25 Weeks...15ish To Go :)

Let me just start by saying I love numbers that can be easily divided, so this week makes me happy :)  I'm also feeling pretty good this week!  Johnny went on a men's retreat with our church this past weekend, so I got to spend some good old mommy daughter time with Joey!  It's getting more and more challenging to pick Joey up, give Joey a bath, play with Joey on the floor, and basically do anything because this belly is OUT OF CONTROL!!!!  That being said, when Johnny was gone, Joey was great!  She was willing to go up and down the stairs on her own {usually she wants mommy or daddy to carry her}, she was good for the bath {recently she hasn't wanted to take baths}, she ate well {we have been getting to fight with an almost 2 year old at every meal}, and well you get the point, she was great!!!  I'll explain more of the "how am I feeling" questions during the belly pic section...let's get to it!!

Here I am with Joey in my belly!  The caption on this picture said 104.4 lbs!  It also said my doc wanted me to gain 10 to 15 more lbs!  I remember thinking...are you crazy??  Where is all that weight going to go??  I can't possibly get any bigger!  Now onto the pic for baby Sam....

This pic is with baby Sam in my belly and answers the question from above!  This is where all that weight can go!  In this pic I weigh 110 lbs...Yikes!  I was wondering why my docs aren't concerned with my weight this time around, and I guess it's because I'm not having any trouble putting any weight on :(  That's why I have a frustrated look on my face!  I don't even think I could wear the shirt I'm wearing in the pic above without offending someone because the bottom of my belly would stick out!...oh well, pregnancy is beautiful...blah, blah, blah!

On with the Baby Center news :)

How your baby's growing (25 Weeks):

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

And for those that want the inside scoop, here's the view!

Look at the drawing's belly, so cute and little {sigh}!  One day I too will have a small belly again :)

Wishful Wednesday......Book Character

So Kelsey at the Seattle Smiths poses the question below on her Wishful Wednesday Topic this week....

'I wish' .... I could play a character's role in a book and it would be __________!

Now that I have a child, my answer to this question is certainly reflective of that! Take a look :)

'I wish' .... I could play a character's role in a book and it would be one of the girls in the Backyardigans Books!

So these guys are really from a TV show, and I just happened to know that they also made books, so I guess I cheated the topic just a little by answering the way I did {I call it creativity}!!

These kids are so much fun!  They remind of how important it is to let your kids be kids, and how much fun it was to be a kid!  The object of the show/books is that these kids play in their backyard and create different adventures just by using their imagination!  Oh to be a kid again :)  Here are a few titles I found online...

 

  

  

  

Things like this make me long for the day when we have a backyard for Joey and Sam to play in!  These kids come up with the coolest things to do, and they always end the day with a SNACK!!  Yummo :)  

So what's your answer to the question??  Which character would you play in a book??  Hop over to the Seattle Smiths and play along...write your response then link it back to Kelsey's blog when you are done!

Ready for Summer!!!

In honor of the cold weather, I thought I'd post some pics from last week when we got all the way up to 60 somthing!  Joey and I had to go outside to get some fresh air, so I toted her basketball goal out to the ally and we played for a good 45 minutes before the sun went down and daddy got home!  Here are some fun shots :)

 

Slam Dunk!!!

  

Get the ball Joey :)

  

2 Slam Dunks in 1 day...Maybe we should raise the goal????

  

Look mommy, I can dribble too :)

  

Now I'm going to go over here, and you can't catch me :)

 

And now I'm going to throw the ball in the grass!

The sun was out and we seized the moment, glad we did with snow in the forecast for this upcoming week!  Where is Summer???  I'm ready for sunny weather!!!

24 Weeks.....16 to go...ish!

So I say "ish" because Joey was born during the 38th week of pregnancy as opposed to the 40th week of pregnancy!  So technically folks, we could be meeting Sammy Lynn in 14 weeks!!!  That's less than 4 months :)  Wow!!!  

Any who, as far as how I'm feeling this week, I'm feeling pretty good!  I had a doc appointment yesterday and they said they are really concerned about my blood count....She said it should start at a 12 and I started at a 9...whatever that means! Anyway, Samantha is making that blood count go even lower than a 9, so we have pumped up the iron supplimentation to hopefully get my blood count up, up, up before I have to have my c-section in June!  I will get my blood tested at my next appointment on March 16th, so we will see!  Another thing I will get tested for is gestational diabetes :)  This means I get to drink a flat tasting "orange fanta" like drink, and then they take my blood and see how my body metabolizes the sugar.  If I pass {which I did with Joey} then the testing is over....if I fail, then I have to do a longer test and go from there.

Enough of the boring stuff, on with the belly pics :)

Here I am with Joey...I love these PJs by the way..maybe I'll wear them tonight....I look so tiny weighing in at 108lbs :)

Here I am with Sammy..I'm definitely bigger weighing in at 110lbs :)

On with the Baby Center update...

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

And for those of y'all interested...here's the inside look :)

Thanks for tuning in folks!!

  

It's Library Day :)

So I loved getting everyone's suggestions on what books to get for Joey's reading enjoyment!  Please keep the ideas coming :)  I totally forgot my list of what everyone said, so this is what we ended up with when we headed to the library tonight....hopefully we got some good ones!!

I got this one purely based off of the cover illustration :)  Looks like it could be a good one!

I got this one because Joey has this crazy obsession with dogs right now, and her Dedechek's name is Carl!!

We got this one because I liked the other book we got by Jamie Lee Curtis, and when I flipped through the pages of this one, it looks super cute!

I got this one because I just love Miss Spider!  She's so cute and the illustrator of these books is amazing...all the illustrations are so captivating and interesting to look at!

I got this one because I love music and so does Joey...end of story :)

This is one that I remembered!  My friend Aaron suggested it!  Check out his daddy blog here :)

I couldn't remember where I had heard about this book till I got home, but it had dogs on it, and again, Joey has an obsession with dogs these days!!  My friend amanda read it to her daughter while I was at her house one day, it is super cute!!!

So that's it folks, this is what we will be reading to Joey for the next few weeks!  Please suggest more books, I promise to take my list to the library next time :)  Do you have any opinions about the ones we got today??

Snow Day Saturday :)

We bundled up the kid and headed over to the Luedke house to play in the snow...we had a blast, and here are the pics....

After the snow play we enjoyed some hot chocolate, smores and the movie Beauty and the Beast on VHS....that's right folks, VHS!!  What a fun day with friends!

How We Spent The Day :)

So today I stayed home with Joey because Miss Holli had a doctor's appointment.  I was so glad we stayed home because it was so snowy!!  A record in Dallas history apparently!  So here is our day in pictures (and some silly captions :)

Joey had her snack in "mommy's chair".  She climbed in it all on her own (which is a huge deal, this kid is not a brave one :)

She's not giving me a dirty look, she's saying "CHEESE"

After snack, we did some puzzles!  Joey can put all her puzzles together all on her own!  These are all for ages 3 and up :) She's so smart!!

Then daddy came home for lunch...we had a nutritious feast of pizza rolls and chicken tenders coupled with some chips and pickles...yummo :)

Joey must have been worn out because she took a 3 hour nap after daddy went back to work which was great because mommy got a good nap too :)

Once Joey got up, we had a tea party!  She always gives the purple cup to her tea party guests, and loves asking if you want more tea!

When daddy got home, he wanted to take Joey outside to play, so he got her all dressed up in layers and headed out the door!  She stood there and cried :)  So he sent her back inside with me and we watched daddy roll up a snow man from the window inside where it was warm! (See him in the window??)

Good job daddy!  This is through the window, so the lines are the window screen...

Why not play with some play doh while dinner is getting finished??  Joey wasn't doing anything interesting with it, so we took a picture of daddy and his creation :)

To finish up our day, we went to visit Miss Isabel and her new baby Bella!   Bella is so cute, and we are so excited that she made it safe and sound into this world!

Now it's time for bed people :)  Johnny and I both have the day off tomorrow because the weather is still gross, so we get to play all over again!  Hope everyone is safe and warm!!

Week 23...17 To Go :)

So this past weekend I was treated to my first pre natal massage! (Thanks Aunt Patti)  It was amazing and I think it really helped my hips and sciatic!  I can't wait to get another massage another time!    Other things going on this past week....I got to sing at church this past weekend.  It's always so much fun to sing to the King, and I love listening to the congregation sing to Him too!  When I looked back on the tape I realized just how preggo I look/am :)  Reality check :)  Here's the proof...

Here I am with Joey in my belly...I look really stoked :)

Woah Nelly!!!  Here I am with Sammy in my belly!!  That's my green shirt underneath the sweatshirt :)  I'm definitely bigger this time around, and that would explain my hip pains I'm thinking!

On with the Baby Center Update:

How your baby's growing (Week 23):

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

And just cause I think it's really cool, here's the "inside view"!

That's all folks!  Thanks for stopping by :)

My Love Affair With Children's Books :)

We just got a new Library in McKinney that is on the way home from Miss Holli's house!  I decided to get a membership and make Joey into an avid reader (unlike her mother and father).  She loves to be read to and my mom says that I loved it too when I was her age.  Now a days there is no time for reading leisurely :( I started the last Harry Potter about a month ago and to my friend Kelli's dismay, I am still only 1/2 way through the million page book!  Any who, I digress...enough about me, back to this post :)

So since I got a membership to our neighborhood library, Joey and I have been going and getting new children's books about every other week!  I love researching children's books online, and today I'm pretty sure we picked up some good ones!  Here's our reading list for the next few weeks to come:

I love kids books and get excited to go to the library with Joey. Do you remember when you were supposed to be quiet at the Library??  I do, and people aren't at this one!  I'm walking around shushing my little one while kids are running around seemingly unwatched...it's crazy!!  Other than that, I'm excited to continue checking out books for JoJo and spending time with her reading said books!  

Do you have any childhood favorites or any books that are your child's favorites?  Please suggest!  Night Night everyone :)

22 Weeks Down and 18 To Go!

So here we are at week 22!  I feel big :)  It's getting harder to tie my shoes because I can't bend down as easy as I used to!  The only complaint I have with this week (and believe me, I'm glad to only have 1...I know a lot of women who are going crazy at this point) is that my hips hurt so bad!  When I get up in the morning, I feel as though I've done 50 million toe touches and my hips are mad at me.  My hip joints seriously creek in the morning, and this pain and creeking continue through work and really anytime I've been sitting or without movement for a long time.  So it's a catch 22...I'm supposed to rest, but it ends up hurting when I do :(  I called the doc yesterday and she said to try some tylonal, and a hot/cold compress regimen.  If that doesn't work, then she said Physical Therapy would be looked at.  There's that word again...PT!  I love you Melanie, and I love you Lorenzo, but we are about to have a baby, and they cost money...I don't have money for PT too :(  Hopefully the Tylonal and compresses work!!  Other than that I feel great! I have energy and have been getting a lot done lately...I even did 3 loads of laundry the other day...washed, dried, folded, and put away all in the same day!  If you remember this post, you know that's a HUGE deal my friends!  On with the belly pics :)

 

Here I am with Joey in my belly.  I kinda want to go back and kick my old 22 week self in the face.  I think you can still see an ab line on the side there.  I remember loving my hair this day :)

 

Here I am with Sam in my belly!  This girl is gonna be huge!!!  I can't believe the difference...no wonder my hips hurt, there's a lot more belly to support!!

Here's the Baby Center Update....

How your baby's growing (Week 22):

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

 

 Sorry if this is an over share, but I thought I would start including the "inside the belly" pic.  It's just amazing to me how all your organs and parts get shoved around to make room for one of God's tiny little creatures!  I am so blessed to the Sam's housing unit for the next 4 months :)  So yeah, here's a drawn rendition of what's going on in there!

 

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week...I'll let you know how the tylonal works :)

Joey Loves To Talk :)

Hi everyone :)  So here is a video of our little JoJo taken about a month ago.  She is now 21 months and I can't believe we will be celebrating her 2nd birthday in April and adding a baby sister to the mix in June!  Where has the time gone? Joey loves to talk talk talk and if I do say so myself, this kid is a smartie!!  Check out the video below and you can put your 2 cents in if you like...unless of course if you two cents is about how your kid is better than mine, then I don't want to hear it :) 

If you are getting this post via Facebook or email, check out my actual blog to see the video.....http://www.stoutsrus.blogspot.com