24 Weeks

I had my 24 week appointment on Tuesday. I got to have another ultrasound to check on Baby's kidney, and I very much enjoyed seeing Baby again. The technician printed a lot of pictures for me, but they are not very clear so I can't scan any this time to post. It was very active and showed me that is going to be hyperactive and stubborn. Great combination!

The ultrasound revealed that this baby is huge! 1 pound and 13 ounces already!!! It was only 14 ounces 4 weeks ago. The doctor thinks this is funny because I am panicked about having a 10 pound baby! It is growing healthy so I really can't complain.

Heart rate was good and strong at 135. The kidney with the issue hasn't improved yet (but still no great concern), so we'll check again at 32 weeks. I really don't think the doctor is as interested in the kidney as she is about seeing how big this giant baby is as 32 weeks!

I'm still feeling great. Baby Livezey moves all night long! It is like clockwork now...I get in bed and start feeling it move around in about 2 minutes. When I wake up in the middle of the night, it is still moving. I like feeling the movement, but it is a little strange to watch my belly moving on its own. I don't notice the movement so much during the day, so I guess we'll have a night owl on our hands. At least it is on my kind of schedule - stay up late and sleep in the morning. JT probably won't adjust to that too well.

It's now a fun weekend to celebrate Christmas with some of our family! Wish we could be seeing all of our family! Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Maggie

Happy 2nd Birthday to Maggie!!!!!!

JT and I talked about getting a dog for years, and I'm pretty sure we always wanted it to be a chocolate lab. At some point we even named our future dog "Maggie" and would talk about her like she already existed. Unfortunately we are the kind of people that put things off until the "perfect time" to do something. When we first moved to Nashville we lived in a condo, so a dog was not an option. When we finally started looking for a house, one of the biggest deciding factors was if we could finally get Maggie (who still didn't exist at this point). We almost didn't buy our house because the back yard is a hill and we didn't think it was good enough for our future Maggie. The builder's agent (who must have thought we were crazy) actually had some work done to the yard to provide us more flat space in hopes that we might actually buy the house which was perfect in every other way besides the yard. So we bought the house - but then we still didn't think it was the "perfect time" to get Maggie because of our work schedules.

Several months later after my grandparents (Mama and Poppa) had gotten tired of hearing about us wanting Maggie, but knowing we would never actually get her, took action into their own hands and bought the perfect little puppy for us for our birthdays. I was ecstatic, but JT wasn't as excited. He called Poppa and thanked him for the offer, but said "What if we don't want her?", which is a question I remind him of quite often. Poppa said he would keep her if we didn't want her, but JT agreed to come check her out. It was love at first sight, and the rest is history.

Thank you Mama and Poppa for our sweet Maggie!


Maggie came home to us in February 2010. JT and his mom met my grandparents to pick her up and bring her back to Nashville. I was out of town and JT and Maggie picked me up at the airport. That little puppy was the most precious thing I'd ever seen! She instantly stole our hearts and immediately became more than a dog...she is our little girl!

Just got Maggie home. JT is discussing the rules of the house with her.

Long first night.


Maggie has been such a great part of our lives. She has taught us about unconditional love and helped us with some parenting skills. (On a side note, I don't think you should be allowed to have children unless you have successfully taken care of a pet.) We now know our strenghts and weaknesses as parents. JT can give her a look and barely speak her name and she basically punishes herself if she thinks she has disappointed him. Me on the other hand - I can yell, scream, jump and down, and she just looks at me like "I know you can't catch me". She is spoiled rotten and definitely knows how to play us.

She is a creature of habit. You can set a clock by her telling you when it is time to eat. She loves routines and is out of sorts if we change it up. If I get up early and start getting ready, she knows I am going to work. In this case, she lays on my feet with a pitiful face. First thing she does EVERY morning is runs into my closet and grabs my tennis shoes hoping that she can convince me to take her on a walk. Even though she does this every day, it cracks me up every time!

A few of Maggie's favorite things:
1. Playing fectch - This dog is relentless! She could seriously play fetch 24/7.

2. Paw Pals - I never thought we'd be that type of dog owner, but we are - Maggie goes to daycare. That's right, doggy daycare. It is called Paw Pals and it may as well be Disneyworld. She goes crazy when you pull in to the parking lot and can not get away from me fast enough. It is especially sad when we are leaving her there for the weekend and I want is to love on her and say goodbye, but she runs through the door and never looks back. When we pick her up, she is exhausted. She gets a bath when she gets home and then sleeps for the next 24 hours. This is my favorite Maggie time, because she is cuddly and sweet.

3. Gram's house and the blue ball - When I take her to my mom's house (Gram) she runs to the toy basket and grabs her favorite toy, the blue squeaky ball, and then runs to the door and barks for Gram to announce her arrival. If they ever lose that blue ball, the world may come to an end. We have tried many times to get her to play with any of the other 10 toys in the basket, but she will have nothing to do with it.

4. Car rides - Maggie loves to ride in the car, and she gets so excited if you ask her "Wanna go?". Her favorite place to go is Crockett Park. She gets to play in the creek and if we can find a spot that has no one around, we let her loose and play fetch. She has a blast! Speaking of the creek, that brings me to her love of water.

5. Water - probably her most favorite thing in the world. Whether it be a puddle or a creek, she is going to get in it. Her love affair with water began during her first bath which JT gave her in the bathtub. She still jumps in the tub some days and sits there staring at the spout hoping I'll turn it on for her.

She loves a water hose and especially her pool! She isn't patient enough for us to fill up the pool, so she usually climbs in and just wants the water poured all over her. She has a blast at the creek at Crockett Park. I wish we could find a pond somehwere that she could play in because we would love to see her really swim.

6. Momma Karen - Karen lives across the street from us and is Maggie's hero! Without her, I don't know if having a dog would be possible. She is a dog-lover, actually we all want to be reincarnated as one of Karen's dogs. She has a older chocolate lab named Sugar that Maggie loves to play with. Karen comes and lets Maggie out and plays with her when I have to work. Maggie LOVES her and we appreciate her so much!

7. Uncle Jon-Jon - JT's brother Jon also tops Maggie's list of favorite people. He plays with her and buys her treats. When we are out of town he comes to stay with her if his job schedule allows. We love getting picture texts of them playing - Maggie is usually smiling because he is much more fun than us. Maggie always has a blast with him!

8. Bruiser - The indestructible and only toy Maggie has besides tennis balls. Bruiser got its name after she droppped it on our toes a couple of times. It is a big rubbery ball with protruding sides. She knows it by name and we can tell her to go find it and she will search the house until she gets it. One thing Maggie has taught us it that our kid will not be getting every toy ever made. Maggie would rather play with the empty paper towel roll, an ice cube, or a sock more than any toy ever bought. And if you get her something with a squeaker and stuffing, it will be destroyed upon contact.

9. Air vents - Maggie quickly discovered that when she is hot in the summer, she can lay down on the vent and cool off. She also knows that she can warm up in the winter. It is so funny to watch her because when she hears it come on, she slides down over it and smiles. It's her own little piece of heaven!



So as you can tell, we LOVE our dog! Is she spoiled? Absolutely - we wouldn't have it any other way. Everyone says that the dog becomes second best when the baby gets here, and I hope that is not true for us. Maggie is a member of our family, and I can't imagine pushing her aside. We don't know how she is around babies yet, but she loves kids. So I think they will be best friends in the future. After all, to earn Maggie's love requires very little - feed her, throw the ball, and turn on some water!

Thanksgiving 2010

Well, this will be a year to remember. It will go down in history as "The Year I Saved Thanksgiving"...with my cooking skills nonetheless. Okay, so that is a bit of an over-exaggeration, but it was an interesting day in the kitchen.

We have had Thansgiving with my mom's side of the family at my grandparent's house (Mama and Poppa) for as long as I can remember. Anyone who is remotely related to our family shows up for this event, meaning there are at least 50 people if not more. Last year we moved it to my mom's house for the first time. The number of guests has cut back a bit, but it is still in the 30-40 range. So what do they come for - turkey, dressing, desserts? Nope! Although all of that food is wonderful, they come for the ROLLS! Mama's rolls are one of a kind and nobody misses out on a chance to eat them. I have been helping make these rolls for years, that has always been my way to help. I would take the dough and form it into the 3 balls to put together in the pan to form the perfect roll.

So for the first time ever, Mama was sick and couldn't even get out of bed. Mom realized that someone had to make the rolls, and I am of course the obvious choice since I've been helping for so long, right? WRONG! My brother Brandon and I quickly informed Mom that we have never actually seen how the dough was made and didn't have a clue where to start, because that perfect piece of dough has always been handed to us. So when all else fails, I took my chances and googled the recipe. From there we recruited JT and sprung into action!

We had our system down and it was working fine. We got the dough ready, and then we had to let it sit and rise for an hour. We had finally been able to discuss our situation with Mama and she said we were probably okay despite using the wrong flour and our other little mishaps. While we were waiting, Mom sent JT to the store to buy something, and in his cleverness (and high-level of doubt in our ability to pull off these rolls), he picked up a couple of packs of Bake in 10 minutes rolls. Genius!

Finally the dough was ready to the point Brandon and I were used too. So where do you make rolls in a house full of people and there is no more room in the kitchen?

The laundry room of course! We were so proud of ourselves and then we realized that these rolls had to sit for another hour before being put in the oven. Thank goodness we could smell the store bought rolls cooking in the oven, because lunch was being served in less than 10 minutes.

Everyone ate lunch, dessert, and then we were able to announce that our rolls were finally done! They looked like Mama's rolls, but they didn't taste 100% like them. But we were proud, and she was proud of us.

What an accomplishment! Now, I do not want to have to do this again, so we're handing the rolls back over to Mama next year, as that is the way it should be. I must say that I was a little disappointed to learn that this wasn't some super secret recipe of hers to be handed down to me...afterall, I found it on google. But hers are special because of the love she puts into them, and they will always be the best rolls ever made!

On a serious note, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving and we definitely have so much to be thankful for! We love our family and friends!

20 Weeks

Well, here we are at the half-way point. Can time be going by any faster?!?! Baby Livezey is going to be here before we know it, and I am not prepared!

We had our ultrasound today. JT went with me for the first time and we enjoyed watching the baby move around on the TV screen. I can't believe how active it was, because I really don't feel movement yet. The ultrasound technician was really nice and explained everything she was seeing and measuring - some things made sense to us and we could pick out certain things like the brain, heart, hands, and feet but everything else wasn't so clear to us (kidneys, stomach, etc.). She said Baby Livezey is about 14 ounces (almost 1 pound!). Heart rate was around 139. It was amazing seeing the spine and every little bone in its body. We saw each hand and counted 5 fingers on each as Baby Livezey gave a little wave. There were so many bones in the feet, JT questioned if there were 10 toes on each foot! Truly amazing that everything is formed, and now all it has to do is grow! My favorite part was seeing the profile. Baby Livezey was even moving its mouth at one point like it was talking to us - so sweet! Here is a little profile picture to show off. The technician said we had a cute kiddo, and I couldn't agree more!


So is Baby Livezey a boy or a girl??? We stayed strong and closed our eyes when she told us to, so it is still a surprise!

The only thing we wanted to hear today is that Baby Livezey is healthy, and that is almost 100% certain. There is one little kidney issue that was borderline being a potential problem, but it is common and most babies grow out of it before they are born. The doctor is not concerned about it (so neither am I), but it has to be followed up on. So on a happy note, this little issue scored me another ultrasound next month so I get to see Baby Livezey again!

Max and Grant - a.k.a "Practice"

Congratulations to Robby and Lauren on their precious twin boys, Max and Grant Johnson! They were born last Sunday night and JT and I got to meet them the next day. I've always wondered how you could love something that you've never met...well now I understand! Love at first sight doesn't even begin to describe how we feel about these boys! They are perfect little miracles!



I will probably be seeing them every chance I get for several reasons.
1 - I'm completely in love with them already!
2 - I love the feeling of just looking at them and thanking God for their health and perfection.
3 - There is no doubt that they will have different personalities, and I like trying to figure out which one will be outgoing, dramatic, athletic, book smart, etc. I'm also trying to pay close attention to their faces and find distinctive characteristics. I'm one of those people that thinks all babies look the same at first, so I am really glad that they are not identical! I can tell them apart when they are side by side, but I would probably have trouble deciding which one I was looking at if I couldn't see the other one. Grant's hair is a little lighter, and Max has sweet little chubby cheeks. They are both absolutely adorable!
4 - What better way to figure out what to do with a baby then learn how to handle two at once! JT and I expect to pretty good at this by April. And if we're not, we've always got Robby and Lauren on speed dial. :-)

Until April, these baby boys are our "practice". We are going to try to soak up every little bit of knowledge we can get. Baby Livezey is 19 weeks today, which means we are almost half-way there! Just being around Max and Grant this week and put my excitment into overdrive! I can not wait to meet Baby Livezey!



CONGRATULATIONS again to Robby and Lauren! Max and Grant are definitely the luckiest babies in the world to have you as parents! We love you guys!

15 Weeks

I had my 15th week appointment last week. No big news - just got to hear the heartbeat again. I'm not sure what the heart rate was (at 10 weeks it was 160) because I was too busy asking all of the questions I had written down. (Normally I have tons of questions but don't write them down, and then completely forget by the time I get to the appointment what I wanted to ask.) Next month will be the ultrasound. I can't wait to see that and have some pictures of Baby Livezey! We are just praying that they will tell us that we are going to have a healthy baby.

JT's mom got the baby its first book called "Love You Forever". It is such a sweet book! I have heard of it, and heard the little quote from it many times, but I don't think I've ever actually read it until now. I look forward to starting a tradition of reading books with the baby before bedtime.

JT and I are taking a much needed vacation this week. I can't wait to get to the beach, even though JT just looked at the weather and it's not going to be so warm. Oh well - the beach is the beach, and vacation is vacation, so I'm excited!

First Trimester - DONE!

We have just begun week 14. Yay! So this is supposed to be where the sickness ends, not that I had it all that bad to begin with. I was expecting much worse, and I am very thankful for how well the first 13 weeks have turned out. JT took the first "baby bump" picture Saturday night. It probably doesn't look like much, but I can definitely see it.





I decided today that I should start researching/looking at baby items and getting ideas for things that we need. Easy enough, so I headed out to Babies 'R Us and earned myself one huge panic attack! As I wandered through the aisles, employees kept coming up and asking me if I needed help. Did I really look that confused? Yep! I can not believe how many options there are for strollers, car seats, bottles, bath tubs, etc! How in the world do you choose one? I promplty left and ran straight to Target for a breath of fresh air. I think the remainder of my researching will be done by internet.

JT, Sabrina, Maggie, and Baby Livezey

I have always enjoyed reading people's blogs and keeping up with their families, but I never thought I'd attempt to do this myself. I'm not that computer savvy and it seems like a big time commitment - but what a great way to keep family and friends informed on the exciting journey we're beginning. So I'm going to give it a try...

A little about us:

JT and I have been together for 10 years and just celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. Time files when you're having fun! We love to be on the lake, going to UT football games, playing with Maggie, and just hanging out together. With our work schedules, we really don't get a lot of time together, so we try to take adavantage of the time we do have.

We have actually already added to our family with our sweet puppy Maggie. She is a chocloate lab and will be 2 years old in December. She has been an amazing addition to our family and has taught us so much about being parents.

Baby Livezey

So this is what everyone is really interested in - the baby. We are now 12 weeks along and doing great! I had my first doctor's appointment when I was getting close to 7 weeks. JT wasn't with me, so I took a picture of the ultrasound machine and text it to him. We told our parents that weekend and the excitement began (for them anyway, it still wasn't really real to us). At about 10 weeks I had my second appointmet and got to hear the heartbeat - amazing! Then we started telling some friends, and now at 12 weeks it has become public knowledge. Now we are getting excited! It is so much more fun now that people know! Keeping a secret that long is just too hard. (Especially for my mother - I've learned from this experience not to tell her things unless I want 20 other people to know! It's ok Mom, I know you just couldn't wait.)

I guess now we can start preparing a little bit. All I've done so far are read some books. The first book I read was the Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy and I loved it! It was so funny, and I was laughing so hard at times that JT was a little concerned. (Especially when I would tell him about what I was reading and he didn't find it amusing at all.) The second book I have is Pregnancy Week by Week - and that is how I read it. Every Sunday when we start a new week, I read that week's chapter. It tells what is developing with baby, how big it is, and changes in me. It also has lots of other information, but the first page or 2 are always the best part! I have planned nothing yet, but that will come soon.

And the big question...when do we find out if it is going to be a boy or a girl? Well, we're not going to find out. We're going to hold out for the ultimate surprise.