24 Weeks- the size of a Baseball mit!!

We've reached a really crucial point in our pregnancy, one which I'm feeling quite releived about. With modern medical technology, our beautiful baby girl would have a chance to survive if she were born now. (Don't take that as a hint to come early, baby!!)

We're halfway there, baby!!

I am now 20 weeks, 2 days. We have reached the halfway point in the pregnancy, and it's actually a little bittersweet for me. I have SO enjoyed being pregnant, and am sad to think it's halfway over... I find I have to remind myself that we will have more children (God willing) so this won't be the last time I get to have this awesome experience.  I have been feeling really great lately, with ZERO sickness, however I have had lots of heartburn with really anything I eat.

Found a slightly older pic...

During my 10 week hiatus from blogging because I was well, lazy, I forgot that I had taken another "profile" shot at 12 weeks..Can you say HELLLLLOO Bloat?!... So nothing much to say here, except heres the photo :)

19 weeks, and a HUGE Announcement!!

Look at that belly!!! I am 19 weeks, 3 days, and feeling GREAT!!!  Don't you all just love my sweater? Yeah, I do too.. I love it even more because it is so telling of things to come. You guessed it.

Time flies when your growing a baby!

Holy cow-- Where has the time gone?!?! Before I knew it, it had been 10 weeks since my last blog post. I suck at blogging apparently. So first, allow me to show you.....

Outings of a large variety

This week has been a pretty exciting week for the Cook Family! We came out of hiding to the rest of the world, and it felt GREAT to share the news. We just love our friends so dearly, so it was VERY hard to not spill the beans immediatly.  We are so vey blessed to have such supportive and loving friends. 

Friday was an unexpectidly FUN day for Justin and I.  During my morning drive to work, WIOV (local radio station) They said "text us now to win tickets to see Sugarland tonight!" Well, you can see where this is going! 5 minutes later I was on the phone with the station confirming my information, and by 7pm Justin and I were at the Allentown Fair seeing Little Big Town and Sugarland!! It was such a great show!


Also, I have begun my weekly bump photos.. heres the first!

8 Weeks- and feeling a little green...

I am now 8 weeks, and we have begun the exciting process of telling family :) Our family is pretty spread out, so It's taking us a bit of time. We hope to hit the last of them this weekend :) 

In the meantime, I am SO excited to give an update from last week.  Justin and I went for my first ultrasound, and it was amazing! We were able to see the little beans heart flickering away with a good healthy heartrate of 143.  We are measuring right on track for our Easter Sunday delivery.  Our ultrasound tech was having a difficult time getting clear shots of the baby, as it was lying against the placental wall (apparently its ALREADY being difficult; go figure), so our photo isnt the most beautiful photographically, however it's the most beautiful thing we've ever laid our eyes on!



How far along? 8 weeks

Symptoms: Exhausted still, and having more waves of nausea smack me in the face.  I'm also learning that if I want to get ANYTHING done at home after work, I need to do it right away. If I come home and sit on the sofa like I want to do, I will never, and I mean never get back up.   

Baby: The babe is now 5/8 of an inch long, and has webbed fingers and toes (how cute!).  In the brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming all the neuro pathways. 

Loving my little blueberry! 7 weeks

Apparently my little bean is growing arms and legs this week, and has doubled in size, up to a blueberry!! Justin and I go for my ultrasound tomorrow, and I know Im feeling high feelings of excitement, nervousness, and anxiety. 

How far along? 7 weeks

Symptoms: Still VERY tired. Yesterday, Sunday, which is the day I ususally get my heavy duty housework done, was instead spent on the sofa watching endless movies.. Every time I got up to clean I was just exhausted.  Then the very predictable sickness hit me midafternoon :(

6 Weeks, and a lentil!

Baby:
There is some major growing going on this week! The nose, mouth, and ears that I will spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If I could see the baby right now, I'd find an oversize head and dark spots where the baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. The babies heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as mine— and blood is beginning to course through the babies body. Right now, my baby is a quarter of an inch long, or about the size of a lentil!

47 ways to announce pregnancy on Facebook

I stole this list from an online article, and added a few of my own. Enjoy!

1. …is pregnant…….what’s your excuse?!
2. …has a baby in her belly.
3. …is thinking of names.
4. …is looking up baby names.
5. Riddle: What bounces but should never be dropped?
6. Riddle: What gets a shower but doesn’t get wet?
7. Change your profile picture to your pregnancy test or ultrasound picture and write (Name) is wondering how observant people are these days.
8. …has a bun in the oven.
9. …is pregnant <3

Healthy Momma makes Health Baby, right?

I don't know how meals and dinner time go in your house, but at ours, I TRY to plan two weeks of meals every other Saturday when I do my big grocery store trip. I surf the newspaper circulars, look whats on sale, compare to my recipie book, and make my list. I never assign meals to days, but I know that during this week, I have food items to prepair "x" meal.  Now that I'm pregnant and trying to do the best I can at providing nourishment, Im trying to make a more concious effort at these plans.  Thanks to Dr. Google, I have found what "they say" is a recommended amount of calories, proteins, fats, and fiber.   The USDA even has this VERY cool tool that takes your height weight and due date into acocunt, and provides their suggestions. try it here!http://www.choosemyplate.gov/mypyramidmoms/index.html . 

4 weeks, and a poppy seed

I am now 4 days into the know. Four days ago, my life changed forever just from one simple test.  Thus, I begin my weekly bump updates :-)  


Baby:
Right now thebaby is an embryo the size of a poppy seed, consisting of two layers: the epiblast and the hypoblast, from which all of her organs and body parts will develop. 

The primitive placenta is also made up of two layers at this point. Its cells are tunneling into the lining of your uterus, creating spaces for your blood to flow so that the developed placenta will be able to provide nutrients and oxygen to mygrowing baby when it starts to function at the end of this week.

Opps I did it again.

No, Im not talking about Roxy the dog....  Im talking about something MUCH MUCH bigger than that.. Actually, its quite small right now... much smaller than a grain of rice.  Yes, you probably have guessed it by now;  Justin and I are pregnant!!! This post will be the story of how we found out, and the blissful days that followed.   Just as a fair warning to all, I will mention body parts, body functions, and peeing in this post.  You have been warned.... :)

We got a puppy!!And shes FREAKING adorable! :)

I am so pleased to announce the arrival of our newest family member.. Roxy!

So what your saying is, my health teacher lied?

I remember so vividly sitting in my high school health class learning that how easy it is for women to get pregnant. We were scared into thinking that you have sex, and BAM! You are knocked the f#$k up.  Now, mid 20's, I have learned that is a

BIG

FAT

LIE

Love, life and things

As I've mentioned before, I have an 8 year old daughter, Alexis (whom we call Lexi now that she is cool and 8 and all).  She is the bountiful blessing that resulted from my first marriage, which was not so bountiful and blissful.  My dear husband, Justin, and I knew from the beginning of our relationship that we wanted more children, and plenty of them! I personally would like 3 more, while he would like 4 or 5 more.  I told him lets get through one at a time :)

Maybe it's not so bad afterall..

Remember this post from a few weeks ago? Well, I have repainted ye old dresser, and I must say; shes not too shabby!!As a refresher... This dresser was from Craigslist. It was much wider than advertised, and wasnt in the best shape. A few hours of sanding, painting, Sawing, nailing, and wood glueing later,  she went from this:

Perhaps an ark would have been more appropriate...

When my husband and I moved into our home, we both agreed immediately that the backyard was in need of some sumo sized loving..

We only had the thought to take before photos as the work began.. And while they arent the best, they are what we have! So here is our little yard.. Its compeltely fenced in (which will be PERFECT whenever we get a dog). 

If you dont have something nice to say...

Put it on a wall plaque!!! Lately, I have been absolutely obsessed with paintings of sayings and phrases… I have not been able to sell my husband on the idea yet, but Im working on it. This weekend, we did a little window shopping, and I found a store with SEVERAL to feast my eyes on.. I’m sorry for the low quality photos, as I took them on my cell phone. Nevertheless, enjoy!

Who gave me power tools?!?!

Everyone, put on your safety goggles, and protective clothing. My husband let me use his power tools. 

Craigslist fail

Ive been searching for a dresse to convert into a Media table for months.. finally... the light at the end of a tunnell.. I have found an awesome 1920's mahogony dresser that needs a little TLC..

Here she is.. we'll call her Jane.