Stare Down

These two boys just get each other. When Beau is in the room, Shelby and I are invisible to Brinkley. I suspect this conversation was happening in their heads....

Beau: I love you, Brinkley Bear...

Brinkley: I love you more....

Beau: No, I love you more!...

Brinkley: No, I love you more!...

12 Week Update (or the beginnings of a squirmer)

These weeks are really flying by! I'm still very lucky with little to no nausea. The worst thing is that I can't shake these headaches. The doctor said they are probably caffeine related (have I already told you that?), regardless every morning I feel like I drank a bottle of crown the night before. Not that I've ever done that (I don't really like liquor) but you get the idea. They are intense!

Some days I feel like I really show a lot and then other days (like today), not so much. Beau is starting to see it though - so that's cute (and validating!).

Off to watch "All the President's Men"....Beau and I have come to the conclusion that we could spend the rest of our lives watching movies and seasons of TV series and not see everything. Better get started now! ;-)

Here is the weekly update:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

I need advice...

I have wanted to get my engagement ring re-sized since last winter when I realized that it almost falls off when my fingers are cold and shrink. Now that I'm ready to take it in, I'm pregnant and Beau tells me not to get it re-sized b/c my fingers will swell and then the ring won't fit at all. And I agree with  him. But it's to the point where it falls completely to the back of my finger and I have to remove it altogether to type. And this scares me b/c I will be in back-to-back meetings before I realize that I left it on my desk. Scary, I know! And you know that feeling when you look down and your ring is gone? That 1/2 a second heart drops to chest moment? I have about 10 of those a day. So, to re-size now or re-size after I'm with child? I don't want to lose it during these winter months but I don't want to be without it when I'm uber-pregnant in the summer. Thoughts?

This is how it has been worn during this very cold week in Dallas. It's a little gripe but a dilemma nonetheless...

11 Weeks (or how she's already a water ballerina!)

 Are you getting tired of these updates? A part of me feels like this 9+ months will take forever but the other part of me thinks that I can't even keep up with these weekly posts so at this rate, the baby will be here before we know it! I have a sonogram a week from today. I'm excited! Still a little fearful of bad news but for the most part, the fear has subsided. Well, only to be replaced with other fears, like keeping him/her alive when its born and I already know I'm going to worry that he/she isn't breathing during the night. Ugh.

Here is the weekly update from babycenter.com:

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

It's Christmas Time!

Beau and I had a great day yesterday Christmas shopping and picking out things for our Christmas decor! We had a lot of fun and Beau was just thrilled about the 50% off everything sale at Hobby Lobby. Just kidding, but I loved it! We spent forever in there! I feel like one should be careful in Hobby Lobby - too much time and you are bound to start liking things that are NOT your style. Like ceramic dogs and boot-shaped vases. I started thinking like a 70 year old do-it-yourselfer. Many times I had ideas to "create" but Beau quickly brought me back to reality ;-)

Here is our mantle - really the only completed thing in the house....yes, Shelby and Brinkley get their own stockings this year. These pics were taken with my phone so they are blurry but you get the idea...

The tree finally has a spot in the house after SO much back and forth about how the tree is too big and there is no space for it. Ugh. That's what we get for buying this tree last year before we bought the house. It's 6 feet wide in diameter - good grief, what were we thinking?! Anyway, it's up but we were quickly distracted by hot chocolate and movies that we rented. Ornaments are going on today - promise! Here it is - the only place it would fit - right in the middle of EVERYTHING:

I'll post this one but I feel weird about it! I look goofy and I really just look like I've eaten too much ice cream instead of showing! Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving in Austin

So much to update!

I mentioned that we had a fabulous time with my parents, sisters and their boyfriends over the week we were in Austin. Here is a picture of us (sans Rogan who met up with us later) after Thanksgiving lunch at the Austin Club - it was wonderful!

Saturday night we went to Bobby and Holly's wedding. Beau has been friends with them since college and after seven years of dating, they did it! It was a gorgeous wedding! They had it at this tucked away villa in the hill country that looked out over Lake Travis. They definitely get the best wedding location award! :-) Here are some photos - please note, I decided to wear my Thanksgiving outfit b/c the dresses I packed were not sounding fun for an outdoor winter wedding! Regardless, isn't Beau a stunner?!

 

Holly is a beautiful girl anyway but as a bride she was just gorgeous!! This is really the best photo we have of the couple. Beau was distracted by the open bar soon after this was taken and the camera became an afterthought. ;-)

The Welcoming Committee

Aren't they so cute? Wouldn't a nice plant in the corner complete the picture? Let's all just agree now that I would kill the poor thing. Hence, no plants.

A few quick updates

I have SO much to blog about! From Thanksgiving in Austin (simply wonderful) to the first snow today in Dallas (too cool!), we have been busy. But I want to include pictures, which Beau needs to send me. Sooo, another time. But I CAN blog about our 10 week appt! Yes friends, we heard the heartbeat for the very first time this past Monday! I'm thrilled that Beau could be there - he won't be at most of my appts since he travels during the week and can only be there on Fridays. And (of course it would happen this way), my doc's office is closed Fridays. Poo. I won't bore you with the details of the incompetent nurse who fished around in my arm WITH A NEEDLE for my vein only to send me to a different lab. If that doesn't exude confidence, I don't know what does. I digress.....

I am 10 1/2 weeks but here is my 10 week update!

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

P.S. My doctor is the coolest, most relaxed guy in the world. He totally keeps me grounded. Massages? Sure. Headaches? drink a caffeine drink a day if needed.Tequila? Only 1 shot a day...KIDDING. Just making sure you are paying attention ;-)

The Creeper

Have I confessed yet to the Blogging World that we now allow Brinkley to sleep in the bed with us? It's SO bad of us to start this 3 weeks ago now. He was so well trained to sleep in his doggie bed NEXT to our bed. Now, he sleeps at the foot of the (queen) bed while Beau, Shelby and I work our way around him. We are nuts, I know. But I love having all my babies together!

Please note, I said that he sleeps at the foot of the bed. However, this is what things are starting to look like in the morning.....

He is such a little creeper! He does this little army crawl when he thinks we aren't looking - it's so funny. I promise I won't keep posting pictures of Beau asleep. But that's what I do when he's asleep and I'm not in the mornings. I play with my camera phone ;-)

9 Weeks

I know for most people, these updates are old since so many people before me have posted the exact same thing...but just remember, this is for my mom as much as it is for you ;-) Also, I enjoy looking back on my blog from time to time and see where I was and what I was doing at any given point and I have no doubt that I will continue to do this post-prego. And who knows, perhaps Baby ReyRey will do the same....

Every Saturday morning, I wake Beau up with "Happy Xth Week!", which would totally be sweet if it was after 7am. ;-) My earlier-than-ever bedtime has me waking up at the earliest hours ready to conquer the day. The sweetest part of my morning updates is that no matter how early it is, Beau always kisses me and says, "Happy 9th Week, baby...zzzzz....."

Fruit Time!! This week, we're a grape.

 New this week: Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

12 short hours

Last night on my way home, Beau called to tell me he had a surprise for me. What could it be?! Did he train the dogs to cook me my 3 dinners an evening?! An invention to speed up pregnancy?! Did he go grocery shopping on his own?! ...... Alas, so much better than any of this....he started our very first fire in our new home! Isn't it pretty? :-) Love him. xoxo

And 12 very short, very sleepy hours later, this is what I awake to....my husband and my Shelby just devastated that I have to get up for work. Their sadness was almost too much to bear. But seriously, do you know how hard it is to drag myself out of bed away from this coziness?! Shelby is such a snuggler, she likes to spoon :-)

8 Weeks (or My baby is losing its tail!)

A little update on the little somethin' I've got cookin'.....I'm doing better with my energy level but am still eating crazy amounts of food! Eating isn't even fun anymore b/c I'm ALWAYS hungry so it seems like more of a chore than anything. I'm having daily headaches, which I can't believe I forgot to talk to my doctor about when I was there this past week. I'm assuming that it's b/c I need to drink more water, which I'm beginning to work on. Other than that, I'm having fun with it all!

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby - about the size of a kidney bean - is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.