Light At the End of the Tunnel

   There is a light at the end of the tunnel! Logan Cole Johnson will be making his appearance in just a few days! I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow at 3:15! She already has me going in next Friday for induction. Maybe I can make it until then! I can't wait to hold him and see him for the first time. Garrett will be an amazing big brother.
   I am nervous about not being with Garrett for a few nights. He has only spent the night away from us 1 time in his 27 months of life! :) That was when he was 2 months old. I know he will be in great hands while I am in the hospital....but it is soooo hard to know that I won't be able to give him his night bath and rock him to sleep. I will miss his smiling face in the mornings when he wakes up. On the other hand, I know I have a major job ahead of me. I am so grateful that I have family that is going to help us.
   While I am in the hospital, I asked my sister to post pictures of Logan on facebook for our friends and family to see. If there aren't pictures on my page, then check Hannah's. I hope everyone has a great week! If I hear of any new news, then I'll share it.
   Good luck to Brent & Brandi Skaggs! They will be welcoming baby Bronner Skaggs into the world tomorrow! We are praying for a healthy delivery and baby! :)

5 Weeks to Go!

Here is my 8 month picture with my precious family!

How Far Along: 34+ Weeks! (I really have 6 weeks to go, but my doctor already said she'd induce me a week early!)

Size of Baby: Logan is clocking in at five pounds and could be as tall as 20 inches by now.

 

Total Weight Gain: I have gained a total of 18 lbs!

 

Maternity Clothes: I have to wear all maternity clothes now. Even my t-shirts are tight...so I wear Clint's when we are just sitting around the house.

Stretch Marks: Ugh! Lets not go there. :(

Belly Button In or Out: My belly button is starting to stick out. Everyone is noticing my protruding navel!

 

Gender: It's a BOY! Logan Cole Johnson will be entering our family soon. Garrett will have a little brother.

Movement: Logan was kicking the stew out of me daily but now it is different. I feel him all day, everyday but he is doing more of a rolling. He will ball himself up and stick something out like an elbow, knee, etc.

 

Food Cravings/ Aversions: I am just hungry all day long! I eat breakfast and take a few snacks to work. I eat my snacks before lunch. By lunchtime, I am starving! I love eating!

What I miss: I miss looking normal & having a normal stomach.

 

Sleep: I haven't had the best sleep in several weeks. I have leg cramps, numbness in my hips, & have to go to the bathroom 3-4 times a night!

 

Symptoms: I have been having some Braxton Hicks contractions. I don't have them everyday. Sometimes I have them at night. I've also had some pains in my lower stomach. They go away after a few minutes. These could be some contractions as well. I'm not sure.

 

Best Moment This Week: This week has been incredible. Sunday was Easter. We spent the first part of the day with my in-laws and the second part of the day with my parents. I loved watching Garrett hunt Easter eggs!

 

Wednesday we had bad weather. School was delayed & then we ended up dismissing early. That afternoon we had terrible tornadoes. A tornado hit Ohatchee which is about 2 miles away from my own neighborhood. It destroyed my coworker's home. This hasn't been the best week... but I am grateful and thankful I still have my home and family.

Doctor's Visit

I had a doctor's visit on Tuesday afternoon. I have been feeling very flushed lately. I also had a very tough time sleeping Monday night. We had pizza for supper and it just didn't settle. Anyways, when I went to the doctor my blood pressure was high. It has been elevated the last few times that I've gone. This time it was the highest it has ever been. The doctor said they would check it again before I left and if it was still high, then she was going to admit me into the hospital for observation. The doctor also made me have another ultrasound. She wanted to make sure that my weight gain was mostly baby and not extra fluid. I have to admit that I was excited to get another ultrasound. Logan looked great on the ultrasound. He is already head-down!! He weighs 3lbs. 1oz. His lungs, heart, and size looked perfect! My urine was fine and I haven't had a lot of swelling. So with that, the doctor decided to let me go home and prescribed bp meds for me. I slept so good last night but had a hard time staying awake today at work. I go back Friday afternoon to have another BP check. I've checked it all day and it has been great. I have put all this in God's hands. I am confident that everything is going to be great. I have some amazing friends, family, and coworkers who are soooo very supportive. :)

30 Weeks & Counting!

How Far Along: 30 Weeks!

Size of Baby: He is about  three pounds now (he’ll be packing on the weight at a rate of half a pound per week for the next seven weeks). Also growing daily is his brain!

Total Weight Gain: I have gained a total of 14.5lbs!

 

Maternity Clothes: I have had to retire my own jeans. :( I have to wear all maternity clothes now. Even my t-shirts are tight...so I wear Clint's when we are just sitting around the house.

Stretch Marks: No new ones since Garrett!

Belly Button In or Out: My belly button is starting to stick out. Everyone is noticing my protruding navel!

 

Gender: It's a BOY! Logan Cole Johnson will be entering our family soon. Garrett will have a little brother.

Movement: Logan was kicking the stew out of me daily but now it is different. I feel him all day, everyday but he is doing more of a rolling. He will ball himself up and stick something out like an elbow, knee, etc.

 

Food Cravings/ Aversions: I am just hungry all day long! I eat breakfast and take a few snacks to work. I eat my snacks before lunch. By lunchtime, I am starving! I love eating!

What I miss: I miss looking normal & having a normal stomach.

 

Sleep: I haven't had the best sleep in several weeks. I am still having numerous leg cramps during the night. The thunder from the recent storms have kept me up also. I toss and turn all night, every night.

 

Symptoms: I feel huge. My skin is so tight. I feel like my belly would pop if I was poked with a pin. Still having terrible leg cramps!

 

Best Moment This Week: This week has been very tough for me. It has been our testing week, Clint's long week to work, and a late inservice this week. I am still waiting on my "best moment". Last weekend went well. I got to spend time with my cousin Lauren at her baby shower. We also went to eat at Top O' River. It was nice getting to see her!

The Latest....

   I had a doctor's visit yesterday afternoon. It was the dreaded glucose test. I had to drink my orange sugar bomb at work and then had to go to the doctor. I had only gained 1lb...( a total of 14.5lbs) Logan's heartbeat sounded wonderful. Garrett was excited to hear his brother's heartbeat again. The doctor said I was measuring perfectly. She guessed that Logan weighs about 2.5lbs right now.
   After I saw the doctor, they drew my blood for the sugar test. It hurt! It felt like she shot me in the arm. That night my arm had a knot on it and is now the color of the rainbow..... blue, purple, green, etc. It is soooo sore. I don't know what happened but I've never had my arm hurt like this before.
   Anyway, the doctor checked my hemoglobin and said my iron was low. She suggested that I start taking iron pills with my prenatal vitamins. :( I stopped at Wal-mart on my way home and picked up my iron. I also got to pick up 2 of 3 baby items that I ordered for Logan.
   I ordered Logan a Fisher Price Rock n Play Sleeper. This looks great! I suggest it to all my pregnant friends and family. :) I also got covers for Logan's changing pad. I have one more item to pick-up.
   Today at work, we started our state testing. Today my students had the ARMT Reading part of the testing. I was so proud of them. They all seemed to have done a fantastic job! I am really enjoying teaching 5th grade. I know my attitude was completely different earlier in the year... but these kids have really grown on me.
   The weekend will be very busy. My cousin Lauren is having her baby shower on Saturday and my friend Brandi is having her shower Sunday. I can't wait to see Lauren and my family!
I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week!

28 Weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 28 Weeks

Size of Baby: He is about 2lbs & 15 inches long.

Total Weight Gain: I have gained a total of 13.5lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I have had to retire my own jeans. :( I have to wear all maternity clothes now. Even my t-shirts are tight...so I wear Clint's when we are just sitting around the house.

Stretch Marks: No new ones since Garrett!

Belly Button In or Out: My belly button is still flat. Sometimes it will stick out, depending on how I am sitting.

Gender: It's a BOY! Logan Cole Johnson will be entering our family soon. Garrett will have a little brother.

Movement: I have been feeling Logan move every single day! He is kicking and moving so much that you can actually see my stomach move now.

Food Cravings/ Aversions: I am just hungry all day long! I eat breakfast and take a few snacks to work. I eat my snacks before lunch. By lunchtime, I am starving! I love eating!

What I miss: I miss looking normal & having a normal stomach.

Sleep: I've had a hard time lately getting a good nights rest. My sides and feet go numb. I have to go to the restroom during the night..... and I've been having several leg cramps a night.

Symptoms: I just been having terrible leg cramps. I've tried everything everyone has told me. I've had orange juice everyday, milk, yogurt, bananas, etc. I'm still having them.

Best Moment This Week: Today is Friday and the last day before I get 9 days off, or better known as SPRING BREAK! I am so thankful for this break. :)

24 Weeks! (6 months)

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 24 Weeks (6 months)

Size of Baby: He is about eight and a half inches long and weighs one and a half pounds.

Total Weight Gain: I have gained a total of 6 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing more maternity clothes. I am still wearing my own pants, with a rubber band!

Stretch Marks: No new ones since Garrett!

Belly Button In or Out: My belly button is flattening out and just a small part on top is starting to stick out.

Gender: It's a BOY! Logan Cole Johnson will be entering our family soon. Garrett will have a little brother.

Movement: I have been feeling Logan move every single day! He is kicking and moving so much that you can actually see my stomach move now.

Food Cravings/ Aversions: I am just hungry all day long! I eat breakfast and take a few snacks to work. I eat my snacks before lunch. By lunchtime, I am starving! I love eating!

What I miss: I miss looking normal & having a normal stomach.

Sleep: I've been sleeping on my sides as much as possible. With this pregnancy, my hips "fall alseep". I'll wake up in the middle of the night and have to roll over because my hip is hurting.

Symptoms: I have been having some sciatic nerve pain in my hip. It comes and goes. I also started having a pain in my upper belly. It feels like a "stretching muscle" pain.

Best Moment This Week: Wednesday, I had a doctor's appointment and Garrett got to hear Logan's heartbeat again. He kept saying, "Baby Logan! Baby Logan!" It was so sweet. My cousin April also suprised me at work this morning with a bag of donut holes! Yum!

Valentine's Day/Weekend

Valentine's Day/Weekend

My husband and I went to couples paint night on Saturday with some friends. He doesn't like people knowing that I dragged him to a paint night. He did enjoy it though. We painted trees. I painted an autumn tree and he painted a summer tree. We had fun. I laughed the entire time at all the men trying to be "creative". My wild husband ended up getting green paint all over my chair and the floor while I wasn't sitting! haha

On Sunday, I prepared a special Valentine's dinner for my sweet husband. I fixed chicken parmesan, fettichini alfredo, and molten lava cakes. The chicken parmesan tasted and looked good! The alfredo sauce was terrible and my molten lava cakes turned out bad!!! I hope it is the thought that counts. :)

Last night, we were eating dinner and my sweet husband & baby boy gave me Valentine's cards. My husband also gave me a gift... after we said no gifts. I opened it up and it was Logan's first outfit!!! I loved it! It was a blue polo shirt with green/blue plaid shorts.

I am getting more and more excited about bringing another miracle into this world! Seeing that outfit brought it full circle to me. I hope he is as healthy and smart as Garrett. I love my little family.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's day!!

22 Weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 22 Weeks

Size of Baby: He should weigh about 12-1/4 ounces and measure about 11 inches long!

 

Total Weight Gain: I went to the doctor at 20 weeks and I had gained a total of 2lbs.

 

Maternity Clothes: I am still wearing some of my regular pants (with a rubber band) and some shirts. Things are getting snug!

Stretch Marks: No new ones since Garrett!

Belly Button In or Out: My belly button is beginning to flatten out but it isn't in or out.

 

Gender: It's a BOY! Logan Cole Johnson will be entering our family soon. Garrett will have a little brother.

Movement: I have been feeling Logan move alot! His kicks and movements are much more distinctive.

 

Food Cravings/ Aversions: I am just hungry all day long! I eat breakfast and take a few snacks to work. I eat my snacks before lunch. By lunchtime, I am starving! I love eating!

What I miss: I miss looking normal & having a normal stomach.

 

Sleep: I've been sleeping on my sides as much as possible. With this pregnancy, my hips "fall alseep". I'll wake up in the middle of the night and have to roll over because my hip is hurting.

Symptoms: I have been having some sciatic nerve pain in my hip. It comes and goes. I also started having a pain in my upper belly. It feels like a "stretching muscle" pain.

Best Moment This Week: Yesterday afternoon, Clint felt Logan move for the 1st time! Logan gave daddy a swift kick! Clint also brought me chocolate covered donuts and pizza home. He is so sweet. :) Clint also put Logan's bed together. I love it.

Once a Bride.... Now a Bridesmaid!

The Bridesmaids & Bride

      On Saturday, we all took a trip down to David's Bridal in Hoover. We had so much fun trying on dress after dress. We modeled and modeled every dress that we could. April & Chris are getting married in July. They are having an outside wedding at Will's Creek Vineyard in Duck Springs. She was thinking about using greens and purples. When she decided on which dress looked the best on everyone.... then it was time to decide on the color. She chose the best color they had! It is called "malibu". It is like a swimming pool blue. I think it will be awesome on everyone! I can't wait to get all dressed up and get my hair "did". :)

   Here we are in some of the dresses. The 3 girls on the left.... Meghin, Kayla, and Ashley are wearing the style dress that April picked for us. I love it. The "malibu" blue is the dress that Christy is wearing on the right.

   This is the dress on David's Bridal website. Of course the blue isn't the same. But, we all had a great time. After we finished at the dress shop... we went to the Olive Garden and ate a wonderful meal. We had a great time sitting around laughing and talking. Saturday was fun!

Don't Drink the Water!

(Lori & myself at her baby shower yesterday.)

 Don't drink the water was a great choice for a title to this blog! I work with two other wonderful women that are expecting babies just like me! That's right.... 3 expecting women in the same building everyday! Lori is my coworker. She teaches 1st grade. She is due February 3 but is scheduled to have her baby BOY on Tuesday morning! Yes, she is having a boy also. I can't wait to meet him!

   My other coworker is our school nurse. Mrs. Ashley is also expecting. She is due 2 weeks after I am in June. She hasn't found out her baby's gender because her sweet husband is overseas. She is waiting until he returns in February. This is baby #3 for her. She is so sweet! I love having 2 other coworkers to share this amazing experience with. I couldn't have asked for 2 better individuals!

   I also have a few friends/family members that are also expecting. My beautiful cousin Lauren is expecting a little BOY in April. This will be her first baby and she'll be a super mom! My friend Brandi is also expecting a baby BOY in May! Boys are everywhere! This will also be her first baby. She is 2 weeks ahead of me. So far, that is 5 of us that are expecting. Needless to say, Don't Drink the Water! :)

Being a mom is the best experience of my life. To my friends who are just becoming a mom for the first time.... enjoy your little mircles... God is amazing! He doesn't grant this amazing gift to every woman. Be thankful and soak up every tiny moment you can with your sweet angels.

Love you girls!

Doctor's Appointment

   We had another appointment yesterday after work. We got to have another ultrasound. Logan is definitely a boy! He was not shy at all during the ultrasound. He was constantly moving all around. The ultrasound technician measured his kidneys, leg bone, head, etc. I am measuring right on schedule. Yesterday, he measured 19 weeks and 5 days. Pretty close! She recorded the ultrasound for us on a dvd. It lasted about 10 minutes. Double what our last ultrasound was. Logan looked great! Towards the end of the ultrasound, he had the hiccups. I couldn't feel them myself but we could see him and his chest moving.
   After the ultrasound, I had a checkup with my doctor. She was great. We had several questions for her this time. She sat and had a long conversation with us. She gave us her opinions, etc. about some things we were curious about. I am really pleased with Dr. Gilliland. She delivered Garrett and did a great job. I hope things go just as well with Logan.
   I have another visit in February. The following visit after that one will be my glucose test. Yuck! Oh, I have only gained 2lbs. so far. She looked at my chart and compared it with my 1st pregnancy. I am progressing about the same as I did then. She said I should have a pretty good weight gain between now and my next visit.
   I spoke with the ultrasound technician about having a 4d ultrasound. She thought I'd be a great candidate for it. She said if I would like to have one then we could start around 28 weeks. That should be about the time I have my glucose test. I haven't decided what I would like to do about the 4d. I still have time to decide.

(This is his bedding. Not crib.)

(This is his crib!)

   We ordered Logan's bedding and his crib. His bedding came in last week. We are going with a sports theme. I ordered his crib from JCPenney because we got an awesome deal on it. I couldn't pass it up.

20 Weeks ~ Half Way!

Here is my picture at 20 weeks... much larger than I was with Garrett. :( I'm gonna have to work, work, work to get back to "normal" after I have this baby! I have a doctor's appointment Wednesday. We will have another ultrasound done that day. I've been feeling extremely good with this pregnancy! When I have a chance to sit down and relax, then I start feeling Logan move. I can't wait until Clint can feel him move.

Clint & I had a date night Saturday. He took me to Kobe's (the new Japanese restaurant in the mall) and to the movies. We watched "True Grit". Kobe's was pretty good. We got there early and didn't have to wait. We shared a combo of chicken, steak, & shrimp. They served us soup, salad, noodles, & vegetables. The movie was good. I expected more action! I love action packed movies. 3:10 to Yuma was one of my favorite modern western movies. It was full of action! This movie had more of a drama feel. It was still good.

I've been off work for over a week due to the weather. We start back tomorrow. I hope the next few months fly by! I've enjoyed being home with Garrett and Clint. In June, I can be home with all my boys... including Logan. :)

Snow Week!

   On Sunday, we were wondering just how much snow we'd actually get. On Sunday night, it started! First, we received about 10 minutes of sleet. Next, it started snowing hard. After about 15 good minutes, snow was covering the ground! Monday morning we got up and dressed in our many layers. We went outside and this was my house! We got about 4 inches. Everything was covered. It was beautiful! Garrett loved it.

   This is Garrett and his best bud Brianna. She lives down the street. He had to go visit and play with her, on Monday, in the snow. They both had a hard time walking in it. The snow wasn't powdery. It was very hard and crunchy because it rained after it snowed Sunday night. They rode the sled together in the yard. All they did was laugh and smile!
   Garrett and I rode in a tube tied to the 4wheeler! It was so fun. Daddy drove very slow up and down the street so we could have some fun. (Yes, I know I wasn't suppsed to do that.) Garrett had so much fun waving at all the neighbors as we went up and down the street. He kept saying, "Momma, dis fun!"

   On Tuesday, we got back up and dressed. Garrett was ready to go out and play again! This is Garrett throwing his snowball at Daddy. They had the best time! We loved the snow. I loved seeing Garrett's face and watching him play. He is amazing. He puts a smile on my face everyday! I love him so much!
   I've been off work all week. I hope we go back tomorrow because we already have to make up these 3 days. I am due June 9 but my doctor wants to induce on June 3. That means I only have 1 week off after school gets out for summer before I have Logan. If they add more days.... then I'll be working up til my due date. Ugh! It will all work out for the best. God is good! I am so thankful for this week. :)

18 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 18 Weeks

Size of Baby: Crown to Rump length should be approximately 5-1/2 inches and the baby will now weigh around 5.25 ounces!

Total Weight Gain: I lost 4lbs. from my regular weight and gained it back.... but no extra weight gain so far!

Maternity Clothes: I am still wearing my regular clothes for now. I plan to wear my own clothes as long as possible!

Stretch Marks: None!

Belly Button In or Out: My belly button is still in. I do feel some changes behind it. I feel like it is beginning to flatten out.

Gender: It's a BOY! Logan Cole Johnson will be entering our family soon. Garrett will have a little brother.

Movement: I have been feeling Logan move all week. It feels like someone is poking me from the inside out! I am so busy at home with Garrett, that the only time I feel him is at work when I am working with my students. :)

Food Cravings/ Aversions: I am just hungry all day long! I eat breakfast and take a few snacks to work. I eat my snacks before lunch. By lunchtime, I am starving! I love eating!

What I miss: I miss looking normal. I miss having a normal looking stomach. I am in between just looking "fat" and "pregnant".

Sleep: I've been sleeping on my sides as much as possible. With this pregnancy, my hips "fall alseep". I'll wake up in the middle of the night and have to roll over because my hip is hurting.

Symptoms: I feel fantastic with this pregnancy! It is going great now.

Best Moment This Week: I came home from work yesterday and Garrett & Clint had bought a dozen pink roses. They are so sweet!