Introducing....

JACKSON FELIX GERBER!

So we've finally decided on a name after hashing it out in our long car ride back to Oklahoma this past weekend. Jackson b/c we just like the name and Felix after Justin's grandpa's middle name. It means a lot to Justin to be able to name our little boy in some way after his grandpa b/c his grandpa is one of the only people that can make Justin emotional. Justin is not a mushy person, but talking about his grandpa really gets him emotional, so I'm proud to add Felix in there.

I just got back from having a 4D ultrasound and I'm so glad that I went and spent the money. Our baby boy is just adorable! He's got his mommy's chubby cheeks and big bubba lips and his daddy's sweet big nose. Jackson kept putting his hands up around his face, so he made it a little difficult to get a full face shot, but we still got some good pics. He's absolutely precious and I'm so excited now that he'll be here hopefully in a few short weeks. It looks like he's already ready to go and is facing down now with his feet straight up in my ribs. On one hand I'm hoping he's early b/c he's so big already and on the other hand, I hope he waits until the due date b/c I don't know if I'm ready yet! We have so much to do still...finish putting everything away in the baby room, get approved for maternity leave, figure out a routine, etc. etc. Either way, I'm so excited to meet him....so much more so now than before. Here are some more ultrasound pics of our little man:


You can watch the video of the ultrasound here: http://68.15.198.254/AUSTUL/Baby0903241601.asf

I'll also be posting some pics tonight from our baby shower in Illinois on my webshots website, so you can see the baby shower. check them out here: http://community.webshots.com/user/bugsygrrl9.

Well, I don't want to overwhelm you. Stay tuned in the next few weeks for some more updates and maybe even some actual baby pictures :0) Thanks everyone for your support and love!

Only 8 more weeks to go!

Wow! It's been a phenomenally long time since I blogged, but I had a few minutes before exhaustion sets in and thought I would give you the update on the little bean.

I am 32 weeks pregnant, which means I have approximately 8 more weeks to go. I'm not going to tell you how much I weigh because I'm not ready to admit that I really am that ginormous! I definitely am bigger though and I will post pictures soon of my ever-expanding belly. Up-until-now, I hadn't gotten swollen in my hands or feet, but I'm starting to swell now. My once petite fingers are being replaced by full hot dogs and my feet look more hobbit-like than I thought they ever could. My belly button has officially "popped," but it hasn't reach full-outie status yet. I fugure it'll happen in the next week or 2. I'm still having some severe back pain and going up and down stairs is painful, but other than that, I feel great and look great! I'm still nauseous most days, but I'm not getting sick every morning and I am extremely thankful for that. For the most part, I'm enjoying my 7 and 8 months of pregnancy!

As for the bean, he's filling out quite nicely. He's supposed to be around 16 inches now and around 3-4 pounds. I think though that he may be 3 feet tall and between 25-30 pounds already. I honestly don't know how he's going to get any bigger b/c I don't think I have anymore room for him to grow. He makes it downright miserable for me to sit up in a chair by either jamming his foot or butt in my ribs OR by kicking and moving so much I want to scream. So, I try to stay horizontal as much as I can. He's also led me to full on waddling at this point. Goodbye normal walking...hello duck-maneuvering! It's funny to watch :0) Other than that, he seems to be a happy little guy. He's quiet during most of the day and then active when I finally lay down for bed. Some days I almost could forgot he's in there, which scares me. I asked the doctor about it and he says that if I continue to not be able to reach the full kick count as often as I should, he might have to start monitoring me more closely. BUT the doctor is not concerned with me and I'm glad about that.

In April, we will start our parenting/birthing classes. I've heard they can scare you pretty good....I'm hoping for not BECAUSE I'm already terrified of the next 8 weeks and I don't think I need to be anymore scared. Poor Justin who has to deal with my irrational fears at all hours of the night. Sometimes I'll wake up in a panic at 3 am b/c I'm worried about NOT knowing what to do when it comes to potty-training a boy. That's just one of the many fears I have about being a mom. Luckily, Justin knows just what to say in order to calm my nerves.

But for every moment of worry I have, I have double that in moments of pure excitement. I can't wait to meet this little man and though I want him to bake for the next 8 weeks, I am eager for him to be here. The baby's room furniture is all set up and now we just await the tons of presents we will be getting in the next 3 weeks with 2 different baby showers. This coming weekend my mom is throwing us a shower and then work is throwing me one on April 3rd. It's all happening so fast! We will be picking a name shortly...in fact, we'll be hashing it out on our car trip back to Oklahoma on the 22nd, so stay tuned for the bean to finally have a name!

The reason I didn't blog at all in February was b/c of work. We had an incredibly busy month and I spent a lot of late nights at work. THis break I'm currently on is well-deserved and much-needed. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to keep my sanity in February, but we made it through. For the next 8 weeks, I'm going to take it easy and not worry so much about all the things I have to do before our little guy is here. At this point, I just want to very smoothly get through teaching my classes without exerting too much energy. I hate to say that, but my body is already giving out on me and I'm so tired all the time that something has got to give. Unfortunately for work, that something that has to give is work. Luckily, the library will be closed for much of April for testing, so I won't have to worry too much about teaching and day-to-day library tasks. I thank God everyday for my aide, Teresa ,who has put up with my mood swings and helped me to get through the last 8 months at work. Without her, the library would be a disaster and I'm grateful that our mess is only a little one as compared to what it could be if she wasn't around!

Ok enough about work...I think I've caught you up on my last month or so. I should probably blog more now that I'm determined not to care about work so much! Time to put the little man first! Stay tuned in the next few posts for a baby's name and pictures of the baby's room, shower, and hopefully of the bean himself. I really want to try to get a 3D/4D ultrasound done! Thanks everyone :0)