Names

So this pregnancy I'm only having an urge to think of boy names. When I was pregnant with Bella I only had an urge to think of girl names, so I'm going with it. We DEFINITELY haven't narrowed it down at all and I'm sure will add even more LOL

MY LIST:
Hunter (my absolute fav so far)
Brogan
Owen
Giacomo (our Italian landlord's grandson's name, I LOVED it!!! Pronounced "Jack co mo" with an Italian "J")


BOTH LIKE:
Gavin
Gabriel
Lukas/Luke
Nathaniel
Dominick
Tristan
Landon
Elijah

Tomorrow: 6 WEEKS

I POAS again today and I'm still pregnant!!! I was little paranoid with some light spotting yesterday so now I can sleep again:)

I'm 6 weeks tomorrow so I thought I'd go ahead and post.

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOU

Feeling positively ill? Does the smell of coffee make you want to dash for the bathroom? If so, it sounds like morning sickness. Nausea affects one third to one half of all pregnant women and usually abates by the start of the second trimester. It may be caused by a higher level of estrogen, as well as the rapid expansion of the uterus. But wait, there is some good news: Studies show that morning sickness may be related to a slightly lower risk of miscarriage. (Please don't worry if you are feeling perfectly fine. Count your blessings!)

This should be fun seeing as my new job is a taste tester LOL

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Your baby's length is now about 3 to 5 millimeters -- about the size of a peppercorn! The brain is forming three separate parts: the forebrain (memory and reasoning), the midbrain (translates messages from the brain to organs and limbs) and the hindbrain (regulates breathing and muscle movement). At this point the embryo is now three-dimensional and completely enclosed in the amniotic sac. Your baby's heart is now beating and blood circulation is evident. The kidneys and liver are growing fast, and the neural tube, which connects the brain with the spinal cord, closes. The placenta is rapidly developing, however, it will not take over hormone production until about week 12.

According to Dr. Gorman who delivered Bella, I had one of the nicest and biggest placentas he had ever seen. I want a plaque for that buster!!!

First OB appt

My first OB appt was this afternoon and I LOOOOOOOOVE my new OB, Dr. Nadine Ford. She is from Texas so that gives her super points to begin with:) She was super sweet and very personable and I LOVE her nurse!!! They put the due date as Christmas Day!!!!

My next appt is with the nurse on May 7th to get my medical history and do bloodwork (YUK!!!). Then the next appt will be approx 2 wks after that and will include a small ultrasound so I'm hoping to make it for a Friday afternoon so Ben can come. Thats another bonus for using this clinic instead of Parkhill-its close enough that Ben can come to appts with me:)

5w5d

From iVillage:

You are 5 Weeks Pregnant!

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOU

Your body is working overtime to produce a special new life. You may feel exhausted and unusually cranky. Of course, running to the bathroom every few minutes doesn't help. This is due to your increased metabolism and growing uterus. Your breasts may be particularly tender now and you may find that sleeping in a sports bra helps. Don't worry, breast growth will slow within the next three weeks.

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

During the next few days, your baby's heart will start early contractions, which later become distinct beats. By the end of the third week of gestation (five weeks in menstrual age) the length of the embryo is about 1.5 to 2 millimeters long. All of your baby's major organs are under development, and facial features, such as ears and eyes, begin to form. The neural tube, which will later be referred to as the spinal cord, will fuse this week. And buds appear that will soon be the arms and legs. No wonder you are so tired!

I can definitely attest to the increase in bathroom trips, exhaustion and sore and swollen boobs. I'm finding that wearing my old nursing bras are much more comfortable. My jeans are too uncomfy yet but I can tell a difference in the waist.

My first OB appt is this afternoon. I'll be meeting Dr. Ford for the first time. I've decided to go with Pinnacle Women's Health and deliver at Willow Creek. I'd LOVE to have Dr. Gorman again but the drive was killer when I was preggo with Bella and gas prices have gotten to high to even consider it BUT we will use Willow Creek again for delivery since Dr. Ford has delivery privileges there and I feel much more comfortable there. I've already heard enough horror stories about the new hospital to make me avoid it for L&D even tho I was really excited about it being so close and having a NICU. I just love the security they have in place at Willow Creek and the fact that they specialize in delivering babies, and its a place we know and were so happy with when we had Bella. Not many places let you have more than one person in the OR with you for a C-Section:)

I really think Bella knows something is up-its like the same 6th sense that pets have when someone is pregnant. She has been uber clingy and having major separation anxiety over the past few weeks-something I'm not use to so I had just chalked it up to the fact that she never really had bad separation anxiety as a baby so maybe it was just kicking in during her toddler years. Its gotten better over the past day or so but she is still clingier than normal. Poor lil punkin has a world of hurt coming for her in December-she HATES it when I hold babies LOL I guess its something we can work on for 9 months:) She LOVES to hold baby dolls and play mama to them. I think she is gonna be an awesome big sister once she gets past the jealousy. She loves to help (child is a NEAT freak!!!!) and I've even seen her in the baby room at school helping the teachers. We'll see-it'll be a HUGE adjustment for her but I think we'll survive and she'll do good.

We are planning on moving our room into the computer/game room, turning our old room into Bella's room and leaving the nursery for the baby. Bella is ready for a big girl bed so its good timing. I think we are gonna work on that the weekend of Ben's bday since we'll have some extra muscle here to help out. We were gonna either convert the garage into the master with a master bath and leave the computer/game room as is with a utility room but with a new roof and now having to get a new septic, it ain't gonna happen. So we'll just put a door on the computer room and be done with it. This house WILL be painted before the baby arrives!!!!!

The septic guys come out tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure they'll have to dig up the whole damn backyard which is fine with me (as long as they leave my apple tree alone!!) cuz then the rocks will magically disappear and we can grow a REAL yard!!!!!!!!! YAY for me and Bella having a backyard:) (Daddy can have fun taking care of it LOL) k outta here to get Bean outta bed (she never fell asleep today just read and talked to her animals) so she can go play at Grma's while I go to the OB:)

Becoming the May Quad

I made a new blog so you can follow this pregnancy aside from Bella's blog-yep already trying to make her feel special and not let her get lost in the crowd we are growing:) LOL

http://maypreggo.blogspot.com/

Becoming the MayQuad

Merry Christmas!!!

Bella is gonna have a HUGE (ok hopefully not HUGE LOL) Christmas present this year-a little brother or sister!!!! We found out this morning-well I found out this morning in the WalMart bathroom and surprised Ben when he got home this afternoon. I have my first appointment on Monday afternoon to confirm. The due date is Christmas Eve!!!! I really think this is Nana's way of making the first Christmas a more joyous one. She would have LOOOOOVED a Christmas baby!!

I'm going to make a separate blog for the pregnancy so I don't flood Bella's blog. I'll post the link in a bit.

As a looooovely reminder of the WHALE status I got to when I was pregnant with Bella-NOT gonna happen with her lil bro/sis!!!!

2008 Komen Ozark Race for the Cure

THANK YOU to everyone that donated under Bella's name-she was the TOP fundraiser for Kids 2 and under!!!!!! Our team, Mothers for the Cure, was in the Top 25!!!

The Race was at a new location this year to celebrate the Ozark affiliate's 10th anniversary. It was held at the new Arvest Ballpark and was beautiful!! The weather was perfect even tho it was a bit chilly in the beginning. With it being new location, there were quite a few logistical nightmares-there were over 16,000 people and only 6 buses to shuttle people to the Ballpark!!! The Race started about 45 minutes late but we still had fun. In all the chaos, I wasn't able to take many pictures. Ok so I only took one LOL.....

Bella being all cozy and behaving before the Race-Dora and Pon Bob are keeping her company:)

The rest of the pics are from www.nwaphoto.com

A small view of the madness

After the Survivor Parade, the Survivors and family/friends released balloons-it gave me goosebumps!

There's Bella!!!! 2nd stroller from the left

Us Mamas doing our thing:) The lil ones did so awesome!!!!!

Beautiful Spring

Our apple tree bloomed!!!!! We were worried because last year we only had ONE apple due to a late freeze so we were thrilled to see so many blooms!!!

We call this our "GiGi Apple Tree" now because Nana was so excited to come pick apples and make applesauce for Bella. We've also started a flower bed under the tree that we call "GiGi's flowers". It has caladiums (she grew a caladium that is now older than me and still going strong!!!), stargazer lilies (Ben bought bulbs for me for Valentines knowing stargazers were favorites of Nana and I), and the beautiful tulips Papa gave me for Valentine's Day.

Bella and I visit GiGi's flowers everytime its pretty outside. She loves to just sit there and look at the tree (and dig thru the dirt for worms that she rips in half LOL)

We bought this tent for Bella to use on the beach in Puerto Rico and Gulf Shores (didn't use it on either LOL). We have it set up in the covered deck now and she LOVES to play in it!!

Dancing like a silly monkey!!! I guess the name "Tiny Dancer" that I gave her when I was pregnant has stuck:)

Sweet lil cheeser- I LOVE YOU BEAN!!!!

Flood Pictures

A little late posting these-took them April 10th.

Bella Vista Lake Walking Trail-normally the water is BEHIND the line of trees.

Almost up to the highway

Golf course

Golf course-almost up to the road

See the 2 small bridges-normally water is UNDER them and golf carts drive over:)

You can see how fast the water was moving. The long line in the center of the picture is another bridge on the golf course.

Again, water normally behind the tree line

Golf course

MAJOR water hazard on the course

Still Missin Ya

Heya lady! I know you are shaking your head and chuckling. There I was this evening at grief support, encouraging Mama to journal, telling her how it sucks while you are doing it but it feels ok afterwards. Then I get home, get snippy with Ben and bawl my eyes out re-reading this blog. And now I've got that stupid lump in my throat. I use to think that if you get that lump, you can just cry it out. Now I can bawl my eyes out and the lump is still there.

I still miss you Boop, I miss you so much. It hasn't gotten easier but its not as hard-only a griever could make sense of that:) I don't hate every minute of every day that you aren't here anymore, just chunks of time here and there. Its with me every day, I guess cuz you were with me every day so ya might as well be forever huh?

Bella and I planted a flower bed around the apple tree in the backyard. I had always wanted flowers in the back just to have SOME color, but I finally decided it HAD to be by the apple tree because that was YOUR tree. You got so much joy out of watching it bloom and seeing the apples grow, knowing that you would pick them and make apple sauce for my baby that hadn't even been born yet. Last year we had only one apple because of the last freeze. I cannot explain the joy I felt when I noticed it was blooming yesterday-we'll have apples again!!! Everytime I go pick one, I'll think of you. Bella is still eating your apple sauce!! soooo Bella and I planted a flower bed and you were with us. She dug for worms and said in her sweet Bella voice, "weemy weemy" whenever I taught her it was a "wormy". We planted stargazer lilies, caladiums, and the tulips that Papa got me for Valentine's Day. That is going to be our GiGi place. We need to have a place we can go and just be with you. It'll be nice. I took Bella down there this afternoon and said, "See, this is where GiGi's flowers will be." She smiled and giggled and danced around the tree. I hate that she can't run and dance around you anymore, I miss it all the time cuz I know how much it made your heart smile.

I'm trying to hang on to the good memories-I have SOOOO many. Literally my entire lifetime cuz you were there every single step of the way. You were my very first babysitter, my favorite neighbor, and I will never forget how excited I got about sleep overs at Nana's house. We'd snuggle up in your bed, have a "midnight snack" and read our books-and of course, a back scratch with your awesome nails. Nobody could ever compete with your back scratches-you could go for hours and wouldn't stop until I said it was ok:) And then you'd fix me French toast in the morning. When Anthony was older, we'd go on "adventures" and walk to Fairview Park where he'd take us on guided tours of the creek. I guess that was just practice for the tours he loves to give of his City now. I remember you cleaned your house from top to bottom every Saturday. You'd vacuum under the couches and dust everything in sight. I loved the smell of furniture polish cuz of you. I remember spending the night at your house everytime it stormed cuz Daddy worked nights and Mama was scared. And all the nights we all climbed into the tub with a mattress over our heads. Then in high school, I lived with you for a while and came home drunk one morning and you wanted to take me to the hospital for drug testing!!! ooohhh Lordy! Yep, you were ALWAYS there! And I love it! You were right there with me loving every minute of my pregnancy, I loved having someone with me that was as excited as me. And all the OBGYN doctor appointments you went with me, and when I got too big to fit behind the steering wheel, you'd drive me. I know sometimes I acted like your RN-royalty bugged me, but it was so comforting having you there, knowing you would ask all the questions that I'd never think of, and that you'd reassure me when it got scary. I bawl thinking that I'll miss that with the next baby. My expert won't be there to hold my hand and answer my questions. (k pause for a 5 minute cry LOL) You drove me insane when I was in labor, hovering over the monitors, saying, "OMG that was a BIG one!!!" But I wouldn't give it up for the world and Mama, you dang well better put on the most annoying act possible in her place!!!! My favorite image is of you laying on the floor with my tinky baby, just talking to her and singing.

I miss you Nana Banana, soooo much. UGH it still hurts!!! It still sucks and I just want you back. Mama says that she wishes she could have you for just 5 more minutes. 5 minutes just ain't gonna hack it for me. I need ya here forever, for all the rest of the steps. Sometimes I just dunno how its all gonna happen without you here but I know it will. I'm loving showing flowers to Bella now cuz I know you would be doing that this spring. The flowers keep me going.

I love you Boop, forever and ever and always. Thanks for being my Nana. I love being your girl.

XOXO
G'night Irene

Happy April:)

Soooooo someone was kind enough to alert me to the fact that the blog hasn't been updated in AGES and my camera needed to be emptied so here ya go:)

My awesomest cousin Jessafern was here for Spring Break (I MISS YOU!!!!) and she takes the best pictures EVER (yes, you have to endure her paparazzi style flashing but its worth it!). She took this one of Bella and I holding hands in the car one day. I love it!!!! I know this is silly but the very first time I saw it, I swore that was my Nana's hand-we both have very petite hands and my hand looks SO much like hers in this picture. I miss holding her tiny hands.

ok Mom, I PROMISE I'm not purposely making this a sappy Nana blog post but I can't help it! This is one of Bella's favorite things to do when she is at GiGi & Papa's house-dig through "HER" cabinet which is full of tupperware so she can't get into any trouble LOL Nana LOVED this-she loved having Bella around no matter what but she really loved just being in the kitchen with her and letting her bang around and just be a kid. Another beautiful pic courtesty of Jessafern.

Will that be a cut and color today ma'am?

Another one of my fav Jess pics-Bella is helping her duck blow bubbles:)

More bubble adventures with Jessica

I love my sweet girls!!!!

HAHA Bella trying to escape with the bubble dish and Daddy chasing her around the house!

Papa's bird feeder contraption that Bella LOVES!!! She likes to say "teet teet" (instead of tweet)when she sees birds.

I'm convinced this is what she thinks she was born for-the life of a queen wearing Mardi Gras beads and channel surfing

What a bunch of bums!!!!!

Stacy, Danielle & Robin snuggling on Nana's bed

Lil sickling snuggling with her Nana-poor thing had a fever and a nasty ear infection (now she has thrush thanks to all the antibiotics BUT her ears are FINALLY clear-pray they stay that way so we don't even have to begin discussing tubes)

Her favorite lil spot-on Papa's lap in his chair looking at her pictures. Nana, I know this one makes your heart smile

Swinging outside on a day when it was CHILLY but Mama couldn't resist when you kept pointing outside and screaming to swing. Uncle Buddah-she is wearing the NY beanie you bought her, it FINALLY fits!!!

This is what you'll find in our bathroom on a typical morning. Bella sitting in the sink while Mama puts on makeup. She climbs on top of the toilet, and from there climbs onto the counter and then wriggles her booty into the sink-its hilarious but she loves it. I usually spend about 5 mintues each morning helping her clean up the messes she makes:)

HILARIOUSLY sweet story: Bella got a bunch of Sponge Bob Square Pants ("Pon Bob" as she calls him) DVDs for Easter. I was SICK of watching Pon Bob this day and wanted to watch the news so when she kept pointing to the dang Pon Bob DVDs and screaming, "POOOOOONNN BOOOOBBBB MAAAAAMAAAAAA". I finally got smart and said, "Honey, Pon Bob has to take a nap because you really wore him out today. Do you want to tuck him in?" So she gets every Pon Bob item in the house-DVDs, Beanie Baby and her new Burger King Pon Bob and tucks them in:)

"Shhh Mama, Pon Bob is seeepin" (Notice the B-E-A-UUUUUTIFUL princess pillow case-only one in the entire world just like it-designed just for Bella by her Aunt 'Tacy)

Just in case you have forgotten-we are DORKS!!!! Ben got Bella all dressed cute last Sunday with her lil golfer capris and matching hat and her Dora sunglasses. So we are on the way to Papa's for Sunday supper and I look in the rearview mirror and Ben has on Bella's other hat LOL I just happened to have a hat of Nana's in the car so we all donned our goofy hats and sunglasses for a family photo op:)

Bella saw a bird

Frickin dorks