25 weeks and counting...

SOOOO... it's been a few... 5 weeks since my last update!

Sorry to those of you who actually read this thing ;) I've been so busy with this Anatomy class and I'm so tired all the time?! Crazy... like my body is working overtime or something and getting up at 5am every morning does not help - not to mention the ninja practicing his fighting skills in my belly!

Happening since my last update...

Everyone is SO excited we're having a BOY!

Little Paxtyn Xavier is one loved (spoiled rotten) kid already! The minute I called my mom to tell her the news she started shopping... I'm pretty sure she was sitting in the parking lot waiting to find out boy or girl!

PawPaw (my daddy) was pretty stoked too, considering Pax will be the first little boy in our family!!

So, Joel and I finally came to an agreement on how we were going to decorate Paxtyn's room... Although for now I'm basically gathering ideas and throwing them in his room and walking away until J gets home... here we go...

This is the color scheme we're going with... not neccissarily The Avengers... we're going to be incorporating all types of sports along with TX Rangers and TX Longhorn stuff.

One of our many projects with Joel gets home will be this awesome baseball flag I found on the wonderful, addicting site... Pinterest :)

*We will be needing 8 balls and 4 wooden bats if anyone is interested in donating! ;)*

So a few weeks passed and my momma and niece, Alex came to visit me!!

We did a lot of laying around, and shopping for Paxtyn...

I had a doctors appointment while they were here and it was pretty cool for them to be able to come and hear his heart beat and all.

He's a very active little boy, his heart rate was in the 150s and he wasn't too fond of the doppler invading his space and kicked it!

The night before he was moving a lot so I grabbed Alex's hand to see if she could feel, of course she had no clue what she was feeling for and couldn't feel him. So since he was so active at the dr I grabbed her hand again and he gave her a nice hard kick and she flipped out! LOL, 16 years old and thinks that babies are so gross and the whole pregnancy thing is even worse... (I'm praying she keeps thinking that way for at least another 10 years!!)

She eventually came around and was more concerned about his safety and not making me cry than anything! Silly girl ;)

I have some pretty great nieces :) These are the two oldest and I can't believe how fast they've grown up and how OLD that makes me feel! I can't wait to see them in a few weeks!

Savannah & Alex (Autumn, Jayla & Lexie not pictured)

So since my mom & niece left I've just been going to school and trying to stay as healthy as I can! We eat pretty good around here (Paxtyn & I) 

He does a pretty good job of letting me know when I shouldn't have eaten something... lol, like anything greasy and fried... is a no-no, so we eat A LOT (& I mean a lot) of fresh avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, pb&js and babybels :)

BUT! In this house, we are VERY excited that dad, Joel, is ON HIS WAY HOME! I mean... it takes a week and all but... at least he's on his way, right?!

I canNOT wait to have him back! It has been a long 5 months without him. It could have been worse, way worse but it will be SO NICE, so so nice to have him back... especially since I'm getting bigger and to the point it is hard to do certain things and if its heavy... forget about it... not to mention baby Paxtyn will be here in a few short months!!! And the fact that I CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE MY HUSBAND BACK! I'm NOT a touchy-feely person, but I can't wait to hold his hand and not let go and hug him and kiss him and be in the same country, state, city... HOUSE with him!! :):)

So... I have hit what I guess you could call a "growth spurt" to say the least lol! After being so so sick the first 20 weeks straight and actually losing weight instead of gaining it, once I was able to keep food down, Pax started growing & so did I!

 

We have a FULL schedule over the next month!
Joel comes home!
Rangers vs. Royals in KC... FRONT ROW tickets behind the Rangers dugout :):)
HOME to TX for some much needed family & friend time- baby shower
Off to see our wonderful friends in Delaware!
Then Joel turns 28!!!

**Registered at Target, Babies-R-Us, Buy Buy Baby**

How far along? 25wks4days
Total weight gain/loss: gained 1lb from my initial weight at 6wks
Maternity clothes? Oh definitely! Well... at least my pants are maternity! Tops are normal everyday shirts, I try not to get maternity shirts cause I hate thinking I'm only going to wear these for a few more months and then what...
Stretch marks? A few on my sides... in love with Mama Bee belly butter by Burt's Bee's!!
Sleep: Up at least every hour to pee... my back is killing my so changing positions is a pain... oh, and the karate going on inside my belly... yea its distracting
Best moment this week: Single digit countdown til Joel is HOME!
Miss Anything? Does Joel count? Margaritas, Tex-mex (but that's cause we're in MISERY (Missouri)
Movement:.... does it stop? I mean, he's gotta sleep sometime right?
Food cravings: Avocadoes. Tomatoes. Babybel Swiss w/wheat thins. PB&J sandwiches. Milk (ICE cold) and nutterbutters...
Anything making you queasy or sick: depends on the day... ground beef... cottage cheese now taste like mold :( string cheese now tastes like plastic :( organic peanut butter tastes like dirt.
Have you started to show yet: YES- got my first "AWE, when are you due?" comment from a total stranger the other day :)
Gender prediction: IT'S A BOY!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? It's be uber hot lately and I swell at night from goinggoinggoing all day and couldn't get my ring off the other night, soooo I got a "temporary bling" ;)
Happy or Moody most of the time: usually angry, very short tempered, impatient... lol need I go on?
Looking forward to: This week to be over already (5 test in Anatomy) and next week to be here! (class will be OVER & J will be HOME!)

Best Day EVER!

Yesterday was CRAZY and so busy, but the best day since our wedding day :) 

I had class at 7:30-10:30 and man those were the longest 3 hours ever! I couldn't concentrate on anything and just wanted to leave! lol

Then when I got home, all I wanted to do was eat lunch and take nap! I didn't sleep much the night before because I was SO excited about finally finding out if our first child was going to be a boy or a girl! But of course, I was SO tired and SO excited I still didn't sleep... so I tried to do things to pass the time and counted up the votes for boy or girl and posted a picture then figured I'd go ahead and take the "It's a GIRL" and "It's A BOY" picture cause I knew I'd be so happy and calling people and talking to Joel when I got home that I wouldn't take them :)

Finally, it was time for my check up..

I was so excited so my blood pressure was high and the ladies just laughed at me cause you could see it all over me!

I still haven't gained anything! Which is just crazy to me cause I figured I gained at least 10 lbs last week alone! But I have been so sick... but I'm not complaining! I'm hoping this means I wont get too big and/or it will be easier to get rid of the baby weight (and then some ;))

Baby's heart rate at the doctors office was 140bpm

THEN.... I went across the hospital to radiology for the ultrasound!!

I was shaking and couldn't sit still... I swear everyone was just taking their sweet time getting us in there lol, I am the most impatient person in the world and this was TORTURE!

Once I got in the tech said I wasn't allowed to Skype with Joel so I couldn't watch the screen most of the time lol... and I thought waiting in the lobby was torture!

Our awesome friend Chelsea went with me and see got to find out before I did!! 

Our little one was quite active during the ultrasound... kept kicking and covering its face, makes me laugh how much its like me and Joel in one little rapidly growing person!

sweet little toes and left foot

hand (in a fist) and arm

right leg and foot

love that sweet little profile

baby's spine

baby's sweet face (skull)

She had a hard time getting the profile picture cause baby was turned funny and kept putting its hands over its face, lol, little turd ;)

It also had its feet crossed right at the ankles which made me laugh out loud because that's exactly how I was laying on the table...

Then she asked me to turn my head a lot and I didn't get to see much :( and when it was all said and done, she put the gender picture in an envelope and sealed it for me and gave it to Chelsea to guard til we got home and I was able to Skype with Joel <3

This is how the results made it from the hospital to my house :)

It was like Christmas morning... the anticipation was intense and when Joel called on Skype the little turd wanted to talk about the doctors visit and the ultrasound and all that BEFORE I could open the envelope! *I think he was just afraid I was right;)*

So, I finally told him all that was just gonna have to wait, I'd waited long enough to find out what this kid is and I had the answer in my hand there was no more "(not-so) patiently waiting"!! I wish I had of recorded our reactions when I opened it! I know I was so excited and went crazy and Joel was sooo excited too and laughing at me so hard because I was freaking out that my intuition was RIGHT!

IT'S A BOY!!!

We are SOO excited and couldn't be happier!

This was a huge weight lifted... now I can start SHOPPING!!! :)

Joel and I looked for weeks... months... at ideas on how to announce our good news with our family and friends, we really wanted it to be special since we are so far from everyone we love. This is what we decided on..

For anyone who knows us, you know we adore our girls (dogs), they have been our children for years and we involve them in everything :)

I'm pretty sure they're excited about having a baby brother running around soon!

Cheyenne's (8yrs old, on the left) sign says, "Don't even THINK about putting a saddle on me..."

Trudy's (2.5yrs old, on the right) sign says, "It's a... BOY!"

Then, to celebrate, I went to dinner with a few good friends and had a steak (cooked well done :/ ) and some mashed potatoes and fried okra!!! Baby boy was happy and this tired momma passed out early and got some much needed rest!

Thank you all so much for being apart of our lives and some of the most important times in our lives, we are SO very lucky to have such amazing people in our lives all around the world (literally)!

Now for SHOPPING & DECORATING!!!!

Week 19- Flashbacks & Photos ;)

I know all of you that have children, wondered before you finally got to kiss their faces, what they would look like? Will you child look like you? Your husband? Favoring your side of the family? Or a perfect mixture of the two? Blue eyes? Brown eyes? Bald or LOTS of hair? Blonde? Curly? Straight? Black? And the list goes ON! Well, I was thinking about who this little monster I'm growing is going to look like and dug through some old pictures of myself and Joel :)

Joel & his sister, Morgan- Right... Me & my daddy- Left

Joel & Me.... Age 3 :)

Aside from my dad's old school stache ;) This kids got some pretty good genes if I do say so myself! lol!

I also thought I'd post some belly weekly comparison pictures I've been taking and posting throughout this little journey :)

6wks, 9wks & 12wks

Easter Sunday- Our little family from across the world!

13wks2days, 14wks4days, 16wks

19 WEEKS!

I set up an event on Facebook to get our friends and family involved in the gender predictions since we live hundreds of miles away from most of them and Joel is thousands of miles away from us! 

So thanks to the social networking site it is our "virtual gender reveal party"! :)

Joel & I like to give each other a hard time... never a dull moment... and I've been saying it's a boy since I was about 13wks along and he swears it's a girl! (Mainly because he wants to be difficult and say opposite of what I say ;)) So, this has been just a little bit of a friendly competition...

And here, Ladies & Gentlemen, are the prediction tally results!

Girl- 41 vs. Boy- 38

 Next.... The BIG Reveal!!! :D


To Be Continued...

Playing Catch Up...

So it's been WAY too long since my last update, but nothing super exciting has happened except my 2nd trimester has been full of visits to my porcelain faced friend multiple times daily and hardly ever getting out of this house because driving makes me nauseous... weird, huh?

Let's see if I can remember (not something I'm good at these days, and it's getting worse) what all has happened in the last 7 weeks...

Week 13-
Got to see Baby R moving around for my follow up genetic disorders appointment since the little one wasn't cooperating the week before :) Got to video so dad could see he/she bouncing around, swallowing, blowing bubbles and sucking its thumb!

Week 14 or 15?-
I got to go visit some of our awesome cousins in St. Louis and.... bought a car! I went to look at a Jeep... cause I love Jeeps, but wound up driving home in a Volvo :) I was pretty proud of my negotiating skills if I do say so myself!

Week 16-
Had a baby check up... heartrate was 150bpm and baby was good! Me on the other hand, ended up in the ER for dehydration... again! This child is seriously sucking the life out of me and stealing ALL my water no matter how much I drink!

Week 17-
Finally got the Ethan Allen desk I bought from a friend in the baby room, just waiting to find out if its a boy or girl (and for dad to get home and paint it!) and I'll be using it as a changing table hutch and I'll post pictures :)

Week 18-
I had an AWESOME week... I felt so good and got so much stuff done UNTIL... I caught some kind of stomach bug! Of course, I have the worst immune system anyway and what ever I do have is going all towards this little monster growing inside of me so if someone sneezes down the street, I get sick! So I was out for the weekend sleeping by the toilet and enjoying (not so much) the B.R.A.T diet- Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast.  I am FINALLY feeling so much better and won't be touching toast for a WHILE!

TOMORROW is week 19 AND my gender ultrasound :):) Since we live so far away from all our friends and family I made an event on Facebook for everyone to participate in our "virtual gender reveal party" ;) I've asked everyone to post if they're on Team BLUE or Team PINK throughout the week and will be adding them up and posting the results tomorrow before the BIG reveal!
I'm hoping that Joel will be able to Skype in during the ultrasound so I won't have to wait to find out! Cause we've decided that if he can't then I'll have the tech put the results in an envelope and will open in later when he is able to Skype so we can find out together... I CANNOT WAIT! I'm SOO ready to start shopping!!!

I'm in love... Week 12

I never really understood what people meant by saying "I'm so in love with someone I haven't yet met" until now. I always thought I knew and I thought I understood but I really never felt it so I really had no idea what I was talking about.

And now I'm going to be so cliche and say, I am SO in love with this child growing inside of me it is crazy!

He/She is our little monster and the fact that its a part of me and a part of Joel and at such an early stage shows characteristics of us both is just amazing! God is such an amazing artist and creator,

I am continually amazed by his power!

Today, my friend Chelsea went with me all the way to Shawnee Mission, KS for my first trimester screening which is just a blood test and ultrasound to test certain levels and measurements to detect genetic disorders such as Downs Syndrome, Fragile X, Cystic Fibrosis, etc.

Well... this child is definitely my child and Joel's, I wouldn't expect any less than the performance (or lack there of) from today's ultrasound.

We weren't able to get any of the measurements we needed today because this baby is so comfortable and content right where he/she is and did not want to budge, for the longest time he/she lay on their tummy not moving and would kick every once in a while like, "leave me alone!"

Then, once they let me pee (FINALLY) he/she kinda moved a little.... and put its back towards us! Stubborn much? I have NO idea where he/she got that from?! ;)

So while we were waiting from he/she to move, the sonographer played around a little with the 4d... Oh My Goodness! Then it really looked like a baby and was sooooo awesome and so cute and immediately made me laugh out loud because he/she had both arms crossed over their face like I do when I want to either be left alone or am asleep, or both at the same time... hehe

So after about 30-45 minutes of watching this precious child (I could have watched all day...) and lots of pictures and no measurements that we needed, I've gotta drive all the way back next Friday for more (don't worry, I'm NOT complaining! :)) and we gotta get this babe movin and get the measurements we need!

Here are a few of the shots we got today :)

His/her initial stance of refusing to move...

Playing with 4D, Arms over face :)

Basically doing a handstand (or so the sonographer said) That sweet face and those wittle hands!

Also, my mom reminded me that I forgot to post Easter pictures! (Forgetting has become the norm of my everyday life!)

So here is Easter Sunday 2012! Mom, dad and little baby at the size of a lime/egg that week :)

And here is an updated bump watch picture... still not much there except that I look like I've been eating way too much. Please excuse the baggy eyes, it's been a long day!

How far along? 12wks
Total weight gain/loss: lost 5lbs
Maternity clothes? Gonna have to suck it up soon but I'm not really showing yet and can't stand to have anything tight or any kind of pressure on my tummy so I mostly wear yoga pants or these awesome cotton long skirts I found at Target! :)
Stretch marks? None- obsessing over my tummy butter, oil and lotion!
Sleep: Sleeping with a pillow between my legs has really helped my not being able to sleep on my stomach issues!
Best moment this week: Seeing Baby R move around in my tummy!
Miss Anything? Does Joel count?
Movement: None- that I can feel and the sonographer said that the placenta is toward the front of my uterus, closer to my skin so I may not be able to feel much movement at all :(
Food cravings: Really want an Iced Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks and some nutterbutters, but I haven't given in!
Anything making you queasy or sick: LETTUCE and brushing my teeth!
Have you started to show yet: Not really....
Gender prediction: Joel says its going to be a girl :) I think its a BOY!
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)
Looking forward to: Going back to the hospital next week for more picture time with Baby R! :))

11 Weeks

 

Finally got to hear Baby Reeves' heartbeat this morning! 

I am BEYOND satisfied with my new doctor, well midwives :)

They are amazing, so caring and I am just so excited to have been able to switch!

Hopefully this video works!

The best part was daddy got to call and listen with us!

How far along? 11wks1day
Total weight gain/loss: lost 5lbs
Maternity clothes? None... although I love the BellaBand and have been ghetto-rigging my jeans with a hair tie! Although I'm not really showing yet, I can't stand to have anything tight or any kind of pressure on my tummy!
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: Sleeping with a body pillow has really helped my not being able to sleep on my stomach issues!
Best moment this week: Joel got to call and hear the heartbeat this morning! :) <3
Miss Anything? Does Joel count?
Movement: None- but they were definitely moving around a lot during the heartbeat doppler, they were hard to find and keep in one place! lol
Food cravings: Eh, nothing really
Anything making you queasy or sick: depends, I have been super picky about what I eat...
Have you started to show yet: Nope
Gender prediction: Joel says its going to be a girl :)
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy :)
Looking forward to: Going to Columbia soon to have Genetic Disorders testing and see Baby R again :))

It's been a while... 10 weeks!

Wow it's been a while!
A few interesting/exciting things have happened in the past 4 weeks... let's see,
First, I was so sick! Couldn't keep anything down for 3 days straight and was incredibly weak, but I tried to get out and walk around Sam's with my mom and was dizzy and nauseous... which has kinda become the norm... but when we left and I sat down in my car and started driving, I knew something wasn't right so I called my mom and had her pull over (I was following her) and take me to the ER, I was shaking, having a panic attack, hyperventilating, my face was going numb, my entire torso was cramping, it was crazy! Once I got to the ER, they checked my blood pressure and it was 159/90... way too high for hardly doing anything so they did lots of tests and ultrasounds to see what was going on and make sure the baby was ok! Well... baby was just fine, growing right on time and had a strong healthy heartbeat, as for me... I had the stomach virus that was going around so they doped me up with some amazing nausea medicine, told me to eat super bland for 48 hrs and sent me on my way! The exciting part of all that was I finally got to see the baby!! Not really the situation I had in mind to see em but, it definitely put me at ease knowing that they're actually there, strong and healthy and not effected by my nasty virus!

Baby Reeves @ 8wks4days

I'm still not really showing, just look like I've eaten one too many cheeseburgers and ice cream! ;)

9 weeks

Mom and I went to Canton last weekend and man is it so hard to just look when you don't know if it's a boy or girl! And I swear, there are literally 10 other girls I know from highschool or college that are pregnant and we're all due around the same time!!

I'm super excited about the Jenny Lind crib I found on Craigslist for $40!! It is so nice and in GREAT condition, I feel like we basically stole it from this sweet lady, but I cannot wait to find out if we're going to paint it pink or blue!!

How far along? 10 weeks today :)
Total weight gain/loss: None
Maternity clothes? None... although I love the BellaBand! Although I'm not really showing yet, I can't stand to have anything tight or any kind of pressure on my tummy!
Stretch marks? None
Sleep: Tossing and turning cause I now find it irritating to sleep on my stomach which is usually the only way I sleep! Fighting cramping and peeing at LEAST 10x a night
Best moment this week: Seeing sweet baby Reeves and getting his/her crib!!
Miss Anything? Does Joel count?
Movement: None
Food cravings: Water, Mac-n-Cheese and Chick Fil A :)
Anything making you queasy or sick: the thought of meat or lettuce, period.
Have you started to show yet: Nope
Gender prediction: Joel says its going to be a girl :)
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody most of the time, but I think that is because I'm ready to go back to my house in Missouri with my dogs and my bed!
Looking forward to: Switching to the midwives in town and hearing Baby Reeves heartbeat the 13th!!