37 WEEKS TODAY!

Hi there!
Just wanted to post a super quick update - we are 37 weeks today - but, I suddenly realized that I did not post after our big 36 week appointment this past Monday...
The appointment went great - we saw another mid-wife that we had not seen yet so far and she was lovely! My blood pressure is still nice and low- YAY! Baby boy's heart rate was strong and regular :) My fundal height growth still on track! and we also got to find out that I was 50% effaced so far with 0 dilation - so, not that it predicts ANYthing about when I will actually go into labor, it was at least nice to hear that things are moving in the right direction ;) - we also had a mini-ultrasound (no pics) to confirm that the little guy is in fact head down which is wonderful and we pray of course that he stays that way... he has definitely "dropped" and his head is at about Station -2
here is a fun graphic to show you what that means if you don't already now :)

We are officially "clear" to deliver a healthy baby any time he decides to make his appearance so we are just trying to wrap up all of our "before baby to do list" items in the mean time. We are walking a mile every evening to help things along - I am also drinking my red raspberry leaf tea three to four times a day to get my uterus toning and contracting in preparation for labor! We can't express how EXCITED we are to meet our little angel!!! and in case the next question on your mind is "do we have a NAME picked out yet...." the answer is no....... lol - as most of you have already heard we were pretty set on Finley for quite some time and there is a sudden influx of little GIRLS being named Finley or some variation of that spelling and so now we feel like we have to retract the option...... there are a few others near the top of our list still but we have no definites just yet but i PROMISE we will let you know as soon as we do decide - of course at this rate that could be ON DELIVERY DAY! ;)
here are my latest belly pics!

Love to all of you! xoxo
Jessica and Bradley

Update and Cool Video!

Hi there :)
Just wanted to update as promised now that we are getting down to the end of the countdown till BABY TIME!!!  We are doing very well, everything continues to check out GREAT at our pre-natal appointments!  We have our milestone 36 week appointment scheduled for not this Friday but next and we are really looking forward to it!  After that point we are considered "full-term" and cleared to deliver at the birthing center whenever our baby boy decides to make his GRAND ENTRANCE! ;) Bradley and I are both preparing for all things labor and delivery with our classes, books, excercises, etc and it is all going really well :) Bradley is an amazing coach!! 
We will of course post again after our big appointment and let everyone know what the update is - until then, we appreciate all of the love, prayers, and support you guys have all showered on us!  Also, here is a really neat video that aired on the local news here - it is actually about our birthing center!!  Enjoy!
Love to all!

Natural Birth Trend Booms In Central Texas: MyFoxAUSTIN.com

Sorry it's been SO long since our last UPDATE!

So sorry to everyone that it has been SO LONG since our last update - I promise I will get better about it- especially now that we are in the HOMESTRETCH!!!
I canNOT believe that I am already almost 33 weeks!!!!!  We are now having our prenatal appointments every week and so far everything is looking WONDERFUL!!! We have a very active little baby boy dancing around and maintaining a very strong and regular heartbeat!!  My fundal height is increasing at a healthy rate as well.  There are not anymore scheduled ultrasounds so sadly we won't have any more "sneak peaks".... but he sure "feels cute" ha ha ha!  He is also settled into a pretty nice head down position - now we just have to pray that he is comfy and stays that way!!
Bradley and I are well into our birthing and labor preparation class work and have our "recap" class now scheduled in March and our breastfeeding class scheduled as well and we are very much looking forward to both!
At our last prenatal centering session we were actually with the group in one of the laboring suites and we got to do some scenario and role-playing type stuff as well as getting to play with some of the tools they use during labor to aide the process.  We also got to practice different positioning and techniques for the different stages of labor which was all really neat!!
We are getting more and more excited as the days go by as you can imagine!!! And we had such an AMAZING baby shower at home last month- can't thank all our Hosts ENOUGH - it was SPECTACULAR!!!!  and then my bible study ladies here in Round Rock also threw me a surprise baby shower that was absolutely WONDERFUL - between the two and EVERYONE'S PHENOMENAL GENEROSITY - we are SO excited to have our nursery so well equipped and cute and adorable with all of our new stuff!!!  I am posting some pics of the room and of the baby's current living place - belly pics ;) We can't thank everyone enough for all of the love and support you have been SHOWERING us with!!!!!!!!!!!! xoxoxo

Finally the Mystery is Solved!!!

Hi All!

Sorry for the delay.... As most of you know we had our "BIG" ultrasound and prenatal appointment last Tuesday afternoon and we want to share all of our good news!!

First and foremost - we learned that we are progressing very well and that we have a very HEALTHY and very ACTIVE baby!!!  AND............................................. Baby Barber is a Baby BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  AHH!!  As a lot of you know for all the silliest reasons both Brad and I were pretty convinced that I was carrying a GIRL - that seemed to be the general consensus from all who waged their opinions and we were convinced by every "old wives tale" in the book - from my being so sick meaning it was a girl, to the Chinese Lunar Calendar's prediction.... you name it - it said GIRL...... with ONE exception... Mimi!!  She swore baby was a BOY from the VERY beginning and NEVER wavered!!  So, Mimi - NICE WORK - we will be consulting you again for the next bambino ;) hee hee

The ultrasound tech had asked us upon entering the room if we wanted to know the sex and we practically shouted YES!!  So, she then said that she had to go through about a 20 point anatomy scan and that toward the end she would be looking for signs of gender for us - - - so, we were sort of watching her zoom in and and out on parts both familiar and unfamiliar and then out of the blue she just blurts "WELL THAT'S A BOY FOR SURE!" and we both did a "WHAT did you just SAY??!!"  our jaws on the floor!   Then of course my tears of joy took over ;) - We were in love!!  Little Baby Barber - our first little BOY - OVERJOYED!! The u/s tech said, "some little boys are just SUPER excited to spread their legs and show all and this is definitely one of them!!!" we cracked up - OH BOY! ;) We also discovered that he is also quite the little acrobatic guy running and gunning in there moving all around!  When the mid-wife was trying to record the heart beat with the doppler u/s she would catch him for a few seconds and then he would scurry to the other side of my abdomen before she could get her count- she would chase him down again and he would do the same thing again! - It was hilarious ;)

Well - we have a few photos to share from the u/s so enjoy!! On the second one you can see the little arrow is pointing out the "BOY INDICATING PARTS" he certainly wasn't camera shy! ;) On the first you can make out the basics of the facial structures on the right and the abdomen on the left....

SO, now we have been on the hunt for the "perfect" name for our little man!!  It's been fun!!

So, that is the news for  now - we LOVED the mid-wife that we met with - she was AMAZING and had an overall WONDERFUL experience at our first OFFICIAL appointment at the Birthing Center so that was VERY reassuring!!  From here out, our appointments will be once a month and will follow the "centering" model of care which means that the first part of the appointment will be in private and one on one with a mid-wife and then the rest of the appointment will be a "group" appointment with 4-5 other parents that are due in April - it is a 2 hour appointment and by the time you have reached the end of your pregnancy you will have completed an entire birthing class within as well!  At which point we will take the breastfeeding class and "birth in a nutshell" review course!  I am really excited about this concept :)

We are now trying to finish editing our baby registry lists and trying to finalize the nursery bedding set so that we can pick a color from the scheme to paint the nursery and really get things READY!!! 

So much love to all and BIG THANKS for all of your prayers and support - we appreciate it more than we can say!!! xoxoxo
Sincerely,
Jessica and Bradley

Officially made the switch to the Austin Area Birthing Center today!!!

Well, we have EXCITING news today!!  As many of you know we are pursuing an all natural birthing experience :) and now that I am finally off of the progesterone supplementation we thought it was time we made our switch so we are leaving our Ob/Gyn practice and transferring our care to the Austin Area Birthing Center and scheduled our first appointment with them for December 6th, and at that appointment we will have the "BIG" ultrasound - where God and Baby Barber willing we will get to discover the gender of our Little One!!!
We are SO excited about this switch and we would LOVE if you joined us in prayer that we make it all the way through our birth with no complications arising that would force us to transfer back into a traditional ob/gyn practice's care for a hospital birth.... Only God knows the BIG plan and we are HOPING that it includes a successful, happy, and healthy birth at the birthing center.
The center is only about 15 minutes from our house and LESS than a mile from the hospital should anything arise during labor that requires a transfer to the hospital- and if that were to occur our mid-wife from the center would remain present with us through the whole experience which is a very comforting thought to us!
The center is beautiful and we have heard great reviews from others who have birthed there!  I know this is a non-traditional choice in today's medical world and if anyone has questions about any of it we would love to share any information we can :)

Here is a link to the center if anyone is curious and wants to check it out!
http://www.austinabc.com/
and there is some especially great info on this page in particular:
http://www.austinabc.com/~austinab/about/the-austin-abc-difference/

And here are some pretty pics of the center that I grabbed from their website to share!  There are three beautiful suites available and they are first come first serve on the day of your birth.  They also have a fully appointed kitchen, and family waiting areas for our use while there.  There is LOADS more info and fun stuff on their website if you want to check it out :)

Love to all! and more fun news to come! :) xoxo

Let the Blogging begin!

Hi everyone!
Back to blogging!  As most of you know the last time I was an avid blogger it was to keep everyone up to date and in the know about my dad and his stem cell transplant - thank you to all our supporters and prayer warriors through everything- I know that "Dudley" is getting these blog updates via heavenly channels now and I take comfort that he is watching down on us and rejoicing in our joy as we anticipate our first new addition to the family!

That said, let's jump right into the fun baby news!!  We just had our 15 week check-up today and it went GREAT!  We got to hear the heartbeat for the first time and it was TRULY amazing!!!  The mid-wife said that everything looked great and I am officially off of the bio-identical progesterone that I had been on and no longer have to have blood tests every week- YAHOO!

We have the little ticker at the top of our page that shows the baby's progress snipits, and growth in relation to which fruit it sizes up against which I think is fun to watch change! And there is also a "virtual baby cam" that shows the baby's developmental progress and growth ;)
I am going to post all of our ultrasound pics to date and I will start posting some belly posts now that I am getting my bump ;)

We CANNOT wait for our next ultrasound which is scheduled for the week after Thanksgiving where we will HOPEFULLY be able to find out the gender - and yes we are going to find out - i am DYING already - there is NO way my patience would make it all the way to the end - HA! 

As for the baby's progress to date - he/she is about the size of an apple or pear - about 4"-5" long from crown to rump and weighs about 2.5-3 ounces.  He/she is already moving amniotic fluid through the nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in the lungs begin to develop.  Baby's legs are growing longer than his/her arms now, and can move all those tiny joints and limbs!  The eyelids are still fused shut, but he/she can sense light already and has taste buds forming!  Baby can also hear sounds and voices.  The bones are also growing and strengthening enough that he/she is able to work on straightening his or her neck and head even more.  His/Her face is now complete with eyelashes and eyebrows!  SO COOL!
(progress info all from "babycenter" and "what to expect")

Now for the pictures!  

This was our first ultrasound at 5 weeks

This is our second ultrasound at 9 weeks - what a CRAZY difference 4 weeks can make!  To me this one looks like Baby Barber is a precious little gummy bear with the tiny arms and legs ;)

 side view

front view (gummy bear view)

and here is the video (about 15 seconds) that is nothing to look at -but DEFINITELY something to HEAR!! It is our first chance to hear the baby's heartbeat - beating strong at about 153 bpm!

Love to all and we will be posting updates and pics regularly and hope to hear from you guys along the way xoxo God Bless!