Gracie Jenna O'Neal

Yup, I gave in. Gracie Jenna O'Neal will be the name we are screaming from November until the the day I die. I was writing Nikke's abby shower card and referred to our baby as "Gracie" for the first time and then signed her name as well. I gave it to Andrew to read...I got a "that's nice" response. I asked him to read it 2 more times, still nothing. Finally he admits he wasn't really reading it, after the 4th time he finally got the hint that I decided to go with Gracie. And then he panicked. "Maybe we should think this through more, are you sure that's what we want? Maybe we should sit on it for a bit" WTF? None of those questions made sense to me. I said nope, it is decided, she will survive with whatever name we choose :)

Regardless of the name, Andrew can't wait to see her. He decided that he wants to see her NOW and he can't handle waiting to see what she's going to look like. I assured him that this is a normal feeling, but I'm not sure I convinced him. The other night while I was spooning Andrew, Gracie decided to get a little wild and kick Andrew in the back all night. I slept through the whole thing but it sounded like Andrew was up for quite a while :)

Boise was a great time and I'm so glad I was able to go to Nikke's shower. It made me ansy and I can;t wait for my shower now! After Boise, we headed to Eagle crest for the week. We definitely needed the time away, but the kids here are psycho and annoying.If I hear one more kid screaming "WATCH ME WATCH ME WATCH ME" I will probably attempt to drown them. Andrew and I are becoming more and more exzcited about the idea of a girl. These boys at the pool here are crazy, seriously loud and SUPER annoying. The girls are just a little annoying. I wish you could buy patience. That's what I will be asking for for Christmas!

NURSERY FURNITURE has arrived! that is our task this weekend. Which means lots of pictures next week!

31 Week Update:
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.
Your baby is starting to shed the lanugo, the coating of body hair, and the hair on its head is getting thicker.

oops forgot the 30 week:
Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20. Its becoming more sensitive to light and can distinguish between sunlight and artificial light. Its eyes can also move in its sockets and your baby is more attuned to sound, taste and smell. Her lungs are working at near optimal levels.

29 weeks

What has happened in our life this last week:

• sitting up straight is super imprtant apparently. If I don't then I can't breathe well, and I feel like my food will come up. It literally crushes my stomach!
• My belly button shows through all my shirts. gross.
• My itchiness is getting out of control and is most likely NOT because of my liver like the doc thought.
• Ever since last week (starting Monday) little Gracie/Adalyn got some serious muscles! Her kicks and punches have been super strong. Just sitting her typing at work I saw my name badge on my belly jump from her! She's starting to get a little out of control :)
• Becca and Camilla are pregnant! yay! so glad to have more preggo partners!
• The Mackey Twins have arrived!!!! Lindsey, Henry and Lucy are all doing great and are expected to be home tomorrow. And John is doing great too :) They are such a great team!
• I don't think I am a robot after all. I have been experiencing some emotions, mostly crazy screaming at Andrew and unwanted/unpredictable tears. Let's go over some things that have made me cry. Not knowing what to buy at the grocery store for dinner, so naturally is all I knew was to yell at Andrew and cry. The guy at the deli counter was very impatient and clearly hasn't been around very many pregnant people. My messy unorganized house. Andrew's painting techniques. Having to drive. My hips. My new cellulite. The doctor telling me I have to fast for a blood test. Babies (and there has been a lot of them) Crowning videos at baby class...this one hit me once we got home and I had time to think about it. This was a bad moment. Don't get me wrong, I don't sob at all of these events, only most, the rest I have to tell myself to stop being dramatic and pull it together.
• Speaking of baby class, Andrew asked the teacher if we were going to have help during labor. His answer was no. The look on his face must have been pretty intense because people started to giggle. I hadn't really thought of it either to be honest. If you labor for 14 hours I guess you can't expect a nurse to be with you the whole time AND know what you learned in your birthing class. We started taking better notes after that. Andrew even asked the question again in a different way: "so the nurses know all this stuff right?" The answer was "no not all of them" What the fuck? seriously? what do people do with lazy partners, or have never seen a hospital, let alone seen the mom in that much pain before. That sounds really scary to me.

If I get around to it I might post some pictures of the nursery so far, we Andrew got it all painted!

Weekly Update:
Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

Your baby’s sensory organs are well developed and he or she is beginning to regulate his or her own temperature. The bone marrow is now completely in charge of producing red blood cells.Your baby’s lungs are also developed enough to breathe air, and it is urinating about half a liter of urine into the amniotic fluid daily. Your baby has become more active and may give you strong kicks and punches. He or she should be moving at least 10 times an hour. If your baby moves any less, let your doctor know.

28 weeks...3rd Trimester!

Andrew is playing DIRTY when it comes to the name game! We are still stuck between Adalyn and Gracie. He is calling her Gracie all the time and now telling people that's her name. What a cluster it will be when I put my foot down and decide that it's Adalyn! Poor Grandma will be so confused, Andrew starting brainwashing her last week. She's has been movin and shakin! We are hoping to get a peek at her this thursday at our appt. And wish me luck I have to do the gestational diabetes test that day too!

Andrew had his 10 year high school reunion last night. We had a great time and I lasted until midnight!!! Pretty much everyone looked great and yes, Facebook ruined most of that fun. They had it at Urban Studios in NW and it worked out to be a great location for the turnout. Now it's my turn to start helping out with the planning for ours, pressure is on.

We took Barney to Vancouver Lake today and it was so beautiful out. The water was warm, there was tons of shade and Barney VOLUNTARILY went into the water! He did so good I don't think we need his life jacket anymore! All the kids loved him and were cheering him on to get him in the water, it was pretty cute! It was cute and sad at the same time, his doggy paddle is quite pathetic. He looks like he's struggling really bad. He is exhausted and so are we, but we will definitely go back and probably bring old man Spike with us :)

Barney was very hesitant to go in...

But then he found a buddy to show him how!

And these are my exhausted little swimmers!

Weekly Update:
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.
Your baby’s muscle tone is also improving. This means increased movement, which might wake you up at night. (this is highly unlikely, I sleep through just about anything)

27 weeks

 I've got a lot of photo editing to learn still, but here are the pics from the girls weekend at the beach AND me and Nikke's first Baby shower! You girls really surprised us!

We had to guess who brought which onesie. We suck at that game apparently...I swear it took us like 45 minutes!

And yes, Nik and I had the same outfits, from the same person, and we still didn't do so hot.

27 Week update:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. Your baby’s retinas are developing more fully. Development in the brain will concentrate on the forebrain which deals with visual and auditory information. Your baby should be able to detect changes in light. If you shine a flashlight on your belly, your baby may move to or away from the light. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

BIG News

Baby Mia Sabine

Ali had her baby which is one of the reasons I am back logged on the blogging. Mia was born Sunday morning, July 8. She was 8lb 12oz and 21 3/4 cm long and with a good head of hair! She is doing great and everytime I see her I swear she grew significantly. At 2 days old I was amazed at how much head movement she had and how much her eyes were open. She's definitely got Lizarraga in her because when she's hungry the whole world will know :) Nap time is my favorite time with Mia because she loves to cuddle and her little hands are always so sweetly placed around her face. SO CUTE!
Side note for all new mommy's: After talking with Ali, a few other people and tons of reviews, the "My Brest Friend" beats the Boppy for breast feeding purposes.

Lets also give a welcome to the other babies in our lives (in order of appearance):
Hilary & Kyle had Blake Cameron on June 18
Ali & James had Mia Sabine on July 8
Kathyrn & Josh had Stella Mae on July 9
Amanda & Mat had Camryn RaeAnn on July 17
Carissa & JT had Chance on July 22
...Next up is the Mackey twins & Kenna Taylor!



Her first Great Grand baby!



Andrew STP

Seattle to Portland all in ONE day! I am SO incredibly proud of Andrew, I knew he could do it, I just wasn't so sure how well he was going to hold it together. His total ride time was 11hrs 30min. Andrew has had lots of big moments lately. He got Mia to stop crying, installed built ins in the baby's closet, and was VERY patient while we picked out nursery furniture.

Nikki 25 AND 26 weeks

She's not moving very much, so when she does it's pretty exciting. I had an appt last week and she mentioned that I do have an anterior placenta (which is probaby why I don't feel her very much). Things have been so crazy lately I haven't even had time for pinterest! This weekend we were busy picking out nursery furniture. My Kidz World furniture store in Beaverton was a GREAT place, we are so happy we went there. We found a crib, dresser, hutch and a glider! They won't come for another month which is great news because it will take me at least that long to finish going through the upstairs rooms. The rest of the weekend was researching and checking out different products. Next up is finishing up the registry :)

Last weekend while Andrew was doing his ride I was at the beach! We had our annual girls weekend (with the high school crew) and it was a blast as usual. Kate and Nikke flew in, Becca was in town, and everyone else was able to be there too. The girls are so sneaky! They surprised Nikke and I Saturday morning with a baby shower. We were so groggy it took us a while to understand what was going on haha. It was great to sleep next to Nikke and watch someone else experience leg cramps through the night :) I will post those pics next week. And don't worry girls, the pictures are on my computer I just need to send them out.

My belly button is disgusting.

Taken on 7/22, almost 27 weeks

Weekly Updates:

Week 25: 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.
Your baby’s spine is beginning to form its structures as the blood vessels of the lungs start developing. Some small blood vessels are starting to form beneath your baby’s skin. As these blood vessels begin to fill with blood, the baby’s skin will take on a pink appearance.
Your baby also has fully formed fingerprints, its bones continue to harden and its nostrils are starting to open.

Week 26: The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.
Your baby’s eyes have completely formed and will open soon and she will begin to blink. Your baby will be able to distinguish between light and dark from inside your uterus.
Your baby’s oil and sweat glands are also functional. She can still respond to noise and has grown accustomed to the sounds of your heartbeat, digestion, and other bodily functions, as well as your voice. Your baby can even move in rhythm to music.

24 wks = 6 months!

I never did the math until someone pointed out that in fact 24 weeks is 6 months. That's really far along! I have lots to do and little time. Andrew and I are planning a trip (aka babymoon) for a week in August and I'm excited to get a away and visit some friends.
Our little monster isn't moving much, but she has her moments.  We have gotten nowhere on the nursery or anything else for that matter. I have a feeling I will be in labor while I am putting a crib together. Correction, yelling at Andrew while he puts the crib together.
Ali Update: Still no baby :( I want to meet her and I know Ali is antsy as well. There is progress but not enough to start the process. Cross your fingers it happens soon!

Parenting.com Update:
Your baby is about 12 inches long and weighs a little over a pound (picture an ear of corn). She has developed the sweet face you'll soon see, with eyes and ears placed just where they should be. She's big enough that she can no longer do cartwheels and tumbles, but she's just as touchy-feely with her surroundings as she has been. She's also even more attuned into sounds outside the womb. If a loud noise disturbs her, she may be restless for hours.

Week 23: The Never Ending List

23 weeks

The list of things to get done seems to grow every freaking day. We got signed up for baby classes, they are 2 hours long every Thursday for 5 weeks! The nursery room is still a hot mess. The house is never clean, the dogs are wacky from all the fireworks. Can't decide on a crib. My nails and eyebrows are looking really trashy. The next few weeks are going to be busy busy and we need to decide what to do with the boys. And every few days someone asks me about the baby shower. All that crap and we don't even have a kid yet!

Ali still hasn't popped yet, my guess is that it will be another week, but you never know...she is going for acupuncture today which I have ALWAYS wanted to do. That's just another thing I am glad she is going to experience first!!! Can't wait to meet my little niece!

Thank you Shannon Rudd! Shannon sent Andrew the BEST daddy book. I could not for the life of me get him to pic up an informational book or magazine. The stuff Shannon sent he has been very interested in. It has lots of pictures which is a good start and none of it was my idea :) He now wants to sew a mop to a onesie so that when our baby starts crawling she can help clean the floors.

Baby Center Update:
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.

22 wks: Meet Crazy Nikki

• Not sure why, but I am anxious about running out of milk. We have almost 3 gallons, partly because I keep forgetting that I already bought some and also because I am just a big bitch when I go to get cereal and there's only 1/2 a cup of milk left.
• Apparently I am a psycho driver (when I do get a chance to drive). Andrew likes that side of me...until it threatens his life, that's where I cross the line. I have "no time" for slow pokes and dummies that don't follow my road rules. So move over or else you will hear my horn and see Andrew's lewd gestures.
• Can't remember a damn thing. My poor coworkers are handling well so far. I have little notes everywhere but I forget to look at them. It's such a cluster fuck up there [in my head] right now I can't even describe.

So those are my crazy things, other than that I have been feeling pretty good. And Monday night I finally felt her! She knows how to do jumping jacks and kart wheel, pretty impressive for 22 weeks :)At least that's what it feels like shes doing. Andrew is mad because he can't feel anything yet (mostly because you would have to have patience and not fall asleep to be able to feel a baby), but that's just my opinion. It definitely is all starting to hit me, with feeling her, feeling HUGE and people actually noticing I am pregnant.

Baby Center Weekly Update:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her 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 her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until she adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

21 weeks and lots of pictures!

21 weeks and scrubs are TIGHT!

So the house projects are in full force and phase 1 is complete! And finally I have pictures to prove it. Andrew and I learned alot about painting (thanks mom) and we got better every wall. We added pillows, curtains and a picture. It doesn't sound like much but it feels so much better in here, Andrew feels much "calmer"....he also said that comment before we found out we were having a girl :)

Side note: the baby center updates may change soon to parenting.com to show full support of Shannon Rudd, the new Digital Business Director for The Parenting Group, yay!

Before

After

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After

Barney's new favorite position...on me! Best cuddle buddy EVER

Spikealicious looking handsome as ever in his favorite spot...the recliner :)

Baby Center Weekly Update:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

 

It's a Girl!

It's a Girl! The arrow is pointing to the 3 white lines which is the "princess puffs, side ways cheeseburger or lady parts" whichever you prefer :) This is called the potty shot (you can see her knees on each side)

Left Foot

20 weeks today, we are half way there to seeing our little girl! The tech was great and was able to show us all the parts of our healthy baby. We saw all 4 chamber of her heart, fingers, toes, bladder, kidneys...you name it we saw it. She is stubborn like her dad, she was curled up in a little ball (she must have learned that from Barney) for most of it. Overall we are relived that everything looks good and excited for a little girl. Now we just have to think of a name, and a nursery idea, and only 100 other little things yikes! Still no more kicks :( I will get some belly photos up maybe this weekend as well as the house pics and some cute ones of the boys.

Baby Center Update:
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, she's measured from head to toe.)
She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).