HE'S HERE! 12 Days Old!

HE'S HERE!!!! HE'S HERE!!!!

Christian Dean Whitlock

11/08/11

11:03am

8lbs 8oz

21.25"

And I couldn't ask for a better little boy!  He's perfect in every way: health, personality, temper, and his sweet sweet smile!  I mean seriously, just look at him!  ;-) 

I had the honor of pulling Christian the rest of the way out after his head made it through and I plopped him right up on top of me!  As seen here!  He's literally only a few seconds old here!

Our precious and blessed new family!

1 day old!

The day after he came home from the hospital (4 days old)...laying on Papa Dean's lap.

I'm so in love with both of these boys! He's 1 week old here.

Having a little fun with a naked photo shoot! Loving that smile!! 6 days old here.

Here I am at 39 weeks and Christian at 12 days!

MUST REMEMBER THESE!

So by now, pretty much every woman (and many men) are obsessed with Pinterest.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about or have for some strange unknown reason boycotted Pinterest...you must go to the site, request an invite, and get started.  Believe me, I would never steer you wrong!!

Today I ran across these VERY helpful hints!!!

• Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.
• Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold. 
• Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. 
• Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat. 
• To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up. 
• For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a minty frosting. 
• Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic, and at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic. 
• Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. 
• Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. 
• Easy Deviled Eggs: Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up. 
• Expanding Frosting: When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. 
• Reheating refrigerated bread: To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 
• Newspaper weeds away: Plant your plants in the ground, work the nutrients in your soil. Then wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go, cover with mulch, and forget about weeds. 
• Broken Glass: Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily. 
• No More Mosquitoes: Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. 
• To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it. 
• Flexible vacuum: To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. 
• Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip to eliminate static cling. It works; you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks. 
• Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. 
• De-fog your windshield: Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser. 
• Re-opening envelopes: If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. It unseals easily. 
• Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair. 
• Goodbye Fruit Flies: To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. Flies are drawn to the cup and gone forever. 
• Wash your dryer filter: dryer sheets cause a film over filter that will burn out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. The best way to keep your dryer working for a long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take the filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush at least every six months.

Maternity Sneak Peek!

My good friend, Jaime Tocco, took maternity pictures of me a few days ago!  Here is a sneak peek of some she put up for me last night!  Can't wait to see the rest when they come in!!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jaime-T-Photography/144322952287529?sk=wall&filter=12

http://www.jaimetphotography.com/

36 Weeks, Sonogram, and TWIN NEPHEWS!

WOW!  ONLY 4 weeks to go....or less. ;-)

How fun it was to see our little boy again!  I'm so anxious to be able to see him everyday and love on him with lots of hugs and kisses!  Here are two of the cutest sonogram pictures I've ever seen!

Christian Dean is doing fantastic! It was last Wednesday that we had our appointment and at that point he weighed 6.1 lbs.  She did say she's usually a few ounces over, so he was probably just below 6 lbs.  He has ideal measurements on everything and his heartbeat was strong and on point.  So far we couldn't have asked for a healthier baby boy!  Last Wednesday I was dilated to a 1...doctor said she thinks he might be a little early.  I have had a few recent signs that he might be anxious to see the world, so we'll see if we really have to wait until 11-11-11 to meet him in person!  God's timing is perfect timing and I'm leaving it up to him!!  Tomorrow my sweet friend, Jaime Tocco, will be taking my maternity pictures....I'm so excited!  I'll definitely post them as soon as they are in my hands.

36 week...I'm dropping!

Also just a few weeks ago on September 27, 2011, my sister welcomed her twin boys around 34 weeks.  One had to stay in the NICU just a little longer than the other, but they are very healthy and now both home and together again!!!! 

(lf-rt) William Thomas Stewart III and Jacob Thomas Stewart

Proud mom and dad with their sweet boys!

32 Weeks

Today's baby appointment went very well!  In fact, he said I'm doing so great that he doesn't need to see me in 2 weeks like planned and instead he'll see me in 3 weeks.  I'll also have another ultrasound done then...THANK GOODNESS!  I haven't had one since 20 weeks when we found out the gender so I'm definitely ready to see my boy again.  Of course I'll post some wonderful pictures after I get them! ;-) 

This last Saturday I was blessed with a second baby shower!  My boss and a girlfriend put an intimate group together for brunch and a shower.  It was delightful! (If you click on the picture it'll get bigger.)

32 week picture there!

 Yummy brunch and cake!

 Sitting like a lady...belly between my legs! ;-)

~Laney~

Hello 3rd (and last!!) Trimester

Well after vacation there's just so much to do right?!  Finally I'm getting to blog!  Our vacation down to Missouri and Oklahoma was more than we could have asked for...except for it to last longer (these vacations just never do).  We spent much time with family, missed getting to see parts of the family, and were blessed with an amazing baby shower and many sweet gifts for Christian.  Seriously...we are truly blessed!  Below are pictures of just how adorable my baby shower was (THANKS HOSTESSES....AND MOST OF ALL TO MY COUSIN WHO HAS THE CREATIVENESS TO PULL THIS OFF!) and my 25 week picture taken at my shower (we're now at 28 weeks....picture at the end).  Christian's room will be a vintage sock monkey theme which was the inspiration for the shower! (Click on the pictures to see them enlarged.)

hehe...did we tell you we're having 2?

Shelley and I threw Lauren a family shower!

While we together we got some maternity shots in for Lauren!

Some sisterly love!

 A new meaning to "Baby Bump"

27 weeks!  I can't believe I already started my 3rd trimester!  This whole thing went by crazy fast!

**I started writing this post at the beginning of my 27 weeks...my week slipped away from me.**

Now we're at 28 weeks!

At my 28 week appointment the doctor said I'm doing great!  She actually told me she was mad at me because I'm doing perfectly.  haha  She said she doesn't want me to gain more than 20 lbs total, and this last trimester will bring the most weight gain.  The baby's heartbeat was in the 140's and his constant movement is a great sign of development.  I asked her about some movement that didn't seem normal, almost like Christian was shivering.  She said it's actually a really good sign that his nervous system is developed and in action.  One of the reflex tests they do after he's born is to pull his arms to his side and see if he brings them back together in the middle.  This is actually what he's doing in the womb!  As he moves around his arms get pushed to the side and then they shake as they come back together in front of him!  Crazy huh?!  Well now I'm totally okay with that kind of movement knowing it's a good sign!  Next appointment I think we get another sonogram...HOPEFULLY!

Today I'm painting the nursery and hoping to get the crib set up!!!  WAHOO!  Stay tuned for pictures!

Joining the 6 Month Club!

This last Friday I joined the 6th month club!  Welcoming me to the club was a nice head and chest cold.  ICK!  Hopefully my antibiotics will help kick it soon.  It better because the Whitlock Clan is heading to Missouri next Friday and then onto Oklahoma to see our family.  We haven't seen any family since we got pregnant and are SUPER excited to see them!  Christmas was a little too long ago.  I hope we never go that long without seeing our family.  So even though I'm sickly and look awful, I went ahead and took a 6 month picture because it's a milestone.  After a little photoshop I don't look sick...thank goodness!!! 

My appointment last week went great...baby boy's heartbeat is in the low 150's (sounded perfect to me), I've gained a total of 10 lbs so far (she told me to get ready for the pounds to start adding up now), and I walked away with a bottle of yummy red syrup to sit in my fridge for the next 4 weeks.  I'll have to drink that before my next appointment for my glucose test.  I'm excited.  Can you tell?  I hear that drink isn't all that wonderful to get down!  Baby boy is kicking away like crazy these days!  He's mastered the somersault, he knows just where my bladder is and like to kick or punch it, and he likes to play the freeze game with daddy every time he tries to feel him move.  Charmer huh?  I guess that's all the updates for now.  The next one will be all about our baby shower and family vacation!  WAHOO...CAN'T WAIT!!!

Since I Was Little...

...I've always dreamed of becoming a mommy.  As a young teen I worked as much as I could in any way possible with children at our church and babysitting in the area.  My sweet nephew was born when I was 13.  I immediately knew why God created me as I held onto Bryson imagining having my own someday.  Of course God created me for many things in my life, but one of the major things he's given me a desire for is mommy-hood.  Through the years I would hear of people wanting babies so bad, but couldn't get pregnant.  I prayed the Lord would bless me without any obstacles, but if there were obstacles I would always remain faithful to Him and understand he wants me to "mommy" somebody else.  When Josh and I decided to try to get pregnant, I feared it would take a long time or there would be a bigger obstacle to overcome.  However, the Lord blessed us in just two short months!  WOW!  What an answer to prayer!  

I remember the day I found out.  It was March 7th and I just had "that" feeling....among other obvious reasons.  Josh was already gone to work as I stumbled into the bathroom.  I sat down and said to myself, "WAIT! GRAB A TEST!  They say the hormones are strongest first thing in the morning."  After seeing the results I was so giddy!!!  I thought it was so neat that for a few hours, only me and God knew this AWESOME secret.  As soon as I dropped Henry (the boy I nanny) off at school, I raced to my doctors office to get the "official word".  She confirmed and I headed towards Josh's work.  He had no idea what my morning had been like and I was so excited to surprise him.  As I pulled up, he was actually walking outside (strange coincidence) and saw me.  He looked at me through the car window with suspicion...I never just show up to his work.  I rolled the window down and said, "Well babe, you're going to be a father!"  He got really quite and then said, "Really? Wow!"  I believe he told me good job somewhere in our conversation after that...hehe.  

Now we're 23 WEEKS ALONG!  I mean seriously, time has FLOWN!  I only have 119 more days to go.  11-11-11 will be here soon and we'll get to welcome our baby boy!  Below are a few pictures as I've grown.  From here on I'll just upload that week's belly picture for a quick update...hopefully every weeks, but no promises!  ;-)  Enjoy!

The big news!

First sonogram at 9 weeks...cute little gummy bear!

12 weeks

17 weeks

20 weeks...YAY FOR A BOY!

Just taken a few hours ago...23 weeks!

Baby boy Whitlock...we can't wait to meet you!!!!!