Saturday, July 30, 2011

19 weeks

This has been a great week! Not only is baby 19 weeks as of yesterday, my Jakey came home from North Carolina!!!!

First off, baby is 19 weeks. He or she is 6" long and about half a pound in weight already!! If you want to compare, go grab a mango or an heirloom tomato at the grocery store. Baby's brain is differentiating into different regions for all his senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing). The arms and legs are proportionate to the rest of the body now also. Baby has had hiccups a couple times sense last week. It's very fun to feel him or her kick me, although last night he thought it was funny to kick at my cervix. That wasn't very nice of him, but it still makes me smile.

Next, my Jajoby finally came home!!!!! His plane landed around 9:30 am yesterday and our two doggies were SO excited to see him, just like me. The first time he even tried to feel baby kick, the baby gladly responded and kicked at daddy's hand a couple times. The rest of the night Jake tried to feel, but he couldn't feel them. (I think baby was kicking more up or down than straight out) We took the girls to the doggy park and sat out by the pool for a while. It was such a great day. It almost feels like Jake is only staying for the weekend, it doesn't seem real that he's actually home. We can't wait to come home! I can't believe it's only a week and a half away!!

Here is a picture of what baby looks like in the womb right now, sweet as can be!

Here is my weekly belly picture! With daddy!!!!



Only one more update until we're on our way home. I won't be updating while I'm at home.

Love you all,
Mommy, Daddy and Baby

Friday, July 22, 2011

18 Weeks

We're almost to the halfway mark of the pregnancy, I'm 18 weeks along today!

This week baby is measuring in around 5 and a half inches and about 7 ounces! (About the size of a bell pepper or sweet potato). Baby is now beginning to develop a myelin sheath around the nerves within the body which help insulate and transmit the impulses the brain and body send to each other. The process of myelination will continue for a year after baby is born. If we're having a girl her uterus and fallopian tubes are completely formed and in place. Baby is also now covered in vernix (the greasy white slime that covers baby right after birth). It's there to protect baby's skin from the amniotic fluid and keep it from being all wrinkly. And finally, baby is just practicing some normal reflexes like blinking, hiccups, and of course all the kicks and punches mommy can handle!

So last night I was laying in bed texting Jake since he was out with some friends and I was telling him how the baby was kicking away and wanting to see Daddy. I kind of sat up to get a better look at my belly and I saw it move when baby kicked me!!! I immediately put my hand on my belly and what do ya know, little baby was kicking away at momma's hand for a good 15 minutes last night! It was the most unbelievable thing! I thought this wouldn't happen for another couple weeks! So of course I told Jake all about it and he's so excited to come home in a week so he can feel our son or daughter kick at him too. What's really strange is that every time I talk to someone about my wishes for baby, it comes true that same day!!! I was talking to my sister in law, Missy one day about not feeling any flutters yet and later that night I finally felt them! And yesterday I talked to Jake's mom about how I wish I could feel the kicks from the outside and later that night I could feel them! It's just been really incredible!

Yesterday morning I woke up with a big ol' belly that came out of NO WHERE! I wasn't sure if it was just bloating, water weight or an actual bump so I took a picture yesterday and also one this morning to compare. My belly went down a little from yesterday, but it is still much bigger than what it was a week ago!! Our little one is really growing big and strong in my belly! Maybe that's why I could feel the kicks last night. I'll post the two pictures (from this morning and yesterday morning) down at the bottom of the post.

There is also more exciting news to share with everyone!!! Kyle and Missy are going to be having another baby!!! Missy is due just a couple weeks after me and they're having a baby GIRL!! We're all so excited to buy lots of bows and dresses for her. I'm sure Grayson is going to be the best big brother ever! So a congratulations to Kyle, Missy and Grayson!!!!  :))

This time next week I'll be on my way to pick Jajoby (yes I have about 1037489374 nicknames for him) up from the airport!! Wahoooooooo!!!!!!


This is my belly pic from Thursday morning!


This is my belly pic from this morning


Grow baby! Grow!


The countdown is on! 3 more weeks and we can see you all again!!

Love,
Mommy, Daddy and Baby

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Jakey's Coming Home

Yay!!!!!!! My Jakey is coming home next Friday!!! That means only 10 more days without him!!!! We have no idea what he's going to be doing the next week and a half because he is on his last qualification flight needed for school as we speak. I guess he'll be sitting there twiddling his thumbs until he goes to the airport next Friday.  ;)  I was thinking about how long he's been gone and I realized he was on a 7 month deployment, and by the time he comes home next week that'd be 3 and a half months in North Carolina. That's a total of 10 and a half months!!! I can't believe that means I will only see my husband for a month and a half out of an entire year, darn you military! Hopefully for the next two years he won't have to leave again, except maybe for a couple weekend long training sessions. I'm so excited he'll be home in 10 days!!

Oh and other good news, I had a WIC appointment today and I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight!! Yay! Now that means I am supposed to gain 25-35 pounds for the rest of the pregnancy, which I think I can maintain.

Ok, that's all my good news for the time.


love you all,
Mommy, Daddy, Jaxon/Evalyn

Friday, July 15, 2011

17 weeks

Goodness gracious! It's Friday already!!

Well today I am 17 weeks along with our little one. He or she is about 5" long from crown to rump, but if we measured from crown to toes I bet he or she would be at least 6" by now. Baby should also be measuring right about 5 oz- about the size of an onion or turnip. This week baby's cartilage is starting to harden to bone, although this process to complete takes a long time. Baby is also starting to gain a little bit of fat deposits under the skin to help regulate body temperature when he or she is born. Baby can also yawn this week, so we might be able to see that when we get our ultrasound done next month!

We found out this might be my last weekend alone because Jake might be coming home next Friday! But I won't be holding my breath.  :)  We are glad to finally have the date set for coming home though, that's a big relief.

As some of you may know, Jake and I received some bad news earlier this week. We are getting kicked out of our condo because the owners who we are renting from didn't pay the mortgage; so it is now a foreclosure. We wish we knew what they were doing with our money then! It's really sad because we were in love with this place. It was so perfect! Everything from the location, to the amenities, to all the upgrades... we pictured ourselves living here until we bought a house. And now the stressful apartment hunting has begun. We're having the toughest time finding a place that will  1) allow Lucy   2) has laundry in the apartment   3) isn't teeny tiny  4) is in a good neighborhood  5) has more than one bathroom  6) doesn't cost a fortune.  And it's safe to say that there is no place that fits all of our criteria, so we're having an even tougher time deciding what things to give up on so we can actually have a place to live in. We aren't sure when we have to move out by, we're guessing in like 2 months so we have a little bit of time, but the longer we wait the more unable I'll be to help and the more things we will have. But I'm sure we'll find something eventually that we'll be happy with.

I can't believe we'll be home in less than a month now! We can't wait to see everyone!!

If we could take a peek inside my tummy right now, this is what our sweet little baby would look like:  


And here is my belly picture this week! 



We're counting down the days to see you all again,

Mommy, Daddy, Jaxon/Evalyn

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

We're Coming Home!!

IMPORTANT NEWS FLASH!!!!  :))


Okay everyone! We finally got everything all figured out!! Jake and I will arrive back home on Friday, August 12. The baby shower/reveal party will be the following day- Saturday, August 13. [we don't want to wait any longer than we have to to find out what baby is!!  :)]  We aren't sure how long we'll be home for- we're hoping 9-10 days.


Okay, you can return to what you were previously doing.  (After marking your calendars, of course!)

Friday, July 8, 2011

16 Weeks and Quickening!!

Hi everyone!

I know I say this every post, but time is flying by! I am 16 weeks along already! That means in 4 short weeks I'll already be halfway there to meeting our beautiful little baby.I hadn't really thought yet of how close it really is, it's exciting and nerve wrecking all at the same time. One thing I know for sure is that this little baby is going to be SO loved and cared for, not only by Jake and I, but by all of you!! There is one very lucky little girl or boy bouncing around in my tummy right now.

Speaking of bouncing around, I finally felt baby move on July 5! I was determined to feel baby move so I tried everything in the book; lying on my back, lying on my tummy, lying on my sides, on an empty tummy, on a full tummy... baby just wasn't having it. So at night when they said baby is most active, I lied on my back and put headphones up to my belly and played Jake and I's wedding song. What do ya know, I felt the slightest tiniest little flutter. It was amazing. I really can't describe it. Since then, I have felt baby probably 2-3 other times- I can more easily recognize it now that I know what I'm looking for. I thought it was just amazing little one reacted to our wedding song. What a special baby we have!!

Well since I am 16 weeks, I'll let you know what baby is up to this week. The most amazing thing is that baby can really hear now. He or she gets startled when the dogs bark or when the doorbell rings. And soon baby should be able to "recognize" Jake and I's voice. Within the next couple weeks baby is going to double in size! He or she is the size of an avocado this week, about 4.5" and 3.5 oz. Baby is also working on his or her reflexes more. He/she can suck the thumb, and is swallowing the amniotic fluid and excreting it every 45 minutes. Oh, and baby is also pumping 25 quarts of blood a day!!! What a hard worker! And finally, toenails and fingernails begin to form at this point. Our baby is well on his or her way to making an entrance into this world!!

We still don't know when Jake will be home from NC. We have a feeling it'll be something where we learn the day before that he's coming home. We just hope it's soon!

I'm getting ready to go to the pool, so my weekly belly picture is in my swim suit. I wish my bump was this noticeable with my belly covered up, but it's not.  :(


I hope you all had a great 4th of July and continue to have a great week!

Love,
Mommy, Daddy, Jax/Eva

Friday, July 1, 2011

15 weeks!!

Holy cow time is flying by! This little baby is already 15 weeks and the size of a navel orange (or some say apple). Baby is measuring in between 4-4.5" and anywhere between 2.5-4 oz. He or she is growing so fast! This week baby is busy "breathing", moving amniotic fluid through the nose and upper respiratory tract which helps the air sacs in the lungs develop. Baby's legs are also longer now than his or her arms and he or she can move all the tiny joints and limbs. Even though the eyelids are still fused shut, baby can sense light. They say if I shine a flashlight to my belly that baby will move away from the beam. And also, little taste buds are beginning to form.

As some of you may know, I tested positive as a cystic fibrosis carrier during the first blood draw of my pregnancy. Just being a carrier does not alter me or give me any type of symptoms similar to that of CF, but being a carrier meant that Jake had to also be tested. If Jake was also a carrier, every baby we conceived would have a 25% chance of having the condition. Jake had to jump through all kinds of loopholes to get his test out in North Carolina. We ran into several roadblocks but finally we got his results back. Jake is NOT a carrier!!!!!! I was so happy to hear the great news! So, so far it looks like we'll be having one very healthy baby. My first round of screening tests have come back negative and I get my blood drawn for the second round of tests at my next appointment, August 2. We are very thankful and blessed that God has given us a beautiful, healthy little one.

I do have one little rant I want to get off my chest today. I am not carrying some alien in my belly or some foreign life, I'm carrying a child. There is no reason for anyone to call our baby or any other baby an "it". That is one of my pet peeves. Just refer to the baby as "baby" or "he or she" and especially once you know the sex, the baby should never ever be referred to as "it". Okay, end of rant.

Speaking of boy or girl... we have finally narrowed down our names. I was considering not telling anyone, but I like everyone calling baby by name (or his or her's possible name!) I also was afraid people would "steal" our names, but I figured if someone really likes the names so much that they want to copy us, then go ahead. ;)   So drum roll please............



If it is a boy: Jaxon "Jax" Adam Lester

If it is a girl: Evalyn "Eva" Jane Lester





So there you have it, little Baby Lester now officially has a name. If only August could hurry up so we could start calling baby Jax or Eva!!!

As I told you all before, the Marine Corps changes all the time, especially with dates. We were looking at having our anatomy ultrasound August 9 and then being home by Friday Aug 12, but things might be changing. Jake said there is a chance he might be done with his school by mid July!!! If that is the case, we're going to reschedule my ultrasound sooner and we'd be coming home sooner. We pretty much just want to be home as quickly as we can after he's done with school. So we might be home Friday, August 5 instead of the 12. I highly doubt we'll be in KC the last weekend in July- that's just pushing it too much! So cross your fingers he gets out of school early so we can come home even sooner!

I think I rambled on enough for today. I'll leave you all with my belly picture I took today. It looks about the same as last week. I hope I actually look pregnant when we come home! LOL



Love you all!
Mommy, Daddy and Jax/Eva  :)