30 Weeks!

This baby is 3/4 of the way cooked! I am so ready to move from pregnancy to baby! :-)

Here's what's going on this week...

How your baby's growing: Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face.

*I am now to two week doctor visits, so this is the "off week." My next appointment is next Friday, and I hope to 1. Set a c-section date with the hospital and 2. Have a quickie ultrasound to make sure Little Johnson still has a "little johnson." :-)

*I'm feeling pretty good....fat, but good. Shaving legs, tying shoes, and pulling on pants are becoming increasingly harder to do. Eating is something I can do well. :-)

Way Back When-esday!

It feels like forever since I've been around on a Wednesday....so without further ado, here is today's edition of Way Back When-esday!

Year: 2005

Age: 6 months

*Such a chunky monkey that girl was at this age! But such a happy baby!

Year: 2006

Age: 18 months

*She already looks so much older here...and the beginnings of her peach fuzz hair is coming in!

Year: 2007

Age: 2 1/2 years

*She and Kate are still best friends...this was taken at a Panera breakfast one Sunday morning...the girls were so goofy!

Year: 2008

Age: 3 1/2 years

*This was taken right before her Uncle Drew's graduation party. I couldn't believe how much hair she had THEN!

From the mouth of the babe...

Just for fun, tonight I came home and asked Brooklyn the same questions. I did pretty good with my answers, matching some to hers, but some of her responses were quite surprising. :-)

Food- french fries
Song- Mamma Mia
TV Show- Jon and Kate Plus 8
Movie- Cinderella
Friends- Kate
Saying- Mamma Mia
Animal- Penguin
Restaurant- Chili's
Story- Curious George Makes Pancakes
Halloween costume- Ballerina
Candy- Starburst
Drink- Milk
Outfit- Pajamas; Clothes
Playground equipment- Swings
Game- Poker
Colors- Pink and Purple
Shoes- Pink new flip flops
Ways to annoy mommy and daddy- Being mean
Bath time activity- "Pour water on my head"
Breakfast food- Cereal; Cheerios
Special treat- Jelly Beans

Happy 4 1/2 Birthday, Brooklyn!

In honor of Brooklyn's "half birthday" yesterday, we made jello and ate "half cupcakes." I also wanted to take a look at some of her current favorites, so I can always remember my firstborn at this age. She is such a sweet girl...though she can have her moments with mom and dad. She is still pretty shy around people...she doesn't like to be the center of attention. However, if you do NOT pay attention, she tries really hard to get your attention subtly. :-)

Favorites:
Food- Mac and cheese; salad with ranch dressing; rice
Song- Mamma Mia
TV Show- Jon and Kate Plus 8
Movie- Not much of a movie watcher, but she enjoyed Happy Feet the other night
Friends- All her Shout sisters and all the girls in her class at school
Saying- This kid quotes from the Jon and Kate shows...from all the seasons...it's pretty ridiculous.
Animal- Penguin
Restaurant- Golden Corral (or otherwise known as the "place where you pick out your own food")
Story- Curious George and "finding thing" books
Halloween costume- This week she says a ballerina
Candy- Jelly beans and Starburst
Drink- Chocolate Milk; Sweet Tea
Outfit- Dresses
Playground equipment- Swings
Game- Hide and Seek (with people or objects)
Colors- Varies
Shoes- Flip Flops
Ways to annoy mommy and daddy- Complete defiance
Bath time activity- Pouring water; Playing with "bathtub Dora"
Breakfast food- Any kind of cereal in a sandwich baggie
Special treat- Candy when she sleeps all night in her bed

And here's a pic of my sweet, "shy" 4 1/2 year old:

Thursday and Friday = Sea World

Thursday morning/afternoon and Friday evening were spent at Sea World. What a fun and educational place that is! And what a difference going after 4pm makes! Friday was sooooo enjoyable...slightly overcast and threatened to rain, but didn't. And the temps were about 20 degrees cooler, so that was an awesome plus. Brooklyn and I throughly enjoyed seeing all the animals and Chad, Eric, and Caroline LOVED the new roller coaster, Manta, where you fly "superman style" underneath the coaster tracks.

Brooklyn's favorite spot: The Penguin Habitat. We saw 200 penguins just "chillin" in their habitat. They were so cute (and their building was soooo cool!). :-)

Brooklyn and Bryce were so cute in their Thing 1 and Thing 2 t-shirts.

We found another carousel- yippee! Brooklyn and Nanny having a fun ride.

We tried to convince Brooklyn that the "teacup seashell" ride was also a lot of fun. Despite Chad and Eric's demonstration, she was not convinced it was the ride for her. However, it was great fun for us to see two grown men crammed together in one small seashell.

The Shamu show was awesome! Those killer whales truly are incredible!

We also saw puffins (so cute!), dolphins (Bryce got to feed and pet them!), sea lions (we fed them small fish), manatees (eh, kinda boring), sting rays (petting pool, but Brooklyn and I were not interested in touching anything), walruses (HUGE and kinda weird looking up close), beluga whales (so cute!), polar bears (well, one's butt), sharks (of all shapes and sizes swimming above our heads), hundreds of fish (in several different tanks), manta-rays (very neat to see "smiling" above our heads), etc.etc.etc. It was an awesome place to visit!

Saturday, we spent some final hours with Eric and Caroline back at the house. We packed up our stuff, said our tearful goodbyes, and started driving north. We made it to Savannah where we stayed in a hotel for the night. (Chad looked for Paula Deen!) Then, Sunday, we slept in, ate our continental breakfast, and drove the rest of the way home. What a wonderful vacation as a family! We loved being with Eric and Caroline in their last days in Florida and cannot wait to start planning a family vacation out to Los Angeles!

Wednesday = Johnson Pool/Outlet Shopping Day

As mentioned in the previous post, because I kind of "overdid" it on Tuesday, Chad, Brooklyn, and I decided to hang back at the house on Wednesday and take it easy. Everyone else went back to Universal Studios with Eric and Caroline (since they didn't make it Monday), and we decided to pool it at the house. Unfortunately, the pool man decided to come and put chemicals in that morning so our pool was off-limits. FORTUNATELY, we decided to try out the clubhouse pool that day, and boy, are we glad that we did! Brooklyn LOVED this pool. It was 3-6 feet with a gradual entrance (like a beach). She did so well swimming with her vest and noodle and a few times with nothing at all! What a great job she is doing in the water!

Vacation Recap Continued....Tuesday = Islands of Adventure

Tuesday the 11th was spent at Islands of Adventure Theme Park (adjacent to Universal Studios). Brooklyn LOVED the "Dr. Seuss Section" of the park, so we pretty much stayed there for the most part, minus a dinner trip to the "Marvel Comic Section" of the park. We spent much of the day riding rides (well, really just riding the carousel) and staying cool ducking in and out of stores and restaurants.

Brooklyn loved this mini door where kids could enter this shop:

I was so proud of her for riding this train ride with Nanny...

LOVING the carousel...

So cute in the Dr. Seuss bookstore...

Spending from about 10am until about 7pm at the theme park was pushing it a bit for me, so Chad and I decided that Wednesday would be a Johnson Family Pool and Outlet Shopping Day. :-)

Doctor's Appointment- 29 weeks, 6 days

This update is mostly for the grandparents...

My Stats:
Blood Pressure- 120/70
Weight Gain- +3 last month
Belly Measuring- 30 weeks

Baby's Stats:
Heart Rate- 150 bpm
Active and healthy as far as we can tell!

Part 2: Orlando (Monday)

After traveling on Sunday, we decided to just do grocery shopping at the house and swim in the backyard pool. Monday was our first day of "theme parking" it, and we headed to Universal Studios.

The family at the theme park entrance....before the massive sweating began.

Brooklyn had it made- a stroller and a squirting fan...what a lucky girl!

Cheezing it up at the Fivel Playground.

She even had parts of the playground all to herself.

How do you keep a child entertained while her family goes on the rollercoasters and bigger rides? CANDY!

It was a great first day. We made it to about mid-afternoon in the park, and then headed back to the house for dinner and swimming. Eric and Caroline arrived about 7pm, and then the family was complete! :-)

Our Florida Vacation- Part 1: Tallahassee

We left on Thursday, August 6th to drive down to Florida for my brother, Eric's, film school graduation. Eric was one of 29 students participating in a 2 year program at Florida State. I personally cannot believe that he is already DONE with his masters degree (but he and his classmates may disagree with how fast time flew by!). We made a quick stop in south Georgia for the night and then woke up Friday morning and finished our route to Tallahassee. We arrived at lunch time, saw Eric for about 30 minutes in between his lectures, and got settled in the hotel. Caroline (Eric's girlfriend) also had her family in town and they had several friends come down to partake in the weekend festivities. We all met for dinner at this country buffet (with 15 people E and C thought a buffet would be quick and easy). It was nice to meet Caroline's family (finally after 4+ years!) and all enjoy a meal together...though it was quite an experience! This restaurant was packed with graduates and their families (there was three graduations that weekend), it was "seafood buffet night", and some of Tallahassee's "finest" came out for dinner. It wasn't the homeless, shirtless man knocking on the back door of the restaurant that was the strangest, or the large bowl of homemade pork rinds on the buffet...but it was the restaurant's birthday song that stood out the most to me. It went something like this...
"Fried chicken. Fat Back. It's your birthday. How 'bout that?" Priceless. Chad also took a picture on his phone of a guy that could be a dead ringer for Cedric the Entertainer.

Saturday was a busy, busy day filled with graduation and two film screenings (about 5 hours of films total). Eric and his friend, Adam, were chosen to "address" the class at the graduation ceremony (unbeknownest to US!), and they did a great job! The ceremony was really nice. Here is a horrible pic of Eric and Adam during their talk.

Then, we took a quick stretch break and settled in for three hours of film screenings. Chad and I swapped back and forth between watching the films (I made him watch all the scary ones!) and keeping Brooklyn entertained with arts and crafts and her own movies in the theater lobby. After the afternoon screenings, we went to the infamous Momo's Pizza for the biggest pizza I have ever seen in my life.

Here are the bro-in-laws getting some love in:

And Brooklyn waiting on her food....she did sooooo well at the graduation and waiting around during the screenings. I have been blessed with such a patient daughter!

This was the pizza box...36 inches!

Here's Brooklyn attempting to eat a slice of pizza bigger than her head...

After dinner, we went back to the hotel to clean up and change clothes, and then headed back to the theater for the evening screenings. That lasted a little over two hours, but again, Chad and I swapped back and forth and Brooklyn was an angel. She fell asleep at the end of the screenings, so we opted out of the "after party" and went back to the hotel.

Sunday, we woke up, packed up our stuff, and headed south to a week in Orlando/Kissimmee. Eric and Caroline would be joining us the next day after their family and friends left Tallahassee.

Week 28 and 29....

Part of the joy of being on vacation is that the pregnancy weeks actually tick by fairly quickly. :-) Here are updates from Weeks 28 and 29....

Week 28 (in Tallahassee and Kissimmee, Florida):
*Things were great, pregnancy wise, as long as I paced myself throughout the days. The days were HOT (mid 90s most of the day) and we did a lot of walking. Occasionally I would feel some extra stretching and such (due to the effects of gravity) on my belly, but for the most part, Little Man and I did OK in sunny Florida.
*I continue to have awful heartburn dealt with only by Zantac twice a day and Tums spread out throughout.
*Food is still my friend...Vacation food is even better...and unfortunately I am sure to pay for that on the doctor's scale Friday. :-)
*The Little Man (yes, still nameless) moves A LOT. He is such a wiggle worm, especially between 9:30-11:00pm. Though adorable as that is, he can pack some powerful punches when he wants to.
*The Wednesday before we left for vacation, I did pass my glucose test- yay! I was a bit low on the iron scale, but the lab tech said for me to just continue prenatal vitamins and I should be OK.

What Babycenter says...
How your baby's growing: By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Week 29 (this week):
*Things are pretty much the same this week as last. I'm still feeling great, as long as I am in air conditioning. :-) Brooklyn, the baby, and I all traveled well home from Florida- stopping about every two hours for snacks and leg stretches.
*Doctor's appointment Friday....I think a regular check up, but I am never sure.

What Babycenter says...
How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

back to work...

I'm back to work after being out since Wednesday, August 5th. I have come back to a new supervisor, new phone system that I do not know how to use, 150 emails to answer, 2000 spam emails to delete, and furniture piled on my desk because the carpets were cleaned.

Oh yeah, and I found out that while I was away, my computer was used and contracted a virus (that has supposedly been cleaned up). Lovely.

It may be a while before I get to post pics from my vacation. :-)

I hope this is not a forecast of what's to come with my maternity leave.

home...

we're home after a 10 day vacation to Florida....lots of posts to make but just too tired tonight! hopefully I will have some great stories and pictures up over the next few days. thanks for checking in!

Way Back When-esday!

For this week's Way Back When-esday, I actually have all August pictures of Brooklyn with her "big/God sister" Allie. They have been best friends since the day Brooklyn came home from the hospital, and though the age gap causes to become somewhat problematic at times when they fight and bicker, they love each other just like sisters.

Year: 2005
Brooklyn's Age: almost 6 months
Allie's Age: 4 years
*Brooklyn's God Family dropping by for a quick visit on their way to the pool.

Year: 2006
Brooklyn's Age: almost 18 months
Allie's Age: 5 years
*This year, Brooklyn was old enough to actually GO to the pool herself. She didn't get in much, but she loved the snacks and the pool chairs.

Year: 2007
Brooklyn's Age: almost 2 1/2 years
Allie's Age: 6 years
*Loving each other at their other "sister" Zoe's 1st birthday party.

Year: 2008
Brooklyn's Age: almost 3 1/2 years
Allie's Age: 7 years
Zoe's Age: 2 years
*Allie and Brooklyn were so excited once Zoe got a little bigger so they could all play together...here they are making a Brooklyn Sandwich!

27 weeks, 2 days...but who's counting?

According to SOME sites on the internet, we have entered the third trimester this week. Other sites say that Week 28 is the first week of the third trimester, so I feel kind of in limbo this week. :-) Regardless, I FEEL like I am in the third trimester. I have started grunting when getting up from the couch, sweating after walking to the car, and breathing heavy after putting on pants and socks. If that's not third trimester symptoms, I don't know what is. :-) I have also started snoring in the middle of the night, so Chad has pretty much moved to the couch (another third trimester symptom I had with Brooklyn). I also experience horrible acid reflux in the middle of the night (about 3-4 times a week) where I wake up choking and gagging and have to recover for about 10 minutes before I can fall back asleep. Lovely stuff, I tell you.

Now for the fun information....what's going on with Bitty Baby Brother Johnson this week:
This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

I never claimed to love being pregnant. In fact, except for the fact that I don't have to suck in my gut for 40 weeks and the first few weeks of the kicks and rolls of the baby, I pretty much don't enjoy it. I had a wonderful pregnancy with Brooklyn in that there were no complications and she was born very healthy at 40.5 weeks. I did have every "minor pregnancy discomfort" known to man, though. If it was listed in "What to Expect When Expecting", I had it.....heartburn, nausea, leg cramps, nosebleeds, headaches, constipation, and on and on and on. It's been the same with this pregnancy...but I woudn't trade it. I'll take the heartburn, nausea, headaches, etc. as long as I give birth to a healthy fullterm baby at the end. I swear, though, with the heartburn I have had, this baby should be born with a 'fro! So, anyways, as I am 99% sure this will be my last pregnancy, I don't get sad thinking about never being pregnant again. I will be so happy to just bring a healthy son home and round out our family of 4. I cannot wait to permanently get rid of maternity clothes and close this chapter in my life. God has blessed me with two babies, and I am taking them and running. :-)

Happy Anniversary, Chad!

It's been 7 years since I became Mrs. Chad Johnson. Some days it feels like it was yesterday; while other days, it's like we have been together our whole lives. Well, we have pretty much KNOWN each other most of our lives, and we have been "an exclusive couple" for 12 years (on August 13th), so yes, it's been a long time. :-)

I wrote this post last year celebrating our anniversary: http://jaclynbjohnson.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-wonderful-life-is-now-youre-in.html. All those memories stay true. Our wedding day was one of the happiest days of my life....to know that those 227 people will never all be in the same room again- but they were there to celebrate US- never ceases to amaze me. I always think about that at weddings- and I always remind the bride and groom to look around at everyone and remember that moment because they will never all be there again. I am blessed to still keep in touch with all my bridesmaids and Chad with his groomsmen- it shows us that we picked the right people for the job. :-) They are all truly lifelong friends. Chad and I come from families with very stable, very solid couples. His parents have been married almost 36 years and mine 32 years. My Oma and Opa have been married 57 years and my grandmother and grandfather celebrated 53 years in May the week before my grandfather passed away. Some may think it's pressure, but I see it as a goal. :-)

So, happy anniversary, Chad (though I have no idea when you will read this blog again- ha ha!). I love you...forever and always...and cannot wait to spend the next 7-0 years with you!