39 Weeks and 1 day

39 weeks and 1 day pregnant and this is probably the last pregnant picture you will see of me...hopefully! We went to my doc appointment today and he said that he really didn't think I would make it a week. I'm at 151 pounds (total weight gain of 28 pounds) and my blood pressure is good. I'm dilated to 4 cm right now and about 60% effaced. I'm really hoping he's right and that Baby Bowen will be making his grand debut very soon. I think it will be probably the next day or two. At this point he's estimated at almost 8 pounds. If he doesn't come this week we are scheduled to be induced on Monday June 6th. We will need to be there at 5 am! Even though I'm completely against pitocin and inducing, I'm also not going to go against my doctor's advice. He knows my concerns and he's going to make the appropriate decision for the baby and me. 

 The doctor thinks I've dropped more from last week but it's hard for me to tell at this point.

Huge belly! Nothing fits anymore and it's so hard to find anything to wear. I can't wait to meet Bowen! And this past week Tate has been visiting Gigi and Papa so if I go into labor it will be easier for him to be with them than for someone to try and rush to come and take over with him. I miss him so much and it's been very quiet..and boring around here. It's been nice to get some rest and time to clean and get a couple things done but it's hard not having him around. I know I need to just enjoy it before complete chaos sets in so that's what we'll do. 

So I will be keeping everyone posted. But it should be soon! 

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38 weeks

Yesterday I went to the doctor and I've gained 4 pounds since last appointment, aka-last week! I'm now up to 150.6! Oh goodness! But, the doctor came in and looked at my ankles, face, and hands and knew it was water retention because I'm so swollen. Normally I think he would've been worried about preeclampsia but he checked my blood pressure and it was good so he's not concerned. I was dilated to a 2 this week and still about 60% effaced. He discussed the ultrasound from last week and said that since he was 7 pounds last week that he is more than likely close to 8.5 pounds if I go the full 40 weeks!! Baby's heart rate is still in the 130's and he's doing well. There's just not a whole lot of room for him to keep growing. I don't feel him move nearly as much anymore but they did a non-stress test after my appointment (it took an hour because Bowen fell asleep and I had to drink more caffeine and cold water to get him to move) and everything's fine. My doctor stripped my membranes and said that he thinks Bowen will be here within the week!!! Woohoo!


As of today I'm 38 weeks and 4 days and I've had some early signs of labor so I'm hoping he will make his grand debut very soon! Mom's birthday is tomorrow and I think it would be a pretty awesome birthday present if I do say so myself :-)


I'll take a picture and post it tomorrow. It's supposed to get up to 108 degrees tomorrow so we might not be doing a whole lot outside like we usually do-which will be a challenge with my outdoor loving child (and stir crazy mommy and daddy). Maybe, just maybe, we'll be in labor and delivery!  

37 Weeks

Just went to my doctor's appointment and I just knew that there would be progress from last week; but, alas, no changes. Still at 1 cm and 60-70% effaced and weight is still about the same 146.8 pounds. It was pretty disappointing, especially since I've been crampy and achy for the past couple of days. Of well, Baby Bowen will come on his own time and I won't rush it. Plus, I've got plenty of things I need to get done before he gets here. Luckily, Mom called on Saturday and wanted Tate to come visit for a couple of days and it has helped me get a lot done. It was so nice to have a couple of days of being able to sleep all night and being able to relax and get a couple things knocked out.

 He's so low!

I have my ultrasound tomorrow to check his position and weight. I'm excited to be able to see him. I also can't wait to get my Tater back. I've missed that little turkey. He makes me exhausted but his little giggle and smile make my day!

Some progress

At my appointment today they did the group B strep test and checked me. So far I've made some progress but nothin' much; however, it still feels good knowing that we are getting closer to meeting Bowen! Dr. Fanous said that I'm 1 cm dilated and the baby is really low and has dropped considerably since last time. I'm only measuring 35.5 cm now (which usually is the same as the week of pregnancy so it's 1 cm from being right on). I've been measuring right on each time so this says that the baby is way further down now than he has been before.

Within the last week I've noticed a lot more pressure in my tail bone and I've been having more discomfort. I know this is all part of the last month, plus chasing Tate around makes it all the more difficult. I've gained a total of 23 pounds up to this point. The baby's heartbeat is nice and strong. Dr. Fanous looked at my stomach to measure and commented on how much he's dropped since last time. I'll start going to the doctor once a week now. Next week I'll go twice-once on Tuesday to do the regular check-up and on Wednesday for an ultrasound to check baby's size. I'm really looking forward to that visit. I love getting to see him! Dr. Fanous said that he thinks I'll probably be a week early just like I was with Tate but there is no way of telling and every baby is different. He will come on his own time, which is fine by me.

In other news, Tate is being so grouchy lately. He has also decided he will no longer take morning naps. This makes days really long and really tiring. I'm hoping he'll snap out of it soon! I love happy Tate! Grouchy Tate just makes for grouchy Mama! So, please say a prayer for more sleep (as he is still not sleeping through the night either) for all of us and a happier baby boy!

Mommy's Day 2011

Mother's day was quiet but wonderful! Trevor took Tate when he woke up to go get me breakfast and flowers! It was so nice to sleep in a little and to wake up to pretty flowers and food!

 Tate took it easy and watched a couple of cartoons. That afternoon we walked to the park and fed the ducks and then came back to the house to chill out.

 Then we went outside to play for awhile. Tate didn't want to take pictures...surprise, surprise.

 He wanted to get in the pool but he was already dressed.

 Daddy gave him an arrow (without the sharp tip) to play with.

 His new favorite movie is Kung-Fu Panda, and I mean it when I say he LOVES it! He decided to show Dad his kung-fu skills. 

 It was so funny! They were having a blast!

 I call this one "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Tate" hahah

These were my pretty flowers and cards from the boys! I'm sure blessed! 


This past year has taught me so much about being a mom. 


-Never be too hard on yourself. Sometimes I felt like I was the worst mom in the world. I hated it. I didn't know how to make Tate feel better and it drove me bonkers and made me feel helpless. Then I realized, it was nothing to do with me. I was doing everything I could and the stress was taking away from the experience. I know colic definitely changed everything and is not the norm, but I'm very lucky to have so much support from the families! 


-Enjoy the moment. Tate would be so fussy all day and then for about 10 minutes he would smile or giggle or just be happy and those were the moments I would live for! I would savor them and when he would go to bed at night I would reminisce on how good it felt...and then pass out from exhaustion.


-There's nothing better in this world than a babies' love; when he holds my hand, giggles at me, gives me kisses or hugs me. These are seriously better than anything I could imagine.


-Preparation makes everything a little easier. When I have things organized and ready to go I feel more at ease and things run a little smoother. The crockpot has become a very good friend of mine! 


-Patience! Oh Lord, if only I had more of it! I've learned to be patient and things will happen on their own schedule. I used to pray for more patience every single night. But then I was told that God would only test me more so I would gain it, so I just started working on it-hahah. I know that God has a perfect plan so I'll just try to go with the flow to avoid any unnecessary complications. :-)


And there's about 100 more things but I'll save that for another time.

Now for a little thank you to some very important women!

Thank you to my Momma who has taught me so much about how to be a Mom and for all her love and support! This past year has been tremendously easier because of all her help with Tate and moving and so much more! I appreciate all she does!

Thank you to my Grandma who has always been there for Courtnie and I! Without her we would not be who we are. I have so many amazing memories of growing up because of all her love and generosity!

Thank you to Trish who is by far the best mother-in-law a girl could ask for. I'm thankful that she raised Trevor to be who he is-the amazing father and husband that I'm blessed to spend my life with. 

Thank you to Grandma P, Grandma Kropp, and Nanny for all your love and devotion to your kids, grandkids, and now great-grandkids!

Thank you to Nana Shelly! You have so much love in your heart for all of us and we are better off for it! 

Tate and Bowen are so blessed to grow up around so many wonderful people! Especially some extraordinary women who will help guide them to be exceptional men. Your love and support is so special and we wouldn't be the same without each and everyone of you!

Birthday pictures

While we got ready to go eat Tater ran around the house saying "BOOM" and swinging his stick. I love his little coveralls!

 And then he practiced some yoga. 

 We ate at Abuelos and while we waited Tater ran around and I tried to get a couple kisses. 

 Trevor managed to wrangle him up for a few minutes.

 Such a sweet baby boy!

 Then we came home and ate some cake. Trevor got the cake made to say "Happy Birthday (heart) Tate and Bo"...it ended up saying "Happy birthday Tate and Bo" hahahahha

 He helped me blow out candles.

What a wonderful birthday with my lovely family! 

Big boy bed

We decided that it was time to transition Tate to a big boy bed before Baby Bowen gets here. He's already so big that I figured he might like it better anyways. The struggle would be keeping him in there when he didn't want to be sleeping and throughout the night-he's a restless sleeper. But, I figured we would give it a go and try it out and see what happened.

 These are the last shots of his nursery before Dad came up and helped set up his big boy bed. 

 Grandaddy and Nana Shelly were so sweet to find this beautiful bed (it's actually a bunk bed but we are storing the bottom part for later when both boys are old enough to be in beds). It matches his dresser perfectly and is so pretty! Thank ya'll so much! And thank you Dad for coming up and putting it together and spending the day with a grouchy Tate and waiting 2 hours to eat! Some days just aren't easy but he never once complained!

 Tate decided he would help out! While Dad was tickling his feet we were saying "tickle" to Tate and he repeated  it!

And here it is...I don't have a comforter on there because he's so hot natured that I knew he wouldn't want it regardless and I haven't bought one yet but for now he loves his quilt that his Great Grandma Probandt made him. I've still got to redecorate since I've moved everything around. Updated big boy room pictures to come soon :-)

Thanks again Dad and Shelly! Love ya'll bunches and so does Tate! 

Week 35.5

The countdown has begun. Less than one month to go (according to the San Angelo doctor and my early ultrasounds...if we go by my new Dr. then I have 1 month and 1 day to go)! I can't believe time has gone by so fast! Sometimes I even forget that I'm pregnant...okay, and then I remember very quickly with this huge belly and achy back! But Tate keeps me so busy that I don't have time to plan and prep like I did with him. In fact, the nursery is still under construction, unfortunately. Last time I think we finished at 36 weeks with the help of Courtnie. 

It's been hard to get it all done because of the lack of time and attention but also because our washer broke! I've got loads and loads to do and no washer. We are hopefully going to be bringing one home today, fingers crossed! I've still got to order more sheets for the crib, wash baby clothes, put together all the swing and bassinet, get my hospital bags packed, make a playlist for the hospital, and give the house a good cleaning.

But, hey-I got my delivery gown done! Woohoo for small victories! I made it more just to get practice with my sewing machine but I think it turned out really cute. My doctor laughed at me when I told him I was wearing a special delivery gown but then I explained I wasn't one of those crazy ladies who bought one for $100 from La Bebe here in Midland and he understood. So here is the finished product.

 And here is my big ol' belly at 35.5 weeks! I have my next appointment on May 10th and then on May 17th we get another ultrasound to check baby position (although we're pretty sure he's head down and ready to go), and baby weight, etc. I'm excited to see him again. I had a lot of ultrasounds with Tate but only a couple with Bowen.

I look pretty much the same around this time with Tate I think from looking back at the old blog posts. It's hard to tell. The big difference with this pregnancy to me is that my back is aching a lot! My sciatic nerve is being pinched and at the end of the day it's really painful. I'm sure lugging around a 27 pound little boy doesn't help the situation either. Luckily, Trevor has been able to help a lot around the house. He usually does the dishes and cleans the kitchen at night after he gives Tate a bath, which is a huge help!


Tate is taking a nap now so I better take advantage of this time to get stuff done and maybe snooze a little bit. I know there won't be much time for that soon!

15 Months and 34 Weeks

Just for you, Courtnie. Here is an update on Tater Tot and baby Bowen!


Tate had to go get his 15 month check up on Wednesday. It was not fun-but necessary. He's a whopping 33.75" and weighs 27 pounds! He's growing soooo fast! He checked out good with everything. He had to get 2 shots (one of which was a tetanus shot and those are just downright miserable!) At 15 months:


-He is wearing 18-24 month and 2T clothing and size 5 shoe and 5 diapers


-he still LOVES to be outside-especially playing with the waterhose! You literally have to pry his little fingers off the hose to get him to let go when it's time to go inside to eat. He also turns beet red while outside; which isn't much of a surprise because Trevor and I do the same thing. It's just the fair skin. But, I'm very cautious and put lots of sunblock on his tender skin.


-He can say BOOM, horse, hello, Mama, Dada, and more (although, it sounds like mah)...the only one that he really says a lot is boom though. hahah


-He has 3 teeth on top and 4 on bottom. He's getting another on the top but it's taking forever to come through and I think there will be a couple more coming in soon after that one. He's been kinda fussy lately and sometimes that's why.


-He likes to run around everywhere! He doesn't sit still much.


-He doesn't want to watch tv but if he's tired he'll watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, or the Imagination Movers. But he also will watch a movie if it's interesting-like TinkerBell (hahahha), Kung Fu Panda, and of course, Spirit.


-when you try to play chase and run away he thinks it means he needs to run away too. He doesn't quite get it yet. haha


-Grandaddy got him a big boy bed that will be here tomorrow so we will see how that transition goes. 

 Drinkin' out of the bucket. Silly boy!
Look at my pretty flower. Tate likes to pick the flowers and bring them to me. Sometimes he twirls them in between his pudgy little fingers. It's cute!

 -He also LOVES to go on bike rides. Typically when Trevor works out Tate will set in his bike trailer and watch him and expect that he will be taken for a bike ride when he gets done. Up until 2 weeks ago I went with them but now it's becoming a circus act getting on the bike and managing to stay on the bike for the couple blocks. This big ol' belly makes it a little difficult maneuvering around.

 blurry picture but I think it's funny. 

 Playing with the waterhose again!

 -Tate really likes his veggies! Which is great that I don't have to force feed him. He likes to eat his asparagus like this. But his favorite is broccoli and cheese. It's funny to watch him eat it. He will literally lick the bottom of the bowl for the cheese when he's done-like it's ice cream! 

 playing with rocks in his mouth...oh geez

 "hey there, whatcha got up there?"

 -We also went to our first baseball game which Tate loved! He had a great time rooting on the Rockhounds to victory. It was such a nice day outside, too. 

 -We found a new snack too...popcorn, YUM

 -rooting on the team! He loved the music and got super excited when they were running around!

 -Mama and Tater

 -we actually were sitting in a suite! It was fantastic and Tate thought it was pretty darn cool!

 -Tate and his buddy, Ty. They are exactly 1 month and 1 day apart. Aren't they adorable?

 -What a boy...head to toe in mud!

 -He is a big time wrestler! He loves to rough house. This is really hard to do now but Trevor wears him out pretty good. It's too hard for me to resist playing too. 

 -Get daddy!

 -Ride the pony!

 hehe

 More playtime in the water

 "BOOM"...when we say this he'll say it back and pretend he's hitting a ball with a bat! I think we might have a little baseball player on our hands.

 -Home for Easter and the first thing he does is RUN to see the horses!

 -Visiting Grandaddy and getting some cool air! He likes his hair blowing in the breeze!

 Oh CiCi!

 Grandaddy showed him the hose. Now it's time to get busy!

 But first, we need to hydrate! haha

 EASTER! He thought it was fun at first to find the eggs and then he got a little preoccupied. 

 Gigi helping him find eggs.

 And then it was playtime with Daddy. 

 Pretty Easter basket. Thanks Gigi and Papa.

 About to go to church. This is the basket/bucket we gave Tate. It had 2 books, a Peter rabbit plate and silverware set, animal crackers, a ball, and some chalk. There were a couple other doo-dads but I can't remember what else we shoved in there. He loved it all  :-)

 Family photo time. Tate was not in the best of moods so it wasn't his favorite thing to do. He wanted down to go play and romp around.

 Tate and Gigi at church. 

 Papa helping Tate find Easter eggs for the church egg hunt in the courtyard.

 Daddy helping out too.

 He needed to sit to check out what was in the egg.

 "Oh, Look!!" 

 "What is it?"

 "Candy!" ...and that was it for the egg hunt. After he realized there was candy there was no more attention for anything else. I was really trying hard to squat (in wedges, a dress, and 9 months preggo....not an easy task people!)

This past weekened we had my baby shower. It was really nice to see everyone and I got the wrap I've been wanting. I can't wait to carry around Baby Bowen in there. And lots of diapers, which are always needed! Thanks to Courtnie, Jenna, and Mom for throwing me such a lovely shower. I love ya'll!


Here I am at 34.5 weeks. To date I've gained 19 pounds and am measuring right on time. The baby's heart rate is usually in the 150s and he is head down. Now it's just a waiting game. I'm taking guesses to when Bowen will make his debut. 

 Big ol' belly! I feel like Buddha in this picture. I think my belly is a lot bigger this time around than it was with Tate. My back also has been giving me fits with my nerve on my right side. It feels like someone is stabbing me at times. But luckily, it's not all day everyday.

 Tate poking my belly. Sometimes he'll walk up to me and want to just touch my belly and then he usually pinches it! What a stinker.

 These are the flowers that Tate and Trevor got for my birthday. I also got some Gigi's cupcakes, a magazine, Bath and Body Works stuff, and we went to Abuelo's for dinner. 

Aren't they pretty?! These are in our room right now. So nice to see them when I wake up. I'm a very blessed lady to have such a wonderful family and group of friends. Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes!