26 weeks - Becareful little ears what you hear...

"No-Name" is moving along and kicking around like crazy. According to my updates she should now be able to tell the difference between mine and Stephen's voices. However, Stephen & I feel she will recognize JT's voice better than she will recognize ours because he is so vocal. It is next to impossible to ask him to be quiet b/c he just talks right back. I see the good and the bad in it, I would like for her to be able to fall asleep under any condition without it being super quiet around her. I have very high hopes that I will be the kind of person that will be blowing and going, however, there is also reality...

Guess what?!! We decided on a paint color and painted the nursery this past weekend. To give you an idea the paint color name is "simplify beige." Here is a swatch:


I think we both really like it. That room gets a lot of afternoon sun and it just makes the room feel so fresh and airy. I would have liked to have gone with a bolder color but that room can seem small and we did not want to close it in any more. We are going to try a glazing effect on the walls using "branches" from the fabric pattern (shown in a previous blog). I'll let you know if it works. If not, its just paint and we can go to plan B.

SIDENOTE: Last night, Stephen & I were watching t.v. and I came across the Discovery Health show "Freebirthing." Okay, that's just weird. It's a/b pregnant women who refuse to be followed with medical treatment and would prefer an unassisted childbirth. REALLY? They followed two women through the process and luckily neither of them had any complications. I have been through way to much to be too strong willed to not ask for help or medication. More power to them, but Stephen & I were partly speechless and partly disgusted at the same time. One family cut the umbilical cord with regular scissors. I found this on wikipedia to explain why some people do this:
The reasons for choosing to give birth unassisted range greatly from mother to mother but a few key factors are common to most.

- The conviction that birth is a normal function of the female body and therefore not a medical emergency.
- The belief that most interventions commonly used by the medical profession during birth cause more harm than good in a normal birth.
- The sense that the mother will be more apt to follow the natural flow of her individual birth in an undisturbed birth setting, thus enabling her to find the optimum positions or techniques to birth her child safely.
- The understanding that birth is an intimate, sexual, and potentially orgasmic experience,[3] and that privacy is absolutely essential for the erotic dimension of birth.
- A noted increase in the feelings and ability to bond with and take responsibility for the welfare of her child.

Some have requested a picture of the "buddha belly" (as Stephen & I call it) so here it is at 26 weeks:

Austin Pictures

No-Name Lasseigne

(You will see a few posts in a row b/c its been a few weeks.)
It’s about freakin’ time! Stephen & I finally got around to registering this weekend- however, she still does not have a name, so i've nick-named her "no-name." It was so sweet to see how involved he got with registering. Of course I had to give him the laser gun so he could scan everything. I think at one point he even said “Hey, let me do it – you get to carry her all the time.” So I would just point and he would scan.
I will say it was a little overwhelming, so many things to choose from and how do you know which one is best. I think the thing that stumped up the most was which type of bottles to choose.
We also decided on furniture (see picture below)! I am so excited. It the Metro collection by Bonoavita. We think it is great quality and will last a long time, either for her or for whenever #2 comes along.

AND we have decided on the bedding. Here is a swatch of the main fabric- it is brighter here than it actually looks. The walls will be light beige. The main color I will play off of is the red – then accenting with brown, ecru, and lime green. The turquoisy color you see is really more of a sea-foam and has been almost impossible to find stuff to match it.

My belly is really starting to stick out and I think I am starting to officially lose my waist. (check out the slide show below and you can kind of tell) She is estimated to weight a/b 24 oz, or a 1.5 pounds. It is getting a little harder for me to sit up from a reclined position. This whole gaining weight thing has been a little bit of a bummer and I am really starting to be able to tell there is more of me, especially when walking long distances or stairs.
If I could live in my tennis shoes I would! Stephen & I had to go to shoe shopping for me so I could some black flats that would accommodate a bad foot that swells pretty badly by the end of the day, no matter how much water I drink or how long I prop it up. The doctor doesn’t seem to be too concerned about it, mainly b/c it’s my bad foot anyway. She is regulating my amount of swelling by watching my right leg.

Just a few more weeks and I have my last monthly appointment, after the end of October we start our bi-weekly appointments. I am nervous about the whole process but I also can’t wait to meet her! Yes, a her that still has no name...

AUSTIN!

What a neat town. It was not near the size I thought it would be and was pretty easy to get around once you got your bearings straight.
Stephen, myself and his parents went there a few weeks ago for a family wedding. His cousin Mark got married to a sweet girl named Caroline. It was a beautiful wedding and we are glad we were able to attend. I got a chance to meet a lot of the cousins that Stephen grew up with that were not able to make it to our wedding. It was also great to catch up with the ones that I have met before.
Another cool thing we got to do while we were there was go the Austin Musuem of Art. It was really neat to see pieces of work done by what I consider “the greats” – Picasso, Monet, Degas, Matisse, van Gogh, Gauguin, and Delacroix. And of course my favorite was Degas. I have always admired his work, mainly because he worked a lot in pastels and those are really my favorite medium when I take the time to sit down and draw. It also really made me miss school and I caught myself craving that artistic outlet that I used to be able to suffice when in school. I have a few painted pieces planned for the nursery, but nothing real creative. I can’t wait to teach our children art and help them understand and appreciate its importance in our world.

Check out the slideshow pictures from the trip.

Belly movements

According to my weekly update, she should weigh around 1 pound by now. Just think, a year from now, who knows a/b how much she will weigh - it is hard to think about.

People say to pay attention to when she is active because that can indicate her sleep/wake patterns when she is born. Well, right now, her busiest time is between 8pm-9:30. (I swear she is having a party in there) I keep trying to get Stephen to feel her kick and this past week he has been able to. Here is the really cool part.

I was laying in bed and Stephen was in the other room, she was kicking like crazy. I happen to look down and could see my stomach move everytime she kicked. So I scream "Stephen! Stephen! Hurry!" He comes walking back to the bedroom, unalarmed b/c usually when i call for him like that lately it is for him to feel her move and he was starting to lose hope and had almost resorted to the fact that she was real shy to anyone but her mom. He steps in the bedroom with a look across his face like "Why are you calling me back here when you know I'm not going to be able to feel anything." I said "You can literally see my belly move."
His immediate response "Nooo Way......, she's not going to do it now b/c you screamed for me and probably startled her" so he crawled in to bed with me proceed to watch her do kickboxing through my skin. It was so cute, he could not keep his eyes off my stomach, at times i thought he was scared to blink b/c he might miss something.

Still no name, but Stephen is finally staring to throw some out there for me to think about. He has two weeks and counting to help me decide on a first name. I already know what I really like, but I want this to be a "we" decision. I want him to be involved in every aspect of her life as much as I am. He has already promised me that he will teach her how to change a flat tire before she is allowed to drive. (He'll have to teach me in the process. I could probably figure it out, but it is better to learn from a perfectionist... maybe)

Our little carrot!

We are officially at 21 weeks! Last weekend we were busy trying to decide on the bedding, furniture and the travel system. The only one we were able to accomplish was the travel system.

I really thought I wanted something modern and graphically cool for the bedding… then there is the whole baby pink issue. I can handle pink, but not all over her nursery. I would feel like I was stepping in to Pepto-Bismol every day. Can’t do it. She will be in plenty of precious pink outfits and skirts to make up for the lack of pink in the nursery. I kind of feel like a mom that is not keen on having a girl, but I am very excited a/b it – I’m just not a real girly-girl. I really don’t want the nursery to look real “baby” either. All that to say, the bedding is still up in the air, which drives me crazy, b/c for me, that pretty much determines the look of the entire room (excluding the furniture) – what paint colors to use, what accent colors to use- blah, blah, blah.

I guess one of these days she will have a name. Stephen was given one month from when he found out the sex to contribute any names... two weeks remain. We have a few first names and one strong possibility, but no middle name just yet. Believe you me, she will have a name before she makes her grand appearance.
According to my books, she is a/b 10 ½ inches long – the average length of a carrot.

Off the subject issues:
Last week I chaired an awareness rally at the Arkansas State Capitol for Ovarian Cancer Awareness. Afterwards, we had a survivor’s luncheon at the Governor’s Mansion. The turn out was way more than we expected, we had over 150 people in attendance. Our goal was around 80. Our prayer for next year is that we will have to move locations b/c we need more space. J It was a great success.
Also, we have a website up and running http://www.arkansasovariancancer.com/ to be a resource for women in Arkansas just diagnosed with ovarian cancer and to be a place to gather information on awareness and upcoming events- check it out.

Presentation of Survivors at rally.

Mom, Leah and myself listening to a speaker at the rally

Stephen played in his first adult league soccer game this past Sunday. I was not able to attend. Unfortunately they lost, but they have only practiced twice, so I expect better outcomes in the future. As the soccer player I was growing up, I have to admit I am a little jealous. I think that would be so much fun. However, there are some things that the foot/brace does not allow me to do and this would be one of them.
I am very proud of him for stepping out and doing something a little outside of his comfort zone. Who knows – he probably did it as a way to get away from the crazy pregnant lady at home! HA!

Here are some recent pictures of my boys...

Stephen & JT at my brothers house in Fayetteville. JT actually rode around at low speed, it was too funny!

JT Hanging out of the window. (this picture may not be reproduced in any way without permission)

Our big news!!

All of the family has finally been notified so it is safe to finally tell the world. We are expecting our first child. We found out last week that we are going to have a baby girl! Most importantly she is healthy. She currently weighs about 13 oz.’s which is a little on the small side, but that is what our OB prefers. With my medical history, the doc wants her to be nice and small and maybe even come early so I will have a nice natural deliver.
Stephen is very proud but I think he is more worried a/b 401k, retirement and the like… typical guy. He has been a pretty good trooper and has gone to every doctor visit with me. I think this whole pregnancy has taken both of us by surprise because it has been pretty easy. I never really had morning sickness and the only big change is my frequent consumption of food. I have not really craved anything I don’t think. I have found though, that I really like to make different dips. It makes me think I am eating something somewhat healthy as a filling snack because someone in the household does not like to eat dinner until around 8 – I’m not naming any names or anything.
This weekend we went to Babies – R – Us to narrow down our selection of various baby paraphernalia b/c Mr. Research wouldn’t know what to do if his child didn’t have the best recommended and safest – of course. I find myself feeling relieved over that b/c it really is overwhelming if you do not have a clue what to even start with. Do you go with a maximum weight of 22lbs or 30 lbs? Do you get the whole travel system with stroller or just the carrier? Do we get the carrier that is more recommended for my car or his car? There is no point in getting different ones that fit better in each care. Do we really need a stroller AND a jogger? Probably not, but those joggers are pretty cool. Oh – and by the way – why on God’s green earth did most of the infant carriers go back to the normal handles and not stick with the more ergonomic one’s? Yeah, let’s not get started on the bedding….
Here are few pictures of the ultrasound. Now that everyone knows, I will be updating a lot more frequently and will be keeping everyone up to date about our progress.

Bascially this is profile shot. Isn't that precious? What you are seeing is from the knee down. She is already a little southern belle.