7 Months Preggo

The countdown is on...less than 12 weeks until Kaden is here! It is crazy to see over the last few months how much my belly has grown. I think I am not showing much at all, then take a picture and think oh yes I am! It really depends on how Kaden is laying how big my belly is. It is funny to see how I go from looking 5 months pregnant to 8 months pregnant just from the way he lays!

I can definitely tell that I am in the 3rd trimester. Naps are definitely a regular occurance! After a long day at work, the bed is my best friend! My pregnancy is still going great. At my last visit I failed my glucose test. I had to go back for the 3 hour test. After the first hour I failed again. I was thinking I had gestational diabetes and was so depressed. However I passed the 2nd and 3rd hour and am in the clear...thank goodness!

Every night now, Brandon and I watch Kaden move in my belly. I am not exaggerating when I say my whole belly moves. It is the coolest thing. The other night my brother and sister got to see it. It is so exciting to share this experience with my fam!

Yesterday we went and got a 4D untrasound. It was super neat! Kaden slept, wiped his eyes, moved from one side on my stomach to the other, then got cozy to sleep again. It was funny because as the tech did the ultrasound my belly was just a moving. I thought hey this is what you have been doing kid! We found that Kaden is DEFINITELY a boy! There is no guessing in that area! His little face is so chubby and cute. We learned he has a head full of hair already. From what I can tell he has Brandon's lips, cheek line, and feet and he has my nose. A lot can change in 12 weeks though. I was just excited to see him healthy and doing his thing. Here are some pictures from his ultrasound.

Changes

I am currently almost 6 months pregnant. I have said it before and will say it again...WOW! This is going by so fast! My little guy will be here before we know it! As I think about my pregnancy so far I must say I have been pretty lucky. After the yuckiness of the 1st trimester, it has been pretty much smooth sailing. However there are some things I am still getting used to. Things that nobody ever told me about. Things like:

1.) Nose bleeds! I have experienced nose bleeds for the 1st time in my life. Apparently they are very common in pregnancy. One morning I was taking a shower and noticed a lot of blood going down the drain. I instantly started freaking out. Turns out it was just a nose bleed.

2.) Waking up in the middle of the night to a belly full of movement! In the last week, Kaden has woken me up with his rolling around, pushing, and kicking. Now I must say I don't mind this too much because I get to feel him move. I swear the kid already has such personality. If I sleep on my side and get on my belly just a little bit, he kicks. It is like he is telling me to stop squashing him!

3.) Hungry!! I have never been a person who eats all the time. But I tell you there are some days when I feel like all I can do is eat. I get so hungry! I feel guilty NOT eating when I am hungry because I feel like I am starving the baby. So I eat and eat! I might regret it later, but for now I will continue to eat like a haven't had a meal for days.

4.) Ugly feet! I have always had well defined feet and ankles...not anymore! After a week of working and being on my feet all day, my feet have begun swelling. Instead of looking at the ugly things, I prefer to wear closed shoes to cover them up!

5.) Bathroom breaks!! I used to be a teacher who could go all day without going to the bathroom...who has the time, right? Now I go as much or more than the students! I had heard of the frequent urination of pregnant folk. However, I was not ready for when you stand up and instantly feel like you are going to wet yourself! When Kaden gets on my bladder, you better let me in the bathroom or it definitely won't be pretty!

I must say these little inconveniences hardly compare to the joy and excitement of feeling Kaden move and knowing that soon he will be here! I know that I am truly blessed! This experience is the most amazing thing I have ever had the opportunity to go through and I thank God everyday for giving me this wonderful gift!

Karate?!

Over the last week, I swear this kid is doing karate in my belly! He is so active and I love it! So far Brandon, my mother in law, my sister, and brother have all felt him move. I love that they get to share in this experience with me! My sister recently had a baby and was telling me how she use to press to find the baby and make her move. Well of course I had to try! So last night I was laying down pressing on my tummy and found him. Of course the lil guy instantly kicks/hits my hand. It was pretty neat! I get to go to the doctor next week and am excited to hear his little heartbeat again. Only 19 more weeks till we get to meet the little guy!

Half Way There!

So this week I reached the 20 week mark. I will say this first half of this pregnancy has flown by! I think it is because we kept it a secret for so long. I hope the next half goes by just as fast. However from what I hear, it will go by VERY slowly! I will say I am enjoying this part of the pregnancy. Every day I get to feel Kaden just a moving around. I will say he is quite active so far! Brandon and his Mom have both felt him move, although either has yet to feel a good kick. I guess he saves those just for me! Kaden's bedding arrived this week and we just bought some paint. Brandon is starting on the painting next week and I can't wait!

Here is a picture of me at 20 weeks pregnant.

It's a BOY!!!

So yesterday was the BIG day! My husband, his Mom, and I went to the doctor to see our precious baby. As the ultrasound started, the tech told us that she was going to do all the measurements the doctor needed, then she would look for the sex for us. I remember thinking, "Man! I have to wait some more!" Well our baby had other plans. As soon as the tech started the ultrasound, we saw the "goods!" The tech told us if we looked we would have a pretty good idea of what we were having. Let me tell you, it was so OBVIOUS that we are having a BOY!! As soon as I saw it, I looked at my husband. That grin on his face was indescribable....he was one proud Daddy! :)

The tech continued with the ultrasound. At the beginning, baby was sleeping and she easily measured what she needed to. She told us his heart, kidneys, and umbilical cord all the looked great. We found out that he weighed 8 ounces and on average measured 18 weeks 3 days, although I was supposed to be 18 weeks 0 days. Either he is a big boy or the dates are a little off.

The tech then told us that his heart rate was 148. She then preceded to let us listen to it. This is when baby woke up! Every time she tried to listen, he jumped. I mean jumped. It was crazy to watch him do that. He is doing that in my tummy?! Crazy! After 3 attempts, we finally got to hear. She then let us look at him for a bit. At one point he grabbed his legs and started playing with them. It was so cute! Toward the end, he put his hand behind his head and relaxed. Its amazing how much personality he already has and he is still in my tummy!

After the ultrasound, we were all on CLOUD 9! What a precious gift! A healthy BOY!! However, it didn't take long for us to remember....we didn't pick out a boy name! We had a girl name, but hadn't agreed on a boy name! I knew I wanted to find one soon, so I could start calling him by name. We ended up going shopping and eating with my husband's Mom. The whole time we were going over names...I still didn't LOVE any! When we got back to town we went around to family showing off his ultrasound pictures...still talking about what his name would be. We still hadn't come up with one when my husband and I laid down for bed. As we laid there talking about our exciting day, my husband, a former jock in high school, tells me the baby looked like he was jumping at a cadence in football. I love football (GO COLTS!), but had no idea what he was talking about. He then explained how after hearing a code word, you jump into the play. He said the baby seemed to do this every time the tech tried to listened to his heartbeat. Suddenly it came to me "Kaden!!" Together we decided his name will be Kaden. I looked it up today and Kaden mean "fighter." It fits him after having complications early in this pregnancy, he is a fighter...one strong determined boy. I must say I cannot wait to meet this strong boy of mine!

Here's a profile of our sweet boy!

Whoa! What a Feeling!

So yesterday was a pretty lazy day for my husband and I. Boy did we need it after a stressful couple of weeks! We went to get some takeout and were going to watch a movie when we got home. However, as we left Brandon did not tell me not to lock the door, so when we returned we were locked out. Don't worry....not a big deal. For some reason, unbeknownst to me, my husband has always been good at breaking us in when this sort of thing happens. Anyway back to the story. As I was sitting on the front step waiting for my hunny to unlock the door, I began to feel the baby move. I am just over 17 weeks and this again felt like the flutters/popping I have been feeling for almost 2 weeks. I instantly told Brandon who made a remark about how the baby always decides to move at odd times.

Fast forward about 30 minutes, we are in our house stuffing our faces as we watch a movie. All of the sudden I felt a strong nudge about 2 inches under my belly button. I instantly look down to see if something was there nudging me. Nope nothing there. Then I felt it again. This time I started crying. It was my baby kicking. There was no denying it. As I start to tell my husband what was happening, the baby did it AGAIN! I must say that this feeling was a feeling I will never forget. I of course start talking to the baby trying to make him/her do it again without much luck. Regardless for the rest of the night I could not stop smiling. I am so blessed that I am able to have this experience and am so thankful for it!

By the way, 5 days until we find out boy or girl!! :)

One Proud Aunt!

It's amazing that something in life that starts as a huge SHOCK turns into a beautiful blessing. When Becca found out and told me she was pregnant, it was definitely a surprise. Although it was an adjustment, I watched Becca become more and more excited about becoming a Mommy. Now that Rylee is here, I can see that God has blessed Becca and Ryan beyond measure.

Yesterday was the BIG day! Ms. Rylee was breeched so Becca had a scheduled C-Section. I arrived at the hospital at 7 am. Let me tell you, Becca was a nervous wreck! Can you blame her? They were about to cut her open! I was told that I could wait outside the OR, as Ryan went in with Becca. As I was waiting to hear that beautiful cry, a nurse handed me a gown and said I could come in! Boy was I excited! I watched the operation in wonder and excitement. It was beautiful to see that sweet baby, MY NIECE, being pulled out of Becca's tummy. When I heard that first cry and saw that sweet baby, I instantly began to cry. What an amazing miracle! I watched them clean the baby and followed Ryan to the nursery. Ms. Rylee came into this world weighing 7 pounds, 15 ounces and was 20 inches long. Boy is she beautiful! She has dark black hair, Becca's lips, and a combination of Becca and Ryan's noses.

I spent the rest of yesterday holding that sweet baby and watching family fall in love with her preciousness. Becca instantly transformed into this amazing Mommy. I sat and watched as Rylee got quiet as soon as she heard Becca's voice. Truly breathtaking! So far I have learned that Rylee loves to cuddle, she preferred to be held tightly upright on her belly, and she loves for you to talk to her. I am so excited to have my role as Aunt Liz and am so ready to SPOIL, SPOIL, SPOIL! On another note...this amazing experience has definitely made me more anxious to meet my little one! :) In a little more than 2 weeks, we will know boy or girl. I can't wait to find out!

Here are some pics from our day yesterday.

MOVEMENT!!

I have heard that you will first feel your baby move around 16-22 weeks. Therefore, when I first felt the baby, I thought NO WAY!

On Tuesday (almost 15 weeks pregnant), I was laying in bed watching TV. I felt like there was a bug crawling on my stomach. I looked down, nothing. I just chalked it up to my skin itching. A few seconds later I felt it again, but this time it was more like "flutters." A few weeks ago when I starting asking about feeling the baby move, friends would tell me it feels like "flutters." I remember thinking what do "flutters" feel like? Now flutters is the only word that comes to mind. After I felt the flutters I, of course, started asking people if I did feel the baby and most agreed it was probably it.

Well Wednesday and Thursday passed with no movement. I decided it wasn't the baby I felt on Tuesday....until today! While in Memphis with Becca, I felt the flutters again. This time it felt stronger. There was no doubt in my mind that it was the baby. It's amazing that this sweet baby is now 4 1/2 inches long and is moving around, when 11 weeks ago, he/she was the size of a dot. God's work is truly amazing.

We got a HEARTBEAT!

Today I went to the doctor for my 14 weeks check up. I was a nervous wreck. This pregnancy has been especially scary for me after we lost a baby in December. I have tried to stay positive, but was cautiously excited. However, I am now OVER THE MOON with excitement. The doctor put the doppler on my tummy and instantly we heard the sweet sound of the baby's heart beating. I, of course being the big baby I am, started to cry. In that moment I thanked God for this blessing and put this pregnancy in his hands. I love this sweet baby so much already and am thankful that it was in God's plan for Brandon and I to be parents.

On July 9th, we will find out if we are having a boy or girl. I honestly would love to have either, but am leaning towards girl because I have her name picked out. Whichever we end up having I know I am going to be blessed to be Mommy to this sweet baby.

Fairy Tale

I grew up daydreaming about meeting my prince. Who knew I would meet him in a Wendy's parking lot! I met Brandon over 8 years ago in January of 2002. I was 16 and he was 18. Of course, being this young, our relationship started as a flirtatious, causal thing. I remember having such butterflies in my stomach everytime I saw or talked to him. In time I realized that Brandon was special and he made me a better person. After many dates and late night conversations, we knew we were meant for each other. In December of 2003, Brandon proposed. We got married 7 months later in July of 2004. The day we got married was so special and I knew I was a lucky girl. We have been married now for 6 years this July. Over the last 6 years, I have learned that life is not perfect, but having that stable person who is there no matter what sure makes it easier. I know that God has big plans for Brandon and I. I can't wait to see where life continues to take us and am so thankful that I have the honor of being Mrs. Elizabeth Jones.

1st Time Blogger!

Well I am gonna give this whole blogging thing a try. The thing is my family is scattered. We have folks in Vermont, Missouri, Middle TN, and East TN. That is just counting my immediate family. I would like for us to be able to keep updated with what is going on in each other's lives. I also have friends with busy lives that I do not get to chat with as much as I would like. So I decided to blog. Hopefully I will be better at it then I think I will be! :)