Cantaloupe

We've made it halfway! What an accomplishment..everyday I thank God for blessing me with a great pregnancy and healthy baby! I'm pretty sure I deserve a present or night out on the town with the hubby, or some serious pampering, don't you think?? A week from today we will find out boy or girl! This means my week will probably go by very slowly due to the excitement of this appointment...and just a fair warning, Thursday will be a busy day, so I hope to blog on Friday to inform you what it will be :) however I probably wont be able to contain myself and you will find out Thursday night after we surprise the family :) :)

I think we have finally settled on a Boy's name (without killing each other) and we have both always been in love with the Girl name we chose a few years ago....This will be the one surprise revealed on Baby Parker's birthday...until then he/she will be referred to as Baby Parker. (as for the VERY few people who for sure know what names we picked out...NO TELLING!!!!!)The past few nights I have been sleeping like a rock, hallelujah, heartburn has not been unbearable, so as soon as I fall asleep I'm out til one of my potty breaks. They seem to be getting more and more frequent. Pretty much every time I get up from a sitting position I make a stop to the potty. Simple as that :) Walking downtown was very interesting...we learned that in order to use any ones restrooms, you have to buy something. $5 bottle of water= a $5 potty break...well worth it in my opinion.

My first Mother's Day. 19weeks 4 days.

Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day. I am so thankful for my Mommy...she was and still is the best mommy in the world....now it's my turn to try to be the best mommy in the world, then she'll be bumped up to Gommy :) **Side Note: I wanna change my dad's name from PawPaw to Popsi...my husband seems to think this wouldn't be right since he's been a PawPaw, but PawPaw just seems sooo old...and he's not old (never will be), besides I call my dad Popsicle so it just works. Gommy and Popsi Opinions??**

Week 20: Baby is 6.5 inches and weighs 10.6 oz, about the size of a cantaloupe. This week your baby's skin will become covered with a

waxy- like substance called verniz which will protect its skin from becoming scratched or chapped. Your baby is also starting to produce meconium, the result of digestion, which accumulate in its bowels and evntually pass during delivery or in its first diaper. Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrtion and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid.

Mango Mania

Week 19: Baby is 6.0 inches, about the size of a mango weighing 8.5 oz. Many of your baby's senses are developing as specialized areas in the brain that are designated for smell, taste, hearing, vision and touch. Millions of motor neurons are continuing to develop in your baby's brain allowing more controlled and conscious movement.

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of languno, oil, and dead skin cells now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.)

Baby's arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of the body now. Its kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on its scalp is sprouting!

Last night was one of the worst nights of my pregnancy so far. I have never experienced heartburn before...well last night I had an awful introduction to this very common pregnancy symptom. I was up for several hours wishing my stomach would empty and that I could be fed through an IV for the next 20 weeks...I'm not excited about this probably continuing for the remainder of my pregnancy. That being said, there is an old wives tail that states "if you suffer with pregnancy heartburn, your baby will be born with a full head of hair."

Funny, because I have recently been hoping for this baby to have a head full of hair! We have a 50/50 chance...I was born with a head full of black hair and Derek was born bald as a cute old man...whats it going to be? Well I did a little research on this so called "wives tale". Johns Hopkins University actually did a study on women who had heartburn during pregnancy, and the outcome of their baby's hairy or non hairy scalp :) Here is the study...

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have released a study in the journal Birth showing that a correlation between heartburn and the hairiness of a newborn actually exists. The research was conducted by Kathleen Costigan, a registered nurse in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at John Hopkins, and colleagues. The study followed 64 women throughout pregnancy. These women were asked to rank the severity of their heartburn symptoms. When their babies were born, two independent observers rated the thickness of the newborn hair using photographs taken after birth. Seventy-eight percent of the pregnant women reported some level of heartburn, and were able to participate in the study. Of the 28 womenwhoreported moderate to severe heartburn during pregnancy, 82% gave birth to babies with above average hair thickness. Of the 12 women who reported no heartburn symptoms at all, 83% gave birth to babies with very little or no hair.

Enjoy these pics of my hubby and I as babies...maybe I'll be able to handle this heartburn thing if it means Baby Parker has a beautiful head of hair :)

Tater Tot

Well we are quickly, or as Thomas likes to say, fastly approaching the half way mark...in two more weeks I'll be 20 weeks with 20 more to go, and hopefully baby Parker won't be shy, and we'll know if it's a he or she....I hope you guys are guessing on my poll (located to the right o this post)....I see so far we are all hoping/ guessing for a girl :) I would love that, but I do admit that my vote was for a boy...just a feeling.

So this past week I had my first official reoccurring craving....ROAST BEEF POBOY, extra sloppy!

Saturday evening Derek and I tried Mr. Ed's...I ordered the roast beef poboy. It was pretty good, coulda been a lil more salty....well Monday morning I woke up with the intense desire to dig my teeth into a sloppy soggy RB Poboy, AGAIN! This time we went to Short Stop (since my loving father won't open Brother's on the eastbank!) Man was it the best thing ever! Later that day I wanted one for dinner, and on Tuesday morning I was sure to inform Derek that we would be making a stop at Short Stop again...this time he got one too :) I can honestly say that I've never EVER completely eaten an entire poboy..ever. Well Monday and Tuesday I scarfed those suckers down til there was nothing left! Proof, hehe!! Now you want one don't ya!!

They say when your pregnant you can have some crazy dreams...well NEWS FLASH...I've ALWAYS had crazy dreams, soooo now they r just crazier I guess?? So to make this post extra long...I thought you would enjoy this next story....this took place Wednesday night....Setting: my bed middle of the night.....I was knocked out, as usual, dreaming crazy, as usual. In my dream I was walking through a parking lot at night...trying to find my car, which happened to be a mini van in the dream (NEVER going to happen!), I noticed someone following me..so i walk faster...so does he..yikes! I get to my awesome mini van, swing open the side door and grab..........a STRAW! quickly i unwrap it and hold it up in this violators face and say, "If you don't leave me alone I'm going to SHOVE THIS STRAW UP YOUR NOSE!!!!!!". Suddenly the stalker turns into my husband!! He takes the straw from me and starts trying to shove it up my nose! I'm screaming and just imagining how painful this is going to be if he succeeds in getting this thing up my nose! Something is pulling me out of this deep sleep and crazy dream...I open my eyes, lying very still on my back and I hear this very loud and serious belly laugh. You know the kind where all of the air comes

out of your lungs cuz you're laughing so hard? Yes, that kind. So picture me waking up from this crazy dream, where I'm scared for my life, to hear this freaky laughing. Where is it coming from?? Again there it goes, a deep breath in, only to collapse the lungs while laughing....and again.. three times! It's my HUSBAND. lying next to me..yes the one who was just trying to kill me in my dream! I am freaked out, not moving a muscle...is he awake? what is he laughing at? it's the middle of the night!!! the I hear "WELL I BELIEVE THAT!!"..........The man is laughing hysterically and talking in his sleep!!!! who does that??!? Thursday morning while getting ready, I casually ask him..do you happen to remember if you dreamed last night? He says, "Yea, I was on the golf coarse and someone was telling a funny story." I say," CLEARLY it was funny! You were laughing as if a comedian was doing his show in our bedroom at 3am!"

Week 18: Baby is 5.6 inches approx the size of a Sweet Potato weighing 6.7 oz. Many of the

bones in your baby's body are starting to harden. Among these first bones to develop is the inner ear which is part of the reason why your baby may be able to hear sounds such as your heart beating or your tummy growling. Baby's become amazingly mobile, passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing. And baby is finally big enough that you'll soon be able to feel its movements.

Sweet Potato and Mash had a beautiful baby and named her Tater Tot. She grew up and wanted to marry Tom Brokaw. Mash and Sweet Potato were very upset!! Tater Tot said, "But why don't you want me to marry him?!?" Her father replied, "Tom Brokaw??! You can't marry him! He's just a common tater!!!" Get it?

An onion a day keeps everyone away...

Not my lil onion...he or she will be sooo irresistibly cute :) With a combination of all the good traits from mommy and daddy...imagine with me, a head full of beautifully dark hair like mommy, silky hair just like daddy, bright blue green eyes from both mommy and daddy, long legs, pearly whites, perfect skin from Parker(Indian) and Abadie (Italian) genes, cute fingers and toes, Parker lips, a beautiful voice from mommy and grammy, brilliant intelligence from daddy..ahhhh...the perfect combination. BUUUUUT.........who's to say our poor little angel wont inherit the crazy traits...crazy lady Cooper hair (mommy), blind as a bat (mommy), bowed legs and double jointed elbows (mommy), pre- braces hillbilly teeth with the terrible ability to get a cavity daily (mommy and daddy), skin that can't catch a tan to save its life (mommy and daddy), mommy's lips, daddy's voice (yikes!), mommy's brains!!!! OHHH NOOOO we've created a monster! Oh the things I worry about :)

All jokes aside, this baby will be a beautiful healthy, happy, perfect little child of the King. (and in case you are worried, I have a source that is going to tell me if I'm one of those parents who thinks my child is beautiful when it really isn't, right D.C.??)

So here we are at 17 weeks. All is well, I'm at the stage where I have to rig my skirts with a chain of safety pins to fit and the very few maternity skirts that are out there are still a lil bit to big....in my opinion, this is called the "you just look fluffy" stage.

Dottie and I went to my 16 week appointment on Tuesday. It was great. We got to feel my tummy where the baby was. Even though we didn't really know what we were feeling for, we smiled and nodded to the Doc like it was the greatest experience of our lives :) We heard the heartbeat again, except this time Baby Parker was quite active. Could very well have been the buffalo wings I had for lunch prior to the appointment. We could hear the baby kicking, and even though it didn't stay still for very long, Dr. Von Almen got a heartbeat of 150. Once again the statement was made that this could very well be a girl, I'm trying not to get my hopes up. But... he did say a girl twice so YAY!! how can I not get my hopes up?!?!??

We find out on May 2oth what the sex of the baby is. I thought it would be great to take a poll and get everyone's guess on what it may be...we have a month, but submit your guesses to the poll I will post on my blog....We shall see!! Now I don't want any betting going on out there, but if you refuse to take my advice, keep in mind that I deserve a cut of the winnings and my money's on it being a........well I can't tell you, because that may give someone an unfair advantage!!

Week 17: Baby is 5.1 inches, about the size of an onion, weighing 5.9oz.

This week your baby has mastered some simple reflexes such as swallowing, sucking, and blinking. Your baby may even have a bout of hiccups. Fat is forming underneath your baby's skin and will continue to do so in the later months of your pregnancy. This will help prepare your baby for the temperature change from inside your womb to the outside world.

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord is growing stringer and thicker. Baby can move its joints, and its sweat glands are starting to develop. One of a kind prints are now featured on those little fingers and toes!

Holy Guacamole!

Boy have I gotten my energy back! Me, mom, and Michelle painted ALL day yesterday...finally my house looks semi normal again. Surprisingly I was back up and at em at a fairly early hour this morning, so baby Parker is letting me get back to a normal routine. My appetite still isn't quite right....I'm not a morning person, nor do I enjoy eating breakfast, so I find myself forcing down a small amount of food every morning. This isn't my favorite :(
Slowly but surely the baby bump is growing, but I have only gained three pounds thus far. My next appointment is this Tuesday (not to be confused with next Tuesday ;)) I will be taking sweet Dottie with me to hear the heartbeat again. In May we will have our five month ultrasound, and hopefully the baby will be ready to tell us whether it's a boy or girl :)I may or may not have felt Baby Parker moving around in there.....considering I have never been preggo before, I can't tell you for sure. At twelve weeks, while laying in bed, I felt a few flutters that I'm pretty sure were baby flutters. Last night was different. Being busy all day, I took a late night relaxing bath. Once I got settled into bed....I had to sneeze. Well......I am the kinda girl that enjoys a good sneeze. I don't have cute, petite, hold it all in kinda sneezes (unless it just isn't the appropriate time to deafen somebody, ie. a funeral) If you have never heard me sneeze it is obnoxiously loud (they call me Anna, an say I got it from my grandma)...Needless to say, I must have woke up the baby. I felt several different movements that I can't really explain...so maybe it was the baby, I dunno?!?

Baby Info: Baby is 4.6 inches, about the size of an avocado, weighing 3.5 oz. This week your baby's limbs are much more developed, legs and arms are longer and are becoming more controlled in movement. Your baby's skeletal system is developing more as calcium is deposited onto the bones. Over the next couple of weeks your baby's weight will double.

Watch what you say...tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean she can now pick up your voice (or sneezes :)) A few more minuscule changes: Eyebrows, lashes, an hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming.

He Loves Us...

We had two great services yesterday at New Life...I keep thinking back on the song HOW HE LOVES. I am truly thankful that no matter what I do wrong, God's grace, mercy and love is unfailing. I love the line in this song that says, "If grace is an ocean we're all sinking." I hope you are encouraged as I am to know about the unfailing love of God. When we beat ourselves up for our mistakes, or when we allow the devil to torment us with the past, God says I still love you. Our past mistakes are covered under the blood and thrown into the "sea of forgetfullness" (Micah 7:19, Isaiah 43:25). Only our own flesh can dwell on these things.

I want to do my best to show God the appreciation I have for his love and salvation. We were created to worship and please Him, not ourselves. I pray we understand how important it is that we set aside true dedicated time to give God our full attention. Because of who He is we should humble ourselves in His presence everyday.

Lemon to Orange...

I must start with an apology for not keeping my word last week. I promised that I would blog and never followed through....I feel terrible about that, (biggest fan). This is also why I am dead tired and staying up to finish this week's blog tonight. Last week was busy, I went and visited my bff in Bossier, and had a long drive home on Thursday. Next thing I know its Easter weekend packed with errands, church, family, and no free time to sit down and be creative with my blog. This week an expected yet unexpected miracle happened. Baby Laura (from New Life, who has been in Houston with an enlarged heart) received a heart yesterday and went through a successful heart transplant surgery last night. It all happened so fast...we jumped in the car this morning, drove to Houston, visited with the Mains/Morgans, drove back to Nana and Grandpa's and I am now dead tired, yet thankful for this comfy bed that Grandpa has sacrificed, as well as the miracle that has taken place in Laura's situation!.....so I must combine last week and this week in one fabulously amazing post. OHHH the pressure...

Last week was pretty uneventful, as far as pregnancy goes...I'm still not showing very much. I stopped at Mimi's boutique (in clearview mall) to look at Keesha's stuff. (ps..Keesha has gotten a contract with the owner and is now selling her K Collection's accessories in Mimi's!!! Congrats to her! go check it out people) So I go in to throw her name around, let the owner know she's one of my best friends and that I am only looking to purchase her stuff..hehe...this sparks up a convo of how I am prego and due in September....seriously, she didn't believe me. I had to tell her I wasn't lying about 5 times. People look at me like I'm a liar.. maybe not that dramatic, but its awkward when I'm introduced, "This is my neighbor Leisha", to someone and the second statement is "she's in her second trimester!!"......random person I have just met ***blank stare*** "REALLY?!?!"

Week 14: Baby is 3.4 inches weighing 1.5oz, about the size of a lemon.

This week your baby's well defined face can also make expressions

like a squint or a frown. Some babies may even start growing hair on the head or on the face, such as eye brows. If your baby is a girl her eggs will have already developed inside her ovaries. If your having a boy, his prostate gland is developing. Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine, and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys, and spleen continue to develop.

As week 15 is just beginning, I really don't have much to go on...but I do know that something is going on in there. I have been having minor uncomfortable feelings. Baby Parker is growing as well as my uterus. It's moving on up, so I've been experiencing these new adjustments. Tonight I did get quite irritated (hence the multiple tweets) as I did some research. I happened to stumble upon some photos of miscarriages, very sad, but phenomenal to see the development of a fetus...which IS a BABY/HUMAN BEING/ CREATION OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD...just in case there was any confusion...this then lead me to some photos of abortions. I am literally sickened at what takes place...I won't get into details, and *I will say if you have had an abortion in your past God obviously forgives and you can be/are taken care of by mercy, grace, and covered by the blood. I am in no way directing this to any personal situations.* As Christians we just need to be aware that these things are taking place around us and we should not sit quietly as an agenda is being pushed...all because we are scared to be mocked, ridiculed, or persecuted. It's going to happen whether we keep our mouths shut or we STAND UP FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE IN. Notice this clever quote shockingly made by the now elected President of the United States of America..(it disgusts me!)

Week 15: Baby is 4.0 inches weighing 2.5 oz, about the size of a naval orange.

The hair on your baby's head is growing in and the follicles will make pigment if your baby has dark hair. Around the body, there is a fine hair (lanugo) to protect against being constantly exposed to amniotic fluid. Your baby's skin is thin and nearly translucent and if you were to take a look inside your womb you'd see small blood vessels forming underneath the skin. Some babies may even be starting to suck their thumb around this time. Continuing the march toward normal proportions, baby's legs now out measure his arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably cant feel the movements just yet.

Thanks for reading this incredibly long post :)