He's growing fast.

Yesterday afternoon I decided to remeasure my ever-expanding waistline. I am up to 42 1/2 inches!!! That is two and a half inches bigger in the last month. I can't imaging what it is going to be in 8 weeks!

My Big Boy

Check out the foot by the forehead in the last two pictures! What a strange place for a foot.

My blooming garden

I am sending pix of my beautiful garden because I can't get the camera to cooperate with me right now for the baby pix. Look for new baby pix soon.

Big Kick!

Apparently, Alex does NOT like sonograms. When the nurse tried to listen to his heartbeat today, he kicked the wand-thing with all his might! It was so funny. He did it twice! The first one hit right on the wand, the second just beside it.

Well, as I supposed. . . I gained too much weight this month. I put on 8.2 pounds in four weeks!! That is twice what I am supposed to. I am now going on a pregnancy "diet" to limit the extra junk food I have been eating and replace it with healthier options. Please help me avoid the goodies if you see me. And yes, this is prescribed by the doctor. (Although she wasn't going to say anything except that I brought it up--so it isn't too terrible.) She (regular OB) also wants me to start going every two weeks now. At least her main office is moving closer to I35 on Slaughter and Brodie. It will save a little time and gas. Three more months!!!!

Robeez

For those of you who have not heard of Robeez before, they are highly rated soft shoes for infants. Apparently, for kids who just start walking, barefoot is best, but these shoes are made of soft leather kind of like slippers to help them grip the floor. Some mommies from my church told me how to get a free pair by signing up at USA Baby. I got a pair for 6-12 mos with a soccer ball on the front. The others had aliens, lions or other weird things that I thought looked tacky. Anyway I got my pair yesterday and was very excited that I found a diaper bag there too. Very exciting.

Update on belly size

Last week, I measured my waist at school. It was 40 inches!!! Dang! (As you can see, my butt has been trying to keep up.) Now my belly is even bigger and moves. I can sit and watch as he kicks and squirms inside me. Kinda weird, but really cool. I already love him and he isn't even going to show for about 3-4 months.

Keep on growing, keep on growing

Alex is now about 2 1/2 times bigger than Emily. The ultrasound girl guessed 1 pound 9 ounces. Patrick asked how big he might be at delivery and she said he might be around 8-8 1/2 pounds if he makes it to 40 weeks. It is hard for me to imagine him bigger than Emily, though I can feel the difference. He is strong, and apparently is getting a bit squished now.

I will enter my third trimester in two more weeks! Breathe a sigh of relief.

He's Grown!

New picture and update

This photo was taken last weekend, so it is not perfectly acurate. I think he has stretched me out some more since then.

This past weekend Patrick and I worked on the yard. I had so much fun. Patrick did most of the work, though. I really wanted to shovel, uproot trees, and everything, but knew better. I let him do that. He removed the two dead trees from the front yard and filled in the holes. We also went back to the Natural Gardener and bought more soil and two trees. Patrick shoveled the dirt while I fit the bags around the bottomless bucket and tied them up. We now have the garden all filled and I planted peas, lettuce, spinach and carrots. I can't wait until they germinate! Fresh veggies! And it has only taken a year to get it going.

Food

Recently, my appetite has gone into overdrive. I want to eat everything I see. I even ate a shrimp yesterday at my mother-in-law's house! Today I wanted a candy bar, a McDonald's sausage biscuit with grape jelly and a Chick-Fil-A sandwich with extra pickles. I got a bite size Baby Ruth instead. Ice cream sounds yummy. Peach cobbler sounds yummy. I want to eat it all, but my tummy is not holding what it used to. I feel extremely full after one large glass of milk-without even eating anything! That means I am eating all day long--which means I am thinking about food all day long. I am afraid that my my will grow bigger than my belly if I indulge myself of my whims.

Sunday at church, everyone noticed that I was pregnant. People who I thought already figured it out all of a sudden start asking me about it. It was weird. I know how big my belly is now, but I forget every once in a while and get surprised when I look down. I wonder if my weight gain is going there instead of my hips-that would be okay with me.

I am going to the doctor (the regular one) this Friday and then to the specialist on the 13th. I can't wait to see the new pictures! He will be close to 24 weeks by then and so much bigger. I can feel him everyday now and he is getting strong. He must like to stand up because I always feel him kicking towards my bladder. I wonder if it is a game for him. You know, he may take after his father in that regard, always making jokes.

I imagine him in my arms and want to sing a song of praise every day. God has heard my prayers and is faithfully carrying them out.

My second cousin

My cousin, Christy just had her little boy, Zakaria a couple of days ago and I just had to share with all. He is absolutely beautiful. (With them as parents, you couldn't get ugly if you tried.) :)

Prayer

Patrick had to call me from work to take him to the doctor this morning. His vision doubled and he was dizzy. The doctor thinks that it could possibly be a result of some of his medications or even (lets pray for not) a brain tumor. I am taking him to get an MRI tomorrow to rule out this worst case scenario. Please keep him in your prayers. He has a follow-up visit next Tuesday. Hopefully things will miraculously get better by then with no further medical aide.

Jump the Gun

Well, I did it. I couldn't wait any longer. I started my registries. Babys R Us and Target. BRU is the only one with items listed because that is all I know Patrick agreed with. I will wait to add items to the Target registry until I can get Patrick to come along with me.

For all who wonder. . . I don't mind second-hand baby stuff. I am planning to buy a lot of stuff from Craigslist and garage sales myself. The stroller and Pack'N'Play are the only things I want to be new. Other than that, Have fun shopping for bargains!

I am getting the nursery in order as well. Last night I went into the nursery and decided to arrange all the clothes and nicknacks to make it look like a room. Patrick suggested that I use the turtle lamp as a night light. It is so cute! (Thanks John.) It will give just enough light for me to feed/cuddle without waking him up.

The dresser is on its way as well. It was listed as being on backorder and wouldn't be in until March. Lucky me. I love putting stuff together-especially Alex's furniture. I will send pictures when the room gets more ready. I figured that just in case he wants to show himself a little early, I can have most everything ready.

Hump Week

I am half-way though! Twenty more weeks to go. My son (wow, it is awesome saying that) is moving and kicking now, especially when music is on. He loves the worship songs at church.

In another week, he will be the same size Emily was when she was born. I love knowing what he looks like.

My belly seems to get bigger every day and my stomach seems to be smaller. I cant eat as much as I used to in one sitting. Lately all I think about is cottage cheese. I bought a 48 oz. tub just two days ago and it is almost gone. I did some research and found out that 75% of pregnant women crave dairy during their pregnancy so I guess I am not unique. I just hope that it doesn't lead to gaining too much weight. You know, dairy is quite fattening.

June is going to come up on me quickly, but for now it seems quite a ways off. It gives me plenty of planning time.

Look at my Crib!

Patrick and I just put this together last night. It was a lot of fun. I love putting things together and kinda took over a bit. The dresser won't be in until March, so this is it for a while. We are thinking about leaving the crib on the wall as you see it in the first picture. Our bedroom shares that wall and we can see him from the door. Are we getting nervous yet?

New Photos

Consignment terrors!

Have you heard of this? What a terrible law. In February, no baby clothes or toys will be able to be sold unless the company privately tests its inventory for lead. Apparently, not many can afford that.

Read this article to find out more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story

Painting!

Well I am back in my classroom now. A small class made it quite easy to come back.

I love knowing I am free to be a regular pregnant lady and not have to worry all the time about something happening. God has assured me that He is taking care of everything and I need not worry. I hope that all of you can join me in that reassurance and peace.

On Sunday, Patrick and I began painting the nursery again. We did all four walls and the ceiling! I need to go back and touch up a few areas, of course, but it is looking cute. Green on the bottom 1/4 like grass and the rest is sky blue. Two clouds are already up. In order to keep the room ventilated enough we opened the window and had a fan blowing out the fumes. (In case you forgot, it was very cold that day.) We ended up warming it a bit by having another fan blowing the indoor heat into the room from the hallway. I did not have any warm clothes to paint in so the warmth was appreciated.

Yesterday as I was getting out of bed I noticed I was a bit stiff. Apparently painting is a good workout. I am sore today as well. When the soreness goes away I will tackle the room again for the touch-ups. I can't wait until it is finished so I can post a picture for you all to see!

Nursery News

My grandmother gave each great-grandchild's parents a special gift of money in order to help with furniture and whatnot. Patrick and I have been shopping around and found a crib we both love and a dresser that can double as a changing table. I am very excited and can't wait until we buy it and can set it up in the room.

We went ahead and bought the paint for the nursery and painted almost all day long. I am almost finished and then Patrick will be able to add some of his artistic flares in the way of trees, grass and bugs. When it is all finished, we can then buy the furniture and start setting up the nursery.

I am also beginning to research and make a mental list of all the goodies for my registry list. I am going to try to make it so that there are not duplicate items and I have only what I need. Hopefully, I will have a nice list that is easy to use. Note, I will not register for clothes since that is something I think everyone can find on their own perhaps at a nice resale shop where I cannot register.

June is coming so slowly. Maybe that is a good thing.

Happenings over Christmas break

I found out Christmas eve that my other sister-in-law, Christine, is going to have a baby in late August! And John and Charissa are having twin Girls!!! Three little princesses for my brother and sister. There must be something in the water here. My cousin is due in two more weeks and will hopefully send lots of pictures from Lebanon. The family is growing quickly.

I have begun to feel Alex moving about and it is very encouraging. He is about 5 1/2 inches long now from head to rump and his arms and legs are getting quite strong.

Candy (my cat) ran away again three days ago. That little terd cat. I have resorted to hugging my blanket at night since she isn't there. I wonder if she knew we were going to find her a new home and went searching herself. Please pray that she is safe. We are worried that without her claws for protection, she is a lame duck for all the dogs around here.

I went shopping for clothes! I went to Motherhood to use the gift card Chrissa and John got me for Christmas. I ended up buying two pairs of pants, a sweater and some unmentionables. Proud of me! As most people know, I don't shop for myself often--especially pants. Now I can return to work on Monday with clothes that fit. I apparently popped out a bit over the break. None of my old pants fit anymore. (of course it has nothing to do with the goodies I chowed down the last couple weeks)

Last Saturday, Patrick and I went to visit his Papa in Fredricksburg. He owns a ranch with lots of horses and chickens. I was very excited to pet them all. One horse in particular won my heart. She loved me too. She followed me around and was very quick to come over to me. You can't tell by the pictures, but she had the most beautiful light blue eyes. I felt as if she could speak to me just by looking at me. I only got to spend a little time with her since it was getting cold and we had dinner reservations that we had to get to. We ended up having a wonderful time. After dinner we went back to the ranch and Papa made a fire in an old stove out on the porch. A great time was had by all.