23 weeks

We did not have too many exciting things going on this week. Over the weekend my big sister (from my sorority) and her family came to stay with us. We had a great time with them and their daughter. She has a 1 year old little girls and it gave us a chance to get us to having a baby in the house. We also were able to see how GiGi, our boxer dog, was going to react. GiGi did very well with Anne Marie. By the end of the weekend GiGi started to lay down on her own when Anne Marie was in the room. Annie Marie did get scared when GiGi would yawn or shake, but overall they got along very well.

Baby girl has been very active this week. I really enjoy learning her patterns. I laugh at her because if I am lying down and lean too much on my stomach, she will kick me until I move. I can tell she is already going to have a strong personality. She also did this the other day when our cat Belle laid on my stomach. She kept kicking at Belle, until I made Belle move off my stomach. She seems to like her space.

Other Updates: We did have some relief from the heat this week; however, we still had a few days over 100.

Not Pregnancy Related - Texas sets a new record

I know this is not pregnancy related, but I want to document a record breaking summer for my pregnancy journal.

http://news.yahoo.com/apnewsbreak-texas-hottest-june-august-163258438.html

Texas has hottest June-August on record in the U.S.

Texas just finished the hottest June through August on record in the U.S., the National Weather Service said Thursday.

Weather service meteorologist Victor Murphy told The Associated Press that Texas' 86.8 average beat out Oklahoma's 85.2 degrees in 1934.

That Dust Bowl year is now third on the list for the three-month span, behind No. 2 Oklahoma's heat wave this June through August (86.5 degrees).

Both states and others in the nation's southern tier have baked in triple-digit heat this summer. Texas had its hottest June on record, the fifth warmest month overall, and July was the warmest month ever.

Oklahoma's July was the country's highest monthly average temperature ever, at 89.1 degrees.

Louisiana's heat this June through August puts it in the fourth spot all-time — 84.5 degrees.

The average figures are taken from the entire 24-hour cycle of the day, not just from daily highs.

The reason for all the hot, dry weather lies thousands of miles away in the Pacific Ocean. The La Nina phenomenon is associated with cooler sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific. It brings dry conditions to the southern U.S. states.

Unfortunately, the forecast shows the likelihood of La Nina re-emerging.

Texas hasn't just been hot this summer. It's in the midst of its worst drought since the 1950s and enduring its driest single year going back to 1895.

The heat and lack of rainfall have clobbered agriculture. An early estimate shows crop and livestock losses at $5.2 billion. That figure was expected to rise. The drought and scorching temperatures have burned grazing pasture and rangeland, forcing ranchers to severely cull herds. Ranchers keeping animals are paying high prices for supplemental feed or the cost of transporting their animals to states with grazing land.

Producers who planted more than 2 million acres of cotton that rely on only rainfall to grow in the world's largest contiguous growing patch around Lubbock abandoned their fields.

Texas' economy will take a more direct hit. Agriculture accounted for $99.1 billion of Texas' $1.1 trillion economy, or 8.6 percent, in 2007, the most recent year data on food and fiber was available from the extension service. Losses in that sector have a ripple effect that's about twice the amount of the actual agricultural loss.

Grasses, vegetation and trees around the state remain tinderbox dry and wildfires have destroyed more than 3.5 million acres since last November, about when the drought started. Just this week, hundreds of homes were destroyed when wildfires raged southeast of Austin.

Fish and other wildlife are struggling as lakes and rivers are drying up across the state and more than 850 water suppliers have implemented mandatory and voluntary restrictions on usage. Two Central Texas springs relied upon for life by eight endangered and threatened species are perilously close to levels that will require an evacuation by federal wildlife officials.

The U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday shows that not a speck of Texas is out of drought, and more than 81 percent is in the worst category. A year ago just 15 percent of Texas was abnormally dry, the least dry status on the map.

Other states in the southern U.S. also are in drought. Almost all of Arizona and Oklahoma are in some drought stage. All of New Mexico is mired in drought, with about 38 percent of it in the worst stage — exceptional. About 70 percent of Oklahoma is in exceptional drought.

22 Weeks

This week was a very eventful week. We finally confirmed baby girl’s Godparents. I could not think of anyone more fitting to be Godparents, than my best friends Lori and Father Will. We all have been through so much together and they have been there for me more than anyone.  We actually talked to them about being Godparents about three years ago when we first start trying for a baby. Part of the reason we talked to them is because we wanted to make sure that once Father Will became a priest, that he could still be the Godfather. Not only are we very excited about our choice, so are the new Godparents. The great thing is that Lori, Father Will, and Mark have become just as good of friends. I cannot wait for baby girl to meet her Godparents.

This is a picture of all of us at Will orientation ceremony when he became a priest

This is a picture at the rehearsal dinner for Mark and I’s wedding. We laugh at this picture and say we are three peas in a pod because we are dressed alike. No, we did not plan dressing alike either. :)

Also this weekend we went to Austin to stay with Lori. We went downtown Austin to see the bats fly out. The girls loved watching the bats fly out from the bridge, it was pretty neat sight. Then the next day we drove back into West and rested for the afternoon. Then about 6:30 pm, baby girl experienced her first Westfest. We had such a good time out there. Baby girl enjoyed a beer bread sandwich and some kolaches. We also listened to some polka music and Gary P. Nunn, which she seemed to enjoy. Mark and I also had a chance to dance a few times, which she seems to also like. I can tell you that all this moving about took its toll on my ankles. When we arrived home that evening, I had indentions around my ankles from my socks. Then Monday my ankles were sore most of the day. I just tried to stay off of them as much as possible. My ankles are a lot better now and I feel pretty good.

Other Updates: We had a record breaking summer. I want to Thank God for the relief we had this weekend from the heat. This summer we had 83 days over 100 degrees and 44 of those days were consecutively over 100 degrees.

The Pregnant Working Girls

Within my office at work, we have four pregnant women. Yesterday we decided to take a picture before one us ends up on leave. We were all matching because we had open house yesterday.

21 Weeks

This week has been exciting. I went to the Women of Faith Conference in Dallas and I think it was exciting for baby girl. During the conference was the first time I really started feeling her move a lot. I think it was the great music (which was very loud), by Sandi Patty, Amy Grant, and Mandisa. Afterwards, Mom and I went to eat at Oliver Garden and during lunch I felt her moving all around.

Then Mom and I went to Ikea in Dallas, which I will never do again. I love the Ikea in Austin and I am custom to that atmosphere. In Dallas it was crammed packed, kids running wild, people trying to run you over with baskets, and the sales people were not very helpful. This one guy helped us load our dressers on the chart and I asked him to make sure he was picking up the right ones. I was so busy double checking the color and the dresser, that I did not pay attention to the 2 piece product. When I arrive home, I realized we have 2 number ones, instead of a 1 and a 2. Now, we are making a trip to Austin this weekend. We were going to take the girls to Dallas, but I do not want to go back to that Ikea. Hopefully we can get these dressers straighten out.

Mark was able to put our kitchen cabinet and small dresser together. The kitchen cabinet is for baby girl’s bottles and other kitchen supplies. We do not have a lot of cabinet space, so we had to buy something. I am looking for items that will fit well in our new house. We are planning on putting our house on the market in September. The small dresser, I should say short dresser, is also for baby girl. I already have some of her stuff washed and packed away inside the dresser. I feel like we are finally making progress.

Also while we were in the metroplex, we went baby shopping of course. On our way to Dallas we stopped at Carter’s at the outlet mall and bought a bunch of cute things. We bought her first Christmas outfits, they are so cute (pictures will be up soon). Then we went to Fort Worth for Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby. All I can say is WOW, for Buy Buy Baby. This was my first trip and the store is awesome. I hope we can have one around here one day. We do not have any good baby stores around here and Buy Buy Baby would be nice.

Other Updates: We are still over 100 degrees; however, they are predicting rain this weekend (about a 60% chance for 5 days). I am not going to hold my breath on the rain; I will believe it when I see it. I am praying that God will send rain our way, we really need it.  So far I found that we have 77 days over 100 for the year 2011 and 44 of those days were consecutive days. In August alone we have had 29 days over 100. I am ready for a break in this weather. Out of our herd, we had one calf (which was my brother in laws) die due to the heat. The calf’s foot was caught in a big crack and he could not get free. My father in law went to check the cows and found the newborn dead. I felt bad for the poor calf; this is the first time we lost one in a really long time.

20 weeks - Appointment

We had our 20 week appointment and baby girl is completely healthy. The doctor confirmed we are having a girl. We now have two verifications from the ultrasound tech and our doctor. We are really excited. During the ultrasound they also checked all her organ, spine, and measurements. She is measuring 5 days behind, but they said that is not a big deal. They would be concern if she was a month behind, but I know she may catch up. The other thing is that my mom and grandmother had small babies so she could just be on the small side. As long as the doctor is not worried, I am not worried.

I still have not really felt her move yet. I felt a kick the other day, a kick during the elective ultrasound, and then Mark and I felt her move. Dr. Rister said it is still early to feel her move, but I should start feeling her within the next few weeks. I am not in a hurry to feel her move too much just yet. She is very active, so I know when I start to feel her move that I will not have a peaceful moment after that. She seems like a very happy baby on the ultrasound screen. I cannot wait to meet her.

Other Updates: I think we are in a temperature breaking summer. Last I heard I think we are at 50 straight days of being over 100. One good thing is that it rained last night, but I heard on the radio the high today is 107. Thank you God for the little rain we did receive.

Baby Website

We created a baby website, which can be located at the left hand side of this page. I hope you enjoy our baby website.

http://MarkandJuliesbaby.ourbabychannel.com/

19 Weeks - Elective Ultrasound

Yesterday we had our elective ultrasounds and found out we are having a GIRL!!!! We are so excited. Baby girl is definitely her daddy’s daughter, she has his long legs. The ultrasound tech could not get over how long her legs are and keep talking about them. I even have pictures, which is why I am posting today. I marked up the pictures so everyone can know what they are seeing.  The 3D/4D pictures are not as clear because she does not have a lot of fat on her. When we go back between 32-34 weeks, we will have clearer pictures of baby girl.

One more thing, we are not revealing her name until her shower on October 2. We kept debating on when to announce this, so we have been telling everyone we have not picked a name yet.

18 Weeks

I am going to post early this week, since I will post a special blog for our Wednesday appointment. I am excited about Wednesday because we will see baby again, and we will find out if we are having a boy or a girl. We do not care either way, as long as our baby is healthy. I know God has designed the perfect child for us and our family.  When I say perfect, I mean God’s perfection and not the worlds.

This week is going pretty smooth. On Saturday, my mom, Libbie (mother in law), and the girls went shopping in Ft. Worth. We were able to pick up a lot of things for baby. We bought the co-sleeper, breast pump bottles, a gown for the hospital, changing pad, changing pad cover, new nursing cover (which I love, it is better quality than the other one I have), blanket with a hood, and I bought two gender neutral outfits. I need to take pictures so I can post them.

Sunday was not a great day. I felt awful and I still feel awful today. I have had a headache for almost 24 hours and now my throat is starting to hurt. I think my body and hormones are changing again. I was kinda snappy at Mark this weekend, which happens when my hormones change. He is a real trooper; he knows how to make me feel better, even when I am not feeling well. I love my wonderful husband.

We already set up the co-sleeper. We are trying to decide what is going to work best for us and where to official put the co-sleeper. I really like having the co-sleeper next to me; it will be convenient for nursing after I have my c-section. This is the main reason for buying it, I know it will help me, so I will not have to get in and out of bed. I posted a picture of a co-sleeper, just in case you do not know what I am talking about. It is a way to have the baby sleep next to you, without being in your bed.

We decided our parenting style is going to be based on attachment parenting. If you want to find out more information, you can Google Dr. Sears, attachment parenting. What I like about attachment parenting is that it is a set of tools for you to use. Based on your situation, you can use the tools that are best for you and your child. The main point they push is using your own instincts and using your best judgment for your baby. Most of the wolrd, outside of the USA and Europe, use these methods. I feel these methods are based on the way God designed us to care for our children. Again, what I love about them is that you can use what is best for your child at the moment. These are just tools to help you along that path. The following are the 7 tools you can use for attachment parenting.

Birth Bond – This will be difficult for us, since I am having a c-section. There are other ways to bond with your baby after they are born. Like I said these are tools and you do not have to use all of them.

Breastfeeding – We are going to be breastfeeding.

Baby Wearing – Wearing a baby in a sling or wrap. This allows the baby to see things at an adult level and watch what an adult is doing. As they the babies grow, they are learning more.

Bedding Close to Baby – This is why we bought the co-sleeper. This can reduce the changes of SIDS, since the mom is close to the baby. They give you tips on how to transition baby from your bedroom to their bedroom.

Belief in a Baby’s Cry – “A baby's cry is a signal designed for the survival of the baby and the development of the parents. Responding sensitively to your baby's cries builds trust. Babies trust that their caregivers will be responsive to their needs. Parents gradually learn to trust in their ability to appropriately meet their baby's needs. This raises the parent-child communication level up a notch. Tiny babies cry to communicate, not to manipulate.” – Dr. Sears. We are not using the cry it out method.

Beware of Baby Trainers – “Attachment parenting teaches you how to be discerning of advice, especially those rigid and extreme parenting styles that teach you to watch a clock or a schedule instead of your baby; you know, the cry-it-out crowd. This "convenience" parenting is a short-term gain, but a long-term loss, and is not a wise investment. These more restrained styles of parenting create a distance between you and your baby and keep you from becoming an expert in your child.” –Dr. Sears

Balance – It is important to give your baby all your attention, but if you are starting to get frustrated and things are working, then it is time to change to something else. Again, I cannot say this enough, this is what I love about this style of parenting, it allows you to be flexible based on your baby. Sum it up in Dr. Sear’s words “AP is an approach, rather than a strict set of rules. It's actually the style that many parents use instinctively. Parenting is too individual and baby too complex for there to be only one way. The important point is to get connected to your baby, and the baby B's of attachment parenting help. Once connected, stick with what is working and modify what is not. You will ultimately develop your own parenting style that helps parent and baby find a way to fit – the little word that so economically describes the relationship between parent and baby.”

For more information on attachment parenting: http://www.askdrsears.com/

17 Weeks

This week has been fun and I felt really great. Over the weekend we went to Fredericksburg and Kerrville, Texas. My dad’s brother, Tommy got married on Friday of our trip. I am so excited to have my new Aunt Davella as part of our family. The exciting part is that I was able to be with almost my whole family. We were missing a few of the cousins, but at least the rest of us were able to be together. Here are some pictures from the wedding.

My dad's side of the family

 Stacey, Me (and baby), and Heather

My cousins’ children were so cute. They kept coming up to talk to the baby and rub my tummy. Mark and I stayed late after the reception for the after party. We went to the Inn on the Hills, were my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins where staying. We all hung out by the pool while the kids swam. Then my cousins and I join my newly married Uncle and new Aunt at the Pub of the hotel. It was a really nice place; it was not smoky at all (I told Mark if it was smoky, I was not staying because of the baby). Mark and I had a chance to dance a few rounds. I can tell my lung capacity is not where it should be, since everything is now being pushed up. We left about 11:30 pm that night, and left the cousin up partying the night away. Yes, I was drinking water!!

 Cousins at the Pub

The next morning, Mark, Dad and I went to an old railroad tunnel, which houses about 3 million bats. We did not know what to expect; however, it was pretty amazing. I will post a few pictures below. It was a long hike down to the tunnel. Mark guarded me as we walked down the rocky trail. Going back up was the hard part. Again, I fully realize I do not have my lung capacity. Luckily, I was able to take small breaks up the trail. The first set of stairs was the hardest part of the climb back up.

Mark and I at the top of the tunnel

Me by myself

Dad

About half way to the bottom, the top part of the picture is where we were standing 

At the bottom. There are about 3 million bats in there, but they do not come out until late evening

I was taking a break after the first set of steps

 Me at Hondo's in Fredericksburg. We were listening to Thomas Michael Riley. An wondeful Texas music singer. He writes songs for Gary P. Nunn. We try to listen to him when we come to Fredericksburg.

My plan is to print out this blog and place it within my pregnancy journey.  I am trying to document important events and things going in the world. Currently we have had about 34 days of straight triple digit weather. The temperatures are anywhere from 102 to 110. My car read 111 yesterday going home. We are all ready for cooler weather.

As for baby, well baby is doing very well. Growing like a weed and so is my stomach. Next Wednesday we go for our elective 3D ultrasound to see the baby and determine if we are having a little girl or boy (bambino or bambina – Mark and I’s terms). I feel like we are having a girl. We are excited about the baby in general and will be happy with either a girl or a boy. I cannot wait to see how much baby has grown over the past few weeks. The following week, we will have an anatomy scan for measurement. We will get to see the baby two weeks in a row, yay!