Long Night.... time for bed!

James is asleep right now, he went to bed early has he was extremely tired today and could hardly keep his eyes open.

I am just loving being in my second trimester. After having such a horrible experience with my first trimester I never thought I would be enjoying this pregnancy. But I was sure wrong! I am loving the stage I am at now. I can feel my baby dancing and moving inside me all the time, it feels like he/she never stops moving. It's a feeling that I don't think I can ever explain, only motherhood can explain what I am feeling. It's like a constant jumping in your stomach, soft little kicks from the one you love inside you, reminding you they are there. Ahhh!! I just love that feeling so much!

I had my 23 week checkup yesterday and everything is good. The baby's heartbeat was loud and strong. It even kicked the doctor when she was measuring me. I am now weighing 121 lbs, 3.5 weeks ago I was 114 lbs. I sure am growing each week! Hard to believe that I was around 106 lbs just 6 weeks ago, where does all this weight come from (don't tell me, I already know!)?

I go for my sugar test when I return from the states and I am not looking forward to that at all. For those of you who don't know what it is I will explain. Anywhere from 26 - 29 weeks you go to the lab and they take your blood work. Then you sit for an hour and drink 1 litre of this gross sugar juice. When you are done the sugar juice they take your blood work again to see your sugar levels. This checks for diabetes and other related diseases and since I am at risk, have diabetes in my family, they want to make sure I am really okay. Hopefully everything comes out fine because I really don't want to have to take the exam 2 times.

Well, I should get to bed here. My baby is jumping around like a jumping bean in my tummy and I need to hit the sack! Hope everyone is having a good day and has fun plans for the long weekend!!!!

Love always,
Melissa (& peanut)

23 weeks... and its jumping around while I type this!

• The baby is now over 11 inches long!
• It weighs just over one pound! (But that doesnt explain where my other extra 15 lbs are coming from, just kidding!)
• It may be able to feel my movements now, so I should put on some tunes and dance around the house. (It sure was rocking out at Paul Brandt!)
• No matter what race a baby is, he looks red now due to blood vessels showing through its transparent skin.
• Its true skin tone will develop over the course of his first year.
• Blood vessels in my baby's lungs are developing to prepare it for breathing, but complete lung development will take many more months. The lungs are the last organ to fully develop.
• Its hearing is also developed, so mommy and daddy have to be careful what they are saying. Little ears are listening!
• It is starting to hear a distorted sound of my voice, soon it will start recognizing my voice compared to others.
• As I reach the 24th week my baby is becoming "viable", which means it has a chance to survive on its own in the case of early labour. (85% chance of survival with the right assistance)
• It has started swallowing, but will not pass stool until until after birth.

5 months Prego and No Air conditioning... time for a pool!

You guessed it :)

We bought a pool!

12 feet wide, 20 feet long, and 4 feet deep! It's sooo sweet. This picture was taken when it was hardly full so I will take another one tomorrow when it is all done. It has been taking 6 hours to fill and we probably still have another 1 1/2 hours to go but it's too late and we are ready for bed.

I was so hot yesterday that I thought I was going to die. Then I was so hot this afternoon that all I could think about was a pool. So, James told me I could either get a pool or air conditioning. I firgured that a pool would be sooo much fun and that my grandparents have air conditioning 10 steps next door, so take the pool and sleep over at Garn and Shar's!!!!

Everyone is welcome to come on over and go for a nice swim. Pool parties all summer :)

Melissa

Growing Update - 23 Weeks

Hi Everyone,

Here is a little picture update as I am 23 weeks.... 5 months :) The first 5 months went by so fast that I can not believe how fast the last 4 months will go. October will be here before I know it!

The baby is moving lots. My friend Janelle got to feel the little on kicking the other day. James always misses it or it stop kicking when James goes to feel it. Too funny!

Melissa

Welcome Summer, Please stay all year :)

Welcome Summer Time!
Welcome warm weather and birds that chirp.
Welcome backyard bbq's and playing in the park.
Welcome thunderstorms and lightning shows.
Welcome shorts and bathing suits.
Welcome grass and flowers and backyard fountains.
Welcome good books and magazines enjoyed under a tree.
Welcome vacation time and time spent with family.
Welcome AIR CONDITIONING (which I don't have!).
Welcome sleeping with the window open and a ceiling fan.
Welcome sandals and barefeet and pedicures.
Welcome one church service only on Sundays, hurray!
Welcome camping, boating and RVing.
Welcome lakes, rivers, and oceans that are warm.
Welcome sleeping in till 9:00 am to the sound of summer.
Welcome outdoor showers to cool you down.
Welcome sprinklers and hoses which water the grass.
Welcome late night walks in the summer dusk.
Welcome campfires, marshmallows, and smores.
Welcome fly's outside that Lexis loves to chase.
Welcome all of nature, God is so great!
Welcome cleaning the car outside.
Welcome walking down to get the mail.
Welcome lying under a blanket of stars.
Welcome early morning sunrises that catch your eye.
Welcome traveling and exploring new places or old.
Welcome quiet office hours with not many around.
Welcome friends who come home to visit.
Welcome friends who stop over for an evening of fun.
Welcome ice tea and lemonaide which are so refreshing to drink.
Welcome ice cream, popsicles, and freezies!
Welcome slushes, and cool treats from 7-11.
Welcome sleeping with just a light sheet on.
Welcome patios and restaurants with great salads to try.
Welcome tans and burns when sunscreen is not applied.

As you can tell, SUMMER is my FAVORITE SEASON of all. Everything about it makes me sooo happy! I LOVE SUMMER!

Creepy!

Something really weird happened to me this morning. I woke up thinking, "Eutenier, Michael Eutenier", a boy I went to elementary school with. Why his name popped into my head I have no idea, I have not seen or even thought of him since I was in grade 8. But it was my first thought when I opened my eyes this morning. So, I was on my way to work from picking up my tickets to the Paul Brandt concert when I stop at a red light. I look over to my right at the truck beside me and guess what it said on the side? "Eutenier trucking"... weird!!!! Why did I think that last name this morning and then see it this afternoon???

22 weeks... a little newborn!

• My baby now looks like a miniature newborn!!
• The baby checks in at 10.9 inches long
• Weighs almost 1 pound!
• It's skin will continue to appear wrinkled until it gains enough weight to fill it out.
• It's eyes have developed, though the iris (the coloured part of the eye) still lacks some pigment.
• The baby's lips are becoming more distinct and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath its gum line. (But we won't actually see the first tooth until he/she is around 4-7 months old. Unless it's one of the rare babies who ARE born with teeth!!!)

Rainy Sunday Afternoon!

What a rainy day... rain rain go away, come back another day (or never!). We came home from a short time out at the camper this afternoon around 3:00 pm. James went straight for the bedroom and was soon found asleep in the bed with Lexis. Poor guy, but I really don't feel that sorry for him. He played 2 rounds of golf yesterday, that's 36 holes! I am such a nice wife to let him play 2 rounds of golf, although I must admit I was a little bit upset when he announced he was heading back to the course. The real reason I feel sorry for him is because his allergies are really bad. The poor guy sneezes and wheezes all day and all night.

I wasn't feeling well yesterday at all. I think my uterous was stretching. For those of you who are not common with that it is something that can happen to women, especially half way through their pregnancy when their baby is starting to get big and grow. My body is stretching to make room for the baby. It feels like a horrible pain in your lower back and in your lower abdominal region. I wasn't too worried about this pain as 2 of my friends who are also pregnant went through this and were nice enough to tell me all about it. But it did kind of ruin my night last night as we were in the 5th wheel and I was so uncomfortable.

Today is Father's Day and I wish I could have seen my dad today. There is nothing like telling your parent you love them in person. I miss my family so much lately, especially now that I am pregnant. I would love for them to be close so I could share everything and show them my belly. I am planning on going down there the first week of July so I can look forward to the time I am going to spend with them. Plus, they are coming down in November, we are going to go there for the first week of January and then we have a family reunion in June (in Florida! At the Village!). So my time with them will start to pick up... funny how that happens when they become grandparents...

Well, James is finally awake and I am going to convince him to order pizza for supper. Gotta go!

Love,
Melissa

12 reasons why some people should not be allowed to travel!!

1. I had someone ask for an aisle seat so that their hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window.

2. A client called in inquiring about a package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost information, she asked, "Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii?"

3. I got a call from a woman who wanted to go to Capetown. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information when she interrupted me with "I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Cape Town is in Massachusetts." Without trying to make her look like the stupid one, I calmly explained, "Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa." Her response was "click".

4. A man called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that is not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state. He replied, "Don't lie to me. I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state."

5. I got a call from a man who asked, "Is it possible to see England from Canada?" I said, "No." He said, "But they look so close on the map."

6. Another man called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas. When I pulled up the reservation, I noticed he had a 1-hour lay over in Dallas. When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, "I heard Dallas was a big airport, and I need a car to drive between the gates to save time."

7. A nice lady just called. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:20am and got into Chicago at 8:33am. I tried to explain that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois, but she could not understand the concept of time zones. Finally I told her the plane went very fast, and she bought that!

8. A woman called and asked, "Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know whose luggage belongs to who?" I said, "No, why do you ask?" She replied, "Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said FAT, and I'm overweight, is there any connection?" After putting her on hold for a minute while "I looked into it," (I was>actually laughing) I came back and explained that the city code for Fresno is FAT, and that the airline was just putting a destination tag on her luggage.

9. I just got off the phone with a man who asked, "How do I know which plane to get on?" I asked him what exactly he meant, to which he replied, "I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these darn planes have numbers on them.

10. "A woman called and said, "I need to fly to Pepsi-cola on one of those computer planes." I asked if she meant to fly to Pensacola on a commuter plane. She said, "Yeah, whatever."

11. A businessman called and had a question about the documents he needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded him he needed a visa. "Oh no I don't, I've been to China many times and never had to have one of those." I double-checked and sure enough, his stay required a visa. When I told him this he said, "Look, I've been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express."

12. A woman called to make reservations. "I want to go from Chicago to Hippopotamus, New York." The agent was at a loss for words. Finally, the agent asked, "Are you sure that's the name of the town?" "Yes, what flights do you have?" replied the customer. After some searching, the agent came back with, "I'm sorry, ma'am, I've looked up every airport code in the country and can't find a Hippopotamus anywhere." The customer retorted, "Oh don't be silly. Everyone knows where it is. Check your map!" The agent scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, "You don't mean Buffalo, do you?" "That's it! I knew it was a big animal!"

21 weeks... looks a little squished!

• The baby now weighs about a three-quarters of a pound!
• The baby is 10 1/2 inches long.
• If I'm having a girl, her vagina is formed now, though it will continue to develop until birth.
• The baby is now on REALLY on the move!
• Fetal researchers say babies move about 50 times an hour even while sleeping. All that movement helps stimulate my baby's physical and mental development. I may not notice 50 kicks, punches, and twirls during the day, but as I'm settling down at night, I do feel the baby ready to dance the night away!
• The baby is now trying out different facial features, but its eyelids are still closed.

Busy Busy Bee!

BUSY WEEKEND!!!

The wedding on Saturday was absolutely beautiful and it was so awesome to see many friends that we haven't seen in a LONG time. It was nice this time because we got to meet some of our friends significant others whom we had not had a chance to meet. The wedding itself was very nice, great decorations and awesome food. Plus the live band at the reception made for a good evening!

Yesterday I was totally exhausted after the Saturday events. I only got about 3 hours of sleep the night before so I could hardly keep my eyes open yesterday! James and I did work in the backyard when I finally pulled myself out of bed at 2:30. We built this awesome water feature in the backyard which is so nice to listen to when we sit out on the deck. Lexis loves the water feature, she gets a kick out of drinking from the fountain. Too cute!

Tonight I am having my girls small group over for a wind-up BBQ. I got burgers, buns, and they are bringing the salads and desserts. They are just too cute! I am really going to miss them when I don't return to be their small group leader for the remaining grade 11 girls. But I think it is time to step back and enjoy being a mommy and not feel pressured to have to be anywhere at 9:15 on a Sunday morning.

Well, I should really run and finish cleaning the house and getting the burger fixin's ready to for tonight! Hope everyone is having a GREAT Monday!

Love,
Melissa

So tired!

I have been pretty busy this week that I am just finding the time to sit down and share my thoughts! I have not been in the mood to sit down and actually type, I have had way to much enerygy! Energy is a good thing these days, especially because there are many things that need to get crossed off my to-do list!

This has felt like a very long week! So long that I honestly can't remember what I did on Monday or Tuesday! Actually I can't remember what I did on Wednesday or Yesterday! I have been in a shopping mood lately, partly because I am growing out of my clothes. I am now at the stage were none of my previously worn pants fit, I am much to big for them! I can still fit into my sweatpants and Yoga pants so that is nice for the comfortable days. With outgrowing clothes means the need for new clothes, I love that excuse! I have bought some really cute outfits lately! Mostly work clothes and sun dresses, but also some casual stuff. My old t-shirts still fit, with the help of an undershit so they don't rise above my belly... so I should be good in that department for a while. But I might need an excuse to go shopping... haha.

This weekend we are attending my friend Kyle Gorman's wedding! I am looking forward to seeing some people that I have not seen in a long time, especially those from high school. It should be a good reunion. Tonight we are heading over to Dave and Nancy's for a bbq. Mmmmm... steak :) Should be a very busy and eventful weekend... expect pictures!

Well, I should go here and put my wash over. And maybe lay down for a quick nap... YES!

20 Weeks!! HALF WAY DONE!!!

• I am half way done! Congratulations to me!


• The baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now.


• The baby is about 10 inches from head to heel. (The baby is now measured from Head to Heels)


• A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats your baby's entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid.


• It's also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance made of dead cells, digestive secretions, and swallowed amniotic fluid, which will accumulate in her bowels and end up in its first diaper.

19 weeks and 4 days - Photo Shoot!

Well the ultrasound is all said and done. Kind of disappointing because the baby was not cooperating and kept "its" legs together the whole time so we are ending up like most other people and have to wait till delivery day to find out the sex. The baby did open it's legs up for about a split second and the doctor said he couldn't really see anything but he said that doesn't mean anything. SO WHO KNOWS???

Also, the baby wouldn't lift it's head up for a picture and we only left with a picture of a leg. It's head was down the whole time and it was all scruntched up in a ball... silly little one!!

So, this is all I have for you... no news. But the baby is strong and healthy. With it's measurments right on schedule... due date has been confirmed, October 22!

Anxiety... so many emotions!

20 week ultrasound today at 2:15 pm!

For some reason I am nervous... I don't know why I am. I am anxious to see the baby again, to connect with it and get a glimpse into its little habitat! It's the most unreal feeling being able to look into its little world. They have no cares in the world when the are snuggled into their moms bodies, relying on their mommy even from the very start. We can find out if it's actually a boy or girl today and I think that's part of my anxiety... I can finally know who or what is inside of me. Is it my son or is it my daughter? I can finally decide on a name and buy some clothes for it... so many changes can happen!

I feel the baby moving around a lot now which makes me smile when it happens. It's like a secret that I only know, a little connection between me and the peanut. I can already tell you that he/she enjoys coke/pepsi. Each time I have a sip of soda the baby jumps and moves. So when I want to feel the baby I go to the fridge and take a sip and moments later the baby moves! Unreal! I am eager for the day when James can feel the baby too. So far it's my secret, but I am ready to share it with others.

Lex was sick through the night last night. Poor baby girl. She was wondering around the house in the wee hours of the morning so I finally got up and brought her back to bed. But she rolled around and constantly changed positions. Then she threw up at 7:00 am and again at 7:40. I wonder what she ate?? I feel bad when she is sick because she feels bad too. She gives me good practise for being a real mommy. She gets time outs on the bed when she is in trouble and when she was little she did get us up many times through out the night... But I know things will be different when it's a real baby, but I honestly love Lexis like she is my daughter!! (Haha!)

Well, I got a book that I can't put down so I should go and read it! Have a wonderful day and I will post some pictures later on today!!! YEAH!