1 Year Ago Today

We were standing on a beach at sunset, with our closest friends and family surrounding us, pledging a vow of love, devotion, understanding, and honesty. It has been an amazing first year for us as husband and wife. We've shared so much, not only between the two of us, but also combining our two loving families.

Brad, thank you for a wonderful first year as your wife.

I love you.

I told you he's good to me

Brad had football practice last night after work, and apparently saw my post when he checked his email after practice, I didn't think he would! So he stopped on his way home last night and surprised me with that chocolate pie I'd been craving. I had 2 slices last night :) SO GOOD.



I'd also like to wish Kathy and Frank a Happy Anniversary. They have spent 26 loving years together, and their love and devotion to each other is beautiful to witness.

Cravings...

I haven't had very many "cravings" with this pregnancy...but the past couple of days, I can't seem to stop thinking about this great chocolate cream pie we had on Frank's birthday. I almost even bought one yesterday when I was at the grocery store...but I'd have to buy a whole pie and I'm trying to be supportive of Brad who is trying to loose weight. So...to buy the pie or not to buy the pie...that is the question.

28 Week Sonogram

We had our fourth sonogram this morning and got to see little Colin again. He's still in a breach position (his head is up toward my ribs and his feet are down lower), which he's been in every time we've had a sonogram. The doctor joked that someone needed to teach him how to turn around. Hehe.

He's gotten quite big! He's at 3 pounds 1 ounce. Which means he is measuring in at 30 weeks, which gives a delivery date of December 8. This doesn't change our due date, just means he's a little big, but not "alarmingly" big. The doctor says everything looks nice and healthy and that unless I have any problems with my blood pressure he doesn't need to see me back. Which is a little disappointing, I like to see my little boy!

I've posted the picture below, unfortunately it doesn't come out very well on the computer. If you look to the left of the photo you are looking at Colin's little face staring right back at you. You can see his nose, the roundness of his head and the shadows of his eyes and his chubby little check. Towards the right is his round little body and a foot. I wish I could explain it better, but I don't know how!

Spoke Too Soon

I think I jinxed myself with my post last night. Tonight as we were eating dinner, I got sick halfway through. So much for that...

Tomorrow is a happy day though, sonogram day! yay!

Baker Update

Just wanted to give a general update on the 3 of us. First, we got our estimates in on the work for the new house, luckily it came in with a number our budget can handle. The time frame is a little more than we'd hoped for, but it is doable at least. I just don't want to wait too long in case Colin decides to make his grand entrance early (which I'm hoping he doesn't).

As for me, I'm finally starting to feel better, the nausea is almost gone, and the heartburn/indigestion isn't quite as bad. I'm starting to get a little more uncomfortable as I get a little bigger. Brad has been really accommodating though, he's taking good care of me, even shaving my legs (the bigger belly makes it hard to bend over). When he's not bending over to pick up things I drop or can't reach, or making me hot chocolate, he's working. He's been pretty busy lately. I think he's really starting to get nervous the closer we get to the due date too.

Colin is behaving pretty nicely, he's given mommy a few nervous moments, he gets quite sometimes and I start to worry. He also still seems to be down pretty low, I expected by now that he would have moved up a little. Luckily we have our sonogram on Wednesday, so I plan to ask about that, and I'm sure if there is anything out of ordinary they will let us know.

View from the recliner - Part 2

Today, on a special weekend edition of View from the recliner...

Not only is Rene 27 weeks pregnant, but today she is also turning 27 years old. Although, she claims she is taking a page from her grandmother and is staying 26 (but we all know the truth!). Rene continues to amaze me each day and every step we take in life together just proves to me how lucky we are to have found each other. I know she is going to make an excellent mom (she already does a pretty good job of taking care of 2 cats and a husband).

Happy Birthday Rene!

P.S. - After taking some flack for my last post, I thought as a birthday gift to Rene, I'd double my allocation to 200 diapers.

27 Week Bump

I swear I look 10 times bigger in pictures than I actually am...

Year of the Pig

Under the Chinese zodiac, Colin will be born in the year of the pig. Here is what I've been able to find about those born in the year of the pig:

The Pig is a fun and enlightening personality blessed with patience and understanding. People born under the sign of the Pig enjoy life and all it has to offer, including family and friends. They are honest and thoughtful and expect the same of other people. Pigs can be perceived as oblivious or gullible because they do care about others so much that they will do just about anything for a friend in need.

"Its better to give than to receive" would probably be the Pig's motto. Pigs are more comfortable giving of their own time or attention than they are to ask others for it. They do not find asking for help an easy task and would rather carry the burden themselves. Pigs will do anything they can to maintain a sense of peace amongst family or friends. This can lead to a tendency to be taken advantage of, but Pigs basically forgive and forget everything. They are compassionate souls who simply want to keep the peace.

CHARACTERISTICS

Hardworking, Giving, Willing, Helpful, Materialistic, Gullible, Oblivious, Obstinate

General Update on Mommy

Last week I told you all about my sudden rise in body temperature. Well, a few nights ago I woke up in an all out sweat, even with the fan on, and no covers. I lay there awake for over 30 minutes, so hot I couldn't sleep. So, I turned the air down from 76 to 74, and Brad woke up the next morning shivering cold...but I was oooh so comfortable!

I've also begun to have more intense back pain, I'm assuming this is simply from Colin getting heavier and my tummy getting bigger. I'll officially be in my third trimester (27 weeks) on Friday. I plan to post an updated bump picture that day too.

Luckily, I've been feeling much better, stomach wise. I still get heartburn pretty much daily, but the nausea is doing better. I'm still taking my medicine just-in-case though.

I've been trying to eat more fruits and veggies since I'm feeling better, and I always make sure to get lots of calcium, protein and water everyday. I allow myself a non-water drink a couple of times a week. I'm doing pretty well, I've only gained about 12 pounds so far (I'm not supposed to gain as much weight, already being overweight).

Counting down the days until our next sonogram, one week from today. Other than that I'm staying pretty busy with plans for the new house. Can't wait to show it to everyone.

On a side note, I'd like to thank my best friend Sara for the adorable baby shower invitations she created for us, we hope you all can make it!

Back

I apologize for the disappearing act the past couple of days. We closed on the new house on Friday and met with a few contractors yesterday for some work we'd like done before we move in. We spent the weekend doing some work ourselves, and doing some research. Needless to say, we've been busy!

As for Colin, he's doing good, he's been getting more and more active and seems to be getting bigger, as far as I can tell. I can't wait until our sonogram on the 26th to see exactly how big he has gotten!

You'll notice in the countdown we are almost the 3 months exactly, and Daddy is getting nervous. I personally am getting nervous about the whole labor experience..luckily I've got the new house to occupy my time. I just hope to get as much done in the new house as possible before Colin makes his grand entrance to our lives.

Colin's First Hiccups

I was laying in bed this morning after Brad left for work trying to go back to sleep when I felt Colin moving around. At least, that is what I thought at first. He was moving, but in the same spot, and on a pretty regular little beat. Then it dawned on me, he's probably got the hiccups. I've been told that I'd be able to feel it, but didn't know if I'd be able to distinguish it from just his movements. This only went on for a few minutes and he went back to sleep, as did I.

Hey! It's 26 weeks, not 25!

I had my doctor's checkup today, my fundal height is 26.5 centimeters, right on schedule, and little Colin's heartbeat was 126 at first, then jumped to 155 while we were listening! (This is perfectly normal, no need to worry!)

My doctor said he wanted me to have another sonogram at 28 weeks, so we have an appointment on the 26th. We'll get to see him again...so I'm counting down the days now. Especially after our last sonogram photo left me a little disappointed.

As for the title of this post, my doctor came into the room and said, "Wow, 25 weeks already!" I said, "Hey! 26 weeks almost!" He laughed and said, "Yeah, we don't want to take away a single day, do we?" Hehe...100 days left! woohoo! We can't wait to meet Colin!

I also asked him about being so hot lately. Our house is set on 77, which is actually 2 degrees cooler than Brad had the house pre-Rene and pre-pregnancy, and I keep the fans on at all times. I try to wear loose, cool clothing at home, and still I sit here and SWEAT! I just wanted to make sure this was completely normal, and he laughed at me. He said Brad should feel lucky, because when his wife is pregnant (they have 13 kids!) she keeps the AC at 70 or lower! He said it's just the progesterone that my body is producing that is keeping me so hot. (This little hormone is also the little bugger that is making me sick!) So, I think I'm going to have to petition for a couple more degrees cooler on the AC....and pray the cooler weather comes soon!

My (Common) Pregnancy Complaints...

1. Heartburn.

2. My belly itches!

3. I wake up 5 times (or more) to pee every night.

4. I'm the proud new owner of the biggest underwear ever created.

5. I'm STILL NAUSEAS.

But I love him and every time I feel him move it's a reminder of that love and why I'm feeling all those not-so-fun things...and that makes it all better.

View from the recliner...

This is soon-to-be-Daddy's first attempt at a post on the blog. As Rene posted last week, I have finally been able to feel Colin move after weeks of trying. I will admit that the whole pregnancy has seemed very surreal to me up until this point. For some reason knowing that Rene is pregnant and actually having it register in my head that we are soon going to have a little monster running around are two different things. Seeing Colin (and therefore Rene) growing more these days and feeling little Colin move around have definitely made the whole thing seem more "real" now. This has been (and I'm sure will continue to be) a very busy time for this Baker duo, and I admit to having many sleepless nights worrying about all that is to come, but I'm also very excited to soon be a Daddy and can't wait to see what our little bundle of joy looks like.

Last week Rene also posted that you go through about 7500 diapers the first year. I've agreed to change 100 of them. That sounds pretty fair, right? ;)

Troublemaker No More!

Daddy felt Colin move...twice! Right after dinner I laid down on the couch and Colin was bouncing around, Brad just rested his hand on my belly and felt Colin move...twice! Yay!

25 Weeks

According to my pregnancy newsletters, Colin could very well have hair now, but we'll have to wait 3 more months to find out what color!

We have our next doctor's appointment Wednesday, no sonogram, just a regular checkup. He'll check my fundal height to make sure Colin is growing at a normal rate. I also have my gestational diabetes test.

As for Colin, he is so active these days! He feels like a little bouncy ball every 30 minutes to an hour. Though he is still being a little uncooperative with his parents. Daddy has yet to feel him, even though I know it's possible, because I have felt him numerous times when my hand is just resting on my tummy. Every time Brad puts his hand to feel, Colin gets quite. I like to think he's soothed by his daddy's touch...not just being a troublemaker already!

Pregnancy Trivia

Babies are born without kneecaps, they don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.

The average baby goes through 7,500 diapers each year (get ready Daddy!).

Did you know every three seconds a baby is born?

Three to four percent of babies are actually arrive on their due date.

The average time for a man to change a diaper is 1 minute, 36 seconds...(the average woman only takes 1 minute..hehe)

A baby starts to smile socially at 4-8 weeks old (can't wait for this one!).

The first sense a baby develops is hearing.

Did you know the heaviest baby ever born weighed 23 pounds, 12 ounces, (please don't let me set a new record...hehe)?

Did you know a baby is born with 300 bones? A baby is born with 300 bones, but an adult has 206 bones. These bones fuse together later.

Did you know that the eye color of an infant is set at 6-9 months?

A baby's head accounts for 20 percent of his/her weight.

Did you know the uterus during pregnancy gets to 500 times it's normal size (now you see why pregnant woman are so uncomfortable!)?

September 5, 2007

27 years ago today the wonderful man who would some day be my husband and the father of my son was born. He's touched many lives and left a permanent mark on this world already. He is everything I could ever ask for in a friend and a soul mate. In 3 short months, he'll be able to add amazing father to that list too.

Happy Birthday Brad! I love you.

The Baker's New Pad

Well, I mentioned it last week, that something big was in the works. We weren't actively pursuing anything, but we actually found a house that we fell in love with, and 2 days later put in an offer on it. It was too good to pass up, and the next day they accepted.

We had some issues with the air conditioning and had to make sure that was going to be fixed before we left our option period, and as of tonight everything is done and officially ours. We are set to close on the house September 14th, in just a week and a half!

The new house is in Cedar Hill, just 10 minutes down the road from where we live now. It's a 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath. It has a pool and hot tub, a large backyard with lots of grass for Colin and Brad to toss the ball around, and even has its own playground complete with slide, swing, and see-saw. It needs some cosmetic work, but the bones are great! We plan to take our time and make it our dream house over the next 5 (or more) years.

We are sad to leave Panavision, it is the first house Brad bought, the place we met and fell in love, and the place that we have made our home over the past 18 months. But we are even more excited to enter a new phase of our lives together, this is the house we will raise our children in and the house we will grow old together in. It will truly be "ours."

And for all those who are concerned, yes, I'll have to REPAINT that nursery again, but it will be even better in the next house. We've already lovingly taken down all the animal trains and they will be hung at the new house.

Below are some photos from the new Baker residence.