2009 - A New Year with lots of Change!!

Wow – So much has happened since my last blog!!

Christmas: It was wonderful. Justin, Elizabeth and I spent Christmas eve and Christmas day in San Angelo with Justin’s family. It was lovely. It was my first Cobb Christmas experience and they certainly welcomed Elizabeth and I with open arms. My in-laws certainly are enjoying having a Granddaughter! It was great to spend time with Justin’s sister Jeni and her husband Chris. I’ve barely met them so it was nice to get a chance to visit more.

The day after Christmas, we once again celebrated the big day. We had a great time with my folks and my grandparents.

Overall, I would chalk this Christmas up as the best ever. We had wonderful visits with our families, and we really raked in the presents, too!!

New Year’s Eve was uneventful. Elizabeth tried so hard to stay up till midnight, all of her girlfriends had plans to do massive texting right as the new year began. Poor Elizabeth couldn’t make it pass 11:15pm. Just as Justin and I were turning in for the night, at about 11:57pm – Elizabeth’s cell phone began to ring off the hook! All of her friends were busy texting her while she was snoozing away the New Year!

My MIL gave me a prenatal massage and pedicure for Christmas, right after the New Year, I scheduled my appointment. It had been 7 years since I had gotten a massage – boy, it sure felt good! Thanks so much Nancy!!

We had a doctor’s appointment on Jan 6th. I had only gained ½ pound over Christmas and New Year’s. I was thrilled. How many non-pregnant women only gain ½ pound over the Holidays!?! At that point, I was 30 weeks pregnant and I was measuring 32 weeks. As always, I was measuring two weeks ahead of schedule.

The following weekend, Mom and Gary came over to help us paint the nursery. We painted a wonderful creamy neutral on the walls with a brown stripe horizontally around the room. Immediately after the paint was dry, Justin and Gary set up the crib and changing table. It felt so good to begin to set up Jackson’s room.

This past weekend was jammed packed. We went to my girlfriend’s 40th Birthday party. She went all out, hired a band and had many kegs waiting for thirsty partiers. We had a great time seeing all of our friends. We don’t get out much these days.

The next day, we attended our Childbirth Class. Vanya Keyser, my dear friend, was our instructor. We are planning on having Vanya as our Doula during Jackson’s labor and delivery. The class was from 9am-4pm. It’s really hard to sit in a classroom setting for that long. By the time the class was over, our brains were mush!! We learned a lot, refreshed my memory about things work and met some other expecting couples. Overall, I’m glad we went. I think Justin has a better handle on what kind of support I need from him during the ordeal.

Then Saturday night, we had yet another party. It was called “Fred’s Party”. It’s a big Bi-Annual charity costume party. We dressed as Babies. Our table was sponsored in honor of the Boys and Girls Club. The theme for our table was ‘Kids’. Folks dressed up as Cinderella and Prince Charming, the Tooth Fairy, etc. So, we fit right in with our Baby costumes. I think we both underestimated how difficult it was going to be to make complete fools out of ourselves sober. We still had a very nice time, we visited with all of our friends and took lots of pictures. I hope we get the opportunity to go again in 2011.

Now for the big news!!
We had our regularly scheduled doctor’s appointment on Tuesday, 20th. I was 31 weeks and 5 days. The nurse came in and checked Jackson’s heartbeat. It was 135-139bpm….as always, it looked good. When the doctor arrived, he did the standard measuring of my belly. Here’s where it gets interesting……He pressed around on my tummy and did a measurement…He kinda looked puzzled….he went back and pushed around some more…and measured again. He looked at me and said, “How far along are we saying you are?” He did the measurement once more and looked at Justin and asked, “How big were you when you were born?’ Justin burst into laughter. I haven’t seen him break down in uncontrollable laughter like that in a long time. The doc then asks me, “How big was your other baby?” At this point, Justin is still laughing. I measured 37 weeks. I freaked. All of my co-workers have been teasing me non-stop about having a 14lb baby. By this time, the shock of measuring 37 weeks must of gotten to Justin because he managed to finally stop laughing. Oh, and I had gained 5 ½ pounds too, I forgot to mention that part. The doctors says he is thinking either the dates are messed up or Jackson’s a nice, healthy, BIG baby!! He said he wanted to see me in two weeks, but then I was supposed to start coming every week after that. He mentioned that Jackson’s size would be closely monitored from now on and I might be getting another sonogram in a few weeks to determine his size. He also mentioned an induction at 38 weeks. Over all, the weight gain is good. I’ve gained 25 pounds so far. Anyone can clearly see, it’s all on my belly. My face has rounded out a bit more, but I’m not carrying any extra weight in my rear or thighs. If I am measuring 37 weeks, which is nearly full term, and I’m at 25lbs weight gain, I am extremely proud of myself. 11 years ago, when I was pregnant with my daughter, I gained 42lbs. This time around, my weight gain is way more controlled. I’m pleased.
I guess that’s really all that has happened in the past month. I have two baby showers coming up. One is scheduled for Feb 7th. And the other one, given by my co-workers, is scheduled for Feb 10th. I’m terribly excited about the upcoming showers. Only a few more weeks left.
Justin and I have turned it into high gear – with the possibility that Jackson could arrive in 4-6 weeks. We are busy finishing up his room, getting our yard ready for spring, and re-organizing our bedroom so we have space for his co-sleeper.
Lots of changes are happening at our house, and we couldn’t be more excited. Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers.