Happy Birthday Mimi, Nana & Papaw

May is a busy birthday month for my family!  This year we were very fortunate to be in Texas in May so that we could celebrate with Mimi (May 30), Nana (May 3) and Papaw (May 21).  We haven't been able to celebrate with them in person since we moved almost 5 years ago so we were very excited about being able to have a birthday party while we were there!  (Please excuse her tangled hair.  She had just finished swimming!)

 Leah wanted everyone to make a "surprised face"!

 Guess who got to blow out the candles!

Leah and her Mimi, the birthday girl!

Leah even got a present.....a "Belle dress" that her Mimi made for her!  Lucky girl!

Congratulations Kelley

Tonight we celebrated Aunt Kelley's (my baby sister) graduation from Denver City High School!  She graduated with honors so we are very, very proud of her!  Her next stop.....Texas Tech University in the fall!  It's crazy to think that this was me just a few years ago (more like 12 but who's counting)!  Leah did fantastic through the 45-minute ceremony and didn't even have to be escorted out of the stands!  I'm so proud of her too!

18 Weeks

I'm 18 weeks today!

Pregnancy Highlights:

Size of Baby:  Baby BOY Hendricks is 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and weighs almost 7 ounces.

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  According to my parents scale that I just hopped on, I've gained 2 pounds since my last office visit which means plus 1 pound since I started on this journey.  Just in case this makes zero sense and because I want to document everything:

March 10 (7 week appt.):  first prenatal visit, 120 pounds

April 7 (11 week appt.):  118 pounds

May 5 (15 week appt.):  119 pounds

May 26 (18 weeks):  121 pounds (on parents scale)

Maternity Clothes:  Still wearing my regular pants with lots of help but I have started wearing a few maternity shirts.  I'm loving the non-maternity dresses that will fit all 9 months and beyond!  Thank you Target!

Gender:  Boy!!!!!

Movement:  Just the tingles inside me!

Sleep:  Sleeping great!

What I Miss:  Being able to drink more than 1 Coke a day!  This isn't difficult at home but is extremely difficult on vacation!

Cravings:  Nothing really yet.

Symptoms:  I'm starting to get a little bit of heartburn.  Fun, fun!  I had LOTS of heartburn with Leah so I'm really not looking forward to this!  This time, though, it only seems to come on when I'm hungry or haven't eaten in a little while (mere minutes, not hours).  I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but my nose is in overdrive!  I've always had a hound dog nose but for the past few months its been out of control!  This is not always a good thing!  I've also now lost the ability to bend over comfortably.  The stomach no longer bends!

Best Moment This Week:  Getting to see my family!  My dad's new nickname for me is "Big Mama".

In Leah news.....she is having the time of her life in Texas!  She has finally accepted the fact that she is having a baby brother so now when people asks her she tells them the real story!

Tonight we helped host a graduation party for my sister Kelley and her friend Kaylen.  Leah had TONS of fun at the luau!

 Leah even got in on limbo!

Uncle Chris helped her make a S'More.

Fishing in Texas

We are having lots of fun in Texas!  One of the things that Leah really, really wanted to do while she was here was go fishing with Papaw and that they did!  I'm really not sure where she got this fun idea of hers!  The only thing I can guess is from one of her shows that she watches.  Nana and Papaw even had her a PINK fishing pole and tackle box all ready to go when she got here!  Nana and I went shopping this afternoon and Papaw, Daddy, Aunt Kelley and Leah loaded up and went fishing!

 Believe it or not.....she CAUGHT one!

First fishing trip = success!

 They even had a picnic while they were there!

 And stopped for ice cream on their way home!

17 Weeks

I'm 17 weeks today!

(which meant I had to go have blood drawn for my second trimester quad screening today)

Pregnancy Highlights:

Size of Baby:  Baby BOY Hendricks weighs 5 ounces (about the size of a turnip) and is around 5 inches long.

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Not sure but my belly is busting at the seams.  I know I've gained something!

Maternity Clothes:  I've worn a few maternity shirts but am still wearing my regular pants (just unbuttoned, unzipped, rubberbanded and held together with a belly band.....not sure how much longer I can get away with all this).  I went and bought several non-maternity dresses at Target today that I'm hoping will get me through the summer (and fall paired with tights).

Gender:  It's a boy!

Movement:  I can feel him moving internally but still can't really feel him with my hand yet.

Sleep:  Still sleeping pretty good!

What I Miss:  I'm starting to miss being able to bend over.  This is the first week that I've noticed my stomach not being able to bend.  This is really inconvenient when you tend to drop things (at work and at the post office).

Cravings:  Chicken Salad!  I had some for lunch last week when I went out to eat with a friend and I've been craving it ever since!

Symptoms:  Extremely dry hair and congestion (allergies plus a lovely known symptom of pregnancy this far along I just read).

Best Moment This Week:  It's my final week of work AND vacation is just a few days away!

In Leah news.....I found the secret to getting her to brush her teeth good!  Little hint.....it involves princesses!  She brushed her teeth at least three times today for minutes on end!

And what better way to offset having just brushed your teeth than eating a sucker in the bath with a bubble hat on your head!

I had Leah's pictures taken a couple of weeks ago and I finally had time to get them all framed today!  I think they turned out super cute!

One last Leah story.....she seems to have developed a phobia of white socks.  Anytime we try to get her to put on a pair in the morning she claims that they're "too fuzzy".  She is now in charge of picking out her own socks each morning.  So, if you notice her wearing red socks with a green outfit you know why!  Thank goodness it's sandal and flip flop season!

Totally random but we got the best little surprise in the mail from Leah's dentist today.....a Starbucks giftcard for referring someone to them!  I have NO IDEA who I referred (although I do love her dentist's office and have mentioned them to a few people) so if it was you THANK YOU!

It's A.....

Last night the three of us (or four, I should say) went on a little family outing to visit our friend Kathy at Baby's Debut Imaging to get a sneak peek at little Baby Hendricks.  We went to see Kathy several times when we were expecting Leah and loved every second of it!  The best part.....we get to bring home a DVD of our ultrasound session so we can listen to the little heartbeat anytime we'd like and see the little baby flutter away on the screen!  I'm 16 weeks today and we couldn't stand to wait any longer to find out what this little baby is (16 weeks is the earliest she'll do a gender scan)!  The first thing she checked was the heartbeat which was beating at 154 bpm.  Kathy commented "that sounds like a girl heart rate to me."  Then she started looking around on the baby and, without further ado.....

IT'S

A

BOY

!!!!!!!!!!!

 (Imagine he's sitting on a glass table top with his hiney on the left and his legs out straight facing towards the right with a little surprise in between.)

We are so so excited!  Now it's time to start thinking of names and room decor!  We've almost decided on his name but are making sure we love love love it before we announce it!  We have a few "rules" for his name:

1.  We want his initials to be the same as his Daddy's:  LLH.

2.  His middle name will be Louis which was Luke's Grandpa's (Baby's Great Grandpa) first name and Luke's Dad (Baby's Grandpa) and Luke's middle names.  Our little guy will be the fourth in line!

3.  His name has to sound like that of a baseball player being announced up to bat!

16 Weeks

I'm 16 weeks today!

Pregnancy Highlights:

Size of Baby:  Baby Hendricks is 4 1/2 inches long and weighs 3 1/2 ounces (about the size of an avocado).

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Not sure!  I was down one pound at my appointment last week.  By the size of my belly, though, I'm sure I've gained a few!

Maternity Clothes:  I did have to start wearing a few maternity tops this week but not any that really look maternity (if that makes any sense).  My pants no longer button or zip so I've had to start wearing my belly bands along with a rubber band.  My regular shirts are just starting to get a little short.

Gender:  It's a BOY!  We just found out at an ultrasound last night and we couldn't be more excited!  Leah is still in denial and keeps saying it's a sister still!

Movement:  I can feel little flutters inside of me but nothing with my hands except for when he balls up on my left side!

Sleep:  I still sleep great even though I wake up extremely stopped up from these darn allergies!

What I Miss:  Nothing really this week!

Cravings:  Nothing really!

Symptoms:  I keep forgetting to document this but my hair and skin have been EXTREMELY dry for the past six weeks or so.  I usually have hair that's on the greasy side and my face is usually oily and never ever requires moisturizer.  Not now!  If I don't put moisturizer on my face right after I get out of the shower it feels as if it's cracking!  I'm having to put TONS of conditioner in my hair just to make it feel remotely healthy.

Best Moment This Week:  Finding out that we're going to have a baby brother in our house and hearing his little heart beating 154 bpm.

In Leah news.....we went out to eat burgers (veggie for me) at The Squeeze Inn (as seen on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives") after our ultrasound appointment and it smelled terrible outside from the wind blowing in the cows.  We were driving and Leah scrunches up her nose and says "Pee Yoo!  It smells disgusting!".  We were cracking up!  I just don't know where she learns this stuff!

"I'm going to have a baby brother!"

The Squeeze Inn is famous for their "cheese skirts" on their burgers!  Yumm-O!!!!!!  And their fries are some of the BEST!  Every single fry was crunchy just like I like them!

11 on 11: May 2011

What should have been.....

Ten on Ten: 10 pictures on the 10th day of the month!

{Document a day of your life & find beauty among the ordinary things in your day!}

.....has turned into Eleven on Eleven because I completely forget yesterday!  I didn't want to just skip it because I know one day I'll really enjoy looking back at how I spent my days!

*Since I slacked last month, I threw in a couple of extra pictures today!

I had to stop and get gas on my way to work this morning.

This was the outcome.  Ouch!

 

I only have six more days to enjoy my drive along the river to work!



I'm not really liking XM's merger with Sirius just yet.  I've had XM for over seven years and had most of the stations memorized (at least the ones I listened to).  Now I'm having to learn them all over!  I so need a program guide to look at!  You would think they would've sent one out in the mail!

 

Breakfast!  Mocha frappuccino and a toasted English muffin with strawberry jam!  I don't know what I'd do without my husband.....he gets me Starbucks every single morning before work and gets my breakfast ready while I finish getting ready!  Love him!

 

Lunch!  I work in the middle of nowhere so our choices for lunch are pretty slim.  There's a cute little sandwich shop in the small town where the winery is that I usually go to for lunch but today somebody ran into town (Sacramento) and brought us back Wendy's.  Huge treat from the norm!

 

Snack time!  I promise I didn't just eat all day!

 

I LOVE Amazon!  I ordered lots of things to keep Leah entertained on our upcoming trip on Sunday and they arrived today!  That's three-day delivery for FREE!  Love it!

 

Minutes after Leah arrived home from daycare, she started ripping her clothes off to put her jammies on just like she does every single day.  I immediately noticed the panties she had on and knew that they weren't hers and certainly weren't the ones she had on this morning when she left for daycare (they didn't even fit her).  I asked her if she had an accident and went tee tee in her panties and she told me no so I was really confused.  I asked her whose panties they were and she said they were "Belle's".  Whose?  I asked her several times and kept getting the same answer.  I finally figured out she was saying they were Belle's because they had Belle on them!  Luke finally came in the room and I asked him what the story was with the panties.  He said that when he and Leah went to get her jacket out of her cubby at Ms. Trish's house, she saw these panties in a cubby and immediately took her shorts and panties off and proceeded to put these panties on.  He and Ms. Trish were both trying to talk her out of it but if you know my girl, there's no talking her out of anything that she puts her mind to!  Luke just assumed that they were some of Leah's extra pairs of panties that were at Ms. Trish's for emergencies.  Well, no, they are not Leah's.  In fact, they are two sizes too big!  I will be washing these tonight so that we can return them to their rightful owner on Friday!  I asked her again later whose panties they were and she knew exactly which friend they belong to!



I can't believe how good Leah can color and stay in the lines!  Maybe all 2 1/2 year olds color this well.  Who knows!  I still like to think that she's a genius!

 

I know that today's not the day for my belly shot but I just couldn't get over how LARGE my belly looked today!

Leah's little imagination is a hoot!  Tonight before dinner she was playing with this puppy that barks and yelps when you turn it on.  Well, tonight his name was "Tubsy" and he wouldn't quit barking so she said that he needed to go outside.  Sure enough, she walked him outside, dropped him off and came back in and went on to play with something else while the dog continued to bark away outside!  Sounds like a much better solution than simply just turning him off!  Of course she was dressed as a princess for all of this!

 

These things are a lifesaver!  Here's a little secret you may not know about me.....I CANNOT swallow pills.  I gag on tiny ones so there's no way in heck that I could even attempt big ones!  I have to request liquid prescriptions or have to open up capsules and hide the goods in ice cream, applesauce or marshmallow fluff and I gag the entire time I'm trying to get it down (if I'm not throwing it all up in the sink)!  Prenatal vitamins are known for being HUGE so there is just no way that I could take one of those babies daily!  When I was pregnant with Leah, I took Flinstone vitamins instead of prenatals.  Maybe that's what she's our wild, energetic little Bam Bam!  Well, with this pregnancy I got lucky and somebody finally came up with the most brilliant idea ever!  I have to thank my OB for telling me about these!  Love them (well, I love having a vitamin that's easy for me to tolerate)!

I will be back on Amazon tonight ordering some of this!  This is the miracle product that gets my thick, curly hair thin and straight!  I've tried everything and nothing works as well as Enjoy!  I just wish I could find it locally a little easier!  My salon quit carrying it for some strange reason!

BIG DAY TOMORROW (Thursday).....We have an appointment tomorrow evening for an ultrasound to find out what we're having!