32 weeks

32 weeks down and 8 more to go! It's hard to believe that in less than 2 months we will meet our baby girl! We are so excited! Aydin talks about baby Adalee all the time and he can't leave the house without giving her a kiss bye in the mornings! He is being such a sweet big brother already. He loves to put his hand on my belly and feel her kick. He thinks its funny! We are moving to a new house this week so we will be able to have everything set up for her arrival later next month. I can't wait to have everything set up and ready for her. I have been feeling pretty uncomfortable with some back pain and braxton hicks contractions. But it will all be worth it in the end.

Baby Adalee should now be weighing around 3.75 lbs and is about 16.7 inches long! She should be gaining about half of her birth weight in the next 7 weeks!! She now has toenails, fingernails, and hair! Her skin is also becoming soft and smooth. We can't wait to see who she looks like when she makes her debut!

31 weeks

Wow only nine more weeks to 40 weeks!!! Feels so close but so far away. Adalee is really moving around in there. I can feel her all the time. I have been having some contractions here and there but nothing that is causing labor so we are ok for now. She needs to stay in a while longer so we can have her room and stuff ready for her! Aydin is still as sweet as ever giving his baby sister kisses and "sha sha" the belly. He always asks if she is pushing on mommy and if she has hiccups. Too cute! I hope they are the best of friends one day.

She measures over 16 inches long now and should weigh around 3.3 lbs and is heading into a growth spurt. Uh oh, I already feel like she has no room in there, don't know how she will be able to move once she reaches 6 lbs. We should get to have another ultrasound next week so we look forward to seeing her again and seeing how much bigger she is getting!

30 weeks

Wow...we are getting closer to meeting our precious baby girl! About two more months to go. Sometimes it feels like it is right around the corner and sometimes it feels like a long time away! This week I had a scare after having my regular glucose testing done. They informed my my results were a little high so I had to take a 3 hr test. I had to fast for 12 hrs and go in and draw blood then drink a really sugary drink and give blood every hour for three more hours. It was really hard after about the first hour and I wasn't feeling great but after it was over and I was able to eat again I felt much better. I got the results the next morning and everything was normal so I don't have gestational diabetes! Thank god! I think our baby girl was loving all the sugar because she was moving around like crazy during the testing. I have been having some contractions this week but nothing like i had with Aydin which is great!

Baby Adalee has grown to about 15.7 inches long this week and should weigh about 3 lbs. Her eyesight is continuing to develop although it isn't very keen yet. Once she is born her eyesight will only be about 20/400 so she will only be able to see objects a few inches in front of her face.

29 weeks

29 weeks down and 11 more to go. Baby Adalee is getting bigger and bigger every day and so is mommy's belly. She is about 15 inches long this week and her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature. I feel all of her movements and sometimes have body parts sticking out of the side of my belly. I have been awoken a couple times this week by a foot poking out of my belly and taking my breath away. It is really amazing and scary at the same time. I love feeling her movements but sometimes it hurts when a body part is pushing out of my stomach! Aydin is still being such a sweet big brother and giving her kisses when he leaves for school and when we come home. If I ever grab my belly and say ouch he says "mommy you ok, baby Adalee pushing on your belly?" It is too cute!

Surprise Baby Shower!!!

Surprise!! Surprise!! Little did mommy know but our family and friends had planned a surprise shower for baby Adalee while we were in LA for her 3d ultrasound. We had a great time visiting with everyone and getting lots of pink stuff for her. She is going to be hooked up with outfits now! Mindy made an awesome diaper cake for Adalee and I even picked it up not knowing a thing....sooo sneaky!!

We can't wait to move and have her stuff set up in her new room at the new house. I got her bedding in the mail last week and it has been tough keeping it all boxed up but once we move she will be all set up!

3d ultrasound

We had Adalee's 3d ultrasound this week with our family and friends. It was really a special day since we got to see baby Adalee. Aydin hasn't been to an ultrasound yet so he got a change to see her too. It was so cute hearing him talking about her. At one point she was making a fist with her hand and he said "look she is giving me knuckles!" I love hearing him excited about her!

She looked like she didn't have much room in there. At one point she was kicking herself in the head with her feet. She is pretty flexible right now! She yawned a couple times for us and moved her hands and feet around a good bit. She was even playing with the umbilical cord with her long toes! They measured her and guesstimated her weight to be about 2 lbs 15 oz.

28 Weeks

We are now entering into the last trimester of this pregnancy. Baby Adalee is definitely growing well because sometimes I feel like my stomach is going to tear in half. It is getting big! We get to have a 3d ultrasound this weekend to see her in action. We did the same for Aydin at 28 weeks and it was amazing to see.

Baby Adalee weight about 2 1/2 lbs and is about 14.8 inches long. She can blink her eyes, which now also have lashes. She may also be able to see the light that filters in through my belly. She is now adding more body fat in preparation for life outside the womb! We can't wait until the day we are able to hold her!!

27 Weeks

We have made it to the last week of the second trimester. Wow, only one left to go. I have been feeling baby Adalee move so much all the time now. She gets hiccups a lot and I told Aydin about them one night while she was having them and he was feeling my belly and kept saying "baby Adalee has hiccups; she growing in mommy's belly". He always wants to kiss baby Adalee and doesn't understand why I don't want to lift up my shirt for him to do so while we are out in public! It is so sweet to hear him talk about her and want to be sweet. I know he will be an awesome protective big brother!

Baby Adalee weighs about 2 lbs now and is about 14 1/2 inches long. She is now sleeping and waking in regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and even sucking her fingers. Her brain tissue is developing fast and is more active now.

26 weeks

26 weeks down and 14 to go! Baby Adalee has been growing well in my belly. I have gained a total of 15 lbs so far and it feels/looks like it is all in my belly. I feel so huge already and have a ways to go. She has been moving around a ton and keeps me up at night already with some of her movements. One night I was up from 11 - 3 because she was having a party in my belly! I guess she is just preparing me for when she is born and I am up all hours of the night.

Aydin has been such a sweet big brother talking to my belly and just randomly coming up to me and picking up my shirt to kiss baby adalee. He is too sweet! According to the baby website, she is about 14 inches long now and is working on practice breathing for the day she is born and takes her first breaths!

Guess Who's Potty Trained??

We have been working on potty training with Aydin since the beginning of July. His montessori school teacher sent home a letter that he was ready to start and gave a september timeline of when she thought he would be trained. I was really worried that we wouldn't be able to do it. I have heard plenty of horror stories about little boys taking forever to train. At first we kept him in diapers and just went to the potty every 20 -30 minutes. Sometimes we would have success and sometimes none. We didn't want to push him so we left it up to him. We rewarded success with treats and stickers on a chart. He did the same at school; he was doing really well at school but not so much at home for a while. Then at the end of July it seemed to click and he was asking to go potty every time. He would stay dry in his diaper all day and go to the potty every time. For a couple days we did underwear over diapers per the schools suggestion to remind him he was a big boy and he needed to keep his big boy underwear dry and it worked like a charm. The first weekend of August was our first attempt at big boy underwear and he did great and didn't have any accidents. He was also able to keep dry during the night! He has been doing awesome every since. We are so proud of our big boy! I really was expecting to have two in diapers but Aydin has done so well we no longer have to buy diapers....until Nov....and we start all over again!

25 weeks

25 weeks down....seems like so long but still so much more to go. We can't wait to meet our new baby girl but still have a few months to go. I have been feeling pretty good most of the time. I spent some time in the hospital for a kidney infection over the weekend but they monitored baby Adalee and she looked great. I had to have an ultrasound of my kidneys to check for stones so while they did that I got to have another look at her on the ultrasound. She is still looking great and measuring perfectly. She is head down and pushing on my bladder which I can feel very well!! We are so happy she is doing so well. We had another appt with my Dr after the hospital trip and had yet another ultrasound. She was pretty active and daddy got to see her again with me. She is measuring at 1 lb 10 oz now! Grow baby Grow!!

24 weeks

Baby Adalee has been in my belly for 24 weeks now and you can definitely tell it is growing right along with her. I have gained about 10 pounds so far and it all seems to be in the belly. She is moving around so much now. We have taught Aydin how to say her name and it is so cute hearing him saying "Love you baby Adalee" and kissing my belly. I hope he is still that sweet once she is born! I really think he will be a great big brother to his baby sister.

Baby Adalee is now about a foot long and has gained about 4 ounces since last week which means she is around a pound and a half. We get to have another ultrasound next wednesday so we can't wait to see how she has changed. Her brain is also developing quickly now along with her lungs. They are developing branches of the respiratory tree as well as cells that produce surfactant which is a substance that helps her air sacs inflate once she is born.

23 weeks

We have now made it to 23 weeks pregnant with baby Adalee. We are getting really excited to be able to meet her in November just three short months away. We ordered her bedding this week and are really excited to get it in and start working on her room. She has been moving all around a lot recently. I can feel her a good bit throughout the day.

Our baby girl is more than 11 inches long and a little over a pound this week. Her blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing. Her ears are developing more and she can hear sounds a lot better now so they say she should be used to loud familiar sounds once she is born. We joke that she will be used to Aydin's temper tantrums by that time!!

22 weeks

Our baby girl has now been growing in my belly for 22 weeks. I can tell that my belly is growing much faster now. I feel like I look more pregnant now too. I am still feeling pretty tired sometimes and have been having some bad back pain along with sciatic nerve pain. It gets pretty bad too! I can feel her move a lot throughout different times of the day but most often around 8 am, 8 pm and sometimes around 12-1 am. I love being able to feel her move because it gives me reassurance that she is doing well in there.

Our baby girl is about 11 inches long now and weighs about a pound. She is starting to look a lot more like a newborn. Her eyelids , eyebrows, and lips are becoming more distinct and her tiny tooth buds are developing beneath her gums. It is amazing to imagine the changes that are taking place now!

What Aydin learned at school today....

It amazes me how much Aydin learns and remembers from his Montessori school teachers. They always comment on how smart he is and how much he remembers what they teach the kids in Montessori time. He loves his school and so do we. He has learned about our country and the flag and other important American symbols and this is what he tells me today! He is too cute!

Ultrasound pictures - 16 weeks

Ultrasound pictures

These are pictures from the 21 week ultrasound.

Our little miracle from God!!

Well it looks like we are going to have a sweet baby girl due around thanksgiving. Aydin is going to be a great big brother to his little sister. We have also decided on the name Adalee Elisabeth. We had our anatomy ultrasound on July 13th and it was an overwhelming day to say the least. We went in so excited to confirm that we were in fact having a girl; we actually had a previous ultrasound at 16 weeks to check the gender with every intention of telling our family and friends the gender then but when the tech told us it was a girl we weren't 100% sure of that since we both kind of figured it would be a boy. We decided to wait until the big ultrasound at 20 weeks to confirm before telling everyone.

It was so amazing seeing our baby on the ultrasound and it was confirmed that the baby was still a girl!! The tech kept taking measurements of her stomach which was measuring small and she was also checking on the umbilical cord and we weren't really sure about why. She told us that everything looked good but there could be a cord issue due to placement that could cause the baby to be a little smaller but it wasn't something to necessarily worry about.

We sat in the doctor's office waiting to talk to Dr. Mulder for an hour and when she finally came to talk to us she didn't have great news. She said that she reviewed our ultrasound with Tracy our tech and she sees the problem that Tracy informed her of. She said there was an abnormality with the umbilical cord insertion. She said due to the way the baby was laying she couldn't tell if it was off to the left or right but she said that what this usually means is a diagnosis of gastroschisis. Gastroschisis is a birth defect in which the intestines stick out of the body from a defect in the umbilical cord. When I heard this news I was stunned, upset, and worried. I have seen this before on baby shows and it always means surgery and long hospital stays in the NICU. I really wasn't prepared to hear bad news. She said she wasn't sure about how bad the case was but she would refer us to a specialist who could tell us more about the diagnosis.

I left the appointment so upset and anxious about what was to come. I wanted to see the specialist as soon as possible to know how bad things were and what we would be faced with. We were able to get an appointment two days later which I was greatful for; seeing as Dustin would be leaving out of town the next week for work. He was so strong and was my rock. He helped me to stay calm and remember to put my faith in god and remember that everything happens for a reason and we would be able to handle anything that was before us. He got me a St. Gerard necklace and we started praying the Novena to St. Gerard, the patron Saint of Motherhood. We prayed for the health of our unborn baby girl and put all our faith in God. We asked others to pray with us as we started this journey with our new baby girl. I started feeling more calm about the situation and was ready to face the specialist and hear what was to come. We went to our appointment Thursday afternoon and soon started our level 2 ultrasound which is much clearer of a picture of the baby and what could be going on. The tech took similar measurements that the first one took earlier in the week, she said everything looked good and also confirmed that the baby was a little girl. She looked around for about 30 minutes and said she really couldn't see any issues with the umbilical cord or any possibly birth defects or gastroschisis. The specialist came in and took a look also and said she really couldn't see anything wrong with our baby girl. She said the only thing she thought they might possibly mistake for an abnormality was most likely just an umbilical hernia which is nothing serious in comparison. She didn't see any evidence of gastroschisis. This was the best news possible and we were shocked. We had prepared ourselves for really bad news and we got the most amazing news possible. The doctor had no reason to suspect anything else causing this to appear later in pregnancy. We are amazed with this wonderful miracle! What a blessing to know that our baby girl is indeed healthy and growing well.

We have been continuing to pray and ask for St. Gerard 's intercession on our behalf to help keep our baby healthy and growing inside my belly. We have been thanking god for this wonderful miracle and can't be happier about having a baby girl. We would like to thank everyone for their continued prayers for our little girl, Adalee.

21 weeks

We have made it to 21 weeks and are really excited about our gender reveal party this weekend. We had a rough week and got some scary news but I will discuss that in the next post. The baby is growing well and moving around alot. I noticed that this baby seems to be more active in the evening and quiet in the mornings which is just the opposite of Aydin. My belly is poking out more now too. We can't wait to welcome our second baby later this yr.

The baby now weighs about 3/4 of a pound and is about 10 1/2 inches long. Our baby's eyelids and eyebrows are now present and the baby is moving around more and more.

20 weeks!!

Wow....20 weeks down. We have made it to the half way point. Now that I look back it seems to have gone by so fast so far. I have been feeling good for the most part. I have been having some really bad back pain this past week. I finally broke down and got my first massage, a prenatal one and it was so worth it!! I always thought I would hate getting a massage so I have never gotten one but this pain was so bad I figured it couldn't be worse than that and it was oh so nice! The pain came right back the minute I got back up but it was nice for the hour it was gone. The massage therapist recommended a back brace so I got one and it seems to help a little bit. I think my issues have to do with the way the baby is positioned right now. My belly was bigger the past couple weeks and now it is small again so the baby must be moving around in there and found a nice spot near my back. I guess we will see this week at our ultrasound.

I am so excited and anxious to have the ultrasound this week. I really want to see that the baby is healthy and know if its a he or a she. I think the majority of family and friends think pink but both Dustin and I were thinking blue so we will see. We will be driving to LA Friday night to have a little get together Saturday to reveal the big secret. We are excited to see everyone.

The baby now weighs about 10.5 ounces and is about 10 inches from head to heel. (the length of a banana). Wow in 20 weeks the baby went from a seed to a banana. We are so excited to see the changes at this ultrasound from the last one!!

19 weeks

Wow, 19 weeks!! Almost halfway there now. It really seems to be going by faster now. I have been feeling alot better although I do get tired easier. My belly is growing bigger now but still not poking out very far yet. I have gained about 5 pounds and am wearing maternity clothes more now since they are more comfortable.

Baby #2's sensory development is exploding. The baby's brain is now designating special areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. The baby may even be able to hear my voice now which is pretty neat! The baby now measures about 6 inches long and 8 1/2 ounces. The baby's arms and legs are now in the right proportions for his/her body now. Also the hair on the baby's scalp is starting to grow now.

Some pics from our trip to the zoo this weekend...

Aydin is obsessed with the zoo. It is about the only thing he requests to do every weekend! It has become a weekly trip now....good thing we got those annual passes. We sure use them!! He loves looking at all of the animals, it never gets old for him and we love taking him. It is just so hot right now, alot of the animals are sleeping when we go. Next weekend is member saturday so we will be able to go an hour earlier and see the keepers feeding the animals so they will be more active then. Let's just hope it doesn't rain all weekend from the hurricane that is supposed to hit south TX.

18 weeks

We have made it to 18 weeks now with Baby #2. I have been feeling pretty good and feeling the baby move more and more now. Dustin was actually also able to feel movement one evening when the baby was really active. It was pretty neat since last time it took alot longer before he was able to feel anything. My belly is growing a little too now. I am sure it will start growing much faster now that the baby is getting bigger. In a couple weeks we get to have our big ultrasound and we can't wait!

The baby is now about 5 1/2 inches long and weighs almost 7 ounces. The baby is busy flexing his/her arms and legs which is probably what i have been feeling recently. Can't wait to meet our new baby!!

17 Weeks

17 weeks down and 23 to go....I have been feeling pretty good this week. Haven't really even felt pregnant for the most part. I got my first shot of progesterone at my dr. appt yesterday. It hurt at first and was pretty sore for a while after, it also made me very sleepy! It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The dr. said that as the weeks go on it will hurt more since the hips will be sore but whatever we have to do to keep the baby in there as long as possible we will do it! We have our next appt scheduled on July 16th to have the 20 week anatomy scan. We can't wait to see baby #2 again! After that we plan on going to LA to have a little party and let everyone know if baby #2 is a girl or a boy. At first up until a couple weeks ago I thought you had to be a girl since I have felt completely different than I did for the Aydin's pregnancy but then I started thinking you are a boy so we will see! Daddy thinks you have to be a boy.

This week baby weighs about 5 ounces now and is about 5 inches long (the size of a turnip). The skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone and the umbilical cord is growing stronger and thicker.

Aydin counting down to Blastoff!!

16 weeks

Wow, these weeks seem to be going by faster now. I have been feeling better for the most part. I have also been feeling some light kicks this week which is so awesome. It is so nice to feel life growing inside you! Being able to feel the baby move reminds me that I am pregnant when I don't have the baby belly yet. I started wearing maternity clothes last pregnancy at 17 weeks and I have tried some jeans on this week and they are huge which is strange since my regular clothes are a little tight.

Right now baby #2 is about 4 1/2 inches long and three and a half ounces and is the size of an avacado (which I have been craving recently). The baby has been changing rapidly and is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day! The baby should double in weight and size in the next coming weeks.

Weekend Getaway!

This weekend we took a little trip to Galveston to take Aydin to Moody Gardens to see the aquarium and rainforest and Palm Beach. He had an awesome time. The aquarium was really beautiful. Aydin loved watching the huge seals and all the interesting fish swimming around. He really enjoyed the penquin exhibit.

We went to an exhibit with butterflies flying everywhere and they put one on his hand and it didn't want to let go and flew on his back. Those butterflies loved him, but he wasn't too fond of them!

When we took him to the Palm Beach which is a private beach at Moody Gardens he didn't enjoy the sand very much. He didn't like playing in it or the feeling of sand between his toes. I guess we won't be taking any beach trips anytime soon. We spent alot of time at the hotel pool which was Aydin's favorite part. It was a very nice little trip.

15 weeks

We have now made it to 15 weeks. Baby #2 is doing well so far. I have been feeling better as the weeks go by. We have to start our weekly shots next week which I am pretty anxious about!

The baby now measures about 4 inches long (size of an apple) and weighs about 2.5 ounces. The baby is now busy moving amniotic fluid through the nose and uper respiratory tract. The baby can sense light now which is pretty neat. We are another qeek closer to finding out what we are having and are really excited to know if Aydin will have a baby brother or sister.

14 weeks

We have made it to the 14 week mark of this pregnancy. I am not battling the nausea as much as the previous weeks although I have been tired still. I had a little spotting and then starting having cramps last week along with some other pains in the lower abdominal area that were concerning. Over the weekend I was in alot more pain so I decided to call the dr. about it and saw her yesterday. She decided to do an ultrasound to check things out. She found a complication that we weren't prepared for. I have complete placenta previa which means that the baby's placenta is completely covering my cervix. This happens in about 1 in every 200 pregnancies. She said there is a possibility that it could "move" out of the way by the time we are ready to deliver but with it being completely covered the odds aren't as good. If it doesn't move then I will have to have a c-section to deliver the baby. I have been put on restrictions and am not able to pick up Aydin which isn't going to be easy; also on pelvic rest until they see if the placenta moves...so sorry to my poor hubby! On a happy note, the baby was moving around alot and waving in the ultrasound and looked great which is good news. We are going to do our best to be careful and hopefully avoid bed rest or being in the hospital which would be awful. I have to start the progesterone shots in 2 weeks also which I am not looking forward too. It looks like this pregnancy is turning out to be a little more complicated than it was with Aydin.

The baby is measuring about 3 1/2 inches now (about the size of a lemon) and weighs about 1.5 ounces. The baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck their thumb. The baby is kicking and punching away and more active now so possibly soon I will be able to feel all these movements. I hope for an easy week and no other surprises along the way. We could definitely use prayers for movement of the uterus so that the baby's placenta will then move away from my cervix and be much easier for us.