Sunday, May 31, 2009

So much to say

...but sadly I can't. I guess it's not that I can't, more or less, that I won't. I have some issues occurring in my life at the moment that I would love to blog about because I simply feel better after writing about things, but out of pure respect for those individuals, I won't. All I ask is that you pray for me to find direction, peace and strength through these situations.

Now that I got that off my chest I can tell you about more happy moments in my life! B is a crawling machine. He is EVERYWHERE now - he used to just stay in one room, but now if you leave the room, he is hot on your heels. He is also pulling up on everything. This morning, I was sitting on the couch, he pulled up about one section away from me and cruised over to me! This little boy wants to go, go, go!

Every morning I check his teething progress... #1 is becoming more and more visible each day and #2 broke the surface this morning! Finally, we have two teeth at nine months old!

Yesterday, was my fabulous husband's birthday! We had a really relaxing day - just the three ahem, four of us (okay, maybe 3 1/2 but baby counts too now!) Daddy slept in (does 9 am count as "sleeping in"...?). After B's morning nap, we went to Walmart and he bought a new fishing pole, lures, etc (courtesy of my mom's very generous present). We played around at the house for the rest of the afternoon. Daddy left at about 6:30 to go night fishing with a friend. I am so happy that he enjoyed his birthday. He doesn't like a lot of fan fare, etc - he would rather something very low-key and just us - and I am not going to argue that with him because after all it is his day.

In pregnancy news... can I just tell you how different this pregnancy is from my last one. I know I've updated you once on the differences here but they are still coming!

I haven't eaten beef (or pork) in 3+ years. I am craving beef like I've never before in my life. My mom was talking about spaghetti and meatballs and (my mouth is already watering) it was all I could think about. Daddy has made hamburgers two times in the past couple of weeks and both times, the smell is so captivating that I want to devour his food. I am SO tempted to give into this craving but I am so fearful that it will make me sick. Case in point... two years ago, on our honeymoon, I ate 2 measly strips of bacon and I was sick for close to two days. Last year, for my 25th birthday, while I was pregnant with B, I gave into that bacon craving again, this time only 1 piece and I was sick the rest of the day. But as my friend Amy said, 31 weeks is a long time to not give in. Decisions, decisions. But I REALLY want spaghetti and meatballs. Right. Now.

Other than that, this pregnancy is moving right along. I am 9 weeks + 2 days pregnant. I go back to the doctor on June 17th.

Okay, that's all for now... I need to take a shower while my little monster naps. Then I think we are going swimming... I will update later with pictures from the rest of our vacation, Daddy’s very lazy but nice birthday and some other random moments.

Have a fantastic Sunday --- I know we will :)

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Vacation

We are stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel in Biloxi.

We stayed here 1 year ago - same month, same week. It's becoming a tradition.

But I will tell you what tradition will not continue next year (or ever for that matter) me being pregnant each time we go there.

Last year, I was pregnant with B - 28 weeks to be exact.

This year, I was pregnant with Lovie - 9 weeks to be exact.

Next year, I will have a 17 month old and 5 month old with me... and no baby in my womb...

Just thought I'd share that with you! Now for the fun part... pictures!





Nine months

Nine months ago... my sweet baby boy made me a mommy. Where has the time gone to?

Nine months ago... my little monster decided that he did not want to wait 1 extra day to be held in my arms.... so that little booger poked a hole and I woke up at 2:50am because my water had broken.

Nine months ago, at this very moment, I was patiently waiting for the nurses and anesthesia team to roll me into the OR so I could meet the little person I carried inside of my womb for 39 weeks and 1 day.

Nine months ago... I heard my sweet baby boy take his first breath followed by lots of loud crying - absolute music to my ears.

Nine months ago... I completely fell in love, all over again, with my fabulous husband.

And 17 months+1 day ago Our journey with B started. I woke up that morning, peed on a stick and it said "pregnant."

What an amazing 17 months + 1 day it has been!

Happy 9 months my sweet little boy! Mommy loves you more than you will ever know...

Nine months ago... Mommy's first time holding B

Now... Such a big boy!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Cousins

B & R are the best of friends ahem, cousins. They are exactly 10 weeks apart in age. They talk to one another, play with one another, eat each other's hands, "borrow" each other's toys and swim together! Life is so good for Mr. B and Miss R...

Would you like proof?






In addition to his younger cousin R, here is his newest baby cousin, M! B is not sure what to make out of his little cousin - she doesn't quite play like R does... and he is not too sure about his mommy holding a tiny baby...



Mommy holding M with Mr. B looking on...

Finally

We have a tooth! I can feel it but you cannot see it just yet. And it's so strange because his little left lower central has been swollen for over a month now and the first tooth he cut was his right lower central... how odd!
This picture is from Mother's Day


I have also included some pictures of Baby Lovie (8 weeks gestation) in this post... enjoy!



Also, please pray for the Okrepki Family. He is a friend of my brother's girlfriend's family. They fear he is lost at sea. Please pray for his family and for the Coast Guard to be able to recover his body.

Monday, May 25, 2009

A Few updates I left out

On May 16 - B pulled to stand for the first time.

This past week he started saying "ma ma ma ma" ALL the time - and this mama just loves it.

And Lovie... well she (just intuition) makes me eat like a pig and feel like I'm going to gain 60 million pounds with this pregnancy CONSTANTLY want to eat - thankfully, the scale is not reflecting this desire. For instance, right now I am eating honey Teddy Grahams and it's only 8:10am - healthy, eh? Yesterday, after going to Outback for lunch (but only eating very unhealthy appetizers and bread), I had a footlong turkey & cheese from Subway and then a hot fudge sundae - I know it doesn't sound like much, but I PROMISE, it is! Even George has noticed my seriously increased food intake - he said this pregnancy is very different from B's (I usually had to force myself to eat).

B is still toothless... maybe by the time he is 18 10-12 months old we will see a tooth?! Who knows!

I am in FULL party planning mode for my monster's 1st birthday (did I really just say 1st - where has this past year gone to... (tears)! I know he still doesn't turn one for another three months, but if you know me IRL then you know I do everything BIG and that I LOVE party planning! And what is more exciting than planning the first birthday party of your child's life?! This one has to be amazing and I'm telling you it will be. At first I thought I wasn't going to do a theme - but I definitely am. Not. a. character. theme. Over the next few months, I will start sharing details with you. August 29th will be B's Big Bash!

Well I think this is all for now... when I have some downtime later, I will attempt to post Lovie's second ultrasound picture and maybe some pictures of my sweet baby boy!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Updates Galore

Sorry I haven't posted in quite some time... life got a tad chaotic!

Let's see - we will start with Monday, May 18...
My mom and I took B to Storyville on Camp Street for his wardrobe fitting for the commercial. I brought several outfits and Mr. B was very cooperative during his 3 changes. Anne took a few pictures of him and then of the other articles of clothing I brought. Upon leaving, Simon (one of the guys with production) asked if B had been in other commercials. I told him that this was his first and he replied with "Well this is the beginning of a long career for him" (how flattering). I called Anne later that day to inquire about what he should wear for the actual commercial, she said that everyone loved the raccoon sweater but no one could really focus on the options because they couldn't get over how cute he was! I told her that I would just bring the entire bag with me again (just in case minds were changed). We were also informed that we needed to be on set at 7:30am - I was slightly worried about how that would affect B's attitude. We cried at the thought of having to wake up at 5:00am just rolled with the flow.

Tuesday, May 19... B's BIG day in the spotlight
Oh the glorious sound of an alarm clock going off at 5:00am. It's one thing when you hear your little babe on the monitor either crying or talking to his toys at 5am but it's a completely different monster to hear your cell phone alarm screaming wake up lightly beeping to pull you out of your beautiful slumber. Thankfully Daddy appeased me by getting up with me to help me get things together. We woke B up, fed him breakfast, packed the diaper bag and left our house at 6:15am. I was hoping against hope that I would have enough time to make a quick Starbucks run and still be on set on time. The stars were in alignment for me as I was able to grab some juice and delicious coffee cake.

We pulled up at the location in Old Metairie (read: not where a young new couple purchases their first home unless they're trust fund babies). A lovely lady, Jeanette, helped take my bags to the motorhome where we patiently waited for our turn. I attempted to feed B and he was beyond uninterested in his bottle - so he ate 2 ounces. I was actually pleased with this because any more could have equaled a vomiting episode. The casting director did a fabulous job --- B's on-screen mommy, Beth, looked like she could actually be his mommy (have I said this before?)... just a taller, blonder, non-pregnant version of me! Beth helped me dress B and said her husband, Trey, who also played B's on-screen daddy, absolutely love B's chunky thighs. Jeanette came to gather all of us and it was SHOWTIME.

As I walked toward the home the commercial was being shot in front of, I was overcome with thinking about how B has horrible separation anxiety and how this could go drastically wrong and that he would never get this opportunity again because of his typical nine month old attitude hoping that things would go smoothly. I handed him off to his "mommy" and they began filming. The entire process is actually very neat. I really enjoyed seeing what goes into making a commercial and I only saw a piece of the puzzle. I had planned on taking pictures to share with all of you but when one of the important people with the bank came up to introduce himself and then followed his intro with "So, you have a blog... my PR team discovered it while searching the internet for any media regarding the bank and your site had a hit," I decided I should probably not (since the commercial still had to be edited and approved by the bank and the talent agency). I was shocked with how well B did - around 9:05am they said they were finished with him - thankfully, because my poor bambino was starting to fall asleep in Trey's arms. Jeanette walked me back to the motorhome where I gathered our belongings, signed B's release impatiently waited for someone to make me a copy of his release, and then we left. We had to go back a couple hours later because my pregnancy brain left behind two of B's sweaters. Let me just tell you, the difference between the set I had left and the current one was fascinating!

On a minor side-note: I was absolutely flattered with all of the highly complimentary critiques I received about B's looks, demeanor and personality. When we left the set, the guy who was filming told B "I hope to see you in Hollywood soon, kid!" How awesome, right?

Fast-forward to Friday, May 22... my doctor appointment and ultrasound
My mom, B and I went to the hospital for my appointments. Upon arriving, I had to go and pre-register with the hospital for my delivery. After I finished, we walked back over to MFM where I checked in for what I thought would be a super exciting ultrasound appointment. I was TOTALLY WRONG...

After waiting for an eternity and watching two people go back before me when I arrived well before they did - seriously, we arrived almost an hour early because my pre-reg appointment ended so quickly - I was already not in the most pleasant of moods. But I tried to remain bubbly because I was going to see my sweet baby (or Lovie as we've coined her).

READ: If you don't care to hear about the initial details of an early ultrasound, SKIP THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH. This is my blog so I will freely talk about all the details I want DON'T say I didn't warn you...



I had a trans-vaginal ultrasound today. With EVERY other ultrasound I've had they've always used warm gel - this one was ice cold and the gel warmer (with bottles in it) was in plain view. This wasn't as bad as her attempting to insert the probe and forcefully pushing it into my urethra twice as she was aiming too high.




(OKAY, if you skipped the above, you can pick up right here...)

Once the ultrasound started, during the first several minutes all we (mom and I) could see was the gestational sac - no baby. The tech was saying nothing which had me thinking the absolute worst. It was quite scary. My heart was pounding out of my chest because I thought my worst fears were being confirmed. Then I could finally see something and she said she was measuring the yolk sac. Moments later, we heard the heartbeat - 170bpm. She never once zoomed in on the baby - we never got to see the heart beating (as I saw with many other early ultrasounds with B's pregnancy). I don't even know if we saw the baby for 30-45 seconds. But she had a mouthful to say about my ovaries - how my left one was squished and how the cyst on the right one had become smaller. I know that checking out my reproductive organs are a vital part of this process, but I mean come on, we wanted to see the new baby. She told me that I was measuring dead on for my due date and that was is it.

Disappointed, frustrated and saddened are all understatements for how I felt leaving that room. Mom said she was sitting there thinking "please show a baby" and she was frightened as well.

But at the end of the day, all that mattered was that Lovie is a-okay. I am still due on January 1, 2010!

Whew! If you made it this far you deserve a gold star pat on the back... what are you waiting for... get to pattin'!

Friday, May 15, 2009

If you live in Wisconsin

... you will see my sweet baby boy on T.V. He will be playing the infant child of a couple in a commercial for the Associated Bank of Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the commercial will only air in WI but they are hoping to get everyone a copy!

I am SO excited for him! It will be filmed either next Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday somewhere in the metro New Orleans area.

7 weeks

Today, I am 7 weeks pregnant. So far, so good. I live tired and I am already having issues with acid reflux. One thing that is very different from B's pregnancy - with his, if I got up to use the bathroom at night a total of five times during my entire pregnancy, that was a lot. With this pregnancy, I am up 2-3 times a night! It's insane! I go to the doctor next Friday for another ultrasound and prenatal visit!

Fingers Crossed!

A couple months ago, I acted on the advice of random strangers and my family... I signed B up with the Fame Agency located in New Orleans. When I spoke to one of the director's, she kindly informed me it would be unlikely that B would be used at this age (they would rather use identical twins/triplets because if one gets tired they can put the other one in).
Imagine my shock yesterday when I received an email regarding a possible commercial shoot on Monday for my little baby!?! Anne needed me to send in a current digital photo of him so that she could forward it to the client.
So fingers crossed, Mr. B is chosen!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Peace

The little girl Kayleigh (that I asked all of you to pray for last week) passed away last night at 9:44pm. Please continue to lift The Freeman's up in your prayers.



Thank you.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Messy Mealtime

Tonight I decided to let go a little and see what Mr. B would do if I let him take the reigns with dinnertime. After feeding him several bites of his sweet potatoes, he took over the spoon and bowl... the following pictures are of my sweet potato self-feeding :)







Do you like?

My new absolutely amazing blog design?! This wonderful makeover is from As Time Goes By Designs - you can click on their button on the bottom right hand side of my page :)

Thanks a million, Samantha... I'm in love :)

Picture Perfect Prince



Just thought I would share a picture of my sweet baby boy this morning! Enjoy...

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

B Update

So as you can see from picture post, B is growing in leaps and bounds. He is the sweetest little boy and he loves his mommy SO much. He has quite a bit of separation anxiety. He is VERY mobile. He goes from army crawling to hands-knees crawling to thrusting his body forward while on his hands and knees! He can get into a sitting position on his own. He pushes up on his feet and hands and looks as though he wants to stand up but he either doesn't have the strength to pull his upper body up or he is just frightened. He loves to kick his feet out of pure joy/excitement/happiness. Oh, he also loves to scream/shriek for the same reasons! He is still in love with his feet. He is constantly playing with them or propping them up on something (this very much reminds me of my niece C). He LOVES our 4 furbabies - he gets beyond excited when he sees them and even moreso when they give him attention. He eats very well - we have moved on from purees to various finger foods. He self-feeds pretty well. My baby is still toothless - for weeks he has had a very swollen spot where his lower left central incisor will eventually erupt. That's about all I have time for at the moment because B is at my feet begging for my attention!

Please pray

I encourage you to read Kayleigh's Story and more importantly please pray for this family as they go trough some of the darkest days of their lives. This little miracle has been fighting for her life since June 23, 2008. She was born three months early and weighed 1 lb 1 oz and was 10.5 inches long. She has undergone numerous surgeries and procedures. Her most recent surgery was the one that was going to send her home from the NICU - at some point during the surgery her brain was depleted of oxygen and her cerebral cortex was damaged. She is now considered brain dead and what is left of her brain is slowly deteriorating. Her parents and siblings want to bring her home for the remainder of the time they have left with her. Please pray that Kayleigh meets all of the goals necessary for this to happen. Please pray for strength and understanding for her family as well. Thanks!!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

A picture post

Behold B - my beautiful, bright baby being a bouncy, bubbly boy (like the alliteration?!)















B & His Soon-To-Be Sibling

Monday, May 4, 2009

Ready or Not!

So, last Sunday, April 26, Daddy and I found out that we are expecting again! This came as an absolute shock but we are beyond blessed that God has chosen to send B a sibling!!

I took two pregnancy tests - one around 12:15pm and the other around 6:30pm - both popped up "pregnant" within a matter of nanoseconds (or so it felt). I was quite surprised. I honestly didn't even know how to approach Daddy. I finally told him that we needed to talk and finally he pulled it out of me. He asked if I was joking and I said definitely not and then we just laughed about it. Like he told my mom at lunch, we wanted another baby, just not this soon, but we will take what we are given (obviously).



I am such a planner and self-professed control freak - I have a tiny feeling that this is Gods way of making me relinquish some of that control! In order to initially cope with this new idea, I kept telling myself that this was not in our plans, but it was definitely in God's plans. As my friend told me - this may have shocked us, but it certainly did not shock Him. And she is right!

I had bloodwork on Tuesday, April 28. My progesterone levels were 18.3 and my hcg levels were 373!

Yesterday, May 4, I had an ultrasound because I have been experiencing some sharp pains on my right side - I have a cyst that they are going to monitor. This cyst very well might be the site on my ovary from which the egg ruptured. At my next ultrasound (May 22) they will look at it again. I also had a follow-up beta hcg completed (along with various other blood tests). My levels were a whopping 5999!!!

So my due date is January 1, 2010! The baby was too small to be seen yesterday but we were able to see the gestational sac iside of my uterus and inside of the gestational sac was the yolk sac. The YS was measuring dead on for a Jan 1 due date.

Today I am 5 weeks and 3 days pregnant...

Now I will take the pleasure of introducing you to
B's soon-to-be sibling...


black area = gestational sac; small white circle inside of the black area to the right = yolk sac

p.s. my intuition is telling me GIRL :)