Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I can't believe that tomorrow is Christmas Eve! These holidays are just flying by and Beckham will be here before we know it. I wasn't planning on buying anything for Beckham for Christmas this year, but I was at the bookstore and I couldn't help myself. I ended up buying him a few books and I even wrapped them. It really hit me hard that I'm going to be a mommy as I was filling out the card. It was the very first time that I wrote "To: Beckham" on anything so that alone was like "wow!". Then when I wrote "From: Mommy and Daddy", I was really like "WOW!". I don't think I'll totally grasp the idea until I'm holding him in my arms.

I actually had a little scare today. Well, it was probably mostly in my head because I'm still so scared that he will be taken from me and all of this will end up being some kind of twisted dream. But this afternoon I started having a sharp, stabbing pain on the right side of my stomach that ended up lasting for about an hour. It felt like a really bad cramp and when I pushed down on it, it hurt even more. That combined with me not feeling him all day had me calling my doctor. They wanted to see me as soon as possible so I went in right away. Of course, he started kicking like crazy once the doctor began listening to his heartbeat. Everything was just fine. My doctor explained that because he's now trying to turn out of the breech position, I'm going to be feeling a lot of pain here and there, and that I probably wasn't feeling him move because he may have been stuck. I'm just glad it was nothing serious.

Beckham has definitely been busy this week. Not only his he trying to turn his body around, but he has also started growing hair on his head. He now has toe nails too, and he is even opening his eyes for the first time this week. He has also acquired the ability to say “yes” and “no” in rudimentary sign language as he can now move his head back and forth. And can you believe this is my final week in the Second Trimester?! Woo Hoo!

Today, for the first time, I felt Beckham from the outside of my stomach! I was rubbing my stomach where the pain was and I felt a big bump. That's probably why he was causing all that pain!

My Little DEVIL PUP

Now that I have a picture of Beckham's face, I haven't been able to stop staring at it! I was finally able to mail back the dvd of the ultrasound today so it can be finalized. Once they finalize and mail it back, you all will be able to see what we saw at the ultrasound! I can't wait to watch him move around again! I've been feeling him so much lately, and most of the time it feels wonderful. I just stop and smile, and wait for him to move again. Other times, however, it can be a little painful... especially last night! I got no sleep because I was hurting all night long, not to mention having to get up to pee every hour. Joshua and I did a lot of walking around the mall yesterday and that may have been why I had a difficult night. Yesterday at the mall was the first time I experienced swollen ankles. Ah, my feet were in so much pain! And my belly was killing me too. I don't know what he's doing in there but he's been kicking on things he shouldn't be. Well, I did read that this week he is beginning to move out of the breech position so I guess that could be causing some of the unusual aches and pains. The good news is if Beckham is born premature now he’ll be more likely to survive without too much trauma as his lungs began to produce “surfactant” last week, which means his tiny respiratory system is getting stronger with each passing day.

Speaking of him being born premature... yesterday in the mall, there was an old man who walked past me. He stopped, looked down at my belly and said, "March." I looked at him crazy and he continued. "March 2nd. No, March 9th." Once I figured out he was talking about my pregnancy, I corrected him and told him I was due March 29th. Then as he walked away he said, "No, March 2nd. I say he's coming on March 2nd, and it's a boy." First of all, it was strange that the two numbers he guessed were both part of my due date... 2, 9 = 29. Secondly, I sure hope and pray that Beckham doesn't come on March 2nd because then he will be four weeks early! That man better be wrong!

Beckham got an adorable gift in the mail today from the Sanchez family. I have to post it here because it's my Devil Pup's first Marine Corps outfit! Of course, Joshua was so excited. Just yesterday, he was talking about how he wants to get Beckham his own set of camies. I can just picture Beckham now, marching around the house yelling "OORAH".

By the way, I forgot to make a note that at my last appointment, I weighed in at 135lbs which means I gained 4lbs since my previous appointment. This gives me a total weight gain of 20lbs.

A Face To Go With The Name

We finally had the 3D/4D ultrasound today! The feeling of seeing our little boy's face for the first time is just indescribable. And yes, he's still a boy! We had our parents at the ultrasound along with my sisters, and it was so wonderful being able to watch Beckham with all of them there. They had a big couch and two huge screens for everyone to see the ultrasound. The hardest part was keeping my belly shaking from everyone making me laugh every time Beckham did something funny. He kept trying to either kick himself in the face or suck his toes; and there was a minute when he looked like Pacman, opening and closing his mouth several times. He kept his arms low, but his feet were in his face the entire time. It was also really neat being able to see him moving as I was feeling it. Now how am I supposed to wait three more months before seeing him again??!!

So are you ready to see Beckham's face... and his feet?

We were also given a dvd of the ultrasound, but unfortunately it doesn't work so I have to wait for them to send me another one. I'll be sure to post it as soon as I get it!

Snow Fell On New Orleans

Hello again! This is going to be a long post so let me catch my breath. Ah. Let us begin with Thanksgiving. I know I already posted our Christmas pictures, but I just got these in from Huey. They were shot on Thanksgiving day. You can see my belly with clothes on again. Haha!

I finally got the Sugar Test over with this week. Monday I went to the doctor and had to drink a bottle of sugar, pretty much. At first it tasted like orange Hi-C, but after a few gulps it was awful. By the time I finished it, I was nauseous! But honestly, it really wasn't that bad. After I was done, I had to sit in the waiting room for an hour before they took my blood. I was really nervous about the needles but it wasn't as bad as I expected. However, my arm thinks otherwise:

I'm assuming the results came back good since I haven't heard from my doctor :).

After I did the blood test, Joshua and I went to see my doctor. It was the standard visit where he measures my belly and listens to the baby's heartbeat. He said my belly was 24 inches and Beckham's heartbeat was 160 - still very fast!

So I'm sure everyone got to see the snow yesterday, and boy was it beautiful! Was it just me or did everyone find themselves a little depressed when it started to melt away? Of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take pics of snow for the first time, so here they are:

Today we got his bedding in the mail! It's perfect and adorable, AND we got a killer deal. We didn't want anything too babyish, so it was taking us forever to find a bedding that we actually wanted. Then finally my friend sent me a link to the website where she got her bedding, and we loved this one right away. I can't wait until his walls are painted and the bedding is all set up!

Tomorrow is a very BIG day for us! We're actually going to get to see Beckham's face for the very first time! It's our 4D ultrasound! yay! I scheduled it three months ago and I probably should have planned it for a later date so that he would have more time to gain some cute, baby fat, but I just can't wait any longer to see him! I'm supposed to drink a ton of water tonight and tomorrow morning, so I'll probably be stopping to pee at every rest stop on the way to Baton Rouge where the appointment is. Ugh- the excessive peeing is insane! Anyhoo, be sure to stop by the page again soon because I'll have pics and video of the ultrasound!

Shhh... He Might Hear You

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! We went to three different houses and it was nice to see everyone. Donna even got to feel Beckham move for the very first time. He was a little shy at first, but then he rolled around for her.

Saturday Joshua, Cherie' and I set up the Christmas tree and decorated the house. We also watched Elf about a million times! We're just a little obsessed with that movie. That's all. Anyway, every year Joshua and I take a picture in front of our tree so here's our 2008 tree pic!

Monday, one of the Marine wives gave us a gift bag with some adorable sleepers in it for Beckham. And yesterday, another Marine wife gave us a huge bag full of clothes that her son has outgrown. The ladies around here are truly amazing :).

Beckham is growing more and more every week. This week he is now able to hear and react to sounds outside the womb. So exciting! Now I know he actually hears Daddy when he sings to him. I can tell he's really growing (well, at least I am!) because my shirts are beginning to be too short around my stomach and I can no longer see under my belly! I think I've really stretched over these last couple of weeks. Speaking of stretching, my tummy is really oily in my new Belly Pic this week because I had just put some cocoa butter on. Just in case you're wondering ;).

I've finally been starting to get some real cravings which is a terrible thing for me. As much weight as I've already gained, watch out because I'll really start loading on the pounds now that I crave things. Yesterday I was craving pizza so bad that I had Joshua run to the store to buy me a frozen one, and today I had to make a stop at the doughnut shop after work. Oh boy, I wish I craved things like pickles and carrots.

Have a Happy Turkey Day!

Hi everyone! I'm back with Belly Pics! I know, I fell behind after I told you that I would do my best not to. It really is exhausting being pregnant though. From the time I get home from work, it's a race to get everything done before I pass out. I go to bed around 9pm and wake up for 8am, and I'm still fighting to keep my eyes open during the day! It's probably my fault though for not starting on the iron like I should have months ago. Anyway, here are the last two Belly Pics:

A quick update with how I've been feeling: Surprisingly, I've actually been getting nauseous again. However, it only happens while I'm eating lunch, and it's usually when I'm almost done my meal. I've also been having some bad back pain. Back pain is not unusual for me during the night while I'm sleeping and when I wake up in the morning; but for the last two days, it's been worse. All day today, the bottom left side of my back has been killing me when I bend and move around. There's also been a popping sound and feeling in the same spot. I hope it's not the beginning of something that's going to get worse!

Last Sunday, Joshua and I registered! We're registered at Babys R Us (Registry #79394187) and Target (Registry #014399700261958). It took us a few hours in the store, but I'm relieved that it's finally done. It was actually a project that I had been working on for months, and so I'm glad to be through with reading product reviews.

We also went to the mall last weekend and bought an ornament to always remind us of this special time when we were expecting our first baby.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Turkey Day tomorrow! I can't wait for all the food!

Touchy Feely

Alright, so I need to back up a bit. I've been forgetting to write about when people feel the baby! As you all know, Joshua was the first to feel him. He felt him at 16w5d which was the day after I first did. Then no one had been able to feel him for weeks despite numerous attempts, specifically Robin. Then finally Kate was the next to feel him. She felt him the day after we found out he is a boy. We both slept at our dad's house and were in the same bed so I woke her up bright and early to put her hand on my tummy to feel him kick. Of course, we had to rub it in Robin's face! Hehe. Then Joshua finally felt him again this past Wednesday. He had his head resting on my stomach and Beckham kicked it a couple times...hehehe. Sofia felt him next which was only a few days ago (this past Friday). And then at last, Robin felt him last night, and not only once, but several times. Joshua also felt him a lot this morning. We spent the day at Gene and Donna's and I was hoping he would move around for Donna, but he was a little shy. I'm not at all surprised that more people have been feeling him since he will get to about 16.5 ounces this week.

Here's my Belly Pic from last week. I'll try to post the next one on time this week which would be Tuesday. Huey finished working on my desktop computer so I should be able to move all the belly pictures to the Belly Pic page this week. Oh, and I was taking a nap right before I took this pic so those are sleep lines covering my belly.

I heard today that Aunt Marcia has her whole office reading my blog so I wanted to give a special shout out to everyone there. Thank you guys for reading! It's so nice to know that there are so many people interested in our little boy!

Beckham Is Mooning You!

Hola! Sorry it has taken me so long to update since we found out what the baby is. I've been going non-stop and it's catching up to me because today I could barely drag my feet. The great thing is that I've been feeling great and have been able to keep up.

So Friday was the Marine Corps Ball. It was my very first one and Joshua's first real one (he went to one at MOS school that wasn't exactly the real thing). It was really nice and we both had a great time. I even dropped a few tears during the ceremony, but I can always blame that on my hormones. Up until about Tuesday, I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to go. I borrowed a dress from Kate and took it to the tailor to get fitted; and when I went to pick it up a week later (4 days before the ball), it was too small! With the help of a friend, I was able to borrow a nice, stretchy dress just in time. Whew!

I don't think I've posted Baby Breaux's name yet in this blog; so for those of you who don't know, his name is Beckham Patrick and I'll be referring to Baby Breaux here on out as Beckham. Hopefully he's still a boy at the next ultrasound! I feel very confident that he will since the doctor told us that if he comes out as a girl then it was divine intervention! So, Beckham must really have a grown a lot in the last week because he is kicking much stronger now. Before, I could just turn on my side if he was moving around too much and I wouldn't feel him, but now I feel him no matter how I lay. And before, I would mostly feel him at night, and now I'm feeling him all day long. He's about 10.5 ounces now and I can't imagine how much I will feel him when he's a whole pound! He even has eyelashes and eyebrows now, and little teeth buds. So are you ready to see him? Introducing Beckham Patrick Breaux:

(This last photo is his booty and wee wee!)

We've already been getting lots of baby boy clothes. Friday I went shopping with Robin and Kate and they bought a lot of cute things, Donna bought a cute little outfit and shoes, my mom bought a security blanket, Jason bought him a bib from Hooters, and my friend Amanda gave us a bag of clothes that were given to her from one of her friends. Joshua and I bought our first little boy stuff on Sunday, and we got some overalls and penny loafers. I can't wait to see him in all this stuff!

As for the belly pic, I plan to update tomorrow!

Drum Roll, Please....

It's a

BOY!

Yay! After sitting in the waiting room for about an hour and a half, we finally got to see our little boy! Right away, his booty popped up on the screen with his little wee wee in plain sight. Joshua immediately saw it and yelled "It's a boy! Definitely a boy!". Of course, I couldn't stop crying, and it got to the point where I was holding back the sobbing that wanted to come out. It was so unreal to see him moving about in there. Totally amazing! His heartbeat was at 160 so the old wives tale was wrong in this case. And the votes are in for the poll with boy still in the lead by one vote (67 votes, 34 boy, 33 girl). Ah, I just can't believe I'm going to have a little BOY!!

Side note: I only gained 3lbs this time! woo hoo!

18 More Hours!

We're down to 18 hours until Joshua and I will be looking at Baby Breaux and hopefully seeing what's between those little legs!

BOY or GIRL

We should know tomorrow!

(Please excuse the hives in my new Belly Pic!)

-F O U R- More Days!

FOUR MORE DAYS UNTIL THE BIG ULTRASOUND! Baby Breaux is now 10 inches long and I'm really feeling him/her move around even more. For the last few days, I've been able to feel the baby without having to lay on my back which is a neat, new experience. I'm just so excited about seeing him/her again in just a few days! The last time I saw Baby Breaux he/she looked like a little peanut!

So are you still wondering what Joshua and I were for Halloween this year?? Wonder no more! We were The Simpsons!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! This is one of my favorite holidays, and I can't believe it's going to be over so soon! Joshua and I are making our costumes this year, and we decided on them at last minute so we spent all last night running to different stores to buy supplies and then staying up to make them. I won't reveal what they are just yet, but I'll be sure to post a pic tomorrow!

Can you believe that we'll find out what our little pumpkin is in less than a week?! I can't! This pregnancy is really flying by and there's still so much to look forward to before the baby even comes. Next week will be a really exciting week because we get to find out what the baby is on Thursday and then we have the Marine Corps Ball on Friday. If you haven't voted on my Baby Gender Poll yet, please do so now! Once we find out what the baby is on Thursday, the poll will end! It is located on the right side of the page under "What Do You Predict?". As of now, BOY is in the lead by one vote!

I know I haven't been updating as often as before, but there's just not as much happening these days. The second trimester really is the honeymoon period. I pretty sure I'm over the "morning" sickness now, although I still get a teeny bit nauseous sometimes when I'm eating. I've been feeling the baby a lot more over the last couple of days. It feels like it's kicking much harder now. Joshua still hasn't been able to feel it since the first time but with the way this baby is kicking me, I know he will be feeling it again soon.

And of course, I have Belly Pics for you! I still don't have my computer so I'm just going to post them in the blog again. I'm really not noticing a change in my belly anymore but maybe you'll see something that I don't. Here ya go:

Daddy's Turn!

Baby Breaux was very active last night! I felt him/her all night long to the point where I couldn't get to sleep! The baby was even kicking so hard that Joshua got to feel it for the first time. I can't believe I went from not feeling it at all to feeling it so much in just two days!

Love Taps

BIG news everyone! Last night I felt the baby for the first time! I was laying in bed reading, and I suddenly felt a few little kicks like someone was poking me from the inside. My heart immediately began to race and I started to shake because I got so excited. It took me forever to calm myself down so that I could feel it again! I started reading a little bit and my heart rate started to slow down until I felt it again. This time I felt pretty confident that it was the baby and I woke Joshua up! I told him that I thought I just felt the baby and he jumped up all wide-eyed and said, "Really?!". Then he kissed my belly. After that, I laid as still as possible for hours waiting to feel it again. Since then, I've been feeling little flutters here and there, and I'm hoping to feel those little kicks again soon.

More good news! I ordered the bookcase for the nursery last night and the dresser this morning! Yay! The only thing I have left furniture-wise is getting my rocker repainted. My mom saved the rocker that she bought when she was pregnant for me and passed it along to me a month or so before I got married. It's brown wood and I want it to be white to match the nursery. There's plenty of time though!

I also want to make a quick note about the first time a stranger asked me about my pregnancy. This was a couple weeks ago and I couldn't get online at the time so I forgot to write about it. Anyhoo, Joshua and I were at Barnes & Nobles in awe over a baby, and the mother asked me how far along I was. I was only 14 weeks! I was a little embarrassed to say the truth because I felt too big to only be 14 weeks so I stuttered a bit. LOL. She probably thought I either didn't know or was faking it!

Also, I think it's important for me to mention that I did eat pizza again. I ate it for the first time since my pre-pregnancy two weeks ago and it went over well. I tried to eat it again a week later but it made me incredibly sick again. So once again, I'm off pizza for a while.

Update about the baby! He/she is now about 5 inches and weighs over three ounces! His/her eyes are even moving around now although their not opening yet. Also, the head to body ratio is finally starting to even out a bit as the rest of the body is actually growing faster than the head at this point. No more alien baby!

Pics and More Pics

So I was just about to upload all of my new belly pics onto the Belly Pic page until I realized that I can't do it without my computer (::sigh::). But don't worry, you belly pic pestering people (you know who you are!)... I'll just post the last 4 in the blog and add them to the page when I (hopefully) get my computer back. So here we are:

There, I hope you're happy.

So anyway...

You know that dark line that shows up during pregnancy and runs from the belly button to the pubic bone? Well, I have that now. I'm sure it will get darker but it's already noticeable. And the funny thing is... it's a little off to the left!

In addition to my little, dark line, I've had some terrible headaches appear over the last week. Today was the first time in five days that they weren't bothering me. Sunday it was so bad that I had to keep an ice pack on my forehead. I was surprised at how good that ice pack worked! Nausea has also been pretty bad over the last week, but what's new? Ooooo, there's actually a couple of new and fun things!

We got the crib! Robin and I had been looking forever and we finally found one that we loved. Joshua loved it too once I brought it home and showed it to him...lol. He was sweet/smart enough to leave all the nursery decor to me because I am waaaaay too picky/stubborn about it all! We bought it on Friday and Joshua put it together last night. It's beautiful, and I can't wait to see it with the bedding!

In the pics below are the crib which was a gift from my Dad and Robin, the bassinet that we just picked up over the weekend which is a gift from Gayle, and the towel that I previously wrote about which Donna made.