23 weeks

How far along? 23 weeks
Gender: Male--- sweet Owen :)
Fruit size: Papaya
Maternity clothes? yes and no. Still rockin' my normal pants with the help of my belly band . Thank goodness for the brilliant person who created it! I wear some maternity shirts and of course my wonderful and OH! so comfy leggings! 
Sleep: Getting better! I am finally used to sleeping on my side now
Best moment this week: Jesse got to feel Owen move! It was amazing for him, and me! He's got a really strong kick (soccer player someday?)
What do I miss?  still missing the wine...but chocolate ice cream is a great stand-in :) 
Movement: I feel him move a lot more now and I LOVE it! 
Food cravings: cold apples, strawberries and chocolate ice cream
Stretch marks? none yet
Symptoms: itchy, itchy stomach!
Belly Button in or out? Still in but it's getting shallower every day
Wedding rings on or off? on and loose (because of the cold weather)
Mental State: roller coaster...so happy and excited about our little angel, but still sad about his little arms..but definitely more happy!

Jesse and I really appreciate everybody's thoughts and prayers. We have been so uplifted by the support and love from everyone. We are definitely doing better but we are still weary of what's to come. We go back to the specialist on the 16th for another sonogram and to see the pediatric cardiologist, so we will know more after next week. 


Snoop wanted to say hi!  

 xoxo,
Annie

"Rarrrrrr" means "I love you" in dinosaur

Well, we have decided on the theme for sweet Owen's nursery...and much to everyone that knows me shock, we are NOT doing monkeys! I know, I know. Every monkey fabric I came across was too cheesy or ugly. If it weren't for Pinterest, I would have never led myself to the adorable theme that we have decided on. Are you ready?

     DINOSAURS!!! 

Not the big scary ones, the adorable, happy baby dinosaurs!  

This is the watch of the fabric for the blankets and bumper pad. 

Dinosaurs are not only manly (a must for a little boy) but sweet Owen's grandpa Byrd is "Gary Byrd, dinosaur hunter." Papa, as he will go by, discovered a dinosaur that had never been seen before. He's kind of a big deal in the world of Paleontology and to us. You can read more about Gary's dinosaur here.  

Check out his story from this summer by WFAA news here in Dallas. 

I also found some C-U-T-E pajamas for our little one this weekend when shopping with Lindsey. 

I can't wait for sweet Owen to get here! But we certainly have A LOT to do before then! :)

xoxo, 

Annie

Sewing Class

I got a sewing machine almost three years ago for a wedding present and it has been sitting in the original packaging since then. Until this past Saturday! My dear friend Candice took on the challenge to teach me how to use it. Bless her heart. All she wanted in return was a cupcake from Society Bakery! Done! I'm pregnant and cupcakes sound delicious. Who am I kidding? Cupcakes sound delicious ALL the time.

Well, once I got the sewing machine out of the box, Candice got me all set up. I have to say, I am a super champ when it comes to my sewing machine. Well. minus the fact that I always forget to put the little arm down that makes the foot go down. But once I make that mistake and get all of the thread unwound and then re-thread, I am good to go. I even made a little jewelry pouch! I was so excited that I ran outside to where Jesse, Glenn, Rhoads and Jesse's dad were busily working on the roof over the deck, and bragged and showed it off. I got an uproar of congratulations and hugs! (In my little dream world.) IN reality, I got a high five and a kiss. (The kiss was from Jesse, not anyone else.) Next stop, pillows and curtains and clothes....Okay, maybe not clothes, but I will follow in my mom's footsteps and make some amazingly elaborate Halloween costumes for Owen and our other future children. BIG thanks to Candice for being my amazing sewing teacher!

PS... Society Bakery on Greenville is the bomb! Best. Cookies. Ever!

xoxo,
Annie

Proud of my jewelry pouch! It is awesome!

Roller Coasters

Roller coasters....I do NOT like them. I do not like the feeling of your stomach dropping and then wanting to jump out of your throat. I do not like being in a little tiny car that I can't control. I do not like the curves and loops and bends along the way. I only like being at the top of that first big hill for that split second before it all come crashing down, when you feel like you are on top of the world, and I like getting off. I've always disliked roller coasters.

I know parenthood is one big, crazy roller coaster ride for the rest of your life. I just wasn't prepared for the dips and loops to begin so soon. 

Jesse and I hopped on the roller coaster in August when we found out we were expecting. From that moment, we were just making that climb to the top. On January 18, 20 weeks on the dot, we went in to find out if baby Byrd was a Bonnie or an Owen. We made it to that first big hill when we found out that baby Byrd is a BOY!! Owen Wallace Byrd. 

We sat in the waiting room waiting to see our doctor, planning all of our future camp outs, kayaking adventures and fishing excursions (this would have been exactly the same if it was a girl, just with a few ruffles and some glitter thrown into the conversation.) We finally saw our doctor. She told us that she and the sonogram tech suspected that sweet Owen may have some arm anomalies but they were not 100% sure. We were scheduled to go see a specialist the next morning. Arm anomalies?? Exactly. I didn't understand that doctor talk either. She then explained that they could only see half of the right arm and the left arm looked short. This is where we begin that extremely fast free fall from the top of the roller coaster into all those curves, loops and bends you don't see coming. 

We spent the entire night reeling in what we were told, trying to wrap our minds around it. Sure enough, we went to the specialist and she confirmed what our doctor had thought. 

Owen has a humerus on his right arm and about a centimeter of radius and ulna below. His left arm is fully there, however his radius and ulna are appearing to be a little short and they could only see one digit on his left hand. Now it was real. Needless to say, Jesse and I were (and still are) very sad about this. Other than his arms, everything else, his brain, heart, organs, legs, all seem to be great and growing the way they should. We have no current explanation for what caused this. Our doctors do not believe it is genetic or chromosomal, just a fluke thing that happened very early on in the pregnancy.

We have been surrounded by so much love and support from our friends and family. We have read so many hopeful stories and know that Owen is going to lead a wonderful and full life. He won't know any different, being born with this disability. God chose Jesse and I to be the parents to this little boy and we are going to be the best parents in the world. Our plans for camp outs, kayaking adventures and fishing excursions will still happen, we know this. It will just be a little more of a challenge, and we are absolutely up to the challenge.

I just wanted to fill you in on our sweet angel. That is why I haven't posted in a few weeks. Jesse and I are doing better, but everyday is a new day. We try our hardest to stay positive. We know Owen is going to open our eyes to a new world, seeing things we never even thought were possible. We know he is going to such an inspiration to us and others and make his mark on this world in a big way.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  Philippians 4:13





xoxo,
Annie

19 weeks!

How far along? 19 weeks!
Gender: Will find out in ONE WEEK!!!!! YAY!
Fruit size: Mango; but by the end of this week, heirloom tomato
Maternity clothes? yes and no. I bought some maternity leggings because my regular leggings were sitting right in the middle of my belly. This was uncomfortable and not very flattering. I am wearing a few tops, too. As for everything else, I just rig my button with a rubber band...it's OH, so sexy! Oh and by the way, I LOVE my new leggings! I may wear them every day for the rest of my life!! :)
Sleep: need more of it! Started using the Boppy body pillow that Kate Dorff loaned me and it has made all the difference in the world!
Best moment this week: finally feeling the flutters of baby Byrd on Tuesday night!!! Jesse put his ear on my belly and ever heard our angel moving around! SO COOL!
What do I miss? sushi!!!! and wine! especially when I'm with Lindsey and Candice :)
Movement: finally felt those flutters!
Food cravings: Soap..... KIDDING! That would be weird! 
Apples (but they have to be cold, straight out of the fridge) and bananas and chocolate ice cream. My chicken finger craving has been curbed, although I still LOVE chicken fingers and will definitely eat them if available. 
Stretch marks? none yet
Symptoms: Heartburn and  sore hips from sleeping on my side but doing my prenatal yoga video has helped A LOT
Belly Button in or out? Still in. Our friend Rhoads is trying to make a pool for when it pops! Normally I have a deep cavern of a belly button but it getting shallower and shallower...
Wedding rings on or off? on and loose (because of the cold weather)
Mental State: SO stinkin' happy! Even at school...all day!  but I can get moody....sorry if you come in contact with that...
Looking forward to this week: Finding out if baby Byrd is a Bonnie or an Owen! 




When I was at Albertson's yesterday, the lady who was checking me out asked me when the baby was due! I was so excited! She was the first stranger to ask me! :) However, I told her early June and she asked if I was having twins >: [  Guess I better lay off of the sweets! 


xoxo,
Annie

Acting like a kid

Thank goodness for Jesse's younger cousins. They give me an excuse to act like a kid....until baby Byrd is here, of course! :)

 Jesse and I got to spend time with his sister, Georgia, and cousins, Macy and Campbell, this past weekend. We spent Friday eating Chinese take out and played Hedbandz. What a fun game! If you haven't played it before, it is definitely worth the money! Everyone wears a headband and you put a card in it with a word. You go around in a circle and ask yes or no questions to try to figure out what you are. It was fun, but I was absolutely terrible at it! I blame "baby brain." I kept asking the same questions, forgetting what I had already asked. Jesse was really, really good at it...as always. 

On Saturday, the girls came out and we took them to Raising Cane's. Ok, ok...IF I had it my way, we would go to Layne's in College Station, but Cane's is here in Dallas and equally as good! Don't you dare call me a bad Aggie. Anywho! If you know me and my pregnancy, you can only imagine how glad I was to have some delicious CHICKEN FINGERS! That is all I craved for about 8 weeks. I still crave them, but not so obsessively. I talked about chicken fingers so much for a while that Tia Karen and Uncle Padi had nicknamed baby Byrd "chicken finger." Anyways, we took the girls there because Macy is a chicken finger connoisseur and has an INTERNATIONAL top 10 best chicken fingers list. Her number 1 is the TGIFridays in Tokyo. She liked the chicken, so I was happy. While there, Jesse decided we should go to the Dallas World Aquarium. I was shocked flabbergasted  super excited because I love, love, love the Aquarium. I had only been once before on my 25th birthday (I begged and begged to go.) When we were in downtown last, I said I wanted to go again and he aid we'd go once baby Byrd was like 2. I was sad. BUT we got to go on Saturday! I was squeely and excited like a little kid. Honestly, I was way more enthused than the girls were, but they did end up having a B.L.A.S.T.

So, we are still a week and a half way from finding out if baby Byrd is a Bonnie or an Owen! It is killing me because I am so anxious to know! Apparently there are some family members...*cough* Amy, Macy, and Campbell *cough* that are absolutely convinced that it is a Bonnie. So convinced in fact that I received this adorable gift from them. -------------->
How stinking cute is that diaper cover and bib?! The heart on both is made of iridescent pink sequins. LOVE! And those adorable sockies?! If this baby isn't a girl, I think there will be some disappointed cousins, and an embarrassed baby boy. This baby is wearing this no matter what!

xoxo,
Annie

Happy New Year

New Year's Eve at A and B's wedding

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Oh my! It is already 2012! I am so looking forward to this amazing year. It is the year our first baby Byrd will be born! 


The hubby and I spent New Year's Eve celebrating love at our dear friends' wedding. It as quite the celebration, complete with a photo booth and koozies. My sweet friend  AAJ was a stunning bride! 


I know I was MIA during the holidays, so I will catch you up now! Today is January 3, so tomorrow I will be 18 weeks prego! You can see in the picture below that baby is growing. My bump grew exponentially over the holidays. I keep telling myself that it is baby, but I know I am lying to myself. About 8 oz. of that is baby, the rest is delicious food that I devoured over the last few weeks. It is probably a good thing that I will be heading back to work tomorrow so I won't be tempted to snack so much! 

18 weeks! Mack wanted in the photo. Excuse his laser eyes :)

The hubby and I had an eventful Christmas! We had Christmas with the Byrd family on Thursday before we went to Midland. Midland was wonderful! We got to spend time with my family. My big brothers came home, so mom and dad got to have all their chickens back in the nest. Padi brought Tia Karen home and Tres and Dawn got to come home too! It was awesome having the WHOLE family all together. Baby Byrd got some wonderful gifts from Patticakes and Dude, Byrdie and Papa, Tia Karen and Uncle Padi, Aunt Dawn and Uncle Tres, and Aunt Georgia. Jesse and I love our families so much. We are so lucky! This baby sure is going to be loved...and spoiled. 

Christmas in Midland was cold, beautiful and WHITE! I was worried when we left Dallas that we were going to be stuck in another blizzard like on Christmas Eve of 2009, but luckily the snow didn't start until we were about 30 minutes outside of Midland. We took Mack and Snoop to the park by my parents' house and let them run like crazy. The chased snowballs and each other. The hubby and I loved watching the dogs play but can't wait for our little one to be here and be big enough to play in the snow. 

It is back to work for me tomorrow. I am dreading it and looking forward to it all at the same time. The last two weeks have been so much fun being off, but it's back to reality...for now :) 

2 more weeks until we find out if it is a Bonnie or an Owen! 

xoxo,

Annie