B R O O K L Y N

I finally found the letters that I want to use to spell Brooklyn's name across the wall in her nursery. I was at Hobby Lobby today and they were on sell for $1.50 a letter, which is an AWESOME deal. The cheapest I have seen them any where else has been $3 a piece, and that was for a boring font. So now the only problem I am going to have is finding the rest of the letters for her name because the store I was at didn't have them all. I am missing the R, K, and N now. Hopefully I will be able to find the remaining letters, otherwise we are going to have the change her name to Booly. Any way, I was really excited about it because a lot of the little things that need to be done to finish her nursery are finally starting to fall into place.

Oh we also got her changing table last night and put it together in her nursery. It matches every thing else perfectly and looks great. It was such a paid to put together though! Brooklyn's cousin Mila came over tonight though and baby approved the room, so I think we are good to go!! :)

Love, Jennifer

Doctor Appointment- 23 Weeks

I went to the doctor for a regular check up last Thursday, August 28th. This was my first appointment that I've gone to by myself. Nothing major really happened this time though. It was just a general check up. They have now started measuring my belly when I go in. I really liked the tech I had this time because she seemed to actually know what she was doing and was really nice. However, Brooklyn didn't seem to feel the same way. The tech had to press around on my belly a little to find the spots to take the measurements and boy did it make Brooklyn mad. She said my measurements were perfect for how far along I was though. After taking the measurements she then proceeded to try to listen to Brooklyn's heart beat. Brooklyn was so mad from her pressing around on my belly that she wouldn't stay still. It took the tech a few minutes to finally get an accurate reading. Her heart beat was around a steady 150. I told the tech that Brooklyn seems to kind of have an attitude. She just laughed and told me she thought I was going to have my hands full.

The visit with Dr. Fletcher was good. She told me that the blood tests they took last month for Downs Syndrome all came back fine. She also said all of the ultrasounds I've had so far have looked healthy. My next appointment will be the one where they will run blood work to check for diabetes. She said she will also discuss taking birthing classes with me at that time. Dr. Fletcher told me to try to up my calcium intake to help with the leg cramps.... that my cholesterol being high on some blood work results I got back from work means nothing since I am pregnant.... and that the more Brooklyn moves around the better. That was about the gist of the whole appointment.

My next appointment is scheduled for September 25th at 3:50 in the afternoon. By then I will be 27 weeks along. Hopefully by then I will remember to ask her if she thinks the due date has changed at all, since I keep forgetting. I also need to talk to her about possibly making sure Brooklyn doesn't arrive on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, even though I know there really isn't any stopping her if that is what she wants.

Then on September 26th, some time that morning, we have an appointment at the Moore/Norman Vo-tech for a 3D/4D ultrasound. It'll be cool because we will only have to pay $10 since it is for "student training."

Then finally, on the morning of October 6th we have another 3D/4D ultrasound scheduled with Dr. Fletcher. Even though we have to pay out of pocket for this one, we decided it would be a good idea to have the doctor do one that way she could double check and make sure every thing looked okay with Brooklyn.

So there is the doctor update for this month. More doctor appointments are coming soon....

Love, Jennifer

Brooklyn's Nursery

We got Brooklyn's nursery set up yesterday!! Daddy and his friend Ryan put together the crib late last night. They also set up the dresser in her room. It's so exciting to see it all finally start to come together and to see everything sitting there just waiting for her arrival! There are still some finishing touches that have to be made of course. We still have to look around for some sort of pink girly rug, buy some new white blinds for the windows, look for a pink or white hamper, and then I think I am going to get rid of the papasan chair, (even though I don't really want to), and buy some kind of rocker/glider. The papasan chair would be nice to keep because it is so comfortable, but I think it might be too hard to get in and out of with the baby. Plus I don't think it would be comfortable for daddy. I also need to look around for some cute wooden letters to hang on the wall for Brooklyn's name. (So if anyone happens to see any while they are out and about for a decent price per letter, please let me know!)

Love, Jennifer

Shopping for Brooklyn 2

Yesterday we went shopping for Brooklyn AGAIN. I love shopping and all, but it sure is getting more and more exhausting for me, especially in this Oklahoma heat. Dale's mom, (Grandma Belinda), came down and we all went to lunch and then headed to Mathis Brothers to look for a chest of drawers for Brooklyn's room. We found a great deal on a really nice set of drawers and they just so happen to match her crib almost perfectly. Grandpa Kevin brought them home for us, and lucky for daddy, they were already put together! So a big thank you to Papa and Edith for buying the crib and the dresser for her room. They look great and should last her for a loooooong time!

After Mathis Brother's, we then went to Babies R Us, which was fun for Grandma Belinda and myself, but daddy... well not so much. Men just don't seem to get into baby shopping all that much. Daddy did pick out a beautiful crib set though! It's pink, of course, and has jungle animals all over it. Grandma Belinda went baby crazy and bought everything we needed that matched the crib set for Brooklyn's room. We got the crib set, the valances, the lamps, the mobile, sheets, etc. I've left it packaged for now because I don't want it to get too dusty before Brooklyn arrives, but it is going to look SO cute!! She also went ahead and bought us a changing table and the pad and cover for it. Unfortunately they were out of stock, but the table should match the rest of the furniture really well. Then daddy had to throw in a stuffed duck. It doesn't match anything else, but I'm sure it will quickly become one of Brooklyn's favorites. It was something daddy just HAD to have.

So Brooklyn's room has now been officially made into a girly nursery. I've never loved the color pink as much as I do now! So thank you so much Belinda for all of the great stuff, including the duck! We both greatly appreciate it and love it all!!

Below is a picture of the crib set we got for Brooklyn's room. You can get a better view of it if you go to www.Babies R Us.com and type in Jungle Luv in the search bar.

Love, Jennifer

Brooklyn's First Hiccups

Ok, so I know that I am probably making a WAY bigger deal about this than needs to be made, but I am SO excited! I felt Brooklyn hiccup for the first time today! I was laying down, trying to take a nap at lunch and all of a sudden I felt a little "bump" or "kick." I'm not sure how to describe it. I wasn't sure what it was at first until it happened again... then again... then again. I looked looked at my belly while it was happening and I saw it move! Now I have felt this baby move before. She is very fond of kicking me in my ribs, but I have never actually SEEN the movement. It was SO cool!! Ever since then I have been feeling her move and kick around in my tummy so much stronger than before. I can't wait until her daddy can feel her move as well!

Love, Jennifer

Mommy & Brooklyn at 21 Weeks

This is a picture of me at 21 weeks pregnant. I'm finally starting to show! Soon I should be able to wear all those maternity clothes that Papa and mom bought me! Picture was taken on Sunday, August 10, 2008.

Brooklyn's First Movies

We got the first set of Disney movies yesterday that Brooklyn's Aunt Michelle bought her, and we are SO excited about them all! Brooklyn's "official" first Disney movie is Dumbo, (per Daddy's request). She also received Finding Nemo, Aladdin, Cars, Monsters Inc, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and A Bug's Life. We're going to have to buy a new cabinet or something to put them all in! We are so grateful that she has such a cool aunt spoiling her with these movies! It'll be so much fun to be able to watch them all with her, especially since Daddy has only seen a few of them! I'm even more excited because I realized having a girl means she will get to watch all the Disney Princess movies too! Of course, I'm sure I will think differently when I have the whole Little Mermaid movie memorized! Anyway... To Aunt Michelle, THANK YOU!!! I know Brooklyn will love them all!!

Shopping For Brooklyn

So my mother, (Grandma Carrie), and I went shopping at Mardel's and Wal-Mart last night for Brooklyn. I have quickly realized that it is no longer going to be about shopping for me. It's all about the baby now! I haven't been in Mardel's in forever, but mom was wanting to get Brooklyn a little baby bracelet. We didn't find one we liked but we did find all kinds of other baby stuff! I loved the things they had at Mardel's and will definitely have to go back. Mom bought a really cute pink hippo frame that we'll put on the shelves that dad, (Grandpa Walt), is building for her room. Then mom got a picture frame that said "When a baby is born, so is a grandmother." It was so cute! Mardel's had a bunch of pink TY brand jungle animals that Brooklyn must have. Little pink elephants, giraffes, monkeys, etc, that are made with a softer material for babies. There were a bunch of other things as well that I thought would be perfect in her nursery. It was all too cute!

Then the trip to Wal-Mart was fun because I was finally able to look in the baby section, knowing I needed to look for girl stuff! Wal-Mart had three or four racks of clearance dresses and onesies. The majority of them Brooklyn's Great Grandma Ethel had already bought. However, everything that was left to buy, my mom bought last night! So if you go to Wal-Mart looking at baby girl summer dresses and such, we probably already have them! I don't know what I am going to do with all these clothes we are getting. Most of them she won't be able to wear until next summer, but I'm thinking we need to find a dresser pronto!! I had fun shopping for her though. Brooklyn is going to be so spoiled!

Love, Jennifer

19 Week Doctor Appointment

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Our follow-up appointment to the ultrasound was today. My mom, Grandma Carrie, went with me to this appointment since we thought it was just a regular check up and blood work. It was just our luck Dr. Fletcher double booked her appointments on this day. So instead of getting right in the see the doctor like I usually do, mom and I had to wait almost an hour before we were called back.

When the nurse tech finally called me back, they took my weight (lost another few pounds according to the doctor scale from last time), checked my blood pressure(it was good), and then she listened for the baby's heart beat. I had been sick with a stomach the virus the past two days so I was worried that it might effect the baby. At first she couldn't find the heart beat, which really freaked me out. She finally found it though and it was up from the day before to 148 bmp.

We then went back to the room and Dr. Fletcher came right in. I told her how I was feeling and about the ultrasound appointment the day before. I told her how Brooklyn had her legs crossed the whole time and that we thought it was a girl, but we weren't 100 % sure. So Dr. Fletcher, who is an awesome doctor by the way, whipped out the ultrasound machine and quickly checked for me since I had to wait for her so long!

Right away Dr. Fletcher said it was a girl. I asked, "Are you sure?! How can you tell?!" She told me there was nothing between the legs and saw the three lines they look for when it's a girl. Mom started freaking out and getting all giddy again. Dr. Fletcher told me everything came back looking fine and that the baby was healthy and I was ready to go. I asked about the weight lose, she said it was fine for now and good for the baby that I am not able to eat the certain things I listed.

The blood work I had to have done this time checked for Downs Syndrome and a couple of other things. I should hopefully have the results by the end of the week. Dr. Fletcher said if there was anything wrong she would call me herself and let me know. So now we are just waiting to hear about the blood work.

My next appointment is August 28th. By then I will be 23 weeks along. Dr. Fletcher told us we can schedule the 3D/4D ultrasound as early as 24 weeks. So by the first week or so in September we should have more pictures.

Love, Jennifer

19 Week Ultrasound Appt.

So on Wednesday, July 30, 2008, Dale and I headed to Moore Medical Center so have our 19 week ultrasound of the baby, hoping we could find out the gender. Grandma Carrie and Grandma Belinda met us at the hospital and were also present to see what their new grand baby would be. After a torturous morning of not going to the bathroom, per doctor's orders, we made our way to the ultrasound room. Right away the ultrasound tech told us her legs were crossed. Hopefully we would be able to found out later one since they had so many pictures to take. Little did we know, our precious baby girl has seemed to have taken after both of her stubborn parents.

During our over 30 minute session with the tech, Brooklyn had her legs crossed the whole time. She also proceeded to occasionally move her hand down in the way so we couldn't tell. Even better yet, she was in a breached position and facing my back. Throughout the session however, the tech told us that she thought it was a girl. She said from what she could tell, she didn't see anything between her legs, but that she was about 80- 90% sure.

We were all giddy with joy especially the grandmothers. The tech continued to look around and take measurements. We saw and heard the heart beat at 138 bpm (beats per minute) and got to see it working through the ultrasound. She pointed out things like her stomach and her fingers and legs. She told us the baby weighed approximately 10 ounces, which is right on. When all was said and done she said Brooklyn was perfectly healthy. She has a long body and legs and all her fingers and toes which we are all so grateful for.

The tech then told me from the measurements that I was about 18 weeks and 5 days along. A little shorter than calculated. She also said that from the measurements it looked like the due date would be December 26, 2008. I told her she needed to move the due date further away from Christmas and not closer! Although I know it isn't going to matter what due date they give me. Brooklyn will come when she is ready. (Hopefully not on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day though!!)

Many people have asked me since I was the only one wanting a boy, if I was disappointed to find out I was having a girl. So everyone knows, I am not one bit disappointed at all. When I left the appointment, I was upset that they couldn't tell me 100% what I was having, but I am very grateful and thankful that as far as they could tell, our precious baby is healthy. I am thrilled to death that I am having a little girl now and become more and more excited every day. I can not wait for Brooklyn to arrive!

Love, Jennifer

19 Week Ultrasound Pictures

This ultrasound picture shows Brooklyn sucking her thumb.

In this picture you see the side profile of Brooklyn with her hand up by her head. You can also see her right hand and all of her long little fingers.



This is a top view of Brooklyn. I shows her head and her body.


This is a picture of Brooklyn's bottom. This was the picture taken by Dr. Fletcher confirming that it was a girl! The arrow on the picture is pointing between the legs, showing that there is nothing there.


Another picture of Brooklyn's bottom.


This is a picture of the bottom of Brooklyn's feet. If you look close you can see one whole foot print and part of another. She has her legs crossed at her ankles, so the picture isn't as clear as it could be.



This is the original picture of Brooklyn's bottom that we received when we did the ultrasound at the hospital. They were about 90% sure at that time that she was a girl.