27 Weeks Tomorrow

The pounds really have started to add up. For anyone keeping track, I've gained a total of 25.5 lbs. I'm trying not to worry about it because I know there would be a problem if I weren't gaining weight, but it's not easy. Sitting for long periods of time is uncomfortable, but manageable. I love being pregnant despite the extra load and simple tasks (like putting on socks or tying my shoes) made difficult. It's wonderful knowing that a little human (part me, part Andrew) is growing inside of me. I enjoy people asking about her, or feeling my belly. I'm glad people can tell I'm pregnant without even knowing me and what I looked like pre-pregnancy. I feel honored to get the opportunity to take care of this baby prior to her entrance into the world.

Today's weight = 142.5 lbs. (gotta love the holidays!)

Shower for Claire

Andrew's family threw a baby shower for Claire yesterday. She received quite a few adorable outfits, Boppy (semi-circle pillow that fits around your waste to help you support the baby while feeding) covers, a shopping cart cover, a hippo play-mat, bedding, crib mobile, and the largest gift (for which several people contributed) was a stroller/car seat set that will be shipped to our house in Shreveport. We were also given several heirloom christening gowns to choose from depending on Claire's size at the time of the event that have been used by several members of the Easterbrooks family. One of which Andrew and his grandfather both wore.

Continued Christmas Celebration in Washington

On the 26th, Andrew and I flew to Tacoma, Washington to continue our Christmas celebrations with his family. We were fortunate to arrive only 1.5 hours later than scheduled and our checked luggage made the journey successfully. We opened presents with Andrew's parents, Beth and Brian, and sister, Jennifer, and her husband, Nathan. We'll take more photos this afternoon at a baby shower that Jennifer is throwing for us, but here is our traditional "Christmas tree photo" that we've taken every year since Andrew and I started dating.


Here are some pictures from Christmas dinner at Grannie's house on the 27th with Grannie, Beth, Brian, Jennifer, Nathan, Aunt Jill, Uncle Randy, Kevin, Amy, and John.

Jennifer, Nathan, John, and Amy.




Kevin and Grannie. (Notice Kevin has filled Grannie's crown with paper and yes, Kevin does resemble the Burger King king.)

Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas celebration began in Kentucky with my mom, sister, Laura, and her family, and brother, David, and his wife, Jennifer. We announced the name we've given to Baby Garrett as Claire Easterbrooks Garrett. Claire is a name that we both love (slightly inspired by the main character of one of our favorite shows, Heros). Easterbrooks is Andrew's mom's maiden name. We wanted to use it to honor Grannie and Dean Easterbrooks, as well as Andrew's mom, Beth, and aunts Jill and Ann. Because Grannie's birthday is on March 28th, we found that to be fitting. Here are some photos taken on Christmas day while in Danville.

Wesley playing with his trains that Santa left him.


Alexandra exploring her new play mat.


Molly enjoying her new Christmas treats.


Andrew and Molly relaxing before opening presents.


Wesley, Chris, Laura, and David opening presents.


Alexandra helping Momma open presents.


Laura holds Alexandra as she models her new Bengals sportswear from David and Jennifer.


Momma got Claire her first Cabbage Patch Kid.


Wesley playing basketball with his hoop that Santa left for him.


After opening presents, Alexandra takes a nap on Aunt Jennifer.


The Garrett family photo.

Almost 26 Weeks

Tomorrow will be 26 weeks, but I was unable to post yesterday due to driving all day. We've made it to Kentucky for the holidays. We'll fly on the 26th to visit Andrew's family in Washington state, then fly back to Kentucky after New Years', then drive back to Louisiana. Luckily, this is that last year we have to coordinate such a complicated and exhausting holiday schedule. While the drive was long, we did come to one great decision. We have decided on Baby Garrett's name! I'll post it after we return from Washington so that family can hear it straight from us, but it is such a relief to no longer think about what we'll call this little one. We love the name and can't wait to meet her.

This morning I shaved my legs for the first time in longer than I'd like to admit. Wow, was that a work-out. I had to take a break in between legs. Not only can I not see the upper portion of my leg, but I have such a difficult time bending down to reach what I can see. I've gained 3 pounds in the last week and I think it has all gone to my belly. I guess the holiday eating has already gotten the best of me. I don't like that women are expected to gain a certain amount of weight (25-35 lbs.). I actually had a retired (in his 80s) adjunct professor last week ask me how much weight I've gained (straight out). When I told him, he said that that was a good amount because you "should only gain 3 times the weight of the baby." I don't think men should have any say in the matter whether they have an MD, PhD, or any other D.

All in all this last week has been good for the baby and me. I've gotten lots of sleep. I do find myself getting winded walking up the three flights of steps to my office at school, but it passes. It was difficult to get comfortable on our 12+ hour drive yesterday, but only one more of those before the baby is born.

Today's weight = 138 lbs. (matching what I weighed for some time in college as the most I've ever weighed)

We're Moving to Kentucky!

I didn't feel like I could post anything related to a job search that I've been doing, just in case our friends here at Centenary were reading this blog. Now the word is out and I feel like a weight has been lifted. On top of experiencing pregnancy for the first time this fall, I have been going through the interview process for a position closer to family (unbeknown by our colleagues). I have been offered and have accepted a position at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky! It's a great school with a wonderful mission of which I will proudly be a part. We have been blessed with supportive colleagues and friends here, but we want to be closer to family. I broke the news to my department chair on Sunday who shared that information with my department. This morning I met with the Dean to make sure he heard it straight from me and not through the grapevine. Andrew and I have just told one of our best friends here, Scott, and he was very supportive, encouraging, and congratulated me on the offer. Now I think I might be able to sleep tonight without thinking about what I was going to say to someone or dreaming about one of our colleagues learning of the move and being upset. So, there has been a lot that I've left out of my posts since the beginning of November related to stress and travel, but now it's out in the open. We're really looking forward to this move, but will be sad to leave the great friends we've made in the last year and a half.

Almost 25 Weeks

This past week I've been feeling big. I keep walking into people or the eye-wash stations in the labs, and frequently opening doors into my belly. Don't get me wrong, I know it's essential to get bigger since there is a baby growing inside of me, but it's just weird. How big will I get? Also, since I've been pregnant my nose has been constantly stuffed up making it difficult to breathe at night. I've read that it happens because you have increased blood flow, so it's completely normal. It becomes a pain when I wake up a couple of hours early and am not able to breathe out of my nose. I breathe through my mouth which stays very dry. Then, I have trouble going back to sleep. Last night I found that using a nasal spray really helped my situation and I was able to breathe and rest as long as I wanted.

Today's weight = 135 lbs.

Button Closures on Maternity Pants

Was it someone's idea of a cruel joke to put a button closure on a pair of maternity pants? I put on a pair yesterday that I had only worn 4 or 5 times and sure enough, the button popped off. This is not a good time in a woman's life (really no time is) to have your pants tell you that you're getting too big. Oh well. I do love the pants with the elastic that covers your entire belly. Now those are some good pants.

Almost 24 Weeks

This past week, Andrew and I have registered for a few baby items at both Target and Babies R Us. We decided not to do the Pooh theme, but a little more "girlie" look with flowers in pinks, yellows and greens (shown above). I never thought I'd be up for the "girlie" look, but there are probably going to be quite a few things that I learn about myself in the process of becoming a parent. Baby Garrett has been very active this past week and we look forward to seeing the 3D image of her at our 28 week visit.

Today's weight = 133.5 lbs.

23 Week Appointment

Our Dr.'s appointment went well this morning. My uterus measurement is right on target as well as my weight gain, blood pressure, and sugar levels. The baby's heartbeat was strong. We made our next appointment which will be a big one for January 8th (at 28 weeks). At that time they'll test me for gestational diabetes and do the 4D ultrasound. It should be exciting. After that our appointments will be every 2 weeks.

Almost 23 Weeks

My turkey timer has gone off. As of this past week my once innie belly button, is now an outie. It did transition through a flat stage and now it's just hanging out there. The baby has been very active this past week. It surprises me how quickly I can feel her move in once place, then in another so far away. This past week I have been feeling a little nauseous again, but it isn't too bad.

I renewed my passport (which had expired in April) because Andrew and I would like to go to Victoria while we're in Washington for the holidays. We're thinking of it as celebrating our 3rd anniversary since it's likely we won't get to do anything around April 8th (a week after the due date). We're not sure if we want to do an overnight visit or just a day trip. It will sort of be our last hoorah.

We also have started a registry at Target. It will likely change a lot in the next few days as we tweak a few of the items due to what was available at the store. We just started it this morning and even though they gave us a nice checklist from which to work, we still had no idea what to include. We're thinking we might do a Winnie the Pooh theme for the baby's room. We'll see.

Today's weight = 132 lbs.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It appears that Baby Garrett loves the classic Thanksgiving Day foods: turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, dressing, lime jello salad, spinach salad, and pecan pie. I'm sure I've left something out, but only because I'm sitting in a food coma. Baby Garrett was moving around all day, but I think she's also in a food coma now. It was so nice seeing the family. Unfortunately, I switched between taking photos with our camera and my mom's so here are just a few.
Momma and Alexandra
Chris and Wesley
Laura and Wesley
Chris and Todd watching the Seahawks play the Cowboys.

22 Weeks

I have a weekly photo that was taken on Sunday, but due to traveling, I haven't had the chance to download it. Maybe later today. This past week there has been several firework shows in my uterus. At night Baby Garrett likes to move around like crazy. I've been feeling a little nauseous this past week, but I'm sure that can also be attributed to the busy time of year.

Today's weight = 131.5 lbs.

Ice Cream, Mmmmmmmm

As it turns out, Baby Garrett is already taking after her Momma in her love for ice cream. Surprisingly enough, it had been almost two weeks since I had eaten any ice cream. Andrew and I decided to have some Ben and Jerry's last night around 8:45pm (I rarely deviate from my "everything, but the..." and Andrew branched out from his usual "half-baked"). We went to bed around 10pm and Baby Garrett was moving around so much I didn't know if I'd fall asleep. It was a fun feeling though.

Almost 21 Weeks

New this week is that last night Andrew felt Baby Garrett kick for the first time. As I was working on the post yesterday I had my hand on my belly and noticed the movement. Then, I ran into the living room for Andrew to feel it. She kicked (or punched) a few times very fast, so I'm trying to catch her in the act again so Andrew can get a longer feel. Last night we went to a "black-tie optional" fundraising dinner held by Centenary. I was ecstatic that I could fit into a dress that I wore to my brother David's rehearsal dinner. Andrew looked great in his suit that he wore to his sister Jennifer's wedding. A friend in HR took a photo of the two of us that I'm going to try to get a copy of and post.

This week my back has stayed pretty achy all over. I'm sure this will come and go throughout the pregnancy, so I was kind of expecting it.

Today's weight = 130.5 lbs. (I may have over-indulged in birthday cake last week. :))

Is This How Baby Garrett Will Look? Part II.

After following the "rules" for what photos to use in the Routon BabyMaker website, here are two new images of how Baby Garrett might look. I did it twice with the same photos. This might confirm Andrew's theory that the baby photos are generated at random. What do you think?

20 Weeks Down, 20 Weeks To Go

We can't wait to meet you Baby Garrett!

Happy Birthday to Laura and Me

Today is my (and Laura's) 29th birthday. We had a great time celebrating this weekend. Alex and Laura listened in on my 8am Organic Chemistry lecture. Alex fell asleep, but Laura said she actually learned a few things. She said, "I learned that carbenes have no charge and long hairs." I corrected her by saying, "Not 'long hairs,' a 'lone pair.'" (Only the scientists will truly get that one.) Here's a photo of Laura and Alex.

After work, Andrew and I came home to open presents and spend quality time with Molly. I got some wonderful gifts: maternity clothes, gift certificates, bath items, earrings, a plush robe, CD by Keane, DVD ("Baby Momma"), and a cute onesie and blanket for Baby Garrett. We went to dinner at the Olive Garden and walked to Maggie Moo's for dessert. At 8pm, we'll go to the Chirhart's to watch "Heros" and I believe they have some sort of dessert planned as well. At dinner we talked about names a little. We both really like the name Bennett for a girl, but I'm still a little hesitant thinking it sounds a little choppy with Garrett...."Bennett Garrett"...We're still thinking.

Almost 20 Weeks...Halfway There

Because Laura and I will celebrate our 29th birthday tomorrow, she, Chris, Wesley, and Alex came to visit us for the weekend. We've had a wonderful (and exhausting) time. A true preview of how our lives will drastically change (for the better of course) in 20 weeks. Aunt Laura bought Baby Garrett a Diaper Gene, some onesies, some bath items (including an adorable hippo towel), toiletries (nail clippers, brush, comb, etc.) and has brought several sleepers that Alex has grown out of for us to start the Baby Garrett clothing collection. Here are some photos of our weekend.

Andrew and Wesley picked up sticks in the backyard.

Andrew and Molly take a break on the couch.

Andrew holds Alex while we try to get lunch together.

Wesley and I take a photo op in the living room.

The girls take a photo.

As for this last week, the biggest change of course knowing that Baby Garrett is a girl. Now we're trying to mentally prepare for raising a little girl.

Today's weight = 127 lbs.

It's a Girl!

We found out this morning that Baby Garrett is a girl! She was moving around quite a bit. We saw all four chambers of her heart, a nice long spine, some good curled up legs, her cute little bottom, and of course her "taco." This means we'll need to do a little more thinking about the name. Even though we both thought it was going to be a girl, we hadn't really found a good name yet. I guess we still have about 21 weeks to make that decision. Here are the images.

Here you can see her nice spine.


This image shows her "girl parts."


This is a cute shot of her bottom and hands.

Is This How Baby Garrett Will Look?

Our expecting friend Victoria, showed us that on the Volkswagon website, you can "make a baby" based on a photo of the mom and dad. (Thanks to Brooke Shields' commercials for the Routon.) Here is the composite made of Andrew and me. It's a little creepy. (We didn't exactly follow all of the criteria for the photos, so the next time Andrew shaves, we'll try with new photos.)

Almost 19 Weeks

We're getting very anxious to find out whether Baby Garrett is a boy or a girl. The search for a name has taken a hiatus until we find out. I have felt great this week. Some mornings I wake up with a huge headache, but it ends shortly after walking Molly. I did find this past week one change that I wasn't expecting to take place so early. While teaching labs, I spend the three hours walking back and forth down the rows of benches where the students are working to assist them. I found myself not fitting through the same spaces that I normally do and bumping students with my belly. They weren't too bothered by it. Their cell biology professor is 8 months pregnant.

Today's weight = 127.5