21 weeks!

The most important thing to to report is that BABY HAS A NAME!!!  Here is how the naming went.  Once we decided on the two we liked the most (and we both agreed that we would be happy with either one) we let people (and one very spoiled dog) start blind picking.  Our choices were Lydia Grace and Lylah Jean.  So I wrote each first name and each middle name on a piece of paper and folded them up.  First the picker had to pick (blindly) between Lydia and Lylah and then between Grace and Jean.  Whichever two names got the most picks is what her name would be (knowing that we could get several different combinations).  We decided that this way she would get the name she was "meant to have" rather than the name more people liked.  I should also point out that Grace is Levi's grandmother's name and Jean is my grandmother's middle and my dad's middle name.  Also Levi's dad and brother both have Eugene as a middle name so it fits on both sides.  I know you are dying to know what we ended up with so.....drum roll....Lydia Jean will be the newest member of our family.  I am so excited to have a name!

It's hard to tell but this is Rylee participating in the name pick.  I put down the slips of paper with identical treats on them and we waited to see which one she picked.

I am also excited to have bedding for her to sleep in!  We do not have the actual crib yet but we have decided on which one we will have.  I think I posted the picture in the last blog.  So picture that crib with this bedding...

I think it will look a lot different with a lighter colored crib.  I've come up with some other ideas but nothing much has come from them yet. 

This past weekend I did some (read: A LOT) of shopping with my mom and sisters in the Dallas area and got some good maternity clothes that are good for summer but will also work well for back-to-school.  And of course Lydia got lots of new clothes :)

I go back to the doctor tomorrow so we shall see what she says.  I guess I should have waited to post until I get back but oh well, I'll update if need be.

Here's what Lydia is doing this week:
Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. (mommy note: umm..YES, they are almost feel-able from the outside) You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well. (daddy note: Hey! That's my daughter you're talking about! ;)  )

Until next time!

20 weeks!

We're half way there!  I cannot belive how time is flying.  Not much new to report with me.  I'm still having good days and bad days, though I feel like the good days are coming more and more.  The heat is killing me and I'm SO thankful I'm not "huge" yet because I know that would be so much more miserable. 


Baby still nameless.  Here are our thoughts on names.  We have it narrowed down to 2 that we both like and both first names go nicely with both middle names.  We needed help deciding on which names to use but we didn't want other people picking a name based on what THEY liked best.  We want her name to "meant to be".  So, we put each name on a piece of paper and have been letting friends and family pick a piece of paper without knowing what actual name they were picking.  We feel that whatever she is meant to be named will get picked the most.  Agree or not, that's the plan.  As of right now we have a pretty clear winner for this first name but the middle names are tied.    Not sure how we are going fix that.


She has been moving like crazy.  I've felt her everyday since the first time.  She seems really low but I don't know how low she really is.  I'm anxious for the day Levi can feel her too!


I think I have decided on a theme for her room.  It's kinda hard to explain but I'm thinking of a shabby-chic/grarden/old farm house look.  I've found a crib that I like that has a distressed look to it and I know it will be easy to fix other furniture to "match".  The bedding is ordered and I'm excited to see it in person!  I will post pictures when it comes in. 

Here is the crib.  I actually saw this crib on a friend's blog and thought it was cute.  Then I saw the actual crib in a little boutique here in town and thought it was cute.  It wasn't until I got a broushure and saw this picture that I relized it was the same crib from the blog! 


Here is how Baby S is doing this week (it's kinda a boring one this week...sorry):
Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against her torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of her head to her bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, she's measured from head to toe.)
She's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for her digestive system. She's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in her bowels, and you'll see it in her first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

Where We are Today

So, if you haven't heard by now WE'RE HAVING A BABY!  Baby Sleeper will be joining our family in the flesh in November and we could not be more excited.  I am already 19 weeks along so there is much to catch up on.  If you know me, you know I'm a "just give me the facts" kind of girl and what better way to do that than with....bullets, of course!  So here is where we stand as of today on the baby front (again, in no particular order):

• Baby Sleeper is a nameless little girl
• We have it narrowed down to 2 names.  My number 1 is Levi's number 2 and his number 1 is my number 2.  We have a plan though :)
• Just this week I have been starting to feel her move...sometimes quite a bit.
• We found out we were pregnant in the beginning of March.  I took a HPT on Thursday morning the 3rd and was +, another on Friday morning and it was also + (duh, right!) so I called the Dr. at my conference time on Friday.  They told me to come in on Monday for blood work and by Wednesday they were calling to tell me "Yep, you're pregnant!"
• I have been getting "morning" sick since the week after Spring Break.  It is definitely getting better but I still have days where I don't feel like getting off the couch for fear of standing up and not making it to the bathroom.  Like if I just don't move everything will stay put.
• But I also have great days when I can go all day without getting sick (or having to take my Rx nausea meds).
• I've started on some registries, with the help of many mommies, but they are all still works in progress.  Hopefully I will be all finished (at least like 99%) before school starts because I know there will be no time or energy to do it after.
• I have some ideas on how to decorate her room...though it is a bit tricky because all my ideas look better with painted walls and as we are in a rent house we can't paint...though I am thinking about trying to sweet talk the owners :)
• We have been reading to her every night for about a week now.  I went to the library and checked out some good books and I also went up to school and stole my favorite books out of my classroom library.
• We, and everyone else who knows her, are still wondering how Rylee will react when Baby comes home and takes the place of center of attention.  It will be interesting that's for sure.
• I've found a number of great websites but I think the one I like best is www.babycenter.com.  Here is what they say is going on with Baby this week:
• Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.
  Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Until next time friends!  I will be trying to post at least every week with updates on how Baby is growing.  Stay tuned!

Changes...they are a comin'....

...and many have come and gone!  We are coming up on a year since my last post and that my friends is unacceptable.  With our biggest change coming I have committed myself to being better about updating.  So for a quick update on the past year here are some catch up bullets (in no particular order):

• the school year has come and gone.  I had a pretty good class this year.  In place of the discipline problems of the past I had about 4 kiddos that needed me a little more than the rest and in the end I think we got them all worked out.
• Rylee turned a whole year old!  She has been such a delight to us.  She can give the silliest, meanest, and sweetest faces in the matter of minutes.  She had a little birthday party with puppy cupcakes and ice cream.
• Levi has been traveling all over for work; Vegas, Bahamas, New Orleans.  He has also been doing some flying for and with another sweet couple and they have been a real blessing to us.  And of course when the storms roll in, he cloud seeds.
• and of course our BIG change is that we are adding a new member to our family!  Baby Sleeper will be here in November so be prepared for this blog to be all baby all the time starting very shortly!

Stay tuned for more Sleeper family news, updates and pictures!