First Christmas

Brennan's first Christmas was wonderful, busy and tiring! We started the holiday at Gammi & Poppy's house where we had Gammi's famous spaghetti for lunch. After lunch we opened presents. Brennan got some new outfits, a Bible and a toy. We then went to my grandparents house and Grammi, Papa, Uncle Eric & Evan were there (as well as my aunts, uncles & cousins). Brennan got an embroidered blanket that said "Brennan's First Christmas", a stuffed animal, clothes and toys. She had a hard time taking naps all day so I finally put her in the sling and she passed right out. She slept for a couple of hours there!


On Christmas morning Brennan slept until 10:15! We were all awake by 8:30a so we let Ethan & Evan open their presents from Santa. My parents, brother, nephew, sister, my sister's boyfriend and my paternal grandparents were all here. After all the Santa presents were opened we started opening presents from each other. Brennan got some more outfits, toys and books. My dad picked out this this sign for Brennan's room that says, "I didn't ask to be a princess but hey if the crown fits". So cute!

I decided to do a family picture while my whole family was here, we haven't had one in a really long time. They turned out really well!!!















On Saturday we went to Memaw & Papaw's house where Brennan got to see her cousin Kaylee. Memaw had bought them matching onesies so we took their pictures. Kaylee is 6 months older than Brennan and she is on the go! It was a little hard to get a picture of them but when we did it was so cute!!

After we left Memaw & Papaw's house we went to my cousin's house (Brent & Anna). Brennan got more clothes and a purse that is actually a toy. It's really cute!!

We had a very busy holiday but it was great to see family. Everyone was so good to Brennan and we appreciate everything she received. We are blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Random News

A week from today baby girl will be 3 months old, it's so hard to believe. Where has the time gone? She has started smiling at other people. Before it was just either Stephen, Ethan or myself but now if someone comes up and talks to her she will most likely give them a smile.

Last Tuesday Ethan had a fever with cold symptoms and as much as I washed my hands and tried to keep him away from Brennan she still got it. She woke up Friday morning and while I was nursing her I noticed her body and head were really hot. I took her temperature and it was 102.2. I gave her tylenol and then called the doctor and they told me to bring her in. When the doctor checked her ears & throat he said they looked fine. Because of her age he wanted to run some blood tests. So a nurse came in and pricked her toe to take her blood. It was hard for her to get blood so she was having to massage her leg & foot. The entire time Brennan is screaming (I'm holding her) and Ethan was sitting in a chair just watching. When the nurse got enough blood she left and as she was closing the door Ethan looked at me and said, "That was not cool Mom." Well a minute later she comes back in and says that the machine malfunctioned so she would need to get some more blood. So she pricks the other toe and Brennan is screaming the whole time. It was pretty traumatizing for all of us. Her white blood count was normal but her red cell count was low. The doctor explained that it is kind of normal in babies her age but it should be going up by now. Because of the low number he wanted to do a urine test to test for a UTI or kidney infection. By this time I'm starting to freak out. So they had to put in a catheter and this time two nurses did it so I could focus on Ethan. I was afraid that if he saw Brennan go through that he would really freak out. The urine test came back ok so he said that he thought she just had the same thing Ethan had. He wanted us to come back the next day for a re-check though. The next day we go back and she had an ear infection in her right ear. Funny how fast they can become infected so she is once again on antibiotics. By the way, she weighed 14 lbs 12 oz!!! She's now doing much better but hates to take her medicine.

Tonight we were sitting on the steps watching Ethan & Stephen play air hockey. It's a little cold down there so I wrapped us up in my blanket. When Ethan was done playing he came over and said he wanted to get warm with us, so I wrapped us all up. Here are some pics Stephen took of us.



















Ethan & Brennan snuggling





















Mommy and her babies





















Brennan trying to kiss her brother

First Thanksgiving

We had a really good Thanksgiving! My parents, brother & nephew drove in Wednesday night so we spent a little time with them Thursday morning and then my parents & brother went to my grandparents in Jefferson to eat Thanksgiving dinner. Me, Stephen, Brennan, Ethan and Evan (my nephew) all went to Stephen's parents house to celebrate the holiday with them. Memaw & Papaw also came! We had a delicious lunch of ham, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, peas, dressing & cranberry sauce. Brennan slept through lunch and finally woke up around 2p. After she ate she let everyone hold her for a little while but started to get fussy so I put her in the sling and she soon fell asleep. I think she slept for another 3 hours! When she woke up I fed her and then we took some family pictures, they all turned out great.

Brennan is really starting to smile a lot more. Every time she smiles it just melts my heart! She's also starting to follow objects (or people) with her eyes. Also if Ethan comes up behind her and says something you can see her perk up a little and turn her head. It's really cute how she recognizes his voice.

Also this weekend was the first time that my nephew, Evan, got to see Brennan. He took to her immediately and couldn't wait to hold her. When he finally got to hold her he held her for a really long time! He always kept an eye on her too. If she would start crying and I wasn't in the room he would come get me and say "Aunt Stephie Brennan is crying". It was so sweet!

2 month appointment

Brennan had her two month appointment this morning. She weighs 13 lbs 7 oz and is 23 3/4" long. She is growing so fast! She got 5 different immunizations. One was oral, 3 other immunizations were in one shot and then a single shot. She did great when they gave her the shots, one in each leg. She only cried for a second. She was fussy today and I could tell her left leg was sore but after I gave her some Tylenol she was feeling much better, we even got some smiles out of her!

I had to take her to the doctor on Monday because on Thursday night she started with some congestion and coughing. By Sunday night she was really fussy and after we went to bed she slept very little and stayed up crying a lot. I was worried that she had an ear infection. Sure enough her left ear looked a little infected (he said the right ear looked perfect though). So at only two months old she has her first ear infection. I had them really bad as a child so I hope she's not following in my footsteps. I remember how painful they were and I don't want her to have to go through that.

So tomorrow we'll be celebrating her first Thanksgiving. Too bad she can't eat all the yummy food yet!

First Smile

I gave Brennan a bath on Saturday morning and planned on taking a couple of pictures of her in the bathtub. I sat her in her seat while the water filled the tub and was talking to her. She started to smile a little so I quickly grabbed my camera and kept talking to her. I finally got her to smile big and got a picture of it. She has smiled before but it was always in her sleep or if you would rub her cheek. This time it was what I call a true smile! I haven't been able to get her to smile again but I'm sure it will start happening more often soon enough.

Go Gladiators!

The four of us went to see the Gwinnett Gladiators play Monday night. Stephen's company has season tickets and no one was using them so we decided to go. It was a bit risky since that is usually Brennan's fussy time but we thought we would try it out and see what happened. The evening was quite a success! Brennan was an absolute angel and Ethan did great too, we actually got to stay for most of the game. It was nice to get out, do something we enjoy and spend some time together.

One month check-up & 1st Halloween

Friday was Brennan's one month check-up. She weighs 11 lbs. 3 oz and is 22 1/2" long. She definitely has grown!! She had to get one shot and did great. She cried for about 2 seconds and then she was fine. The doctor prescribed Zantac for her since she agreed with me that Brennan has acid reflux. Hopefully the medicine will make her more comfortable.

Brennan's first Halloween was a busy one. The day started out with her doctor's appointment and then we went to Duncan Creek Park with our Mom's Group. That night we went to our friend's house, Scott & Theresa, and went trick-or-treating in their neighborhood. We dressed Brennan up for Halloween and she was Batgirl. She was the cutest Batgirl I've ever seen!! :) More on our Halloween festivities here.

One Month Old . . . already

I can't believe yesterday was Brennan's one month birthday. It seems like yesterday we were leaving to go to the hospital to have her. She has her one month checkup on Friday and I'm anxious to see how much she has grown! Unfortunately she also has to get a shot. :( That's the one thing about these visits I don't like. She is showing some signs of having acid reflux so I'm going to see if the doctor agrees.

We had a pretty busy day yesterday, we went to visit my grandparents and had lunch with them. Brennan slept the entire time we were there except for when it was time for her to eat. Then we went to the Pumpkin Festival at Sterling on the Lake. Again, Brennan slept through it all. We picked out two pumpkins to bring home and carve. More about that here.

I'll update on Friday after her doctor's visit.

3 weeks old!

I can't believe our baby girl is 3 weeks old! I must say we have had a busy three weeks though! We've had lots of visitors and are still trying to get adjusted. This week was my first week alone with both kids and so far it's gone better than I thought. There have been times when they both needed me at the same time but I've worked it out. All I can say is "kudos" to those who have more than 2, I don't know how you handle them all!!

Brennan is growing and changing every day. She is starting to stay awake a little more during the day and Ethan loves it. When she's awake he loves to go over and talk to her. The other night I decided she needed to have some tummy time so we laid out a blanket and put her down. I remember Ethan not liking it so much and would cry after a couple of minutes. Not Brennan, she would rather be on her tummy than her back. Ethan thought Brennan's tummy time was cool so he got down there with her and played with her for a long time. Of course he had to give her some of his toys to play with!!

I uploaded some photos (birth to most recent) to our web album, check them out here.

Weight Check

We took Brennan in yesterday for her weight check and she gained 2.5 oz!! The doctor was pleased and said we don't need to come back until her 1 month check-up. Everything is still going well. For the last two nights it has been hard to get her to fall asleep but she sleeps well once she gets to sleep. We had to say bye to my Mom this morning which was really hard. She was a huge help for the past week and a half. We are so grateful that she was able to come stay with us and help out, we all are going to miss her tremendously.

(I took this picture because every afternoon Grammi would hold Brennan while I napped. They enjoyed this time together!)

First bath at home

Brennan got her first bath at home last night. Since I didn't get to see her bathed at the hospital I wasn't sure what to expect. I know she doesn't like her diaper changed so I thought the bath could be as difficult. She pretty much screamed bloody murder the entire time. I tried to soothe her by talking to her then I gave her the pacifier (which she loves by the way!) but the pacifier only stayed in a few minutes. I tried to wash her as fast as I could, we didn't get a chance to wash her hair because I couldn't stand her crying anymore. I felt so bad hearing her cry like that. Luckily it was time to nurse her right after the bath so she calmed down quickly.

Brennan update

Yesterday was Brennan's first visit to her pediatrician's office. She did wonderful! She has gained 2 oz since Saturday so she now weighs 7 lbs 8 oz. We have to take her in on Friday for a weight check and the doctor said she would like her to gain 3 oz by then, we'll see what we can do! She's nursing like a champ so I don't think she'll have a problem gaining those 3 oz.

Everything at home is going great. Brennan sleeps most of the day and we really enjoy those few moments when she's awake. Ethan finds it hysterical for some reason when she has her eyes open and looks around. He is truly amazed and entertained by her. He also likes to hold her quite a few times a day and if he leaves to go somewhere she is the first person he says bye to. This morning as he was leaving for school he came in and kissed her on the head and said, "Bye, bye baby girl." It just made my heart melt.

My mom is enjoying her time here with us. She has been a HUGE help to us, I'm so glad she was able to take a week off of work to be here with us. We will definitely be sad to see her leave on Saturday. :( My dad will be coming in on Friday so he'll get to spend a little more time with Brennan before they leave for their vacation on Saturday. Stephen's parents get back from their cruise next Monday so they'll finally get to see their granddaughter sometime next week. I'm sure this will be the first time they will ever say they were looking forward to the end of vacation!! :)

I'll try to update again on Friday after Brennan's weight check.

We're Going Home!

Stephanie's doctor came in a few minutes ago to check her and asked if we wanted to go home. We immediately replied "YES". So they checked with Brennan's doctor and everything is good to go with her as well. So we are just waiting on all the paperwork to get finalized and we can check out of here. They are talking about us getting out around 1pm so I have started packing everything up and am thinking about how pack the van. We have gotten so many flowers and gifts, it's been amazing, thank you to everyone for your care and support. I've just got to figure out how to get everything packed to survive the ride home. We can't wait to get home and sleep in our bed and start to get Brennan acclimated. Thanks for all the prayers, we'll see you soon, from home!
Stephen 

Brennan Marie Lowe

Brennan made her entrance today at 12:44p, she weighs 8 lbs and is 20 1/2" long. She has a lot more hair than I expected and I hope she'll keep it. Everything went well and I now have my tubes tied.

Ethan came to see her as soon as they put me in recovery. He only stayed for a few minutes because they had to take her up to the nursery. I was in recovery for 3 hours because there are so many people here having babies and they didn't have a room ready. Once I got in my room Ethan, my parents, brother & sister all came up. Stephen went down to the van to get our things and while he was gone E said he wanted to hold Brennan. I told him he would have to wait for Daddy to get back. As soon as Stephen came in the room Ethan got down from my bed and went over to the chair. He held her for a long time, he just sat there and looked at her and talked to her. He gave her the present he picked out a couple of weeks ago which was a pink giraffe. Whenever she would cry he would take her giraffe to her. At one point Stephen, my dad and my sister all were taking pictures of her and Ethan told them to stop because it was too bright! He's already so protective of her!! We've already taken a million pics and Stephen posted them on the web, here's the link http://picasaweb.google.com/slowe75/BrennanSBirth#.

She's here!

She made it! Mom and baby are in good spirits and health. She was born at 12:44 and weighed 8 lbs. She just went into the nursery so we should have the length soon. Thanks for all of your prayers. We'll be posting pictures soon.

37 week appointment & Belly Shot

I had my 37 week appointment yesterday and everything went well. I went last Thursday and was measuring 40 weeks then yesterday I measured 42 weeks. Dr. Hood finally admitted that he thinks that it is the position Brennan in. He said most babies are more into the pelvic area then Brennan is. So pretty much she's all bunched up!

I can't believe we only have a week left. We have a busy week ahead so I'm hoping it will go fast. On Saturday Stephen & I will be celebrating our 11th Wedding Anniversary. He & Ethan are going to the circus during the day for a friend's birthday party and then Stephen & I will do something low key Saturday night. I also want to get caught up with laundry and grocery shopping if I can. On Wednesday I have my last appointment with Dr. Hood then I go to the hospital for pre-op. I want Stephen, Ethan & I to go out to dinner Wednesday night for our last dinner as a family of three. Bittersweet! Then late Wednesday night my parents & brother will be coming into town. I'm sure I won't get much sleep Wednesday night, between the excitement and my nerves kicking in! It would be nice if I could sleep since I'm sure we won't be getting any at all while in the hospital!

Room is finished

We finally got the room finished! I will have to say it is the cutest room in the house. I'm surprised it took us this long to get it done, I think I had Ethan's room done for months before he arrived. Here are the pics of her room:

35 week appointment

My appointment went really well today. I gained one pound and my blood pressure was perfect, Dr. Hood said I was doing great. We talked about losing my mucous plug and he felt around my belly and said Brennan's head was still floating which means she hasn't descended into the birth canal yet. Good news! He did say that if I were to go into labor they would give me meds to try to stop it. I'll be 36 weeks on Sunday so that is still 4 weeks from my due date and if I were to deliver, Brennan would spend some time in the NICU. So I'm praying that she just stays put a little longer. I asked him if I could attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) if I go into labor before the 25th and he said absolutely! I was so excited to hear that because a lot of doctors would rather just do the c-section. He said there would be certain circumstances though that we would go straight to a c-section which I understand, I don't want to put Brennan in any danger.

The other night I was sitting down and had to lean over to pick up something off the floor. It really hurt and I told Stephen that I felt like I was crushing her little head. Ethan overheard and said, "Mommy are you crushing her brain?" He looked a little worried. I told him no that she was fine but it just hurt me when I bent over, he's already looking out for his little sister. Poor thing, I have to remember that he's listening even when I think he's not.

Brennan's room is completely done now!! I will have to take some pictures this weekend and post them.

The Closet

I had to take a picture of Brennan's closet to share with everyone. It is a little crazy that she already has so many clothes. This ranges from newborn to 18 months but the bulk of it is newborn-3 months. Oh, this doesn't even include her drawers which have onesies, sleepers, pants & shorts!

So we are a little on edge right now. I lost my mucous plug over the weekend (sorry, TMI!) and have been having some contractions. Now it would be great for Brennan to get here early because Stephen's parents and Jason & Kimberly are going to be out of town the week the C-section is scheduled. But on the other hand, we already have everything planned to the last minute for the 25th. I'm a planner so having her early will probably really freak me out! I go to the doctor tomorrow so we'll see what he has to say.

Baby Shower #2

Two of my friends, Michelle & Theresa (aka "our church friends"!), gave me a baby shower last weekend. It was held at Grappa Grille in Braselton and we had our own private room. The food was delicious and being able to chat with the other ladies from our church was nice. Brennan received a lot of nice things. She got a few more outfits & sleepers, organizers for her closet, changing pad & covers, toys, books, mattress pad covers, burp cloths, blankets, placemat, headrest for the carseat and a sling! Michelle made the cake and it was delicious!!

We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends & family. I don't know what we would do without them. I can't wait for Brennan to meet everyone!!

Breakfast Conversation

Ethan & I were sitting at the table eating breakfast this morning and here is part of our conversation:

Ethan: Can you run Mommy?

Me: Not really, my belly is too big!

Ethan: Well Brennan might like it and say "Weeeeeeeeee".

Braxton Hicks go away

I've been having a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions with this pregnancy than with my last. They haven't been too bad but on Sunday they were a little more painful and more frequent. Never consistent or anything but very uncomfortable. Fortunetly yesterday I didn't have any at all so I was glad. I'm just so afraid Brennan is going to make an early entrance since we have everything planned out for our scheduled c-section. Of course I'm ready to meet her but I'm not quite ready for her to be here yet, we still have a few more things to do in her room etc.

The excitement is growing

I've spent the past 3-4 days washing clothes, sheets & blankets for Brennan. It's becoming more real to me now that we are having a girl. As I was putting up her clothes the other day I started getting excited about all the special occasion dresses (Christmas, Easter, Birthday etc.) that I will buy for her. Really it's all the girly things in general that I'm looking forward to experiencing with her!!

Baby Shower

This past Saturday my sister, Kimberly & Julie gave me a family baby shower. Brennan will now be clothed for the first year of her life!! I've never seen so many girl clothes and nothing was duplicated. Stephen's mom, Gammi, had two gift bags filled with clothes. She's been waiting for a baby girl for 33 years so needless to say she was excited! My mom bought a lot of outfits too but also went into the attic and pulled out any clothing of mine from childhood. I call them Brennan's vintage clothes! Now there are a few things that I don't think I'll put her in but there are quite a few that will be cute. Brennan also got a couple of pairs of shoes, a couple of bracelets and a few dolls. Then also some practical stuff like diapers, onesies, crib sheets etc. My friend, Lisa, made letters to spell Brennan's name so we can hang them over her crib. They are beautiful and I'm forever grateful to Lisa to have put in so much time & effort. We are getting ready to hang them up soon!!

Click here to see the pictures.

31 week appointment

I had my 31 week appointment yesterday and everything went well. I gained another 3 lbs since my last appt, my blood pressure was great and I was measuring 32-33 weeks which is pretty much on track. I guess last time Brennan was in a different position that made me measure bigger, I'm relieved!

I've been experiencing some Braxton Hicks contractions a lot in the past few days. I never really had them with Ethan so I wasn't sure at first that is what they were. They aren't really painful just uncomfortable. I'm trying to drink lots of water because I read that you could have BH more if you are dehydrated. I don't know how much more water I can consume I'm already running to the bathroom constantly!! But with it being so hot I should probably drink more than usual.

I had a baby shower this past weekend with our families. I'll post more later and some pictures that were taken.

Dinner & a movie

Last night my sister came to spend the night so I thought it would be nice to go out to dinner with Stephen, just the two of us. We know that in less than 2 months these precious dates will become more infrequent until Brennan gets a little older. Ethan always loves to spend some time with his Aunt Kerri so it was a win-win situation for us all!! Stephen has been really busy lately so I was looking forward to spending some alone time with him. On the way to dinner he suggested we go see a movie too. So while we waited for our food we looked up movie times (on our cell phones, gotta love technology!) and decided to see Step Brothers at the new theater in the Hamilton Mill area. Dinner was so good and we enjoyed sitting and talking to each other.

We got to the theater, which was very nice, and within minutes of the movie starting Brennan started kicking & moving. She pretty much did this throughout the movie. I think she was just responding to her name being said so much! You see, Will Ferrell's characters name is Brennan in the movie. Pretty funny!! Although now I wonder if the "unusual" name we picked for our baby girl is going to become trendy. It is predominately a boy name so maybe it will still be unusual for her.

Great News!!

I passed my glucose test!!!!!!!! I'm so excited and glad I don't have to take anymore tests or prick fingers for the rest of my pregnancy. When I got off the phone with the doctor I started screaming and dancing. Ethan looked at me crazy and I told him I got really good news from the doctor. He said, "Ok, but I can't hear my movie." Gotta love him!

We have a date!

I just got off the phone with the doctor's office and scheduled my c-section. Brennan will make her arrival September 25th! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! Two months, four days and counting . . .

28 week appt & new belly shot

So I had my glucose test today and now just have to wait for the results. It wasn't so bad drinking that dreadful orange drink but I hope I don't have to do it again. If I do fail, I'll have to do a 3 hour glucose test which is not fun. I gained another 5 lbs in the past month so now I'm up to gaining a total of 24 lbs. Guess I need to lay off the sweets! :) The dr. said I'm measuring at 33 weeks! Ummm . . . will we see Brennan a month early? My best friend, Heidi, said that can change each visit too. It could be the position she is in or she's going to be a big girl.

Dr. Hood & I also talked about scheduling my c-section. I wanted to schedule it for Sept 26th but he is off that day so we are going to try for Sept 25th. I'm praying we'll be able to schedule for this day so then I'll have a full week at home with my mom here to help. Then my second week of recovery Stephen will stay home with us. It will be nice to have someone home with me for those 2 weeks of recovery since I won't be able drive and Ethan will be going to preschool 3 days a week.

Everything else looked good at the appointment. My blood pressure was good and Brennan's heartbeat was strong & fast. He said she is head down which would explain the pushing that I keep feeling. Apparently she's shaking her little booty at me a lot! I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing . . .

She's feisty!

We may have a feisty one on our hands. This girl punches, kicks and pushes me constantly. Sometimes she kicks so hard it makes me jump. Other times she is pushing (or maybe stretching) to the point that it really hurts, if I rub the spot she is pushing on she usually stops. I don't remember Ethan kicking me so hard that it made me jump or pushing to where it hurt. Umm . . . are we in trouble?

Glucose Test & I'm getting bigger

I have my glucose test a week from Thursday and I'm seriously dreading it. I had gestational diabetes with Ethan so I know what to expect. I've been praying almost every day that I will pass this one. The dr. gave me a glucose test at 9 weeks and I passed so maybe I can pass again. Just the thought of having to prick my finger 4x a day until Brennan gets here really bothers me. I had a really hard time doing it with Ethan, my fingers were so calloused and hurt. I am so grateful I was able to control the diabetes with diet & exercise so I really shouldn't complain about the finger pricks but it is hard.

I think I'm growing every day. A woman came up to me in Target today (she was pregnant) and asked me when I was due. I asked her when she was due and she said Friday. I almost fell to the floor she was just a tad bit bigger than me. All I could think was I have another 12 weeks, what am I going to do? I'll have to hire someone to walk beside me just to hold up my big belly.

Need sleep

I've come to realize that I need more sleep with this pregnancy. Just about every day I have to take a nap when Ethan takes his. We just got back from our trip to Lake Blackshear and I probably averaged 5 hours of sleep a night. I took a nap everyday but was still exhausted. By Friday I was a little grumpy (ok Jason, Kimberly & Stephen would probably tell you I was a lot grumpy!) but getting little sleep, taking care of a 3 year old and being out in the sun will take its toll eventually. Last night I was able to catch up on my sleep and I feel great today, I think I'm even going to skip nap!!

Brennan's room is painted!

Last weekend Stephen & I painted Brennan's room. We finally went with the color that Kimberly saw on HGTV and I love it! Since we painted Ethan's room this weekend we moved all of his baby furniture into her room. We still need to decide exactly where everything is going to go but we have some time to do that.

Decisions are not easy

So I have five different colors of pink painted on the wall to see what I like. There is one that is a close contender but I'm still not 100% sure. I have a paint chip that is being mailed to me from Arizona and that will be the last. If I don't like it then I'll just deal with the color that is now in 1st place.

Speaking of the paint chip from Arizona, Kimberly called me the other day and said she was watching a show on HGTV and love the color pink they painted the person's bedroom. I went on line and found the color they used. The paint was sold by a company called Frazee Paint. They only have stores on the west coast. So I called them and told them what I was looking for and they were happy to mail me a paint chip. The lady was excited that I had heard about the paint color from a TV show. I called on Monday so I'm hoping it will be here by tomorrow. At least then we'll have a decision and can start painting.

I went to Babies R Us yesterday with my friend, Michelle. There were a couple of crib sets that I saw online and liked so I wanted to see them in person. The one that was on the top of the list was there and I instantly fell in love so I bought it. Click here to see what it looks like. It's simple, which is what I wanted, so I can decorate with other patterns etc. I also started a registry, we don't need much since we still have all of Ethan's baby things but we have to have some girly things!

Brennan has been very active and it's been fun watching and feeling her kick me. I'm not really one of those women who love being pregnant but I really enjoy the kicking and moving. I remember after having Ethan that was the one thing that I missed. I can't wait for our baby girl to get here! Ethan is so eager to hold her and so is Stephen. Stephen is finally coming out of his shock and is looking forward to having a baby girl. Only 17 weeks left to go!!!!!

It's a . . .

GIRL!!!!!!! We are in absolute shock. We saw the "hamburger" four times so we're pretty certain there won't be any surprises at the delivery. Ethan is excited and loved looking at her pictures (with a smile on his face!). Everything else looks good, we saw her heart, kidneys, spine etc. The ultrasound tech switched it over to 4D and caught this picture. She really wasn't supposed to give us a copy of the picture but she couldn't help herself.

We've decided her name is going to be Brennan but we haven't picked out a middle name yet. Brennan is my paternal grandmother's maiden name so it is special to us. I've always been close to her so there was no question that our baby girl would be named after her. She is a strong and caring woman and I hope Baby Brennan will be just like her.

Belly Shot & Ethan Funny

This is the latest belly shot (20 weeks). I feel like I've gained a lot more this month than previous months. I can definitely see it in my face now which is not surprising. I remember seeing pictures of my mom when she was pregnant and her face always got fat too (we do have those Fouts cheeks!) Maybe I can get her to scan in a picture of herself for comparison.

The baby has been kicking a lot lately. I think we may have a boxer or kick boxer on our hands!! Stephen actually got to feel the baby move last week which is earlier than when I was pregnant with Ethan, he was really excited. It's still hard for Ethan to feel the baby kick but I'm sure in the coming weeks the kicks will get stronger and he'll be able to feel them. I was sitting on the couch tonight and the baby was kicking like crazy and Ethan saw my belly jump. He thought that was pretty funny! Before he went to bed he was trying to feel the baby kick and was rubbing my belly to get the baby moving. Then he started talking to the baby but he was talking straight into my bellybutton. I told him he didn't have to talk into my bellybutton in order for the baby to hear him. He looked at me and said, "But it's like a microphone."

One week from today we'll know what the gender of the baby is!!! If you haven't voted yet please do so. The poll is located in the top left of this blog. I'll post what we find out as soon as I can on Wednesday!!

Baby's first concert

Stephen, Jason, Kimberly & I went to see Bon Jovi at Phillips Arena last Thursday, May 1. Daughtry was their opening band and all I have to say is the concert was awesome!! I was really looking forward to Chris Daughtry and he put on a really good show, I would love to see him again at a smaller venue. I was a Bon Jovi fan back in the day but I really don't know a lot of their newer stuff. They put on a great show and played for over 2 hours. When I was pregnant with Ethan I went to a couple of concerts (but I was further along) and he kicked me a lot during both shows. He actually likes both of those bands now, so maybe that is saying something. Since it's earlier for this pregnancy I really didn't feel the baby kick much but maybe he/she will be a Daughtry/Bon Jovi fan later in life!!

17 week appointment

I had my 17 week appointment today and so far I've gained 8 lbs. Ethan & I got to hear the heartbeat again and it was really strong and really fast. I was supposed to have the AFP testing today which tests for Downs Syndrome & Spina Bifida but Stephen & I decided that we were going to decline the testing. If anything were to come back positive the next step would be an amnio which I would not do because it can cause a miscarriage. My doctor told me that they would be able to see these defects at the 21 week ultrasound. Speaking of, we will hopefully be finding out the sex of the baby at my next appointment, May 28th!!! I'm praying that the baby cooperates and won't have his/her legs crossed. :)

Such a good big brother

Ethan has been really interested in the "baby in my tummy". He named it Ms. Teddy Bear and he talks to it or kisses it almost every day. He often asks me if the baby is awake. He started this game where he tickles my belly and I make a funny noise (he thinks it's the baby) and then he says that the baby is awake now. I've been really surprised at how interested he is about the baby, he's going to be a great big brother!!

Nothing much has changed except my belly is growing a little more. I'm still wearing my regular pants but mostly wearing maternity shirts. Some of my pants can still button but most don't so I just rig it with a ponytail holder. It's better than wearing maternity pants!! I think I've felt the baby move a few times. It seems to happen when I put a little pressure on my belly (like holding Ethan or something) I'm sure the baby is trying to tell me that I'm squishing him/her! Hopefully soon I'll be able to feel the baby move more, that is my most favorite part of pregnancy. I really can't wait until Stephen & Ethan can feel the baby kick. Ethan is going to love it!

We find out in about 6 weeks what the gender of the baby is. We can't wait!! Then I can start referring to the baby as him/her instead of it (or baby). Or if we can settle on a name then I can call it by name.

13 week appointment

I had my 13 week appointment today and everything went well. Ethan & I got to hear the heartbeat, that was cool and comforting. My blood pressure was 100/60 and I think I gained 3 lbs in the last month. The doctor told me to keep doing what I was doing and I'll go back to see him in another 4 weeks. Stephen had to miss the appointment because he's on a business trip in Vegas, I know he would have probably liked to have heard the heartbeat but hopefully he'll get to go to another appointment soon.

12 week belly shot

Since my belly is rapidly growing I figured I should start having pictures taken. This is me at 12 weeks!

Ethan is going to be a big brother!!

Yes, you read it correctly, we are expecting Baby Lowe #2. I am currently 12 weeks pregnant and due October 5th. It has been really hard to keep this a secret, we have known since January 30th (I took a home pregnancy test). We didn't want to tell anyone until we went to the doctor, my appointment was March 4th, but I wanted to wait a couple more weeks so we could tell our parents in person. Since my parents live out of town we had to wait until Easter weekend when they were in town. We gave our parents an Easter present which was a framed picture of the ultrasound. They were so excited to be getting another grandchild!!

We sat down with Ethan this past Thursday and told him he was going to be a big brother and he was excited. We showed him the ultrasound picture and he got a big smile on his face. He asked a couple of questions like, "Where does the baby sleep?" "How does the baby eat?" Then he reached over and rubbed my belly, it was so sweet! We asked him if he wanted a brother or sister and he said he wanted a brother. So in 8 weeks we will find out! He is going to be a great big brother!!

My doctor's appointment went well. Stephen & I were there for almost 2 1/2 hours. We had an ultrasound done and that was the best part. We got to see our little bean and he/she even moved while they were doing the ultrasound. That was really cool and brought tears to my eyes!! Since I had gestational diabetes during my pregnancy with Ethan they tested me at my appointment to see if I have it again. A couple of weeks ago I received a letter in the mail from my OB's office saying I had passed! I still have to do the diabetes test again at 28 weeks but at least I don't have to prick my finger 4x a day for the next 16 weeks. What a relief!

I've had some morning sickness which is new for me, I was never sick with Ethan. It started out just in the morning but for the last few weeks I'm getting it late afternoon. Usually a glass of raspberry ginger ale does the trick. I've been really tired but I can definitely tell that is starting to go away and I've been having bad headaches. Hopefully in the next few weeks all of this will be gone. I've also started showing which has been a challenge to hide these past couple of weeks. I think I started showing around my 9th week.

So I'm going to keep up this blog for the new baby just like I do for Ethan. I should be updating in a couple of weeks after my next doctor's appointment. Oh yeah, don't forget to also read Ethan's blog at www.ethanlowe.com.