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.