BJ at 13 Weeks

The week of April 20th, 2009

13 weeks and officially in the 2nd Trimester!

What's going on with BJ....Fingerprints have formed on our baby's tiny fingertips, veins and organs are clearly visible through still-thin skin. The baby's body is starting to catch up with its head — which makes up just a third of its body size now. If we're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Our baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce. (babycenter.com)

The most exciting thing for me this week is the fact the I'm leaving my first trimester behind and stepping into the second. Man has time flown! I can't believe I'm already this far along! I plan on taking a picture and posting it of my belly. In the past two weeks or so I've really seen a change in my belly even though my weight is pretty much still the same. I can definitely tell this baby is growing! Graduation is nearing and I can't wait. I finally get to focus on something else besides homework and assignments. May 8th is right around the corner and I can finally see the finish line!!!

BJ at 12 Weeks

Week of April 12th, 2009

Wednesday marked 12 weeks!! We are almost done with the 1st trimester! I can't believe it's gone by so fast. So, what's new with BJ....

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. BJ's fingers will soon begin to open and close, toes will curl, eye muscles will clench, and the mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if I proke your abdomen, BJ baby will squirm in response, although I won't be able to feel it. Intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into the abdominal cavity about now, and kidneys will begin excreting urine into the bladder.Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your BJ's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His/her face looks unquestionably human: The eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and 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.( Babycenter.com)

I have been great! I still get tired and I have "baby" acne all over my face, but other than that, I can't really complain. I should start to have more energy in the 2nd trimester, which will be great since there is so much to be done.

I went to Lousiana a week after I got back from China (about two weeks ago). I went for work with my boss and co-worker. At the end of our work week we went back to New Orleans for a night and my boss's wife joined us there. We strolled along Bourbon street and had drink well, BJ and I took a stroll along Bourbon street and had virgin darquiris along to way, but we had a good time. I was just exhausted by the time the week was over, but I seriously think that baby loooves to travel. I am in dire need of a break, so I won't be traveling again anytime soon (I hope). We stopped at the Cat's Meow Karaoke. I picked R-E-S-P-E-C-T and my boss did a song too. We had a blast. We got on the stage and danced a few times with the crowd and had a really good time. After Karaoke we went to this great Burger place in the "rainbow" district. It's called Clover's. The burgers were incredible and CHEAP!!! After that I was basically done, so by the end of the night, I just couldn't wait to go to sleep.

Graduation is creeping and I can't wait!!! I am heading into my last few weekends of class. I have senioritis and I just want to be done, so I can focus on nesting and all that other mothery stuff, LOL!

Today, Sunday the 19th we went to church and the word is officially out, so everyone noticed. Well actually my belly is out :) I'm starting to show. I think it's because I'm bloated, but there's really nothing I can do about it. It's going to be out there soon enough anyway. All the young ladies in the youth group are excited, it was funny seeing them all react to a new baby. I even have babysitters lined up! What a blessing!!

Since my belly is growing rapidly, I promise to take a belly pic soon. Chip and I were simply swamped this weekend.

Survey Says.....

1. Is this your first baby? Yes, this is my first biological child, but I have a 3 year old step-son named Darion. Everyone calls him Tre.
2. Were you trying to get pregnant? Originally, we decided to try, then after several months of negative results we decided to wait until next year to try. We obviously got our signals crossed, because whadaya know!
3. How far along were you when you found out? 4 weeks
4. What was your reaction? Holy cow, I can't believe it!!
5. How did you tell the father? Special gift from BJ at lunch.
6. What was his reaction? Woooooooooooow!
7. When is your due date? October 28th 2009
8. Did you have any morning sickness? Nope, none at all.
9. Did you want a boy or girl? My preference would be to have a little princess, but obviously, I really don't care either way. We welcome the addition to our family.
10. Do you know what you’re having? Nope, not yet but we plan on finding out.
11. Do you plan on a natural or medicated birth? Au Naturale (my friends think I'm crazy) but, I have a fear of all the medication and chemicals more than the actual labor/birth.
12. Are you scared about labor? Not really, the only thing that scares me is the unknown or the thought that something may go wrong. It's not something I have ever experienced before, so my expectations are all banked on what everyone else has said, but as the saying goes, "everyone is different" so I really don't know what to expect. I pray that it will be safe and that I will have minimum pain, or alternatively that I only have happy memories about it! LOL!
13. Do you think you will cry when you see the baby for the first time? With all the crying I am doing now (for no reason at all) I am sure I will cry the moment I see God's little wonder.
14. Who is going to be with you? My wonderful husband (for sure), my mom (likely), Chip's dad and BJ's Auntie Chanda (...that is if they want to be).
15. Are you going to video tape it? Not the actual birth but I'd like to videotape when the baby is out and everything.
16. Do you know what you will say to the baby when you first hold it? Hmm... no clue definitely not planning out what I'm going to say!
17. Do you have a name picked out? Nope, not yet, but we have some good ideas. We will think about it more when we find out if it's a boy or girl.
18. Is your baby going to be named after anyone?See answer to last question.
19. What do you think the baby will be a "daddy’s girl/boy" or a "mommy’s girl/boy"? I'm sure we will both take credit either way.
20. Are you excited? Absolutely! We can't wait!!

BJ at Week 11

Week of April 5th, 2009

Is it just me or does the fig look smaller than last week's kumquat??

Just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a lime, BJ is now almost fully formed. BJ's 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. The baby is already busy kicking and stretching, and the 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. (http://www.babycenter.com/ ).

As for me, I am feeling great. I'm starting to gain my weight back that I lost while I was in China. No strange cravings yet, but I did have watermelon on Easter and it was delicious!! I'm really starting to see a change in my stomach all of a sudden which is really exciting. I have started shopping for maternity clothes even though I'm not really wearing them yet, I figured I can at least get some good deals, not to mention I'm super excited! I've started to notice my dress pants are getting a little tight so I think in a few weeks I will be switching over to maternity pants. We have two more weeks and we get to see the baby and get to find out if we're having one or two. What a surprise two will be!! I have noticed I cry way more easier than normal which is annoying but oh well! Chip just laughs and then I laugh too, eventually :) I will take a new belly pic this week. Technically, I am one day shy of 12 weeks, so it's a good time to take a photo.

The Little Engine That Could!

Monday, March 30th 2009

We went to the doctor today to hear BJ's heartbeat. The doctor wasn't sure if she would be able to hear it. In fact she was skeptical and thought maybe that it was to early. She used a Doppler to listen and when she started out looking for the heartbeat, I thought I heard it, but it was mine :) Then there it was...so beautiful and strong. It totally caught me off guard. I gasped when I heard it and then it dawned on me, BJ was there. There was this little person inside of me growing and living and it was truly amazing. What a blessing. God made me so wonderful that I could grow, shelter, and bring forth life!!!! While we were listening Chip made this comment..."Whoa listen to my little man's heart. It's so strong." The doctor and I both laughed saying, wait a minute it just might be a girl! It was like listening to a little locomotive at 174 beats per minute!! What a show off :)

BJ at 10 weeks

Week of March 22nd, 2009

We will be heading back to Kansas City today. It's been a long 10 days and BJ and I both are ready to go home. We've had a great time in China, but Chip misses us and we miss him dearly, so we will be happy when we reach American soil!

What's new with BJ this week:

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.If you could see the baby, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches!!

At my prenatal visit next week I will be able to hear BJ's heartbeat with a Doppler stethoscope, a handheld ultrasound device that your practitioner places on your belly. Many women say that the beating of their baby's tiny heart sounded like the thunder of galloping horses and hearing it for the first time was very moving. I wonder what the experience will be like for us? Before I got pregnant, my uterus was the size of a small pear or my fist. By this week, it's as big as a grapefruit. I think I might be shopping for maternity wear soon. Even though I'm not there yet. my regular clothes are feeling uncomfortably tight and I've had to buy new bras! My belly is bloated and my waist (what waist!!) is expanding. So, low rise options sound really good about now and would probably provide some much-needed comfort :)

Rock Climbing Baby!!!

Today we will be taking a tour bus to the Badaling section of the Great Wall, approximately 60 kilometers from the city center. This section of the wall, built in 1505, was an important defense for the Ming Dynasty, and is 7.8 meters on average in height with a width to accommodate five horses or ten people walking abreast.
There is a famous Chinese quote, "Bú dà Chángchéng fĕi hăo hàn," (You are not a real man until you have climbed the Great Wall); hence, we had to climb the Great Wall.
The day started out gray and cool with the threat of rain, however the rain held off and by the time we started climbing up the extremely steep section of steps, we had shed our coats, and were taking regular breaks along the wall to capture the beauty, as well as photograph the stunning scenery. The imagery was like nothing we had ever seen, as we experienced a part of history. We continued climbing the stairs as they led us up the mountain, down into the valley and then back up again.
As we passed people along the way, we would exchange the greeting "Ni Hao" (Hello) and wave, and soon, the friendly people were asking us to pose with them and their families for photographs, which we readily did. We continued climbing the Great Wall sometimes having to pull ourselves up the extremely steep sections using the railing and making new friends along the way, for more than 4 kilometers (2.5 miles).

After our morning climb, our legs were a bit stiff, and we were more than happy to ride the lift back to our starting point. We slowly made our way down the mountain taking photographs along the way, and savoring each moment of our very memorable journey.
Now when BJ grows up, he or she can tell friends the story of climbing the Great Wall with mommy!!

Daddy with the Flu!

I feel so bad for Chip this week. He has been suffering with the flu since this past weekend. At first I thought he was just trying to get out of packing :), but then I realized that he was really feeling bad. I hate that I am not there to care for him, but I don't think I would be able to anyway. I've never had the flu or the flu vaccine and it would be horrible for me to catch the flu now.
Here I am feeling much better and enjoying my time in China, and Chip is back home sick. Poor thing. Me and BJ wish him well, and we miss him every day.

PS: BJ says get better soon Daddy!!

BJ at 9 weeks...Peking Baby!

Week of March 15th, 2009

We were in Beijing this week and my sinuses are clearing up...finally! I had a little episode with my asthma, which I haven't had problems with in a very loooong time. I usually only have issues if I have a really bad chest cold, and that hasn't been the case for quite a while. Anyway, I forgot my inhaler, but a very kind professor traveling along with us in China went to get me some Albuterol from the pharmacy. Apparently they sell it over the counter here and you don't even need a prescription!!! What a life saver. I think that was the turning point in my feeling better. It was enough that my nose was congested, but not being able to breathe is something on a completely different level. My guess is the smog may have been a trigger, and my sinuses didn't help. Either way, I am glad that's over.

The food in Shanghai wasn't terrible. In fact I had "normal" breakfast each morning and mostly ate rice, chicken, and steam veggies for lunch and dinner dishes. I lost a few pounds, which is interesting since I am eating at least 300 calories more than I normally would. I guess rice isn't bad for you after all :) Plus all the walking that we have done here has been great exercise for me. Now, on to Beijing!

Today we went to the Forbidden City and Tinamen Square. Two very cultural and highly regarded places in Chinese History. The tour was amazing and long :), but it was certainly the experience of a life time for me and BJ!! Later this week we are headed to the Great Wall. Will we make the climb? You will have to wait and see.

News this week! BJ, my 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. (http://www.babycenter.com/ )

I honestly feel the best I've ever felt. Except for having to get up in the middle of the night twice every night to use the bathroom I've never felt better or slept better. Today is also the day where my baby moves from the embryonic stage to the fetus stage! Grow baby grow! Just one more week and I'll get to hear the heartbeat. Hopefully, it's not too soon.

BJ at 8 weeks! Move baby Move!

Week of March 15th, 2009

BJ and I arrived safely in Shanghai, China!!! Ni Hao Ma (How are you?). We have been exploring the city and touring the markets, but really have no idea where we are going. I've noticed that I didn't get sick on the plain and normally I would be a little queasy at take off. I think BJ must like to travel :)

BJ is now 5/8 of an inch long, about the size of a kidney bean.
New this week: If you could see the baby, 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. His arms have lengthened, too, and his hands are now flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart. His knee joints have formed, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. 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 mom still can't feel it.

Still no nausea, at this point, I am counting it as a blessing!!! I actually brought snacks with me to China to keep up with my demanding appetite. We have a welcome dinner here tonight, but I think I am going to stay in a get some rest. My sinuses are causing some problems, so I don't feel too good. Staying in will allow me to catch up on some much needed rest, and will probably help with the jet lag.

I have also noticed my left leg in the hip joint has been really achey, which I'm not too sure if it's from baby or has nothing to do with the pregnancy. I called the doc before I left and she said it was possibly my sciatic nerve. Whatever it is, it has been driving me crazy lately, So, I am sure lying down for a while won't hurt.

Morning Sickness....

Week of March 8th, 2009
So I've officially hit my 7 week mark and still no morning sickness! ...please don't be jealous if you don't have morning sickness. I have people telling me that the baby may not be "taking" and that it might not be growing as fast as it should. And then there are those who ask, "Are you sure you're really pregnant". Sometimes I wonder if BJ is in there myself, but then I am reminded every few hours when I am hungry and in the middle of the night when I have to get up and go to the bathroom! Plus I could not imagine if I did have morning sickness, I just know that I believe God knows I would not be able to handle it! I had a doctor's appointment this week to discuss travel and to see how we are doing and doc says everything seems fine. They drew a lot of blood and I should hear back results (probably after I get back from China). I'm a little nervous about traveling so far away and about being on such a long flight, but I the doctor assue me that everything will be fine, and I should proceed as normal, but make sure to listen to my body when I'm tired and need to rest.

Speaking of rest, I have been trying to come home each day and take a nap when I can, but we have been doing some packing since we are moving to a new house the week I get back from China! I know I must be insane, but all these plans were in place before we even found out wr were pregnant, so now it seems even more crazy. We found a house in Lee's Summit that we really like and it happens to be in the same neighborhood as a new elementary school. Although the room I had picked out for the office will eventually be a kid's room. Oh, well we are constantly reminded that God's plans are so much more relevant than ours :) BJ and I are off to China in a fews days. I have to maintain a seperate China Blog for school (I know), so you can find it here if you want to follow, and it not, I will update this one on mine and BJ's progress. Nothing is really changing physically, at least it doesn't appear to be, so I haven't taken any new pictures, but I will take a 10 week pic when I come back from China.

BJ at 7 weeks

Week of March 8th, 2009

Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about 100 new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place. (http://www.thenest.com/)

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.If you could the baby you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.( http://www.babycenter.com/)

I can't believe how fast time is flying. I'm almost at my two month mark and it seems like it was yesterday that we found out we were pregnant. I'm still loving every minute of pregnancy. I haven't been sick, just tired and hungry :) I have eaten peanut butter more than usual, but for the most part I don't have any cravings or aversions to any foods. I guess I am one of the lucky ones. We will see. Even if I was sick, it would be worth being sick everyday just to be able to hold my baby in my arms when that day comes!

BJ at 6 weeks

Week of March 1st, 2009

This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see the baby, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.

Our First Appointment

Thursday, February 19th.
Well, there's nothing too exciting to report except that the Dr confirmed I'm 4 weeks pregnant! BJ's official date of arrival is October 28th, 2009, which is close to what I had calculated. The Dr gave me tons of information to read and now I can finally get some relief for this sinus cold I have. I had to stop taking what I normally take, but I can take Sudafed! Although I think I will stick it out and try not to take anything unless I absolutely have to. My next appointment will be right before I go to China! I will be about 8 weeks that day! We will check my progress and talk about restrictions during my trip.

I am happy to report that I have not had any "morning" sickness or any other sickness for that matter accept issues with my sinuses. No food cravings or aversions yet. For that I am thankful. I have been eating whatever I feel like, and that's good considering I'm hungry ALL the time!!

The Day My World Stood Still

On Monday, February 16th, everything changed for me. I woke up early and went into the bathroom and took a pregnancy test. I jumped in the shower to pass the time by and when I got out I just stared at the stick with the double lines. I just found out that we are expecting our first child!!! I am still am in so much shock and bliss that I don't know what to do! I decided that this test was inconclusive and I needed to have supporting documentation! So I called in to my doctor's office. I was supposed to be going in for vaccines for China, but I called ahead to get a blood test done first. I took my stick with me and sure enough the nurse looked and confirmed it. Needless to say I did not get any vaccinations. Well, the nurses nod of confirmation still wasn't enough for me so, I had them draw blood and I waited a full 24 hours to hear back from the doctor's office before I said a word to anyone. That was soo very hard to do, but I waited.... then I began to think about what may have clued me in to the fact that I might be pregnant. It might have been that on Sunday everything I ate tasted like metal, or maybe that I had been more tired and way more thirsty than normal. Whatever the clue was I am just soo excited!!! Chip and I had been talking about babies, but decided to wait, and then we got this pleasant surprise!! Goes to show that God's timing is always better than ours. I am so thankful to have this opportunity to bring forth life! It's such a wonderful feeling. Now, I just have to wait one more day to be sure.

So, the next day I planned on how I would tell Chip once the doctor's office confirmed. I decided to take him to lunch, and give him a bag of goodies. In the bag, a put a framed poem from BJ and my pregnancy test wrapped in a box with pink and blue ribbon. I attached a pink and blue balloon to the bag, and put a card from me inside. The call I had been waiting for finally came. The doctor's office called to say indeed I was pregnant, and that I should come in for an appointment later in the week. So, I proceeded with my lunch plans.

I arrived at the restaurant early and gave the bag of goodies to our waitress. As our lunch order came out, so did the bag. Chip was so confused. He asked if it were an early birthday present and I said no, but that it represented someonelse's birthday. He still didn't get it!!! Not even the pink and blue balloons, so I told him to open the box with the test first, and he did. He was speechless, with the biggest smile on his face. I don't think I've seen him smile like that since our wedding day. He was speechless and could barely eat lunch. He just sat there smiling and saying "Wooow".

In the weeks/months to come you will get to experience the exciting journey that Chip and I will be taking as we watch and experience the growing wonders of BJ!!!! Yay!! This is a new chapter for us and we are just as excited to share this time in our life's with those of you who have supported and loved us along the way.