Baby's Development at Week 7

We thought we'd update you on what's developing with our baby based on a book we got called What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel. Here's what it says about Week 7 (which is where I'm at now):

"Here's an amazing fact about your baby right now: He or she is 10,000 times bigger now than at conception - about the size of a blueberry. A lot of that growth is concentrated on the head (new brain cells are being generated at the rate of 100 cells per minute). Your baby's mouth and tongue are forming this week and so are his or her arm and leg buds, which are beginning to sprout into paddle-like appendages and to divide into hand, arm, and shoulder segments - and leg, knee, and foot segments. Also in place now are your baby's kidneys, and they're poised to begin their important work of waste management."

There's a HEARTBEAT!

Drew and I had our first doctor's appointment this past Thursday. They did an ultrasound, so Drew and I were able to SEE our baby. It's still quite tiny, measuring only 4.3 mm; however, we saw and heard the baby's heartbeat, too. We're so amazed that already there's a heartbeat. It makes it more real to me that I'm pregnant, especially since I don't really feel too different (or look different) yet. We're also amazed at how intricately God designed us...just to read how much our baby is developing each week and to know that one of the first organs that formed and began working was the heart. It's unbelievable!

Here's the first picture of our little one. :) The two cursors show you the length of the baby. The bulge on top of the baby was where we could see the heart beating.

We found out that I'm 7 weeks along, which makes our due date JANUARY 5, 2009. Right now January seems so far away, but I know it will be here before we know it, and of course there's lots to do to prepare for our baby's arrival. It's all so exciting!

Our next check-up is June 10th. We'll keep you posted!

Grrr....

So, Jerrod (midwest district service manager for American Honda, and good friend) had been strongly encouraging me to buy radiator braces for my CRF250X. He'd already bent/broken a radiator on two separate occasions, each fix costing about $175. The braces are about $60, so it's easy to see why that's a good recommendation. Some kind of strange marketing photo below shows what they look like from the side. Sorta kinda.

Well, I put that on my list of things to buy, but just hadn't gotten around to it yet.

I took my dirt bike out several weeks ago (several days before riding at "Bud's Ranch" - see more on that below), and guess what happened next? Yup.

It was a nice day, and I couldn't resist taking a short ride over across the street to a big dirt pile. The dirt is from the developers of that neighborhood scraping off all the topsoil and pushing it into a big mound to sell later. How nice of them not to leave anything to grow grass on.

Here's what my radiator is supposed to look like from above...

And here's what it looked like after I went down...

I was fine - just a few raspberries on my elbow and forearm, but GRRR.....

Oh well, I'm now the proud owner of some brand new Works Connection radiator braces, and one brand new radiator. :)

Fun in the Sun

About two weeks ago, I decided to go dirt-biking with some friends. It was the first big ride of the season, so needless to say we were anxious to get out for some "fun in the sun".

Well, it was sunny the day I went riding, but don't let that fool you. The sun was definitely NOT shining for several days before that. After receiving almost 2 inches of rain in two days (nothing for Houston, I know), we - we being Drew, Jeremy, & Jerrod - foolishly decided try going for a ride at "Bud's Ranch." The guy owns about 150 acres and you can pay $10 to be his friend for the day. wink wink.

The place is only about 30 minutes from us, which was nice. The property would be great for riding in dry weather, but the wet terrain made scrambling in and out of ravines like climbing up and down a greased firehouse pole. Did I mention the soil is almost entirely clay? "Slicker than snot on a doorknob," as Jerrod says.

All three of us laid our bikes down multiple times. Sometimes not very gently. At one point, while foolishly trying to cross a small stream, I went headlong into the "crick" (as Ohioans so eloquently put it) and was covered from head to toe in muddy water. Emphasis on the mud. My bike went right and I went left. What was I supposed to do? Oh that's right, stay on the bike. So those six inches of water cleverly disguised the eighteen inches of mud underneath. But once we got beyond that, we had a good time. Except that then I felt like I was riding around wearing a poopy diaper. That mud was something else.

I got back and had to clean off my bike. It only took me 4 hours. And that was AFTER cleaning off most of the big clumps at the end of the day. Here are some pictures....

Awww Mom!!! Do I HAVE to get up now?

Bailey was so tired the other day. He had such a hard time getting up. As you can see, he was barely even staying on the bed.

We're Pregnant!!

We just found out on May 1st that we're pregnant! We're so excited (and nervous) about this new phase in our lives. Here's the "proof" from our pregnancy test. One of the lines is pretty faint, but, from what we're told, two lines are two lines no matter how faint.

I couldn't stand keeping this secret from my parents, especially since I see them at least a few times a week, so on Sunday, May 3rd we had my parents and Kelley over for lunch. Prior to them coming over, I made notes for each of them that said they were going to be a grandma, grandpa, and aunt. Drew and I hid the notes under their placemats and revealed them to them after the meal. They were shocked! And what's so funny is that when we sat down to eat Kelley actually asked if we were going to announce that we were pregnant. We hadn't told her, but she wondered if that's why we had them over. We tried to "play if off" so we could keep the surprise.

I also made a cake for dessert and decided to incorporate my mom's way of telling her parents she was pregnant - by writing "Boy? Girl?" on it. However, I do have to warn you, my decorating skills are definitely lacking. I have looked into taking a cake decorating class just so you know. :)

Soon after we called Drew's mom, sister, and brother to share the news as well. They were all so excited for us! We really look forward to seeing them in July for a family get together in CA. Hopefully by then we'll know whether we're having a BOY or a GIRL.

Our first doctor appointment is in one week on Thursday, May 15th. We were told they'll do an ultrasound so hopefully we'll have a picture of our "sesame seed-sized" baby. :) We're also looking forward to finding out our due date. We believe it will be mid-January...maybe close to Drew 's (19th) and my mom's birthday (21st).

(This is a sesame seed next to a quarter. Wow!!)

New "Do"

So I finally cut my hair for Locks of Love. I've been growing it out for almost 2 years and was surprised how much I enjoyed it long; however, I was ready for a new "do". When I went in, I found out that Locks of Love actually accepts 6 or more inches because they can use the shorter locks for bangs. Even so, I'm pretty sure she cut close to 10 inches off.

Before...

After:

Here are some other pictures of Drew and I taking advantage of the beautiful weather. We drove to a local trail and took Bailey for a walk.

Lastly, here's a picture of Drew and me at Anthony and Tami Delimpo's house. We had a great time visiting them (briefly) over my spring break. Levi Walker Delimpo - Anthony and Tami's 4 month old feels very comfortable in Drew's arms.
The countdown has begun...only 35 more school days left. We have our Ohio Achievement Tests coming up in a few weeks so this coming week we're basically going to just be studying and preparing for it. Then the following week will be the testing. It'll be nice once that's over!