Week 22......

We've had a lot going on in the past week here at the McGowan House....but not a lot of pictures to show from it! We spent Thanksgiving with my family over at Mom and Dad's house with Mee Mie. We came back home for the Texas A&M/UT game.....and we'll just keep on going and talk about something else......We watched SO much football this past weekend, I'll be really sad when the season is over, we love football so much here in our house! John and I braved the crowds this weekend and registered at Target and Babies R Us. Then Sunday John started putting the lights on the house and I started on the inside. As soon as it is all done I'll post pictures. I've got a terrible cold now though so decorating is on the back burner while I lay on the couch with Oakley! Here's what Jay is up to....

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Check back for pictures later in the week of the decorated house and updated nursery pics!!

21 Week Update

I was 21 weeks along on Friday.....here's what is going on with Jay!

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

Introducing Our SON!

John Worden McGowan IV

"Jay"

Here's the handsome little fella! The ultrasound went great last week, it just took a little longer because little Jay here wouldn't cooperate. Minutes into the ultrasound we found out he was a boy, as shown in the bottom picture of the ultrasound! The top picture is of his profile, the second picture is of his face, and the third picture is of his little boy parts. After many attempts to get the pictures she needed of his spine, the tech finally had me lay on my stomach for about 15 minutes to see if Jay would flip over. Thankfully he eventually did and we were out of there in a little over an hour. Obviously I'll get a lot more information from my doctor when I go to see her next month, but the tech said that my due date (April 3rd) is right on track and he's about 14 ounces. We are just so thrilled to know we're having a boy and can't wait to meet him! Now the REAL shopping can begin! We already had a "boy" nursery and a "girl" nursery picked out. So now that we know what we're having, we know what nursery to start putting together! Here it is, hopefully our back bedroom will look like this by the time Jay arrives!

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

John Worden McGowan IV "Jay"

Pictures and more info to come later, just wanted to get the news out there. Things look normal and we're still on schedule for April 3rd. We're so happy and excited about our little man!

Happy 3rd Anniversary!!!

It is amazing how fast time flies when you love your life so much! Three years ago today I married my best friend, the man of my dreams, and the person so I had been able to turn to for so many years. I still get a smile on my face and tears in my eyes when I realize how lucky I am to have found John. I knew it after our first date, when we said "I love you" after only dating for 2 weeks, and after 6 weeks were already talking about marriage. And now we're starting a family together.....I hope that everyone that is married feels the love and joy that I do each time I look into my husband's eyes. While it seems like so long ago that we got married, looking at pictures takes me right back. So Happy Anniversary Sweetheart! Thank you for being in my life as long as you have, for being patient while I dated a lot of losers in college, for being there to pick up the pieces of my broken heart time after time after time, and for finally showing me what love and relationships are really like. I have loved being your wife for the past 3 years. I can't wait for what is to come for us not only in the next few months, but for the rest of our lives.

I love you John!

November 19, 2005

This day I will marry my friend, the one I laugh with, live for, dream with, love.

5 Month Dr. Appointment

Went to the doctor today for the monthly check up. She said everything is still looking great. My blood pressure was good and weight is still good too. I was up 4 pounds from last month, but I'm attributing some of that to the jeans and boots I had on! There is no way it can be the two trips to IHOP John and I have taken the past two weekends!!!! Whoops.....

Baby sounded great on the heart monitor today. 154 beats per minute and moving like crazy! It seems to be the most active between 10:00am and 11:00am each day and then again around 9:00pm at night.

Can't wait until Thursday to see this little person again and to stop calling it "it".

Halfway There!

Well we've passed the 20 week mark and we are into the second half of the pregnancy. I go for my regular monthly appointment tomorrow and Thursday is the BIG REVEAL! Look for a post to find out what we're having! Here is the 20 week update....

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

And...I can't believe I'm doing this, but here is a picture of me at 20 weeks. I feel so huge I didn't want any pictures taken of me, but I know I'd regret it later if I have no pictures to show my kids one day of mom big and pregnant! I didn't even let John take it, I set the camera timer and did it myself when we wasn't home! Oakley was giving me some weird looks....but then again, he probably just needed to be taken out! So...be kind with your remarks. I feel like the whole tummy popped out in the past 2 weeks (although those boobs popped out the day we found out we were pregnant!) and I'm still adjusting to my new shape!

BUT....I will say, I still look mostly normal in "non maternity" clothes. I can pull off a regular t-shirt with maternity jeans or khakis and look somewhat like myself. Here is one of my very often worn outfits these days......PJs!!

Also, if you're wondering why I'm posting during the day, I am home today. I was called for jury duty but by 8:30am I was already excused and on my way back home. When the judge asked if anyone had any reasons she needed to hear about as to why they couldn't serve jury duty this week I went and told her how the BIG REVEAL is this week. Thank GOD the judge was a woman and understood and sent me home with a "medical excuse". So....I got a very much needed day off to catch up on grading papers and spend some quality time with Oakley. Needless to say, he's happy I'm home today too so he doesn't have to spend the day in the laundry room! He's been sprawled out all day, following the sun as it shines through different windows in the house. He's just too cute!

19 weeks....a little late posting!

I was 19 weeks last Friday....and just getting around the posting the update. On Saturday I went back up to College Station with Mom & Dad to watch the Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma game on Saturday. My poor Aggies.....its just not our year! Then after the game I went straight to Buffalo Wild Wings and met John to watch the Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State game. Not quite the exciting game we were anticipating, but still, its another W in the win column! My family will be torn a bit on the 22nd when Tech plays OU. My brother, his wife, and John all attended Texas Tech. My mom and grandma are HUGE OU fans. I've got my fingers crossed Tech wins so they can be the Big 12 South champs instead of you know who......

So here's the 19 week update. This Friday marks the halfway there mark!

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

Week 18 Update!

18 weeks down.....the weeks just keep flying by! I felt the first movements in my tummy this past weekend too! We went to a sports bar to watch the Texas Tech vs. Texas football game. By far......best football game I have EVER seen! I've never seen my husband scream so loud! I don't know if it was all the noise or if we have a future Red Raider on our hands (please be an Aggie, please be an Aggie) but I felt the first "popcorn popping" sensation during the game Saturday night. I haven't felt anything again, but I'm sure more is to come. Here is what is going on with our little one:

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

Happy Halloween!

John and I decorated the front porch and yard yesterday for Halloween. We have another thing or two we may add, but if I don't post pictures now they won't get posted before Halloween. It looks very cool at night with the lights on, strobe light going, and scary music we have playing. Thank goodness we both love Halloween so much or we might think the other person was weird!

We also carved our pumpkins while we watched college football. John's pumpkin is on the left and mine is on the right. Today I'm roasting the pumpkin seeds so we can snack on them this week. Yum Yum!!

Guess who's feeling better?

Oakley had a pretty rough week last week dealing with his stomach "bug". He started off taking 14 pills a day and within a day or two we started to see our happy dog again. But for those first few days...there was NOTHING to smile about.

Thankfully we've just got 2 days left of antibiotic (down to 2 pills a day) and we've got our happy, smiling Oakley back. We love you little guy!

Week 17 Update

Here's the update on what is going on with Baby McGowan now that we're 17 weeks along!

Your baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

Baby McGowan visits the doctor again

I went to the doctor again on Thursday to have Baby McGowan checked on. The doctor said things are looking great and we are right on schedule. The heartbeat was nice and strong again and still a speedy 162 beats per minute. The nurse said if the old wives tale stands true we'll have a little girl joining our family in April. They took some blood from me to run a QUAD screen to measure the levels of four substances produced by the fetus and passed into my bloodstream. It is routine procedure and the results will let us know if the baby is at higher risk for any type of birth defects. The doctor said my blood pressure was great (110/70), I was measuring just right, and weight gain is great (no weight gain so far!!). I go for my next appointment on November 18th and then we go to the hospital for the ultrasound on the 20th. And in between those two appointments on the 19th John and I will celebrate our 3 year wedding anniversary! Lots to celebrate this year!!

4 Months Down.....5 To Go!!

We had an eventful weekend here at the McGowan house. Saturday John and I drove up to College Station to watch the Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech football game. After a very fun and exciting first quarter...the Aggies decided to stop playing and let Tech kill them 43-25. It's sad to see my Aggies playing the way they are this season, but I'm excited for John that the Raiders are having their first undefeated season since 1976. We had great seats, we were up high, but were able to see everything.

Sunday we had plans to go to the Renaissance Festival with some friends, but Oakley got very sick and we spent the morning at the Animal Hospital instead. Diagnosis.....a parasite in his small intestine. Needless to say, things got pretty gross around here on Sunday...and I'll just leave it at that. $300.00 later and with enough pills to open our own pharmacy we were headed home with our boy. He's doing much better now and on the road to recovery. Hopefully he'll be back to himself soon!

Also.....we are now 16 weeks pregnant!! Here is what is going on with Baby McGowan:

Get ready for a growth spurt. In the next few weeks, your baby will double his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.

I go back to the doctor again this Thursday. I'll post how it goes...can't wait to hear that little heartbeat again!

We are SO proud of Oakley!!

Oakley had his last "Puppy Training" class at PetSmart Thursday night. Our trainer took him through all of his exercises and annouced that he was going to graduate! He's nowhere near trained (sorry Oakley) but we're on our way. We need to practice his puppy skills through December and then look at enrolling him in an intermediate class in January. Hopefully we can get him through that class before he baby comes in April. He's got a lot of growing up to still do, but we couldn't be prouder of our little man! Congrats Oakley!!!

15 Weeks and going strong!

I receive weekly updates from www.babycenter.com and thought it would be fun to add them to the blog. Here is my 15 week update!

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

I can't belive how quickly this little one is growing! Hopefully he/she won't be shy on November 20th and we'll be able to find out who this little person is going to be!

BIG shopping day!

My mom raised me well....my whole life I'm always looking for a deal. I love sales, coupons, half-off, it just makes my pulse quicken. Some people may call it being frugal, some people would call it cheap, I think it is smart!

Today was The Woodlands Flea Market in Town Center. Because garage sales aren't allowed in The Woodlands, twice a year they have a community flea market where people can buy spots to sell their items. For years mom and I have been going to the flea market together. We've never really gone in search of anything in particular, mostly just deals or things we can use in our classrooms. But we've always said that when I have a baby we have to go because so many people are selling amazing baby gear at LOW prices. There is just SO much to buy for the baby, if people are selling gently used things for less than the store is, I'd have to be crazy to pay full price.

We got there right at 7:00am this morning when they opened the gates. All I can say is I'm exhausted, but we did GREAT!!! Check out the great deals we got!

Fisher Price Bouncer

Retail Price: $54.99 I bought it today for: $25.00

Fisher Price Floor Mat

Retail Price: $65.99 I bought it today for: $30.00

Fisher Price Jumparoo

Retail Price: $89.99 I bought today for $45.00

Fisher Price Swing

Retail Price $139.99 I bought today for $50.00

Total retail value of today's purchases: $350.96

Total amount we spent today: $150.00

That is a savings of $200.96!!!!

Since we were on such a roll, we went ahead and bought the crib and dresser/changing table today. John and I had finally found a set we loved, only to find out it was VERY hard to find in Houston. We found the crib at one store and the dresser at another. I swear, driving around town today my mom and I saw parts of the greater Houston area we didn't know existed. Here are the furniture pieces we bought today.

We had a VERY successful shopping day. After we bought everything we brought it home and took everything apart and cleaned and disenfected every single nook and cranny. All of the stuff looks BRAND NEW! Thanks for the help today mom....I'm exhausted and off to try to take a nap!

Oakley's Surgery Day

Poor baby, Oakley had to go under the knife last week. He's now only part of the man he used to be. He had his "little boy surgery" on Friday morning. When I got home from work on Friday it was so sad, he didn't even get off the couch to greet me at the door. He just laid on the couch all night and cried. It broke my heart, what am I going to do with a baby?!?!

He was pretty good all weekend while we were home about not messing with his stitches, but when he was home alone all day on Monday he must have really gone to town messing with it. So....back to the vet we went Monday night to get the dreaded....CONE!

The poor guy, he's had a rough few days. We don't make him wear the cone when we are home and can keep an eye on him, but he does have to wear it at night and when we are at work. His scar is healing so hopefully its just a day or two more until he can be cone-free again. Thankfully he can still give us lovin' with the cone on.....

Baby McGowan Dr. Appointment #2

We went back to see Dr. Brezeale on September 25th to check on the baby. This was a super quick appointment, I'm thinking most of them will be for a while now. The coolest part of the appointment was getting to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. The heartbeat has slowed down from the last appointment, but is still a quick one. At the first appointment the heartbeat was 188 beats per minute. This appointment it was 164 beats per minute. A lot of people are telling me that means it is a girl, others are telling me it means its a boy.

I go back to the doctor again for another regular check up at the end of this month. We have an appointment at the hospital on November 20th for our ultrasound to find out if we're having a girl or a boy. I can't wait to find out so we can start shopping!!

Hurricane IKE!!!

Oh hurricane season......

Actually, living in The Woodlands for as long as I have (22 years) you would think I'd been through more hurricanes. We have actually been very lucky, and living nearly 100 miles off the coast, haven't had to worry too much about storms.

And then there was IKE.

I knew we were in trouble when we got out of school a day early just to prepare for the storm. Then, when I went to the store....the shelves were bare. When I went to the gas station.....there was no gas. Then, I started to get a little nervous!

The storm came in during the night on Friday. I woke up around 2:30am to the sound of what I thought were bombs hitting our roof. Turns out it was tree limbs and pine cones. Our power went out at 6:00am and stayed out for 5 days. Then it was the wind and rain that started to scare me. I love living in The Woodlands....but that was the problem....the WOODS. Our house is surrounded by HUGE pine trees, and boy were those puppies swaying in the wind! I was sure our house was a gonner!

Because John works for The Woodlands he had to go into work at 9:00am Saturday, while the storm was still going full force. Thank God my parents know me well enough to know I was home alone crying and scared because my dad came to rescue me and take me to his house! If he had come any later, I would have been trapped. Our street completely flooded. Here's what our street looked like. Keep in mind, these were taken late Saturday afternoon.....after the storm had passed.

And the backyard......the first picture is what the drainage ditch behind our house USUALLY looks like, then the next pictures are what it looked like after IKE.

We've always talked about having waterfront property someday, we had no idea we could have a lake behind our house here! We ended up being very lucky. We did have some water come in the back doors so we have some wood floors that need to be redone, but compared to what happened to so many in our area, we are counting our lucky stars. The most we had was a lot of debris to clean up.

Thankfully we got power back, and a few more days later we got cable, then internet, and this week we finally got back all of our movie channels. Life is slowly getting back to normal around here. Hopefully hurricane season ends soon!

Bathroom Project----DONE!

Well this bathroom project showed me I am not one of those people that is ever going to "flip" a house. The two weeks that our bathroom was a disaster was enough to drive me crazy. The dust, the dirt, the wallpaper bits that Oakley kept eating.....was almost more than I could handle. I'm still not 100% in love with the bathroom, it looks so empty and bare now after looking at that psyco wallpaper for a year, but its growing on me.

Mom and I retextured the walls and painted them. John and I loved the color so much that we decided to go ahead and do our bedroom the same color....plus, we were never in love with the "dusty rose" our bedroom has been since we moved in. So mom and I added another room to the project and got it all finished up in one long weekend. The floor in the master bathroom, guest bathroom, and laundry room were all tiled as well. I can't believe we left that carpet there for so long. We are LOVING the tile! Below are the finished bathroom pictures...what do you think??

We are back "online"!!!

What a whirlwind the past two weeks have been! We just got our internet back up and running today since Hurricane Ike blew through town. I've got TONS to update on and will be making posts all week. We finished the bathroom remodel, weathered IKE, and had another Dr. appointment. Check back later, I've got pictures to post and lots of info to fill you in on. It feels SO good to be back online!

"Labor" Day Weekend

So apparently my mom and I misunderstood the point of Labor Day Weekend. Instead of resting from all the work we usually do.....we created more work for ourselves by starting quite a project. We spent ALL of Saturday and ALL of Sunday removing not one but two layers of wallpaper from our master bathroom walls. Why did John and I decide to do a bathroom remodel the first weekend after school started instead of during the summer......who knows. I think we both realized if we didn't get it started now, it wasn't ever going to get started. So here are pictures before we started steaming, ripping, tearing, sanding, and spackling......

And here's how our bathroom looks now.......quite the danger zone!

Here's a picture of Oakley checking out a sample tile we bought. He's standing on the carpet (eeww!) that will hopefully be gone soon and replaced by gorgeous tile. We're also replacing the vinyl flooring in the guest bathroom and laundry room with the same tile.

Hopefully this new "look" is temporary. I hope to have paint on the walls this weekend and tile on the floors soon after that! Too bad I'm EXHAUSTED now and have to teach all week!

Oakley has a new trick!!!

As you know Oakley takes puppy classes at PetSmart once a week. The classes are great and are teaching him things like sit, stay, come, and how to walk better on a leash. John and I have been teaching him some tricks too. He has completely mastered "Speak" and tonight John finally got him to shake! I'm SO proud of my smart dog!

Baby's First Pictures!

Well the ultra sound went great! We were able to see the little "nugget" come to life on the screen. We were able to see the heart beating and make out different parts of the body. Right now the baby is measuring just under an inch. Hard to believe that little thing is making me so tired and my stomach hurt so much! The heart rate was a speedy 188 beats per minute. Mine was through the roof as well because of nerves! We're still on for April 3rd as a due date. It was so absolutely amazing to see this little life that is forming inside me. I can't wait to meet this miracle that John and I have created! Here are the pictures we got at the appointment. Enjoy!

The Newest McGowan

Well.....looks like John and I are going to join the ranks of parenthood! We found out we were pregnant a few weeks ago and couldn't be happier! Yes, nervous too, but excited! I went to the nurse last week for the routine bloodwork and a quite lengthly list of questions and go back to see my doctor for my first ultrasound on August 28th. The nurse told me my tentative due date is April 3rd. So.....now there is going to be MUCH MORE to blog about!

Oakley

In May our family grew to include the cutest little furry creature, Oakley. He is a chocolate lab and just the sweetest thing on Earth. He's about 5 months old now, so here are a collection of pictures we've taken of him over the past few months. He's a great dog, just all puppy. He jumps on us a lot and both John and I have many scratches and scars from scratches to prove it. Oakley is currently attending puppy class at PetSmart on Thursday nights. Hopefully we'll be able to post a graduation picture when the class is over!

Anyways, here's our baby.....OAKLEY!!

He is just TOO cute!