We've hit a growth spurt...

Hello little baby!  It's been a little while since I wrote to you.  I need to get better about that.  It seems we have hit a bit of a growth spurt!  All of the sudden in a matter of days your Mama looks super pregnant!  We saw some friends last weekend and then saw them again this past Saturday night and all of them commented on how much my tummy has expanded in the past week, it's pretty wild!  I just cannot believe we only have 16 weeks to go.  I am so eager to meet you son and to start our life together as a family.  I just can't wait to hold you and see who you look like.  Everyone teases us and says you are going to come out with a full beard! Although I do predict that you will look a lot like your Daddy, I am pretty sure that we can rule out the beard...for a few more years at least :)

You weigh just over a pound and measure about 8 inches long.  You are about the size of a papaya :)  I have considered purchasing a stethoscope because they say that at this point it is possible to hear your heartbeat through one.  It would be nice to not have to wait for the doctor visits to hear that sweet sound! You are constantly reminding me of your presence with your kicks and flips and I love it!  I am starting to think we might have a little boxer or soccer player in our future!  I used to worry that I would be weirded out by the alien baby human growing in my tummy but I have actually felt the complete opposite.  I am absolutely fascinated by this process and I will take any little reminders that I can get!   I love feeling your kicks baby Jones!  It is the best when you respond to me.  You won't do it always but sometimes when I feel you moving around in my belly I will give you a little poke or a rub and you poke me right back!  I love that we are starting to communicate with each other already. 

I dream about you constantly and I cannot stop thinking about what life is going to be like when you are here.  I know with all of my heart that our life is about to get a zillion times cooler :)  We have a doctor's apt on Thursday afternoon and I just can't wait to hear the thump of your precious little heart. 

By the way...you still don't have a name but your Dad and I are getting a lot closer to making a decision.  I will let you know that we have some really awesome names to choose from! 

Mom and Dad <3

Halfway there...

20 weeks down, 20 weeks to go!!  We are halfway to the finish line and boy oh boy are we growing.  This little guy is going to be here before we know it.  We have Thanksgiving coming up this week, then all of the fun that Christmas brings, New Years, baby showers, and spring will bring baby Jones' arrival.  April 2011 hurry up!!!

We are soooo blessed...

Ready to hear that sweet lil' heart beat...

Dear Little One,

Today at 3:30 we have an appointment with our doctor.  Nothing serious just a little check up to make sure everything is going good in there.  I will get to hear your sweet little heart beat and I just cannot wait for that!  This is the first appointment that your Daddy won't be joining us for and I am a little bummed about that. He has been sooo supportive and loving and he has really helped me get through some of the more scary stuff (blood work, flu shot, high blood pressure scare...nothing serious).  He has to work a little further away than usual but I know he would be there if he could.  I am pretty sure this is going to be an easy appointment and I really have no worries.  Just a week ago we had an ultrasound and you were doing awesome.  I have felt you move around A LOT this week so there is no doubt in my mind that we've got one healthy little growing baby boy!

You have already taught me so much about myself through this whole experience.  I feel stronger and more brave every single day.  I know that I can accomplish anything if I put my heart and my mind into it.  I have learned to stay calm and not sweat the small stuff.  Even the stuff that makes me feel a little nervous or frightened isn't so bad once I just push myself and get it over with.  I want to teach you to be a brave little man. To have confidence in yourself and to always have faith.  The best way to do this is through leading by example.  With a positive attitude and your father by my side I know that all three of us are going to be something to be extremely proud of.

Hurry up 3:30!!  I can't wait to hear that sweet little heart beat! 

Love Always,

Mom

Your Dad and I went to the baby store last weekend and had a blast!!  It was so much fun looking at all of the precious stuff that we are going to need to keep you safe and happy.  Dinosaurs, trucks, doggies, spaceships, electric guitars, skate boards, and monkeys oh my!!  I can't even explain how cool it is knowing that you are a BOY!!  Now we can pick out stuff just for you and I have to admit that the guy stuff is pretty awesome! It was impossible to walk out of that store emptied handed so we bought you an adorable set of newborn onesies and your very first lovey!  He is a soft little monkey and I am pretty sure you are gonna love him :)

Fiesta!! Fiesta!!

Hey there baby boy!!  Holy Guacamole you must be having a little fiesta in my tummy!  Apparently you LOVE Mexican cuisine and I am not complaining about that one bit.  I just have to make note that we ate Mexican for dinner every single night last week.  Chicken chili on Sunday night, Black Bean and Corn Tortilla casserole on Monday night, Daddy's guacamole and quesadillas on Tuesday night, more guacamole and beef tacos on Wednesday night, left overs on Thursday night, and then we made some totally loaded chicken nachos on Friday night!!!  Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself!  So have I had any cravings?!?!  Yes indeed, give me a chimichanga or a chalupa and I'll be one we'll be two happy campers :) 

 

I got all the way through making this collage and then went to post it and that silly watermark showed up...yuck!!  I really love all of these pictures of your Dad and I and I think they capture our fun nature pretty perfectly so I am going to keep it up until I make another one without that huge stamp smack in the middle of it.  We love you little guy!!!  Can't wait to take you swimming, to the zoo, to some rock concerts, on some road trips, out on the boat, to see the 4th of July fireworks, to visit your awesome family, to play in the sand and on all of our other exciting adventures!!!  Little man you are in for a wild ride!!

Such a handsome little man...

Our SON at 19 weeks and 4 days!!  Absolutely PRECIOUS!!!

IT'S A BOY!!!

To my sweet baby boy...

I already love you more than words can express.  Everything that I know about you is perfect.  You are healthy, you are growing and you are the cutest little thing I have ever seen.  Your Dad and I had a very big appointment yesterday for our anatomy scan and I wasn't surprised one bit when the ultrasound technician said "there's your little baby BOY!!!"  For a long time now I have had a strong feeling that you were going to be a little guy but to find out that my instinct was correct is just so incredible.  We already know each other so well and we haven't really even "met" yet.  We watched you move around on the screen in the doctors office yesterday and I must tell you, you are pretty amazing.  You didn't like it one bit when the technician pressed down on you with that transducer to take your measurements!  When we first got you up on that screen you were punching away at my belly trying to tell her to leave you alone, it was pretty cute.  You looked like a tough little boxer in there.  You  tried to move away each time that she would come after you and I don't blame you one bit.  Over all you were on your best behavior and we got some great shots.  Every little piece of you measures perfectly.  You weigh 10 ounces and measure at 19 weeks and 5 days!  You have ten fingers and ten toes and your heart beat is strong at 145 bpm.  Your brain is growing beautifully and I know you are going to be such a smart little dude. You are one healthy baby!!  We got to take home 5 pictures of you and I haven't been able to stop looking at them.  Every time I walk by those images laid out on the dining room table I cannot help but smile and feel so incredibly proud.  Proud of myself, proud of your father, and so proud of you.  I cannot wait to have you here in our arms as one happy little family.  I love you son!

Forever and always,

Mom

Three weeks makes a pretty big difference in the life of a growing tummy...

Baby's 1st Picture

This is you in your very first picture.  You had been hanging out in Mama's belly for 12 weeks at this point.  You have grown and developed a whole lot over the past 6 weeks.  We get to see you on the big screen again next Thursday and we will find out of you are a little girl or a little boy!  We are sooo excited!!! 

Meet the Parents :)

Hello baby Jones!  We're your parents, Nate and Bailey.  Together we make a pretty great team and we are ready for you to be a part of it.  We are always up for a good adventure and we like to fill our days with lots of music, love, and laughter.  We also enjoy art, animals, and good food and we can't wait to introduce you to all of the wonderful stuff that this world has to offer!

Right now you're just a tiny little one growing in my tummy.  I (your Mama) think about you constantly all day long and I just can't wait to meet you.  Although you are not here with us yet, I already feel a pretty incredible bond between the two of us.  I have carried you in my belly for 18 weeks now and as each day goes by I feel you just a little bit more.  About a week ago I started to notice you moving around in there!  I hope you are feeling comfy and having fun.  You are about the size of a turnip and at the rate we've been eating I am sure you are growing by the minute!  Oh yeah and one more thing - we don't know if you are a boy or a girl but we will gladly take you either way!  We sure do love you baby Jones and we absolutely cannot wait to meet you! You are expected to be here on April 6th, 2011 but it is really up to you to decide when you would like to celebrate your Birthday!