6 Weeks Difference

I put some belly pics side-by-side and thought it was interesting (and amazing) to see the growth over the last 6 weeks.

Weekly Update: 14 Weeks

I made it through the first trimester!

I had a checkup last Friday and the baby's heartbeat was strong and healthy. I also heard back from my blood tests with the geneticist and all checked out great. Odds of a baby with Down's (1 in 5500) or other chromosomal disorders (1 in 10k) are low.

At 14 weeks, the baby is about 3.5 inches from head to rump and is the size of a lemon. She weighs about 1.5 ounces right now. I'm still waiting on that definite baby kick, which I am hoping will be in the next few weeks.

I'm coming around to the idea of a little girl and have been very encouraged by many people over the past week.

We're contemplating names and have a short list that we agree on. We're also letting the boys weigh in - Landon narrowed it down to two and Carter picked only one. We're still looking for names, though. We're open to suggestions!

Landon Turns 8

My "baby" turns 8 today.

There's a special place in a mama's heart for her first-born. The one that actually made me a mother. The one that taught me many things. Many things about being a mother. Many things about life. And many things about me.

Landon is a super smart little boy who loves music (he remembers lyrics exceptionally well), reading, Legos, superheros, playing dress-up (usually as a superhero), and anything outside (like swinging, running around, and playing basketball). He is still taking ninjitsu (he recently passed 9th kyu and is now working on 8th kyu) and just got his Bear colors last night at Cub Scouts. He is finishing up 2nd grade with great grades and test scores (he's above grade level in math and has a freakishly impressive grasp on math and the theories behind math - didn't get that from his mama). He's looking forward to his busy and exciting summer (YMCA summer camp, a week with my parents in VA, a week at OBX with us, and a week at the lake with his best buddy).

He is also looking forward to not having to sit in a booster seat anymore and has been planning for weeks to sit in the regular seat of the van on the way to school this morning.  :)

We celebrated his birthday this past weekend at church with lots of family and friends, I'm taking cupcakes by school during lunch today, and we are taking him out to a restaurant of his choice tonight.

Happy birthday, Landon Cole. My sweet lovie.

My Little Family

I love my little family with all of my heart. These are my most favorite people on the planet.

The G Word

Ok, y'all. Let's talk about this whole girl thing. But first...

This past Wednesday's appointment was STRESSFUL. This was the "advanced maternal age" appointment with the geneticist where they tell you all the statistics of your chances of having a baby with Down's, other chromosomal disorders, spinal disorders, and many other terrible things that can go wrong. I didn't have this testing done with the boys as it was optional at that age. I wasn't prepared for just for how overwhelming it ended up being.

The testing was a combination of ultrasound and blood test that can tell us with 95% certainty if the baby will have any of these abnormalities. I will get the results of the blood tests in a few days, but everything from the ultrasound checked out okay. The doctor was looking for things like the presence of a nasal bone, width of a space of fluid in the neck, and many other things (that blew my mind scientifically). I'm sure the blood tests will also come back favorably based on what we saw in the ultrasound. So that was a HUGE RELIEF.

So honestly, when he said that it was looking like a girl, I almost didn't even hear it over the relief of the baby being healthy.

But. It is a girl. Well...with 98% certainty. (So I guess there's a 2% chance of hope for a boy.) Let's get this straight...I'm not scared of pink or ruffles or princesses. That's not what scares me. It's the teenage girl with hormones and attitude that scares me. I've heard the horror stories from all those parents out there. And for those that tell me girls aren't that bad, then obviously theirs is still under the age of 12.

But I'll be okay (with wine and therapy). She's mine and obviously I will love her to pieces. And I've got one freakin' adorable husband who is insanely giddy and already fantasizing about walking her down the aisle at her wedding. So there's that.


*For those of you following along with us on this journey, I'm 13 weeks and baby is the size of a pea pod at about 3 inches long. She was pretty calm and chill during the ultrasound. Belly shot next week. Promise.

It's a...

Big Brothers Are Best

I wonder if Landon realizes just how much his little brother looks up to him? I captured this shot during ninjitsu and it melted my heart. Just the way Carter is looking at him...

My Brother Drives Me Crazy

Creative writing assignment by Landon Bagley, Grade 2

My Brother Drives Me Crazy

First, my brother loses Legos sometimes. It makes me angry. Once he lost a mini figure and it took a while to find it. It felt like it took an hour when it propaly only took 30 mins.

After that when I was sick and I wanted to go to bed fast, my brother talked and talked. I stayed up late. I was not just sick I was also tired. I wanted to go back to sleep but I had to go to school the next day.

Finally, when I want to play my iPad my brother says I want to play Landon's iPad. Mommy and Daddy usually say okay Carter you can play Landon's iPad and it drives me crazy. He usually does not give it to me to play it. He is only 4.

That's why my brother drives me crazy.

Football

I was cooking dinner the other night and peeked outside to see these two tossing a football back and forth. Not sure if it gets much cuter!  #brothers

Strawberry Season

Strawberries don't last very long in our house. These lasted 24 hours. Man were they delicious!

Mother's Day 2014

My Mother's Day was absolutely perfect. I spent the day doing much of nothing.

I slept in and was treated to my hubby's delicious fried eggs for a late breakfast. It is the only thing the man can cook but boy can he fry up an egg! The boys were so excited to share with me all of their homemade goodies and Christopher surprised me with a gift certificate to Rey's Steakhouse in Cary (to go to another night sans kids...it's a little too pricey to take kids to). Landon and Carter (mainly Landon) then proceeded to pick up around the house, dust, and vacuum...all without any prompting. Best. Gift. Ever. We ate lunch and sat outside in the warm sunshine for a while, I took a late afternoon nap, and we finished our day by going out to dinner.

Being a parent is the HARDEST job out there. There's a lot of responsibility in shaping little human beings to be productive members of society. They make me HAVE to be a better person and think twice about all of my actions and words. I often screw up, but am quick to let them know when I do. And I am grateful to share this job with Christopher, my amazing husband. I couldn't do it without my tag-out buddy.

Mother's Day reminds me just how blessed I am to have this amazing title of mother.

 

And for a good laugh, me as a child making my mother earn her title of mother. Aren't I pretty (lipstick makes all girls pretty)?

Weekly Update: 11 Weeks

At 11 weeks, the baby is the size of a fig at about an inch and a half. The baby is pretty much fully formed now!

This past week, I had two moments when I thought, "Hmmmm...was that a kick?" I know it's rather early but maybe I am more in tune to what those little baby kicks might feel like. Or maybe it was just a gas bubble.  LOL

We're looking forward to finding out the sex of the baby on the 21st but also anxious about the genetic testing. 

As my bump is becoming more apparent, I've had lots of folks asking me when I am due and how far along I am. When they find out, their eyes get as big as saucers. Cue the (not funny) comments about twins. I've also been asked if I am waddling yet. ::insert death stare:: But I've also gotten lots of nice comments about how cute my bump is so I am just trying to focus on the nice ones.

Weekly Update: 10 Weeks

Yesterday, I passed the 10 week mark of pregnancy. One-fourth of the way! LOL

I'm trying to savor each moment of this pregnancy. This WILL be the last time I am pregnant and a lot of women, including myself, will tell you that they actually miss pregnancy. This is it for me so I'm just trying to enjoy it. I've been starting to feel much better, which helps me enjoy it more.

And finally, I've moved from the "looking fat" phase to "looking pregnant." People would look at me, look down at my belly, look back up at me really quickly, and get this confused/embarrassed look on their face. Now they get a surprised/happy look on their face because it's getting pretty obvious that it's not just fat. That's always nice. I'm not wearing maternity clothes yet because I've been rocking my dresses (glad the weather has been nice enough for this), although some of those are looking a little short in the front from where my belly jacks up the front.

The baby is the size of a kumquat (whatever that is) and has completed the most critical part of his/her development. All the organs are there and working and the hands and feet have lost their webbing.

My genetic testing and ultrasound are scheduled for May 21. So in less than 3 weeks, we'll know if we're having a girl or boy!!! We're looking forward to that very much. My next regular pre-natal checkup is May 23 so no more appointments until the genetic testing.