Here's where we are...

Hello everyone,
I would first like to thank everyone for all the prayers and well wishes you have sent our way. Our little girl only knows 10 people (not including her doctors), but she has people praying for her all over the world. We are so incredibly grateful for the love and support.

Lily came home on Thursday, December 10th in the evening. She is doing well at home. We have had a little gas issue and have been trying out a different formula, but besides that she is doing great. They sent her home with her medication, Keppra, to control the seizures and that seems to be working. She is also on a pretty strict feeding schedule, but that is perfectly fine. We like a routine around here.

They still have metabolic tests out on Lily, so they have not yet ruled everything out. They should be getting those tests in the next few weeks. If those come back negative, then the neuro team said it may be a type of newborn epilepsy. She has an appointment in the neuro clinic in March so they can see how she is doing.


They have ruled out so many different types of things. The other day, Brandon and I were watching the doctors look for a certain chromosome test on the computer and saw the list of tests they had run. It was huge and they all came back normal, so that is really reassuring. Things could have been so much worse. I just count my blessings when I think of how lucky we are. I mean, we may be home without a diagnosis, but we know for sure it isn't a brain tumor, or cyst in the brain, or any other HUGE issue. Things could be so much worse....Praise God that they are not.

I can't believe Christmas is coming up so quick. I knew it was just going to fly by once Lily got here, but sheesh! So much to do. We go to Lily's 2 wk check-up on Monday and there we will ask him what he thinks about driving to Louisiana for the holidays. Hopefully, we will be able to, but her health is priority number one. If we can't...oh well. The last thing we want is to get to Louisiana, not have a plan in place and have something happen.

Please keep my little redheaded angel in your thoughts and prayers. Also, if you don't mind, say a little prayer for her mom and dad. Paranoia is running rampid around here and a little peace of mind would be nice!

Take care!

Here's what happened...

Here’s what happened…

On Thursday, we had asked the doctor to discharge us early because we didn’t want to have to drive home in the snow on Friday.

Friday Lily had 2 instances of what I suspected were seizures. I called the pediatrician because I suspected that's what they were. The pediatrician was going to call me back. I had told Brandon that next time she does this “seizing” activity we should video tape it so we can show the doctor. Meanwhile, Lily woke up, we went to feed her, almost immediately she started seizing again. Brandon grabbed the video camera and started videoing. Shortly after she started seizing, she turned blue and stopped breathing. Completely blue. At this point, Brandon threw the video camera across the room. We gave her rescue breaths, called 911 and gently shook her till she came around. Ambulance got there, took us to kingwood hospital, there our pediatrician had us transferred us to Texas Children's Hospital. Where he does his rounds. Once we got to Texas Children’s ER, Lily had 2 more seizures, during the second one, they intubated her because she stopped breathing again.

That night, she was moved upstairs to the NICU. Brandon and I registered with the NICU and followed a few moments behind her.
-Now, here is a little interesting tidbit-
I love TLC…I Tivo it all. One of the shows I love and tivo is “The Little Couple”.
Brandon and I turn the corner in the NICU and there is Dr. Jen Arnold from “The Little Couple” on her stool working on Lily! No lie.
So anywho, Dr. Arnold is great and such an easy doctor to talk to. It was crazy ironic and I was quite tickled that she was working on her. After such an emotionally exhausting day, I needed a little irony at that moment.

Brandon and I didn’t want to leave her there by herself, but we needed to go get some rest. The Ronald MacDonald House was full, so we went across the street to the Marriott.
The past few days have run in together and are honestly one big blur.
Here is what we know…
They did a CT Scan, MRI, X-Rays, lumbar puncture, labs for bacterial infections, labs for fungal infections and labs for viral infections. All of them SO FAR have shown nothing abnormal. They have even checked her eyes and they said they were perfect. Right now they are looking into metabolic issues, but they don‘t think that is it either. Right now she is a little of a mystery.

Now I know what many of you are thinking because I thought the same thing too. My medication. It is too much of a coinsidence that I was on an anti-convulsant medication and my child was born having seizures. I have been told over and over that it isn’t possible, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling guilty. I keep thinking that if I wasn’t on it, we wouldn’t be going through this right now, but they KEEP telling me that would not cause her to have seizures.

Saturday they started the new anti-seizure medication Keppra, but she ended up having a breakthrough seizure during the overlap of medications. Sunday they took the breathing tube out (THANK GOD) and started feeding her through at tube through her nose. Today (Monday) we started feeding her with bottles and using the tube to only get down what she couldn’t finish by bottle. They also stopped her on all the antibiotics so no more IVs (yeayyy). She was really happy today. She had a good day and smiled a lot. I got to give her the bottles all day and then daddy went down and gave her the 9:00 bottle. She was loving on him and even opened an eye for him for a split second.

Ok, well I am going to go meet Bran back in the NICU for the 12:00 pm feeding. Hopefully I will be able to keep updating, but things are a little crazy right now.

Please PLEASE please keep Lily in your prayers.
We need to find out what is causing these seizures so we can put a STOP to them! She is so little and needs all the prayers she can get. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT!

Lillian Emma Casey is here!

Finally...
After 41 weeks, on December 1, 2009, Lily finally made her grand entrance into the world. :) We decided to go through with the c-section and Lily was born at 12:43 pm weighing 9.3 lbs and 21 1/4" long. I was sooo nervous! I got into the operating room and started bawling because I was so nervous. The epidural was surprisingly not bad...I was expecting worse. The anxiety was the worst part. It got better when I was laid down and Brandon came in, my nerves subsided so much. The anesthesia guy was concerned about the death grip I had on Brandon's hand though. Apparently, it was making the machine flat line.

As I laid there, my doctor was giving us a play by play...
"This is going to be a 9 pounder."

"Whoa, where did she get the red hair from??!!"

The moment I saw her was surreal. They laid her on my chest and I said, "hi, Lily.". When I talked to her, she opened her eyes for the first time like she already knew me. I guess she did, but it was still the most amazing feeling. I brushed my hand across her cheek and was just amazed.

She was perfect. She is perfect. She is the epitome of love and Brandon and I couldn't be more smitten with her.


Now begins a new journey in our lives. We are so grateful to have such a beautiful baby girl.

Tomorrow is the big day!

Well, here we are at week 41. 10 months and one week...

Today we had our 41 week check-up and Lily still has not progressed any further. No engagement, no dilation, no effacement. Nothing. We've decided to go ahead with the c-section that we have scheduled tomorrow at 12:30pm. My doctor, Brandon and I think it is the best decision. In less than 24 hours, Lily will be here! Things will be getting crazy soon, but I will try to update as soon as possible with pictures...keep checking back!

Well....here's the latest.

Hello everyone....
Just thought I would let you know the happenings this week. We went to our 40 week Dr. appointment on Monday. Everything looks good, but the baby hasn't made any progress. He said the cervix was soft, but I'm not dialated, effaced or anything. We did an ultrasound and he estimated her weight at 8.2 lbs, but that has a 10% error rate either way. That being said, she is not crazy big at all.
Now, here is the part that sucks...
My doctor, is not working this holiday. Which means he started his vacation Wed and will be back on call Sunday night. Which is normally ok...I know other doctors have delivered babies before (yadda yadda yadda), BUT this doctor that would be delivering me if I go into labor this week, is not very patient and is always quick to jump into doing c-sections and with an "unfavorable" cervix, he may end up being quite pushy. MY doctor told us this. I mean, above anything and everything, we want her to come on her own so if she does, more power to her and we'll deal with the doctor and he'll do what we want him to do, but it would just be nice to have my own doctor there. I don't want to have to argue with a doctor who is trying to push a quick c-section so he can get through us and get home to his turkey.
Sooo....
If Lily does not come naturally by Monday, we have ANOTHER FREAKING APPOINTMENT to see if there is any progression. Now, we have this appointment, but we also have a c-section scheduled on Tuesday December 1st at 12:30. Now here is why...If I am NOT moving any further along, then we will be doing the c-section on Tuesday, but if I am dilating, MOST LIKELY, we are going to be induced sometime next week. The doctor did say that he did want her delivered next week. When and how is just a wait and see game, but we have put a deadline on this kid...she will be here a week from now.

Anywho, so needless to say, I'm uncomfortable, swollen and am dying to have our baby girl here. Thanksgiving morning was very emotional for me. Thank goodness I have a great husband who was so willing to listen and someone else who just got it. Although, we knew the chances were slim that she would be on time and here for the holiday, we were still a little sad that she wasn't here. Brandon and I had both our families in town for the holiday and it was kinda upsetting that she wasn't here for that. She was definitely missed, to say the least.

Today was Black Friday, Sal left and Brandon's parents, sister and her kids left as well. Things are calming down around here and mom, Ali and Tim are the last ones left here in Texas. Mom and Ali leave tomorrow and Tim will follow on Sunday to head back to Mandeville. Lily has dropped really low and it feels as if she could fall out any second, but I'm not painfully contracting. It is soooo hard to sit down, stand and walk around, but that's about as far as that goes...just hard not painful.
Here is a picture showing how low she is...

His hand is pretty much at the top of my tummy

I am going to update again soon, hopefully with more news. Just please say a few prayers for us during this time. We want to make the right decisions with this whole process and most importantly we want our baby girl nice and healthy without incident. I know that no matter what happens, it is in God's hands and Brandon and I put all our faith in the fact that with whatever happens, he is guiding us, but this is quite a daunting time for us. I mean, we don't know what to do, but what new parent does? All we can do is have faith in God and have faith in the fact that he is with us and our doctors while these decisions are being made for Lily and I. This is all we can rely on and that is what we will do.

No baby news :/

Well, yesterday was our 39 week appointment and there is no movement forward on the baby front. Lily is still nice and cozy. Snug inside... She has dropped, but is not "engaged" and that's about it. On the 23rd, her due date, we have another appointment and a scan, but Dr. Plavidal promises that is the last time he will see me in his office till after she is born. The scan will show her size, and based on how big she is and if I am dilated or not, we will then choose our next step whether it is a c-section or an induction...Problem is, if we induce or do the c-section, it probably won't be able to be scheduled until AFTER Thanksgiving so that would put us at the week of the 30th....

Honestly, everything depends on whether or not I have progressed at all on the 23rd. Hopefully, I will go into labor before then, but he doesn't think that will happen. He said,

"I have eaten my words more times than I've eaten dinner at home, but I do not see you going into labor this week."

cue heart dropping to the floor
Brandon and I are so ready for our baby girl to be here, it isn't even funny. She still has till the 23rd though. I just keep telling myself that. She's fine where she is, and I'm just being impatient. It just feels like these last weeks have drug on and on and on...Especially since we were told more than once that because she was measuring so big on the scan, he would expect her "sooner rather than later". That just goes to show how reliable technology is...and most likely how stubborn my child will be. Hmmm, imagine that.


I'm still getting that crazy numb feeling in both of my hands and arms. It is like my shoulder, elbow, wrist, and all the joints in my fingers hurt, but my hands fall asleep and don't wake up. It is horrible! I've looked it up online and it is sounding like pregnancy related carpal tunnel...They say it goes away once the baby is born and the swelling goes down, so that's promising, but who knows how much longer that will take! I've had issues with my left wrist before, multiple times, but when I was tested before they said it wasn't carpal tunnel, it was a pinched nerve in my neck. Who the hell knows. I've decided that I am going to try my hardest to keep salt at a super minimum for the next few weeks(hopefully days)to minimize the swelling as much as possible. Ali has my wrist brace in Mandeville, so I might go get another one tomorrow to see if stabilizing it helps.

I'll update again when things get moving or when we know more!

10 days and counting...every second

Well, there is nothing like hoping for a huge gush of water down your leg every time you stand up...

We had our 38 week dr. appointment on Monday the 9th and so far there has been no progression which is super discouraging. He did say that she indeed dropped a little bit, but that's about all. After we walked out of the office I started bawling. I'm just mentally done with being pregnant. Things have gotten better the past few days though. Tuesday, Candice and Drew came in to stay with us until Lily gets here. We have had fun. We've done lots of shopping and LOTS of walking but I am grateful for it. I've needed to get out of this house and it's really nice to have company over...it helps take my mind off of things.

Lately, my feet and hands are super swollen. To me...I notice and and boy do I feel swollen. It's been especially bad all this week. I had two really bad nights and only slept a few hours combined on both nights because my hands kept falling asleep. I would turn over, sit up, but it didn't ever go away till I STOOD up and walked around and then it still took forever for me to get the feeling back in my hands. So weird. My hands were also super painful. Everytime I make a fist, they hurt. I know it is going back to fluid retention and swelling in the joints which is most likely cutting off the circulation, but boy when you can't get that feeling to go away, it sucks. I am thinking the two nights that were really bad were because of a red sauce that was in the Carrabbarras(<-sp?) I ate two nights in a row. I didn't realize red sauce would have a lot of salt in it, but that must have been it because those nights were horrible. Last night I slept ok, but we'll see how tonight goes.

Anywho, well today we went to the Nutcracker Market at the Reliant Center here in Houston. It was AMAZING! It is like the biggest and baddest craft fair in Texas. Seriously! The Houston Ballet puts it on as their annual fundraiser every year and the thing is huge. Bran, Candice, Drew and I were there for about 5 hours today and we were all EXHAUSTED! I don't even think we saw all the booths! The only thing that sucks...which honestly is a blessing and curse for everyone there...is that their are no strollers allowed. None. They don't even rent them. I must have misread something that said that they did, but either way, I didn't remember that we couldn't have the stroller till we were half way there and we left Candice's snuggly at home!!! I felt so bad and I knew we were all in for it! Drew is the cutest, chunkiest, happiest little flirt that you've ever met, but carrying ANY 6 mth old for 5 hours along with bags and bags of stuff is EXHAUSTING! I wish we could go back, but I don't think ANY of us will have the energy for it again till next year!!!! But we are DEFINITELY going next year!

Anywho, well I am so sad to say no baby news as of yet. I was hoping to have her by now, but at the dr appt, when he was looking for her heart, she was being a diva and just stuck her butt up at him and told us all to kiss it...she isn't going anywhere anytime soon! At least we have the 23rd though when he said he was looking to induce. We still don't know if we are going to do the section or not. I am guessing we will have a better idea when we go on Tuesday, Nov 17th. I'll update soon! Hopefully with some exciting baby news!!!!

Damn you water, why do you weigh so much???!!!

So, yesterday was our 37 week appointment with Dr. Plavidal. My last visit was about 2 1/2 weeks ago and not too much has changed. He said that there was protein in my urine and I also gained 6 lbs! UGH! I about dropped on the floor when I heard that. He said that with that very odd weight gain (because my weight gain has been pretty consistent thus far) and the protein in the urine, he said that he thinks that it's mostly fluid retention. That's normal and all, but not fun for the chick looking at that number that jumped six lbs in 2 1/2 weeks. It just kills me because I have been so careful with what I have been eating this whole 9 months! Now I am at a 30 lb weight gain and I have 2 1/2 more weeks. Lovely.

Anywho, I know it's all water and baby, but it drives me nuts! So, to try and remedy the situation, he said I should spend a few days in bed with my feet up but most importantly, stay off my feet. Which granted, I have been on the run quite a bit lately. I've been off walking around the galleria a few times after dr appts, going Christmas shopping, the ren fest, going to classes at the hospital and church, working in the yard and garage. To give myself a little credit, I haven't really been sitting on my butt these past few weeks. So, I tried that today (staying in bed with the feet up) and it got old quick, but it wasn't too bad, but then we ate Chinese food for dinner. One step forward, six hundred steps back. I knew it was a bad idea with the salt content in Chinese food and all, but that will be the last Chinese food I eat till Lily gets here...I have decided that. I just had to get that Chinese food craving out of my system!

OMG, a woman on tv just had a baby in her pants. In her pants! The baby was in her pant leg! I mean, really? Thank God for spandex and all , but booo on Discovery health for the tv show "I didn't know I was pregnant". What a crap show for a pregnant woman to watch. Why is this even on my TV??!! Nothing like watching a few episodes of this show to make you fear giving birth on a toilet...That's all I'm saying.

Dr. Plavidal also said that if she is not here by the 23rd, he will induce me then. Usually, they will give you up to two weeks after your "due date" before they induce, but he said he doesn't want to wait much longer because she will be a big baby. HOPEFULLY, pray to God, she is here before the 23rd, but if she isn't, we will probably have her then or shortly thereafter. Now, that day we may just end up doing a c-section depending on her size, but we will not know till then.

Well, I finally made a super cute pacifier clip for Lily and I started on a Christmas wreath. They came out pretty cute. Here are the pictures!


I really want an embroidery machine. It would be so badass! I could put L's and Caseys on everything!
That being said, the L is iron-on...sigh.

The wreath is obviously not done yet. I need to get some gold wired ribbon and make a bow to put in the middle. We also have a set of bells that will dangle on the inside.

Anyways, I'll keep everyone updated on the ongoings. Till then, I will be here...Waiting...Patiently :)

Hormones, hairbows and homecoming... :)

Well hello there...

Not too much to talk about, but I figured I would update. Here is a quote from "Knocked Up" that kinda sums up how the past few weeks have been going. Brandon says this a lot, but puts my name in there... It makes us both laugh and make light of the situation, thank GOD! He is great. Here is the quote...

"You know what, I know this isn't you talking, it's your hormones, but I would just like to say, F#%CK YOU, HORMONES, YOU ARE A CRAZY BITCH, HORMONES--not Alison, HORMONES. F#%ck 'em. It's a girl, buy some pink sh#t."
-"Knocked Up"

*Sigh* We're almost done....almost done. ;)

Well, I don't think I've mentioned this in my past posts, but I've been spending my free time making hair bows for Lily and Abby. They are coming out really cute. Lately, I have been focusing on Christmas bows. I made some really cute matching ones for Lily and Abby for the holidays so I'm excited about that. I don't have pictures of them at this moment on my computer, but I am going to take some and post them soon. I know Lily probably won't have enough hair to put them directly in her hair come Christmastime, but we have quite a few of the interchangeable headbands that you can add the bows to so we're all set in that department.
*Update* Here are a few of the ones I have been working on...

Gwen likes helping. :)

Abby gets the big turkey!

I'm also going to make some poinsetta flowers for the girls and a few other little things. :)

I've also been working on pacifer clips...I figured since I had all the ribbon laying around, I might as well. They are so easy to make! I just need to pick up some more pieces for the base of the clip and I need to find my crop-a-dile! My other snap method isn't working very well.


Oh! Before I forget, my beautiful Ali had her FIRST homecoming this past weekend! She looked AMAZING! I was crying forever when mom sent me these pictures. Check them out!

Ali and Mom before dinner

Pretty girl!

Ali and Simon dancing at the dance.


Ali and Simon again :)

Everyone take care and I'll update again soon! Our next doctor appointment is November 2nd! :)

The beautiful life...

Hello all!
Sorry for the long lapse in updates...there just hasn't been a whole lot going on around here! I mean, there has, but I've just been super busy. The past few weeks, Brandon and I have been took a Life with Baby class, 2 childbirth classes, 2 Christening Classes for Lily, and 2 marriage preparation classes! We have been super busy! I have also been having both Dr. appointments every two weeks. Next week, I will start seeing Dr. Plavidal every weeke. We are in the home stretch!

As far as my medication goes, I am completely off of one of them! Yeayy, right? Yeah, but now I am feeling my hormones in a ten fold and it is just not pleasant. It pretty much comes down to three things: Don't say anything nice to me, don't say anything mean to me, and I have to get up and out of this house EVERYDAY. I am also super needy of Brandon right now. If all of those things are followed, the day is usually pretty ok. As far as how I am feeling, well, I am feeling ok. I feel huge, but I have only put on 24 lbs through the whole pregnancy, so it could be worse. Sleeping sucks. Yes...I said it, sleeping sucks. I never realized it could possibly hurt to sleep, but it does. The test for Group B Strep came back positive, so they will have to give antibiotics during delivery, but it's not really a big deal. As long as I don't have this kid at home, it really won't be an issue.

Brandon made a work flow diagram as to what will be going on once I go into labor FOR THE DOCTOR. LOL...My little efficient husband who just has to have things on paper...what can I say, I love him. He's so cute.

33 days till the 23rd...her original due date... I'll keep ya updated!
Till then, here are some pictures from my birthday and the renaissance festival we went to last weekend...Pip pip cheerio!

Beer and the Ren Fest go hand in hand!

Brandon and I split a fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich...it was amazing, but dangerous!

28 years young...glorious!

Ali, Mom and I

My hubby, Lil and I

My little musketeer!


Brandon trying his hand at the Longbows!

Waiting for the joust in the beautiful cool weather!!

We can just see Lily in one of these next year!

32 weeks and busy as a bee...

Hello all!
This week has been crazy! Lots going on. Lots of appointments. Yesterday, I had an appointment with Lily's pediatrician and everything was great. He is amazing, older, but very knowledgable and up to date on things so we were happy with that. I also had a psych appointment is going well with that, so that's cool.
After that, Brandon and I went over to St. Michael's (our new church) which is right next to his office and talked to them about getting our classes together in order to get Lil christened. Most excitingly, the deacon who does the baptisms said that Ali can be the godmother! I am very excited about that because at the other church we went to, I talked to them and they were very nasty and didn't seem open minded about me making a handicapped person a godparent. I was so upset about that, I left crying and was adament on finding a new church. Although this one is 45 min away from the house, after talking to the deacon for awhile and attending a really nice mass, Brandon and I were sure this was where we wanted to be. We are so excited Ali can be Lily's godmother, but we're not going to tell her just yet. First, we want to go through the classes, get our marriage blessed, have the baby, get Tim confirmed, and THEN when the christening is about a month away, we will tell her. ;) She will love it though.

Today we had our 32 week appointment with Dr. Plavidal. At the appointment, they did the Group B Strep Test and an ultrasound. The pictures are so cute and come to find out, Lily has hair! He saw it there, shook the ultrasound wand and you could see it floating in the amniotic fluid! Kid won't be lacking in the hair department, that's for sure. I thought for sure that she was going to be bald because neither Brandon or I had hair when we were born. She also had these cute little ghetto baby lips on her! I say ghetto, but they were all puckered up and looked huge! Doc said she was about 4 lbs right now, and she will probably be about 8 lbs when she is born. He did say that she will be on the bigger side depending on when she gets here. Today he also said that I gained 3 lbs. 1 lb over... :( 1 lb isn't bad though. Also, as you can also see in the pictures, here lip is closed up! Yeayyy! We won't have to worry about that, so that fear is gone! Thank GOD! As far as her due date goes...ha...today he said anywhere from the 14th to the 23rd. Today, with her measurements TODAY, he said the 14th of November. Maybe she's just big or long or something. I'm so over trying to guess when this kid is going to get here, but I am a planner. A 16 day period in which she can make her appearance is just too much for me! Then, she might come late...who knows. I know you can't plan these things, but THIS drives me nuts! Oh well, I'll get over it soon enough.
EDIT: 16 days, what the heck am I talking about? He told us there was a 16 day time period in which she can come in but between the 14th and 23rd is only 9 days..still a lot...I guess I should have counted before I wrote that.

Anywho,
Here are the ultrasound pictures!



Her heartrate was 160... nice and strong :)

Look at those lips! :)

Lily's definitely a girl! Here are her lady bits


In this picture, she was throwing up a "peace" sign and their is a weird little smiley thing in there....Maybe she made a friend???



Well, we are just so excited today. We've been super busy, but I think this fall air just puts everyone in a good mood. It's so nice outside right now. The windows are open and the kitties are loving it! So am I!
Anywho, this weekend my mom is coming in town to visit for my birthday and on Sunday, Brandon's mom comes in to visit on her way to Louisiana. I have so much cleaning to do, I just want to run around and do it, but it is so much more difficult these days. Everyone take care and go outside and enjoy the weather!

Updates of all sorts!

Hello everyone,
Just wanted to update a little with what's going on around here. We are almost 31 weeks along. I think...Tomorrow, I have another doctor's appointment. Thank heavens the glucose test came back negative, so that is great, but again my iron came back really low. Before, I was taking my iron with my prenatals, but come to find out your body can only absorb so much iron at once and the prenatals are full of iron....soooooo, the supplement I was taking really wasn't making much of a difference. Now, I have started taking them in the morning with my usual meds.

Usual meds.... they have been such a pain in the butt lately. Since we have started the decrease in the meds, I will see my psych every 2 weeks probably through the first 2 months of Lily's birth. We are slowly going down 50 mgs on the antidepressant every two weeks, so come October, I should be off of them completely. Thank goodness I am on such a low dose!
Now, as far as the anti-convulsant goes, both doctors are at odds on what to do. sigh... One wants me to stop both, the other says it is very important to stay on the anti-convulsant because of the time it would take to get back to my normal dosage and it will help me keep my wits about me, but she says it should not affect Lily. My next opinion is going to come from Lily's pediatrician who will check on her at birth and who she will probably see through the first year-ish. (He's all the way downtown, so we will probably have to get someone a little closer eventually) I have a meeting with him in two weeks to get his opinion and to discuss a few other things with him. My ob/gyn recommended him to me. He says he is one of the best pediatricians and his kids went to him, so that's enough for me. He also makes daily visits to Texas Women's Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital so that's cool.

Anways, well Brandon was supposed to have a root canal last week, but the doctor got sick, so we had to reschedule. Then Brandon realized it was the day before he has tons of meetings in Austin, so they had to reschedule it AGAIN. NOW, he is supposed to have it done on Thursday. So, Thursday and Friday I'm sure I'll have a big baby on my hands. ;)

I turn 28 in 2 1/2 weeks. So weird. I guess after you hit 21, you want birthdays to slow down. It takes sooo long to get to 21 and now I'm 28. 28 and I'll be having my first baby this year. Wow, what a year it has been... Well, Brandon is amazing and I couldn't be happier. Life has been so good to me lately. I am so very very blessed and I thank God everyday for this life. I'll take 28. I'll take any age as long as the years to come will be just as amazing as this one has been. :)

Mural ALMOST finished!

I know some of you are just about sick of seeing these pictures, but Brandon did an amazing job and I am so proud of him! There are a few little places that have to be painted so he has about another day to work on it, but today (the day it was supposed to be done) cutting the grass took precedent.
Here is the link to the photo album with all the pictures...
Lily's room pictures

This past week, I had my 29 week check-up which included my glucose tolerence test. Doc said everything looked great. I gained 2 lbs over goal weight which I was not happy about, but oh freaking well. 2 lbs...that's not too bad. I go back in 2 weeks and hopefully I won't gain anything so I can stay on the 1 lb a week track! I know that it's horrible to be so worried about my weight whilst I am this pregnant. I just want to keep a good eye on it so it doesn't get out of control.

We haven't gotten the results for the glucose tolerence yet. I hope those results are ok. I am a carbohydrate disaster area right about now, so that makes me a little worried...hence 2 lbs over goal weight! Also, my older brother has full blown diabetes and Ali is borderline diabetic...That also makes me a little worried because it definitely runs in the family.

The doc also said that I am measuring at 30 weeks. This wouldn't normally be a big deal, BUT this is the 3rd time he has put my due date a week earlier. First time, during the ultrasound, he said Lily was further along and he said that would put my due date at the 19th. I said not possible and went along my merry way. The second time, he measured my belly and said I was a week over, and this past time he did the same thing and said I was a week over. Now...this might explain why I am so freaking clueless as to how many weeks I am along. My 3 ipod widgets all have different weeks, my pregnancy calendar has different weeks and the doc has different weeks. I really am trying to keep track of this, but I am finding that technology is becoming a little unreliable and confusing! Don't tell my hubby I said that! He would disown me! But then again, Brandon is really freaking tall. His dad is really freaking tall, his dad's family is holy hell tall...maybe Lily is just going to be a tall girl. Who knows! I can't wait for the ultrasound to get a general idea of how big this girl is...

Brandon goes this Wed to the dentist for a root canal! ugh! Thank GOD for our good dental insurance. It will be covered at 90% so that's good...if it wasn't, I would have cried.
I also go to my other doctor and we are going to stop the meds on Tuesday-ish. It's going to be ok, so I am not worrying about it! The first few weeks will be hard, but I am thinking positive from there on out!

Don't forget to go check out the pictures! He did such an amazing job! I am so proud of him! :)

Video and Links :)

Hello everyone!
So, I made this little baby picture montage for our baby showers, but I forgot about them on the days of....that's about right! So anywho, I figured I would play it here. I had it on youtube, but stupid youtube muted the music and I like the music, so I am going to try to upload this to the blogger. I hope it works! :)

Brandon has been working on Lily's nursery for 3 days! The mural got a little out of control, but it looks really cool. It came out brighter than we originally wanted, but it still looks amazing. I can't believe I have such a talented husband! Anywho, I will be posting those pictures soon.

In case some of you forgot, I don't post all the pictures I take on the blog because it would be double posting them on my gmail bandwidth. Here is the link to my picasa web albums...
Jen's Picasa Web Album
Go ahead and bookmark that and this blog for future reference. :)
Here's the video!

Baby Showers!

Hello everyone!
So a few weeks ago, we went to Odessa for a baby shower that Brandon's family threw for us. We had so much fun and got so many cute things! It was my first time going to Odessa and I liked it there. It was a very "homey" place. We stayed with his Aunt Barbara and Uncle James. They have a really cool house out there, and we really enjoyed staying with them. We arrived on Thursday and Friday we went shopping at the infamous Grandmother's shop. Everything in there was so cute! Plus, they will make a bow to match any outfit, so that's cool. Brandon came in that Friday evening and we went to "The Barn Door". It is Brandon's favorite restaurant because you sit down and they place a massive block of cheddar cheese and all the bread you can eat in front of you! Saturday was the shower at his cousin Melanie's house. Everything was so nice! At the shower, Lily got TONS of outfits, toys and her highchair. We were super excited! Here are some pictures from that shower:






On Thursday, August 22nd, Brandon and I left to go back to LA for more showers that weekend! Saturday afternoon, Candice threw us one a Ms. Jerry's house in Covington. Of course, as usual, Candice and Ms. Jerry went completely nuts with decorating and planning, but it was really beautiful and we are grateful for everything they did. At that shower, Lily got TONS more outfits, toys and a lot of the necessities we needed for her. Here are some pictures from that shower:





The next day, Sunday, we had a family shower at Fontainebleau Subdivision pool house that Nanny and Ali threw for us. Again, the shower was beautiful and Lily got TONS of stuff! We finally got the bedding for her room, her bouncer, swing, lots of outfits and the decorations for her bathroom. Nanny made the cake which was delicious and she made me 2 banana cream pies so I was a happy chick! One made it home with us to Texas, but didn't last a day in the fridge. It was GONE upon arrival at home! Here are a few pictures from that shower:





Lily is one lucky baby girl, but Brandon and I feel even more lucky and grateful for all the help that the showers have given us. Even the few things that we have left to buy are so expensive and they pretty much use EVERYTHING for less than a year! We would be so overwhelmed without the support of all of our friends and family, so THANK YOU ALL!

When we got back to Texas, we unloaded everything and then I cried for about 3 days straight. LOL. I think it was a fantastic mix of hormones and overwhelmedness (new word) that contributed to that. Things got better today because Brandon was home and able to start on her nursery. I have been hesitant to put everything in there because I knew he was going to start painting, so we have had everything sitting in our office until the bedroom is done. The painting is going to take awhile though... We are doing an "It's a Small World" theme in her room to go along with her dollies bedding. We LOVE Disney and her bedding features little dolls from around the world, so it was very fitting for us to chose that theme. Brandon is doing a massive mural around the whole room with the front scene from the ride behind her crib as you walk in. Today, he spent 6 hours just sketching the scenes on the wall. It should come out great once we get all the paint up. I will be sure to post some pictures as soon as we get the room painted and put together!

Wednesday, I have a 28 week check-up...I think it's 28?... They are going to do the glucose tolerance test and blood work. He said the next ultrasound will be at 32 weeks, and then I guess I start going weekly till the end. I guess, right? I can't believe it is already so soon! Lily will be here before we know it!

My heart is broken....

Today a friend of mines daughter died. She was 2.5 years old and after 17 months of being at St. Jude's fighting, she went to be with Jesus. I feel so bad for Michelle and her family. Elizabeth had two older brothers who are in elementary school and middle school. I met Michelle at PES and she was downright best substitute we could find to work with our kids. She is such a good person. I remember when she found out she was having Elizabeth and when they found out a little girl would be joining their family, they were over the moon.

My heart is absolutely broken. Please pray for all the children who are suffering with cancer in Elizabeth's memory.

Happenings part two.. :)

Hello all!
Just wanted to let everyone know what the doctor said on Thursday. Well, I gained 4 lbs which puts me at 9 lbs weight gain so far over 6 mths which the doctor said was perfect. I was shocked when they said I gained 4. I freaked a little, but apparently it's all good! He said I could gain another 20 and he wouldn't bat an eye, but...hopefully that's not going to happen.
I am sure it will...we have 15 weeks left and a pound a week in the 2nd and 3rd trimester is what he shoots for, so...we'll see how it goes. That's my motto these days. I can drive myself crazy thinking of future scenarios, but it does me no good.

He also says that Lily's heart rate is in the 150's and really strong. The next ultrasound will be done at 32 weeks which is kinda sad because I was soooo spoiled the first trimester by having an ultrasound at every other visit. I miss seeing her! At my next visit we will do the glucose tolerance test which I am hoping goes well plus apparently a whole slew of blood work.

This past week, Brandon had his yearly physical. This doctor was recommended to us through the Eagle Springs message boards. I mean, who else am I going to go though. I liked the internist that we were seeing in Katy, but Katy is way too far away for us to drive for physicals and sinus infections. We had to get a doctor in Humble. Anyways, at his physical, they did an ekg and blood work. The ekg showed that the right side of Brandon's heart had a delayed beat and his blood pressure was low. Because of these two things, the doctor recommended that he do a sleep apnea test to make sure that he is getting an adequate amount of oxygen while he is sleeping. Also, they recommended a stress test. We are going to do the stress test and then eventually we will do the sleep apnea test. No matter what, it is best to stay on top of these things, so it is definitely a priority for us.

Thursday, I am leaving for Odessa to have our first baby shower! Yeayy! Brandon is coming up on Friday because of work and I am leaving with him on Sunday. The next week I am not sure what day we are leaving, but we will be heading to LA for more baby showers! We are so blessed!

Anywho, I hope everyone is doing well. If you will, please include Elizabeth Dunford in your prayers. She is my friend Michelle's daughter and is at St. Jude's. Her cancer is in remission, but her little body is fighting hard these days. Between infections and medication reactions, poor Elizabeth is not doing well. She is only 3 and shouldn't have to go through this. Michelle, DJ and the boys seem to to holding it together pretty well, but they need our prayers. God has his reasons for everything and we must have faith in his plan! Hopefully, this plan includes healing Elizabeth! Please keep her in your prayers!

If you would like to follow Elizabeth's condition, you can visit her CaringBridge site at:
Elizabeth Dunford's CaringBridge Site
Michelle is usually very good at updating daily about Elizabeth's condition, as it changes drastically daily.

Happenings....

Hello all!
I just wanted to go ahead and update this thing with a little bit of the happenings around here. Brandon has been home the past two weeks so that is really exciting and we are getting a lot done around here. A few weeks ago, we had so much that we needed to do, we went out and bought a huge whiteboard to write it all down on. The whiteboard is full...
So this weekend, Brandon started some shelves for Lily's closet. When we were building the house we didn't want a fireplace, so we had them expand that closet and it's pretty much double the size. I mean, her closet is huge. There is so much room, we decided to add some shelves on one side so we can just have a little more storage. Sorry if I'm talking in circles....I can't seem to think straight these days, so forgive me.

Also, today Brandon fixed our bed which was a huge ordeal, but that baby ain't moving anymore. I am so glad it's done. I mean, every time you would sit on it, or roll over, it would squeak and that wasn't going to fly with a little one staying in our room the first few months. Brandon was so excited to go and mark that one off his board! :)

Everyone has been asking me how I am feeling, but boy it is a day to day basis. Yesterday I was feeling so good, I MOPPED my floors again. Which is a huge ordeal for me because I hate doing it. Well, I did a really good job but after that, my back was killing me! I could barely bend over! I didn't even fall asleep till 7 this morning because it was hurting so bad and I couldn't get comfortable ANYWHERE. I mean, guest bedroom, sofa, chair, our bed...ANYWHERE! I know what it is though, the scar tissue from when I fell off the bus at PES a few years ago is sitting right on my sciatic nerve and it flares up when I over do it. So, there you go, I feel good one day and feel like poop for 2. Ahh the joys of pregnancy. My mom keeps on telling me to enjoy my pregnancy and stop complaining, but it is just mind boggling to me how achy, worn out and emotional you can get.

Well, Lily has been moving like crazy lately. Thank goodness. The other day we had a little scare because I seriously didn't feel her move like she had been for 2 days. If by the next day she still wasn't very active, I was going to call the doctor, but God woke her up at 5AM the next morning and had her moving all over the place. I guess she's just like her mama and takes herself 2 day naps every now and then. :) I am still going to mention it to the doctor when I go on Thursday, so we'll see what he says.

Well, next week, we fly into Odessa for my first baby shower! I am really excited about it. Brandon is really excited about it too. When Candice had her baby, he wanted to open everything and put it together right that second! He is pumped that he gets to do that now AND he gets to bring the toys home. He's so cute sometimes it's nauseating. :) Then that next weekend, we are driving into LA for 2 more showers! We are doing a friends shower on Saturday and a family shower on Sunday. We are doing 2 LA showers so I will actually get to spend time with both groups of people. That's the best situation because I really don't get to see my family a whole bunch since we are living in Texas. Then when we get home from that, we will have a week and I'll already be in my third trimester and shouldn't be traveling very far from home! It is going by so quick!
September 9th starts no medication till baby. Eek! I am nervous about that so please pray that time goes smoothly and pleasantly. I am sure it will but a little prayer never hurt anyone. :)

Thanks for all of your support. I'll update after the doctor's appointment with a baby update! :)

Ramblings of a bored housewife...

Well, there really isn't too much to blog about tonight, but Brandon has been out of town all week and well...I guess I just need to talk uselessly.

So, Tuesday I started baby girl's blanket. I decided to make her a very pretty quilt. I went to our JoAnn's and found a quilt making kit with some beautiful fabrics in it. I am actually almost done, but I am having a hard time deciding how to stitch all 3 layers together with my machine. Like, the stitch blocks with the batting and the bottom layer...Does that make sense? I think I am just going to make random hand stitching, so the batting doesn't come out of place over time...it's hard to explain. Anywho, I think this is going to come out really nice and the colors are beautiful!

Here is a pic from Wed night and then today...


Wednesday, I took the girls to the vet, and they said they both looked great... Gwen acted the diva and gave them a run for their money, but I really don't blame her. I thought it was funny because the vet described Gidget as (no lie)"unusually large, but not overweight". Actually, Monday morning, Gidget was a right mess. She was so upset Brandon was gone, she made herself sick 3 times and pooped in our bathroom and right in front of her litter box. Her litter box was immaculate and had just been changed, so girlfriend had NO excuse. My only guess is that she is just all kinds of sad when he is gone and the vet said it sounded like I was right on. He asked when this had started, and honestly, it happened when we went to California and when we went home for the family reunion, but those were just little poop incidences on the rug... we figured she was just upset we were BOTH gone, but when she did it when he left, I knew it was all about him. Anywho, I think she is feeling neglected from me because she is just so rough and I'm more sensitive to being pounced on because I'm pregnant...I have to fuss at her a lot because she is constantly jumping on my stomach or my boobs and it hurts! At the vet, they said she weighed 19.8 lbs with her kennel whereas Gwen only weighed 12.8 with her kennel...I swear, her kennel weighs no more than 2 lbs...Gwen's weighs less because hers is smaller. I mean, I guess she has just attached more to him in the past months and that's why she threw herself a nice little fit this week.

Poor Gidget showing that she misses her daddy!


Anywho, we were really fortunate this time because Brandon is able to come home a day early! I go pick him up in an hour from the airport. Today I went to Mommy-to-bee and me and bought baby girl's layette to bring her home from the hospital in...it is really beautiful. It was the last one and the lady said that lots of people have looked at it and want it, so I went ahead and got it. I just know that if I wouldn't have, I wouldn't have found another one that I was crazy about. I wanted to get the blanket to go with it (even though it doesn't measure up to the layette)BUT the blanket was THE SAME PRICE as the outfit. That was ridiculous and I'm wasn't falling for it. The layette was expensive enough. They don't have another layette to pair it with so it will have to go on sale eventually. hahahaha ;)
Here is a pic!


I think we are getting rid of our fish tank this weekend. We only have 2 left in that huge tank and I am just going to put them in a fishbowl till they.... "return to the sea". My new, beautiful (got it for $30 originally $149 mirror) is going to be the new place holder in the foyer, but both the mirror and fish tank are sooo heavy, I can't do it by myself.

Sigh...I said I wasn't going to do this because it is EMBARASSING but I'm doing it for history recording purposes...Whatever that means??? Here is my 21 week physique.

22 weeks pregnant

Registry update! :)

Hello all!
Well, I just wanted to write a little note and let everyone know that Brandon and I have decided that in addition to our registries at Target and Babies R Us, we have also decided to bank Baby Nugget's cord blood with Cord Blood Registry.
You can visit the link to this registry at :
Our CBR Registry Link!

After months of talking about it, we both think it is in our family's best interest. Not only will all of our children be able to use these stem cells, but research is being done for parental usage. Right now, they are using these cells in treatment for childhood cancers, brain injuries, and other diseases. For a complete list of what cord blood is currently being used for, you can visit this link:
Cord Blood Uses

In addition to these diseases, they are working with stem cells right now to find treatments for children born with disabilities such as spina bifida and cystic fibrosis.

We feel very confident in our decision to go with CBR, but don't get us wrong! We hope that we will never EVER need these cells, but they will be there if the day ever arises.

Baby Girl

Hello again!

While we were in Louisiana, we decided to do a "Peek-a-boo" at PreNatal Pics in Mandeville. The baby is too small right now to get great 4-D shots, but we really just did it to make sure 100% of the sex. They do that by just using regular 2-D ultrasound. In the video, they show a little bit of the 4-D, but you will see how it is just too early to get facial features and such. Anywho, while we were there, they confirmed that it is indeed a girl!!! No question about it! As you can recall during my last ultrasound the doc said that he was 80% sure it was a girl, but this confirmed it 100% for us! Here are some pics and a video from that day! :)


Waiting for our PreNatal Pics tech...

Ali and I in the room



Our first family picture!


While we were in Mandeville, after talking to my mom, I determined that this child is moving and I have been feeling her for a few days. I really didn't know what I was looking for, but after my mom explaining to me the "fluttering" feeling, I knew for sure that I have been feeling her. A few days after we got home, well yesterday night, Brandon and I were up late because he was working and I was playing with my new computer he bought me. He had to leave at like 1030 to run to Wal-Mart and get a portable cd rewriter for his computer and while he was there, he picked me up a snicker's bar. I ate my candy and then I decided it was time to go to bed. I am laying in bed with Gidget sprawled out next to me (as usual) when I felt a hard kick in my belly. I put my hand on it and felt her kick again! Then, I looked down, lifted my shirt and I SAW her kick again! I was so excited. Finally, Brandon will be able to feel it! I called him into the room, he put his hand on my belly and felt her kick 2 or 3 more times! Girlfriend must have been loving that Snicker's bar! We were really excited and I was sooo glad that Brandon was able to feel her. He has had his hand on my belly religiously the past few days trying to feel for her and his eyes got huge when she finally kicked him! I mean, it really just seals the deal that she's real! I can see 6 million ultrasound pictures, hear the heartbeat everyday, but when she kicked me, it finally felt real. That was really cool, and for the record....she hasn't stopped kicking since. I guess she said,
"Hey, mama's heart beat speeds up when I do this, it's funny, so I'm gonna keep doing it!"
Little does she know that is just my heart falling in love with her. :)

Well, today, I had another doctor's appointment. She was showing off her new-found skill to the doctor making it hard for him to get her heartbeat. He got it though and he said everything looks great. I was most impressed when he commented on my weight. I did have to toot my own horn for that one!!!! I have only gained 5 lbs and he said that he couldn't possibly be more pleased with that. I was kinda worried about it, but he was kosher with that, so that's pretty cool. He actually read my starting weight when I first started seeing him back last summer and said that it was odd because I am 5 mths pregnant and he hasn't seen me back to that weight yet. THAT'S AWESOME and I am really pumped about that! :)

Here is the video of our July 2nd ultrasound!