Saturday, April 30, 2011

37 Weeks Pregnant with Abigail

1-800-Flowers.com Pink Rose And White Calla Lily Bouquet


We are very excited and feel blessed to have gotten this far! We have seen how wonderful God is and continue to be grateful and follow his path faithfully. We went to the doctor on Thursday for our weekly visit. Abigail had a strong heartbeat and my belly measured 40 weeks! The doctor says there is still a possibility that she could come before her scheduled c-section, which is May 16th.

One of the many reasons why I have taken the next two weeks off from work is the possibility of Abigail coming before her scheduled c-section. I have already had to leave work multiple times due to contractions, to be placed on bed rest, or to be sent to the hospital to be monitored. I would rather not have something happen in such a public setting. Other reasons for taking the next two weeks off are to relax, enjoy my pregnancy, give my family some quality bonding time, finish preparing for the arrival of Abigail, and to try and get to some physical therapy on my lower back where they place the epidural, I have had back issues for years now and it just happens to be in the same spot where they need to place my pain block.

Now we will try and wait patiently for Abigail to make an appearance. We appreciate all of the thoughts, prayers, and support that we have received from family and friends. Please continue to send those prayers, thoughts, and support our way as we anticipate the arrival of our newest little girl.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Beautiful DNA

Looking at these two pictures you can get an idea of where Emma gets her super cute looks! This is Ray and I at about the same age, also about the age of Emma now. Who do you think Emma looks like more at this age me or Ray? Ray already says that Abigail will look like him and he believes Emma does as well.

Emma's Easter Egg Hunt 2011










Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter 2011


Wishing everyone a Happy Easter and remembering what this day is about. Jesus gave his life for our sins so that we would be able to have everlasting life for all eternity in heaven.

The pink basket on the left is for Emma and the purple is for Abigail. Although we can't hold her in our arms on this very special day, we include Abby in all of our family celebrations!
This picture is of Emma getting ready for her Easter Egg Hunt at day care! It is wonderful to have a day care that celebrates Christian activities! She had such a wonderful time and brought home a bucket full of eggs.

Easter morning and Emma just found her basket and is getting ready to dig in and explore what the Easter Bunny left for her!

Emma enjoying some Peeps! She really liked them and also had some chocolate goodies as well! We really enjoyed seeing Emma more animated, active, and interested in her basket this year. We can't wait to celebrate the next with both Emma and Abigail!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

36 Weeks Pregnant with Abigail Grace

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We are super excited to be this far along and look forward to meeting and holding Abigail in our arms soon! We are now at the point where we are double checking the hospital bag, diaper bag, coming home outfit, etc... but we are enjoying this time and doing a countdown. We go to the doctor every week to see how things are going and, as always, she is bigger than most babies at this stage already.

I have currently been experiencing some lower back pain and swelling in my feet, so I have been trying to stay off of my feet and take some nice warm baths. Also, I am experiencing some dry skin and trying to put shoes on instead of sandals is like running a mile... I am so out of breath after trying! Ray continues to be a wonderful, loving, and devoted husband and father. He helps out all of the time, and even puts my shoes on for me when I wear some that need to be tied : )

Thursday, April 21, 2011

35 Weeks 5 Days Abigail Update

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We went to our doctor appointment today and all went well! We had an ultrasound today and got to see Abigail again, which Ray and I both loved. Abigail is one beautiful little girl, it seems already that she might have her Daddy's nose. She still has a really strong heartbeat, tries to shield her face from exposure when having an ultrasound, and is still ahead in schedule for her growth.

The technician took several measurements of her head, belly, and leg bone to get as accurate as she could in giving us some data for our doctor. Based on the measurements, Abigail is measuring to be 38 weeks and 5 days today! Abigail is in the 90th percentile for her growth compared to other babies at this point in gestation. She is following in her big sister's footsteps already, and we are expecting another tall littler girl! Abby's estimated weight at today's appointment is 7lbs 6oz. This estimation is based off of the multiple measurements that were taken. There is still plenty of fluid surrounding her to indicate she is comfortable and doing all the normal baby things she should be doing at this point. She was doing some great abdominal exercises, which we were told is an indication, along with all the hiccups, that she is strengthening her lungs. My belly measurement came in at 39 weeks and all of my tests came back good today.

The doctor said that she can come when she wants, but we will keep our original date in May to reserve our spot in case she decides to wait for three weeks. Our approach will be one day at a time and to wait for her to let us know she is ready to be held in our arms.

Now to try and be patient!! - Not my strongest quality : )

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Praying for Serenity



Well... for all who know us and keep up with what has been going on in our lives you know we have had many challenges over the last 9 months! We have had our fair share of illness, dramatic events both big and small, and just recently a freak accident with my car at work. So I am asking for all who know us to please pray for us. We would greatly appreciate a time of peaceful relaxation where the only thing we need to stress over is trying to figure out what to do for dinner.

Thanks,

Brandie

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Emma Update

This adorable outfit was picked out by her Dada as all can tell by what the shirt says. Emma enjoying one of her favorite fruits, Banana!

Emma trying a boiled egg for the 1st time. She really enjoyed about half of it before she turned the other half to mush. We have found it hard to get her to eat meat lately, so we are trying other sources of protein.

Emma still celebrating the fact the her Lady Aggies are the National Champions!!

Relaxing with some t.v. before going to take some pictures at the Bush Library. Lets just say this might be the best picture we took of her that day!

Emma is trying to figure out how to put on her own shoes this day. I don't know if it is out of curiosity or out of self preservation, since her Dada has put her shoes on the wrong feet more than once this past week!

Emma practicing her phonic skills while learning the alphabet with this wonderful toy that her Godmother Cesily bought her for an early birthday gift!

As you can tell in the pictures, Emma is getting taller and her hair is getting a bit longer with some blond highlights. The majority of the clothing she is wearing in these pictures are 4T and she is wearing a size 6 shoe. She is a very active little girl and does not tolerating having to sit still for any length of time. She takes one 2 hour or 2 1/2 hour nap each day. She really enjoys playing outside, dancing, chasing her dog, playing basketball with her Dada, and still really loves the water. Emma also likes having her hair in a ponytail and wearing bows now. She will come up to you and tell you "bow," informing you that she would like to have her hair done.

We look forward to her getting to know her little sister Abigail soon and enjoy seeing them interact together!

Emma's Artwork

Just a few of the items that Emma has created over this year at school. She has started to send out special messages and coloring pages to different people. So everyone should keep an eye on the mail box just in case you get a special delivery!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

34 Weeks Pregnant with Abigail


So tired.... if I could I would take multiple naps every day! Many sources say that the fatigue does set in again at this stage and it is normal. It is my body's way of trying to rest up as the big day approaches. I have experienced some muscle spasms and cannot wait until that part ends. It usually happens at night when I am sleeping. Other than that, all is as normal as can be expected at this stage in the pregnancy.

Abigail is doing great and we expect her to be around the size of her big sister when she is born. We are trying to finish up some custom made items for her here at the house.

We are currently getting ready for our last shower here at the house next Saturday where we will gather with friends and help Emma celebrate becoming a big sister. We have already gotten the diaper bag ready, hospital bag ready, and will have the car seat bases installed before this weekend is over.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

33 Weeks and 5 Days


We went to the doctor today and got some confirmation on things that we had thought would occur. Abigail and I are healthy and holding steady as we take it one day at a time until she makes her debut. At our visit today we did an exam, measurements, and the regular stuff that you do at every visit.

My tummy measurement came in at 37 weeks! It measured 34 weeks just last Thursday. This is a bit of a jump so the doc sat us down for some cautionary guidelines and what our next appoints will look like.

We have known from the start that Abigail was measuring ahead of schedule in her growth. Ray is extremely proud of the fact that he makes big babies. The doctor did reconfirm that there is no way for me to have a natural birth due to my physical structure, we knew this but he just wanted us to know that what we are doing is in the best interest of both the baby and mommy at this point. So due to Abigail's size we go back in two weeks for a thorough physical exam, ultra sound, measurements, and the regular stuff that they always do with each appointment. The doctor believes that Abigail could be around 6 or more pounds by this point due to the fact her measurements placed her in the 70% for growth with her weight close to 4 pounds in February. After this appointment we will be on weekly appoints always set on a specific day of the week in case they see signs that they need to schedule my c-section for an upcoming day.

So caution is the word of the day and I am to make sure and take it easy.... "I really do try to do this" yet not many people believe it! I am to stay hydrated, keep kick counts, and time any contractions that I might have. Our doctor does not think at this point that I will make my original c-section date that was scheduled in May, but would love it if I could make it to 37 weeks. So we will take it one day, week, and appointment at a time. If I go into labor on my own before 35 weeks they will do what they can to prevent Abigail from coming, but if this event should occur after 35 weeks they will deliver her. So now we are just waiting and hope that I make it to Easter weekend which will place me at 36 weeks.

So at this stage in my third trimester I have had people inquire of people I know if I am having twins due to the size of my tummy! Just yesterday the lady at the grocery store asked Ray how many babies were we expecting. I have had students ask other students and teachers if I was having twins.... So unless someone knows something I don't... NO I am not having twins, just a wonderfully healthy baby girl that will have the height to play in the WNBA when she is grown : )

Monday, April 4, 2011

April Birthdays

May Flowers Always Line Your Path

May flowers always line your path
And sunshine light your day
May songbirds serenade you
Every step along the way
May a rainbow run beside you
In a sky that's always blue
And may happiness fill your heart
Each day your whole life through

May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks
May your heart be as light as a song
May each day bring you bright, happy hours
That stay with you all the year long


Happy Birthday to:

Crystal

Shirley

Eric

Dana

Kevin

Gavin


Saturday, April 2, 2011

33 Weeks Pregnant with Abigail


I am so thankful that I can write this post and say that I am 33 weeks pregnant. We have experienced many different challenges with this pregnancy, but through it all our Abigail has proven to be resilient and God has shown his love by giving us this miracle and helping to keep her safe. We went to the doctor this week and Abigail is doing wonderful, it is me who is finding it a bit difficult to stay 100% healthy. But with our doctor's wonderful care, prayers, and the watchful eye of Ray all is going well.

We are thankful that we can still find the blessings in life, and that our love for our daughters and each other has grown as we walk the path God has laid before us over the last 33 weeks. We know that through God's grace and guidance that we will continue to walk his path and be able to overcome our challenges that we currently face and those yet to come.

So far my highlights for this pregnancy have been the bonding that has taken place between Ray, Emma, and myself. We take joy in celebrating our newest little girl, listening to her heartbeat, watching her move, and incorporating her into our celebrations whenever possible.

I love when Emma pats the belly and says baby or Abby! Emma is going to make a terrific big sister. She knows where her sister's room is and even helped to sort Abigail's clothing and put them away.

Ray has been a tremendous support through everything just like he was during Emma's pregnancy. He has attend every appointment, sees to my every need, and still manages to be a Super Dad to our daughter Emma. Ray has made sure to do some special things just for Abigail to make her feel special, like putting her room together, making custom clothing, bibs, etc... and by talking with her before going to bed at night.

We continue to hope and pray that we make it to our delivery date in May, but know and understand that God might have other plans. We will continue to keep everyone updated as the weeks go by and we see our doctor again next week.