Photos

Hi Joey!
We don't have any good photos of your head or your body but we were able to salvage two shots showing your boy parts  :)

15 weeks

17 weeks

I bought you a present today.  You have to have a hat just like Baby Elijah  :)  So, now we have a girly headband and a boy hat.  We are covered either direction but I think those photos are pretty much evidence that we are going to have to save the girly headband for one of our cousins to have a girl!

17 weeks

Hi Joseph Robert!
We had our 17 week appointment today.  You are 17w1d.  We didn't have a long appointment but they did confirm that your penis was still there  :)  Since we had it confirmed two appointments in a row, we decided to go ahead and tell your family.  Now, it isn't a secret anymore that you are our little Baby Joey.

Nothing much else to report.  Dr. Bonehead changed our meds a bit so we are going to take 1 pill at night and 1/2 a pill in the morning.  Your heartbeat was good and you looked good.

Our next appointment is in 2 weeks and it is our BIG appointment where we get an extra long ultrasound and see your measurements.  We get to see if you are a big fat pig or a normal baby  :)

Thanks for cooperating and showing us that you are still a boy.  We will see you in 2 weeks and I look forward to feeling you moving everyday.

First Present!

Hi Baby!
I know it isn't a Thursday or a dr. appointment day but I had to tell you all about your FIRST PRESENT!  Your Uncle Zachary texted me today that he found a gift for you and brought it over right away.  He said it was important to buy it for you because I call my kiddos monkeys.  It is so cute, so soft and rattles.  We will just have to keep it away from Elijah  :)

Thank you Uncle Zachary for thinking of the new baby!!

16 weeks

Hi Squirt!
You poor thing - you can definitely tell you aren't our first pregnancy.  You don't have your own dedicated nickname - kiddo, squirt, peanut, etc.  You don't have any pictures (though not my fault) and you get no long, drawn out posts about all of mommie's innermost thoughts and feelings.  Sorry buddy - you can tell your therapist all about it down the road.  :)  However, one thing that is different - I am making plans to dress you cuter at the hospital.  I am on the look out for cute little clothes and hats.  With Elijah, he was just in the hospital straight jacket the whole time and I feel that we can do a little bit better for you  :)  I am pretty cheap when it comes to clothes but I am willing to pay FULL price for the right outfits for you!

You are 16 weeks today.  No dr. this week - we go back next Friday.  You are moving around a bit everyday and it is exciting.  But, they are still such small movements that I have to wait a few minutes to make sure it was really you!  You are still being really nice to me - no sickness to complain about.  But, I did notice that I am at that point in my pregnancy where my hips hurt at night.  It is like they fall asleep and tingle.  I hate that!

I had a huge realization this week.  In all my prior pregnancies, I was counting down weeks.  How many weeks until the first trimester? Until the cerclage? Until we are past the point Little M was born? Until we are past the point the twins were born? Until you are viable? Until you are viable with a relatively minor probability of health issues?  Each day/week was just a countdown until the next stage.  However, with you, I don't think about it.  I did count down until our cerclage but, now, I just count down till June.  I don't think "Oh my gosh, only 8 more weeks until you have a shot."  I don't think "Your % of survival is xxx."  I just think "6 more months and I will have two babies."  It goes to show you how relaxed I am about you and how I am truly planning on enjoying your entire pregnancy!  I just can't wait to get a good photo of you to share with everyone!

Well, squirt, that is about it for this week.  I can't wait to see you next week & hopefully, we can get a good photo but I fear that isn't going to come until our 19 week appointment.

15 weeks

Hi Runt!
You are a whopping 15 weeks today and we went to see Dr. Bonebrake this morning.  We had good news - you are doing great!  Heart rate was fine, you were moving, our cervix was perfect and we are cleared for another two weeks.  I think your old mom may even be in good graces with her blood sugars - which is almost unheard of  :)  On the down side, we didn't get to see you hardly at all.  The angle of the ultrasound pretty much had you blocked by the placenta.  We didn't get to see your face and there were no measurements so it was a really short ultrasound.  Poor kid - 15 weeks and still not a picture in your scrapbook!

I definitely felt you give me a swift punch or kick yesterday!  I think it might have been too much sugar.  We had just had dinner and we had dessert at Ted & Wally's.  You were reacting to the best ice cream on the planet - Chocolate Banana from Ted & Wally's.  I was sitting in my recliner and there was a huge flutter.  I told your daddy that you just definitely got me!

Well buddy, we will see you again in 2 weeks.  We are scheduled for 17, 19 and 21 weeks to see you.  I think the 19 week will be the big ultrasound that is super long and detailed.  I am hoping that shortly after that, we will go to a 4 week appointment schedule for 12 weeks or so because these appointments are so long with the drive time!

Talk to you in a week or two, runt  :)

14 weeks

Hi Pipsqueak!
I have SO much to tell you.  It has been a big week!  I think our biggest news is that we are home from the hospital and we are all sewn up.  You are sealed in there tight and we are going to make it until 39 weeks buddy.  We did our surgery today & heard you twice on the doppler.  You were doing great each time.  Dr. Bonebrake did say my cervix was starting to show signs of problems so we had good timing again. 

Now that we have that big news out of the way, let's backtrack a bit to our "announcement weekend."  On Christmas day, your brother Elijah wore his "Big Brother" shirt.  Great Gramma said "Oh, Elijah wants to be a big brother?" I said "No, Elijah IS GOING TO BE a Big Brother."  She was so excited, Auntie Val screamed she was so excited (and scared the Big Brother into crying), Auntie Kim teared up and Grampa Keith was so excited he texted his friends saying he was going to be a Grampa again!  Your Cvilikai cousins were happy & we asked Brandon to be your Godfather.  I am not sure when we will see him in person again so we had to jump all over it.  :)  He was excited and is looking forward to learning what the heck that means to him.  I am still trying to negotiate your college tuition to be paid by him but I don't think it will work out.  I told Daddy that he needs to pick out your Godmother or I will be accused of favortism towards my side of the family.  He is still thinking about that one.

After Great Gramma's house, we went to Gramma Debi D's house for a minute and they got to see Elijah's shirt too!  Everyone is so excited for you to be on your way.

The final reveal was on Sunday at Elijah's party.  I wore a shirt that said "Baby on Board June 2011."  So, all of the rest of our family could see the big news!  People were so happy for us and everyone is praying for a girl.  To be honest buddy, your dad and I don't care if you are a girl or a boy.  Just healthy & full term.  We will love you to pieces either way.  Personally, I would like to find out your gender and not tell anyone just to torture them.  But, your daddy is vetoing that idea  :)  Here is mommy in her shirt.  Gramma Debbie sent us this picture.

On Wednesday, Elijah went to visit Great Gramma and Auntie Val so you, your daddy and me went to dinner and a movie.  When the previews started, there was a loud boom of noise and I think it scared you.  It was the first time I felt you really flutter & move.  I have had flutters but I think they were all gas  :)  This one was a big flutter, it was isolated on its own and then it stopped.  It was like it startled you then you went back to sleep.  It was so exciting!

We are having some problems getting our blood sugars regulated.  We are on new meds to keep them down and they seem to be getting too low.  Dr. Bonebrake likes the lower the better and I think you like the lower the better.  But, we had 4 episodes this week where I was pretty sick - shaky, incoherent, and just plain out of it.  I don't like them that low.  I remember when Elijah was cooking in there, if they got too low, he would get upset at me and remind me to check them or eat.  When you get a bit bigger, you can do that too because these episodes were completely unexpected.

Another piece of excellent news (see, I told you there was a lot!) is that I emailed Kelley Ryden tonight and she has a class on June 29th.  It is PERFECT for your arrival and I am asking her to pencil you in.  WOOHOO - Kelley Ryden photos just like Elijah and during a baby posing class.  This is so exciting.  I had to run out to your daddy as soon as I got the news and say "BABY 2 HAS RESERVATIONS FOR KELLEY RYDEN.  DID YOU HEAR ME?  KELLEY RYDEN AGAIN."  :)  As you may  have heard (I will have to double check because I don't know if you can hear yet), I was completely excited and daddy was grinning ear to ear too.  Few things of note BABY 2 - this really puts pressure on us to keep you in cooking until a minimum of June 19th.  So, as we get to that 37th week (June 9th) and I am whining, I have to tell myself that you need to make it until June 19th for KELLEY RYDEN PHOTOS.  (Among the other reasons that I want you in there longer - this just adds to it)  She only takes newborns 10 days and younger so we are on a tight deadline.  You will have to cooperate with us as well because you can't come earlier than scheduled.  She does have a class on June 14th but that is too early - we want you in there longer.  As we get closer, your daddy and I will teach you how to pose, make sure you make weight and all sorts of other silly things that we did to your poor tortured brother before his Kelley Ryden photos.

Finally, I have something deep to share with you today because it was so exciting to me.  Ever since we knew you were on your way, I have been saying that we are tying my tubes when they cut you out.  I can't remember if I told you that Bonehead hasn't approved but I am fighting him on that  :)  Your daddy has agreed but he hasn't been 100% behind the idea.   He was of the mindset "What if we change our mind?"  Well, I knew for 110% I would not change my mind.  For one thing, I would like to avoid medicines for the rest of my life to make sure Baby 3 didn't appear.  I also knew that 2 is my limit.  I want to give you & Elijah so much in the world but if I keep having babies, there are only so many resources to go around.  I am also getting older - remember that Advanced Maternal Age stuff?  Finally, that last 9 years or so have been consumed about babies.  We were talking about having babies, deciding what to do to have babies, making babies, losing babies, talking more about what to do, etc.  I never felt any peace or relief about the topic until 11/08 when we decided to officially close the chapter on babies.  Well, God laughed at us and blessed us with Elijah and we were back on the baby merry go round - do we have another?  When?  How long should we wait? Should we try naturally?  It started all over again.  Our lives never move forward because we are always thinking about the next step in the baby process.

I do have a relevant point to all of this, pipsqueak.  It is just taking me a long time to get there.  So, today, I mention all of that to your daddy.  "Do you realize that when this baby comes, we will have been dealing with baby issues for 9 years?  I am so glad that is going to be all behind us and we are going to move forward."  He kind of ignores me and we go to lunch.  About an hour later, he says to me "You know, I finally get it - I finally understand why you want your tubes tied.  When you said that in the car about the last 9 years, I finally got it. I am also ready to put this behind us and move forward."  Seriously, pipsqueak, this was the best news ever!  While your daddy would never stop me from tying my tubes, it was just the knowledge that we were on the same page 100%.  It was so exciting that he was on the same wavelength as me.  He went on to talk about waiting for you 2 to be older so he can teach you to scuba dive (another topic for another day - my heart already started palpitating at the words), to go to the amusement parks with him and to (hopefully) have financial stability that we can do that with you both. YAY for all 4 of us!!

Well, I think that is all of my news for you for this week.  This upcoming week is a BIG week.  We are going to relax and recover on Friday & Saturday - unfortunately, you might also be a bit stoned for a couple of days as we manage the pain.  We have book club on Tuesday and, finally, we are going on Thursday for our checkup.  Bonehead will check to make sure his surgery looks perfect and we will hopefully get to see YOU!  When Elijah was 15 weeks, we knew for sure that he was a boy so we are really, really hoping you will cooperate and show us your parts.  It would be so awesome to know for sure if you are a boy or a girl - even though we still don't have a girl's name picked out.

Take care in there this week, pipsqueak!  Feel free to flutter it up and move for me and we will talk to you next week.  Maybe, just maybe, we will get a good photo to share with you too!

13 weeks

Hi Baby!
I have quite a few things to tell you from this week.  First off, we are at that magical 13 week number!  WOOHOO for us.  I guess maybe it isn't that magical for us - we need that magical 14 week number with our cerclage, don't we?  But, you are 1/3 of the way done cooking and I am so excited.  Thank you again for being so nice to me so far.  No vomiting, very little nausea and just being tired.  I couldn't ask for an easier 13 weeks.  We are coming up on the "easy" and fun time now and I hope that you continue to be so nice to me.

We heard you for the first time on the doppler this last week.  I was looking and looking then you appeared!  We listened again later so your daddy could hear too.  Made this whole pregnancy thing kind of real.  I guess you are really on your way, little peanut!

I think Mommy is looking a little pregnant.  I went out to dinner last night and I wore a new dress.  I went to the bathroom towards the end of dinner and I looked in the mirror.  The way the dress was draping, I looked HUGE - like 7 months pregnant.  I was so shocked.  In a way, I was surprised to be showing so quickly and in a way, I was excited.  I would rather look pregnant than fat so I will take it and wear that dress everyday  :)  Not only did I look pregnant on Tuesday, apparently, it was also obvious to Auntie Becky & Uncle Steve.  On cookie day last weekend, I guess they were scoping out my tummy.  Auntie Becky was so excited about the news!  We gotta hurry up and tell people before they know just by looking at me.

I have a funny for you.  I ended up telling your cousin Brandi and I told her it was a secret.  She said "My lips are as sealed as your cervix will be."  What a good one  :)

Well, baby, we have a big weekend ahead.  We have Christmas Eve on Friday.  Then, the big "reveal" on Christmas day to your Lang family.  Finally, the second "reveal" on Sunday to everyone else.  I hope that they are as excited as we are and I hope they are surprised!