Baby #2 - Week 25 - And TAG your next

(ABOVE: Welcome to the World Jaden Alexandra - March 5, 2002)
(ABOVE: Me and the cat - when I was STILL pregnant with Jaden - February 2002)
(ABOVE: Jaden's Ultrasound Photo - 2001)

Well everyone it is Tuesday and that means that today I am 25 weeks along … that means only 15 weeks left (or hopefully 13 weeks - hoping she comes a bit early to avoid another 10 pound baby!) Everything in our world is chugging along just fine. We had a nice weekend … Friday night Rose, Andy, Hailey and Hannah came over for a few hours for pizza and a little play time. It was nice to visit with them. Saturday was a cold and cloudy day and we truly wanted to head to the Corn Maze but I knew we wouldn’t enjoy ourselves with the cooler weather and the wind so we headed over to Jolene, Jeff, Hannah and Katie’s house to hang out. I also got to ‘shop’ through Jolene’s baby stuff and we hit the onesie jackpot … not to mention some really cute outfits, a baby bathtub, a bouncy chair and one of the portable bouncy chairs with the zippable net over the top – perfect to keep Harley Dog out of the baby’s face! So it was fun. We were there for most of the day – had some hooters for dinner, played outside for a bit and the girls enjoyed playing inside most of the day – Jade and Hannah truly have an amazing friendship – they can play for hours without hearing a single ‘issue’ come up between them. That doesn’t happen too oftern with 6 year old girls that’s for sure!! Sunday we had a nice sunny but cool day so we spent a lot of time outside. Jaden and I also made some apple pie – which turned out YUMMY! We did laundry and cleaned the house while Jason watched his Vikings lose (again!) Then Jaden headed to the local garden store with our neighbors to see some baby farm animals – she also bought a teeny pumpkin which she painted later that night … so as always our weekend FLEW by but it was a fun one … Not sure what our plans are for this weekend … the weather sounds good so far so we might head to the Orchard or the Corn Maze on Saturday! We will see … other than that Jaden is loving school and I am enjoying the arrival of fall … and as of today our house construction is slated to start the middle of next week – wish us luck!!! Here is what’s going on with Baby#2 …
How Your Baby’s Growing? Your baby-to-be’s lungs are developing rapidly, although she’d probably need a little help breathing is she were born at this point. Her respiratory system continues to develop, her nostrils are open and she can breathe – but she won’t take her first breath of air until delivery day. Her reproductive organs are formed (in boys, the testes have descended). Her skin is translucent and wrinkled and she can hear your stomach when it gurgles and your voice when you sing. Your baby is becoming more aware of how she can move – she’s wiggling her fingers and toes! Your baby has grown to about one pound – eight ounces and she’s nearly 13 ½ inches long! She’s also growing more hair and if you could see it you’d now be able to discern its color and texture.
How your life’s changing? Your baby's not the only one with more hair — your locks may look more full and lustrous than ever. It's not that you're growing more hair, but thanks to hormonal changes, the hair that you'd normally shed is sticking around longer than usual. Enjoy the fullness while you can — the extra hair will fall out after you give birth.You may also notice that you can't move around as gracefully as before. Unless your caregiver has advised you otherwise, it's fine to continue to exercise, but follow a few safety rules: Don't work out when you're feeling overly tired and stop if you feel any pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath. Don't lie flat on your back and avoid contact sports as well as any exercise where you're apt to lose your balance. Be sure to drink plenty of water, and make time for both warm-up and cool-down periods.

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My 1st baby....I found this really fun tag game over at Sarah’s blog Mommyology … you can stop over and visit her site and read her fun answers …

1. Were you married at the time? Yes – almost 2 years

2. What were your reactions when you found out you were pregnant? We had been trying for about 7-8 months and nothing was working so I was frustrated and ready to go back on the pill … just waiting to get my period and decided to check one last time – boy was I shocked and scared almost instantly!

3. How old were you? 24 when I found out and 24 when Jaden was born

4. How did you find out you were pregnant? We had just returned from NY from my sister’s wedding – she was then on her way out to our house for a week visit … I decided to head to the laundry mat to wash up some comforters for them to use … I had stopped at Walgreens on the way and decided to buy a test – I am not sure what made me take a test in a laundry mat bathroom but I did … and like I said I was shocked!!

5. Who did you tell first? I waited the entire day until Jason got home … it was our 2 year anniversary and I decided to make him a card … it said “A Mommy, A Daddy … and A Baby Make 3” … I also wrapped up the test … I video taped him opening it and his reaction was priceless … he said “I’m going to be a daddy!?”

6. Did you want to find out the sex? Oh yes – I am not a very patient person … 7. Due date? February 27, 2002

8. Did you deliver early or late? I labored ALL day March 4th … Jaden (the stinker) waited until 1:01am on March 5th to grace us with her presence … so she was almost a week late … for days I told everyone she was born on the 4th since that is the day I did all the work!!

9. Did you have morning sickness? Yup – from about week 7 until 5 months … it was AWFUL!

10. What did you crave? When I was SO sick alls I could eat were lay’s plain chips and country time lemonade … once I started feeling better I craved Hamburger buns from McDonald’s – no meat – just bun!

11. Who irritated you the most? I am not sure I was really irritated with anyone … Being sick for so long I am pretty sure Jaden was getting yelled at a bit …

12. What was your first child's sex? A bouncing Baby Girl

13. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? You know – I was SO huge to begin with I am not sure I know … probably 30 pounds …

14. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Aside from morning sickness everything went pretty smooth with Jaden … even labor and delivery was fine … long, but fine

15. Where did you give birth? Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, MN

16. How many hours were you in labor? Let’s see … started at 12:30 am on March 4th … I had back labor the ENTIRE time … my water was broke around 1:00pm on the 4th … and Jaden arrived at 1:01 am on the 5th … so almost 25 hours!

17. Who drove you to the hospital? At 1st my sister Niki and husband Jason did – but they sent me home … so when I returned a few hours later (surprise) … Jason drove me by himself since I was SURE I would be back home …

18. Who watched? Jeesh – who didn’t … my husband Jason, Sister Niki, niece Amanda, MIL Carol and SIL Adrienne … yeah … a huge viewing of my private area! Sounds nice huh?

19. Was it vaginal or c-section? Vaginal delivery – even though she wasn’t a teeny baby …

20. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? Oh yes – I had an epidural around 3:00pm – the epidural was worse than labor pains … it took 5 sticks until they got it right – and it took even longer afterwards for me to be able to bend at the waist again!

21. How much did your child weigh? 9 lb. 9 oz.

22. What did you name him/her? Jaden Alexandra

23. How old is your first born today? 6½ years old :0(

I tagged the following great MOMS ...

Misty

Rebecca

Marci

Lisa

Megan

*and to anyone else who wants to play along - consider yourself TAGGED!*

Hope you all have a GREAT week!

Love ~ The Clark Family ~ Rebekah, Jason, Jaden & Baby#2 too!