Breaking the news to Kobi...

For any of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting Kobi, you are truly missing out. At least that's what Kobi and I think! :)

Kobi is definitely one of the most spoiled rotten dogs you have probably been around. Jay makes fun of his weekly "schedule" (doggie daycare on Mon & Tues, G&G on Wed, my parent's house with their maid on Thur, home on weekend), but Kobi thinks it's wonderful. However, I must admit that he does kind of have a grumpy side. Not a mean side, just a grumpy side. He tends to pout a lot and growl a lot when he gets jealous. So, needless to say, we had to find a little way to "break the news" to him about this little baby that's on the way.

TaDa! Dog Meet Baby to the rescue. Though Kobi wasn't nearly as excited to see his gift arrive in the mail today, I certainly was. We are going to start with the basics.... baby sounds. Crying, cooing, whimpering, starting to cry, screaming, etc. I figure we'll start with the simple baby sounds, and then gradually work our way to baby smells, and finally the baby! I'm hoping for positive results... so wish us luck. :)

Shy baby

We had our 16week 4day appointment today, and we got to do another ultrasound! I'll start out by saying "No - we do not know the sex of the baby yet", but it was so neat seeing our little one flipping around. The appointment was for measuring and doppler, but I used my sweet voice and got Dr. Gayle to go ahead and take a peak. After 20 minutes of ultrasound time, still no luck... baby Langham was a little too shy to show his/her privates. Dr. Gayle tried three different times, but still no luck. Looks like we're not suppose to know yet!

Despite that, Dr. Gayle did a full ultrasound so we could see everything else. We could see.... the stomach which means no swallowing atresia or fistula problems, 4 chamber heart which means no septal defects or valve disorders, ocular lens which means eyes developed properly, counted the extremity bones so no malformations there, looked at fingers and toes which means no webbing, umbilical cord connected properly with two arteries and a vein which means oxygen and nutrients are flowing properly, and lips and gums showed no cleft lip or palate. So to sum it all up, so far everything looks great! We had already decided we'd do the quad screen (bloodwork) today just for precautions, but it made me feel good to know Dr. Gayle isn't too worried about that coming back with any problems after seeing the ultrasound. Hopefully everything will continue to go great!

Throughout this whole "evaluation" as baby moved around and changed positions constantly, he kept looking to see if just maybe we could see some private parts, but no luck. Baby loved leaving the umbilical cord between its legs. Jay and I LOVED seeing baby Langham move around all over the place. Dr. Gayle kept laughing because the little booger wouldn't stay still. He/she finally went into a sleep cycle, but that only lasted a few minutes. It was very entertaining! I've posted all three ultrasound pics from today -- the top one is a close-up, the middle is my favorite, and the bottom one is baby sucking his/her thumb. Isn't that neat?!

16 weeks and larger clothes

Well, we've reached the 16 week mark! I can't believe how fast my tummy has started to show baby Langham just over the past week or so. Had so much fun this weekend at the Boardwalk in the baby stores. My mom and I couldn't hold back and had to buy a few little baby gowns. Then we made our way to the store Motherhood so we could purchase a belly band. It's my new favorite clothing item! Since most of my pants won't button, I'm loving being able to wear my pants unbuttoned with the band over them instead of moving straight into maternity clothes. Since everything still fits great except thru the belly, so this band is coming in handy.

Here's my weekly update from "What to Expect..."
With a whopping weight of anywhere from 3 to 5 ounces and a crown-rump length of 4 to 5 inches, your baby is growing up fast. Muscles are getting stronger (you'll start to feel movement in a few weeks), especially the back muscles, enabling your little one to straighten out even more. Your baby-to-be is looking more and more adorable, with a face that has eyes (complete with eyebrows and eyelashes) and ears in the right spots. What's more, those eyes are finally working! Yes, it's true: Your baby's eyes are making small side-to-side movements and can even perceive some light, though the eyelids are still sealed. Your baby is also becoming more sensitive to touch. In fact, he/she will even squirm if you poke your belly.

15 weeks

I cannot believe how fast these first 15 weeks have flown by! They have been so much fun and so exciting, and baby Langham is growing fast. I'm kind of in that "have a belly bump but looks more like fat than pregnancy" phase. I love having a little belly bump but I'm so ready for it to "look" like I'm pregnant -- I know people who see me in public are thinking I just finished a huge meal and/or need to be getting some serious exercise. Still haven't taken a belly picture yet -- we keep meaning to but then we forget...and then another week's gone by! For those of you who have been reading my weekly updates from my pregnancy book... I thought we had officially moved out of the produce section, but it looks like week 15 is a navel orange (I'm not exactly sure the difference in a navel orange and a regular orange, but I'm sure my smart big-word sister will let me know). So here's this week's excerpt from "What to Expect When..."

Your baby, who measures 4.5 inches this week and weighs around 2 to 3 ounces, is about the size of a navel orange (Jen, please call me and explain). Looking more and more like the baby you're picturing in your dreams, his/her ears are positioned properly on the sides of the head (they used to be in the neck), and the eyes are moving from the side of the head to the front of the face. By now your baby has the coordination, strength, and smarts to wiggle his/her fingers and toes and even suck a thumb. But that's not all your baby can do now. He/she can also breathe (or at least make breathing movements), suck, and swallow -- all in preparation for the big debut and life outside the womb. And though it's unlikely that you'll be feeling any movements from your little one this week, your baby is certainly getting a workout -- kicking, flexing, and moving those arms and legs.

14 weeks... & another ultrasound!

Yesterday I was at work, and a few of the girls kept trying to get me to let them do an ultrasound on me. So, being the weak person that I am (and the extremely excited pregnant person that I am), I gave in! The only ultrasound we had was at 7 weeks, and though I was going crazy to do another one, I didn't want to risk finding out the sex without Jay there. So I made a deal with the girls...if they could definitely tell, I didn't want them to tell me but I'd make an appointment at Dr. Gayle's so we could look again and Jay could be there. But despite the fifteen minutes of picture time, baby Langham wasn't ready to show his/her true colors. Guess we'll be waiting a few more weeks.

I have to admit, it probably didn't help that every time I looked at the ultrasound screen, an extremity would go flying across the screen and I'd start laughing uncontrollably. I tried looking away, but I kept picturing the right arm swinging towards his/her head like he/she was scratching it -- which led to more laugher. Then he/she kept kicking it's feet out, and I don't know why but it was just all so funny to me! It was so neat seeing all of that move for the first time! I can hardly wait for Jay to see all of the movement. I find myself throughout the day looking down at my belly bump and picturing that little baby moving so much inside. What an amazing thing!

From "What to Expect..."
Beginning in the second trimester, fetuses (like the children they'll eventually become) start growing at different paces, some faster than others, some more slowly. Despite the differences in growth rates, all babies in utero follow the same developmental path. This week, that path is leading your baby - who is about the size of your clenched fist - toward a straighter position as the neck is getting longer and the head more erect. And on top of that cute little head, your baby might actually be sprouting some hair. Eyebrow hair is also filling in about now, as is body hair called lanugo. Don't worry, it's not permanent. This downy coating of hair is there to keep your baby warm for now - like a furry blanket. As baby fat accumulates later on in your pregnancy, most of that hair will be shed - though some babies, especially those born early, still have a temporary fuzzy coating at delivery.

60 years of marriage

Last Saturday evening, we had a surprise anniversary party for my grandparents. 60 years together! Isn't that wonderful?! My dad's brother and wife came in town from New Orleans along with two of my cousins AND Jen & Ray. My other set of grandparents were there, and as the main surprise, my grandmother's 2 sisters came in town from Waco, TX. My parents had planned a big dinner at The Mabry House, complete with a wedding cake and an unbelievable scrapbook that my mom put together for them. It included pictures from when they were first dating, their houses they lived in over the years, their churches, pictures from their boys growing up, their grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and kept going all the way until now. It was so much fun to look through, and it brought back wonderful memories from our trips to Houston to visit them. One of the neatest things was the box of cards they received. My parents had sent out letters to their friends, family, etc letting them know about the upcoming 60th anniversary, and asking if anyone wanted to send a card. They received over 60 cards and letters for my grandparents to read. What a special gift! Congratulations Grandmother and Grandaddy Gene!

Last week of 1st Trimester!!!

I loved this week's excerpt from my pregnancy book. It says...

As your first trimester comes to a close, your fetus (who seems to be working its way thru the produce section) has reached the size of a peach, about 3 inches long. Your baby's head is now about half the size of his/her crown to rump length, but that cute little body is picking up steam and will continue growing overtime (at birth, your baby will be one-quarter head, three-quarters body). Meanwhile, your baby's intestines, which have been growing inside the umbilical cord, are now starting their trek to their permanent position in your baby's abdomen. Also developing this week: your baby's vocal cords (the better to cry with...soon!).

working.... then resting

I had to spend today recuperating from the three 12-hour shifts I worked during the weekend, but it was well worth it. A good excuse to stay inside out of the heat. It was so nice finally working full time on the Labor Unit. Had several babies over the weekend, but most of the excitement came from the swarm of pregnant women who came in swearing they were in labor but actually just needed water! What is up with people thinking drinking two bottle waters a day is enough hydration? Even if you're NOT pregnant, I sure hope you drink more water than that! So, here we had a floor full of women (who are already dehydrated somewhat due to pregnancy) who swore up and down they were drinking tons of water -- but when asked how much "tons" is, I had to hold back laughter. Was a very good weekend though, and I learned a lot!

When I read the pregnancy books and hear people talk about when they were pregnant, it's so exciting. But it just really hits home thinking about everything that goes on in the development of that baby. We were talking on the Labor Unit over the weekend how we don't know how anyone can have a child and not thank God every day for such an awesome miracle. No matter how many births I watch or assist in, I still get chill-bumps every time a child is born. Even after a baby has fully developed in its mamma over those 40 weeks (that's a miracle in itself!), the turns and twists it knows how to take so perfectly during labor and delivery is just simply remarkable. Scrubbing in to assist the MDs in delivery (while I was nurse assistant) allowed me to learn the delivery process up close & personal -- now I get to be the nurse and focus on the mom & dad. I love being a part of someone's "best day of my life" experience.

I LOVE MY JOB!!!!!