Maternity Photos

I might get induced!!

Alot has happened in the last few weeks. I went to my last appointment and Raylen has not grown like my doctor would like. Also, my placenta is getting a little bit of calcium so she is slightly concerned. She said once I am 38 weeks which is in 2 days, she would like to make a plan and pick a date to induce. I am already full term so it's not too early. I go to the doctor tomorrow so we will pick a date then. If I can, I will pick tomorrow, December 27th. I'll keep you posted.

Blessed!!!

Happy Thanksgiving. I'm 33 weeks now. He measured at 4.5lbs last Monday. Anyhow, I was asked to say grace for Thanksgiving dinner and I was happy to. "Bless us o lord for these are our gifts......" As I said that I looked down at my stomach and just started to cry. I am so blessed for the gift of Raylen. To soon, be a mother, for Kevin to be a father. To love him, protect him and guide him through life. We are so blessed.

BABY SHOWER

The baby shower was so wonderful. My mom flew in from California, my youngest sis drove from Houston and oldest sis flew in from Vegas. So many special people were there to celebrate Raylen. Now, I'm putting everything up, washing the clothes, etc. Once everything is put up, the waiting game begins. Thank you everyone! 9 more weeks and he'll be here. YEAH!

7 1/2 Months!!!

Today was a beautiful day. It was in the 50's and the baby loved the weather! He was kicking all day. Sticking his knees in my sides and doing cart wheels. We are almost there. Kevin is so excited and we just cant wait till he arrives.

Video of my big belly

Kevin wanted to show baby Reese in my belly. My belly button is popping out! I'm doing well and just so happy! We both can't wait for him to get here.

7 months pregnant

24 weeks/6 months!!!

Just 4 months left. I am growing every week that passes. I'm now 6 months along. Baby Reese kicks so often and harder now that I can see it through my belly. He can also move objects on my belly slightly. Kevin can feel him too. I waited for that moment for so long.

 I have had issues with leg swelling. Kev had to buy me some ugly compression stockings. They look like old lady pantyhose, but boy are they comfortable!!!

It's a BOY!!!!

 Our very close and wonderful friends threw us a pamper party mixed with a gender reveal party. No one knew the gender of the baby, not even us. The only person who knew was the baker who made our cake. Once we cut the cake.........we knew the gender from the BLUE cake. It was so exciting for us and just as exciting for our friends. Not only was the cake the reveal of our gender, it was delicious!!! Thanks to Leslie & Jason Poses and to Jennifer & Mike Fiscus. We have a video of us cutting the cake, but I can't figure out how to download it from my facebook page. So, you can just view it on my page.

21 weeks

 Here I am almost 5 1/2 months pregnant. I just feel so good right now. I have energy, I'm feeling the baby move all the time, Kevin can feel the baby move alot. The baby is kicking so hard that when my hand is on my belly, I can see my hand raise up a tiny bit.

20 weeks

5 months along! The baby moves so much. I can tell when it's about to happen because my stomach will get hard and then I will start to feel lots of movement. Earlier today was weird. I felt my belly and it felt like one hard lump on the left side of my stomach. I probably felt it over 10 times today!  Kevin tries to feel it move, but the baby is still too small. Maybe one more month! We will know the gender soon. We can't wait to share that with everyone. 143 more days and baby Reese will be here!!!

19 week ultrasound and first belly pic

The 19 week ultrasound was perfect. We saw the beating heart and all the organs. The doctor said everything looks appropriate and the organs look healthy. We are so happy. This is one pic of the ultrasound and my first belly pic.

Nesting has kicked in.

I can't stop organizing and cleaning. I'm organizing non-baby rooms like the bathrooms. I'm putting everything in order, throwing away old items or things I have not touched in years go in the trash. Now, I'm starting on the office. Once I clean that room, the nursery is next. We are swapping furniture from those 2 rooms. In about a month, I will have my nursery ready to start decorating. I'm so excited!

I felt kicks!!!

Many of my friends have been telling me I should be feeling kicks, flutters, bubbles, butterflies anytime now. I thought I felt it last week, but I was never sure. BUT.....last night, I was lying down and I felt it! It was right in the middle below my belly button. It was 3 very light thumps about 5-10 seconds apart. Then they stopped, but it was the most beautiful moment. Kevin said baby Reese has soccer legs. Ha Ha.

Major leg cramps

I just passed my 16 week mark and I am experiencing some major leg cramps. I couldn't make it to work today because sitting or standing is so painful for me. The pain starts at my knees and goes up to my thighs. The only thing that helps is to elevate my legs while lying down. I have not been taking my pre-natals on a daily basis, so I thought I was low on calcium. I did have my 1st cup of coffee yesterday, that's one new thing I have done since I got pregnant. I hope this isn't something that stays with me the next 6 months. It is literally unbearable!!!

We are 16 weeks today

I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I've updated this. I've been so tired from this pregnancy. All I seem to do is sleep, eat, work, sleep, etc. Everything is coming along so well. I did not have any nausea or vomiting. It has been a pleasant pregnancy, aside from no energy and migraines. I am definitely showing. Pic to come soon. I am 16 weeks, or 4 months as of today July 27th. Unfortunately, I have not felt the baby move YET. It will come any day now. The great news is, we find out the gender August 20th. We are excited. We pray everyday for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby most of all. Please keep us in your prayers.
Here are some awesome 11 week ultrasound pics! I wish they were not sideways:(

Our last day in the BVI

After Virgin Gorda, we sailed to The Indian's to snorkle. That was my favorite spot to snorkle. It had the largest coral reef, like the kind you would see on the Discovery channel. There were fish everywhere. I saw sea urchin just inches away. We stayed there about 2 hours, then we sailed to Norman Island where we stayed the night. The way you stay the night is, if you are lucky, there is a spot availiable to anchor to. We had one of the best spots. We snorkled more there, then took the dingy to the only restaraunt on the island. Only 2 people live there. Hundreds of years ago, Spanish sailors hid their loot on that island. Many locals have found the loot, but historians claim there is still more to be found. We only had our flip flops, and no shovels, so we didn't attempt it. Maybe next time.
The next day we sailed into Tortola to stay in our AC hotel rooms. That was amazing. AC. ahhhhh......The first night, we rested up. We have been going non-stop. We did order some carribean pizza and hot wings. The next day we took a speed catamaran to the island Anegada. It has 200 people living there. People just leave their cars on the side of the road, no worries. That is the life out here. No worries, no rush, your on island time. If you have to wait 15 minutes for your beer, you just wait. So, on Anegada, we went snorkeling again. I found a sand dollar and a beautiful large Conch shell. Then for lunch, we ate the biggest lobster I had ever seen. It measured from my fingertips to my bicep. It was tasty. All in all, it was an amazing trip. I'm glad we came before we became parents. Thank you Jackie and Jim for letting us come with you guys.

A day in Virgin Gorda

We woke up at 5:30am and set out to an island called Great Dog to snorkle. We snorkled for a few hours and saw some amazing fish. I felt like I was in an aquarium. Then, we headed to another island Virgin Gorda and we docked the sailboat and set out to a National Park called "The Baths". We had to walk through huge, enormous boulders that look like someone threw them in the sky, then they just landed however they wanted to. It was a 15 minute hike through all this to get to "The Baths". Once we got there, it was heaven. It was clear, light blue water that was cold. It just cooled us off enough after our hike. We also had lunch there. There are wild chickens and roosters that roam and of course, I fed one all my hamburger bun. Then, a bunch of other birds saw and started to beg too. I had to stop.
Next, we took a tour around the island. Then we had our fresh, cold showers and now everyone is settling down with their beers or wine, except for me of course. Were going to get ready for some hot dogs later for dinner. Now, we are just on the boat relaxing and winding down, getting ready for sailing again tomorrow.

Were in the British Virgin Island

We made it. 4 plane changes and 12 hours later, we are here. It is so beautiful here. We flew over all these islands with houses, HUGE houses with the most spectacular water view you can imagine. The water is 4 shades of blue. Navy blue, turqouise, baby blue and clear blue. As soon as we got here, our family greeted us after we went through customs. We went straight to the water and ate BBQ. Then we took a dingy ( a small boat) to the big boat. It's a huge catamaran. We are surrounded by many, many other sailboats with green lush mountains around us. It's just so nice. We haven't even seen the start of it. Now my aunt and I are singing Allison Krause while updating our families online. It's just perfect. More to come......Oh yeah, and Kevin is on the front of the sailboat drinking a beer chilling!

We saw a heartbeat!!!

     This is our baby. It's upside down, but you get the drift. ha ha... Yes, it's only 1 baby. I am officially 7 weeks along. The baby's heartbeat was 152 beats per minute. That is wonderful and a healthy heartbeat. I am DUE January 11, 2012. We are so excited. I wish you could have seen Kevin's face when he was watching the baby on the screen:)
     I was a little relieved that there was only 1 baby. I asked the technician to double check and look for a 2nd baby. I could stop thinking about 2 cribs, 2 strollers, 2 car seats, breastfeeding at the same time...ahhh. My hat is off to all twin mother and fathers out there (Lauren).

7 weeks along

So far, I have been extremely tired. Nothing else. No vomiting, thank goodness. I get a little nauseous when I haven't eaten in a while. Kevin is so supportive and accepts the blame for everything, ha ha. I'm kidding. I'm not that bad. He does take such good care of me and he is so excited. He rubs my belly when were laying down watching a movie, then just turns and starts talking to the baby. It's so adorable. Tomorrow is my first ultrasound. The baby should be the size of a large raspberry right now. I hope everything goes well. I have to admit, I have horrible thoughts and I try so hard to stay positive. I guess with the miscarriage last year, it worries me a lot.

We ARE PREGNANT

These 2 were implanted 2 weeks ago. 1 or both have implanted. My pregnancy levels are high and my 7week ultrasound is May 25th. I'm feeling great, just tired all the time. No nausea.

One more appointment before 2nd scheduled egg retrieval

This picture was taken the day before our 1st egg retrieval that ended up getting canceled. Kevin took me to a Spur's game to make it a nice little get away weekend, not just a weekend about in-vitro.
We just got back from San Antonio yesterday and I have another appointment on Monday the 18th. It will be my last ultrasound and blood work appointment. They will then tell me what day my retrieval will be. It's guessed it will be this Wed or Thur, April 20th or 21st. So far, I have 22 follicles. Not every follicle has an egg, but my friend told me the rule of thumb is how ever many follicles you have, 1/2 might be eggs. So, I'm hoping for at least 10 eggs. Since I ovulated on my own last time, they have me on HIGH doses of everything this month. Surprisingly, I have not been the bear I thought I would be. Kevin is still being such a great partner and my main supporter in all this. Even though he can't be at every appointment in San Antonio, he calls me constantly to make sure I made it safely and asks how the appointment went. Thank you for continuing to keep us in your prayers.

2nd cycle of in-vitro almost complete

We started the process all over again. I'm on my 6th day of injections. I'm at 2 a day now. I'm starting to get the little bruises all over my poor tummy again. I guess I need to switch to my legs today. Anyhow, I've been to San Antonio 3 times in a week so far. I go back tomorrow, Saturday, then possibly one more time next week before we do the 2nd attempt for the egg retrieval. Our expected egg retrieval date is somewhere from April 18th - April 22nd. THEN, we go back 3 days after the retrieval to place the embryo's inside to hopefully attach and become little babies. That's even I don't ovulate on my own again and hoping that I even have good eggs. I know...I know...I sound so negative. I guess it's a little hard not to be negative. But, I can tell you that this cycle has been less stressful because I have something else on my mind. Kevin and I are going to the British Virgin Islands in June to sail the Islands for 5 days. We are so excited and it's all I can think about so it's not as stressful on me this time. Thank you for all your prayers and wishes. I'll continue to keep everyone posted.

Not Pregnant

This cycle is another bust! I'm not pregnant. I was actually looking forward to possibly being pregnant with twins. We would have our family.
I spoke to my doctor in San Antonio and he is getting me started on all the meds for our last round of In-vitro. They start on Wednesday, so hormones here I come!!! I'm so tired of the hormones controlling me and taking over my face. I just pray this last round works so please keep us in your prayers. And, say a prayer especially for Kevin as he has to endure the mad woman that I become:)

Half way through 2 week wait

The 2 week wait is the worst. It's the 14 days I have to wait to test to see if I'm pregnant. The first few days was easy. Then, I started to get anxious, reading into every cramp, twinge, mood swing, etc. A few days ago, I spent the evening with very close friends. There were 3 infants from 1 month to 8 months old. I was holding one of them while talking to my friend and I briefly started to cry. I guess it's all the hormones running through my body. I got over it quickly and just enjoyed holding all these kids. Then, I just saw that TLC show, "I didn't know I was pregnant" and a 57 year old lady had a healthy daughter. I can tell you some of the emotions I have are angry, sad, confused and frustrated. One of my friends has a beautiful little girl who got pregnant on the IUD. I just feel like she is a little miracle and I don't understand why I can't be blessed with my own little miracle.
I have been having cramps that are just like aunt flow is about to visit. I am also breaking out and being a little witch to my poor hubby. I don't think this round worked. I am staying positive, but based off my latest symptoms, I think this IUI failed. I am supposed to test on Friday. We'll see what happens:)

Egg retrieval was cancelled

We got here and was brought back to the OR right away. I was in my hospital gown with the butt open to the back. Right before they were going to start my IV, Dr wanted to do one more ultrasound to make sure I didn't ovulate on my own, since my E2 kept dropping. We saw it in his face and heard it in his voice.......I had ovulated. He said we could still procede, but we knew we shouldn't. He then suggested doing an IUI instead. We had everything we needed, so we went for it. Remember, we did 5 IUI's before with Clomid. This IUI is different. We have more eggs. It's not a guarantee, but it's a shot. I personally don't feel it will work since the last 5 didn't work, but there is always that chance.so, now we are in the 2 week wait. If this doesn't work, it's more shots, ultrasounds, shots again and hopefully a retrieval. I was upset and cried some but I think all my tears are gone from crying the other night.
First thing Kevin did was take me to the cafe downstairs to get some food and a muffin while we waited to do the IUI. The IUI is complete, now were off to the Alamo and to get some real food.

We are in San Antonio

I am starving. No food or watet after midnight last night. I have enjoyed our trip up here, trying not to think about it. Please pray for many mature eggs that will make it to a little healthy Reese.

Day before egg retrieval

We have been trying to have children for almost 3 years now. After years of trying and many procedures and surgeries for Scarlet, we hit a wall. We found a wonderful specialist who is helping us with in-vitro. We've been doing injections the past 3 weeks, twice a day. Kevin has been a wonderful nurse, ha ha. He gave me most of my injections. That has not been pleasant at all. I've had an ultrasound and blood work every other day for a week during my injections. Everything was going wonderful, until 3 days ago. My estradiol (E2) level is dropping. I am growing follicles, many many follicles. I have 12 on my right and 9 on my left. The Dr said I was responding well to the injections but my E2 kept dropping. My Dr suggested at one point that we cancel this cycle. I was a wreck. I couldn't stop crying. After another ultrasound and more bloodwork, he said based off the growth of my follicles, he thinks we should go forward. He has seen women have successful pregnancies with low E2, but there is always a chance it won't work. I may not have mature eggs. Kevin and I thought long and hard and decided to follow the Dr.'s suggestion and we are going for it. It's a gamble, but we won't know anything unless we do it. So, tomorrow, we go back to San Antonio for the egg retrieval. It's a 30 minute out patient procedure. They will attempt to fertilize all the eggs and wait to see if they grow. The procedure will be at 11:30 am tomorrow. We will keep everyone posted once we get a call from the Dr to see if we had viable eggs. Wish us luck and keep us in your prayers.