Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween!!!! I love to see all of the kids dressed up!!! Today we are having a Customer Appreciation day. We are seeing so many kids dressed up today!!! We have had an appearance from Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Superman, a Power Ranger, Grim Reaper, and some cute little fairies!!!!!

We will be trick or treating tonight. Ok....not really trick or treating, just going around to family and friends so they can see how cute G-Man is!!!! Garrett is going to be a pumpkin tonight!!! Today he is dressed in a cute little outfit that says Daddy's Little Monster across the front!!!! Pictures will come tonight!!!!!

Tomorrow is a big day for us!!! We find out what is cooking in this tummy of mine!!! Hopefully I will be able to post the news tomorrow after we go to the doctor. We are heading out tomorrow to stay the night before we fly out Friday morning!!!! We will be having our court hearing Friday afternoon and will then fly back home Saturday. It will be a quick trip, but it will be great to get it over with.

18 Weeks

Vernix (a white cheese-like protective material) forms on baby's skin with the lanugo (soft, lightly pigmented hair covering the body and limbs); both serving to protect your baby's skin during the months in water.
Your placenta continues to grow and nourish the baby. Don't forget those prenatal vitamins!
Tiny air sacs called alveoli begin to form in lungs. He'll be putting these lungs to good use in just a few months!
Her vocal chords are formed. She goes through the motions of crying but without air she doesn't make a sound.
Features of your baby's heart, including ventricles and chambers, should be visible during an ultrasound.
Your baby measures about 5.59 inches (14.2cm) this week and weighs about 6.7 ounces (190gm).

Love To All!!!

17 Weeks

This week has been a crazy one!!!! Garrett has his first cold. He woke up Monday night---actually early, early Tuesday morning, with a stuffy nose. He was up the majority of the night. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep. I felt so bad for him. He was so stuffy and snotty that he kept choking. Luckily my mom was able to come over and pick him up so I could get ready for work. She kept him Tuesday while Joel and I were at work. Garrett amazingly slept through the night last night. I think he was totally exhausted. He was still stuffy this morning, so my mom kept him again today. He seems to be a bit better today. We are going to go back to the babysitter tomorrow. I have been afraid he might get the other kids sick, even though he hasn't had a fever. I am hopeful that we caught his cold early enough and started giving him Tylenol early enough that he won't stay sick!!!!

Other than that, nothing else has been going on for us this week!!! It is amazing to know that I am already 17 weeks pregnant. 1 more week and we will find out what is swimming around in this tummy of mine!!!

17 Weeks

~You can feel your uterus just below your belly button now. It should be the size of a cantaloupe or a little bigger now.
~By week 17, your baby weighs about 4.97 ounces (140gm) and is 5.12 inches (13cm) long.
~He or she has a much more normal "human" appearance now. She holds her head more erect and her body and limbs are longer in proportion to her head.
~Pads are forming on his tiny fingertips and toes. Soon those individual swirls and whorls will be apparent.
~Her eyes are looking forward now, but they are still firmly closed.
~Meconium (composed of products of cell loss, digestive secretion and swallowed amniotic fluid), is accumulating in the bowel. This black gooey substance will become your baby's first poop!
~The umbilical cord is growing thicker and stronger and continues to rush blood and nutrients to your growing baby.
~If your child is male the prostate begins to develop.
~Her skeleton is tranforming from cartilage to bone. The bones remain flexible to make the journey through the birth canal easier.

Love to All!!!

16 Weeks

Not a whole lot to report since Monday's appointment. The picnic last night was fun. It amazes how early it is getting dark though!!! It was totally dark at 7:15. Thank goodness some of the kids had on shoes that lit up when they ran....we never would have found them!!!!

We definitely will be making a trip to Colorado on November 2nd. We received a letter in the mail this weekend that gives us our hearing time and everything!!!! We will be flying out of Friday morning and coming back Saturday afternoon. I hope the quick trip and the flights won't be too hard on Garrett!!!

Garrett is doing great!!! He actually slept through the night last night. He does that occasionally, and every time he does, it feels so good!!!! He loves to gab in the car on our way to Marilyn's in the morning. It is so much fun to hear him "talk". The weather is starting to feel like football weather.....we are going to have to get Garrett a new Chiefs outfit. He has one that he can wear, and one that he has outgrown!!!! I have a feeling he will grow out of his one pretty quickly!!!!

16 Weeks
~Fat begins to form underneath skin, providing your baby with insulation for the coming months.
~Did you know that both baby and placenta are now about the same size?
~Your little one has reached 4.57 inches (11.6cm) and approximately 3.53 ounces (100gm).
~His head and neck are held straighter now.
~This is a week of "mights!" You might hear the tiny thumps of his heartbeat with an external monitor now. The genitals are developed sufficiently that an experienced sonographer might be able to determine if your baby is a boy or a girl.
~Her heart is pumping as much as 6 gallons of blood a day and beats at a rate about double your heartrate.
~If you could take a peek inside, you would witness your child's reflexes in action! (Sucking, swallowing and blinking are now evident.) She is probably even hiccuping even though you don't feel it yet!
~Your baby has learned to breathe! This is apparent from the regular movements of his chest. Isn't it amazing that he is able to breathe "underwater," inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid? These actions help the lungs to develop and grow.

157 bpm

I had my monthly appointment yesterday with my doctor. After waiting for 2 hours I was finally able to see her. Why is it that doctors are always running late??? I don't know that we will ever get an answer to that question!!! Once I did see the doctor, she said everything was fine. My belly is measuring right on target for 16 weeks. It was great to hear that, considering everyone keeps telling me that they think I am carrying twins!!! I can't wait for the ultrasound on the 1st---being able to prove to everyone that there is only one little bean in there will be wonderful.

Believe it or not, I have only gained 7 1/2 pounds during my pregnancy. I have set a maximum goal for myself of 25 pounds. I would like to stay under that though. I know as time gets closer, that number will start climbing, but I would like to try and maintain the most healthy weight possible. I had worked so hard to take some weight off, I don't want to have to do it all over again!!!

We are having a picnic tonight for our Sunday School class. Hopefully it will stay light enough that we will be able to see one another. It totally amazes me how dark it is getting already. I dread this time of year. I love the sunlight and the long days. However, I love the fall season!!! It has started feeling like fall lately. I actually wore a sweater to work yesterday. I don't know that anything feels better than putting on a sweater and a pair of jeans!!! Speaking of jeans....I got another pair of maternity jeans over the weekend. Why is it that these maternity stores think that because you are pregnant, you are 6 foot 5????? I would have to wear 6 inch heels to keep them from dragging the ground!!! I am going to try and exchange them this evening!!!

Love to all!!!!

Great News

Great news came to us today!!!! We had been told that we would be traveling to Colorado in January or February for our finalization. I spoke to the agency in Colorado today that handled our placement and they gave me some wonderful news. November is National Adoption Awareness month and November 2nd is Adoption Day in court. Well.....Joel, Garrett and I will be traveling to Colorado for our day in court on November 2nd!!!! Our finalization won't actually occur until January, but we won't have to be there for another court appearance. They will do our finalization as a paper hearing with a judge. I had been worried about traveling to Colorado after the first of the year due to being further along. Thankfully the Lord was looking out for us again!!!!!
15 Weeks

~You may begin to feel some fluttering movements as baby kicks, flails, twists and turns (but don't panic if you don't yet). She can also grasp, squint, frown, grimace and maybe suck her thumb!
~Your baby's legs have grown longer than the arms and the body is now longer than the head.
And you'll be happy to note that he is moving those arms and legs often!
~His skin is very thin -- so thin blood vessel are visible. It's covered by a fine, soft layer of hair called lanugo. Lanugo comes from a Latin word meaning "down." This hair is thought to help insulate your little boy.
~The three tiny bones in his middle ear have begun to harden. The auditory centers in your baby's brain haven't developed yet, so she might not really understand what you say but her hearing capacity is in the process of developing.
~Fingernails and toenails are growing.
~Eyebrows are beginning to grow and even the hair his head is sprouting. It will probably change color and texture after birth.
~All this and your little one is an amazing 3.98 inches (10.1cm) long and may weigh 2.47 ounces (70gm).

Who is gaining weight???

And the answer isn't me!!!!! Ok...maybe I am gaining a little!!!! But Mister Garrett, also known as G-Man, is gaining weight like crazy!!!! We went to the doctor today for for our 2 month checkup. I know, I know, Garrett is 2 1/2 months, but it was the earliest we could get in. 2 month checkups also mean an array of shots!!! He had to get 3 shots and an oral vaccine. I felt so bad. My heart was breaking because I couldn't do anything to make him feel any better.

Have I kept you waiting long enough. Garrett weighed 14 pounds 13 ounces, 24 inches long and has a head circumference of 16 1/2 inches. He is in the 75th percentile for his head circumference and his height. He is in the 90th percentile for weight. I was guessing that he would weigh about 15 pounds. I guess I was pretty close.

Love to All!!!

Bye Bye 1st Trimester

It is hard to believe that the 1st trimester is over!!! I have been very fortunate with not having any morning sickness!!! Since I have been back to work, I also find that I don't really need a nap. I don't know if it is because I am so busy, or if I am finally over the hump of being completely exhausted. I am thinking that I might finally be over the hump. Don't get me wrong, by the time 9:00 gets here, I am ready for bed. I actually went to bed at 9:00 last night and was asleep by 9:15-9:30. I sure felt well rested this morning. I hope everything is well with everyone. Fill me in on what is going on in your world!!!

Did you know the babies vocal chords are developed!!!! The little bean can cry!!!!
14 Weeks
~Thyroid gland has matured and your baby begins producing hormones which will be used throughout his or her life.
~In boys, the prostate gland develops
~In girls, the ovaries move from the abdomen to the pelvis
~Your little one may have learned to suck his thumb by this point!
~Your child's bones are getting harder and stronger by the day!
~Your baby's skin is very transparent still
~Lanugo (very fine hair) covers the baby's body and will continue to grow until 26 weeks gestational age - Generally this will be shed prior to birth. Its purpose is to help protect baby's skin while in all that water!
~Your baby is 3.42 inches (8.7cm) long and weighs about 1.52 ounces (43 grams) - approximately the weight of a letter!

Back in the Saddle Again

Well...today is my 2nd day back at work. It has been really nice being around my co-workers and my friends!!! Believe it or not, it feels like I haven't even been gone.

My dad is watching Garrett on Monday's, and the he is going to the babysitter the rest of the week. Marilyn is a great lady! I feel very fortunate to have such a wonderful woman taking care of my little man. It wasn't quite as hard as I thought it would be when I left him this morning. I think it is because he was happy, smiling and laughing. He cooed the entire way to her house. It was the most awesome thing to hear in the morning. I did just call to check on him and he has had a few fussy spells, but he is sleeping now. Hopefully he will take his long nap now and give Marilyn a break until Joel or I can get there to pick him up. My hope is that he will be an even better baby for Marilyn tomorrow!!!

Have a great week!!