2 Down, 1 To Go!

We are officially 6 months along, entering the 7th month and the 3rd trimester!  I can't believe Bear will be here in 3 months!  Things have been going pretty well.  Bear is active and growing.  Am I seriously going to keep getting bigger?  Augh!  Here is what he was up to this past week: 

"Week 27- Your baby graduates onto a new growth chart this week.  No longer will he or she be measured drown to rump, but rather from head to toe.  And this week that head-to-toe length is a full 15 inches (more than a foot long)!  Your baby's weight is creeping up the charts as well, coming in at just over 2 pounds this week.  And here's an interesting fetal factoid:  Your baby has more taste buds now than he or she will have at birth (and beyond).  Which means that not only is your baby able to taste the difference in the amniotic fluid when you eat different foods, he or she might even react to it.  For instance, some babies respond to spicy foods by hicupping.  Or by kicking when they get that spicy kick." - What to Expect

It's been a somewhat busy week, at least for everyone else.  Two out of three brothers were in town this past weekend and dad was home, as well.  (We missed you Carl!).  We went to visit my mom's parents in Canyon Lake on Sunday to celebrate the holiday weekend.  On Monday Kevin went back to Corpus and Chris left on a trip for work.  My dad's parents came into town on Tuesday afternoon and then my parents and Scott left for Belgium Tuesday evening.  (so lucky!).  Grandparents Antoine and I had fun hanging out, sharing stories, and going through the amazing amount of maternity clothes they brought from my Aunt Angela.  (I will never have to buy maternity clothes again.  This is awesome!).  They left this afternoon and Chris will be home this evening.  Tomorrow we are going to try and head up to Georgetown for my cousin's graduation.  

Oh! And this is an interesting factoid.  On Bear's due date Mars will appear as big as the moon!  So look for Mars to get bigger in the sky during August.  :)  

I think that's about all the information I have right now.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers!!  And have a blessed Pentecost!  

26 weeks and counting

Baby Bear is growing!! Here's what he was up to this past week:

"Next time you're browsing through the meat department, pick up a 2-pound chuch roast.  No, not for dinner- just so you can get a sense of how big your baby is this week.  That's right- your baby now weighs a full 2 pounds and measures in at 9-plus inches long.  Another momentous development this week: Your baby's eyes are beginning to open.  The eyelids have been fused for the past few months (so the retina, the part of the eye that allows images to come into focus, could develop).  The colored part of the eye (the iris) still doesn't have much pigmentation, so it's too early to start guessing your baby's eye color.  Still, your baby is now able to see- though there's not much to see in the dark confines of his or her uterine home.  But with the heightened sense of sight and hearing that your baby now possesses, you may notice an increase in activity when your baby sees a bright light or hears a loud noise.  In fact, if a loud vibrating noise is brought close to your belly, your baby will respond by blinking and startling." -What to Expect

I can feel Bear moving a lot more.  He used to just move when I was resting, but now I can feel him when I am moving around, as well. He's definitely taking up more space in there.  My stomach has been feeling stretched the past couple days (a sure sign of growth) and before too long I think my belly button will become an outie.  I've already had to put aside a few maternity clothes.  Some of them because they were too hot for the warm weather, others because of the expanding belly.  :) 

Things that have happened this past week: Scott was confirmed on Sunday.  Kevin was his confirmation sponsor.  Carl graduated from "The Basic School" for the Marines and starts his flight training soon.  Rogelio had his 9th birthday.  I have a part time job from home that is primarily making phone calls.  Chris is signing up with the Army Reserves here in San Antonio (same Reserve unit he used to be a part of).  And I think that was it for this past week.  May and June are busy months so it seems like there is always something going on. 

This coming week is the last week of our second trimester. The third trimester always seemed so far off but now it's almost here!  Keep us in your prayers! God bless you all. 

25 Weeks, Going on 26

Hello everyone! Hope you're enjoying the warm weather. I'm thinking that I may melt into a pile of goo before the baby even gets here. :) The appointment last Friday went well. As expected it was just a normal check up. I was weighed (let's not even go there)and measured. We got to hear Bear's heartbeat again. Supposedly it's strong enough to hear with just a stethoscope or by putting your ear to my stomach- only Chris is allowed to do that. Unfortunately there won't be any more sonograms. Those are so much fun! We were also able to ask Dr. Love about where we should deliver since we're pretty sure we'll be in this area. He recommended that we deliver at St. David's Medical Center in Austin. His office is right there and he said the drive shouldn't be a problem since the likely-hood of me having a short delivery is very slim (awesome). We're excited that he will be delivering Bear. He's an excellent doctor and we've been going to him for, gosh, 3 years now.

We signed up for some Childbirth Preparation classes at St. David's, which also include a breastfeeding class and a tour. We're really looking forward to them! Last week we made some birth announcement cards (my mom has lots of craft stuff and I needed a project) so those are all ready to go if Bear decides to come early. All the cards are different but here's a sample:


I have obviously warmed up to the whole "Bear" thing that Chris came up with and although we won't be naming the baby "Bear", as Chris had originally hoped for, it has made it a whole lot easier to postpone coming up with a name for Baby Bear.

Discerning a name for your baby is a whole lot harder than I imagined. I knew it would be hard, but oh my gosh, the pressure!! It's all in my head, though. None of our family and friends have done the pressuring. Just me to myself. I think the meaning of a person's name is special and important (we ruled out Ignatius when I found out it meant "firey one". That and the possibility of red hair from either of us is just asking for trouble), and I really want the name to be pleasing to God, one that He wants for our baby. And then we both have such big families that it's hard to pick a name that isn't already being used by an uncle or cousin. So anyway, I could go on about this forever, but my main point is that we have narrowed down the name choices considerably but we won't be "officially" naming him until he's born. I want to make sure the name fits him. Kind of like that episode of Friends (shout out to Dana) where Rachel has her baby and neither one of the names she picked out fit, so they had to pick a third name. Names are important and there's no need to rush.

Since I'm pretty sure you didn't come to the blog to hear me ramble about names, we are 25 weeks along, almost 6 months!! Almost done with the second trimester!! Here's what Bear has been up to this past week:

"Baby's growing by leaps and bounds (and inches and ounces), this week reaching 9 inches in length and more than 1 1/2 pounds in weight. And there are exciting developments on the horizon, too. Capillaries are forming under the skin and filling with blood. By week's end, air sacs lined with capillaries will also develop in your baby's lungs, getting them ready for that first breath of fresh air. Mind you, those lungs aren't ready for prime-time breathing yet- and they have a lot of maturing left to do before they will be. Though they're already beginning to develop surfactant, a substance that will help them expand after birth, your baby's lungs are still too underdeveloped to sufficiently send oxygen to the bloodstream and release carbon dioxide from the blood (aka breathe). And talking about breathing, your baby's nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open up this week. This enables your baby to begin taking practice "breaths". Your baby's vocal cords are functioning now, leading to occasional hiccups (which you'll certainly be feeling)." -What to Expect

Thanks so much for tuning in. See you next Thursday!

Bear Goes to the Beach

This past week: "At a weight of 1 1/2 pounds and a length of about 8 1/2 inches, your baby has outgrown the fruit references and is now the size of a standard letter (but would take a lot more than a standard stamp to mail). Baby's weekly weight gain is now about 6 ounces- not quite as much as you're putting on, but getting a lot closer. Much of that weight is coming from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones, and muscle. By now, your baby's tiny face is almost fully formed, and achingly adorable- complete with a full set of eyelashes and eyebrows and a good sprinkling of hair on that head. Is your baby a brunette, a blond, or a redhead? Actually, right now, he or she's snow white, since there's no pigment in that hair just yet." -What to Expect

So we are officially 24 weeks now! Going into the 25th week. 5 1/2 months along! Time is flying by quickly. Baby will be here before we know it. :) And he must be growing because I've gained weight but I can't figure out where it's all going! I think he's filling up the space in there, too, because I feel his movements a little more than I used to. Sometimes I wonder what kind of acrobatic feat he is trying to accomplish in such a small space.

This past weekend we went to Galveston with Chris' family. It was lots of fun! I took a nap everyday, Chris built a sandcastle, and the 3 boys provided entertainment for all. :) At one point, while trying to keep the boys occupied, Chris asked them what they thought the baby's name should be. The oldest (almost 9) said, "Diamond!". Chris replies, "Diamond is a girl's name!". "Oh, I mean, Trevor!". The middle (age 7) says, "St. Michael!". "Yes, St. Michael is a good name.". The youngest (almost 5), "God!". hahaha! I have posted some pictures from the weekend below, courtesy of Tina Vavra photography. :)

We have a doctor appt. tomorrow but we're not having a sonogram or anything. It's just a normal check up, as far as I know. So I will wait to post about it until next Thursday. Hope ya'll have a great weekend! God bless you!

original castle

above: castle after some kids rode their bike through it (took out a tower and part of some walls in the back). We were hoping they rode their bikes into the big hole we dug nearby but there weren't any tell-tale signs


below: Chris honing his castle making skills; a new tower and a chapel complete "Baby Bear's Castle"