Saturday Morning

Good morning!! I am in the BEST mood ever! Maybe it's because I LOVE MY LIFE!!!! or maybe because it's only Saturday morning and I've had the best weekend so far. Yesterday after work I went and got a prenatal massage by Emily Phillips and it was seriously the best massage I have ever had..and I've had a bunch! If you live in the Texarkana area you need to look her up! When I checked my phone after my massage I had this waiting on me from my sister. I love sweet, little unexpected things like this :)

Then, me and hubby went out to eat, watched a movie on the couch, and then went a cuddled in the bed and felt Luke doing his nightly gymnastics. I don't even remember falling asleep. This morning we did some more "cuddling" and he went and got me eggs, sausage, biscuit, hash browns, pancakes, and coffee for breakfast. Just what I had been craving! He always gets me breakfast on Saturday mornings, but this was SUPER DUPER GOOD! Do I have the best husband or what?!?
So, now I'm catching up on Facebook, writing this, and waiting on Levi to get back from the gym. Our niece's first birthday party is tomorrow so we are going shopping for her in a little bit :) I CAN NOT believe she is already turning one! Seems like just yesterday I was praying her mom could hold off until I got off work for her to be born. It's scary how fast time flies. Anyhoo...hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!

25 Weeks

I know I'm posting this a day early, but it's usually hard for me to find the time to write on Fridays.

*Luke's physical proportions are birth ready and most of his remaining development will be weight gain and nervous system development.
*Major Milestone: If he were to be born now, he would most likely survive because his lungs started producing surfactant last week. (I've been waiting for this week to get here!!!! ::::sigh of relief::::)
*Blood vessels are starting to develop in his lungs which brings him closer to full maturity.
*His nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are beginning to open.
*He will now start to slowly scootch out of the breech position (head up, feet in pelvis) and start rotating around for a head first exit. (Does this mean I'm going to start getting kicked in the ribs??) He should be locked and loaded in a few weeks.

Update

How Far Along: 25 Weeks

Gender: BOY!

Weight Gain: 12 pounds total

Maternity Clothes: A couple of weeks ago I felt very cute in my preggo clothes, but for some reason I'm not feeling that way anymore. Maybe I just need to go shopping and get some new clothes. My shirts either make me look HUGE or they are starting to get too small.

Movement: Yep! Levi was feeling him last night and said he was kicking harder than he had ever felt. Our little boy is getting big and strong!

Sleep: Just fine this week, but that may be because school started Monday and I am completely exhausted everyday. Monday after work, I fell asleep on the couch at 5, a text woke me up and I went and got in the bed at 6, and then sleep all night long. 21 Pre-K kids will wear a person out REAL quick...

Cravings: Chili's chips and salsa Mmmmm Mmmmmm Mmmm

Aversions: None. I think I'm actually starting to get over my chicken problem!

Stretch Marks: Still using cocoa butter every day! :)

Symptoms: A bunch, but the ones that bother me the most are my lower back pain, my swollen, throbbing feet, and being so exhausted. My awesome husband is making it a lot better though :)

Belly Button: Evenie...not an innie, not an outie :)

What I Miss: Being able to paint my toenails

What I Look Forward To: My prenatal massage tomorrow at 4

Best Mommy Moment of the Week: Luke kicking Levi in the head (ha) and Luke kicking one night as soon as Levi put his hand on my belly. He loves his Daddy!!

Minka's "Furever" Home

Well friends, today has been an emotional, but great day!! The day started out by me waking up drenched in tears. I had a nightmare about Minka being adopted by people who seemed to be saints, but ended up abusing her.

I realized I never told the story about Minka so here goes... After the loss of Sophie I wanted to do something to help other dogs. I've always told myself that when I get rich (ha) I'm going to build a dog ranch and rescue every unwanted/abused/neglected dog in the whole world. Since I'm not rich yet and we were used to having three dogs, I thought I could help one at a time by fostering! Genius!....ha

When we first decided to become foster parents I just assumed that the dog we were given would be adopted before we became too attached. On the other hand, I was fully aware that when given Minka as our first foster dog, it might take a little longer for her to find her "furever" home because of her handicap. I was thinking a month, maybe two? We've had Minka since March...

During the last 6 months I have tried my best not to get too attached because I knew it would be extremely hard when the day came that I had to give her up. The first couple of months I prayed for a good home for her. I told friends, family, and co-workers about her hoping they would spread the word and a wonderful, good hearted person would come along that thought her funny looking legs and under bite with one tooth sticking out was irresistible. The last four months or so, however, I've dreaded every time I had to take her to adoption events or see her on adoption websites. I even cringed every time I saw Kandy's (the owner of the rescue agency) name show up on my phone thinking that she may be calling to tell me that Minka has someone interested in her. This happened a few months ago. She texted me and told me there was a lady interested in adopting her. I cried my eyes out for 30 minutes... Obviously, she changed her mind, thank God. This happened back in May and from that moment I knew I was in a HUGE predicament. I kept trying to tell myself that if I didn't find her a home I wouldn't be able to help any other dogs. That worked for just a little while.......
I've wanted to talk to Levi about my "predicament" for months and the fact that I wanted to keep Minka, BUT I was afraid of his reaction. I feared he would say "absolutely not" and then I would be in an even bigger predicament.

Back to my morning of waking up from my nightmare. You know those dreams that are so real that it seems like it really happened?? Yeah, my dream was one of those. I couldn't stop crying! It was horrible!! My dream was the straw that broke the camels back.

Minka isn't going anywhere.

Levi left early this morning before I woke up to play golf so I texted him and told him I wanted to adopt Minka. I couldn't even wait til he got home. He said ok and that he felt as if she was already ours anyway. (More tears..) Then I texted Kandy and asked her what I needed to do to adopt Minka and she told me. (And more tears...) SO, Minka is no longer a "foster dog." She's ours.

Everyone told me from the beginning that I was going to get attached to her and not be able to give her up so I'm expecting a lot of "I told you so's." Oh well...

24 Weeks

Luke weighs 2 pounds now! He is now gaining about 6 ounces per week.

Luke's checklist this week: 1) ears: done; 2) fingernails: done; 3) toenails: done; 4) eyebrows and eyelashes: done; 5) lung walls: secreting surfactant- a surface activated fat on his lungs necessary for breathing and 6) testicles: taking their 3-4 day trip from tummy to scrotum.

Last Week

This Week

Hello Belly Button!

Update

How Far Along: 24 Weeks

Gender: BOY

Weight Gain: I gained 7 pounds this month!! That's a total of 12 pounds so far.. BUT, Dr. G said it was fine and he's not worried about it because I hadn't gained much before this. So I guess when you think of it as a pregnant woman gaining 12 pounds in 6 months, it doesn't seem so bad haha

I also learned at my doctor's appointment today that 1) I'll be getting another sonogram a few weeks before Luke's due date. Yaay! and 2) at my next appointment I will have to drink the nasty koolaide, wait an hour, and then have the diabetes test done. Not so Yaay!

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes. I need to get some maternity "lounge around the house" t-shirts I guess because my belly now hangs out the bottom of my once too big pre-pregnancy t-shirts :/

Movement: (smile) He's my little jumpin' bean. He gets more active by the day. Usually he naps for an hour or two and then "plays" for about 15-20 minutes and then naps again. Lately he "plays" for a lot longer. Wednesday afternoon and evening I think he might have taken one nap it seemed like.

Sleep: The usual leg numbness and every other hour potty breaks. I really miss being able to sleep on my back and on my right side so I can snuggle with Levi. Earlier this week I got a BAD charlie horse leg cramp in my calf. My calf muscle is STILL sore.

Cravings: Every now and then I crave lemons. Or for example, wanting salmon for dinner so I could squirt a bunch of lemon on it.

Aversions: Besides chicken, none

Stretch Marks: None

Symptoms: See previous blog..... Too much to type all that out again.

Belly Button In or Out: Hmm well...it's not an innie and its not an outie..it's like an evenie..it's even with my tummy haha

What I Miss: This week I really missed being able to have a glass of wine after work

What I Look Forward To: My school kiddos starting back to school on Monday. At "Meet the Teacher," two of my new kids commented on my "big belly" (which was absolutely hilarious!) and I'm eager to hear what comes out of the kids mouths that I had last year.

Best Mommy Moment of the Week: Levi seeing Luke kick. Remember me telling about how on Wednesday it seemed like he moved around all afternoon and evening? He saw my belly move that evening. Luke definitely was trying to put on a show for Daddy and he did a great job :) Two of my friends also got to feel him kick this week. I think I was just as excited as they were. It's just really neat being able to share that with others.

This Week's Nursery Accomplishments :)

Chair- BEFORE

Chair- AFTER

I'm a tad bit proud of myself :)

Luke's Changing Table/ Dresser

Mirror

Side Table Next To Rocking Chair

The Joys of Pregnancy

TOP TEN "JOYS" AT 23 WEEKS 5 DAYS

1) Headache
2) Indigestion
3) Boobs are leaking and my nipples feel like they've been chopped off
4) Lower back is KILLING me!
5) Sharp, ice pick stabbing pains from things stretching and moving
6) Butt is sore from wear I fell on it yesterday... I'm totally clumsy and my chair decided to move on me...
7) Thighs are either numb or feel like thousands of needles stabbing me all day
8) Charlie Horse calf cramps that cause me to sit straight up in the bed, yelling, scaring poor hubby to death, and calfs are sore the whole next day
9) Achy, swollen feet
10) Extremely crabby and emotional

.:For Your Viewing Pleasure:.

My friend introduced me to an app on my iPhone. I don't take many videos, but I decided to use the few videos I did have to create these fantastic masterpieces!

~A Lazy Evening at the Ponder's~

 **K9s on Crack**

....Jeff Has a Death Wish....

!Minka Gets Her Wheels!

---Our Little Winter Wonderland---

The music isn't working for some reason, but this is my favorite video :)

Growin' Boy!

Ok, so I seriously think Luke grew like 1/2 a pound over night! I took the first picture yesterday and I took the second picture today.. Maybe it's just the shirt or my eyes playing tricks on me, but I swear my belly looks and feels so much bigger today for some reason.

23 Weeks

Luke weighs just over a pound and is the size of a small doll. This week is the start of some serious weight gain. His weight will double in the next 4 weeks.

I've decided the shirt I was wearing in last week's picture made me look weird so I'm not putting it in this weeks blog for comparison..

Update

How Far Along: 23 Weeks

Gender: My Little Man :)

Weight Gain: 7 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Teacher In service has started so I'm having to actually wear real clothes now instead of t-shirts and shorts (tear).

Movement: I think he thinks my bladder is his own personal trampoline. Seriously...it's bad.

Each week he gets more active and besides the bladder bouncing, I love it. Levi can feel him more and my belly is moving more with the bigger kicks.

Sleep: Same o' same o' stuff. My legs constantly tingle and fall asleep. I'm just used to it now.

Cravings: None this week. It's so weird how I go from everyday about to kill someone if I don't get a certain food, to no cravings at all in two week! Maybe that means the baby is getting all the things he needs :)

Aversions: The C word

Stretch Marks: None.. hallelujah

Symptoms: MY BACK HURTS SO BAD! UGH!!!!! It's actually more like my butt! The whole part around the top of my butt crack is so sore feeling and achy. Icy Hot and massages from Levi is the only thing that helps. I've noticed my ankles are starting to swell when I stand up for too long and I had a near fainting experience again while shopping the other day.

Belly Button In or Out: In

What I Miss: Being able to see my hoohoo...just keeping it real folks...

What I Look Forward To: Painting his dresser/changing table this weekend and our doctor's appointment on the 19th.

Best Mommy Moment of the Week: Going swimming and feeling him go crazy! Also, getting his cute little onesies in that I ordered and buying him some more clothes and a little rocking chair :)

Sorry this blog is a little blah..I'm brain dead and exhausted after my first day back to work. Better ones to come. Promise.

Last Day of Freedom

So I've been slacking a little on the blog lately. I know. I know. I guess I've had a touch of writer's block. Let's see if I can catch y'all up on everything since my last blog. This could be difficult because my brain, memory, everything is still MIA.

Friday night we went shopping and bought curtains for Luke's room.

Yaay for curtains!!

The dogs are not allowed in the nursery so Inspector Gadget here
decided she'd just sit at the edge and make sure we were putting them up properly.

Saturday we went to Longview to visit friends and Luke got to swim in a swimming pool for the first time. I'm not sure what it was, but he kicked like crazy while I was in the pool!

I seriously don't remember Sunday and Monday so I guess they were pretty uneventful...

Tuesday was a busy day for me. I worked in my classroom for a couple of hours, got my hair did, visited with my grandparents, stopped by the house for a few minutes, and then went out to a friends house and they gave me TONS of cute baby stuff.
Before I left my house to go out to their house I had a bag of old clothes I am planning to take to Goodwill sitting by the door. This is what I came home to..

A certain K9 had a temper tantrum and I'm pretty sure I know which one it was. The Inspector.

THEN, I ate Johnny Carino's for a SNAP (spay/neuter assistance program) fundraiser and went shopping at Rhea Lana's. I got Luke a pullover, 2 pairs of pants, 5 tops, and a little wooden rocking chair for 23 bucks! I must say that was a successful shopping trip. Here is the cute little chair I bought.

I want to paint it and maybe paint his name on the seat of it. I have some serious thinking to do on this project.. I am welcoming any suggestions or ideas :)

Well folks, that's about it in a nutshell. I have to go back to work tomorrow so I'm trying to clean a little with frequent breaks of laziness. Last day of freedom of a long break til..well...oh wow...EVER! Thanksgiving break doesn't count because it's only 3 days and Christmas vacation and next summer vacation I'll be a MOM!!!

Panic Attack in 3...2...1...

 

Week 22

Luke weighs a whopping 1 pound and is a foot in length! His inner ear is completely developed now so he now has his sense of balance. His other senses are also continuing to develop. He can now grab onto the umbilical cord and can perceive lightness and darkness. His eyelashes, eyebrows, and fingernails are completed now and his hair is continuing to grow on his head.

Last Week

This Week

It's so weird how some weeks my belly looks exactly the same and then other weeks it looks totally different...

Update:

How Far Along: 22 Weeks

Gender: All Boy!!

Weight Gain: 7 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Yes....But I prefer cotton shorts and a t-shirt when all possible!

Movement: He's a mover! I can see my belly move when he kicks really hard now. I saw it move for the first time on Monday night. The night before last, he was VERY active at 11:00! He was moving more than I have ever felt. I'm not sure if it was the position I was in or he was in, but I could feel him moving..like wiggling (not just kicks). It's kind of hard to explain, but it was really neat :)

Sleep: Perfectly fine this week. No complaints except for both of my legs falling asleep.

Cravings: Ok, this is the weirdest thing..I haven't had any major cravings. AT ALL! I wanted a bowl of cereal late one night which is unusual for me, but that's it.

Aversions: I'll give y'all one guess :)

Stretch Marks: Nope..keeping my fingers crossed they won't ever make their ugly appearance.

Symptoms: Memory loss (my brain's MIA...like seriously). And my boobs are doing a new thing, but I'll keep those details to myself. haha

Belly Button In or Out: The Innie is holding strong!!!!!  barely..

What I Miss: Being able to stay out of the bathroom for more than an hour. I've almost pee-ed on myself several times this week!!! I'll just be sitting there and WHAM! it's like the baby rolls over or kicks my bladder or something and I'm thinking "Oh God, I'm about to pee on myself! and I rush to the bathroom expecting to pee for an hour and don't even have to pee! (??)

What I Look Forward To This Week: Hmmmm Well, I don't have anything major planned or any appointments so I guess just continuing to fix up his room and being lazy before I have to go back to work on Thursday. We are going to look for his curtains tonight :) Here's a picture of his PAINTED room after I cleaned up everything...

 I also look forward to feeling him get the hiccups. I think that will be a really neat feeling :) Oh Oh! And I also had a large moment of weakness and order him some onesies from Carter's that should be coming in soon!! Here's what I ordered :) Please excuse the sizing of the pictures..blogger is going crazy today...

"DADDY AND I LOVE MOMMY" - Newborn

"Handsome Like Daddy"- 3 Month

"HERE COMES TROUBLE" - 6 Month

::::I promise I will try to restrain myself from further purchases...at least before my baby shower::::

Best Mommy Moment of the Week: Seeing my belly bounce when he kicked on Monday night. It doesn't happen with all the kicks, just the big ones, so I have to sit and stare at my belly for a while to see it move. But it's worth it!!

To be Luke's mommy

Who will you look like,

How will you be?

Will you look like Daddy or me?

Ten little fingers and ten little toes,

A wrinkled up forehead and a cute button nose.

You will be crying with that first, cold touch,

And so will I because I love you so much. ~ Wendy Dahlke

I am so daggum emotional lately! For example, I cried for ten minutes yesterday after seeing a stupid commercial on t.v.!!! And it's REALLY hitting me that I'm going to be a mommy soon. I've wanted this for years and now I find myself wondering if I can do it. Am I going to be a good mommy? Am I going to know all the right things to do? Not to do? Am I going to be able to juggle being a good mommy AND wife AND teacher AND mommy to three dogs? Am I going to be able to soak in each moment before it passes by and I wake up one morning and he's grown? Hopefully I'm not going psycho and other first time mommies have the same worries. It's crazy how much I already love this little boy. We have "play time" in the evenings after dinner. I'll sit on the couch and feel and watch him kick. Then I'll press on my belly and he'll kick back :) I feel like I already know him. I KNOW my husband is going to be the best daddy ever! It makes me smile just thinking about it. Other than occasional worries, I have never been so happy and have such a feeling of.....(searching for the right word...my brain's decided to take a vacay the past week or so)....completeness. I've always been happy, but have always felt like something was missing. I feel like I actually have a reason to be in this world now. To be Luke's mommy.

Update on Luke's Room

We've been busy little bee's in Luke's Room!!!! 

His bedding came in Friday and I. FREAKING. LOVE IT!

Yaay!

Inside the Crib

His Quilt

On Friday evening we went to Lowe's to get paint for the walls. I brought his quilt with me so we could match the color. The we went to our "Friday night eating spot," and last, but not least, finished up our registry at Target!!!!

We got two sample paint colors...

I was really upset with how the paint on the right ended up looking. It was so much darker on the wall than on the paint swab. The one on the left matched the quilt GREAT so that's the color we went with. Saturday we did some major cleaning and started painting. Some friends stopped by about 2 p.m. and then Levi finished up the second coat that evening.



Definitely a disaster zone right now, but I can see the potential!!! haha I think the color turned out wonderful. Next step is to paint the trim. It's looking a little rough.... I planned on doing that today, but I had to do some things at the school and run some errands...like grocery shop and get my toenails painted baby blue :D
Tomorrow will be trim day and putting everything back in place.