knew immediately what we were talking about. I text(ed) Cheyenne a picture of the positive pregnancy text. We also called Jeff, Katherine, and Mark and Annie. We waiting the rest of the week on the results from the doctor, to make sure everything was going smoothly. Every now and then we would slip the secret to a few people. Mark told the guys at Law School and they all went out to lunch to celebrate.

4 Weeks

This week marks the beginning of the embryonic period. From now until 10 weeks, all of our baby's organs will begin to develop and some will even begin to function. As a result, this is the time when he/she will be most vulnerable to anything that might interfere with her development. Right now our baby is an embryo the size of a poppy seed (pictured above), consisting of two layers: the epiblast and the hypoblast, from which all of his/her organs and body parts will develop.

Also present now are the amniotic sac, which will house your baby; the amniotic fluid, which will cushion him/her as he/she grows; and the yolk sac, which produces our baby's red blood cells and helps deliver nutrients to him/her until the placenta has developed and is ready to take over this duty. The developed placenta will be able to provide nutrients and oxygen to our growing baby when it starts to function at the end of this week.

This week, there were a few more noticeable changes in my body. I did have some slight nausea and motion sickness. But, mainly I was just tired, had some weird cramps/pains on and off. And, I noticeable had to make more trips to the bathroom. Apparently, the hormone levels increased until about 10 weeks and then level off, so most of these symptoms will soon disappear. Knowing, this it is a nice reminder that something amazing is going on inside my body right now.

3 Weeks

Our baby-in-the-making is just a tiny ball consisting of several hundred cells that are multiplying madly. Once the ball of cells (called a blastocyst) takes up residence in my uterus, the part of it that will develop into the placenta starts producing the pregnancy hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin).

Meanwhile, amniotic fluid is beginning to collect around our ball of cells in the cavity that will become the amniotic sac. This fluid will cushion our baby in the weeks and months ahead. Right now, our little blastocyst is receiving oxygen and nutrients through a primitive circulation system made up of microscopic tunnels that connects our developing baby to the blood vessels in my uterine wall. The placenta won't be developed enough to take over this task until the end of next week. (this information taken from babycenter.com)

How amazing! Something so small, is forming right now inside of me. It is such a surreal (and special) feeling knowing that this is going on inside of me! We just found out we were pregnant, which is lucky, because most people don't even know they are pregnant until the end of week 4.

After taking the test, it is very easy to see all the symptoms that I have been experience the last few days: hot flashes (which is strange because I am always cold), dizziness/lightheaded, sleeplessness, tired (going to bed at 9pm), weird cramps/small pains on and off, and a heightened sense of smell.

Blessings!!

It's been a while since I posted because we have some good news... We are pregnant again! (For those of you who don't know this is our 3rd pregnancy and we are praying for a healthy baby this time!)


Friday October 24, 2008
I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and out of habit took an early response pregnancy test, not expecting anything. I had taken so many tests and received so many negatives before. Immediately, two light pink links started showing up. I waited and watched for 2 minutes. It seemed like forever. I thought maybe I was imaging the second line. I went in and woke up Mark saying you have to come see something in the bathroom. He was groggy, and I grab his hand taking him in there. I asked him what he saw. He said that there was definitely two lines. We embraced, and he said not to get too excited yet. He said let’s wait and take another one this afternoon when I got home from school.


I took a picture of the test on my digital camera and took it with me to Waco. I kept pulling it out and looking at the picture during the day. Each time I would get more and more excited and more sure that there were two lines. (Although, it doesn't show up on the camera very well)

When I got home I took more tests. They came back positive, completely positive. Then, I took a digital test and very quickly it read positive. When I took the first test, I put it on the counter and was waiting for the 3 minutes to pass, so I went to check the mail. The only thing in the mailbox was a parenting magazine and a note saying that I got a free subscription for a year. I just knew it was an omen. Sure enough, when I got back inside the test was positive.
I took a picture of all the tests lined up and sent them to Mark in an email because he was at work. He very quickly called me. We were both very excited!


The picture I emailed to Mark!


Me, very excited, can't wait to tell Mark!

I called the doctor on the morning of Monday, October 27, 2008 and they asked me to come went in. They believed that I was pregnant but were shocked that it showed up so early (3 weeks and 2 days after my last miscarriage). They took blood work to see how far along I was and if everything was going well.

I called the doctor several times Tuesday to find out the results. Then Wednesday morning they called me and said that my hormone levels were elevated and that I needed to come back that day to get some more blood work. They said they couldn’t confirm anything. Mark and I were very upset because we just wanted to hear “Congratulations! You’re pregnant and everything looks good.” We kept trying to figure out what the doctor meant by “elevated” hormone level: higher than normal women (thus pregnant with multiples or for longer than we thought) or higher than normal women (maybe I was pregnant, but not high enough yet to know). I went back late that afternoon for more blood work. When I got there the lab nurse told me that my levels were showing pregnancy but that they just wanted to do some more blood work to make sure the levels were doubling. I was excited to hear this news and once again had to wait for lab results.

Thursday afternoon the nurse called to tell me that everything looked good and the levels were doubling like they should. It was such a relief to hear this news. She made us an appointment for Monday afternoon to take more blood work and get a sonogram. They wanted to see the baby and to make sure the blood work showed the levels still doubling. We were so excited about getting to see the baby. We hope we will get a picture to take with us! Also, we were hoping to get a confirmed healthy pregnancy and due date.

Home Cooking

Recently I have been on a cooking spree. Usually I get so tired by the time I come home that I don’t want to cook a full meal and usually do whatever is easiest (warm something up). I like make up my own recipes. Mark has loved my hot sub sandwiches I have been making. I have also done a chicken salad and tortilla soup. I just went to the grocery store and I’m ready to make all the meals for this week! Let’s see how long this lasts!

State Fair

The Beazley’s invited us to join them at the State Fair this past weekend. Their neighbors also came, which we have not seen since the Super Bowl Party at the Beazley’s house. The Fair is always fun. Here are a few of the highlights (well, that I too pictures of…)

Sand Sculptures for the King Tut exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Arts.

really short man... or someone laying down.

The best part about the fair... the food!

Wind blown hair inside the car exhibitions.


The boys gave a ply-by-play of the car exhibition (with their blo-up headsets).

Cheyenne and Moises Get Married

This past weekend was Cheyenne and Moises’ wedding weekend. It was so fun to get to see my two best friends get married. It was a long weekend… but I’m glad it went well. Blessing to you both!

Shower

This past weekend Mark and I hosted two co-ed showers. On Saturday we hosted a football themes shower for my brother and his fiancé, Laura. Laura’s sister and her husband co-hosted with us, and we held the shower in her apartment’s party room. It was really fun to put together because my mom and I were in charge of food and we can be creative sometimes. It was also fun because the guys jut watched football. Here are some pictures….





Mark, me, my mom, and my dad got them a Wii for their gift!

Then on Sunday was Moises and Cheyenne’s Co-ed Entertainment themed shower. It was suppose to be the weekend before, but Ike was coming. We rescheduled for this Sunday. The shower was at our house. Here are some pictures…