Pawlak's

Monday August 3, 2009

2009-08-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

We went to the doctor on Friday (7/31) and we were at 2 CM, but no baby yet :(
I was at lunch with mom on Saturday and was having a lot of back pains and through the evening as well, but nada. Oh well, when she's ready, she's ready I guess. The wait is torture! :D

Ryan got a new tattoo Saturday...I had gotten him a git certificate for Texas Body Art for Christmas and he finally was able to use it! It looks beautiful- the artist did an amazing job! I will post pics ASAP of it! He got his koi fish he's been wanting for sometime now- so I'm happy for him :)

Other than that....just waiting. Ahhhhh and waiting :)

What are these weird movements and pains?!?!

2009-07-29T05:37:00.001-07:00

So I've been feeling (for a couple of days) plenty of cramping and some tightening of my belly. I've read that those are good signs of early labor. There is no telling how long this can go on though....it could be up until the inducement date...YIKES!

Yesterday I was hurting pretty bad, but there was no pattern to it and it all subsided. So.....poo-poo! Just waiting now- finishing up some stuff at the house (filing/organizing paper work, trying to finish laundry, packing hospital bags, etc). That fills my time while we wait. :)

The closer I feel like I'm getting, the more and more excited I'm getting! YAY!

We cannot wait to hold her and kiss her!

I will keep this thing as updated as possible- we go back to the dr Friday if nothing happens between now and then. I can't believe how fast its gone by! To think that you actually carry about 10 months!!! Wow!

We love everyone and hope everyone is doing well- staying cool from the heat and getting some MUCH needed rain!

2 Weeks (or less) from today!!! Yay!

2009-07-27T06:43:00.000-07:00

As of today (Monday) we have exactly 14 days or less!

We went to the dr on Friday- we're still at 1 CM, but things are "softening" up! :) Yay!!!

He said that he will induce on the 10th - which will bring her into this world on the 11th (Ryan's grandmother's birthday) if she doesn't arrive before hand!!!

We're so excited! I'm not too nervous about the delivery- more nervous about something going wrong, but I can only pray everything goes perfectly!

So far- so good!

We finally finished up everything with the house, with the exception of retiling our bathroom walls in the shower....and that was something I swore up and down would be finished before the baby got here. I've got 2 weeks to get it done....any volunteers!?!?!? :) Oh, it also needs a little plumbing work too...

I met with a pediatrician Friday afternoon and fell in love with her! She's great- so that's a load off of my back too! YES!

I will keep everyone posted as anything new arises! We're almost there!!

OH- I forgot to mention, Brooklynn was at 6lbs 15 oz last Friday....

Can it get any flippin' hotter?????

2009-06-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

My God...since about 3 weeks ago, I've been sweating- nonstop- in places I didn't even know I could sweat from!!! It's disgusting! Oh and I've done good this entire time throughout the pregnancy with no stretch marks- woke up yesterday and BAM!!! Not too many, but enough to make me cry :) I don't mean to sound vane by any means, but it SUCKS! Although, I would certainly take stretchmarks gladly over other things anyday!

Back to the sweat issue...it's so nasty. Can't pee without my pants sticking to me- YUCK! (sorry for the mental images you just had)

On a lighter note- had a dr's appt today and they said she's about 5lbs 2oz (although they also said that's only 15% accurate)--she's growing for sure though! She likes to play at night a little game of "kick the can" in my belly- yikes! I can't wait to meet her!!!

Dr also told me to start walking more so that I can hopefully start dialating! DOUBLE YIKES!!! He said he would like to see me in labor by 38 or 39 weeks (Oh my God), but won't let me go over 40 weeks!

As of this past Tuesday (the 23rd) I was 33 weeks.....you do the math!!! She will be here before we know it!

I've had the showers and we've pretty much got the nursery complete and IT'S ADORABLE (okay, maybe I'm slightly biased, but what the heck!?). Thanks to EVERYONE that joined us!!! Oh- and the nursery looks even more different from the pics- I'll have to take updated ones!

Let me know what you think! I hope everyone is well and keeping as cool as possible in this heat!

P.S. Excuse any typos you may find....I didn't glance over this at all before posting!

We made it....32 Weeks along

2009-06-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

Seeing as how we're officially 32 weeks now, a lot changes!
I will be going to the doctor every 2 weeks now (yay for the drive to the medical center) and then it will go to every week in our last month. If I carry full term---I've got only about 8 weeks left...unreal! It has really gone by fast which makes me smile, yet scares the crap outta' me too. I like knowing that very soon we will be holding Brooklynn, but I hate the thought that she will grow as fast as the past eight months have gone by---boooo! :(
She is moving like crazy right now and at our last ultrasound, we got to see her smile! At least what I think was a smile! It was fantastic! :) Ryan went away for the weekend, fishing with his buddies. I'm glad he still enjoys time with his friends, it's important--- plus, I love him with all of my heart, but it gives me a break too! Time apart is great; you miss each other that way! While he was gone, my Aunt Linda threw me an all girls shower, which I had family surprise me by flying in for!!! It was so awesome to see everyone! The shower was a blast, her and my cousin (Tonya) really worked their butts off to make it perfect, and my mom worked her butt off to make the most delicious, fantastic, white chocolate, strawberry cake *mouth watering*!!! Thanks to everyone that was there! Thanks also to Kelly for flying in to be here (and helping sort out the nursery) and to Unlce Ricky, Aunt Missy and two of the most adorable, big-hearted girls in the world, Savannah and Sarah (my two little cousins) for flying in too! :) I was super surprised!!!
I got a ton of cute stuff at the shower, clothes were a hit- Brooklynn is going to be a super-fashionista for sure! I hope to see everyone this weekend at the co-ed shower/party! If you did not receive your invitation, you should have....please let me know!!!! Some people informed me they had not yet gotten it in the mail- I no longer trust the USPS; they're just not what they used to be!

You can e-mail me at shannan@hargraveelectric.com and I'll e-mail you the invitation. Ryan warned me that I should do an e-vite instead of mailing them, but it just seemed so impersonal for a baby shower....maybe I should have listened to him though *hmph!*

I hope everyone is doing great! I can't wait for this weekend and I hope to see you soon!!!
With lots of love!!!
Shannan, Brooklynn and Ryan (I'm seeing a pattern here-not done on purpose!) :D

P.S. I will be adding pics of the updated, yet unfinished nursery today! :)

2009-06-05T07:16:00.001-07:00

We are now officially (as of Tuesday) at 30 weeks.....Lord! It is FLYING BY!!!

My belly is BIG among other not so attractive areas :(

It's all worth it though! I can't wait! We're gearing up for showers, baby stuff and other things, all while trying to stay cool---NOT easy to manage!!! :) Summer is torture!

Here is what a baby looks like at 30 weeks...just a little less cartoonish!

Now when my belly moves, it looks like waves along with poking...it's funny because as soon as she starts moving and I try to show someone else---it's like she knows and she stops moving all of a sudden! She's toying with us. So I managed to finish my registries- that was a pain, b/c I'm not sure who lives near a Target or near a Babies R Us, so I doubled up on a lot of stuff, thinking if I ended up with 2 of one, I could exchange one out for something else I need....it's really a complicated thing! :) What do you do in that situation? I know of only 1 Babies R Us near my house....but tons of Targets and I didn't want to send anyone on a wild goose chase trying to locate either of them *sigh*....stress :)

Our next appointment is on the 12th of June (next Friday)- our appointments are getting closer and closer to each other now :D

Welcome Back!

2009-05-26T06:21:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great Memorial day weekend! Our was fantastic!!! As we thanked the troops, we also had some fun! Friday, Ryan and I simply relaxed and enjoyed the night, Saturday I went shopping and then we headed to the Astro's game with Carlo & Courtney. Even though we lost to the Rangers, we still had a lot of fun; my boss gave me the tickets and they were club level- that beats everywhere else I've sat. You have more room, you have a waiter anytime you want (plus a full menu & they run your card right there at your seat) so you never have to get up...except of course to pee, which I did several times. :) Saturday night, Carlo & Courtney had us at their parent's restaurant (Memorial Grill) <--- this place is awesome and not just because we kind of know them either....they have a HUGE menu with a HUGE variety of foods/drinks/desserts on it and then food is only surpassed by the "down home" type service. I love going there and highly recommend it to everyone! After that, we headed to Fox & Hound to watch the UFC fight- I didn't make it all the way through I was so flippin' tired. Sunday was great; a day of relaxing by the pool with friends and family, enjoying yummy BBQ prepared by my husband and tried to get a tan through the clouds, but that didn't even matter- we still had a blast! Now we're back at work and trying to get back into the groove of things- that's tough!

Friday morning we had a dr's appt with an ultrasound; everything looks good (thank the Lord)!

We are 29 weeks along today! It's flying by right now and I get more and more excited as we get closer and closer!! She is no longer breech which makes me VERY happy!!! Mom went with me to this one, so she got to share in the happiness too! This ultrasound, you could actually see some features and it was only a normal 2-d, so it was pretty cool! Dr said everything looks on target and I have to go back in 3 weeks now instead of 4!! I'm thinking after the next one, it will be every two weeks-- YIKES- getting close! Mom and I did our own little tour of the hospital and made ourselves familiar with as much as we could so that if I did go into early labor (cross your fingers we don't) we would at least know where to go! We are delivering at the Childrens Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Med Center (off of Fannin) and that's the same area I have to drive to for all of my appointments!

Well, I hope everyone is wonderful!!
I miss a lot of you and can't wait to see you soon!

VIdeo of Ultrasound

2009-05-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

This is not the full video, this is just one short clip of what we got to see :D

I can't wait to finally hold her....She's already so amazing!

Also, please read blog below! :)

Our 3D appointment and we're at 27 weeks :)

2009-05-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

As of yesterday, we're at 27 weeks and for Mother's day- mom and Ryan went in to get me a 3D Ultrasound appointment! It was awesome, even though some of the pics are fuzzy/ weird looking....it's due to the placenta and fluids everywhere. Not only that, Brooklynn moves NON STOP!!! Even the ultrasound tech asked me "does she usually move this much?" Yes...she's obviously like her daddy! I will post some pics with some explanations of what you're looking at and then I will attempt to post the videos...those are cool! We got to see her smile and stick out her tongue yesterday during the ultrasound! It's the most amazing thing, to see her doing her own thing in there, with no idea she's being watched by everyone (my parents, Ryan's mom and dad and the two of us were there!). She's a cutie if you can see past the spots on the pics where she looks deformed or mutated! :-) She's not, it's just the fluids and stuff. Other than that, not much going on right now. I have a killer toothache and couldn't sleep at all that night before...had to get on some anti-biotics and found out just a second ago I'm going to need a root-canal....YAY! Those are awesome! Stupid teeth! :) Oh well...it's got to be done. For mother's day we hung out with my mom and Ryan's mom for the day...it was also our 1 year anniversary! I can't believe we've already been married a year, lol and I've been pregnant for more than half of that time!!! Way to go Ryan! :) Our next appointment is on the 22nd- so I will certainly update then if not before!! Love everyone! I would love to hear from you guys too!

Here she is with her right hand on the corner

of her mouth and her left is up to her shoulder

the two "bumps" you see on the top and left

one is her eye and one her nose, then her cheek

is to the bottom right of those (you're only

seeing the left side of her face @ a downward

angle)

This one shows more of the right side (this one is
pretty distorted with placenta in the way) It's
still cute though with her lips and chubby cheeks
:)

24 Weeks along today!

2009-04-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

Man, seems like just yesterday I posted the "We're pregnant" blog....now we're already more than half way through the pregnancy!

Today, we are 24 weeks along!!!

Here is some info about 24 weeks--->

**During pregnancy your hair's natural grow-shed cycle slows, leaving you with more hairs on your head at any given time. Now might be a good time to try out for one of those orgasm-in-the-shower shampoo commercials. Unfortunately, all that hair growth isn't limited to your head. You may start to notice a random hair (or 47) anywhere from your cheeks, back, and belly to your upper lip and chin. (Yay!! I'm super excited about this part) Your baby isn't just sitting around (on your bladder) doing nothing, he's working hard preparing for life outside the womb—perfecting his lungs and packing on the pounds. He'll gain ½ pound this week alone. Other highlights this week:Things are starting to get a little crowded inside the old womb as baby grows bigger and bigger. Your ribs are probably pining away for the good old days when they didn't have a foot permanently lodged between them. Hate to break it to you, but it's going to get worse before it gets better**

Okay------Brooklynn moves like crazy...sometimes from the feel of it, I think she'll be a kickboxer! :)

Just last night for the first time I actually saw my belly move from the outside- it was the neatest! My belly is growing, among other (undisclosed) parts of my body! I don't mind it for the most part, but sometimes, I'll be honest, it plays mental tricks on you...

We're coming along on the nursery- our colors- lime, pink and black! We went back and forth forever over colors, Ryan wasn't too sure, but now that he sees it on the walls, he likes the way it turned out. I've come up with some cute decorating ideas....just have to buy all of the materials, and nothing is cheap it seems! :)

I hope everyone is well! Our next appointment is this Friday! Yay! I'll post more pictures and info then too! Love everyone! Hope to hear from you!

The new paint ----->

Mom helping with the paint!

AND Dad installed a new FANTASTIC ceiling fan, before it was only a light fixture....oh man! What a difference!!!

Dad's THE BEST handy-man in town! Oh, and mom's the best painter :D She's not for hire though- not until she's finished helping me- tee hee~ These pictures don't do the belly much justice, it's BIG now....and growing by the day it seems...I'll take more of me in clothes....and just to clarify- that is my elbow in the above picture :)

What's your guess!?!? 03/31/09

2009-03-31T08:40:00.001-07:00

We had our appointment on Friday (20 week scan) and we found out that we are (today) 21 weeks; baby is a little over 12oz. and at the moment baby is breech! They said not to worry because between now and delivery there will be plenty of movement going on!!!

We also were able to see the brain, the 4 valves of the heart, 2 arms, 2 legs, 10 fingers and toes, eyes and blood flow...it was amazing and the whole thing brought tears to my eyes. We were able to find out what we're having and..........drum roll please.......it's a girl!!! :) We are so excited! I cried and Ryan held my hand with this look of shock and awe on his face!!! Don't let him fool you though...he's mentioned that even though he likes the thought of having a boy, he really likes the thought of "Daddy's little girl"...boy he's in for trouble!! This whole time we were under the impression that it would be a boy; I did however have a dream a couple of weeks ago that we walked into the Dr's office, he asked me something about the way my belly was sitting and then said "oh...you're definately having a girl....definately a girl..."; so when I woke up I was thinking that it possibly could be a girl- and it is!!! We've discussed names and already decided on one. Brooklynn Renea.....Renea is my sister's middle name and they go together beautifully. You know the two of us (Ryan and I)....we like doing things in a unique way :)

I just cannot believe we're going to be parents of a little baby girl!!! God, I can't wait to meet her! Last week I was feeling movement like crazy....now as of yesterday and today I've not felt much of anything and it scares me, although I read that it's normal. The entire thing is a huge blessing and not too much longer you will all get to meet our baby Brooklynn!! How exciting!!! I love you guys!

Please leave comments! I love to read them!!

Here are some pics of the "under construction" nursery...

the furniture is black and the walls will soon be a totally different color too! I'll keep updating photos of the room as they're taken!! :)

As you can see....Kato and I were a huge help with putting the baby furniture together!!!

Monday, Monday...

2009-03-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

It's Monday morning, following a big and really busy weekend (and week). Last week Ryan and I found ourselves away from home, literally every night...I'm ready for a vacation! I did get to have lunch with my Aunt Lisa (whom I hadn't seen in 10 years!) and Ryan & I also got to go to the rodeo (Keith Urban & Pat Green):) Over the weekend, my cousin Tonya was married to Ross in a beautiful ceremony that she boldly allowed me to be a part of! (I'll add the pics today). She was radiant and the entire day was memorable! Yesterday Ryan and I (ok, just Ryan....Kato & I watched) put the baby furniture together! It's so awesome to see it all put together- it's surreal! I'll also add pics of that); I can't wait until Friday for our 20 week scan. They say "for sure" by then we will be able to see what we're having....hope they're right...I really do want to know! I want to paint, register and call "it" he or she instead! :) Our appointment is at 8:30 in the A.M and then another appt. with our normal doctor...so, as soon as I get back home, I will update---hopefully with a sex!
I hope everyone is well- it was so great to see everyone this weekend! Oh, the biggest news yet (for me anyway)...yesterday at lunch with the family...for the first time...I felt the baby kicking!! I've felt "stuff" before, just wasn't sure that it was the baby or not...this time I was certain. This time it almost brought tears to my eyes; it felt like a "thump thump" inside! It was the neatest thing!

It's a ......?

2009-03-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

Well we had our appointment Tuesday and the baby is being stubborn :)

We still cannot tell if it is a boy or a girl....We went in for an ultrasound and blood work for the tri-screen (pray all goes well with that)!

Now we're awaiting our next appointment on the 27th of this month which will be at an office upstairs from our usual dr's office. This time they are going to do a 20 week scan (a much more involved and detailed ultrasound). They think during this ultrasound we should be able to tell if we're having a boy or a girl. It's really weird, even though my life has already changed drastically, there are times it still seems so surreal. I'm so excited and so is the daddy-to-be....can't wait to meet this little one! Here is the video from the last appointment (March 10th) Enjoy!

17 Weeks, 5 days (or so) :) 3/3/09

2009-03-03T08:41:00.000-08:00

Today we are more than 17 weeks along- it's really going by fast! I'm finding I have more energy than in the 1st trimester, which is fantastic! I'm also finding that I'm really really bored and ready to fix the house up! I want to paint, I want to decorate, if I could, I would remodel!!! :) Our next appointment is Tuesday, the 10th (Next Tuesday)!! I'm excited and nervous all at the same time.
I'm not feeling a lot of anything yet...sometimes I think I feel moment but most of the time, there is nothing. I've read it's normal and everyone is different, so I'm really trying to not worry so much, but it's tough! This morning I had some cramping really low in my abdomen, I was freaking out and jumped on the net to try and read some other women's experiences...and then I received an e-mail regarding just that and I was instantly comforted! Yikes! I guess it's b/c I have not felt anything in some time- that everything I feel worries me. :) I think Ryan and I both are nervous about this upcoming appointment- they will do a tri-screening through bloodwork. It screens for Down syndrome, trisomy 18 and open birth defects such as spina bifida by measuring the levels of three chemicals in the pregnant woman's blood. These chemicals - AFP (alpha-fetoprotein), hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) and uE3 (unconjugated estriol) - are made by the baby and/or placenta. It's my understanding this test is pretty much protocol now...ANYWAY- posting a belly photo (this was at about 15 weeks 5 days) :D
More to come!
Love you all and hope everything is well!

Ultrasound 4

2009-02-18T10:23:00.001-08:00

Our Ultrasound Yesterday (Feb 18, 2009)

2009-02-18T05:50:00.000-08:00

We had our 4th ultrasound appointment yesterday morning...it was amazing. This time Ryan videotaped it- the video is a little long, but it's fun to watch and funny to hear....so, have it turned up! Enjoy! :)

14 weeks along 02/09/2009

2009-02-09T09:27:00.000-08:00

As of Friday (the 6th) we are 14 weeks along. Nothing has changed yet, but we're hoping to know what we're having on the 17th of this month. Yes, we decided we want to know what baby's sex is. This has been a rather odd week...after Busha passed away, Ryan came down with a really bad cold- THEN it manifested into pink eye! YES! It's possible...there are 2 types of pink eye: viral and bacterial and a cold/sinus infection can turn into pink eye. So, I've gone through my fair share of antibacterial wipes and cans of lysol at the house, yet I still came down with that same cold- BOOOOOO. I'm praying it does not turn into pink eye too...creepy! I feel like crap and have not really slept in 2 days- this is from being able to only partially breathe through one nostril and these bizzare off-the-wall dreams I'm having. Belly is getting bigger, but luckily I have managed to lose some weight! You have to remember that I found out about being pregnant right in the middle of the holidays....so.....naturally I'm not eating as much as I was then (at least not yet anyway). We're EXTRA excited about our appt. on Tuesday! We will keep you posted!

Some facts about being 14 months in the oven:

Your baby now has fingerprints! Book 'em, Danno! Believe it or not, he actually created them himself while swimming around in the amniotic fluid. As he moved his hands, the skin on the tips of his fingers formed unique ridges and folds. That's why no one on earth has the same fingerprints, not even identical twins! Cool, right? Baby's arms are now in proportion to his tiny body, but his legs are still on the short size in comparison. Your baby is now the length of a flip phone, or roughly 3.5 inches—he's tripled in size from a mere three weeks ago!

Busha, we already miss you dearly!- 2/2/09

2009-02-02T08:18:00.000-08:00

Well it's Monday, I'm back at work following a big, busy, sad weekend. On Wednesday night (Jan 28, 2009) Ryan's grandmother, "Busha" (polish for grandmother) passed away. What an amazing woman she was! Born August 11, 1923, she lived to see many ups and downs in life, but in the end she leaves everyone with wonderful memories of laughter and love. She was a toughy! After getting married she learned english; after the loss of her husband, she learned to drive, got her license and bought a brand new Maverick, working in a meat packing plant downtown to support her 3 children! Growing up she had 9 brothers and sisters and through life, had lost all of them but one. In her last days she was in and out of the hospital and wanted nothing more than to return home and just stay there. She got out of the hospital, back home and not even a week later, she passed. I guess that's what she was waiting on; so it was bitter-sweet. She's not suffering, she was where she wanted to be and now she's partying with everyone who passed before her in Heaven! Yes, she was a party girl! :) On weekends you could find her at my father-in-law's house BBQ'n with us, or watching us relax in the pool, she so badly wanted to meet our baby, and in a way, I guess she will. I'm wondering if she will fix it to where we deliver on her birthday (August 11).....I could see her doing that! WE MISS YOU BUSHA!!! Can't wait to see you again someday! Here is a link to her obituary, and if you would like to sign the guest book, please feel free to do so! http://www.legacy.com/HoustonChronicle/DeathNotices.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=123484721

Oh, the 1st picture taken at our wedding reception in July, 2008-

the 2nd one was taken about 5 minutes after Ryan asked me to marry him in Dallas...and about 5 seconds after the picture is when Busha started asking when we were going "to have babies" :) She only missed it by several months.

Our appointment yesterday 01/20/2009

2009-01-21T08:25:00.000-08:00

Wow! We had our 3rd appointment yesterday morning and it was the best one yet!!!
She went to do the ultrasound and INSTANTLY, we saw our baby's head, tiny little arms and legs! It was amazing! The baby was waving and looking at us! We have some amazing ultrasound pictures, I just need to upload them on here (will do today).

I was crying my eyes out I was so happy to see our little one swimming around in there! It was just amazing! I can't even explain the feeling I had, but I'm sure you moms (and dads) can understand! :D We are so excited! We found our we're further along that we suspected- she put us at 11weeks and 3 days. I can't wait for our next appointment! I'm getting bigger! I think I can now start taking pics of my belly, I'll do that today too! Those are always my favorite pictures to see of mom's to be- their bellies growing. It's so amazing! I did break down the other night, I felt so bad for Ryan, because he caught the crappy side of it. I was just freaking out over my size and not being able to fit in my clothes anymore! After our appointment I really felt a lot better about everything; felt like there is actually a reason for all of the madness!! The Dr. said all of my blood work was normal and that possibly next appointment he will be able to tell the sex of the baby...what to do, what to do?!?!? :) Help!

I was reading miscellanious articles about the baby during the 11th week- here are some interesting facts I found:

Baby's ears are assuming their proper place this week and the fingernail and toenail beds are beginning to form. Your little "pumpkin head" really lives up to his nickname as his head is nearly as big as the rest of his body. In the next nine weeks, your baby will increase 30 times in weight and almost triple in length!!!

Tons of love,
The Pawlak's

Ahhhh Friday! 01/16/08

2009-01-16T13:05:00.000-08:00

Well today is Friday the 16th and yesterday I figured the baby to be 10 weeks...only when I looked at this website (babyzone.com) it tells me I'm 10 weeks, 2 days?
Who knows. That would make me 10 weeks, 3 days today. The previous picture is from a different website....I'm not so sure what this baby looks like. More like an angry old man-baby. Our next appointment is Tuesday the 20th--- I can't wait!!! I'm nervous, but excited, so is Ryan! Nothing new really to announce, but I would like some suggestions. We're trying to decide if, when the time comes, we want to know what the sex of the baby is! Should we or shouldn't we? Why or why not? HELP!!!!!
:) So I'm fat and can no longer fit into my awesome "rock star" clothes anymore. It's alright though, I've noticed on some of these maternity sites, they carry a lot of "rock star" maternity clothes now....AWESOME! I just got back from the hospital; Ryan's grandmother is there again. This time with a lot of blood clots in numerous places. She was in good spirits though, and she cracked me up the entire time. Prayers please! Well, let us know what you think! Looking forward to the responses!!!
:D
Lots of love,
The Pawlak's and THE BEAN

The Bean this week (Week 9)

2009-01-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

9 Weeks Pregnant

Pretty amazing, although the baby looks somewhat like a sea creature or one of those mascots with the huge heads and funny little arms! :) The big head would be from the baby's daddy of course! :)
Our next appointment is in about a week and a half...I'm hoping to be able to HEAR the heart beat then!! That would be fantastic!

Our Baby Bean

2009-01-05T06:48:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!!! Happy new year!
I can't believe it's already 2009- 2008 just FLEW BY!

Ryan and I were married back in May in Cancun, and I couldn't have dreamt of a more perfect wedding (and marriage...tee-hee) :D We discussed trying to start having kids towards the middle/end of November, thinking it would take us some time to actually get pregnant....HA! We were lucky and very blessed, we conceived right away! We are set to deliever August 12, 2009! Another Leo added to our family's list of birthdays, so everyone is hoping I'll have the baby on THEIR birthday...

I found out on December 1st after several tests and some doubt because it was so soon; I was at home working on homework and Ryan was at the Texans game, first Monday night football game Houston has seen since the Oilers! Obviously when he returned home from the game, he was way too sloshed to share the news....so I waited. I could hardly sleep that night and the next morning I LEAPED out of bed! I ran to the restroom and took another test, this one was digital (how cool is that!?) There it was, plain as day "Pregnant"....YES!! I bolted out of the restroom to my make-up drawer to grab the pinkest lipgloss I could find and ran back in and shut the door...my goal was to write "We're Pregnant" on my belly with this lip-gloss. I didn't take into consideration I would be writing it upside down without a mirror, but all obsticals considered, it turned out pretty well!! I opened the door and called Ryan in to look at a "spot on my stomach", I lifted up my shirt and after a couple of seconds of a funny and confused look, he said "are you sure, oh my God, are you serious!?!?........how accurate are these things?". Boys! I swear! :)

I couldn't wait to tell our parents, and I'm not so great at keeping my own personal secrets, so Tuesday we arranged for dinner with our folks. I bought each of them a card with something on them regarding "grandma and grandpa"; Mom instantly knew and instantly FREAKED! The guy behind us actually said out loud "Uh oh, I think someone died". I bought a cake and had them write "Lil' Bun in the Oven" on it, it was so cute (and yummy too!)

It was so awesome watching them all talk about it and smile, sharing their thoughts on all of it, Ryan looked like he had been slapped in the face, I guess he was still in shock himself, it was funny. That Friday, we (Mom and I) went to the Dr's office and I had my first ultrasound which proved the baby was in there and was 2 weeks along. The baby due to it's first photograph, was then dubbed "Baby Bean". Oh my gosh, we're so excited!!! The wonders of pregnancy, other than being sleepy ALL of the time and feeling like a weigh a thousand pounds have really had no other effect on me! My breasts are really, really sore, but that seems to change on a daily basis. It's so much fun and I can't wait to meet him/her; or to feel the baby kick or move....so exciting!!!

Our last appointment was on December 23 and the nurse confirmed for Ryan and I that the baby does have a heart! That was truly the most amazing feeling, seeing the baby's heart beat! Ryan was like a little kid watching it, he told my mom afterwards: "that will bring a badass to his knees real quick". Seeing the heartbeat brought me to tears! So amazing how fast everything happens and how quick that little bean grows! Our next appointment is towards the end of January and we will be more than 10 weeks along. I hope everyone is well!!!! Happy new year!!!

I'll keep posting! Love you guys!

Christmas Time!

2008-12-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

So it's Thursday, the 11th of December already! This year has absolutely flown by! Tomorrow's Christmas party is fast approaching, but I have yet to stir up the energy to get much done! "Oh God, I have to buy food, I have to buy the gifts, I have to clean the house!" Those are the thoughts that crossed my mind last night! I figure in all of the whirlwind that is the Christmas season every year, everything will work itself out- it ALWAYS does. A week ago tomorrow was my first Dr's appointment, which means we will officially be 5 weeks along. What an amazing feeling this is, to know that in less than a year, Ryan and I will have a little baby in the house! Amazing and scary as hell too. I always worry, are we smart enough, are we capable enough....are we worthy of such a blessing? I think so. Yesterday was a bit of weird one, a funeral for a good friend's mom and when we left, snow was falling. Really?!? In Houston? How cool is that? It was gorgeous and made me smile when I saw all of the kids (big and little) running everywhere catching snow flakes on their tongues. It was like a little dream, made me feel like a kid again, so I switched my talk radio to Christmas music with a swiftness! Ahhhh, it really took me back! Reminded me of the mornings Melissa and I would wake up extra early, run to mom and dad's door, with that rush of excitement in our stomachs, waking them up and yelling "It's Christmas!!! Get up!!". Thinking back now, they amaze me, I'm sure they were running on about 4 hours of sleep, but I know they loved those mornings just as much as we did! My favorite Christmas morning was when it had iced over the night before, mom and dad slaved putting together our big gift...we woke up, opened the gifts inside and then we were prompted to the back yard. We opened the back door and VIOLA!!! A trampoline! A trampoline!!?!?!?? Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! We were so excited!!! Ran and jumped on it, ice and all! It was so freakin' neat! Money can't buy the smiles that were on our faces! Point to my stories-I can't wait to have those memories with my own kids...I'll be reliving all of that, but through my parents eyes this time. I can't wait! Merry Christmas!!! May you always have trampoline mornings! :)