Some sad news

My cousin, Rachael, the one that Cadence was a flower girl for in October 2008, lost her MIL today. She had been battling cancer, and even though they knew to expect this, it that doesn't make it any less painful. I simply can't imagine losing your mother, much less losing her at such a young age, and hearing of someone passing away from cancer really hits home, especially with what my grandfather is currently going through. My heart it just broken for them. Please send a prayer their way, to Josh and Rachael, along with the rest of their family.

My grandmother (the one who recently moved to TX) also lost her BIL (well, ex BIL, but him and his wife had remained close to her) yesterday. Bessie and Dave were married for over 50 years, I just can't imagine losing your spouse like she has. Please send prayers to her and her son.

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Things I'm thankful for:
1) Family
2) Prayers and support
3) People to lean on
4) Memories

23 Weeks - We have a Mango!

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.

Things are going along well! I’ve discovered that I can’t sleep without being surrounded by pillows - even for a few hours - or I’ll wake up and not be able to walk. I’ve also discovered how utterly awesome mint chocolate chip ice cream is. I’m now to the point that I have problems putting shoes on (I have a basketball in the way!) and there are days I have issues putting on pants (it hurts to lift my legs that high!) Cadence is still commenting on my belly almost daily, and loves to give my stomach kisses and talk to her baby sister. We’re also working on ideas for maternity shots, so if you have some, send them over!

We were able to work on the baby’s quilt again last night, and we now have the border on it. Cadence is extremely proud, and I’m afraid that we’re going to send this child into sensory overload! The quilt is extremely bright and colorful, but it was all Cadence. I know the baby will love it!

And just because, here’s a picture of me from Tuesday (22w5d) and of Cadence holding up her quilt. Also of the wonderful surprise I had waiting on me this morning. My birthday isn’t until tomorrow, but the girl I work with is only in the office Tuesday and Thursday mornings, so she surprised me today. I love surprises!

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Things I'm thankful for:
1) Surprises
2) Ice cream
3) Big sister love
4) Pillows. Lots of pillows!
5) Ninja chops to the bladder

Pretty, pretty fabrics!

My sister has decided to make some blankets for the baby, so we went and bought fabric today. The teal fabric with the birds is going to be a flannel blanket for us to throw on the floor/drag around/use for whatever needed. The pretty purple, teal and green fabrics are going to be a patchwork quilt. The white fabric with the flowers will be the back, and the other 4 will be the squares on the front. I also hope that there's enough scraps of the white with flowers to give to my cousin, Kahla, to make some burp cloths with! Cadence hates it, of course, because it's purple and not pink. :)

I also bought some other fabrics for burp cloths. I have no idea how many this will make or how far it will go, but I hope Kahla was serious about me bringing her some fabrics! Cadence picked out the pink with the butterflies, and I picked out the owls. They were just too stinkin' cute to pass up!

We also went to see Despicable Me today, and I loved it. I was worried about how kid friendly it would be because of the cast, but it was great, and Cadence, Sarah and I giggled through the entire thing. It was a lot of fun!

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Things I'm thankful for:
1) Pretty fabrics
2) Crafty family members
3) Baby related items
4) The weekend!
5) Spending time with family

Update on PaPaw

PaPaw had another chemo treatment yesterday, and a head scan. He’s been really forgetful lately, and they wanted to make sure it was chemo related and not cancer related. Thankfully, the scan was clear, and it indeed appears to be chemo related!

He is now on his way to Michigan with my mom, sister and grandmother, because it’s one of 3 continental states he hasn’t visited yet. I think they’ll be back about Monday, and I hope he has a blast!

22 Weeks - We have a Spaghetti Squash!

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.

I’ve decided that this child has stealth ninja skills. Cadence liked for everyone to know where she was at all times, would instantly kick you (HARD!) if you put your hand on my stomach, and loved to move around and poke me. This one moves, but she’s a lot calmer, goes silent if you try to feel her kick, and stays really low in my pelvis most of the time. She’s also mastered the art of karate chops to the bladder that make me have to jump and run to the bathroom. I think she’s a ninja baby.

The baby stuff is coming along. I have to make a trip to TX at some point to pick up some things from my wonderful cousin, and my mother-in-law has already bought some clothes. Most are onesies and sleepers (and almost all pink), so we have some clothes in the drawers now. She also picked up a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle onesie, and I can’t wait until she hits 6 month clothes and can wear it.

Cadence and I are taking a class at the church, and it’s on how to make a 9 patch quilt. We’ve decided that it will be from Cadence for the baby, and I’m letting her do as much as possible. Last night she traced and colored the design for the middle, laid out the fabric in the order she wanted, and helped me sew it. I let her control the foot pedal, but she also got to sew some of it completely on her own. The only thing she’s not happy with is that we have to wait until next Wednesday to work on it some more.

The painting of the living room is coming along, we’re working on getting toys situated to make room for baby stuff, and will possibly be getting new furniture this weekend (in exchange for a 6 pack of beer. Only in the South.) Things are just cruising along!

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Things I’m thankful for:
1) New wall color
2) Projects with Cadence
3) Movements, even ones to the bladder
4) Free baby gear
5) Tums

Our latest family portrait

When she brought me in to show it to me, she informed me, "Look Momma! I drew you and your big belly!!" It's totally going in the baby book as soon as we get one for the new little one.

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Things I'm thankful for:
1) Honest artwork
2) The rain
3) The temperature drop
4) We're getting closer to a name
5) Cute baby things

21 Weeks - We have a carrot!

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.

The kicking has definitely ramped up, but it’s still not quite hard enough for anyone else to feel. I tried to let Mike feel her last night, but even though she felt like she was doing jumping jacks to me, he said he couldn’t feel her moving at all. My appetite seems to have calmed back down, and I still haven’t had any crazy cravings or aversions. Overall, nice and boring.

I pulled out the one box of stuff I kept from Cadence, and found a few sleepers and onsies that I still have from her. I also found a few cute dresses that I had bought, so all of that was washed last night. We’re going to try and use the top drawer of Cadence’s dresser for now, and see if we can keep the baby’s clothes in there with her.

I forgot to mention the question Cadence asked me after the ultrasound the other day. While we were eating at Chick-fil-A, she asked me how the doctor knew that the baby was a girl and not a boy, and it hit me that she hasn’t been around boys enough to have realized yet that they are different than her. She knew that the doctor was going to have to check the baby’s head, legs, heart and other parts to make sure they were all growing right, so I just told her that when she got down to the baby’s legs, she saw that she had girl parts, because girls and boys are different down there. She goes “Oh, OK!” and went back to her chicken nuggets. I have a feeling quite a few more biology related talks are going to come up in the following months!

Still no news on a name. We can’t seem to agree on anything, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that she’s named before Christmas. And if one more person comments on how disappointed Mike or I probably are over the news of a girl, I think I might scream. Yes, I would have loved a boy, and hate that we can’t honor our grandfather’s with the name. But we’re both perfectly fine with another girl, and Mike even told me he’s slightly relieved. Girls are ok!!!

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Things I’m thankful for:
1) Honest questions with honest answers
2) Cute tiny baby clothes
3) A very easy pregnancy
4) Sisters
5) Baby kicks, even if they are aimed at the bladder