Baby Stone has ARRIVED!!!

PLEASE WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY 

KENSLEY GERTRUDE STONE

BORN 

FRIDAY 7/6/12 13:15 

7lb. 3oz. & 20" Length

* My entrance into this world was very bumpy but I'm doing well now. 

Thank you for praying for me and my mommy & daddy.

Love,

STL Stone Family

End of Week 36 into 37- June 28th, 2012

Hello family and friends!

First, we'd like to say how much we appreciate the prayers, love, and support these last 2 weeks.  

We are FINALLY considered full-term and baby will be in great position to have a safe and healthy delivery!  Today, we had our second doctors appointment for the week. It started with a high blood pressure reading for me, but a very good heart rate for Baby Stone.  Again, baby did not like the monitors squishing on the limited space so kept kicking/hitting the monitors.  When Dr. Gosser came into the room, he measured baby's size and we're definitely not having at a little one as we are looking the measurement of 39 weeks. After Dr. Gosser assessed everything, he suggested we talk about induction for next week.  We moved into another room to check on amniotic fluid levels.  At that point we found out that our little turkey took another flip and has moved back into breech position. WOW! Back to the drawing board.  

After some discussion, we now have a plan.  Because Justin and I want very much to have a natural delivery, we are scheduled for Dr. Gosser to attempt an external version to move the baby out of breech position.  If he is successful, he will administer 1 of 2 medications to begin the induction and send me home for the process to begin.  The thought would be to return to the hospital on Thursday for the remainder of labor and delivery.  If we aren't successful in moving baby out of breech position, we will deliver on Tuesday via c-section.  Of course, the ideal scenario we are praying for is for my body to naturally begin the process and for baby to turn before all of this plan has to play out. 

Our biggest praise through this "expect the unexpected" pregnancy, is that our precious little baby seems to be unscathed by the obstacles and trials my body has presented.  To this point, we have a baby who is thriving and developing beautifully, has a strong heartbeat, and is obviously moving like a champion.  I will endure anything I have to to make sure our baby is happy, healthy, and experiences as little stress through the labor and delivery process as humanly possible.  We hand all of our fears, concerns, worry and anxiety to God and pray that all of our health care providers are guided by Him.

Despite feeling overwhelmed by all of the decisions we have had to make today, we are so excited for the day we finally get to meet this little person we have been so blessed with conceiving. We can't wait to find out the gender and see who's nose baby will have. Will we have a red headed baby like Grammy Roena requested? Will baby have daddy's head and mommy's fair skin? Most importantly we want to see 10 fingers, 10 toes, and everything in between.

Hugs and blessings to everyone!

Justin and Erin

Week 35- June 13th, 2012

In week 35, thebump.com says the average size of a baby is that of a coconut which is around 5.5 lbs. Of course, our baby succeeded that statistic 2 weeks ago.  We are not sure of baby's weight this week but we know peanut is larger than average.  

While in the midst of end of pregnancy preparations, we hit a speed bump that stopped mommy in her tracks and ramped up daddy's to-do list.

Last Thursday, mommy was diagnosed with preeclampsia, which we knew would be a possibility because she fit the profile in many ways.  Although our OB has been prepping us for the possibility, mommy was a little emotional about the news.  As a result, bed/house rest with frequent monitoring has been ordered for mommy and baby.

We're taking it day by day at this point. Baby's heartrate was beautiful yesterday.  Amniotic fluid levels are still in the safe zone.  I am dilated 1/2 a centimeter, but that is no big deal and very common for 1st pregnancies, according to Dr. Gosser.  He, however, was very honest with us that the preeclampsia will only get worse so it is no longer IF there will be induction it is WHEN. The pregnancy will not go beyond the end of week 37 which falls around July 4th. Mommy has to go for more blood work to check liver enzymes and platelets as well as do another 24 hour protein test.  If those levels increase, we will be looking at dates to induce.  Mommy goes back to Dr. Gosser on Thursday to monitor baby's heart rate and amniotic fluid level.

Our immediate goal is to keep both of us safe (the only way to cure preeclampsia is to deliver), but we also want to make sure baby is fully developed. At this point mommy is trying to fight against what is normal for her, being on the go, by keeping as still as possible, which is driving her nuts.  She hates watching everyone scurrying around trying to do all of the last minute things without her participation, but we know she needs to follow doctors orders and we appreciate all of the help support, love, and company being provided during this time.  

 

A silver lining is that we found out baby is no longer breech so that decreases the chance of having to have a c-section. We're quite happy about that news and trying to figure out the point at which baby flipped.  Since we have a FULL movement baby, it is hard to detect that one moment that stole mommy's breath away.  We may have an acrobat or gymnast on our hands. 


Love, 


Justin & Erin Stone

Week 34- June 6th, 2012

At the very beginning of week 34, our little Butternut Squash was measured and photographed again in the presence of mommy, daddy, as well as grandma and grandpa Taylor. Although our little peanut got a 4 on a 10 point scale for cooperation, we received good news on growth and development. Most babies at this point measure at 17-18 inches and 4-5.8 lbs, but our little one weighed in at 6 lbs 3 oz and in the 78th percentile for size. This size is was surprising considering chronic high blood pressure in mother's usually renders smaller babies.  Mommy and daddy are feeling very blessed with such wonderful news. The perinatal doctor, Dr. Moore;  however, made it clear that mommy needs to make sure to take it easy the remaining of the pregnancy so to not elevated her blood pressure and create complications. We want to keep baby safely inside for the next 6 weeks to fully develop and have a healthy delivery.  From here on out, mommy and baby will be closely monitored by Dr. Gosser for a healthy heart beat, amniotic fluid levels, and appropriate growth.

This week mommy's friends threw her and baby a lovely shower. There were 17 wonderful friends in attendance.  Niki, Natalie, and Kari did a fabulous job organizing a fun them with bold beautiful colors and LOTS of very yummy desserts. There were a few fun little games and played the first one required everyone to refrain from saying "baby". This was a very difficult task for mommy and grandma Taylor because that is baby Stone's name right now.  It did not take long for our pacifier necklaces to be stolen.  Oh well, took the pressure off.  At this shower, the gift of choice was a bumbo seat and tray. By the end of the gift opening time, there were 4 bumbo seats in total and lots of laughter.  

Every morning mommy wakes up she and daddy think baby has grown bigger since the day before. It is getting more and more difficult to bend over and nearly impossible to put socks on so daddy steps in to help out. Mommy's appetite has also ramped up as quickly as her feet and ankles have swollen.  Hopefully the heat of St. Louis summer will not make the rest of mommy's body balloon up.  Mommy has gotten to a point where she could eat her way through a ripe watermelon in a day. The summer fruits are becoming more and 

more appealing.

Mommy's dreams have become more vivid and more confusing. The majority of the pregnancy mommy had been dreaming a lot about little baby boys, so the gut feeling was a little son.  The last few weeks, however, the dreams have turned to little girls.  Mommy is very confused but this makes the next few weeks even more exciting.  We can't wait to meet our little bundle.    

Please continue to pray for a healthy and comfortable remainder to the pregnancy! We appreciate all of your love and support!

Big Hug!

Justin and Erin

Week 33- June 1st, 2012

Luckily, our little one will not emulate a durian fruit although mommy and daddy are sure there will be plenty of other smells emitting after some time.  It is amazing how quickly this peanut will continue to quickly growth and develop.

We had a great visit to the doctor this week.  Mommy passed the non-stress test with flying colors and baby spent the entire 10 minutes hooked up by kicking the monitors. Apparently, the pressure of the monitors were cramping baby's style.  Mommy got to see little one, which was a nice bonus, even though we found out baby is breach.  Knowing that explains all of the movement patterns.  Mommy and Daddy are praying that Baby Stone figures it out and flips back to the head down position.  The amniotic  fluid level is also at a very good level. At this point, we're 4 weeks away from a safe full-term delivery and 7 weeks till the 40 week mark. Next week, mommy and daddy will be able to really see how baby is progressing at an in-depth ultrasound. We can't wait to hear how well the peanut is doing.

This week, mommy has been enjoying the freedom of no work schedule even though there are a few more things to do and another day at the office to make the fall therapy schedule for her substitute. After all of that is taken care of, we will have the rest of the pregnancy to get ready for baby's arrival.

Big Hug,

Justin and Erin

Week 32- May 27th, 2012

Our little squash of a baby was kept VERY busy this week as it was mommy's last official week of school and daddy's work schedule was  ramped up as well. Baby Stone is gaining weight and length while mommy is feeling every bit of it making her very tired, although the long work days could be contributing to that exhaustion.  Baby Stone attended an academic award ceremony, an 8th grade promotion, and two high school graduations.  The high school graduations were a very big deal for mommy because she saw her last group of students her previous school and her first group of students at her newest school graduate and move on to bigger and better things. 

 At the end of the week, six of mommy's colleagues threw her the first baby shower where baby stone was showered with many very cute items.  There was plenty of yummy food and fabulous carrot cupcakes made by Katie Borchardt.  Baby Stone was given several cute towels for bathtime and will look so adorable all wrapped up 

after freshly cleaned up.

After this week, mommy will have more time to get the house ready for Baby Stone's arrival!

 Love, 

 Erin & Justin

 

Week 31- May 20th, 2012

The weeks are flying by and baby keeps getting bigger! Our little is the size of a pineapple about 16 inches long and 3.5 lbs.  WOWIE!  Mommy thinks baby is going to really tall because the span of movement all at the same time is from top to bottom. It's hard to believe movement started with a little flutter like butterflies flipping around.  Daddy got a real whack this week, which felt like a few little thumps than straight to a punch which resulted in daddy saying, "Whoa, that was a big one!"  

Daddy and mommy signed up for a childbirth preparation class that will take place next weekend.  Hopefully our heads will not be spinning at the end of our 8 hour class and that we can keep ourselves together through the graphic parts.  We're sure there is much to learn and process.

Daddy has been working very hard and trying to balance baby preparation and full work schedule.  Mommy is trying to tie up the loose ends at school and closing out the year with a few days left.  Mommy's substitute came in for a few hours to tour the school and talk though student lists.  After a lot of preparation, mommy is in hopes to have the beginning of next school year planned before the of the week.  Finger's crossed!

After school is out, mommy will be interviewing childcare providers and searching for pediatricians. The mind reels with all of the preparations for a little person, but every decision is so important to mommy and daddy in order to make sure all out bases are not only covered but the best for our baby.  We are so lucky to have many people in our corner who have shared their experiences and successes which helped us find a place to start.

Here's to another 9 weeks of development and planning.

Lots of love to all of you,

Erin & Justin

Week 30 Photo in an awesome shirt!

Week 30- May 12th, 2012

At 30 weeks pregnant we have a wee one, the length of a cucumber approximately 16 inches long and 3 lbs.  The week was a bit rough, but mommy made it through with some bruises and sore muscles.  After one of mommy's students accidently kneed mommy in the lower abdomen, mommy and daddy had a little scare because baby wasn't as active right away. With some time and a trip to Dr. Gosser, mommy and baby were given a clean bill of health and baby resumed kicking away.  Extra precautions will be put in place for the last 2 weeks of school so that no more blows are delivered to mommy.

Mommy and daddy took tours of possible hospitals this week. We have it down between 2 that have completely different sets of pros and cons. In addition to this decision, we are looking forward to enrolling in and taking the lamaze and child preparation classes. Mommy and daddy still need to narrow down the names. We will be selecting 2 names for each gender and decide when we meet our lovely baby.

The third trimester is going to fly by and so many things remain on the to-do list. Daddy has the nursery mostly in order to pick up items being given to us by friends.  The nursery will be full before we know it.  There is one more bigger ultrasound scheduled for early June so we can monitor baby's size.  Grandma and Grandpa Taylor are looking forward to seeing baby Stone and this will be the absolute first ultrasound grandma has ever seen. She is SOOO excited! Hopefully baby's gender will remain a secret through this photo opportunity.

From here on out baby will put on approximately a half a pound per week. So as our baby's brain continues to develop, they will also plump up to be ready for life with mommy and daddy.

Happy Mother's day to all the women in our lives!

Big Hug,

Justin and Erin

Please pray for our friends: A Contrarian's Way: Settle In For The Night - 2PM

A Contrarian's Way: Settle In For The Night - 2PM

Week 29- May 2, 2012

Our little acorn squash is estimated to be an average size of 15.2 - 16.7 inches long from head to foot  and 2.5 - 3.8 lbs... WOW!!! We're moving right along.  Because of the baby's size, mommy has been able to SEE movements when sitting quietly.  While sitting on the couch on Saturday, baby was kicking up high and mommy's tummy was moving up and down.  It was quite amazing.  Despite baby either being more active or just getting bigger so movements are felt better, our little one continues to stop when daddy tries to feel it... stinker! 

Not a whole lot to report for week 29, but mommy and daddy scheduled a tour to both of the hospital options. That will be an even bigger reality check. We're in hopes to have the location of the delivery decided on, get ourselves pre-registered, and sign up for classes very soon so we are are prepared as we can be for this process.

Daddy has been working a lot, tis the season, and mommy has been working around the house and sleeping, a total change of pace compared to the life she has lead up until now. Daddy's search for a new job continues and mommy's search for childcare begins.  The thought of arranging for a place to drop our baby off creates anxiety, but it has to happen.  Mommy and Daddy have been attending a Parenting DOJO class at church to learn easy ways to create a Christian home environment for our family. We have been introduced to many great strategies!

The big number 30 is right around the corner so here's to getting that much closer to the day we meet our sweet pea!

Big Hug!

Justin and Erin

Week 28- April 28, 2012

Week 28 has delivered us a lot of growth. Baby is stretching out and reaching angles never been touched before and is the size of a rutabaga. Didn't know a rutabaga was 15 inches in diameter...WHOA!  Mommy is mesmerized by the movements and loves knowing everything is going well in there (despite some discomfort at times). Friends, Donna and Russ, gave mommy and daddy a baby heart monitor to use.  Mommy thought it was terribly cute when daddy hooked up the speakers to talk to baby and baby kicked in the places the sound was coming from.  AMAZING! Oh, how we can't wait to meet our special little gift!

So week 28 talks a lot about dreams... Mommy's have been VIVID this week. Exhaustion hit hard after the work trip so mommy has been falling asleep while reading and even while talking to daddy.  Daddy reports that mommy has been talking a lot in her sleep the last few days but can't make out the conversation.  These dreams must be so vivid mommy is acting them out. I can only imagine what baby Stone is dreaming about. 

We had our 28 week checkup on Monday and received the wonderful news that mommy passed her 3 hour gestational diabetes test. We are processing sugars perfectly so no additional concerns for that part of the pregnancy.  Dr. Gosser did recommend another follow-up ultrasound in a few weeks in order to monitor baby's growth since blood pressure continues to be a concern. Mommy has been checking blood pressure 2 times a day... some days are better than others, but nothing in an alarming range. There are only about 20 more days of school left for the year so hopefully ending the stress of work before baby comes will help with the stability of blood pressure.  Here's to hoping!  

After the doctor's appointment, mommy and daddy went to work a little more on the baby registry. Daddy had full control over the scan gun and was running all over the store zapping away while mommy was "testing out" the gliders and ottomans.  Daddy sure was having fun! Unfortunately, when we went to turn in the scan gun, nothing registered. Poor daddy has to go back and do it again (although I think he will have the same fun zapping away). 

Mommy's students have been making comments now about the size of baby.  As mommy and daddy noticed in the last few weeks, baby has popped.  Mommy keeps hearing, "Ms. Taylor (the kids can't get used the married name), you've grown!" or "That baby got BIG!" The students are getting more and more excited and keep sharing their thoughts on what baby will be.  One student even keeps trying to name baby Stone. The students who have been historically difficult have become so sweet and respectful now that they can see, without a doubt, there's a baby involved.  Mommy knew they had it in them.

Now that mommy is officially 7 months pregnant, the days are being counted down and planning kicked in high gear. With the nursery painted, we are on our way to getting things together.  WOOHOO!  Excitement!

Big hugs to everyone!

Love,

Justin and Erin

WEEK 27- April 21st, 2012

This week's update... a little late due to travel...thanks for your patience!

Baby Stone is about the size of a cauliflower this week weighing in at approximately 2 lbs, 14 ounces.  With this rate of growth, mommy and baby needs to appreciate the little bit of wiggle room there is right now.  The extra cabin space is going to shrink very quickly!

Going into the 27th week was quite busy.  Daddy's work schedule ramped up and mommy was planning for a business trip. The week began celebrating grandma Char's birthday where the nieces and nephew put their order in on the gender of their newest cousin. Sophia and Isaac want a boy, but Cecily wants a little girl. Grandma Char is fighting the urge start buying clothes because she found a cute little romper for a baby boy. Guess they will all be surprised when baby Stone decides to make an appearance.

Mommy and daddy spent some time trying to decide on a color of paint for the nursery.  Daddy is WAY more artistic than mommy and we spent a lot of time narrowing down to the final 2 choices. Mommy liked them both equally (although pretty different) so she told daddy to make the final call.  Daddy painted the nursery while mommy was away in Baltimore and wouldn't tell what he chose.  Mommy had a surprise in store and it turned out beautiful... a beautiful shade called Vanilla Brandy... looks as yummy as it sounds!

Baby Stone has grown a lot over the last week. So much so that the baby belly comments have started at work… “WOW! You are really starting to show!” or “That top really enhances your belly!” Not sure what to think about all of this attention, but glad that baby is still growing and thriving!  Mommy thinks the sure sign of baby’s growth right now is the fact that movement is no longer limited to the left side of the tummy.  Baby Stone is now creeping to the right side of mommy’s belly button.

Mommy and baby went on their last flight together before the birth.  We traveled to Baltimore, MD for an ASHA committee meeting.  The last time mommy saw the committee was a few months before the wedding.  During that visit to Maryland, mommy talked to her committee friends about the fear of not being able to get pregnant easily.  Since that was not the case, everyone was SOOOO excited to see mommy and hear all about the baby plans. While in the meeting today, mommy felt baby hiccup for the first time.  It was so cute, mommy didn't pay attention to what was going on at the time... hope it wasn't too important!

During the flight to Baltimore, Baby Stone was very active and kicked a lot. The ride was pretty turbulent so mommy wondered if it was a little like a roller coaster ride for baby.  Night times, on the trip, were consistent for mommy and baby with the little one waking up around 2 a.m.. Without the golden pregnancy pillow, it was a little hard to get comfortable in the hotel bed but mommy built a little cocoon out of pillows.  The flight home was quite uneventful, just how mommy likes it, and the trip was a nice way to end traveling before baby comes.

On the medical front, mommy did not pass the first glucose tolerance test and needs to take the more in depth one very soon.  We are hoping that sugars don’t have to be cut out for the remainder of the pregnancy!  Mommy and baby CRAVE carbohydrates and chocolate, luckily after doing some research, fruits can still be a part of our daily consumption.  One of mommy’s friends at work has been spoiling her and leaving little treats on her desk every day. Mrs. Wags has left so many wonderful spring fruits like bananas, apples, watermelon, strawberries, and cantaloupe to yogurt and little cookies (portioned controlled). We have been eating like royalty. So, we’ll probably be just fine without the processed sugars since the fruits have all been so delicious!

Here’s to great week 28!

Big hug,

Justin and Erin

My beautiful wife at 25 weeks

Pregnancy Early April 2012

Easter with Taylor Family 2012

Week 25 Ultrasound at the Perinatal Center 

St. Anthony's Hospital

Week 26- April 11th, 2012

At week 26, our wee one is approximately 10 inches long from head to rump (the size of one liter of soda) and weighs about 2 lbs. It is amazing how everything forms and develops week by week and we continue to be astonished by the progress!

Mommy and daddy started the baby registry last week and felt like some of the items got the best of us! Boy things have changed since most of mommy's friends were shopping and using baby items.  One of the strollers had our heads spinning... WOW! This little person requires a lot stuff and we are just getting started.

Some wonderful and revitalizing news came our way last Thursday when we heard another couple from church gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy. Mommy and Daddy went to the hospital to visit Mike, Sara, and baby Nolan and got to hold and stare at this perfect little man God created.  Mommy felt overwhelmed with relief to see a healthy baby born in an uneventful and successful delivery.

Over the Easter holiday weekend, daddy made more progress on emptying the nursery to get ready for painting and furniture for baby. The overall idea of the nursery has not been determined yet, but the process has started. Mommy has her ideas and daddy has his.  It will be fun to see how it all unfolds.  Mommy will be out of town next week so daddy wants to get the painting started and the fumes out by 

the time mommy returns.

The process of selecting a name continues. Mommy and Daddy decided to pick 2 names for each gender and decide on the final name when we meet our baby. There's a running list that will float around for a while until we can widdle it down to 2 solid names. Hmm... What will it be?

Daddy got to feel a good kick last night but still questioned if it was mommy breathing or the swat of our little person.  With the increased strength, movement and growth of baby Stone mommy has jumped a few times from the pressure.  We're having fun with this...maybe until baby gets lodged in something uncomfortable.

Daddy is still in pursuit of a new job that will be more family friendly.  He had in interview on Monday and was quite excited about the prospect! We are praying that God will provide him with a job that allows him to put his passions to use and allow for our family to be financially stable at the same time. 

Thank you to all of our family and friends for support, love, and excitement!

Love,

Erin & Justin

video of what Baby Stone is probably doing right now:

http://www.babycenter.com/2_inside-pregnancy-weeks-21-to-27_10312242.bc

At Lindsay & Doug's Wedding 

(March 2012)

Our First Christmas as Mr. & Mrs Stone

(w/ Baby Stone already growing)

WEEK 25- April 4th, 2012

Baby Stone was popular this week...pictures taken, audio recorded, and video taped.  Mommy and daddy made a trip to the High Risk perinatal center at St. Anthony's Hospital on Monday, April 2nd, to get a better view of our little eggplant. The ultrasound started at 8:15 in the morning in the BMW of ultra sound rooms and quite a comfortable chair. That time of the morning happens to be baby's active time of day. In order to assure baby would be awake, mommy followed the advice of her friend, Kristen, and had peanut butter and honey on an English muffin for breakfast.  Our ultrasound tech, Marylou, said that this might have worked because she had baby's undivided attention and the appropriate amount of movement... at least for a little while. Marylou was able to get all of the necessary measurements putting Baby Stone in the 63rd percentile weighing 1 lb 14 ounces (with a normal sized head, thank you very much!).  Baby started to get a little rambunctious when Marylou tried to get pictures of baby's face so we could see fully formed lips, palate, and nose (for the speech language pathologist in mommy). Every time Marylou tried to get a shot, baby turned the other direction or kicked the ultrasound wand.  Marylou had to call in back up and that is when we met Dr. Webb. Dr. Webb was able to get the right glimpses of our baby's face to report everything is fully formed. While the doctor did his work, daddy and mommy got to see all four chambers of the heart, fully formed major arteries pumping blood, got a great look at all of the major sections of baby's brain (we think we have an Einstein on our hands), and even witnessed a really good kick on screen. Baby is also already head down. Fingers crossed he/she stays there so no worry about breach. Our sweet little baby got a stellar report from Dr. Webb.  The relief was overwhelming! Daddy pointed out to Dr. Webb that baby's legs were crossed at the last ultrasound so we wouldn't have been able to find out gender then.  Dr. Webb said that he knew the sex of our baby within a few minutes of exploring.  Mommy and daddy did not budge and we still look forward to finding out our surprise in July.

Later that day, mommy and grandma Char went to the monthly doctor's visit with Dr. Gosser.  Baby Stone is measuring out just on target at week 25 and we got to hear the heart beat again... So AMAZING! Dr. Gosser is a wonderful Christian man and spent a lot of time calming mommy's fears with the recent loss of baby Jordyn. The report from the high risk clinic was faxed over while mommy and grandma were with Dr. Gosser and he restated the glowing report.  NO NEED for further appointments with the at-risk doctors! Praise the Lord!

Baby Stone has been an active little booger all week and mommy wonders if there has been any sleep at all. It seems that baby is rocking and rolling all of the time and really likes music.  There is extra activity during music worship at church and while Pastor Matt is preaching.  We hope that means baby will be on good behavior when we go to church as a family.

Mommy's feet have started to swell quite a bit in the last week and hoping it will be under control with a few suggestions from mommy's friends.  The unseasonably warm weather is not helping the situation, but the feet go up whenever mommy is stationary.  Aunt Melissa sent daddy on a mission to get the Cadillac of all pregnancy pillows so mommy has been sleeping like a rock since last Friday night. THANK YOU Aunt Melissa for spoiling mommy!

We appreciate all of the love an support we have gotten from all of you!

Big hugs,

Justin & Erin

Week 25 of Pregnancy: Baby's Lung Development

Your baby is about nine inches long and more than a pound and a half in weight this week. And don't look now (as if you could), but your baby's skin is turning pinker as small blood vessels form under the skin and fill with blood. Lungs and nostrils are also growing at this stage of fetal development.

At nine inches and more than a pound and a half in weight, your baby is taller than two juice boxes stacked one on top of the other, and almost as heavy as four of those little boxes (an analogy you'll find particularly apropos in a few years, when those juice boxes start taking over your refrigerator, your pantry, your car.…).

Don't look now (as if you could), but your baby's skin is turning pinker. No, not because he or she's getting overheated (in fact, the amniotic fluid is perfectly climate controlled, keeping your baby at an always comfortable temperature), but because small blood vessels, called capillaries, are forming under the skin and filling with blood. Later this week, blood vessels will also develop in your baby's lungs, bringing them one step closer to full maturity — and one step closer to taking that first breath of fresh air. But at 25 weeks pregnant, those lungs are still very much works in progress. Though they are already beginning to develop surfactant, a substance that will help the lungs expand after the baby is born, the lungs are still too undeveloped to sufficiently send oxygen to the bloodstream and release carbon dioxide when he or she exhales.

The lungs aren't the only system that's gearing up for air intake. Your baby's nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open this week. This actually allows your little one to begin taking practice breaths. (Of course since there's no air in there, your baby is really only "breathing" amniotic fluid, but it's the practice that counts, right?)

WEEK 24- March 28th, 2012

We apologize for the delay in this update. Week 24 was a rough one.

Our little grapefruit is about 8 1/2 inches from head to rump this week and weighs about 1 1/2 pounds. The next couple of weeks will be big weight gains and length increases for our wee one. Daddy has had more opportunities to feel some movement, but it still seems to be a bit to faint for him to truly know what he is feeling.  Baby Stone has definitely taken preference to one side of mommy with most thumps being delivered to the left side of the belly button.  Baby has grown enough for mommy to fill into the maternity tops quite nicely and there is NO question a baby is growing.  With the increasing ability to hear, baby jumps whenever mommy checks her blood pressure at home. The humming of the machine must be startling.  This week, the baby's face is fully formed and the color of the hair is determined.  Will be have a red-headed mini-mommy to carry on the unique gene?  Hmmmm... guess we will find out in July.

So, luckily, Baby Stone has been proving to mommy that all is well inside.  Mommy and daddy have had quite an emotional week with the death of their friend's newborn baby, Jordyn.  Mommy has been waiting for every little kick and flutter and appreciates all of the opportunities to experience the life inside while agonizing Kelly and Dennis's loss. Mommy and Daddy attended baby Jordyn's memorial service and paid respect to the beautiful little girl we were so anxious to meet. This experience, although, creates some anxiety, has made us look forward to meeting a baby even more. God is with us on this journey for sure! 

Thank you to all of the love and support we have received from our family and friends.

Big hugs,

Justin and Erin

Week 24 of Pregnancy

Your baby's facial features are really filling out…and your belly button may be really popping out!

 Your baby is about eight and a half inches long and weighs one and a half pounds, gaining steadily at a rate of six ounces per week. Much of that weight comes from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones, and muscle. Those little ears of hers are getting sharper and can hear very loud sounds, from a yapping dog to a jackhammer. Also by now, that fabulous face is almost fully formed, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair. Is your baby a brunette, a blonde, or a redhead? Actually, right now her locks are white since there's no pigment yet