Sixteen Weeks

Holy Guacamole! Baby Z is the size of an Avocado

Dear Baby Z :

You are growing so fast sweet baby! We remember when you were the size of a jelly bean a few months ago and now you are almost the size of an entire hand. I want you to know that your daddy and I are super excited to get to meet you. We feel honored to be your parents already! We talk about you everyday and like to joke about all the fun we will have when you get here. (we also talk about the tiny amount of sleep we will get, but I think that is more of a nervous laughter than actual joking)

We listen to your heart beat about once a week. It sounds like you are squirming around a lot in there which is great! Mama has been drinking lots of milk to help you  grow very strong bones. Neither of your parents have had any broken bones and we would like the same for you!

We will find out in a few weeks what your gender is. Daddy and I both have a strong suspicion that you are a boy and we're anxious to find out if we are right or not. Either way, we have a lot of fun things planned for you. We've got the baby room pretty much planned out and now we just need you to "reveal" yourself so we know whether to paint your room pink or maroon. No pressure, but you have a lot of people out here who are excited to know what color clothes to start buying, so don't feel shy on May 15th. You just show that doctor what you are working with!

Mama sure seems to be making lots of room in there for you lately. I hope it's cozy because it's starting to be a tight squeeze out here. (fitting into my jeans, that is). Daddy is doing a lot of golfing lately just in case he has to take a break when you arrive. Mommy is getting a lot of sleep too for very same reasons! We've warned your brothers (Nobs and Sam) that you are coming and that there may be lots of changes ahead for them in the future. They didn't seem to have a lot to say, they must just be contemplating what we told them. Both sets of grandparents ask about you everyday. You are going to LOVE them. (and your cousins too!)

Keep growing our little baby and we'll see you soon!!


Loving you every day,

Mommy and Daddy

Fifteen Weeks

15 Weeks. 'Orange' you glad that we're pregnant?

Found this neat little questionnaire for this week. Gotta keep it fresh and change it up every once in a while!

How far along? 15 Weeks, 2 days .... but who's counting : )

Total weight gain/loss: 5.5 lbs. gain (duh)

Maternity clothes? Have a closet full of hand-me-downs and stuff I've purchased, but not wearing any yet, they are all too long or baggy still. Although that is not to say that I still fit in my regular clothes. I'm definitely in that "in-between" stage. Just chubby enough to feel self conscious, but not enough to be "showing". So Lovely. Really a girls dream.

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: Sleeping great, hard. Can't get enough

Best moment this week: I think I am starting to feel the baby move. It feels like little bubbles popping, but I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the first few weeks you might not know what you are really feeling. I'm just so excited to think I am almost to that point where I'll be able to start feel him/her rumble around in there.

Miss Anything? Ice Cold Beer on a warm afternoon. Being able to run like I used to.

Heartburn: You betcha. Pineapple even gives it to me!

Food cravings: Fruits and Tomato Basil Soup

Anything making you queasy or sick: Pork, Too much sweets

Have you started to show yet: goes back and forth everyday

Gender prediction: Boy

Anything make you scared: The temperature rising this summer. No hot flashes yet, but I keep hearing horror stories that have me on the edge of my seat.

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! (but maybe you should check with my husband for confirmation)

Looking forward to: Really starting to feel the baby move and to KNOW it’s the baby and not gas :)

Week Fourteen

Week 14 Baby Z is the size of a Lemon

PHYSICAL CHANGES:
Nothing new really. (Which is a blessing, I would guess) Belly continues to grow, food continues to be delicious and I continue to be dissatisfied with my less than stellar energy level. It's not like I fall asleep at my desk at work or anything... It's just that when you have seen the potential that your body and brain can do at it's peak (say mid-terms in college) and then you live at a sub-par level of that, it gets annoying.
I know my brain can concentrate better than this... It. Just. Won't.
I know I can actually jog at a pretty good pace without getting winded, but I can barely muster a brisk walk without sweating. Gross.
Note: I am walking and using my elliptical about 5 times a week. Determined to have a fit pregnancy and a small sized baby exiting this body. : )

CRAVINGS:
Still stuck on fruits. I love ALL food, but would say I "yearn" for fruits. Lucky for me AND baby!

SWEET BABY MOMENT OF THE WEEK:
On Easter Sunday we got to hear the heartbeat of our baby from the comfort of our own couch. One of my sister's good friends is done having babies and gave us a whole bunch of stuff related to pregnancy and postpartum life. One of the fun things was an at-home Doppler device that lets you hear the babies heart beat over a set of earphones. The box says it may not work until 16 weeks, but we could hear our little thumper at 14. First I listened to my own heart so I could see what I was listening for and then we navigated around my belly until we heard the baby!  I counted 170 bpm but Casey says it was more like 150 bpm. Either way it was the coolest thing.
We celebrated our Savior's resurrection and the new life that brings for us. THEN we celebrated the new life created in my belly!

Jeff Vs. Kristi

We went to Winnsboro this weekend for some much needed family time with the Zimmerman's. We've been in close contact with everyone via phone the last two months, but we were overdue for a good face-to-face visit. Sometimes I despise phones, but when it keeps you in contact with your family when you otherwise can't get to them - I like it.

It was a sweet weekend and we had a good time with everyone, but what I really want to tell you about is my first weekend as the "prank-er" and not the "prank-ee"

I have long ago accepted that my father-in-law does love me, but that he just insists on showing it in his own unique sort of way. (to be specific : picking on me and playing pranks on me) So, to be fair, I have decided to reciprocate his love in the same way. Yes, as promised, I have risen to the challenge and started to pick on him - oh how the tables have turned. I even came up with my own ideas this weekend without the help of youtube or something like that.

Game.On.

This weekend, I started off with a few things just to test the waters. One idea worked and one was a futile effort.

I attempted to gross him out by putting gummy worms in his coke cans so that when he would take a big gulp, the slimy candy would hit his mouth and really disgust him before he figured out what it was. Stupid gummy worms must just sink to the bottom because he never was affected. Shucks. One idea down the drain and some delicious gummy worms were wasted in the process.

Finally, my moment of opportunity had arrived. Casey and Jeff had gone out to the barn to do something with the horses and Susie and I were inside chatting. I grabbed the saran wrap and cut a piece long enough to cover the door frame, I taped it on tight- right at eye level. After that, my only hiccup was that I had to secretly signal to Casey to be the second person to walk in the house, but he caught on pretty quickly. Just as planned, Jeff walked in from outside, hit the saran wrap and SMACK. His glasses got smooshed into his face and he stumbled backward. and the best part was he was startled into SILENCE. It was AWESOME. In fact he was quite for several minutes after.
< I think he was trying to find his manhood that he must have dropped at the door>

Ba ha ha ha

It was good, It was clean and it was most importantly : humorous
Yes, I would say the first weekend was a success. Can't wait to go back in May!

Man it's good to be apart of the family : )

Happy Birthday Noah Bear !!

We can't believe it but our nephew Noah is already 4 years old! We celebrated his birthday at the beginning of March at my sister's house - a completely Dinosaur-themed party. Dinosaur games, Dinosaur masks, Dinosaur cake, you name it - my sister had a dinosaur version of it.

First let me say that my sister is my hero. Not only did she pull off the coolest dinosaur party with the neatest activities, but she did not even bat an eye when the weather was bad and she had to have the whole party INSIDE her house. I freaked out and it wasn't even my house. But she was calm,cool and collected and it was a hit!

Second, let me say how crazy it is that Noah is getting so big. The fact that he can write his own name and is already so independent just blows my mind. It is so much fun watching him and his cute little sister grow! I feel like a grandmother saying it, but it really is a blast.

Here are the pics I had from the weekend:

Noah couldn't wait to give Grandma a hug for his birthday gift

The kids at the "dino dig"

I think Noah is really looking forward to eating that cake!

Noah explaining to the bigger boys which dinosaur is a meat eater and which is a plant eater. Very important stuff



Couldn't forget Ms. Emily!



Thirteen Weeks

13 Weeks. baby is the size of a Georgia Peach. Second Trimester!

PHYSICAL CHANGES:
SO Excited that Nausea is still gone. I thank God every time I remember that I am past that phase. I think back over the month between weeks 7-11 and am so relieved to see it go. My husband knows I don't have a very high tolerance for discomfort so I'm pretty proud I made it through without any major meltdowns. Scale says I've only gained another pound, but the way my body is repositioning itself, it feels more like 15. Kind of glad I'm going to be pregnant through the spring and summer because I can already tell that billowy cotton dresses are going to be a life saver at work. (and to my self-esteem)
I will say that I'm pretty peeved off that my energy still hasn't returned. My mom had an AWESOME pregnancy and said she never felt better. All books I've read said your pregnancy will be pretty close to how your mother's was. Bull-hockey. I've had nausea and she didn't have that. And I've been dead tired and she doesn't remember that at all. In fact she was a little concerned at first that I was so tired until I reminded her that is normal for most pregnant people. She then kindly reminded me that I'm so much 'older' than she was when she had her kids so maybe my age is affecting my energy. Thanks mom. love you too! : )
The tiredness is nothing like it was in the first few weeks after I tinkled on that sacred little stick but I'm still not bouncing around like I was hoping I would do when I hit the second trimester. My husband is reporting that he is still very happy to see a more calmed-down-version of his wife.

CRAVINGS: Any.kind.of.food. I just want it and I prefer a large amount. Watermelon is still a staple alongside it's other friends from the produce department, Mr. Apple, Professor Grape and Senor Strawberry.
SWEET BABY MOMENT OF THE WEEK: Saw a little boy in my bank lobby today playing on his hand held PlayStation game. He was perfectly content while his parents did their business and I just saw my future flash before my eyes. It's no secret that my husband is a big fan of video games and I know if we have a little boy, Casey will have no trouble passing down his favorite hobby.