Christmas/Baby Reveal with the Johnson's

The gender reveal to Glenn and Chris (before the balloons)

After the balloons.... :-)

Lyd opening her "Bity Baby Twins"

Cam and Uncle Eric

Cam and his new scooter...it was a hit!

Our Christmas family pic before church

Me at 19 weeks

Baby J Gender Reveal!!

Dad's Reveal Video

Baby J's gender reveal was everything that I could have hoped for.... as the video shows, everyone's reaction was quite priceless! We are very excited about the news that IT's A BOY!! Cam and Lydia were both hoping for a boy...to the point where Lyd was asking a Magic 8 Ball what the gender was...and when it would say "it is most certain" or "without a doubt" about being a girl...she would literally get upset!

At the time of the sonogram last week, he weighed 7 ounces. And the night of the sonogram (December 7th) was the first night that I felt him kick. There are some times in the day that it sees as though he is playing soccer in there with all kinds of movement happening! :-) During the sonogram, they checked for many things.....and Baby J passed all tests! He is perfect! :-) I have attached some pictures below of the gender reveal night at our house. We had Dad, Deb, Kev, the kids, and us there. David made the kids favorite "Ritz Chicken" for dinner and we all watched the sonogram together. It is definitely a night that I will never forget!

                                                 Pictures from the sonogram at 17.5 weeks:

                                                Pics of Baby J gender reveal at our house:

Baby Bump Progress...Week 15-17

 

15 weeks

 

Thanksgiving...15.5 weeks

 

17 weeks 

 

17.5 weeks

Baby J Update

I had my first sonogram with my Obgyn this past Thursday......and much to my surprise.....Baby J is ahead of schedule! Instead of my due date being May 21st, it is now May 12th!! (The day before Mother's Day) Baby J is growing about 9 days ahead of schedule, but the tech said that there was nothing to be concerned about.

The hearbeat was 158 bpm (compared to 163 the first sono at 7.5 weeks)
And, from crown to rump...Baby J is 6.28 cm.

I have my next appointment with Dr. Walker next Wednesday and at that appointment we will discuss the sonogram and she will "take some measurements." This is just what I have been told. I am not exactly sure what these "measurements" entail...





Here is a picture of Baby J as of Thursday, November 3rd: (12.5 weeks old)

 

Isn't it crazy how you can see so much at such an early stage?!?!?!

Baby J was just kicking and moving around like crazy. Such an amazing sight to see! :-)

Update on K:

Well, my nausea seems to (for the most part) be gone. I just feel quite sick when I am either full...or have an empty stomach. I don't seem to be as tired all of the time, but yet a good nap or just laying down always makes me feel better.

Not craving much of anything as of today...but, I definitely went through my stage of Gardhetto's and Spaghettio's for a couple of weeks (about week 10 and 11) and before that it was orange juice (weeks 6-8ish) and salsa (weeks 3-5ish) The only thing that sounds great these days is cold fruit or frozen treats.

I don't officially have a baby "bump" per-say, but I definitely am not fitting into my clothes quite the same as I used to. I am wanting to wear anything that isn't clingy at the moment. But, of course that will change when I actually have a "baby J bump" and don't just look like a moo moo.

I bought my first maternity bra at 8 weeks...(quite an interesting experience)....and I just placed another order online for 2 more. These things are HEAVEN compared to anything Victoria's Secret has to offer~!

I already have people telling me what they think I am having ( uh, my father) but, nothing is for sure quite yet. I keep going back and forth on what I think Baby J is.....but, regardless. A HEALTHY (green-eyed) baby is all I ask for! :-)

Monday evening (2 days from now) is the night that we are going to tell Cam and Lyd about baby J....I am SO very excited about this because it has been very hard to keep this secret! Especially when Squid brings it up quite often. 

For example: "K, you promised me you were going to have a baby........so, uh.......when are you?"

                      "You know what K?, I have decided to say 'when' you have a baby not 'if' you have a 

                        baby." or, "Just imagine K, you will be pushing a REAL baby in a REAL stroller  

                        someday" (this is when she is pushing her baby doll in it's stroller during our walks)

My favorite:    "I want a little brother. I have always wanted to know what it's like to be annoyed.  

                         Plus, if it's a boy and I have a friend over to play....he won't want to play with girl stuff 

                         with us."

I will definitely post pics....or at least blog about Monday when we tell the kids. Until then.....I am off to lay on the couch! :-)

~K

Word to the wise....

Please take it from me that it is NOT a good idea to go to the grocery store when you are: 1. hungry 2. craving crazy things and 3. PREGNANT!

David called me earlier today and asked me to do him a favor. While he is at soccer practice, he wanted me to pick up a few snacks for him. He is leaving with Camden tomorrow to go to Camp Carter for 2 nights and 3 days. He sent me with a list of 5 things.... and I came back with much more. I went ahead and decided to get myself a few snacks to eat while he is gone....well a FEW snacks turned into MUCH MUCH MORE.....

Let's go ahead and list the things I decided to buy myself to indulge on while he is away....
I'll start healthy:
1. bananas
2. apples
3. OJ (this is what I seem to crave often these days)
4. Gardettos
5. 100 calorie pks: chocolate covered pretzels
6. Easy mac
7. Spaghettios
8. Ritz mini crackers and cheese
9. A frozen turkey pot pie
10. Smart Ones (uh, I guess that's healthy) Mini cheese burgers
11. Low carb, gluten free frozen bean and cheese burrito
12. Weight Watcher's oreo cookie ice cream bars. .....and yes, if you look closely at the picture you will see that the box is already open. That would be because my MOO COW self decided to open the box and have one on the way home.....BEFORE dinner!

I hope this isn't a sign of what is yet to come....otherwise, it might fit for me to go ahead and put a tail and ears on and be a COW for Halloween.

~K

Crackers....Sprite....And a Freight Train!

Well, morning sickness (which is a crock! It is actually ALL day sickness) has officially hit! I can't say that it really bothers me though....because it is PROOF that baby J is alive and well! I haven't officially thrown up per say...but I am nauseous for most of the day. My diet has consisted of crackers and water or sprite for the past 2 weeks or so.

I am also WIPED!!! It got so bad one day during school that I decided to take a nap during the school day. Yep, that's right....I took my students to PE, went back to the room and locked the door, turned off the light, and fell asleep on the floor behind my desk for 45 minutes. :-)  I can't say that I have the energy to do much of anything these days, but I am really trying to walk on a consistent basis in the evening. My goal is between 1.5 to 3 miles each time I walk....and so far I am doing a pretty good job at it! Every time we have the kiddos with us, Squid likes to join me on my walks. The last time we walked she decided to bring along her baby doll and push it in a stroller. Her exact quote was "When you have a baby, K, you will be pushing a REAL baby in a REAL stroller while we walk." I thought that was mighty cute of her to say! :-)  She even told me that she has decided not to say "IF" I have a baby any more...she has changed it to "WHEN" I have a baby. I feel this is quite ironic considering Baby J is already growing at a rapid speed inside my tummy NOW! :-)

Actually by now, Baby J has already started to develop the two chambers of the heart, his/her eyes, nose, and ears have started forming and little buds for arms and legs have appeared. Crazy!!!

Freight train:

Today was our first sonogram. Boy was I a nervous wreck! I was constantly having to pray the anxiety away...all of the "what ifs" , etc....were starting to drive me INSANE.  My main concern was the health of the baby and praying that Baby J was developing just how he/she was supposed to....

But, my second concern was HOW MANY!!!..... So, David and I took a half day off of work to drive to Irving for the sono. Dr. Haas told us that Baby J is developing just as he/she is supposed to and it is actually 14 mm in length! (My iPhone app says it's the size of a blueberry this week) Then the Dr. pointed out that the flicker on the screen was actually the baby's heartbeat! Wow, Amazing!!! He then asked us if we wanted to hear the heartbeat.......Uh, yea....what kind of question is that????? The room got silent and then the beat was projected over the speakers....the Dr. actually said "sounds like a freight train!...A very healthy sounding heartbeat." The second I heard the sweet, sweet sound of the beat.....my eyes filled with tears. What a miracle....I was just in awe. He said that the heartbeat was at a healthy rate of 163 beats per minute. Whoop whoop!!!

Our handy dandy take away prize was four pics of the sonogram. :-) I love the pic, however...David says that Baby J just "looks like a blob"...... whatever David! He/she is the most precious "blob" I have ever seen!

So ecstatic....can't even stop smiling. Simply.Amazing.

~K

Here is our handsome/beautiful picture of Baby J :-):

Idiom of the week....

The other day while driving in the car together, Lydia and I were discussing different idioms. I told her that I teach my class a new "idiom of the week" each week....and she began asking me for different examples of idioms.

A couple I taught her were:

1. "At the drop of a hat"
2. "Don't cry over spilled milk"
and
3. "I have a bone to pick with you"

She was very intrigued by idioms and wants to learn more of them....I told her that a few at a time would be best.

Today after school she told me that she used "at the drop of a hat" in her writing today at school while she was in the writing center.

Then, later on in the evening she told David "I'm gonna pick your bone" because of something that he did to upset her the other day. David, had no clue what she was talking about...but, I did!~ :-)

She was close enough to the real thing ("I have a bone to pick with you")....good enough for me!

She is one smart cookie! :-)

~K

Glory to GOD!!!!

How grateful/excited/happy/nervous/giddy/shocked (and the list of emotions could go on forever) I am....

It is official.......that I am preggers!!!

I got my blood taken yesterday and the Dr.'s office was supposed to call me with the results today. But, last night while lying in bed, I came up with the plan to take a HPT this morning just to prepare myself JUST IN CASE it was bad news. I did my usual routine of pee'ing on the stick and waiting for it to say "not pregnant" when low and behold....right before my eyes....it said "PREGNANT"

I truly didn't believe what I was seeing....so, I immediately went into the bedroom and turned on the lamp to awake my sleeping husband. It probably wasn't the most gentle way to wake him up because I just tapped him on the shoulder and with a huge grin on my face said "Here, read this" as I had the test outstretched in his direction. It took him a few moments to wake up and focus enough to read it and then he immediately went into prayer the second it set in. (wow!)

We told ourselves not to get too excited (yeah, right) until we heard the 100 % confirmation from the Dr............. So, at 12:45ish I spoke to the Dr.'s office and the lady told me that she had been trying to get ahold of me...but, that the call wasn't going through. ( I am guessing that is from poor reception and my cell phone being in my desk drawer.) She told me that Dr. Le was jumping up and down this morning when he saw that my results had indeed come back POSITIVE!!

Now, the next step is..... I go to Labcorp again tomorrow to get my blood drawn. I will call the Dr. on Saturday to get the results to see if my hormone levels are doubling like they are supposed to. I have FULL FAITH that they will be doubling and everything will be just perfect!

I have officially broke the news to my Dad, Deb, Kevin, Brandi, Nana and Papa, Grandma and Grandpa, my Aunt Debbie, and all of my friends. Everyone is so excited for both David and I. :-)

Now my prayers have changed....instead of praying for God to bless us with a baby.... I am now praying that it is a 100% healthy pregnancy/baby! :-) God is so GOOD!!!!!! (the word "good" doesn't actually even begin to describe Him) He gets ALL the glory for this one! :-)

When I told Dad the good news.... I gave him a Willowtree figurine that says "Grandfather" even though he will actually be called "Grampy" I also printed out the picture of the pregnancy test for him to see! :-)

Well, I just wanted to post the good news....that this day....September 8, 2011.... is one of the happiest days of my life. What an answer to MANY, MANY, MANY prayers. What a reason to be so utterly thankful..... now, I am hoping to finally get a good night of sleep tonight. (Even though I think I am too excited to actually be able to fall asleep) However, one thing I know for sure..... I will be going to bed with a HUGE smile on my face.

In shock, but so truly blessed....
~K

Not sure what to do....

Well, the day has finally arrived... tomorrow is the day that I can go get my bloodwork pregnancy test done at Labcorp. They will call me with the results on Thursday. HOWEVER, I plan on calling the Dr.'s office and telling them that I will call THEM Thursday when I get off of work. This way I don't get good or BAD news during the work day. HOWEVER, I haven't fully made up my mind that I am going to call them at all. Yes, I am serious. I truly don't know if I can do it.

I. am. scared. to. death.

I might just have the test done tomorrow and never call them. That way..... I never have to find out the news.

Yes, it sounds dumb. But, SOOOOOOO much rides on this month. I just can't bring myself to do it.

Oh well, only time will tell, right?

I guess the next time I post.....we MAY or MAY not know if we are pregnant.

Here's to believing!

~K

First/Second Day of School 2011-2012

Wow! The kiddos are growing up! This is a big year for Cam (and David) because it's Cam's first year not to be at Willie Brown with his dad! He is now in 5th grade and going to Mary Orr Intermediate school. This will be his first year ever to change classes and have a locker! Lydia is in 2nd grade this year in Mrs. Morrison's class. This is her first year not to be with her best friend Avery Ticer, but she seems to be adjusting well so far. Here are some pics from the first and second day of school. (The first day of school pics are from Courtney's camera...second day of school pics I took.)

First Day:

Second Day:

Thinking POSITIVE!

After being quite disheartened after not being pregnant last month, David and I decided to try ONE LAST time at IUI before we make the decision to go to the "next step." Since this is our last try, I told Dr. Le that I wanted him to be as aggressive as he could with the medication. After doing his observations , he said that "this is my best cycle yet" and he is very pleased with what he saw. So.... here are the stats for this month...



6 potential follies on Day 2 sono
Femora 5 mg
Two injections each day on days 3-10 (14 total) Bravelle
Estrogen pills
IUI
Progesterone pills until I take pregnancy test or until I start.
3 total follicles. One matured to a 19.5 and (2) at 18.5....all 3 have more time to grow before the procedure one Thursday.
My lining measured at an 8.4  (needs to be at least a 6) so that looked great!
David's count for IUI: 12.14 million
For the first time ever: Post sonogram....Dr. Le wanted to see that my body was ovulating correctly so he did a post sonogram in hopes to see at least one collapsed follicle. Well PRAISE GOD....he found that ALL THREE had collapsed and had been ovulated.

So, I am currently in the 2 week waiting window. Trying to either A. Not think about it (almost impossible) or B. THINK POSITIVE.

I am going to Labcorp to get a bloodwork pregnancy test on Sept. 7th...and they will call me with the results on Sept. 8th.

Believing,
~K

My new favorite quote...

"What if you woke today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"


Simply Amazing,
~K

The innocent minds of children....

Here is a quick "funny" to share that occurred during our 7.5 hour car trip to Branson, Missouri with David's family.

Camden: "Oh look, there's a flea market!"

Me: "Lydia, do you know what a flea market is?"

Lydia: "A place where they sell fleas."

Camden: "No Lydia, it's where they sell medicine for dogs."



Love it!
~K

Tears and more tears....

Well, this past Thursday I went to my yearly appointment with Dr. Walker (my obgyn). During my visit I got her caught up on all of the fertility "stuff" and then proceeded to ask her if I could go ahead and get a bloodwork pregnancy test done so that I wouldn't have to wait until Saturday to take a HPT myself. I went ahead and took a urine test that day as well. Well.......the urine test came back negative. I took it pretty hard, but realized that it could still be too soon for the urine test to pick up the hormone needed, so I held out for the bloodwork test.

It seemed like FOREVER until the dr.'s office called the next day (Friday) with the results. I got the call at 2:30 pm while I was in the car with David. The lady told me that my bloodwork had come back negative for the pregnancy test. I said "ok" and got off of the phone as quick as I could. Since I was in the car with David at that time...I held in all of the tears the best I could before I got home and LOST it in the bathroom.

Now, don't get me wrong. I could have cried in front of David, but I try to refrain from that as much as I can because I know that he hates to see me cry.

I never knew that I would take this news so hard. It is now Thursday (a week later) and I have cried every single day. I have no energy...I could just sleep the day away. I am in a funk that is so hard to get out of.

This news has brought the realization that the "next step" is becoming more of a reality. Not only is the "next step" $20,000.....money that David and I simply do not have. But, the next step is IVF using donor eggs....not my own. Now granted....I would still "give birth" to the baby... something that every woman dreams of doing. However, the child would not biologically be mine. That is just so hard to swallow. I have always dreamed of what my baby would look like. What characteristics I would give to my child...what traits my baby would have that are from my mom....etc. These dreams would fade with this step.

It is so hard to not drown in my own pool of self pity right now. I am trying so hard not to cry, not to think negative, not to get sad when I see a baby. But it's so hard. This is truly the hardest thing that I have ever gone through. And even though David is being 100% supportive, I feel so very alone in this.

Hoping and praying things start looking up...
~K

Our 4th Cruise Together....a well needed vacation!

David and I just got back from our 4th cruise on the "Ecstasy" out of Galveston. We went with another couple...my friend Jamie and her boyfriend Richard. We had fun and enjoyed each other. Well-needed relaxation and fun times!

Our next vacation this summer is back to Branson with David's side of the family...but, that is not until the end of July...and since I want this summer to SLOW DOWN...I hope to have more posts before then! :-)
~K

Here are some pics from the vacation: