New same, same place

As our lives will be changing in a short 4 1/2 months...wow, another topic all in itself right there...I think a new name for our blog is in order. As our family has grown now to 3, counting Lucy of course, and will soon grow to 4 with Baby Dewey coming in September, I think a new name rather than just "Josh and Char" is in the works.


I love being  a part of the blog community. While this blog started out to keep friends and family up to date on our lives and live through pictures it has grown to showing our adventures as we got married and started a new life in Arizona, as well as my cooking extravaganza! Now as we grow once again as a family I think "Josh and Char" just doesn't quite capture all of us. So look for a new name to come in the near future.



In other news...4 1/2 months?! Wow it seems like time has flown by so far. Of course when I was sick and miserable it seemed like time would never move an inch. Funny how those are the times we want to go by faster and then time goes too fast when we are enjoying it all. Overall I'm really enjoying my pregnancy. Each new milestone is exciting to me. I get so excited for each new week to come and love the email updates I get "You are now in week...." and learning all about how Baby and I are changing. 



One thing I noticed, or commented about yesterday, was the fact that I eat quite often because I'm hungry. It came to me, "I guess this is good practice making myself eat every 2 hours, not that I need to make my self right now, because when the baby comes Baby will eat probably every 2 hours." Just a thought to myself the other day, and now to all of you.

MIA

I have been off of the computer for almost a week, at least off blogger and facebook, since we've had visitors. I will be back though! And I will post some updates!

Until then....Have a wonderful week!

Everybody is {Kung-fu} fighting...

 

This was from our 18 week ultrasound. Since then I've had another, but Josh was at this one. Things are progressing well and Baby is growing great. Still on schedule for our Sept 17th due date.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 21 Weeks Today
Size of baby: size of a Banana in length! (and weighs 12 oz and is 10.5 inches long :)
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Probably up to about 7-8 lbs now.
Maternity Clothes: Wearing maternity pants, and some shirts. Regular T-shirts are starting to fit weird are just about too tight to wear!
Gender: Baby Dewey is either a Girl or a Boy :)
Movement: I've been kicked! The kicks are getting more frequent since a few days ago...what a feeling! And last night was the first time I felt it on the outside :)
Sleep: Have been super tired and now starting to get uncomfortable
What I miss: Nothing really.
Cravings: Food?! I'm just hungry now.
Symptoms: None, but my hips hurt and have heartburn/indigestion.
Labor Symptoms:Nope
Milestone: No Doctor appointment this week; my regular check-up is next week.
Best Moment this week: Getting kicked! And Josh feeling it last night :)

What I'm looking forward to: My belly growing (more) and feeling MORE movement!

Last night was a pretty special night. Let's back up a bit though. So the past 2 weeks have gotten more movement in my belly. Someone is taking line dancing lessons or learning Kung-Fu. At work I notice it when I sit up straight and I can feel the kicks on my waist near where my pants come to my belly. I think Baby is upset and feels crunched - Sorry! The last few days I tend to put my hand underneath my belly, as if I were "holding" it up, and just feel the kicks on the inside. I feel like by my hand being there Baby knows I'm feeling for him/her. Then yesterday at work I did the same and man was Baby on a kicking spree. I don't notice much kicks at night before bed, I'm hoping Baby will take some sleeping habits from Daddy :)

Last night Josh and I were sitting on the couch watching some Dual Survival (love this show and Josh would be a great host of it too!) and I again felt kicks. We went downstairs as our neighbors were having a BBQ/party and wanted to say hi for a bit. I sat down and began to feel kicks as usual. I put my hand on my belly and felt the kick from the OUTSIDE. Oh man, I thought I was having gas or a hiccup but nothing came out - haha, sorry too much information! So Josh was busy talking and I smiled so big. I motioned for him to come over and just calmly said "put your hand here and just hang out for a bit". Nothing. Dangit Baby, how do you know when to be shy?! A few minutes later he left and again kicks came back. So I just had Josh put his hand back and go about his business talking. Then he looks at me "I felt it! It was right in the middle of my hand!". Oh man I could have cried, I could cry now, yeah hormones. That was so cool!


Way to go Baby Dewey, let's get those legs going!


I can't wait to keep feeling it from the outside and have my mom feel it! We get visitors next week, my Mom, Step Dad and Brother are coming out to visit us! We're pretty excited!

The South Gets Hit Hard

 

SPC's convective outlook for Wednesday April 27. High risk is very rarely issued. This version was issued very early on, and the target area would later move more to the East. 

This is the weather discussion taken directly from the National Weather Service office

 in Birmingham, AL. It clearly points out how dangerous the weather pattern was during 

the day and advised people to pay attention and take shelter.  

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
636 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011

...SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK ONGOING...

.UPDATE...AVIATION DISCUSSION.

.DISCUSSION...

A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION IS CURRENTLY UNFOLDING ACROSS CENTRAL
ALABAMA...AND SUPERCELLS HAVE ERUPTED ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND
WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON. A FEW TORNADOES HAVE
ALREADY TOUCHED DOWN...AND REPORTS OF MAJOR DAMAGE ARE STARTING TO
COME IN. THE 18Z SPECIAL SOUNDING THAT WAS PERFORMED PRESENTS A
DESTRUCTIVE SETUP...WITH 2700J/KG OF CAPE...EXTREMELY STEEP LAPSE
RATES...AND DRY AIR ALOFT. 0-3 KM HELICITY VALUES ARE ALMOST 700.
THE PARAMETERS WILL ONLY WORSEN AS WE GO THROUGHOUT THE REST OF
THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE TIME FRAME FOR THE WORST SEVERE
WEATHER WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS FOR
NORTHWEST SECTIONS OF THE STATE...ROUGHLY FROM 2PM TO
8PM...CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE...INCLUDING THE BIRMINGHAM
METRO AREA...FROM 4PM TO 10PM...AND THE SOUTHEAST SECTIONS FROM
6PM TO 2AM. I CANNOT STRESS HOW SERIOUS THIS SITUATION IS. DO
WHATEVER YOU CAN TO PROTECT YOUR LIFE AND PROPERTY NOW...YOUR LIFE
MAY DEPEND ON IT! ALL WEATHER WILL CLEAR THE AREA AFTER 6Z
TONIGHT...SO THE CLEANUP PROCESS CAN BEGIN.

There were over 180 tornado reports and just over 300 people that died in this deadly day of storms. 

Thoughts and prayers are with all those that are affected. The survey teams are still ongoing and checking

out every detail of the days of these storms. 

Sounds like a Fruit Salad

 

This is from Friday Morning. Not a very "pretty" picture, as I was sending it to my mom. Just noticing how much my belly is growing. I now look more pregnant than fat, wahoo!

 

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 Weeks Today
Size of baby: size of a Cantaloupe! (and weighs 10.6 oz and is 6.5 inches long :)
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Officially from the Doctor:  gained 6 lbs.
Maternity Clothes: Wearing maternity pants, and some shirts. Regular T-shirts are starting to fit weird
Gender: Baby Dewey is either a Girl or a Boy :)
Movement: I've been kicked! The kicks are getting more frequent since a few days ago...what a feeling!
Sleep: Have been super tired and now starting to get uncomfortable
What I miss: Nothing really.
Cravings: Food?! I'm just hungry now. And have been on a grilled cheese kick this week.
Symptoms: None, but my hips hurt and have heartburn/indigestion.
Labor Symptoms:Nope
Milestone: Have 1 Doctor appointment this week; my regular Wednesday check-up.
Best Moment this week: Getting kicked! :)

What I'm looking forward to: My belly growing (more) and feeling movement!

That's right, I'm now officially a kick-boxing arena. Baby has been kicking me throughout the night, when I was working nights. Mainly when I sit up straight I can feel it right where my pants come to my belly. I think Baby is stretching out a lot more. Testing out the room in there! 


Sleep has gotten harder and more uncomfortable. I've always been a back sleeper, love it, but now I can't do that. Too much weight and it will cut off blood flow for me and for Baby. Sleeping on my side makes my hips hurt. I've been using a pillow between my legs but it doesn't help. I even went to get a body pillow, but nothing. I wake up about every 3-4 hours to shift but it doesn't get any better.

Hard to believe that little baby is now almost 3/4 lb in weight?! And I'm already halfway, man does time fly! 


Have a wonderful weekend!

Someone is taking kickboxing lessons...

image here

Someone has been kicking me all day today...and no, it wasn't Josh or Lucy :) I've felt some little flutters here and there over the past week or so, which I've really had to tell the difference between gas bubbles and kicks.

Today, especially when Josh got home from work while I was begging him to make me some food (he ended up ordering chinese!) I kept saying "Someone is going to kick you in the face if you don't get me some food" half joking of course. And then it started. I really felt some kicks. And I felt some more a while later. It stopped for a bit and now, 2am, I'm feeling more of them. Maybe Baby is stretching out those legs? Of course I'm at work so I'm awake and apparently so is Baby. Hungry maybe? I should go eat anyway...


I've been super hungry lately. Like all day long hungry. Eating anything I can get my hands on. You don't want to know the combo of food I ate today. 

Just wanted to share the good news with everyone. I'm excited!

It's Mango Time!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 19 Weeks Today
Size of baby: size of a Mango (and weighs 8.5 oz and is 6.0 inches long :)
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Officially from the Doctor on Wednesday: gained 6 lbs.
Maternity Clothes: Wearing maternity pants, and some shirts.
Gender: Baby Dewey is either a Girl or a Boy :)
Movement: I've had a few more "popcorn" or "flutter" feelings...
Sleep: Have been super tired and now starting to get uncomfortable
What I miss: Nothing really.
Cravings: Food?! I'm just hungry now. And have been on a grilled cheese kick this week.
Symptoms: None, just finding a comfortable sleeping position.
Labor Symptoms:Nope
Milestone: Had 2 Doctor appointments this week; my regular Wednesday check-up and on Monday we had our big 2nd Trimester Ultrasound check-up.
Best Moment this week: Seeing Baby on the ultrasound :)

What I'm looking forward to: My belly growing and feeling movement!

Amazing to me that Baby weighs half a pound already! It's no wonder I'm gaining weight! I've been on a food kick, particularly wanting hamburgers still, caved in to the grilled cheese, had ice cream on Monday after our appt. I read that some of these cravings actually mean something. Hamburgers = likely need more iron or protein. Good to know! Grilled cheese = dairy. Which I know I need a lot of, being lactose intolerant. Though I haven't had much problem with that being pregnant, thanks Baby!

After our big ultra sound on Monday I was feeling pretty out of it. She had to push REALLY HARD to get a good look at Baby's heart and brain development. Baby was just facing away, toward my spine, and just didn't want to be bothered. So after over an hour of being poked and prodded, I just wanted to go home and go to bed. I was pretty sore! It was good to see Baby again.

On Wednesday, my bi-weekly appointment, I got to hear baby's heartbeat again and it was a good appointment. Got some news that I need to be resting more and off my feet and not lifting more than 10 lbs. Just precautions to keep Baby healthy and safe and keep me healthy, since I'm higher risk, and keep Baby inside growing good. Looks like Joshy will be doing a lot more around the house from now on, sorry babe!

I've been reading in my pregnancy by week book (not the official title of the book) and I love reading it. It is so fun to read and see what my body is going through and how Baby is growing and developing. I read that Baby can now hear sounds and begin to recognize voices. So I've been talking to my belly and Baby a lot more. I hope Baby likes that! I just talk about random stuff and ask if he/she is sleeping and what he/she is doing in there. Kinda fun! I poke around a little just to see if I can get Baby to move around a little and if I can feel it.