Third trimester, here we come!

We've made it to week 28 and still going strong! Had my appointment this morning, and it was so exciting! Well, drinking the glucose-orange-slice-drink wasn't thrilling but it wasn't as bad as I expected. Passed the glucose test with flying colors, so that was a stress reliever. Next came the scales.... I've gained 14 lbs since the beginning of the pregnancy. I know that's not much but it sure seems like a TON! So far I've been fortunate and haven't gained anywhere except belly -- but it's a heavy belly to carry around all day! :) Still have ten or so weeks to go, so I guess I better get used to adding the weight on.

Everything's right on track so far, and besides being exhausted after busy busy days at work I'm feeling pretty good overall. So thankful for that! Braylin's a busy bee in my belly -- as I'm sitting here typing, I can watch my stomach move around with every move she makes. I love it and can't help but smile or laugh every time she starts her wiggling.

The most exciting part is that I'll start going to the doctor every two weeks now!!! Ahhh!!!! That makes it seem even closer to delivery time. I was so excited when he said that. Time has just flown by!

More good news.... going to have an ultrasound done tomorrow. Can hardly wait to see Braylin! It's been so busy at work lately we haven't gotten a chance to do an ultrasound on the labor unit so I'm looking forward to it!

28 week update from "What to Expect When You're Expecting":
This week your amazing baby has reached 2.5lbs and may be almost 16inches long. Baby's skill of the week: blinking. Yes, along with the other tricks in a growing repertoire that already includes coughing, sucking, hicupping, and taking practice breaths, your baby can now blink those sweet little eyes. Dreaming about your baby? Baby may be dreaming about you, too, courtesy of the REM sleep she has started getting. But this little dreamer isn't ready for birth day just yet. Though her lungs are nearly fully mature by now (making it easier for her - and you - to breathe a little easier if she were born now), your baby still has a lot of growing to do.

Welcome to the world Elyse!

Well, if you already read the below post about Melissa, here's an update..... Elyse Suzanne Simmons is here! She was born at 5:09pm and weighs 6lb 9oz. I'm waiting for a picture, Laura! Hurry up and get there so we can see this little cutie pie! Three and a half weeks early, but Chris' text said that baby and momma are doing well. Yippy! Now they can come to Shreveport for Christmas so we can meet her!

Silent Labor, what?!

Ok, so I hope Melissa doesn't mind me telling this story...I know I'd be bragging if it was me! Though I can hope and wish and pray my labor goes like hers, I think she is just the lucky one-in-a-million.

We have some very good family friends, the Lewis', who we were always traveling with or having crawfish nights with since Laura & I were in elementary school. Oh the memories! Laura's sister Melissa and her husband are expecting their first baby, Elyse -- her due date is early December (I think around Dec 8th or so). So Melissa goes into her regular Ob appointment today and what-do-ya-know.... she's dilated to 5cm. Not 1 or 2 cms like most first timers.... FIVE!!! Yes previous pregnant ladies, it is true. Dilated to 5 cm and had absolutely no discomfort or pain. She had no idea! Now don't we all wish we could get to 5cm, be admitted to the labor unit, have an IV & fluids started, break our water, and still not need an epidural?! It's called silent labor, and I've only seen a few patients on our labor unit with this lucky streak. But being the smart thing she is, Melissa is going ahead and getting her epidural for when those contractions really kick in.

So now we sit and wait for little Elyse to decide to make her appearance into the world! I'm so excited for Melissa and Chris (and Aunt Laura and the grandparents) I can hardly stand it!!!!!! And since they live in Houston, all we little Shreveporters can do is wait on some pictures!!!!

Clumsy at 27 weeks

I seem to have become stupid as this pregnancy flies by. All of a sudden I'm having trouble thinking of words I'm trying to say, or I totally lose my train of thought in the middle of a sentence! What in the world?! For example, I typed the second sentence above and when I read over it I had typed "foods" instead of "words". I'm becoming stupid. Hopefully that'll disappear after pregnancy. :)

I'm so excited to report that I scheduled my maternity pictures!!! Yippy!!! I wasn't going to take any, but the girls at work continued to insist. Plus, I know two people who had them done and they were absolutely beautiful. So I figured I should take a few so I at least have this time saved as a memory. However, the negative side of having maternity pictures made.... I'm now stressing that my belly button is going to pop out and/or I'll have stretch marks by the time it's picture time. We don't take them until early January -- she wanted to wait until I am around 35 weeks. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed my belly continues to behave. And we tentatively scheduled newborn pictures!!!! Oh my gosh, I can hardly wait!!!!

Update from "What to Expect When You're Expecting..."
Your baby graduates onto a new growth chart this week. No longer will she be measured crown to rump, but rather from head to toe. And this week that head-to-toe length is a full 15 inches (more than a foot long!). Your baby's weight is creeping up the charts as well, coming in at just over 2 lbs. And here's an interesting fetal factoid: Your baby has more taste buds now than she will have at birth. Which means that not only is your baby able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid when you eat different foods, she might even react to it. For instance, some babies respond to spicy foods by hiccupping. Or by kicking when they get that spicy kick.

Shower Pics

Here's a few pictures from the shower.... starting with me, my mom & the hostesses!

4 years together

Today is our four year wedding anniversary and what a wonderful one to celebrate! I am so thankful to have Jay in my life, and I have loved every day with him. Four years sure did fly by quickly. This anniversary is even better than ones before since now we can celebrate our little miracle together. We are both so excited to have Braylin on the way -- starting a family together is such a blessing. Tonight we're going to Tokyo for dinner (it's one of my favorites but we never go!) and then we can also count next weekend as an anniversary gift. We'll be in Dallas for a quick getaway trip. The King Tut exhibit is in Dallas until May '09, so we are so excited to be getting to go see that! It hasn't been in the U.S. since the '70s, so I'm ecstatic we are able to go.

Shower time!

Baby shower, that is. Six of my mom's closest girl friends hosted a shower this past weekend, and oh what fun it was!!! I cannot begin to tell you how much fun I had. The brunch food was absolutely delicious, and the decorations were so pretty & adorable. The "Braylin Paige" M&Ms in the booties and diapers were so cute. Braylin is a spoiled rotten little girl and she's not even born yet! We had a wonderful turn out and received tons of baby gifts. Thank you so much to everyone!!!!! And special thank yous to Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Austin, Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Foster, Mrs. Olive and Heather for throwing such a special shower!!!

Jay was a little overwhelmed, I think, when I came home with a SUV full of gifts, but we are gradually getting it all put away in Braylin's room. Clothes, bibs, burp cloths, hooded towels, diaper genie, toys, diaper bags, peanut shell, and the list goes on and on and on. Of course I spent that afternoon washing everything in Dreft which was so much fun because then I got to look at everything again and organize her little drawers with her little clothes.

I am most definitely planning a photo shoot in the nursery tonight so that I can post pics of the nursery and some goodies we got! It is just all so very cute! For now, just give me a little longer.... I promise to post some pictures!

26 weeks

From "What to Expect...."

Next time you're browsing thru the meat department, pick up a 2-pound chuck roast just so you can get a sense of how big your baby is this week. (I don't really like that analogy -- I can think of a few things that sound better than a chuck roast baby.) Your baby now weighs about 2 lbs and measures in at 9-plus inches long. Another momentous development: your baby's eyes are beginning to open. The eyelids have been fused for the past few months so that the retina could develop. The colored part of the eye (the iris) still doesn't have much pigmentation, so it's too early to start guessing baby's eye color. Still, she is now able to see -- though there's not much to see in the dark confines of her uterine home. But with the heightened sense of sight and hearing that she now possesses, you may notice an increase in activity when your baby sees a bright light or hears a loud noise. In fact, if a loud vibrating noise is brought close to your belly, she will respond by blinking and startling.

Hello outside world

I know I have a lot of fun updating the blog every so often, but I have no idea who all is reading it! I've seen other blogs before ask for a "roll call", so let's try it. Several people have mentioned that they've been reading and getting occasional updates, but I had no idea! So come on everyone...let's tell who we are! I'd absolutely LOVE to know who's been keeping up with the blog. Pregnancy is so much fun when you have family and friends supporting you, so thank you to all who sign on to read our blog occasionally!!!!! You make this an absolute blast!!!!!!!

Baby's first laundry

I know, I know...it's only October. But we just couldn't resist the urge to wash some baby clothes in Dreft. At least if November, December and January are wild and crazy, Braylin will have clean clothes when she arrives! :)

My dad was in Nebraska this past weekend on a hunting trip, so I stayed with my mom Friday and Saturday night. I loaded up all of Braylin's clothes, gowns, blankets, etc, and into the washing machine they went. Since it's my first baby and I'm sure I have the overly-excited-jitters with all of this baby stuff, I bought the good stuff -- Dreft. I tried my best to buy the cheaper generic baby detergent brand, but I just couldn't do it. Maybe when I get ready to wash her dirty things EVERY DAY I'll give in. But for now, just let me do the crazy first-mom stuff. I'm sure I'll grow out of it in short timing :)

Nursery... in progress....

We are 25 weeks already! Can you believe it?! Time continues to fly by, and though I'm super ready for Braylin to get here, I don't want the pregnancy to end. It's been so much fun and so very exciting.

Jay finished painting the nursery last weekend, and all of the furniture is in place. Well, all except the glider...it should be here in the next three or four weeks. Can hardly wait! I'm busy painting her letters to put above her crib and her canvas for the hospital door (and eventually nursery wall). I feel like my belly has shot out over night and I love it! It keeps growing and growing and growing and getting tighter (is that a word?) and tighter and tighter. People are definitely getting "pat the belly" happy -- I feel like everyone who walks up to me can't resist the urge to put their hands on my belly. Luckily I'm not one of those people who mind -- I absolutely love it! But I can definitely see how those of you who do mind the belly patting (during pregnancy, of course) couldn't handle it. :)

25 week update from "What to Expect..."
Baby's growing by leaps and bounds (and inches and ounces), this week reaching 9 inches in length and more than 1.5lbs in weight. And there are exciting developments on the horizon, too. Capillaries are forming under the skin and filling with blood. By week's end, air sacs lined with capillaries will also develop in your baby's lungs, getting them ready for that first breath of fresh air. Mind you, those lungs aren't ready for prime-time breathing yet - and they have a lot of maturing left to do before they will be. Though they're already beginning to develop surfactant, a substance that will help them expand after birth, your baby's lungs are still too undeveloped to sufficiently send oxygen to the bloodstream and release carbon dioxide from the blood (aka breathe). And talking about breathing, your baby's nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open up this week. This enables your baby to begin taking practice "breaths." Your baby's vocal cords are functioning now, leading to occasional hiccups (which you'll certainly be feeling).

Already 24 weeks?!

Oh my goodness... time is flying by! We have been having so much fun getting Braylin's room ready. Jay painted last weekend, and Jen came to town and we did some nursery-shopping. Ordered the glider, and I can hardly wait for it to come in. I have my handy list going of what we have left to do, and I'm gradually checking things off! Though I am super ready for February to come, I wish time would slow down a little so I can soak up every second of this pregnancy. It has been so wonderful and before we know it, it'll be time for Braylin.

I think Kobi is preparing himself for our addition to the family. He spends a good bit of time in the nursery. I'm sure it's because he's ready for his little "sister" and not because it's the only big open floorspace in the house for him to throw his bones around on. We'll see how he does as we gradually fill the room with baby things and toys. For now we'll just let him keep thinking he's the baby of the house.

Going to the doctor on Wednesday for our 24w4d appointment. Can hardly wait! I'm really showing now -- enough that strangers are asking me if it's a boy or girl. And you know you're showing when your patients' family members are asking about the pregnancy, and you're wearing scrubs! I'm actually showing enough to tell thru my scrubs. It's so much fun! My maternity jeans finally came in today and I'm in love. I would wear jeans every day if I could, so I'm so excited that I found some absolutely adorable maternity jeans. I think I'll need several pairs....

Here's our 24 week update from "What to Expect..."
At a weight of about 1.5 lbs and a length of about 8.5 inches, your baby has outgrown the fruit references and is now the size of a standard letter (but would take a lot more than a standard stamp to mail). Baby's weekly weight gain is now about 6 ounces -- not quite as much as you're putting on, but getting a lot closer. Much of that weight is coming from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones, and muscle. By now, your baby's tiny face is almost fully formed, and achingly adorable -- complete with a full set of eyelashes and eyebrows and a good sprinkling of hair on that head (who wants to bet that Braylin doesn't have hair?). Is your baby a brunette or a blond? Actually, right now she's snow white, since there's no pigment in that hair just yet.

Braylin's Nursery

As I posted earlier in the month, I had picked out the crib bedding from Serena & Lily and was absolutely thrilled! That is, until I unpacked it from the delivery box. The bumper was so washed-out looking -- the lilac and green designs were so light that the bumper almost looked solid white. So, I sent it back and fell in love with another one.

I ended up finding it at Pottery Barn Kids, and I knew it was "the one" as soon as I saw it in their fall catalog. It's still the same color scheme, but the purples and greens are brighter and so much more fun to work with. The bumper is the quilted design on one side and solid green on the other, the crib sheet is the white with polka dots, and the dust ruffle (which barely even shows thru my crib slats) is purple & white check. I put some pics from their website, but it doesn't show it on the crib -- only a "big person" bed. And we won't be painting funky purple flowers on the wall like the bottom picture shows. :) Just solid light purple walls.

Braylin's 22 week photoshoot

14 ultrasound pictures later, here are the few that you can really tell what you are looking at . . .

First one: back of her head and her left ear.
Then, she's showing off her 22 week flexibility -- her leg is by her face!
The third one shows both hands and one foot by her face.
Then she decides to suck on her toes for a minute.
And lastly, her profile. I just love the profile pics!

A little kick for daddy

So we're sitting on the couch last night watching the Saints game, and Braylin begins moving around. (I'm sure it's because she was so upset that the Saints were obviously dominating the game but they just weren't reflecting that on the scoreboard.) I could look down at my belly and see it move! I was so excited, so Jay put his hand there but no movement....so we tried a little later (when it looked like the Saints just might end up winning) and still no luck. And then it happened -- Jay's hand was on my belly just waiting for a little movement and sure enough! It was just a little one-time kick but it was so exciting. Now we both can hardly wait for him to get to feel her again. What an amazing experience!

22 weeks

Update from "What to Expect..."

Forget about ounces, baby. This week, we're talking a whopping weight of 1 pound and a length of nearly 8 inches, about the size of a small doll. But your doll is a living one -- with developing senses, including touch, sight, hearing and taste. What's your baby touching? He or she may grab onto the umbilical cord and practice the strong grip that will soon be clutching your fingers (and pulling your hair). What's your baby seeing? Though it's dark in the uterine cocoon -- and even with fused eyelids -- fetuses this age can perceive light and dark. If you shine a flashlight over your belly, you might feel your baby react, perhaps trying to turn away from the "bright" light. What's your baby hearing? The sound of your voice and that of your partner, your heart beating, the whoosh-whoosh of your blood circulating through your body, those gastric gurgles in your stomach, the dog barking, sirens, a loud TV. What what's your baby tasting? Pretty much everything you're tasting.

One excitement after another

It sure seems like a lot has gone on since last time I posted! Where do I begin...

1) First, I'll start with the fact that I have been feeling baby Langham a little more now. When I say "a little more" that's exactly what I mean... though it's been exciting, I want to feel her more often! It's been fun at night to lay down and try to feel the little flutters, but I'm ready to feel her move during the day when I'm not expecting it. (Someone be sure to remind me of this post when she's kicking my ribs in a few months.) I have to admit that it's probably not good being an L&D nurse while you're pregnant -- I tend to worry more than I should. Everyone keeps telling me how they felt their baby move around 16 weeks, and here I am at 20w5d and still barely feeling her. So, leave it to mom.... I'd go a day or so and not feel anything and then start worrying, so my mom surprised me with a rent-by-the-month doppler. Isn't that hysterical? She rented it this month, and I figure by next month I'll be feeling baby more so we can quit the rental. :) But it has been so much fun letting my family hear the heartbeat!

2) Another fun baby adventure...registering! Jay and I went to Burlington last Friday to start putting some things on a registry, but unfortunately their system was down. So we'll have to do that one another time. However, my crib mattress came in at Ladies in Waiting yesterday, so my mom & I went and picked it up while she was out running around in the SUV. Crib mattresses are larger than you think! And while we were there..... I decided to go ahead and register! I figured Jay wouldn't mind if I registered at that particular store without him. It was so much fun!!! I can hardly wait to register some more!

3) Next on the baby adventure list: We picked a name for baby girl Langham! After hours and hours of playing with baby name books and baby name websites, Jay ended up being the brains behind our name decision. He pulled both the first and middle name out of thin air, and for the past few weeks we've been testing it out. We even spent last Friday night throwing out other names, but we both just kept going back to this one. So here ya go...We've had fun calling her by name instead of "it" or "baby" -- she finally has a name!

Braylin Paige Langham

4) I ordered the crib bedding! So excited and can hardly wait for it to come in. I know, I know...it's only September, but I can hardly wait to see how everything looks together. Still need to pick a wall paint because the current wall color doesn't do much for the bedding I chose. But here are my pattern colors. I need Aunt Jennifer to hurry up and make a trip up here to help me with her niece's nursery!!!!

5) Today's baby update: We had our detailed anatomical ultrasound this morning, and everything looked great. The ultrasound tech measured the fluid levels, measured the organs and bones, confirmed again that it's a girl, and said Braylin looks good and healthy! She weighs 15 ounces. Now we'll just keep watching her grow each month!

20 weeks

We're half way thru! I can't believe how fast time has flown by. It seems like it wasn't too long ago that we found out we were pregnant, and now look at us.... twenty weeks along! We go to the doctor on Thursday for the anatomical ultrasound. So excited about that! The ultrasound tech will do a detailed ultrasound to make sure everything is looking good at this point. They let us bring a VHS tape and DVD disk to put in the ultrasound machine to record it all, so I'm thrilled about that! What an awesome thing to have recorded!

Here's the 20 week excerpt from "What to Expect When You're Expecting":
You've got a baby the size of a small cantaloupe in your melon-size belly this week, about 10 ounces and 6.5 inches crown to rump. Your ultrasound this month should be able to detect whether your baby is a boy or a girl (it's a girl!). And oh girl, that baby has been busy. If you're having a girl, her uterus is fully formed, her ovaries are holding about 7million eggs, and her vaginal canal is starting to develop. (I'm skipping the "boy" information.) Luckily for your baby, she still has plenty of room in your womb, which means there's plenty of space for twisting, turning, kicking, punching, and even an occasional somersault. If you haven't felt these acrobatics yet, you almost certainly will in the coming weeks.

Baby shopping....I can't seem to stop!

It's so crazy how knowing the gender makes it all seem so much more real. I admire those who wait to find out at delivery if they're having a boy or girl, but God just didn't give me that quality of patience. It's been so much fun knowing what I'm shopping for!

Spent Friday with Jay running around to a few baby stores, then Jay had to go paint a room at his parent's house so I joined my parents and we went & played at Burlington. We had fun figuring out the stroller travel systems -- glad my dad was there to figure out how they work! For those of you with babies, what type of stroller did you end up getting? I'm trying to decide between Graco and Chicco.

Then I spent Saturday with Jay's mom running by Ladies in Waiting and Carter's. We had a fun day and came home with lots of baby clothes. All of which happen to be pink. :) My mom had been to Toy Fair that day, and she couldn't resist the urge to buy -- so baby girl Langham got even MORE clothes that were adorable! I've had so much fun going in the nursery and looking at it all!

Looking forward to my fabric swatches coming in the mail tomorrow so I can finalize my crib bedding pattern. Hope it's as cute as the magazine/website shows! It's so nice having a sister who's a designer -- makes this nursery decorating so much more fun!

IT'S A GIRL !!!!!!!!!

We had an ultrasound today, and it's definitely a GIRL!!!!! We are so excited. I apologize in advance that this is short & sweet, but I'm working this weekend... so just got home a little while ago, calling family, grabbing a bite of supper and having to get to bed early to start an early work day tomorrow. But I'll post a better one tomorrow night or Monday. We are just so so so excited!!!!! Time to work on names and start buying pink stuff. :)