Way Back When-esday!

Lots of posts today...so keep scrolling down after this one for Way Back When-esday!

Year: 2005
Age: 3 months old
*She just started sitting in the exersaucer...being a little "heftier" than the average baby helped her out. :-)

Year: 2006
Age: 1 year; 3 months
*She was so fun feeding finger foods. Some of her favorites were chicken nuggets, french toast sticks, green beans, and carrots.


Year: 2007
Age: 2 years; 3 months
*For Memorial Day, we had some friends from church/Teens Encounter Christ come over for a cookout. The kids, though not VERY familar with one another, had a great time. Not too much success in a group picture, though. :-) (From left to right: Beca, Sylva, Taylor Anne and Anderson, and Brooklyn)


Year: 2008
Age: 3 years; 3 months
*She and Allie love "dressing up," even if it's just in PJ's.

Week 17- What is Bitty Baby doing in there?

Here are my preggo stats for Week 17:
*We received a letter last weekend stating that my AFP results came back normal, so that rules out a high chance of spina-bifida.
*If I haven't gained weight this week, then something's wrong with me. I have been eating like a horse!
*Food cravings: ANYTHING! But...
*Food aversions: Mexican, wintergreen mints (and the smell), and Japanese
*Fetal movement: Very faint and sporadic...but I will usually feel something about 1-2 times a day.
*Brooklyn's observations/comments: The baby will sleep in HER room in HER bed- close to the bed rail because she wants to sleep near the wall. She has a VERY cute way of hugging and kissing just the baby- NOT Mommy, she says. :-) She goes back and forth whether she wants a baby sister or brother. (One more week to wait!)

What the net says:
How your baby's growing: Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

It's not a great picture...I think I will have to enlist Chad's help from now on, but here's the baby bump:

Life, Death, and all that comes in between...and by the way, we are on Week 17.

Not 24 hours after the little life was once again confirmed living in my body, did we lose the life of another. On Wednesday, May 20, my grandfather passed away due to respiratory failure/asphyxiation in the brain. Basically, his heart stopped beating, he stopped breathing, and his brain did not have enough activity left to sustain life. He was on support for three days, but on Wednesday with almost 10o% of his family present at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital, plus members of our "adopted family," he was taken off life support and passed away.

What a week this has been. The past 7 days have been nothing short of hopeless, yet also inspirational...devestating, yet uplifting...unbelievable, yet a reality check. Wednesday night, my cousin, Jessica, and I went down to eat a late dinner at the hospital and found ourselves looking for God's grace and mercy in all that was happening one floor above us.

We found the following:

1. My brother and his girlfriend came up for an inpromtu visit Mother's Day weekend from Florida. That Sunday, the 10th, we had all my grandparents over for brunch, where Eric and my grandfather spoke at length about any and everything. Had Eric come a different weekend, who knows if we would have gotten together with my grandparents, but Eric had one last visit with Grandpa.

2. On May 12th, for my grandparents' 53rd wedding anniversary, my grandmother's brother and his wife surprised them by driving down to visit. They had not seen each other in YEARS, so this visit was so exciting. They left Sunday evening, May 17th, around 8pm. My grandfather was admitted to the hospital just a few hours later.

3. My cousin, Alex, graduated from high school two Fridays ago. Because he was at Early College, his graduation was much earlier than a normal high school graduation. We had his party on Sunday afternoon, May 17th, where my family gathered at High Point City Lake Park. My grandfather was there in all his glory surrounded by his (rather large) family. That was the last time most of us saw him conscious. Had Alex been at a "regular" high school, we would not have had this special reason to gather May 17th. Again, my grandfather was admitted to the hospital that night.

4. My grandfather suffered from Parkinson's Disease for almost 15 years. There could have been many paths that God could have taken him on in his final years, months, etc. But God showed mercy on this man and allowed his death to be quick and somewhat comfortable. In one week to have attended a picnic, visited with out of town relatives, and watched your favorite programs on TV to have then breathed your last surrounded by your loving wife and five children. His life was full until the last day, and now his next life is filled with health, happiness, and the promise of everlasting life.

So many things to be thankful for, yet so much to mourn. I thank God for 29 years with four grandparents, especially for 29 years with a man that taught us all how to laugh, love, live, and "close a good deal."

Week 16- AFP Test and More Fun

Thank the Lord! We are at Week 16...which means doctor's visit (and thus anxiety reducer). I had blood work done today to test for spina-bifida and other diseases. Fun. Then, I met with the doctor.
The stats:
Baby's heartbeat- 152
My blood pressure- 122/70
Weight gain- 6 pounds since pre-pregnancy (though no weight gain this month, right on target with our "plan"...I mean, who am I kidding? I'm Ok in the weight department.)
Complaints- lower back pain and headaches
Solutions- exercise pamphlet with lower back pain exercises and take Zyrtek again for allergies = relieves sinus pressure/headaches

What Babycenter.com adds:
How your baby's growing: Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Week 15....where did it go?

As looooong as Week 14 was, Week 15 went by quick. I cannot believe it's Friday already, though unfortunately, my weekend will be spent working between Archdale and Eden.

Brooklyn news:
-Growing up tooooo fast
-Enjoyed watching her daddy play two softball games this week (which also equals too later bedtimes)
-Doing well at school (learned to be an author this week)
-Finally asked the question "How will be the baby come out?" (er, well, we'll get to that another week)

Baby news:
-I thought I felt the baby move once or twice this week....maybe....I think.....
-Growing by the day, but can still wear some regular pants if I wear them real low with no belt. Shirts are another story.
-Cannot wait until my doctor's visit on Tuesday so I can hear the heartbeat and put my anxiety to rest (at least for a few days)
-Had a dream the baby was a girl....but that doesn't really hold any weight with me :-)

BabyCenter news:
How your baby's growing: Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds.

Girls' Nights (a Way Back When-esday tribute)

I have the benefit of having my 5 wonderful college girlfriends live fairly close to me (and the benefit of having a wonderful husband who doesn't mind our almost weekly dinners out). Some times it's just 3 of us, sometimes 4 or 5, but last night, all 6 of us were together...well, 8 if you count Baby Ansley in McKenzie's belly and Bitty Baby Johnson. I could dedicate a post to each of them (and may do that one day), but their beautiful faces will show you just a glimpse of why I love each and every one of them. None of these pictures were from last night, but since it is Way Back When-esday, here are some pics of me, Marisa, Loryn, Heidi, Jennifer, and McKenzie from the last few years.

(One of McKenzie's birthday celebrations....maybe 2007)


(Marisa's rehearsal dinner....2006 or 2007)

(Christmas Party 2008)

(Pool Party at Jennifer's parents' house 2006)

*IT'S A THREE POST WEDNESDAY SO KEEP SCROLLING DOWN!

Week 14- We're slowly moving along...

It seems like Week 14 has been draaaaagging by. I have had some stomach pains (may or may not be Chick-Fil-A related from Monday) and some light cramping/stretching. So, I take back what I said last week about "not feeling pregnant." I am feeling it now. :-) Pants are uncomfortable and sometimes I can get away with the "rubber band through the button hole" trick, but other days we just go elastic. In fact, last night Brooklyn noticed my rubber band and had to go to dinner with her pants fixed the same way. :-) I tried Mexican in honor of Cinco de Mayo yesterday.....not a good plan. That may also have contibuted to the stomach pains. I'm sleeping pretty well, but still getting up 1-2 times to use the restroom. I'm fine with that, though....I actually appreciate my body adjusting to waking up in the middle of the night so I don't have to go cold turkey in 26 weeks. :-) No cravings this week......and I don't have another doctor's visit for two weeks, so I am weighing myself with the Wii Fit.....they say +0.2 pounds last week. Not bad. My goal for this pregnancy is 20 pounds. I am hoping that I will have time to work out regularly soon, but with a crazy schedule last week and this week, I only made it on "Ellie" once.

Here's what the web says:
This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

Way Back When-esday!

These pics of Brooklyn for Way Back When-esday made me laugh!

Year: 2005
Age: Almost three months
*I was soooo excited when she could finally wear her "Future Girl Scout" tshirt!

Year: 2006
Age: Almost 15 months
*OK, this is kind of cheating since it was the same event as last week's WBW for 2006, but I just loved this picture with my mom and Brooklyn grinning at each other.

Year: 2007
Age: Almost 2 years, 3 months
*This was taken at B's school during their "Mother's Day Tea" where they all wore funny hats. The one B picked out makes her look like Vanessa from The Cosby Show.

Year: 2008
Age: Almost 3 years, 3 months
*She thought she was big stuff wearing Daddy's ball cap.