Let the Monogramming Begin!!!

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him" Psalm 127:3

After much debate and discussion, we finally have decided on a name for the baby!
I'm actually surprised at the amount of relief I feel having one more decision behind us.
I love the thought of using family names that have meaning and I think we've managed to do just that.
At the end of April (or May as Weaver babies tend to take their time making their appearance),  we will welcome:

James Lawson Weaver

James for Patrick's first name (this is also a name from his mom's and dad's side of the family). Lawson is the maiden name of my dad's mother (which is particularly special to me as she has passed, but nice to feel her presence continuing in our daily lives). At this point, I think we intend on calling him James...

We are moving this week! So our next big decision is nursery decor. Otherwise, everything continues to go well. I'm definitely getting confused as to the whole food measurements. I went from an eggplant to a cucumber (which to me,  an eggplant is larger than a cucumber!). He has to be getting bigger as my belly continues to grow. Now he's up to the head of cauliflower (?!?!). Which is around 16 inches and 2.5 lbs. He is growing by leaps and bounds! And doing the same in my belly. His hearing and taste buds are coming into play. Apparently if I eat something too spicy, it could give him the hiccups! And I love spicy. He is starting some semblance of a sleep cycle (I hope he learns quickly!). There is also some comfort in knowing that babies born at this time frame have an excellent prognosis as his lungs have reached maturity (or very close to). 

I'm starting the 3rd trimester! Yikes, it's getting closer!! I was reading that this is the time when swelling tends to start (something I'm a bit concerned about because I walk a lot in my job; somedays they run me miles all over the hospital). But so far, the water has stayed where it's supposed to! The discomfort is minimal, everything is just a little more difficult to do. The tiredness is coming back around, but still, nothing overwhelming. I do have a pretty persistent backache, but a body pillow has started to work wonders. Some days he pushes on my sciatic nerve, which is when I call him a pain in my butt! But it usually only lasts for a day and then moves and gives me a break. 

And I'm still putting off drinking my glucose tang (mainly because I'm just not looking forward to doing so). But that is also coming up on my to do's this week.

Week 26

"From the fullness of His grace, we have all received one blessing after another"- John 1:16

Man, it's hard to be believe that we have less than 100 days to go!! It's exciting and terrifying at the same time! Right now our little one is the size of an eggplant (more than 9 inches and ~2lbs). Most days it's hard to believe that he's going to get a lot bigger. So far, I've gained 14 lbs. My goal was 20, so I think I'll be beyond that. But from what I can tell, it's mostly baby; I don't think I'm really putting on weight anywhere else (or at least that's what nice people tell me!). I was a pretty healthier eater before and I really haven't changed my habits all that much.

Over the past couple of weeks, the baby's face (while still tiny) is basically fully formed! However, he does not have chubby cheeks yet as the fat will come later. The baby's skin is going from transparent (like literally being able to see organs and vessels) to more pink as blood vessels continue to bring more blood to surrounding areas. His eyes are beginning to open (although really, what is there to see at this point?). They say you can hold a flashlight up to my belly and he'll likely kick back to let me know he's not into a bright line being shone in his eyes (it seems a little mean, so I haven't done that yet). Being able to respond means that brain waves are firing all around. I hope that y'all find this kind of stuff interesting. With my weekly updates I receive, the science geek in me becomes more and more impressed with fetal development.

I'm still feeling pretty good. As I near the end of the 2nd trimester (the happy place for sure!), I can feel my energy just getting a little less by the end of the week. I'm squeezing myself into less and less and am enjoying pants that have stretch. I mean in all honesty, why don't we wear these types of clothes more often?? They're light years more comfortable than having to button, zip, tie, etc! I have my 1 hr glucose test before my next visit, so I'm not terribly excited about drinking the tang, but I really don't want to have to do the 3-4 hr test either!

Last weekend I spent some time with my mom (not only buying more maternity clothes), but also registering. It was an all day process and I was worn out by the end! Luckily, I had my expert helper (other than my mom), Allison tell me all the things I need and don't need (and some extra help from Lauren who consulted via text). I'm having a lot of trouble deciding on a nursery theme/decor. I'm not really crazy about a lot of the cheezy/matchy-matchy ideas. But then people think my concept is boring (which involves a peaceful, neutral, no babies r us explosion). I'm hoping Sheryl can guide my inner interior decorator in the right direction.

Other news, we found a house to rent for the next year and a half. I maintain we could have stayed put, but at the end of the day, I think a move is also for the best. Now, I'm quite excited about moving on Feb 1st into a real house, with a garage (no more dragging groceries up to the third floor), fenced in back yard for Cooper (no more 2 flight trips down and back up to take him out) and a kitchen to move around in! My mom has offered to do the moving (or find the help to do the moving) and Anna (with her team) is going to help get everything set up. So Patrick and I will be living among boxes for the next couple of weeks (so if I seem more grumpy, I apologize ahead of time).

Home for the Next Year and a Half

We decided to stay with my current ob/gyn and deliver at the hospital where I work (instead of transferring to Shands). It was a battle to make the decision, but ultimately, it didn't seem that my experience at one would be superior to the other. And my MD is one floor above my office and the LDR is one floor below my office. It's pretty convenient to say the least. I have to trust my MD that she is going to do her best to set me up with the most experienced RN and I also trust the opinion of the craniofacial pediatrician who Patrick has spoken with.  Now if I blog that no one knew what they were doing when this baby is screaming at 2:30 in the a.m., I'll be questioning this decision! :)

And finally, everyone's favorite question, what's the name?? He has so far remained nameless. We are talking and discussing options, but have yet to decide on anything concrete. But have no fear, we hope to have one soon and will let the world know ASAP. Lots going on over the next couple of weeks (and let's be honest, it will probably stay this way for months if not years to come)

Closing of a good 2011, Looking forward to an amazing 2012

"For you created my inmost being;you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." -Psalm 139: 13-14

I always hesitated about having a blog for two reasons. One, I never thought anything really interesting happened in my world; so a blog about our life would probably be pretty boring (I think a baby will help with this). Two, I never trusted myself to keep up with it. Needless to say, a lot has happened in the past 6 weeks of our absence.

Week 20

We had our 20 week ultrasound after Thanksgiving. In all honesty, you go to so many appointments and you hear month after month, everything is great/normal; that you never expect to hear anything different. And I can honestly tell you, there is no amount of mental or emotional preparation you can do to ready yourself to hear anything different. However, we did get some not so normal news. And call it intuition, but I sat in the MD office before we were even told anything was questionable, just with a creeping and uncertain feeling that we weren't going to get the all clear. The ultrasound tech thought she saw a cleft lip and maybe palate. As a first time expectant mother, it's a devastating blow to hear (no matter how severe something might be). I can only imagine as a pediatric dentist who sees this kind of stuff frequently, it's probably one of the initial biggest fears on the mind (just because you are so exposed to it). I think it's kind of like hearing your baby has a heart issue and you're a cardiologist, etc. I cried for the rest of the afternoon.  I have the best rock of a husband. I can't imagine what the news meant to him, but he never once wavered in faith that everything was going to be fine. And in the midst of an emotional perfect storm, I couldn't have asked for a more calm and reassuring presence.

So we had to wait another week and a half (which is torture) for a level II ultrasound over at Shands. You want to stay positive, but when your doctor is telling you they are sending you to the place where sick babies go, your mind tends to think of all the bad things that could be. On a positive note, other than the cleft lip/palate, he's as healthy as can be. And in true Weaver fashion, his legs are 1 week ahead of the rest of his measurements! He also gave a thumbs up (which was actually the first picture we saw the second time around) to let us know he's hanging out and totally fine.

                                                                              Thumbs Up

Back of His Long Legs

                                                                         Profile Shot

At this point, the news has settled in. It's a fixable problem and in the realm of things that can go wrong, this is definitely on the positive end of the spectrum. Some days are better than others still though. We won't know the extent of the cleft until he's born. It could range from very little to needing special feeding equipment and more extensive intervention. So every now and then, I feel a little sorry that he already has stuff on his plate and he's not born yet, but he is already so loved, the sorry feeling quickly fades. And the nice thing is that he won't remember a thing about any of it. For me, I'm slowly learning to let go of the expectations I had (and trust God's plan that He has for us which is a battle I've struggled with all my life, but never quite in this way). I like being in control and I guess this is one way that He is reminding me, He's got everything covered and doesn't need my help. Adding to the mix we are also dealing with working with insurance, switching MDs/hospitals, finding a rental house, etc...so when everyone said it wouldn't be easy, they weren't kidding, I guess.

CURRENT BABY UPDATE- Week 23

Right now, he just continues to grow (which means I continue to get bigger and bigger)! There's no more skating by :) Unfortunately my normal wardrobe is getting more and more difficult to squeeze into (a reminder to myself to get some of those maternity pants hemmed). My goal was to make it to 5 months without having to go straight to maternity clothes and I'll get to 6 months before almost all my pants are off limits!

This week he's the size of a small doll or an ear of corn. Seems like 2 very different things, but more tangible measurements are that he is around 8.5 inches long and weighs close to 1.5 lbs! His weight in the next month is supposed to double! Patrick keeps saying he wants a fat, healthy baby. I'm more on the side of a long and lean healthy baby! :) He has grown eyelashes and can sense light too. One of the things I'm most excited to see is what his eyes will look like since Patrick and mine are so different.

I felt the flutters of the baby right after our last post (it was actually the morning of Thanksgiving). Now he is in full swing and I can see the movement on the outside! So in church this morning I found myself a little distracted as he was dancing and I could see it under my shirt. It's an indescribable feeling and it catches my breath when he starts moving. I think he prefers the quiet. When I'm at the hospital with all the noise, dings, etc; he stays pretty silent (much to the dismay of the staff who are constantly waiting to feel him move too). However, when I'm sitting on the couch at the end of the day or anytime I'm in bed, he is moving and shaking.

We are sure of some things in 2012 and uncertain about others. However, at the end of spring, we will have our little boy to love on and that in itself is an amazing thing.