All Smiles

Gianna loves to smile and when she gets really excited, her little arms go up in the air.

34 weeks & other Prego Momas

From left to right, Cathy, me, Leila (due any day!) and Elishia.... All expecting!


I think the belly looks fake in these photos... I also think I look a little tipsy - I promise, I am not!

Gia reads books

We babysat Gianna last week and she just loves her new books. It is the cutest thing to watch her get so excited by all the colors.

Shadow Shot

I had a regular doctor appointment today and had an ultra-sound to check the amniotic fluid levels. It was a quick ultra-sound and I have no photos to show for it, but it was really neat to see another shot of the baby. His/her hands were clenched and s/he was kicking me at the same time - and the head - my goodness, s/he looked like a real baby. I know that seems obvious, but I havent had an ultrasound for 13 weeks, so to get another chance to see the baby was amazing!
The baby is currently head down, though that can always change... Next appointment is in two weeks!

32.5 weeks

The most recent photos: B-I-G~!



Jagger and Maya pass out intertwined, as usual.


Maya and her boyfriend George hanging out...

The Room

OK, so we only have the crib and a dresser -- but it's a start!

Ronan and Gianna meet

Gianna and Ronan's first meeting went really well - despite Gianna being a couple months older, Gianna and Ronan are nearly the same size! Ronan slep most of the time, acting like he wasn't interested in her and playing hard to get.

Gia says HI

Year of the .... Pig?!

On the Chinese calendar, 2007 is Lunar Year 4704-4705. On the Western calendar, the start of the Chinese New Year falls on February 18, 2007 — The Year of the Pig. Pigs are highly regarded for your chilvary and pureness of heart, and you often make friends for life.

Pigs are also intelligent and loyal, cant resist naps or bubble baths, curious by nature, can be quick-tempered, but mostly born to please mom.

"Contrary to its rather negative reputation in the West, the Pig of Chinese Astrology may be the most generous and honorable Sign of the Zodiac. Pigs are nice to a fault and possess impeccable manners and taste. They have so much of the perfectionist in them that others may be inclined to perceive them as snobs, but this is a misconception. Pigs are simply possessed of a truly luxurious nature, one that delights in finery and riches (in surroundings, food, lovemaking and otherwise). This Sign believes in the best qualities of mankind and certainly doesn't consider itself to be superior. Pigs also care a great deal about friends and family and work hard to keep everyone in their life happy. Helping others is a true pleasure for the Pig, who feels best when everyone else is smiling."

It was Positive

I know it is gross, but I kept the orginal pregnancy tests that I took back in August. I am not sure what I planned on doing with them but it didn't seem like something I should throw away. Well, after seeing them in my bathroom drawer for the last six months (in a zip-lock bag!) I decided to take photos of them, post the photos on here, and then throw them away! So here are the tests! And Yes -'tests'- as in plural tests not just a single test. The afternoon I found out I was pregnant (August 13, 2006), I took 5 (FIVE) pregnancy tests, and the next morning, I took a sixth. One of the reasons I took so many tests (and different brands of tests) was because I didn't think I was getting a 'positive'. If you look at one of the sticks it indicates Pregnancy will be shown by a Plus (+) sign in the left box and a vertical line in the right box. My tests showed two vertical lines which indicated nothing. So as I sent JR to the store for a different brand of test, an EPT test, (the EPT tests he got showed the word "pregnant" but after six months the digital reader has gone out and it is now blank) I got on the phone and called the 800 number to figure out what two vertical lines meant on the first four tests. I got a recording which immediately stated "If you have two vertical lines, you are pregnant. Ignore any horizontal lines" ... or something like that. Basically, the recording told me I was pregnant (which JR had been saying since he saw the first test). I still took the other two EPT tests though.

Super Bowl Sunday

Our neighbors got a "jump" to keep the kids busy during the Super Bowl yesterday. We found out that the dogs loved it more than the kids.

These are also the newest belly pictures. JR noticed that my belly button is sooooo close to popping out but the close-up pictures don't quite seem to capture it (though if you look closely at the side shot, you can almost see what we are talking about).

After running up the jumper and sliding down, the dogs were exhausted, and slept in the hot sun the rest of the afternoon.

The Tour

JR and I did a hospital tour last night. I never thought I would write about it because I didnt think it would be a big deal.... But, here I am, writing about it.
The doctors recommend that you do a hospital tour so that when you go into the hospital during actual labor you aren't freaking out about where to go and what to do. So we went to the lobby of the hospital and there were about 15 other couples waiting there for the tour too. I am not sure why I thought I would be the only one there.
I kinda freaked out and it became a little more real when the tour guide would say things like "Here is where you will check in when you are in labor" and "Here is where your family will wait when you are delivering" and "Each room has a jacuzzi tub to make labor more comfortable for you." We saw an empty room and I was impressed at the size - in fact, the entire tour of 30 people fit in the room - though it was a little cramped. Each room is private with a mini fridge, cable tv, and a jacuzzi tub. The hospital was nice - a little old - but I was impressed with the place. They are building a new hospital with a new maternity wing across the street from this one but it won't be done until May so we will just miss it.
Everything went fine and we are that much closer and so much more excited. Seeing the labor and delivery rooms was nuts though - to be able to imagine where I will be when it happens is crazy!
They did tell us that video cameras are not allowed during delivery (but immediately after is ok). I guess that video would have been cool to have but not sure I wanted a camera pointed at that area anyways.

31 week photos

I remember that I wrote before that I had to stop taking pictures of me in my sweat pants... well, that might not happen anytime soon because I tend to remember to take pictures at night when I am already out of my work clothes.

These photos were taken at the end of my 30th week and the belly bump is starting to look and feel HUGE to me. High heels are starting to get really uncomfortable which sucks because I dont know if I have other shoes...

The belly button hasn't popped out yet but it is getting 'flat' and will surely pop out soon. I tried to take a photo of my belly button now and it didnt come out all that clear - see above.

Large Baby

A Brazilian woman gave birth to a nearly 17lb baby... my brother sent this picture to me to scare me. It worked...

Baby Reynolds' Development

Here is what BabyCenter.com says about Baby Reynolds' development for 30 weeks:
"Your baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and s/he weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as s/he gets bigger and fills out your uterus."
Wow, 3 pounds.

Classes Start ... 1 down, 4 to go...

Our birthing classes started yesterday and aside from sitting still for far too long and going over a lot of paperwork and introductory materials, the class was really interesting. We have decided to take Hypnobabies (http://www.hypnobabies.com/home.php) over Lamaze or the Bradley method or any of the other classes out there and the course runs for five consecutive Saturdays. Hypnobabies teaches relaxation and aims to have mothers give birth naturally. While I never really thought about epidurals before this, the fact that our hospitals are so reliant on it scares me a little (99% of births at Hoag are with epidurals) and seems to take a lot of the control away from me. Those of you who know me, know I like to be in control. That isn't to say that I am anti-drugs or surgical intervention which I still understand to be necessary sometimes; just maybe not all the time. And of course, to each their own.... I stand by everyone's personal birthing decisions and feel they are right for each individual.
At the very least, it was nice to learn some interesting facts and a different point of view and who knows, in the end, we will see what happens. I don't think I am going to say anymore about it because people's reaction so far seems to result in the idea that I am crazy. They say that I "dont know what I am talking about because I havent done it yet" or "why not just get the epidural if it is there." And again, to each their own, but I am sure after looking into it and researching it and sitting through classes that don't talk about epidurals being the norm, people might agree that many of the decisions to use medicine/surgery are done to keep the hospital's liability down and the doctor's control up.
Either way, about 75-90% of those that do the hypnobabies classes succeed in giving birth naturally with a discomfort level of 0-1 on a scale of 10.

Getting Practice...

We babysat Gianna last night when Ryan and Catt went out to dinner. Gianna was soo good and stayed awake pretty much the whole time. We introduced her to the dogs when she got there (they were on the other side of the fence at first) and they sniffed her and then ignored her. Well, they ignored her until she cried and then Jagger just stared at her like the photo above(actually, that is what Uncle JR did when she cried too - and then he handed her to me!). In fact, I think Jagger and JR are making the same face in that picture above. I love the picture of her sleeping on my belly and can't wait for her cousin to come out and play with her!

Introducing Ronan Douglas Fisher

My good friend Jody Cook-Fisher and his wife Michelle just had their first son on January 21, 2007. He weighs 8lbs 5oz and is 21 inches long. Everyone is doing well! I am shocked and speechless and so happy for them! Little Ronan is so cute!

Glucose Testing and Kick Counting

JR tucking the dogs in for bed!
29 weeks!

I had to drink what looked like a bottle of orange soda today and then have my blood drawn exactly one hour from the time I finished the drink - there was six minutes of error time allowed and I hope I made it so I don't have to drink that 'soda' again. This test is to ensure that I don't have gestational diabetes which can lead to many unwanted things in the third trimester of a pregnancy. I don't get results for a week - and that is IF the blood was drawn within the time frame required.

I also got a "kick card" to keep track of how long it takes Baby Reynolds to kick 10 times. I am supposed to count at about the same time every night (I am doing 7pm because that seems like a time when the baby is always kicking). And once I feel one kick, I write down the time and then write down an ending time after the 10th kick. If for some reason, the baby kicks less than 10 times in 2 hours, I need to call the hospital. This all seems very scary and serious to me because I am one of those people that will call if the baby only kicks 9 times or something... Tonight though, Baby Reynolds kicked 10 times in only 20 minutes.

Today at the doctor my stomach measured just over 28 centimeters which is right on track and means the baby is growing appropriately. I am also growing and it is official -- exactly 20lbs heavier than I started... and hopefully only 10lbs more to go!

Baby Gianna!

TOOO CUTE! My niece Gianna is growing up so fast (8 weeks old!) and she looks adorable! Here are the newest photos!