It's Official

Our ultrasound is set for Friday, May 8th. I still think Broster is a boy.

First Attempt

Gracie's first attempt at walking on her own.
She actually took two steps before I got the camera out!

Week 16 Checkup

I just got back from the doctor's office, and have all good news. My blood pressure was good, and we finally got to hear the heartbeat! She said it was in the 140s, which leads me to believe we may be having the first boy out of our group of friends. Gracie's heartbeat was always in the 150-160 range and I've heard typically girls have a faster heartbeat. The doc is "ordering" an ultrasound from the hospital, and said I should call them tomorrow to make an appointment. My next doctor's exam will be on May 26th.

I checked Shirley Jean's blog to find a website her momma used to "predict" her gender, and "Babyman" agrees. He predicted we're having a boy. Hey, he was right for SJ, and Gracie.

On a side note, Daddy and Gracie are having BWW tonight, and I just got off the phone with Daddy. He was helping a friend finish moving today and told me a funny story I thought I'd share. He said he had Gracie sitting up in the stroller with Goldfish crackers in the tray, but he didn't strap her in. He was talking with our friend and the next thing he knew she was behind the stroller walking around! She apparently slipped herself out through the footrest and was off. She was probably looking at Daddy and thinking "Sucker!"

Uh Oh!

Someone needs her crib mattress lowered!

Who Needs a Baby Gate. . .

. . .when we have a mansion?

As an added bonus, there's a "kitty door"-the driveway on the left is the perfect size for kitty to sneak through to the other side of the apartment.

Week 16

This week has been pretty uneventful as far as Broster is concerned. I have been feeling the baby move for about the last four weeks, but not often. I can't wait until it is more often as I love to feel the baby move! I have been craving junk food like crazy, and have to force myself to try and eat better foods to help the baby's development. I have my next doctor's appointment on Tuesday afternoon, and was told I get to have my developmental ultrasound at 17 weeks. I am really excited for the ultrasound and do plan on finding out the gender, if Broster cooperates. I was able to sell our computer desk on craigslist and they will be picking it up tomorrow, giving us room to set up the pack n play as a bassinet for Broster to sleep in. Gracie has started standing up in her crib, so she may be getting ready to move into a toddler bed, which could be perfect timing depending on how big Broster is! The bassinet doesn't allow for too much weight in it. For now the kids will be sharing a room, but who knows what the future holds as we are looking for jobs back home and if that doesn't pan out will start looking for a house. Either way, I'd like to have a home within 2009 with Obama's housing stimulus to motivate us to finally take the plunge. I have been looking casually at what is near here and think we can get a decent sized home under our figure that we can supposedly "afford." I never trust those numbers! I am looking forward to knowing the baby's gender just as garage sale season starts. If Broster is a boy, we will need to stock up on clothes that are not pink or dresses!

Here's what BabyCenter.com has to say about week 16:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

Melting Momma's Heart

On Monday I was surprised to hear Gracie up when I got up for work, so I got her up and we played for an hour before I had to leave for work. I snuggled her on the way to put her back in her crib, explaining that "Momma wants to stay and play, but she needs to leave for work now. I will miss you, and hurry home to play." As I laid her in her crib, she put one thumb in her mouth, and waved bye bye with her other hand! I almost couldn't leave!
Shortly after Gracie was born, we received a care package from her auntie in Portland. Included in it was a blanket that is pink on one side with polka dots on the other side. Gracie has adopted this blanket as her "blankey." She won't sleep without it (which is a little worrisome come hot July nights-it's fleece!), and when she's upset we just put it near her and she snuggles into it. She has been a bit crabby and independent tonight. Stubborn with where she wants to go, and what she wants to do-I even pulled her out from under the kitchen cabinet! She was following the kitty in and got quite upset when I caught her and pulled her out. I noticed her head getting heavy (first sign of sleepiness) so I gave her a couple of teething tablets and laid her down to sleep. With one thumb in her mouth, she grabbed her blankey, snuggled into it and rolled onto her side. Soooo cute.

This is a picture of Gracie at only a couple of weeks old, wrapped in the blanket she now considers her blankey.

Pulling Herself Up

Gracie had finally pulled herself up on her own. She has actually become a bit of an expert at it, when finished with a diaper change I take her hands and pull her to a sitting position. Lately she sticks her feet under her and simply stands up instead. She still needs to hold on to something to walk, but I'm sure her first solo steps will happen very soon. She loves to stand, and can make her way all the way around our living room, moving from furniture to furniture. She is so happy on her feet that she gets mad if we make her sit for too long. Baseball games are now spent with her walking from person to person. Luckily, we usually get a handicapped seat, so she has a fence in front of us to hold on to while she walks.

I missed the beginning of Snuffy's adventure here, but she started by crawling to the red tool bench toy, and pulled herself up to the funny position that she is in at the beginning of the video.

Broster's Progress

I was asked the other day, "What's Broster up to this week?" I honestly couldn't answer because I hadn't gotten my email yet! Well, I got it today, so I thought I'd update people on his/her progress.

How your baby's growing:Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

My next appointment is on the 28th, and I was told I can have my big ultrasound the following week. We do plan on finding out Broster's gender at that time. I really enjoyed knowing that Gracie was a girl, and I am excited to know what to expect with this time around too.

Opening Day 2009

Yesterday was the Brewer's home opener. I was excited, but dreading it all at once. This series is against the Cubs, and their fans like to drive up here and refer to our stadium and "Wrigley North," get very vulgar to anyone wearing Brewers gear. It was great last night though! There weren't many Cubs fans, so I was able to more easily ignore their constant swearing and excessive drinking (thinks for funding our team!). Before the game we went down on the first base line to try and get a few autographs and say "hi" to the players that know us. We were successful not only in getting a handful of autographs, but also in making it into the Milwaukee Journal and being interviewed for the local news! It's amazing what a media magnet Gracie is!

This picture is the one that is printed in the Milwaukee Journal today. We were getting an autograph from David Riske, a relief pitcher and Christian that testifies at the FCA Tailgate every year. We're big fans and wanted to welcome him back. The young girl next to Brian is a friend of ours, and her dad is just behind her.

We also got to talk to Todd Coffey and Seth McClung. Seth is Gracie's favorite, she lights up whenever she sees him coming! He tickled her belly and told her how big she's gotten-and then told us he's expecting his first child in September! That's such great news, he is going to make an amazing daddy! Josey had handicapped seats, to we were able to squish in with her and her friends instead of going up to the nosebleed seats, which was great. To top it all off, the Brewers won in the bottom of the ninth after being down by one going into the ninth! Gracie had a blast, waving at all the people and even settled down enough to take a nap in the middle of the game! It was a great day, and we even got home in time for Gracie's bedtime.

Best Friends

Poor, Tortured Kitty

What's New With. . .

Snuffy: Gracie had a stomach bug two weekends ago, and was "kind" enough to share that with momma. After a few days of throwing up, we were able to ween her back on to her whole milk and other foods that she loves. She feels like she is finally gaining a bit of weight, but still fits into her 6 month clothes! She LOVES whole milk-so much that she has stopped nursing, except in the mornings when momma wakes her up and she's too tired to protest! Overall, she is a happy, healthy baby that loves to play and laugh with her friends and family.

Broster: This is the name daddy has come up with for the new baby, until we find out the gender at least. We had a check up on Wednesday to hear the baby's heartbeat, but the doctor was unable to isolate the sound. She said we're lucky, because we got another ultrasound out of it. We were able to see baby's head, spine, hands, and legs. The doc said she wasn't even going to try to see the gender because it's so early, this is when mistakes are made and the wrong gender is announced. We watched the little heart beat a few times, and she said the baby looks like s/he is growing perfectly. Our next check up is in four weeks-which will be week 16 for me. At week 17 I will have the big ultrasound to check all development and learn the baby's gender. I was very excited to hear that, as my last doctor waited until 20 weeks for the ultrasound. I was also excited to hear that the ultrasound is at the hospital and it is very advanced. She mentioned DVD and everything! I don't know if my insurance covers such fancy things, but it's pretty amazing to know that it will be available.