Kylee

Well Kylee is here and I never made a post about it. Kristi is going to kill me because I can't remember the exact day she was born, but it was about a week ago. Brice and I think she has Chad's mouth and nose, but I think it's obvious the only reason she is so beautiful is because she takes after Kristi. I mean seriously, what newborn has a tan like that? She is breath-taking.

a piece of history- nursery idea

I have been saving this to frame and put in the nursery one day.
In 1983 I won a "real" Cabbage Patch Kid doll at Angleton-Danbury hospital. The first time in my life I have ever beaten my sister at anything, ha! My mom entered both our names in the drawing. Mine was drawn out of hundreds.
Click on the newspaper article picture if you can't read it.


The poor doll is now 26 years old and looks like the bride of chucky. My mom said the original outfit got lost about 3 years after I got it. So she had put one of my night gowns on the doll that I wore as a baby. I'm sure I was upset at the time that the original outfit got lost, but now I am thankful she had put one of my own baby gowns on the doll so I can show my kids one day what I use to wear.

Baby Beats

I rented a digital fetal heartbeat doppler from Belly Beats online. FedEx dropped it off yesterday and I immediately started jugging a bottle of water to get my bladder full. The book says it works best starting at 10 weeks and since I won't be 10 weeks till Monday I was a little nervous I wouldn't be able to find the heartbeat. I put the gel it came with all over my belly and started moving the little probe around right below my belly-button. And at first I kept picking up my own heartbeat because the digital screen kept saying 90bpm. Finally after 10 minutes I found what I was looking for- 165bpm and I could actually feel the thumping of baby Fief's heartbeat thru the speaker on the doppler. Of course I got all excited and made my mom come over to show her. Later that evening I went to my dads house to show him. I found the heartbeat within 5 mins this time and it was 163bpm.
So when Brice got home he was eager to play with our new toy, too. This is where it gets kind of funny. 15 minutes of Brice rolling that little probe all over my belly, he still couldn't find the heartbeat. He started mouthing under his breath "come on Augustus"- that's what he calls our baby. I assured him that "Augustus" was probably in a bad position and that's why he couldn't find the heartbeat. By this point it had been 25 minutes so I told him he needed to stop because I didn't know if it was safe to do it that long even though the booklet says it is safe. He was pretty mad he couldn't find "Augustus" heartbeat so I promised him we could try again tonight.
I can't wait to show my Nana and my mother-in-law. Hearing that heartbeat makes it seem so much more real that there is actually a baby growing inside my tummy:)

Happy Anni....and Birthday.....

Happy Anniversary to Crystal and PJ. Today they have been married 7 years.



And Happy Birthday to my first born- Sophia. She is 8 years old today.


Someone once told me these are the best times of our life, and we don't even know it. Make the most of it everyday- because one day you're going to look back and think "man, those were some good times". (and yes sis I am awake early again. thanks to this little gummy bear doing a number on my tummy)

texas bound

My sister and Nathan are coming to visit June 1-10. I am so excited to see my little nephew, but even more excited to see my sister. PJ has to go to Kentucky for 2 weeks for work so Crystal is using that as an excuse to come "home". I guess this means I better get my camera charged!

8w4d

Today I am 8w4d pregnant. Just four more weeks and I'll be in my second trimester!!
Yesterday we got really good news at the doctor. I had my second ultrasound at 8am to check for sac and baby growth, and most importantly, to see a heartbeat again. I started crying when the ultrasound tech found the baby and you could immediately see the little heart just pounding away on the computer screen. The ultrasound tech turned on the sound so Brice could hear it. Then I think he almost started crying. The heart was 176bpm and we are confident based on the heartbeat it's a girl. Last week it was 130bpm so I thought maybe boy, but my doctor said you can't base it on the first ultrasound because the heart was just getting started at that time. So it starts off slow.
I was excited to see the heartbeat, but I still didn't know what this meant for the sac growth. The ultrasound tech let us leave without talking to us so I knew that was a good sign. I had an appt with Dr. Miller that same day just a few hours later so I knew I would find out soon enough. So we go see Dr. Miller and when she walks into the room her eyes are kind of huge and I can tell she has something exciting to tell us. She said based on the ultrasound findings that the sac is measuring right on time and looks completely normal. She was kind of dumbfounded over this. Not only that, but the baby has grown like weeds in the past week, so they have now changed my due date back to where it should be which is December 28, 2009.

Here is a picture of our little gummy bear

See the little "hole" above the head? I was a little worried what that was since it looks like a hole in the head. I asked Dr. Miller about it and she said it's the yolk sac. Brice of course had to tell her "That's Maryann's kid- that's probably where the brain was suppose to be".
He better sleep with one eye open tonight!

I won!!

Well actually I was a runner-up. This past weekend me and my fabulous mom went to a baby expo at the Reliant Center. I found a really great baby photographer there who was giving away a free photoshoot in a raffle drawing. I was the runner-up and get $100 off when baby is born. So thank you so much Debi at Life's Images Photography!! Check out her website, her work is amazing.

Of course Brice had to mouth-off about this. He said and I quote "The very first time you ever win anything, it had to be something you could have done yourself!" Thanks, Babe.

Meet Baby Fief

Due to arrive December 31, 2009

At 6w5d (7w2d by LMP)our baby was measuring right on time with a strong heartbeat of 130bpm. Average heart rate at this stage is 110bpm so baby Fief is defiantly thriving. We did get some bad news, though. What else with me, huh? The gestational sac is measuring small. You can tell by the ultrasound the CRL (crown rump lenght) there isn't much room. Luckily there is room on the sides. My doctor isn't sure what to think of this as she as only seen it one time in 8 years. Maybe I should start playing the lottery? She said it's so odd for the "fetus" to be measuring right on time with such a strong heartbeat, but yet a small gestational sac. Of course now this increases my risk of miscarriage, but she's not too worried at this point. I have another ultrasound this coming Thursday to make sure the sac and baby are still growing. All I want to see is a heartbeat. So I'm not sure what's going to happen, but I did want to let everyone know what's going on because we could use the support and prayers.
I am exactly 8 weeks today and morning sickness is kicking my ass. I have lost 3 pounds on the scale, but yet all my jeans are too tight already. Good sign baby is still growing. I spend more time running to the bathroom to pee than I do on the computer. But I promise to continue to update everyone.

Nathan has a message....

for everyone-