Our Trip to Albuquerque

This past weekend Brian's Grandparents Peggy and Jim blessed us with a trip to come visit them in Albuquerque. Our plane left bright and early Friday morning and we arrived in Albuquerque around 9:30 am. After a nice breakfast at Perennials Restaurant (owned by the parents of Neil Patrick Harris) we went back to the house to get settled. It had snowed overnight and the mountains looked beautiful! I wish I had a picture to show you. After relaxing for a bit, Peggy, Brian and I went shopping. I got some cute pair of shorts and some tops from Gap Maternity and Brian got a polo. Friday night we went to dinner at a nice restaurant.

Saturday morning we all got ready and went to Best Buy to get Peggy and Jim a webcam / microphone for their computer. We are trying to get everyone connected to Skype so we can do video conferencing when Addison arrives. This will be a great way to keep the distant family in touch. If you are already on skype, look us up! cbetzen and bcbetzen are our usernames. After Best Buy we went to Model Pharmacy and had lunch at a wonderful deli downtown.

Wayne and Melody arrived in Albuquerque around 1:30, we all hung out at the house for a bit then the girls went shopping and the guys went gambling. After our afternoon venture we went back to the house where Peggy prepared a wonderful meal of Orange Ruffy, Asparagus, Mac & Cheese and salad. For desert, we dug into an Edible Arrangement that arrived earlier that day from some of Peggy's friends.

Sunday morning came way too fast and it felt like it was too soon to leave. Our flight left at 9:30am and we were home by 2:30. We were so sad to go, but feel so blessed to have had the time Peggy and Jim. We look forward to seeing them again soon.

Hail

Last Wednesday before I left work I heard that there was bad weather on the way. I was still planning on following my normal post work routine of going to the gym and then running errands for Brian. I called Brian after work and he said I should probably go home and just work out on the Wii Fit just in case the weather does get bad. I get home and turn on the forecast and no doubt about it, we were going to get rain. The rain started coming down really hard and then I looked out side and it was hailing. It must have hailed for about 10+ minutes. I called Brian to tell him and he asked if it was coming his way (he was out on the road in the Sprinter), I said "no baby you are good". I decided to go upstairs and check the radar again to make sure and come to find out I was wrong. He called me a bit later to tell me that I am a horrible meteorologist (I could have told him that, haha) and that he is parked under a bridge on Mopac. The good news is that the Sprinter, cars and house are all ok. The Explorer did not make out so well though. I am just glad I came straight home from work or the Camry would have had some serious damage. We do have an insurance adjuster coming next Monday to check out the house just in case we have roof damage.

24 Week Doctors Appointment

We saw the doctor for our 24 week appointment last Thursday. Little Addison is doing great! Her heartbeat is staying strong at 142 and fundal height was 25.5 cm. Dr. Solomon is predicting that we will be having a big girl since she is measuring a week and a half larger in size. This does not mean I will be delivering early (all her organs etc. are developed at 24 weeks), it just means that our girl is growing like a weed. Maybe I should slow down on the calcium, haha.

Our next appointment we will do a full round of blood work including the dreaded gestational diabetes test. We will also have a sonogram! I cannot wait to see a her. While feeling her kick and hearing her heartbeat is wonderful, there is nothing like actually seeing her on a screen.

Keep praying for a healthy baby!

24 Weeks: Ear of Corn

From the Baby Center:

Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

The Registry is Complete

Yesterday Leanne came in town and we finished up the baby registry. We are now officially registered at Babies R Us (http://www.babiesrus.com/) and Baby Earth (http://www.babyearth.com/). Registering is quite a cumbersome task and I am so thankful Leanne was able to help me finish everything up.

23 Weeks: Have you ever cry laughed?

All is still well here... it seems like some of my symptoms from the first trimester have come back (exhaustion, vivid dreams, nausea), but nothing too severe.

This past week I had one instance when my hormones went completely out of whack.... I was CRY LAUGHING! What is that you might ask... well I was crying because my feeling were hurt but laughing because what he said was funny. Poor Brian, his eyes were wide open not knowing if he should comfort me or laugh with me. We eventually cracked up laughing and are still laughing about it. So yes, cry laughing is by far the most bizarre emotion ever, but will be a funny memory that Brian and I will never forget.

From the Baby Center:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

4 Months to Go!

It is hard to believe that 4 months today (+ or - 14 days per our doctor) I will be giving birth. We were 4 weeks when we found out we were pregnant and now we are approaching 23. Some days it seems like the longest pregnancy ever and other days it is flying by. I am just truly humbled by this pregnancy. While it has not gone without complications (all of them have turned out to be minor, no harm to the baby), we feel totally blessed to have this HEALTHY baby girl in my belly. Yes I know we still have 4 months and there will probably be a few more mountains to climb before Addison makes her grand appearance. All I know is God can move mountains and I will trust that He will do so in every situation we are faced with. One of my favorite songs right now is "Mighty to Save": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC_1pnLMZ2k&feature=related and Hosanna: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7SMUf6QcyQ Addison and I listen to these songs every day, Matthew 17:20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

18 Week Sonogram on DVD

Our 18 week sonogram was recorded on a VHS, why such obsolete technology was used is beyond me, but some things we have no control over. So 4 weeks and $25 dollars later our video was transferred from VHS to DVD, thank you Walgreens. Last night Brian got home from and we sat down for dinner to watch the video of our sweet little girl.

So the video starts playing and we immediately have issues determining what part is her head, body etc. Brian and I were both watching it going there is her head... no wait that is her body... hey I see a leg or is that an arm.... hmmmm we need our technician!

We ended up just turning the video off after a few minutes... as always it is nice to see our baby, I just wish we could figure out the body parts.

22 Weeks: Addison now weighs 1 Pound

Well it is nice that I can assign one pound of my weight gain to our precious daughter. All is well in the baby world. Her movements and kicks are definately becoming more pronounced, which is exciting (unless it is a kick in the bladder).

Right now we are just enjoying the little life that is in my belly.

From the Baby Center:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

The Furniture is Ordered!

Today I ordered all the furniture for Addison's room. I still may need to get a couple of small tables for the room, but the big purchases have been made. I guess we have good taste because the rocker and dresser are both back ordered until April and May. We ordered everything with an Espresso wood finish.

21 Week Bump

I am going to try to take more pictures of my baby bump. Everyone keeps asking me for them, so here you go! Here we are at 21 weeks, it may not look much different than 20 weeks, but I can tell you it feels different. On Sunday while we were standing up praying at Church I opened my eyes and could not see my feet. I can see them when I rock forward a bit, but it was still pretty funny. My belly button is also starting to fill in, which feels kind of freaky.

So here is a picture of Rodnee and I in Addison's pink room. Addison is a very active little girl! She loves Christian rock music and her daddy's voice. Yesterday I got my first good kick in the bladder, that was an interesting feeling.

Addison's Room Is Tickled Pink

On Saturday Tania & Kimball came over to help paint Addison's Room "Barely Pink". I use the word "help" loosely because they actually did about 85% of the painting! Barely Pink is the lightest pink that Behr offers and let me tell you, there is nothing barely about it. In fact, if we would have done anything darker it would have been WAY too much. I must say it is the perfect pink and will look awesome with the dark wood furniture. Barely Pink is much lighter than the bedding, so I really think we have the pink under control. Brian likes the color as well.

The next step will be to add wainscoting to the main wall that the crib will be against (it is the back wall you see when you walk into the room).

20 Week Bump

Here is my 20 week baby bump picture. Brian and I went to a Cedar Park Chamber event on 2/28 and had a mini-photo shoot when we got home. I love my little bump!

Just for fun, the picture below is what the dress looked like on me at my 30th birthday party last September. I am starting to fill out, but in a good way.

Our Bumbleride

I just realized I never mentioned that we received our stroller and it is delightful! It was very easy to assemble, looks great and is a smooth ride. I cannot wait for Little Addison to be here so I can take her on a walk. I will admit that I periodically push the stroller around the house. Rodnee seems to like it as well, Brian made me promise not to take him on a walk outside in the stroller, hehe.

20 Weeks: Our Carrot

Everything is going great! Addison is very active in my belly, Brian felt her kick 10+ times in a few minutes last night. Her movement is something I just cannot get over, I love ever kick! This week she had the hiccups because I could feel her consistently every few seconds, super cute! We are already so much in love with our little girl.

I just sit in awe of how far we have come... it seems like just a few weeks ago she was the size of a blueberry, now she is the size of a carrot! We have come a long way, I can only imagine what it will feel like when she is the size of a watermelon, haha. I am pretty sure that is week 40. Brian told me this morning that we need to take belly pictures this weekend, there is definitely some roundness going on in my stomach. It looks cute! Sometimes my new body shape depresses me, but then Addison kicks and then I feel it is all worth it. I can lose the weight and need to focus more on this gift from God growing in my belly. From the baby center: Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

20 Week Appointment: Baby Had a Growth Spurt!

Last Friday we had our 20 week appointment with Dr. Solomon. The baby is doing great! Her heartbeat was 142, which is strong. The only "surprise" was my fundal height measurement (measurement of my uterus). It is typically one centimenter for every week I have been pregnant. So I should have measured 20 centimeters, but instead I measure 21.5 centimeters. Dr. Solomon's eyes got wide and said that they baby had a growth spurt, hehe. I thought I was feeling a bit bigger (rounder). So anyways, the baby is doing great, which is all I care about. I was cleared for airplane travel until 34 weeks (beginning of June), after that I have to stay within 2 hours of Austin just in case. I have a 20 week picture, I will post later this week.

Our Rockin' Recliner

One of the great debates regarding Baby Addison has been what kind of chair will be best for rocking, feeding and sleeping. I was advised by several people to get a chair that I could fall asleep in. Some of the different options are a glider w/ ottoman, glider/recliner, traditional gliders with a cushion and a wooden rocker. The "nursery" brand chairs are comfy, but expensive. Brian and I had many discussions and decided to get a Lazy Boy rocking recliner for the living room and a wooden glider w/ ottoman for the nursery. I still have my mom's rocking chair and moved it into our bedroom.

This is the Lazy Boy recliner that we ordered over the weekend. It is SUPER comfy. The great feature of this chair is that you can recline and still rock, which will be a wonderful feature when the baby arrives. We chose the Lazy Boy over a "nursery" brand like Best Chair Storytime series because of the solid construction and it looks less nursery like.

This is the glider that we will be ordering for the nursery. It is also durable, super comfy and a more cost effective choice.

This past weekend we moved all the furniture out of the nursery so we can start painting and move the new furniture in. The bed went into the office, the rocker went into our bedroom and the dresser went into our closet. It all looks great! I plan on ordering the furniture sometime this week. Very Exciting!