Gender Q & A

I know only like 30 people bother to read this blog, but in thinking over the past few weeks, I've been bombarded by the same pregnancy questions, over and over. So I'm going to answer them here.

1. Do you know if you're having a boy or girl?

I had my "big" ultrasound yesterday and found out that it was obviously a BOY!

2. Were you hoping for a boy or girl?

I had mixed feelings. I would love a girl, but from the beginning I was pretty sure it was a boy. This pregnancy has been VERY similar to Carson's, so I was expecting a boy. I think that if I knew I was having a girl I would worry more. I've had 2 healthy boys, but have lost a girl, and Tony lost a daughter to Turner's syndrome (a genetic problem that affects only girls) so we're at 2 healthy boys and 0 girls. I know boys and have tons of boy stuff already too.

3. Were you disappointed it wasn't a girl?
I'm just thrilled that it is a healthy baby! I know of some people who are genuinely upset and mad that they didn't get a boy/girl like they wanted. Obviously those people have never experienced a pregnancy loss or they would enjoy the blessing of a child for what it is. Since I was expecting a boy, I'm not disappointed. Will I often look at my friend's little girls dressed up in cute girly clothes and wonder, yeah. I'll probably wonder looking at all the frilly holiday dresses when I'm shopping in the stores too, but nothing that I haven't felt before now. There are some definite benefits to having all boys. I won't have to deal with the hormonal drama I know I gave my parents daily while I was in middle school and high school. My boys don't care what clothes they wear, and I have plenty of hand-me-downs for them. Hair cuts are free for buzz cuts, and formal dances will be TONS cheaper! Tux rentals are quicker and easier by far than the endless quest for the perfect prom dress! I would love to have a girl, but it is more to experience the joy of raising a daughter, not a passion. I'm sure my friends that have only girls look at me and would like to experience raising a son.

4. Are you going to try for a girl?
No, we are not planning to have any more children. All the bedrooms are full (I know there still is that office, but we NEED it), the cars won't hold any more kids, and I am busy enough. This baby was planned because we have the room and to help me heal after losing Taylor. I was willing to take a chance playing "genetic roulette" to have a healthy child. I don't know if Tony and I can play the odds of having another loss. It could happen just as easily again, and the pain we've been through in the last year isn't worth taking that chance again. Colten was really bummed about having another boy. To hear it from him, "We only have boys, no girls," and he keeps talking about how maybe we'll get a girl next time. I don't have the heart to tell him there won't be a next time. That might get him thinking about how babies are made.

5. What is the name?
Cooper Alan is the name Tony and I picked out. All my kids are named after students and several years ago I had a student named Cooper and the name stuck in my mind. We had the name picked out several years ago for a boy and just had to find a middle name that fit.

6. Why did you choose to find out with this baby, but not the first two?

When we were pregnant with Colten we saw lots of people finding out the gender of their baby and then decorating the room in an explosion of gender specific stuff. With very little money, I wasn't going to re-purchase everything for the next child, so not finding out kept everything very gender neutral. Most people in my family also never found out the gender, and Tony and I decided we liked the surprise factor. Since this is our last, I wanted to know what we were having so I could sort clothes and get rid of some very boy things if it was a girl. The room is still painted green and I will re-use all the Noah's Ark stuff from Colten and Carson. And knowing it's a boy, I can keep all those adorable boy clothes a little longer!

Birthday boy's Buzz cut and 17 weeks!

Carson got a haircut the other night. It wasn't planned. Usually my mom cuts his hair but he's never allowed her to use the clippers. For some reason he liked our friend who was cutting her kids hair and wanted his cut. Five minutes and a few cookies later his hair was short. It's shorter than I'd like, but thankfully it will grow. Next time we won't cut it quite so short.

This is me at 17 weeks. Things are still going well. This week most of my co-workers started mentioning my pregnancy to me. They've been wondering for a few weeks, but this week the clothes I've worn have really made it obvious. I'm staying healthy and have plenty of energy. Still hearing a strong heartbeat, though it is a little nerve wracking at times tyring to find it for more than a few seconds. This little bugger moves fast and frequently.

So here's the stats for 17 weeks:

How far along: 17 weeks 1 day

Weight gain: 1 pound in last two weeks so 9 pounds total

Size of baby: Size of a mango (Yum!)

Cravings: Strangely enough comfort food! Last week I HAD to have KFC! I never eat KFC normally, but I always crave it when I'm pregnant! It was SO good to taste again! I topped it off with a chocolate Blizzard! Chocolate and good home cooking have been on the menu this week. Thank goodness all that good stuff isn't sticking to me much.

Movement:Yes! I'm getting very definite bumps and nudges. Baby C doesn't like it when I'm crouching or bending over for long. I was pruing my roses this last week and weeding when the weather was nice, and I was definitely being told to let baby have some room! It was great to feel!

Good moment: Hearing the heartbeat still is the best thing. I'm getting good at following the baby as it moves around. I did catch baby resting last night and got to just listen for 5+ minutes!

What I want back: I would love to sleep on my stomach comfortably again. I'm starting to need to switch from one side to the other and only wish I could sleep on my stomach for a while. It would be so nice. Wearing my compression hose isn't fun each day, but they do make a difference. I didn't want to battle with them today, so I left them off. I was teaching so I put my feet up and moved around lots, but my legs sure do ache. I'm back in them tomorrow for my workout!

My Valentine's Baby turned 3!

Yesterday was Carson's 3rd birthday! He requested a chocolate cake and even helped me make it.

He originally wanted a "Little Nemo" cake like last year, but since I didn't have frosting coloring or the artistic ability to pipe out Nemo, I convinced him to go for a John Deere tractor cake.

Colten helped me decorate the cake and helped pipe the rows of "plants" on the top.

We were invited to dinner at our neighbors house so we brought birthday cake dessert for everyone. Carson had a great time playing with all the kids and everyone sang happy birthday to him!


After dinner we got home and opened brithday presents and Valentine's Day cards. Carson got a quad helmet from my parents so now he is all set to go riding quads with the big boys.

My grandma got him a set of "Tigger and Pooh" books with CD. It's one of his favorite shows so it was a hit.

My grandma and mom sent the boys cards and the boys got these goofy M&M fans for Valentine's Day. It was a long, but busy night!

Quick Update on Baby C

I am 15 weeks 1 day pregnant today. Can you tell I've grown in 2 weeks! Today is a big day because this week is the point that Baby Taylor stopped growing and died. Just getting past this week is a little soothing. I had a few small scares this week worrying something was wrong with the baby. One night I had really bad gas pains and they woke me up. I spent several hours freaking out, praying like crazy that the cramps would stop. I had another scare when I felt the baby sitting low in my belly, right on my bladder. I was so uncomfortable sitting and walking, but it brought back the same feelings I had last year.

The doctor said everything is going well. I said I was hungry ALL the time, and she said that's fine since my belly has grown lots. She had a tough time finding the heartbeat and I tried to stay calm. Once she found it, it came through fast and strong. The baby was just sitting low. I complained about my legs starting to ache, so I've now got the Rx for some attractive maternity support hose. Not normal pantyhose, support hose. I've had these before, and they make my legs feel good, but it takes 20+ minutes to get them on, even longer the bigger the belly gets, and they are NOT good looking. I'll wear them though if they keep the varicose veins away.

So here's the stats:
How far along:15 weeks 1 day
Weight Gain: +4 pounds (so 8 pounds total so far)
Size of the baby: about the size of an avacado
Movement: Yes! I felt a few soft kicks and flutters this last week. They aren't regular and seem to happen whem I'm supposed to be focused on other stuff, like teaching.
Good moment: There have been several of these! Feeling movement was great. Lying on my back and noticing that my belly has a definite curve to it! Last week my students began asking if I was expecting so now they are excited with me. I've noticed I've got more energy and am able to eat more so I snack less. The nausea still hits me at times, but not nearly enough to slow me down!
What I wish I could change: I wish I could get my underwear to fit better. I've never bought maternity underwear, ever! This time I've noticed it's getting tight fast, and I can't just push it down below my belly. The worst thing about this is that the underwear is irritating and causing me to get in-grown hairs where it rubs. I found one of these this morning, and it looks like a HUGE zit on my belly. NOT what I want to see and deal with.
Next appt: BIG ultrasound March 3rd, doc's appt March 4th.

A goofy grin

I've been meaning to post this for a while. Colten has lost his two front teeth! He lost one at home the beginning of January, and lost the second one at a friend's house a few weeks later. Colten was excited because the tooth fairy showed up at their house!

Colten had a dentist appointment last weekend and everything is looking good. No cavities, and he has some big teeth coming in. Exciting for him!

Out of 1st Trimester!

I've finally made it through the first trimester. This is supposed to be the magical day inwhich all chances of miscarriage disappear and I can announce it all to the world. While I have no problem annoucing it now, I do still worry about miscarriage. I think I will worry until I come home with a healthy baby.

The picture may not look much different from last week, but if you put them side by side, there is definitely belly there. It is starting to out-distance the boobs now.

Updates on me:

Weeks: 13

weight gain: 5-6 total (3 in last weeks)

Cravings: Ramen and cheese! It is the best!

Symptoms: Sleeping better, nausea is mostly gone, and I've got more energy to get stuff done

Heartbeat: Easier to find on the doppler, but baby moves so much I can't hear it for long.

Movement: A few flutters every now and then, but it could be my imagination (I like to think they are the baby)

Milestones:Entering 2nd tri.

Challenges: Trying to find clothes that fit, but I'm not swimming in. I just might be wearing the same few outfits for a week or two until I grow more.

Next dr appt: February 5th! I'll update again after that.

Baby C to Join us in July!

I'm sorry I couldn't share this good news earlier. I've been scared to jinx things by sharing it all too soon.

Things have been crazy these last two months with all this so I've got lots to share!

We got our positive pregnancy test on 11/20/2009!


I was a little surprised by it. After 10 failed cycles of good timing and doing everything I could to get pregnant, I assumed it was a case of secondary infertility and had resigned myself to waiting until February to start something more. Lo, and behold, that old advice of "relaxing" must have worked.







This was our first ultrasound! It was at 7 weeks and baby looks like a tadpole, but it had a heartbeat of 129 beats a minute and was measuring 6w5d. Due date: July 29, 2010.


Our second ultrasound was at 9 weeks, right before Christmas! The baby had grown so much in 2 weeks.
It had arms and legs, and a fast heartbeat of 183 beats per minute. Baby C was measuring right on at 8w6d.

Today was my third ultrasound at 11 weeks Baby was measuring in at 11w5d! That's 5 days ahead! Baby C is already taking after Daddy! I got to see the baby waving its arms and legs and it has a heartbeat of 160 beats per minute.

So, how am I doing, feeling, being?

Physical Symptoms: had some nausea and exhaustion, though this week it is getting better. I still feel sick after eating dinner, but for the most part I'm eating and sleeping better than I have in the last few weeks.

Weight gain: 2-3 pounds depending upon the day, though I'm wearing mostly maternity clothes I'm showing so much. No one at school really knows I'm pregnant, but I've gotten some "looks" this week from other teachers.

Emotional symptoms: bawling at random times, especially sappy country songs.

In case you think I'm just imagining the bump, here's one to show you how much I am showing! That's me sucking it in. I'm hoping to take pictures every couple weeks, but don't worry, no pictures of my bare belly! My tummy is so much prettier without 4 pregnancies worth of stretch marks and flabby folds to show!