26 Weeks

Here we go! Almost into the 3rd trimester! Harrison is moving a lot more lately and very strongly! I don't have to stop breathing anymore to notice movement; it is hard to miss now. His teeny eyes have finally opened and he can move his head! So excited :) The aide in my classroom has a daughter who is a very healthy and gifted sophomore in high school and she was born at 27 weeks so that is very reassuring!

It is crazy to think that in a few months I will be leaving my classroom to someone else. It feels weird to let go, although I'm sure when our baby boy is here I won't think twice! 

Next week is Harrison's big fetal echocardiogram appointment along with my glucose screening to check for gestational diabetes so I am very anxious for both of those. 

School is almost over. This weekend we are putting the finishing touches on our thesis and it will looked over by and submitted to our research committee! It is so scary because we have some major things to do still but it's also nice to know that this will all be over soon. I just can't wait to finally get "school" checked off my list of things so I can focus more on getting my classroom ready for my leave and our home ready for Harrison :)

Harrison is wiggling away right now and I always wonder what he is doing. I think he is now in the head first position because when he kicks I now feel it up high by my ribs. Babies are either supposed to be turned already or starting to turn in preparation for labor. He is locked and loaded!

:)

24 Weeks

Hurray! I have been waiting so long for 24 weeks to come. Now we are over that "survival" hump. One of the nurses told me that her grand daughter was born at 23 weeks 2 days and will be turning one this December. She said we are over that scary hump! Woo!

I really am loving pregnancy. I feel so good all the time and really don't have any significant complaints, except for back pain. Even when I'm sitting on my super comfy couch it still hurts. :( Also I have my energy back so I am not putting of homework or house chores anymore like I was before. Whew. My days seem to go by slower because I actually feel like I can enjoy the morning, afternoon, and night. I enjoy everything a little bit more than I did before and I love just always knowing he is with me. Little Harrison isn't even here yet and already my world is a different place. :)

Harrison has been kicking a lot more, or at least I can feel it a lot more. He also has started to kick around crazily at 2pm, which is during AR (silent reading time) for my students. It must be because it's so loud all day with all the teaching and learning going on, and then right when it quiets down for those 20 minutes he notices. So cute. :)

At my ultrasound this week the technician's machine was finally fixed, and when I asked her about how it was going with her new machine she said, "Great! I got a whole new key board and look at this!" and boom! There was a 3D image of his little face!! It was so neat. Marcus exact words were, "Oh wow." So awesome. Anyway, here they are! It is clear as day already that Harrison has Marcus nose and mouth and I'm so glad because Marcus has the cutest mouth on the planet =D

The curly shape in front of his mouth in this picture is his hand. The 3D imaging only picked up a layer of his hand so it looks like a tail hee hee.

This is his little opened mouth and his nose. You know, one of those flattering shots people get up your nose ;)

And our sweet baby boys profile. His hand was on his eye in this picture so you can see the tip of his finger on the other side. He touches his face often so I am so anxious to see if he still does this after he is born. Aw!

Here we are, during my 24th week, with our little man-dog Bruiser.

We are slowly but surely getting Harrison's nursery in order. Right now the walls are covered in Sailboat Blue, and soon we will put up the white wood paneling on the bottom half. We are also getting new carpet in a few weeks and we made sure to get very soft, stain resistant carpet for the little lad. I will post pictures as soon as we get more going with the room.

22 Week Ultrasound

Ultrasound today was great! Harrison is measuring a little ahead of schedule again :) The technician had a hard time seeing him today because he wanted to keep his hands in front of his face. He also kept turning away every time she moved the probe so we saw a lot of the back of his head! I saw his mouth opening and closing briefly and that was just so awesome. He has the cutest little mouth and chin. Just before I logged on to post, he was kicking like crazy. I guess he is awake! So I am going to log off and watch him. But before I go....

Harrison in the pike position!

Harrison with his arms covering his face; his favorite sleeping position :)

22 Weeks!

Hurray! 22 weeks! Harrison is 2 to 3 weeks away from being able to survive IF born early. Of course we are praying for a full, healthy term but it's relieving to know that we are so close to being okay even if something happens. :) Itchiness has gone away, even though my stomach grew like crazy again this week. Science camp was tough. On top of having crowded lungs and a crowded diaphragm the air was so thin. I was out of breath brushing my teeth! Plus, I did not like being away from Marcus for three days. :( Every night Marcus would text, "I am missing both my babies." :)

Thursday I have 3 doctor's appointments for Harrison, one of which is a fetal echocardiogram that I am particularly anxious for. The other a check-up and then another ultrasound. More pictures, yay! Anyway, here is my 22 week belly :)

One of my students brought me this adorable elephant, caterpillar, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar sippy-cup. So cute! Every day when they leave class they say, "Bye Mrs. Randolph! Bye Harrison!" and their little hands are always on my belly. I wonder if Harrison can feel all the love every single day :)

And Harrison, THIS is your adoring daddy, playing another song he made up on the day that you were 22 weeks. We know that you're listening! :)

FLASHBACK! I just found this picture (well, it's not THAT old). This was taken on the first night Marcus and I spent in our new home, May 9th 2012. 30 days later we got married and 32 days later Harrison arrived! =D

21 Weeks!

My belly is A LOT bigger now! Also, Harrison's movements are still mostly at night but are getting bigger and bigger. I can feel different parts of his body, like his head or little outstretched foot and it's so amazing! Last night Marcus and I kept finding another body part and in a matter of seconds it was gone and ended up somewhere else. It really is so cool. Marcus and I drink orange juice and then sit and wait, watch, feel around, and usually Harrison starts moving right away. It is so awesome. I have tried numerous times to catch it on video but as soon as I get my phone out, or have my parents watch, he doesn't move. It's like he is shy =)

My belly has started to get itchy! It feels like I am wearing a wool sweater around my belly all the time and I am hearing that this may be the beginning of stretch marks. We shall see!

We carved pumpkins for Halloween with our good friends and Marcus was so into it and so fast! The way he used the tools to make the shapes just right was so cute. All I could think was how Harrison will be wanting dad to help him cut out the perfect eyes and make a the scariest mouth =) Aw! I can't wait.

It's My Favorite

My new favorite thing to do around 9 o'clock at night is to drink a glass of juice or milk, lay down, talk to Harrison, and watch for him to move! His movements are already pretty regular (drinking juice or milk at other times doesn't work very well) and it's so amazing to see. Marcus finally was here the other night so he got to see him move too.

Tonight, however, I experienced something even more awesome! I pushed down with my hand right where he was kicking and I could actually feel him kicking and moving under my hand! I am just so thrilled. What an amazing feeling. <3

One Awesome Moment

The pink test is from the first day we found out I was pregnant on June 23rd, 2012. The second blue test was from the next day, June 24th,  that I took just to make extra sure that I really was pregnant!

My parents were over helping us move and hook up our new washer and dryer, and on a whim I decided to take a pregnancy test while I was in the bathroom. Marcus and I were trying but I honestly did not think we would find out so early but for some reason I really wanted to take that test!

The test turned positive in a matter of seconds and I came out to the living room and showed Marcus who was in the laundry room with my dad. He just looked with a blank but very happy stare, and then I showed my mom. I don't remember but my mom said that Marcus kept starring at me so adoringly after that and she said it was so sweet! We were thrilled!

I was only 3 weeks and 4 days pregnant, only 11 days after conception (yes, I know when we conceived). It was so early and I was so excited but SO scared. Because it was so early I didn't want to get too excited but my mom kept telling me bull! You need to act like this baby is coming and it's going to be healthy and that even if something did happen it is out of my hands. So I did, and now we are almost halfway through the pregnancy! =)

Harrison's First Video!

Monday afternoon Marcus and I went in for our next big ultrasound appointment. Because the position of the placenta I had to go to a more specialized ultrasound facility to check up on Harrison. They took all of the vital measurements including his head, kidneys, and his overall length. They told us he is looking as healthy as a 19 week baby could be and they are seeing no signs of major deformities of the heart or brain and no physical signs of Downs Syndrome. Marcus and I decided to skip major genetic screenings including Downs Syndrome testing so we were happy to hear he is as healthy as can be.

We purchased a blank disc at the office and the ultrasound technician recorded the full 30 minute examination. We saw everything! I then came home and edited the 30 minute video down to a 6 minute video using iMovie and added music, transitions, and captions. We are so excited to be able to share photos and videos like these with our friends and family, and even little Harrison someday. =)

The Day We Knew We Had a Son

My favorite picture! Sweet baby boy. In this photo Harrison has Marcus' forehead and lips! In another picture you can see Harrison's jaw line and chin and Marcus swears he takes after me. We shall see! =)

Here was one of the first shots we saw that revealed Harrison's sex. The technician exclaimed, "Oh my! He's definitely a boy!" <3

After drinking a juice box during the examination, Harrison began sticking his legs straight out. It looks like he is playing hide-and-seek in this photo =)

Harrison kept rubbing his face and kept hiding his face. It's like he knew we were all up in there, nosy as can be! <3

Harrison's teeny spine =) This was the first clear shot we saw that revealed no signs of spinal bifida.

These are the slippers my mom busted out the moment we found out he was a boy! Little cute dinos!

This is a flashback to the day we found out we had a son! Harrison was just 15 weeks and 4 days, but he already looked like a teeny tiny baby and it was plain as day that he was a boy. My best friend Jenna paid for us to go to Stork Vision in Chandler where we received a 2D and 3D ultrasound of Harrison.

The moment we found out we were having a boy my mom set a pair of tiny dinosaur slippers on my belly and then it really sank in that we had a son!

My friend Jenna also bought us a soft teddy bear that now has Harrison's recorded heartbeat in it! All you do is squeeze! This was such an awesome day, because not only did we get to find out the sex of our baby and see him in 3D for the first time, but Marcus' parents and my parents were there to share the wonderful experience. Jenna, her husband, and their baby boy also joined us and it was one of my favorite memories yet. I highly recommend Stork Vision!

Belly Photos: 19 weeks

Alright, 19 weeks! Towards the end of last week I started feeling and seeing Harrison move after drinking juice and laying very still. They look like little thumps under my skin, and sometimes my belly shifts like a wave in the ocean. I can also feel right where he is when I push down. He must love the left side of my belly because he is always there! Even when we went in for the last ultrasound, she said he was right where I thought he was just by the way my stomach looked. Marcus always says he "likes his office".

The technician told us that his head is now the size of a lemon! He is getting so big, we are almost half way there!

Belly Photos: Week 18

My belly at 18 weeks. Feels tighter this week, but I know this is only the beginning! <3

Belly Photos: Week 17

Finally started to show! I couldn't wait to see my stomach change shape and finally at 17 weeks it popped out! <3