When the taptap's movin', get a grip, stay seated & PRAY!

- STARTING WEEK 34 -

2008-07-24T22:26:00.003-04:00

ahniér could be as tall as 20” right now & could weigh about 5# - it's wonderful to know that if she was born now, she has a 95% chance of full & normal survival with medical intervention…she’s on the move! - she’s been riding fairly high in mama’s stretched-out womb till now [while kindly compressing mama’s poor internal organs], but now she’s planning on making the big move to her pelvis this week - if mama hasn’t noticed it already, she’ll be feeling the weight shift that signals ahniér’s most likely out of breech position, with her head now resting on mama’s pubic bone - she’s now bulked up to the size of an average cantaloupe

ahniér’s fingernails now reach the end of the fingertips & may even curl over the tip, making a manicure one of the first things we'll need to do for our little bundle - she can grasp firmly & responds just as a newborn would by opening his eyes while awake & closing them while sleeping
`
this month also offers more time for ahniér to build antibodies & for her skin to continue to thicken - although not quite fully formed, her liver’s now capable of processing a certain amount of waste - in general, most of her prenatal physical development’s pretty much up to snuff & ready for the outside world - naturally, further weight gain’s expected, so mama’s still not at maximum capacity despite probably feeling like she definitely is maxed out

- WHAT A DAY! -

2008-07-23T01:22:00.004-04:00

well, my morning started off by staying home & getting some things done around the house, went over to my parents house to visit a bit & then picked shnaider up & took him to his doctor appointment this afternoon - after that was over, we headed home

moving on to the afternoon...my afternoon didn't go as planned at all [not at all!] & mentally/physically drained me, but at the end of the day, when all's said & done, i feel that god had his hand in it & good things are a comin'!!

the girls had been home all day & needed to get out & run some steam off [just what i wanted to do, let me tell ya!], so since spike was gone golfing with dustin, the girls & i went out for pizza, then to see our new house - while there, we met some very nice neighbors [christy, megan, colin & natalie] & it was very nice to talk to some friendly people :) - here's our house today as they delivered the steel beam that we've been waiting for & next they'll deliver our framing package [i'm praying it's tomorrow] - immediately thereafter, they'll start framing & i'm very excited about that

after we saw the house & visited with kristy, we went home to unwind & to just play & have fun - the girls brought baby dolls out & had a good playing - i think tomorrow we may go to the pool, but shhhh, don't tell them!!

- TWO WOLVES -

2008-07-21T23:01:00.002-04:00

one evening an old cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people - he said, "my son, the battle's between two 'wolves' inside us all
`
one's evil - it's anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority & ego
`
one's good - it's joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion & faith
`
the grandson thought about it for a minute & then asked his grandfather, "which wolf wins?"
`
the old cherokee simply replied, "the one that wins, is the one you feed"

- TICKETS PLEASE -

2008-07-21T22:45:00.004-04:00

one morning, three southerners & three yankees were in a ticket counter line at a train station - the three northerners each bought a ticket & watched as the three southerners bought just one ticket - "how are the three of you going to travel on only one ticket?", asked one of the yankees

"watch & learn", answered one of the boys from the south - all six boarded the train where the three yankees sat down, but the three southerners crammed into a toilet together & closed the door - shortly after the train departed, the conductor came around to collect tickets - he knocked on the toilet door & said, "ticket, please" - the door opened just a crack & a single arm emerged with a ticket in hand - the conductor took it & moved on
`
the yankees saw this happen & agreed it was quite a clever idea - indeed, so clever they decided to do the same thing on the return trip & save some money - that afternoon when they got back to the station, they bought a single ticket for the return trip & watched, while to their astonishment, as the three Southerners didn't buy even one ticket
`
"how are you going to travel without a ticket?", asked one of the perplexed yankees - watch & learn", answered the three southern boys in unison - when they boarded the train, the three northerners crammed themselves into a toilet & the three Southerners crammed into another toilet just down the way - shortly after the train began to move, one of the southerners left their toilet & walked over to the toilet in which the yankees were hiding - the southerner knocked on the door & said, "ticket, please"

- WEEK 33 [starts tomorrow] -

2008-07-17T22:19:00.003-04:00

ahniér's proportioned like a pineapple when it comes to weight...over 4 pounds

LENGTH/WEIGHT
this week ahniér’s more than likely between 17 - 19” long & weighs more than 4½ - 5# - she could grow another inch this week alone, especially if she’s been on the shorter side until now - for all the weight & bulk mama’s lugging around these days, you’d think ahniér should weigh much more than a mere 5# & measly 17” in length, but nope, that’s about the average size for a baby in its 33rd week - weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling her weight before her big debut - in terms of appearances, she’s getting cuter & pudgier every minute as she piles on the baby fat for those adorable little wrist rolls & chubby toes
`
AMNIOTIC FLUID
the level of amniotic fluid in mama’s uterus has reached its maximum, making it likely that there’s more of ahniér than fluid now - that's one reason why mama’s probably feeling lots of nudges & pushes…there's less liquid to cushion the blows [of course that means we’re all that much closer to meeting ahniér!] - by now, she has all the amniotic fluid she’s going to have & the amount will remain consistent until delivery
`
OPENING/CLOSING EYES…DAY/NIGHT
if the uterine walls had eyes, here's what we’d see: ahniér acting more & more like a baby, with her eyes closing during sleep & opening while awake & because those uterine walls are becoming thinner, more light penetrates the womb, helping her differentiate between day & night [now if only she can remember that difference on the outside!]
`
IMMUNE SYSTEM
ahniér’s reached an important milestone about now: the development of her own immune system that [along with antibodies from mama] will be able to provide protection from mild infections - her brain continues to grow, increasing the size of her head – she continues to develop fat deposits under the skin, changing the color of her skin from red to pink & her clitoris is relatively prominent now as well
`
as we’re sure you’ve already noticed, kicks are getting stronger with every passing day - nowadays, it’s possible to observe a well-placed kick just by watching mama’s belly - although they’re getting stronger, ahniér’s losing space to move around, so the actual rate of movement will drop off in the last few weeks, despite that powerful drop-kick she’s been working on

- TODAY WAS... -

2008-07-17T15:53:00.005-04:00

a wonderful day! - brit stayed all night with her aunt & uncle [no, that's NOT what made it wonderful] - before she'd left, we'd already had plans to do something 'fun' today, so even though it wasn't all of us, we still did something fun

i got the girls up this morning & we went downtown to kiln creations - it's a local place where you can go in, pick out a piece of pottery, paint it up yourself & then they'll fire it for you & you pick it up in a week - i've been thinking of doing this for quite awhile & so today...we did it! - the girls had a blast & here's some pictures to prove it

kiara

rubykarleigh

we then went for a walk all around town & stopped along the way for some 'photo shoots' - i thought these came out very good - the girls love posing & i LOVE taking their pictures, so we all win!we then went to the girls' favorite downtown restaurant, 'eddies café' for lunch - they ate great & were all in good moods [PTL] - when we were finished, we were off for a surprise that they knew nothing aboutour last stop consisted of ice cream from alexanders, a local 'old ice cream parlor' - they'd never been there before & thoroughly enjoyed themselves - i think what they enjoyed most about it was that they were able to get ice cream in a cone - to ~~some~~, most families, their children are used to getting cones, when they get ice cream - for us it's different, we usually stop for ice cream 'on the way somewhere' so we just get it in dishes & they've always been fine with that - today, as we were eating, karleigh spoke up & said, "gosh guys, isn't this amazing?" - for them to get it in cones was 'extra special & AMAZING'...guess it was a hit!

- EWWWWW -

2008-07-16T22:04:00.003-04:00

alright, call me cheap or whatever you want to, but here lately when we go out to eat, i'll let the kids take their crayons that they've been given by the 'orders' [to most normal people, these 'orders' are servers at restaurants], home with us - we throw them all into a big box & at that time, we've more crayons [because i know all they do's throw them away]

well, today we went to pizza hut with dustin & each of the girls were given 4 crayons [12 total] & so when we left, instead of putting them into my purse for them to roll around & me forget where i put them, i placed them in between the van seats in the change compartment

well, this evening i was heading out for a meeting & got into the van [yeah, the van that's sat out in the blazin' sun all day] & i'd a beautiful rainbow of colors melted into all my change [yuck] - it was a mess! - with each swipe of the tissue, i got more up, but it was everywhere

[note to self: either take the crayons IN the house upon arriving home or leave them at the restaurant to be thrown away!!]

- WHAT A MAN DID FOR HIS SON -

2008-07-16T15:06:00.001-04:00

a son asked his father, "dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?" - the father who, despite having a heart condition, said, "yes" - they went on to complete the marathon together - this father & son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying. "yes" to his son's request of going through the race together - one day, the son asked his father, "dad, let's join the iron man together" - to which, his father said, "yes" too - [for those who don't know, ironman's the toughest triathlon ever - the race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride & ending with a 26.2 mile marathon run along the coast of the big island] - father & son went on to complete the race together - view this race here & bring kleenex!!!

- THE MAP -

2008-07-16T14:14:00.002-04:00

a father wanted to read a magazine, but was being bothered by his little girl, shelby - she wanted to know what the united states looked like - finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country - tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to shelby & said, "go into the other room & see if you can put this together - this will show you our whole country today" - after a few minutes, she returned & handed him the map, correctly fitted & taped together - the father was surprised & asked how she'd finished so quickly - "oh," she said, "on the other side of the paper's a picture of jesus & when i got all of jesus back where he belonged, then our country just came together." - AMEN!

- WHAT'S MISSING? -

2008-07-16T14:09:00.003-04:00

TEETH THAT IS!! - here's papaw [my dad] & kiara, both with missing teeth - kiara had lost her teeth a few days ago & when we got to the restaurant sunday after church, she ran up to dad & asked if he would take his teeth out so they could get a picture taken together with 'no teeth' - dad was thrilled to accommodate her as he loves being goofy & when he can do it in public...well, that to him is even better - don't they both look silly??

- WEEK 32 -

2008-07-11T14:24:00.005-04:00

ahniér's taking up more & more space in mamas uterus & weighs as much as a large jicama - about 4# & could be up to 19” long - although that's a head-to-toe length, she’s actually back to a curled-up position in preparation for birth [you try standing up in those cramped quarters!] - while she’s still getting nourishment through the umbilical cord, it won't be long before she’ll be getting formula [& soon after, the mashed carrots & peas] - in anticipation of that momentous transition to mouth feeding, ahniér's digestive system’s all set & ready to go & because she’s accumulating more fat, her skin’s finally turning opaque [like yours], which means those see-through days are over
`
mama’s likely feeling tapping & squirming instead of ahniér's signature rocking & rolling & that's because, while comfy, she’s a bit tight for exercise space right now - she’s also probably settled into the head-down, bottoms-up position in mama’s pelvis in preparation for birth & that's because her head fits better at the bottom of mama’s inverted, pear-shaped uterus - it also makes it easier during childbirth if ahniér comes out head first as fewer than 5% of babies prefer the bottom-down [or breech] position by full-term - don't worry if she hasn't assumed the head-down position yet as there's still a good chance she’ll flip head-side-down before birth, even in the tight confines of mama’s uterus - though weeks away from D-day, she's looking more & more like a newborn & speaking of that big day, hope you're resting up for it, because ahniér certainly is - in preparation for that big entrance, she’s sleeping like a baby, with sleep cycles of 20 - 40 minutes long [which would also account for the decrease in movement mama’s likely feeling these days] - she sleeps approximately 90–95% of the day now, much like she will after she’s born - her skin’s become thicker & she continues to gain more of a pinkish color - ahniér's movements will peak this week & from now on they’ll change in quantity & quality - most of the wrinkles are disappearing from her face & there may be a lot of hair on her head
`
in the latest womb reports, ahniér’s now developed sensitivity to temperature! - this means mama will probably get a swift kick if she puts a hot pad on her ginormous belly - for the elton john lovers out there, yes, the baby’s got blue eyes - at this point, all babies do, although depending on their chromosomal disposition, this could easily change after birth [or even between now & labor], but for the time being, blue it is - thanks to their recently matured lungs & a remarkably strong immune system, over 90% of babies born in their 32nd week, survive premature births, so it’s pretty much a done deal - even if ahniér’s planning on heading out early, her survival odds are in everyone’s favor – so, is it time to celebrate?? - no, no, wait until after the birth!

all ahniér's toenails & fingernails have grown in & are looking just as they will at delivery - with mama's uterus pushing up near her diaphragm & putting pressure on her abdomen, she's now dealing with heartburn more often & feeling a little short of breath

- WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA -

2008-07-10T18:30:00.006-04:00

can you believe it?? - my baby girl's 17 today!! - whaaaaaaaaaa - she's such a great ~~child~~, ~~kid~~, ~~girl~~, ~~teen~~, ~~young adult~~, person & i've the privilege of being her mom - she's a huge help around here, but seems to enjoy it [did i mention, she's nuts?] - i can't believe she's 17, but she keeps reminding me, so i'm certain it's true - i took all the girls to sapporos today [japanese steakhouse] today at brit's request & it was fabulous! - we got her an ankle bracelet & matching earrings, but she doesn't know it yet [guess it doesn't matter that they match, unless she's going to walk with her ear to the ground near her ankle's huh?] - anyhow, i wanted to publicly shout happy birthday to brit today & let her know how much she's loved - anyone that would like, can email her at Luv2read791@aol.com & wish her a great day!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BRIT

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

- OUR HOUSE/LOT, SO FAR -

2008-07-10T18:06:00.007-04:00

an empty lot

after the lot's been cleared off

footers trenched & poured

covering put on as they get ready to lay the block foundation

block's been delivered

- HEIGHTS & WEIGHTS AS OF TODAY -

2008-07-09T16:33:00.004-04:00

kiara [6y]

height: 46 ¼"

weight: 49.5#

ruby [5y]

height: 41 ¼"

weight: 33.0#

karleigh [4y]

height: 41 ½"

weight: 34.0#

- NO THOUGHTS, JUST TONS OF PICS -

2008-07-07T21:36:00.013-04:00

july 3rd we went to the midnight parade & then on he 4th, we went to the fireworks near our home - here's some fireworks at the end - it was really neat & we all had a great time

dustin & ruby

brit

kiara

ruby

karleigh

brit

kiara

ruby

karleigh

brit

kiara

ruby

karleigh

kiara

ruby

karleigh

kiara

ruby

karleigh

kiara

ruby

kiara

ruby

kiara

ruby

kiara

ruby

kiara

karleigh, kiara & ruby

- WEEK 31 -

2008-07-04T11:15:00.007-04:00

well, ahniér's now measuring an impressive 18" & weighing in at over 4# [about the same as 4 large navel oranges] - we can still expect her to gain at least 3-5# & possibly more, before we meet her - with each added layer of baby fat, her skin starts to look more & more like it will be when she finally gets to see the light of day - in the 3rd trimester all she's doing is growing big enough so that she can be born - from now until the end of the pregnancy, she'll gain weight faster than she'll increase in length - due to the deposits of white fat underneath the skin her skin's no longer red, but is now the wonderful newborn brown color - we can expect our miracle-gro muffin to gain about a ½# of weight per week from now until about 2 weeks before birth - great, that's just what mama wants to hear...even more weight to carry around!

her brain's working overtime & developing faster than ever - connections between individual nerve cells are growing at a fast clip & she can now perceive information from all 5 senses - sure, she can't smell anything right now, but that's only because she's still submerged in amniotic fluid & needs to be breathing air to get a whiff of anything - lucky for us, ours might possibly be one of the very first scents she breathes in, a scent that'll quickly become her very favorite

so what's she doing all day while mama's busy feathering her nest for her arrival? - making faces, hiccupping, swallowing, breathing, pedaling with little hands & feet along the uterine wall, & even sucking her thumb - in fact, some babies suck their thumbs so vigorously while in the womb, that they're born with a callus on their thumb [what a little sucker!]

by now her lungs & digestive tract are nearly mature & her irises can now dilate & contract in response to light - her fingernails may reach the end of the hands, too - she's still developing & immune system's gained substantial strength over the past few weeks getting her in full gear to face our disease ridden world o’ wonders - her cute little noggin’ [which could already be covered with luscious locks or just pretty peach fuzz], is still soft because the skull bones haven't yet fused together - as much as that sounds a little too vulnerable, their 'skull softness' allows for a much smoother passage through the birth canal during labor...something both mama & ahniér will appreciate when it’s finally time to 'go'! - also, some babies will have that 'soft spot' on their head for up to one year after birth - mama may worry that if she's breathless from walking or sometimes even just sitting that ahniér's in danger...this' not true - she's getting plenty of oxygen from mama's placenta

- WHERE'S THE TIME GONE? -

2008-07-02T21:47:00.007-04:00

karleigh's referral picture at 39 days old

that we saw & absolutely fell in love with

july 2, 2004 - age 5 months

getting ready to go 'home' the next day

as she arrives in indianapolis, IN

on july 3, 2004 at just 5 months oldfirst picture taken

she'd only been home 2 days

yesterday playing at the park

4 years old

i'm posting this now as i've got a VERY busy day planned tomorrow [hmmm, what day's NOT very busy for me??] - anyhow, spike & i've got to do fingerprinting tomorrow at our local & FBI offices for ahniér's adoption in the morning - we'll then come home & let the girls take a nap, then we're off to a nearby town for their 4th of july midnight parade - we go there every year & have a great time - it starts at 9pm & runs until about midnight & it's soooooooo fun - the girls think it's the greatest thing getting to stay up late & see fireworks & all - we'll then attend the local fireworks display on the 4th out on the lake near where we live - we've been going there for several years & love it too - we're so excited

now that you know why i'm posting this early, i'll tell you what it is that i'm posting...

it was 4 years ago tomorrow [july 3, 2004] that we arrived home with our little bundle of joy - it didn't look as though we'd be bringing her home as we weren't even out of IBESR yet when we arrived in haiti, but we just felt we should go as the haitian government asked barbara if we'd come in for an interview...um, SURE! - we went on a monday & even though they promised that if we'd come in, they'd release us from IBESR, they declined to do their part, tuesday came & went & still nothing - i couldn't understand what was going on, but still knew god could go anything [hey god, you're gonna have to hurry on this one]

wednesday night we received a phone call from our attorney saying we'd come out of IBESR that afternoon & he'd put us into legalization that same day just before they closed - i thought that was great, but it was deposited wednesday at 4pm & we were leaving on saturday morning so that was only going to give them thursday & friday to not only get through & out of legalization, but also get a visa - we heard nothing at all on thursday & i just kept thinking, "i thought i could leave her [karleigh] if i had to, but i don't think i can!!"

friday we were driving around with barbara & she got a call & said she'd to stop by our attorney's office - we'd done this all day long, so i thought nothing of it - she jumped back into the car & yelled, "don't loose those papers i just handed you as you'll need them to get karleigh out of the country tomorrow when you leave" - i couldn't believe it!! - we raced over at that exact minute & asked a visa like NOW & they agreed - they even said we could wait for it to be printed, so we did - we didn't have an appointment at all, but god went in before us - at that time [2004], when you got out of IBESR, you only needed to go through legalization & then get a visa, but legalization was taking a minimum of 4-6 days & we exited in just 19 HOURS!!!

god's so good & allowed us to bring her home with us & it's been a fun ride with her ever since - she's a firecracker on the outside [she sure came home in the right month!], but is the most tender little thing that there ever was - i'm blessed to be her mommy & love her with all my heart - even though we waited for her just 3 months & 25 days to complete her adoption, it seemed like an eternity as she'd already stolen our hearts - happy gotcha day little one, we love you!!

- IT'S HOW THE CHINESE DO IT!! -

2008-07-02T16:11:00.003-04:00

today i'd to go to the SS office & when i returned the girls had just went down for their nap - i went in to check them all & there lay kiara laying on a blanket & then it was pulled up & thrown over her [basically like a sleeping bag where she was covered up with the same blanket that she was laying on] - i said, "kiara, why don't you have another blanket to cover up with, other than the one you're laying on?" - kiara said, "oh mommy, boo [that's brit] has lots of chinese friends & she said they all do this so they don't have to get 2 blankets dirty - i wanted to be like the chinese! [smiling all the while]"

i laughed under my breath, came downstairs & said, "boy, do i have blog material now!" - brit looked at me as if she'd no earthly idea what i was talking about [aka...the 'teenage share'] - i shared with her what kiara had said & she began laughing - come to find out it was brit's way of not having to walk across the room to pick up another blanket to cover kiara up with!!! - oh my word!

ps...don't get upset that she used 'chinese' as the subject here - brit's all into other countries, talking with accents, travel, exotic places, etc. - it's just somewhere that she could talk about that her sister wouldn't have a clue whether she was right or wrong!!

- OUR BEAUTIFUL KIDS -

2008-07-01T23:19:00.007-04:00

dustin & brit

karleigh, dustin, ruby & kiara kiara kiara karleigh brit kiara ruby
karleigh
kiararuby
karleigh kiara
ruby
karleigh

kiara
ruby

- OUR FAMILY -

2008-07-01T10:47:00.003-04:00

here's our side of the family at uncle noah's baptism

[from back left, moving clockwise] madisyn, mom, dustin, dad, brit, me, spike, kiara, ruby, karleigh & uncle noah

just thought i'd share so you could all put faces with names!

- WHAT A BLESSED DAY WE HAD -

2008-06-29T19:41:00.002-04:00

no one reading this blog [except my parents, probably] will even know this man, but he's my uncle noah [my dad's brother] - he's been a rough ole cuss all his life & didn't care who heard the 4 letter words fly out of his mouth, didn't care what nasty jokes rolled off his tongue [nor who was around to hear them] & wasn't one to give a compliment or let anyone get 'too close'

don't get me wrong, he's always been very nice, but was more of the 'macho type' that couldn't show his feelings for fear that someone might see him as a weak, gushy, etc. [you know the type!]

he was raised in a christian home along with my dad & their 3 sisters, but it's now down to just he & my dad now as the rest of the family's already passed on - he's never had much to do with anything that pertained to god, as that just 'wasn't for him'

he's had health issues for awhile now, but even that wasn't enough to get him 'turned in the right direction' as he'd never use a bad drs. report as a 'crutch' to get into heaven...it just wasn't 'his way'

a few months ago while in the hospital, his wife's pastor came to visit him - while there, they were praying before the pastor left & noah hold on to your seat...gave his life to the lord!! - he's been a totally different [& I MEAN TOTALLY DIFFERENT] man since then

today, many in our family went to the church where his wife goes [& now he does too!] - he was going to be baptized & was soooooo excited for all of us to be there [he just beamed!] - before the baptizing began, the pastor ran a brief video of uncle noah in an interview they'd had together about what had happened in his life

he started off by saying, "well, you've heard the phrase 'bout people being 'hell on wheels'? - well, i was so bad i done blew even the wheels clean off!" - he then shared via video about something the lord showed him - he believes [& i do too] that he saw hell with his own eyes - he was in the hospital & in grave condition & he saw himself in a gray room with little creeping black figures that were racing all around the room - he said he saw them darting in/out & the more he saw the worse he felt - he truly believes that god was showing him what he was facing [hell] & was giving him one final choice of where he was wanting to spend eternity - he made his decision that day & is so in love with the lord, it's remarkable...only god

today was a very blessed day as we were able to spend it with a man that was headed to hell in a hurry & didn't care as he thought 'he could handle it' [remember, he was the 'macho type'], but finally saw that he couldn't & made the 'right choice' - i'm so proud of him & can't wait to hear about all the people that will be ministered to, just by seeing the witness in his life

can you handle it?
are you ready to make the 'right choice'?

- HOW PRETTY IS THIS!! -

2008-06-27T20:42:00.001-04:00

madisyn had her hair done today & so mom took pics - isn't she pretty!! - i just love how her hair looks! - she's such a sweet young girl & has adjusted so well - i'm so proud of her!!

- WEEK 30 -

2008-06-27T14:33:00.003-04:00

until now, the surface of ahniér's brain was smooth - now that little brain's taking on those characteristic grooves & indentations, which allow for an increased amount of brain tissue as she prepares for life outside the womb & the street smarts she'll need

another big change this week's ahniér's bone marrow's taken over production of red blood cells [before, tissue groups & then the spleen took care of producing the blood cells] - this' an important step for your baby, because it means she's better able to thrive on her own once born [with a little TLC, of course] - so it's in with the new [brain cells, red blood cells] & out with the old [lanugo] - much of the lanugo — the soft, downy hair covering ahniér's body — is beginning to disappear now because both fat & the brain are regulating her body's temperature [so no need for that furry coat anymore] - but you may see a few leftover strands of fur on your newborn's back & shoulders

ahniér's permanent teeth have developed & are "waiting" in her gums, underneath the baby teeth - ahniér's very aware of the surroundings & her eyelids will open & close - she'll even look around & turn toward light - we tend to think of the uterus as a dark place, but the uterus actually can be light & dark depending on your environment

ahniér rivals a good-size cabbage in weight, tipping the scales this week at over 3 pounds - she weighs about 3# 12oz now [or more] & is approximately 16" long - your little porker's getting even cuter with increasingly pudgy arms & legs this week thanks to the ever-growing layers of subcutaneous fat - you may be able to distinguish sleep & wake cycles ahniér as well - although it usually seems as if the baby wants to sleep while mama's awake & vice versa at night - this' not indicative of a sleepless newborn - mama's voice's not only heard by your baby, but is also recognized - also, ahniér has a grip so strong she's capable of gripping onto your finger - at this point, ahniér may be practicing nursing as she sucks her thumb - she has lungs that are capable of breathing air, although medical help may be needed if she were to be born now & 9 out of 10 babies born now will survive - the light's visible at the end of the tunnel! - mama's oversized self & amazing ahniér have finally reached the single digits (in terms of weeks till birth)!

- IT'S ALL ABOUT CHANGE -

2008-06-24T23:49:00.002-04:00

yep, we're changing around here in so many ways, it's unbelievable - like most of you know, we just moved into a rental home & will be here for about 3-4 months [note: different phone number, different address] - then we'll be moving again sometime in october to our final home [note: different address, but hopefully the same phone number] - if there's any of you that would like our new address' & phone numbers, please email me at ChatterboxLS@aol.com & i'll get it to you - i've already sent out lots of emails on this, but don't want to miss anyone as my computer did delete some of my 'auto added' email address' [grrr]

- VERY PRODUCTIVE MORNING -

2008-06-24T15:32:00.002-04:00

this morning spike & i went & signed all the paperwork for ryland homes to get started on our new home [PRAISE THE LORD!] - they should begin by breaking ground within the next 1-2 weeks - we're right now looking at a 95-100 day turn around from the time of ground breaking, until the date we can close, so we're thinking it'll be sometime mid october [before bad weather...yeah!!]