June 30, 2009- 22, 11, and 6

What a week for numbers! First, for those of you who are itching for a baby update, I had my 22 week appointment yesterday. It was one of the "quickie" ones with nothing too exciting, but everything looked great nonetheless. Here are the stats.
Bitty Brother:
Heartbeat- 145
Measuring- 21 weeks (that's fine)
Mom:
BP- 120/70
Weight- +13 pounds (Doctor was happy; I'm thinking I need to lay off the cheeseburgers and french fries for a few weeks.)
Babycenter:
How your baby's growing: At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Now, for the 11 and 6 part of the blog post....
I can honestly say that I never thought that today, June 30, 2009, would come. It's been on our calendars at work on and off for three years now and always just seemed "so far away." Many of you know that my company, the Girl Scouts Tarheel Triad Council, is going through a realignment this summer/fall. On October 1, we will become Girl Scouts Peaks to Piedmont and merge 4 councils in western NC. Because of this huge merger and the "over abundance" of staff, the national company offered an "voluntary early retirement incentive package" (VERIP) to staff members serving 10+ years. About 15-18 staff members qualified for the VERIP- 11 are choosing to take the option and are leaving the council. They must sign that they will never work for Girl Scouts again- anywhere- to eliminate anyone trying to "double dip" later on. These 11 staff members are pretty much the heart and soul of the council. They have literally hundreds of years of experience and committment among them. [EDIT: We counted...its 225 years of employment with the Girl Scouts, not counting volunteer years they may have had prior.] Not to mention, they hold very vital positions in the current council. The CEO, the COO, the Director of HR, the Director of Membership, the Director of Adult Development, the Director of Admin....just to name a few. As you can see, lots of DIRECTORS and important people. They have a huge dedication to the council but were offered an opportunity that many of them just couldn't (and shouldn't) pass up. It's bittersweet for many of them (some taking retirement probably several years earlier than they ever imagined that they would) and unbelievably sad for those of us left behind. I have several dear friends taking the option and leaving. They have been such a huge part of my life- and my family's life- for years (definitely the 6 years I have worked for the Girl Scouts, but some for a while longer). Unfortunately, we are saying goodbye to 6 staff members today. (June 30 is the last day of the VERIP "window" so this is officially their last day of work.) FORTUNATELY, we have 5 staff members staying on in their positions through September 30th (or until they find other employment) so we can transition to a new council without a "skeleton" crew. So, I am fortunate that today's goodbyes will be not to EVERYone, but in some ways, this just prolongs the inevitable, and I have a feeling I will be wearing waterproof mascara for the rest of the summer. So, to the 6 who are leaving today- Mike, Sherrill, Gayle, Kim, Kathy, and Elaine- God Bless, good luck, and you will be missed! To the rest of you, SEE YOU TOMORROW AT WORK!

Week 21 update: Over the hump and growing a big one!

Week 21 is going well for us. Chad has been working hard on the upstairs of the house, painting the rooms that we never got around to painting when we moved in September. As soon as painting is done, then we can start getting the JUNK moved around all the rooms so that we can get the nursery set up. Luckily the nursery was already a pale yellow- good enough for me- and we just have to get the computer out of there and set up in the bonus room. So, lots of nesting going around the Johnson house! The baby has been very active....almost enough so that Chad can feel him. We were so close last night, but as soon as Chad came over to feel, he stopped moving- typical. :-) Brooklyn is doing well. She is staying busy at school and has two birthday parties this week for friends in her class. She continues to stay excited about the baby and is actually pretty patient with the whole "waiting thing." I think she realizes that in 19 weeks, her life is about to CHANGE, so she is enjoying being an only child for as long as she can.

Here's what Babycenter.com says is going on with our Little Man...
How your baby's growing:Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

Ultrasound Pictures....finally!

Thanks to my wonderful friend, Debbie, and her scanner, I now have pictures from our three ultrasounds of Baby Brother Johnson. Here he is!

1st Ultrasound (9 weeks):
*This is a full body shot (head is to the right, arms to the sides). He was less than an inch long.


2nd Ultrasound (12 weeks):
*He's looking straight at you in this one. It's a face shot. He was about 4 inches long here.


*This is a 4D shot of the whole body. He's sitting up looking to the left.


*This is a profile shot of the head. He is looking to the right. Very fuzzy.


*This is one where he is laying on his back with a leg extended (far right).


3rd Ultrasound (18 weeks):

*As mentioned in a previous post, this was the BIG ultrasound. He was declared a HE, weighed 9 ounces, and was about 5 inches long. This is a 4D shot with him facing forward.

*This is a profile shot of the head and upper torso.

*This is a 4D shot of the head and face (looking right).

*This is a shot of his cute little feet.

*This is another 4D shot of the upper half of the body (arms included and fists in a ball).

*And the money shot....it's a BOY!

Keep scrolling down for this week's Way Back When-esday post!

Way Back When-esday!

I just love Way Back When-esdays! What a trip down memory lane!

Year: June 2005
Age: 4 months old
*Brooklyn started sitting unassisted for a few seconds (when propped up like a monkey) this week. Year: June 2006
Age: 1 year, 4 months
*This was Brooklyn and Chad at Allie's birthday party at the Skating Rink. Though she couldn't skate, Brooklyn had a great time eating the snacks.

Year: June 2007
Age: 2 years, 4 months
*She got a hold of Chad's glasses and decided to try them on. Too precious!

Year: June 2007
Age: 3 years, 4 months
*This was Brooklyn's first visit to New York City (and Central Park).

Staying Cool...

On Saturday, Chad, my Dad, and my "cousin" Sean played in a charity golf tournament- in 95 degree heat. We (me, Brooklyn, my mom, my grandmother, and my Aunt Patty) decided to do everything in our power to stay INSIDE on this sweltering day. We took a road trip to Winston Salem in the mini van and visited Sci-Works and then Hanes Mall. It was a fun day!

Brooklyn on the Sci-Works tree slide.
"Whooooo" is that cute girl?

Trying on African costumes.

Playing with the bouncy ball machine.

And then at the mall...trying on some unusual sunglasses....she kinda looks like a rapper!

It was a fun day- very cool in the AC! Sorry guys! :-)

Random Updates

1. Feeling the baby move so much more now! I cannot wait when Brooklyn (and of course, Chad) can start to feel him, too.

2. The baby now goes by several nicknames by various people including Verrazano, CJ, Bitty Brother, Little Man...if you need an explanation, let me know. :-) His real name will probably not be decided on until oh, about Week 39.5.

3. Had a great Girls' Night last night at the Olive Garden with my girlfriends....including questionable Breyer's ice cream posing as gelato, three flies (all killed by us and a waiter), stuffing myself silly with black olives, and baby belly comparisons.

4. Brooklyn had a little stomach bug yesterday morning that resulted in staying home from school and not eating anything "heavy." By 2pm, she was riding her bike around the house and asking for Doritos. She went to school today.

5. Prayers are going out to the Boone and Depp families (friends from church) this week....Mary Ann's sweet mother passed away Sunday night, and we are just thinking about them (and a safe travel for Jenny back home).

The halfway point....seriously? (Weeks 19 and 20)

Week 19 kinda slipped me by. Work was a bit busy (we are "spring cleaning" among our other many jobs), and we are slowly getting the house ready for our wee one to come in TWENTY weeks. Yikes! I really need to get all my ultrasound pics loaded on the computer to post...maybe later this week if I can convince someone at work to show me how to use the scanner. :-)

I'm feeling great...lots if energy. (Last week, I went through all of our baby clothes 0-2T to see if our little man could wear anything. The rest is going to McKenzie's baby, Ansley.) I've been eating like a horse (see pic below), so I am a bit worried about my weight when I go to my next doctor's visit on June 29th. :-)

Here's what Babycenter says happened last week (Week 19) and what is happening this week (Week 20):

Week 19:
How your baby's growing: Your baby's sensory development is exploding! His brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that he may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to him, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on his skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Week 20:
How your baby's growing: Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.) He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

And just so sweet Brooklyn was not left out...here is a picture of her and her god-sister, Allie. We ate dinner at PF Chang's with the Henzlers on Thursday night (Lettuce wraps- yum!) and then spent the day at the pool with them for Allie's (early) birthday on Saturday. I cannot believe I did not take any pictures at the pool, but for once, Brooklyn was all about being in the water so no time for lounging around taking pics. I was on guard watching her.

I hope everyone has a great week! Hopefully I can get everything together so I can participate in this week's Way Back When-esday. I love looking through the old pics every week. It makes me even more curious as to what our Bitty Brother will look like when he comes out!

Week 18- The Big Reveal

Yesterday was my 18 week doctor's visit and full screen ultrasound. Here are the results (in addition to the obvious fact that yes, we are having a BOY!):

Mom's Stats:

Weight- +9 pounds (right on track...yay!)

Blood Pressure- 120/70

Starting to feel the baby movements stronger and more frequently now

No major complaints- yay!

Bitty BOY's Stats:

Weight- 9 ounces

Length- 11.2 cm (almost 5 inches long)

Heartbeat- 153

Healthy as far as we can see....and has all his parts where they are supposed to be!

Babycenter.com Stats:

How your baby's growing: Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound. NOT OUR BOY- HA HA!

Thanks for all the prayers and well-wishes. What an adventure that we are about to embark on!

Way Back When-esday!

Way Back When-esday time! (and trying to keep busy all day since at 3:30 this afternoon we have our BIG ultrasound!)

Year: 2005
Age: 3 1/2 months
*Such a happy baby...she loved laying on her activity mat.


Year: 2006
Age: 15 1/2 months
*Bald, but beautiful, with that cheeky smile


Year: 2007
Age: 2 years, 3 1/2 months
*Just enough hair for a teeny "pebbles" hairdo


Year: 2008
Age: 3 years, 3 1/2 months
*And all of a sudden the hair came in...getting ready for Brooklyn's first trip to New York!