Jaden is almost 3 months old!!

Where does the time go? It's crazy that the older you get the faster time goes. My sweet Jaden is almost 3 months old! It's really hard to believe. I am loving every second with him, and I am not looking forward to going back to work in a few weeks. I think it will be one of the hardest things I will ever have to do.

Jaden has changed so much since he was born. For one thing, he looks so much more grown up. He no longer has the "newborn" look to his face. He has grown probably around 3 inches in length and gained probably about 4 pounds since birth. He's still tall and thin, and his skin has darkened a little so he looks like he has the perfect summer tan. He is also smiling and cooing and laughing out loud, which is the most precious sound in the world! It melts my heart every time I see and hear Jaden laugh! :) He is able to lift his head while on his tummy and turn it from side to side with ease. He is just starting to use his forearms to lift himself a little higher. A few days ago, Jaden rolled from his back to his tummy all by himself, and the next day he rolled from his tummy to his back all by himself. He has just done each a couple times, but he's learning. He's been sleeping through the night (6 or more hours) since he was about 5 weeks old, and now at 12 weeks he sleeps between 9 and 11 hours per night.

Jaden has been to his cousin's birthday party at a park, been out to eat at a sit-down restaurant twice and Chick-fil-a once, visited his grandparents' houses, shopped at Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Grapevine Mills Mall, gone for walks in the park in the stroller and in the carrier, and been to church, among other things. He does very well when out in public. He typically either sleeps or quietly observes and takes in all the new sights, sounds, and smells.

Jaden is the sweetest baby. He is very easy-going and happy. I love him with all my heart, and I have a feeling he will be a mommy's boy. :)

The pictures I posted are up through 8-24-10 (just over one month old). Enjoy!

He's Here and He's PERFECT!!!!!!

I know that Jaden is over two months old, but I've had other things on my mind than keeping up with my blog, namely the most perfect little boy ever! :) Better late than never, here is the short version of his birth story...

Matthew and I checked into the hospital on Wednesday night July 21st. The doctors were going to perform cervical ripening that night and then induce me Thursday morning. However, the cervical ripening jumpstarted my labor, and I didn't need to be induced after all. I got an epidural at about 4 am when my contractions became unbearable (I was dilated to 3 cm). My water broke on its own at 5:20 am, and I was dilated to 4 cm. The next time I was checked was at 7:30, and I was already at 10 cm and plus 2. Matthew quickly called our parents to come to the hospital, and the doctors stalled until they got there. I started pushing at about 8:40 am, and Jaden Asher Gallagher was born at 9:09 am on July 22, 2010. Jaden was 8 lbs. 11 oz. and 22 inches long. It was the most amazing feeling to finally meet my precious son! I was so happy and proud and in love!! :)

Induction...

I went to the doctor today (40 weeks and 4 days), and I am still not dilated more than a fingertip. Because I am overdue, my doctor wants to induce labor. We will go to the hospital Wednesday night for cervical ripening, and then we will induce on Thursday morning. We chose Thursday, July 22nd for Jaden's birthday to coincide with my Grandma's birthday and Matthew's Great-Grandma's birthday. We are excited for him to share his birthday with two such special people. :) Please keep us in your prayers over the next few days. The next time I write, I will officially be a mommy!!!

Due date is tomorrow!!!

Jaden is due to arrive tomorrow. However, as of Tuesday my cervix is still closed, so it's looking quite possible that I will be induced late next week. We will just have to wait and see if he wants to come on his own or with a little help from the hospital.

Here are some pictures of the completed nursery and of my belly (gray shirt - 37 weeks, pink shirt - 38 weeks, black shirt - 39 weeks).

37 week appointment

Yellow shirt - belly at 32 weeks
Purple dress - belly at 35 weeks

I went in for my 37 week appointment (it was actually at 36 weeks and 6 days), and the doctor said that everything looked great. My blood pressure was good, Jaden's heartbeat was good, etc. She also said that I am measuring at 37 and a half weeks, he is already head down, and he is probably between 5 and a half and 6 pounds right now. Very exciting! After our doctor appointment, we went to the hospital to preregister and take a tour of the labor and delivery department. It was good to find out where to go when I'm in labor (we learned not to go through the ER because they will charge us in addition to the normal L&D charges), to see the room where I'll be delivering, and to be able to ask our questions. Last week we put together the stroller and put the carseats in the cars. The nursery has been done for a few weeks, too. So, now we are just kind of waiting for Jaden to arrive. At my 36 week appointment, she said that I'm far enough along so that if I go into labor they won't stop me. Some websites say that 37 weeks is full-term and some say that 38 weeks is full-term, and I of course want him to be full-term when he is born. However, I do kind of hope he comes a little early (maybe a week?) so that I have extra time at home with him before going back to work. As a teacher, I am pretty lucky with the timing. My 12 weeks of FMLA won't start when he is born; it will start my first day back to work in the fall (mid-August), so no matter when he is born I will go back to work on November 8th. At the very most, it will be 4 weeks until Jaden is born (my doctor will induce if I make it to 41 weeks), and I can't wait to meet my sweet little boy! :)

The painted nursery and my belly at 31 weeks

31 and a half weeks

I went to the doctor today, and she said that everything still looks GREAT! :) I'm feeling pretty good. I'm just tired a lot, have round ligament pain, and still have occasional tummy aches. It's also getting harder to walk, bend over, etc. because my belly is growing so much, but the doctor says I'm measuring exactly where I should be. Jaden is very active, and I love feeling him move around. I still can't get over how cool it is to feel his little hands and feet.

We put together the nursery furniture on Sunday, and it looks really nice. We still don't have the bedding in there yet or anything on the walls. Hopefully, we will do that soon.

I had a WONDERFUL Mother's Day thanks to my AMAZING husband. He gave me an early gift in April of granite counter tops, travertine tile back splash, and a new sink and faucet for our kitchen. It looks so good!!! I wasn't expecting anything except for a card on actual Mother's Day because of my expensive gift. However, Matthew got me a bookstore gift card because he knows how much I LOVE to read. Isn't he the best?

I have only 13 days of work left until summer...

Gray/multi-color shirt - Belly at 29 weeks
Camouflage shirt - Belly at 30 weeks

30 weeks and counting...

I can't believe I'm already 30 weeks along! It has gone by so fast, and Jaden will be here before we know it! We painted the nursery on Saturday, and I LOVE how it looks. We painted three of the walls blue and the fourth wall brown. Now we just have to set up the furniture and bedding. I will post pictures once the nursery is finished. :)

There are just three and a half weeks until summer!!

Here is another picture of my belly. This one is at 27 weeks.

More belly pics :)

Orange shirt - belly at 23 weeks
Blue shirt - belly at 25 weeks

Jaden is definitely growing!!! :)

Counting down 'til summer...

I have just 5 more weeks of school left until summer. Starting June 6th, I will have lots of time to get completely ready for baby Jaden to arrive. I can't wait!! We finally have all of our nursery furniture and our puppy dog crib bedding, and it will be so much fun setting it all up. We just need to get the room painted first. It's going to look so cute! :)

Baby G has a name!!!

We are finally ready to announce our sweet baby boy's name. His name will be Jaden Asher Gallagher (both biblical names). Jaden (helped Nehemiah rebuild the wall) means "Jehovah has heard" and Asher (one of the twelve tribes of Israel) means "blessed and happy." :)

Matthew especially likes his initials - JAG. :)

22 and a half weeks

I'm starting to think I'm going to be one of the unlucky ones who deals with morning sickness all the way until delivery. I hope not, but just last week I got sick 4 times. I had to refill my Zofran again yesterday. It'll all be worth it, though, as bad as I have felt, when I see my son for the first time. :)

His kicks have gotten even stronger. Sometimes I can see my stomach move when he kicks or punches. Also, Matthew was able to feel it the other day, which was really neat!

We have been looking at bedding for the nursery. I really want to find blue and brown puppy dogs. I have had the hardest time finding something like that, but I think I finally did online. We'll see.

We are so grateful to our family and friends who have already given Baby G gifts. He has some clothes, a few stuffed animals, a bassinet, a swing, and a bumbo chair. I can't wait until he gets to wear, play with, and use these items! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

WE'RE HAVING A BOY!!!!

We found out last Tuesday that we are having a boy!! We are so excited!! Now we get to start thinking about names, the nursery, and registering. How fun! :)

Where Did My Feet Go???

A few days ago, I looked down and could no longer see my feet! I guess that means my belly is growing!! :) People are actually starting to know I'm pregnant instead of thinking I've just "put on a few." I love it! I'm also feeling the baby kick much more often and not quite as faintly. Matthew and I are super excited because tomorrow we are going to the doctor to find out if Baby G is a boy or a girl! Most people who have guessed think she will be a girl, but there are a few people who think he will be a boy. Matthew and I don't really have a strong feeling one way or another, so we can't wait to know for sure tomorrow afternoon. We will keep you all posted!

Belly at 18 Weeks

What's Kickin'?

On February 4th, the most AMAZING thing happened!! I felt the baby kick for the first time! Matthew and I were sitting on the couch watching TV and all of a sudden I felt three soft little taps. Since then, I've felt many, many more, and I must say, it is the coolest feeling in the world! I can't wait until Matthew is able to feel them, too.

It Should Be Called "All Day Sickness"

Starting around week 6, I began experiencing constant stomach aches (literally 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) and lots of nausea and vomiting. For me, this sickness was definitely NOT limited to the morning. I tried many, many things to try to ease it all, but to no avail. Finally, just before my 8 week appointment, I called my doctor and was put on Zofran. It worked like a charm for the nausea and vomiting for about a week and a half, then only helped somewhat. I tried several more things to try to ease it (on top of the Zofran), and the only thing that helped was ginger capsules twice a day. I still had the stomach aches, of course, but the nausea and vomiting was fairly under control. Finally, at about 16 weeks, the stomach aches seemed to go away so I thought I would try to wean myself off of the Zofran but still take the ginger. Some days I think I'm doing okay, and others I clearly am not. I got sick four times in the last week and a half and have had stomach aches a few hours here and there. But, this is a huge improvement from where I started, so I can't really complain. As I am about to start my 19th week, I am hopeful that there is an end in sight to this unpleasant part of pregnancy.

Two Weeks Later...

16 weeks Pregnant

A Teeny Tiny Bit Bigger...

14 weeks Pregnant & Baby G at 13 weeks

The Beginnings of a Baby Bump...

12 weeks Pregnant

Telling our Parents the Good News

Soon after we found out that we were expecting, we decided to tell our parents. I made myself a shirt that said "Mommy to Be" to share the news and wore it underneath another shirt to their houses. While we were sitting in the living room chatting, I mentioned that it was getting hot (which gave me an excuse to take off the overshirt). Then I waited for our parents to realize what my shirt said. They were all very excited, as you can imagine!!

Baby G at 8 Weeks

Matthew and I found out that I was pregnant in November 2009. We were so excited!! Our first child is due on July 16, 2010!! I am thrilled to become a mommy for the first time and to see what an amazing daddy Matthew is going to be. He is already such a wonderful and loving husband to me and a sweet and caring "daddy" to our dog Hailee that I just know he will be a great father to our new little one. To the left are the first two pictures of Baby G (captured at 8 weeks).

About Erica and Matthew

Matthew and I were married on December 17, 2005 in Hurst, Texas. We then spent an amazing week at the Sandals Resort in the Bahamas for our honeymoon. We lived in our first house in Bedford until this past summer when we bought and moved into our second house in Keller. One thing we fell in love with about our new house is the neighborhood park right across the street. We can't wait to take our kids there to play!!