Jon's Bump Saga

I got tired of putting up pictures of my growing body so I decided to put up a picture of Jon. This is Jon at 26 weeks! We don't know yet wether it is a boy or a girl but we will keep you posted.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family that we can not be with this year! We love you and miss you all.

26 Weeks

Jess at 26 weeks!

Ms. Thang!

So i'm wondering if baby girl has already developed a personality? It seems to me that I should get to play some role in this. When she see's how laid back and personable I am she will follow suit. On the other hand she could already be a combo of her mother and me simply by genetics. However, last night I was laying in bed pushing her around her little bedroom and she threw quite the fit. Jess says she kicks pretty hard often but that was the hardest I had felt. And right against my hand that was cramping her style. So I'm convinced she's going to be a diva. She'll take after her aunt Paula and cousin Kaylee there. But she may be a little head strong too. Much like her grandpa's and mother. I may be wrong, she may be as sweet as sugar, like her grandma's.

I guess in the end no matter what she's like I'll think she is perfect.

Do I have to give up a full night's sleep already?

I just wanted to give a little update on our baby. We went to the doctor yesterday and everything looked great. She is growing, and unfortunately so am I. She is progressing just fine. Her daddy wants her to grow BIG and STRONG and I want her to grow MEDIUM and STRONG! He doesn't have to deliver her!

She is getting very active. Sometimes I think a little too active. She can pack a powerful punch. Sometimes it takes my breath away. The worst thing is, she has her days and nights mixed up. She likes to sleep all day and party all night. Hmmm... I wonder who she got that from? She'll wake me up in the middle of the night and decide she wants to dance. Sometimes two or three times. Jon thinks that she is telling us that she is going to be active. So he is already wanting to sign her up for soccer, gymnastics, volleyball, football, etc. I said "no" on the football, but he insists that she can do whatever she wants. It will be interesting to see what she decides to do. Who knows? She could just be a girly girl who only likes dressing up and going shopping.

24 Weeks

Jess at 24 weeks

Thomas or Polly?

Well, it's been a while since I blogged so since I had a little time today I thought I would fill you in on the ongoing saga between me and the baby girl.

As you know having a girl kinda took me by surprise. I had all these things planned to do with a boy. Video games and Thomas the Train. Things I can understand. Naturally, I was worried that it was all going to be strawberry shortcake and polly pockets. But that's all in the past. Over the last couple days the baby girl and I have really connected. I read online that when she kicks she likes you to respond. So the last couple days when she kicks I have pushed on Jess' belly and talked to her. The result is that she no longer goes away and hides when I put my hand on the belly.

So I've come to the conclusion. Whether it's Thomas or Polly she's going to be daddy's little girl.

The Name Game

Ever since we learned that we were pregnant, we have been looking at tons of baby name books. Some of these books will blow your mind with the amount of names. One has over 100,000 names. How are you supposed to find that perfect name for your baby when you are also looking at 99,999 others?! So I decided that picking a name is stressful. After all, she is going to be stuck with it the rest of her life. No pressure though! It got a little easier when we found out that we were going to have a girl. At least that cut it back to 50,000. Then you have to consider the whole last name thing. For most people isn't a big deal. But when you have a name like Hood....things sort of get complicated. For instance, you pick out the name Carmen. It could get shortened to Car. Then all you are left with is Car Hood. Not very appealing for a girl. My dad is convinced that we should name her Robin, but Robin Hood was a boy! (no matter what we name her, he already told us that he was going to call her Robin Hood!)
I'm very happy to say that out of over 100,000 names we came up with what we think is the perfect name. We'll be happy to share that with you in about four months! Until then, you'll just have to call her baby girl. Oh, by the way, don't talk to Jon. He may just crack under the pressure. ;)

Baby's Room

I have some of the baby's bedding done. Here is the bed skirt and one of the bumpers.

Here are the bumpers. They are stripped on one side and pink on the other. The pink is a really soft fabric so she will have it to snuggle up to.

The blanket isn't done yet. I ran out of the stripped fabric so I have to go get more before I finish. I'll post it as soon as it is done.

Will she be a Daddy's girl?

I have a funny story to tell about Jon and our baby girl. Ever since we found out that we were having a girl, he has been concerned that he won't know what to do with a little girl. Well, I can't say that our baby is helping his fears subside. The highlight of our day is feeling the baby move and kick. Right now her most active time is right after we go to bed and I get really still. Of course I get really excited and tell Jon to feel. As soon as he puts his hand on my belly she'll just stop moving. He takes his hand off and I put mine back on and she begins exercising again. He's trying to convince himself that his big hand comforts her and puts her at ease, but I think that it is just her crazy personality shining through.
Do I think that she'll be a Daddy's girl? Absolutely, there is no doubt in my mind. I think that she is already playing games with him.

Beginnings of the Baby's Room

Some of you were wondering what we are going to do the baby's room in. Well, here is the beginning. It's just fabric, but it shows you the colors. Before we found out what the baby was, Jon had been saying that if it was a girl we weren't going to do pink. Now everything he picks out is pink. She is already melting his heart. We're in trouble!

Jess at 22 weeks

The bump is migrating north!

One more picture

Our Baby Girl

What in the world is in there?

So, we had our sonagram today and it was amazing! Drum roll please..... IT'S A GIRL! We got to see her face, arms, legs, diaphram, bottom, heart, brain, and everything else amaginable. It was just amazing to see what was growing inside of me. She was being ornery and moving a lot so we got a good laugh about that. We could see her heart pumping and that was way cool. Then we got to see her moving her lips and sticking out her tounge. The technition said that everything looked great and that her heart and kidneys were developing fine. She is about 12 inches long and weighs about 14 ounces.

Jon's already worried that he will spoil her. He had all these things mapped out to do with our baby(golf, basketball, etc) and now he's worried about matching her hair bows to her outfit.

So needless to say we are excited. We can finally decide how to decorate the nursary, finish registering, and pick out a name.

Half Way!!!

Jess at 20 Weeks! We are half way there.

I don't think it likes me!

I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to have to discpline this kid from the moment it is born. Last night as soon as I put my hand on Jess' belly it kicked me!
While it was very exciting for me to feel the baby for the first time, I have to say, we may be dealing with some anger issues.

Although, a kick is better than what I normally get. As the day goes on Jess' belly tends to stick out a little more until by the time we go to bed it's a pretty good pooch. However, it never fails, I put my hand on her belly and the baby goes away. We laugh because you could almost watch her belly shrink. I take my hand away and she puts her hand on there and the belly grows. Not a very comforting feeling for the old man.

So only time will tell, is the baby just going to be shy or does it just not like me!?

Is That You, Baby?

Now that I'm pregnant I've decided that every pregnant woman could write her own book on being pregnant. Like most first time moms, the moment I found out that I was pregnant I rushed out to the store to find a book that would inform me of what was going on in my body. The book that I bought breaks it down month to month and lets you know what to expect and what changes are going to happen to you.
Well, first of all I'm starting a campaign to change the name of "morning" sickness to just "pregnancy" sickness. Or in my case "24/7" sickness! Everyday I had hope that that day would be the day that I truly had sickness just in the morning. I mean what are these doctors thinking. You can't mess with a hormonal pregnant woman like that!
The book also outlines when certain milestones will happen, such as when the baby can feel touch, when it can hear, etc. The baby is supposed to start hearing in the fifth month. So on the first day of the fifth month Jon was down by my belly telling our bundle of joy how he was going to take him or her to the park and when he or she got bigger that Thursday's were going to be their golf day! Could the baby even hear that? I don't know but it hasn't stopped us from telling stories or playing Baby Einstein in the car.
Then there is the whole question of when do you start to feel the baby. Everyone says that I should start to feel the baby, but what is it supposed to feel like? Come on, it's only about 8 inches long and weighs about 7 ounces. Or does it?... I've started to feel flutters, but I'm not sure if it is the baby or the chili that I ate last night.

So now when I have a wave of nausea, feel a flutter, or have a sudden craving, I just rub my expanding abdomen, chuckle and say, "Is that you, Baby?"

Baby Names

So. . . We have started discussing baby names again. We had put it on hold until we found if it was a boy or girl. Now that we are getting close to that time we have started it back up. We decided that we would only choose a name we both really liked, no I choose if it's a boy her if it's a girl kinda thing. I think we are making real progress; we are down to about 40 boy and 30 girl names.

The people @ work say I have been pretty stressed lately. I don't really feel stressed but I guess I'm coming across that way. Jess is convinced it is subconscious fear about having the baby. We talked it out and I think she may be right. Don't get me wrong I love kids. I would take home any of my nieces, nephews or godkids in a sec, but utimatley they aren't mine. BIG difference! So I'm facing my fear, thumbing through some parenting books, practing some breathing exercises, mentally preparing for birthing classes, and double checking the budget to see if I can afford it. :-)

Anyway, back to the name thing. I have come up with a boy and a girl name I love. For a boy - Denton and for a girl - Robin.
Now I just have to convince Jess.

17 weeks

Jess at 17 Weeks-Getting Fat!

Dr. Appointment

So we went to the doctor yesterday. We found out good news and bad. Let's go with the bad first. The Dr. said I needed to watch my weight gain. WEIGHT GAIN?! Are you kidding me? Isn't being pregnant a free ticket to eat whatever you want? The one time in a woman's life that she can eat cheesecake for breakfast guilt-free. No, just kidding. I don't want to get big as a barn, but, man, it seems like it just piles on so easily when you are pregnant. Jon says that I'm not getting fat, I'm getting "baby." I love that I have a husband that would say that I look beautiful even if I gained 50 pounds with this baby. But then again, he did tell me my rear was getting bigger... Hmmmmm
On to the good news. We heard the heartbeat again. I think that is something that I'll never get tired of hearing. Jon is already trying to figure out how he can record it on my next appointment. He wants to put it on his computer so he can listen to it whenever he wants. I know, we're obsessed. But hey, give us a break. It is our first child. I'm sure that you were or will be just as bad. Last month it was 164 which got me thinking girl. This month it was 144 which of course got me thinking that it is a boy. Don't fret too much about it. I go on November 19th for my ultrasound. So unless this child is as ornery as his father(or mother) and has his or her little legs pressed together, we will know if we are having a Jonnie or Jessie!

Baby Saga

Jess at 13 weeks

Jess at 5 weeks

Beginnings of a Blogger

Well, I finally got around to getting one of these blog thingys. I'm not much of a writer so you probably won't read anything too intellectually deep. I did this for our friends and family that we no longer live by. You will mainly see pictures of my rapidly growing body. But dont worry, in five short months those will be replaced by sweet pictures of a bouncing baby. Boy or girl? We do not know yet! I'm sure if you stay tuned you'll be the first to know. Okay, just kidding. I'm sure if I don't call my Mom on the way home from my ultrasound I may not live to see the birth of my first born. Needless to say, we are more than excited about the arrival of the baby. The name hasn't been decided yet, but for a small college fund fee we would be willing to take your suggestions! Well I guess that's about all I have to say about that. Until next time...