14 weeks!!!

Seriously, are these weeks flying by or is it just me??? 14 already?!? In the beginning I thought the weeks were going by sooo slow, but now I feel like they just keep ticking away. I go to the doctor again in 2 weeks...can't wait! At that appointment I will be scheduling the 18 week appointment which will be at the hospital Maternal Fetal Medicine Department. We will have a full scan of the baby checking all of the organs and finding out if it is a boy or a girl!!! The doctor said we won't have a problem getting in on the day we hit 18 weeks...so if that is true we will have that appointment on Thursday October 21....less than a month from now!!! :) I am still going back and forth about what Tiny Dancer is....I had a dream 2 nights ago that it was a boy. Mark was thinking boy, but has switched to a girl! I guess only time will tell. Here is your much requested belly shot:

Sorry, I realize I am headless, but you better appreciate what you got! I had to use the timer on my camera and prop it on the desk and of course I had the help of 2 fuzzy critters!

14 weeks....what is Tiny Dancer up to this week???

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.


...possibly suck his or her thumb??? Unbelievable! If this baby is anything like me I am sure it has already discovered the beauty of his or her thumb!!!

On a completely different note....YAY for Grey's and Private Practice tonight! Woohoo! Glad my shows are coming back on! :) Hope everyone has had a great week!

Love,
Mark & Missy

The new guest bedroom/office....

Here are some pictures of the guest bedroom/office finished! I LOVE it! I never did like the blue that was in there, but since it was just the office it was no biggie! The new look feels so fresh, clean and airy! :)

Before pictures....Keep in mind this is after we cleaned it out. There were 2 desks, a bookcase and a table.

And after....



We are now accepting reservations! :) Hope everyone is having a great week!

Love,
Mark & Missy

Checking things off the list....

A few weeks ago I made the official "to do" list before the baby comes. It included things, like painting, buying things, and such. Yesterday we got the crib and dresser/changing table combo ordered and today we got the office cleaned out and ready to paint. Our office is being changed to the guest bedroom and the current guest bedroom is becoming the nursery. The plan is to have the nursery empty and ready to start decorating by the end of October. I want to be ready so as soon as we find out what we are having the transformation can begin! :) Below are pictures of the furniture we ordered. It should be here within 7-14 days. I will post pictures of the re-decorating that is going on soon. Emily and I are planning on painting the office this week. :)

I hope everyone is having an enjoyable weekend! Go Colts tomorrow!!!

Love,
Mark & Missy

Lucky 13!!!

I have a lot of different things to post about today, so it is all going into one big post. Enjoy!

1. 13 weeks...
First and foremost, I am 13 weeks pregnant today!!! Seriously, every week that goes by I get more and more excited. A week closer to 18 weeks, a week closer to finding out who is in there, a week closer to meeting our baby! We are truly so blessed. I never thought I would say that I looked forward to going to the doctor, but now I honestly count down the time between appointments!

2. Movement?
Call me crazy, but when I was laying on my side last night in bed I swear I felt Tiny Dancer in there busting a move. I have read online that some people do feel the baby move this early. I don't know, I could just be wanting it so badly, but I honestly think that is what I felt. It was definitely not something I was familiar with.

3. Furniture
We weren't originally planning on getting the furniture for the nursery this early, but my mom was down on Tuesday and we stopped at Babies R' Us because I wanted to show her what we had picked out. We found out they are having a great sale through Sunday and my parents offered to buy the crib. We are going tomorrow to order the crib, changing table/dresser combo and also possibly the rocker....not sure on that one yet! A big thanks to my parents for the crib though. It is definitely a huge help and something we will get a lot of use out of!

4. Job, what job?
For those of you who don't already know, I quit my job last Friday. I had an appointment with my doctor on Thursday and we had already discussed the physical stress that lifting children all day was putting on my body. Not to mention I ended up in the hospital with the flu that I had gotten from working there. Throw in some other issues and after Mark & I discussed the situation we both agreed that it was better for me and the baby to leave the daycare. I can honestly say that I feel like a new person. I feel like I can really thoroughly enjoy this pregnancy and be healthy and ready for our baby.

5. Project....
Okay, so I had mentioned in a previous post that I had a project for all of you. Well, when I turned 16 among the gifts that my parents got me was a book of letters from my friends and family. It was the coolest thing ever and one of my favorite gifts. I got to read how everyone felt about me and it really made me realize how loved I was. I couldn't tell you how many times I have gone back and read letters from that book.
That book gave me the idea for the project. I would like all of our family and friends to write a letter to Baby Lowry. Tell Baby L how you felt when you heard that he/she was on the way and anything else you may want to include. I am going to keep these in the baby book and may ask everyone to write one every year on the baby's birthday. I thought this would be a neat way for the baby to be able to look back years down the road and know how wanted and loved he/she is. If you need my address please send me a facebook message or text and I will get it to you. Thanks so much in advance!

Love,
Mark & Missy

12 weeks....woohoo!!!!!!!!!

Today is officially the 12 week marker! We have made it out of the first trimester!!! What a milestone. You never realize how long 12 weeks can be until you have had a miscarriage and worry through the first trimester. Today I heard the most beautiful thing...I heard our baby's heart beat. I was so sad that Mark didn't get to be there, but I recorded it on my cell phone for him. Last time we went to the doctor the doppler wasn't working correctly so we couldn't hear it. Today, the baby was being stubborn and moving around so much that they had a hard time finding it. I even heard a noise that the doctor explained was movement. I was truly amazed and in love. Our next appointment is October 8. I will be 16 weeks along then...doesn't that seem crazy???

Since the ultrasound last week we have been calling the baby "Tiny Dancer". Soooo.....lets see what Tiny Dancer is up to this week????

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

P.S. I tried really hard to upload the heartbeat on here for everyone to hear, but couldn't get it to work right. I will keep trying. Also, I will try and get a belly shot up soon too! I am starting to grow!

Much love,
Mark & Missy

11 weeks, Dr. Appt, and Hospitalized...

Where to start???

I felt absolutely terrible all day Tuesday at work, but attributed it to morning sickness and just thought it was going to be a bad day. That afternoon I started vomiting and headed home early for the day. After a rough night and morning yesterday we went in for our scheduled appointment and I was sent to the hospital to be admitted for i.v. fluids and medication. We were at the hospital for around 5 hours (I think), I slept through the majority of the experience. Of course Baby Lowry couldn't make things any easier....we couldn't get a heartbeat reading on the doppler....partly because it was very old and partly because the doctor said I was so dehydrated that my bladder wasn't pushing my uterus up close enough to get a read on it. I got a little worried initially even though I was reassured everything was fine. They did and ultrasound and we got to see the baby. It was so amazing!!! Baby L is no longer a blob, it is a dancing machine! It took my breath away and made all of the vomiting worth it. The baby had a heart rate of 165bpm. We also got our due date changed to 3/24/10. Last night was still pretty rough, but I am feeling much better this morning.

11 weeks, what is Baby L up to besides having a dance party???

Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

I hope everyone enjoys the long Labor Day weekend!

Love,
Mark & Missy

10 weeks!

Another week has passed....I feel like they are going by pretty fast now. One week closer to getting out of the first trimester!!!! We go to the doctor again next Thursday! We should actually be able to hear the baby's heart beat instead of just see it on the screen so that will be exciting. I am still not feeling the greatest....some days are better than others, but still filled with a lot of upset stomach and heartburn. I am just taking it as things are progressing the way they should! :)

I can't believe it will be September next week! Where did the summer go? Don't get me wrong...I am TOTALLY ready for fall....sweatshirts and bonfires....I can't wait! :) Also, that means we will be getting closer to finding out what Baby Lowry is!

Hmmm....what is going on at 10 Weeks?!?!?!
By the end of Week 10, your baby graduates from embryo to fetus, which literally means "little one." It also translates to "I'm just going to keep getting bigger and bigger and so are you!" Other highlights this week: Your baby has finally morphed from a little tadpole into, well, a baby. Not only is the face more human-like, but that unflattering "tail" (really just the developing spinal cord) has disappeared, fusing into the spinal column. Your baby now has discernible fingers and toes, which will explain the steady stream of kicks and punches you'll feel down the line. Junior's skeleton is starting to grow and harden. The ears are beginning to take shape and the eyelids are no longer transparent. Tooth buds are forming, although your baby won't get any teeth until six or seven (or eight or nine or 10) months after birth. Baby's brain will make an incredible 25,000 new neurons every minute this week. While you may feel like you're losing as many as he's gaining, we can assure you it's not permanent. "Pregnancy brain," like nausea and bloating, is a temporary symptom that soon shall pass. (And then you'll get "Mommy brain," but we won't go there now.) If you're baby is a boy, he's started producing that macho hormone testosterone. And whether your baby is a boy or a girl, the kidneys are creating copious amounts of urine. Lucky for you, you won't have to change a diaper for another 30 weeks. Baby weighs only 4 grams and measures 1½ inches, about the size of a mondo Brazil nut.
I also read online that the baby has started "swimming"! It is just crazy for me to wrap my mind around the fact that there is a little one growing inside me moving around! I do know one thing for sure....we are in love already!

Please send prayers for our appointment next week! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Love,
Mark & Missy