Ringing in the New Year...Happy 2011!

To start off the day the Boss had some extra special pancakes. On Thursday night we watched Man vs Food, where he was challenged to eat 4lbs of blueberry pancakes with a pound of toppings. The Boss decided he wanted to give BIG pancakes a try. FYI for those of you that don't know the Boss LOVES pancakes. I would say they are one of his favorite foods. So I told him that Friday morning we would make some homemade pancakes. He insisted that they be BIG pancakes and that they have lots of toppings.
So this morning I got up and made him a pancake to die for. It was a plate size whole wheat pancake. It was topped with marshmellows, oreo cookies, coconut, butter pecan syrup and whipped cream. Now how is that for fantastic pancake concoction? I took a couple of picture to commemorate the occasion.



We spent most of the day running errands and such. I snuck in a short nap which was nice. This evening was spent in our traditional manner. We made finger foods and had football games on. The Boss and Daddy took a couple of breaks to play hoops in his room on his new goal and Milo played steal the ball away from them. It was a great evening. The Boss was determined to stay up till midnight. So I got a good picture of my two boys in their celebratory hats. I also got a pic of Baby M in a hat which I call my Belly in Hat picture. I hope that you enjoy the pictures. It is time for me to get back to working on baby projects and giving Granny some sewing motivation for the bassinet cover. I hope everyone has a wonderful new year and that we will all be blessed in 2011!

Week 37 - (Swiss Chard) FULL TERM!!!

Baby M is now considered "full term," even though our due date is three weeks away. (C-section in 14 days) If I go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb.

She weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). She's still packing on about a half pound a week (at this age, the average fetus weighs about 6.5 pounds). That makes it a little crowded in your uterus, so she’s probably not kicking as much, though she’s probably stretching, rolling a bit, and wiggling (all of which you’ll be able to feel!). Right now, your little superstar is busy rehearsing for her big debut, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid (to get the lungs ready for that first breath), sucking her thumb (to prepare for that first suckle of milk), blinking, and turning from side to side.

Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as ours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Appointment #12 - The One That Almost Wasn't

Yesterday should have been my 12th appointment with my OB however my automobile had other plans. Last week I got this light on the dash that the stabilitrack was off and that I needed to service my brakes soon. I didn't think too much about it cause it went away. Well as the weekend got here and we spent more time in Louisiana that light started coming on pretty often. Let me just tell you it wasn't just a light on the dash it would ding incessantly for a couple of minutes with no way to turn it off. Very annoying so since I had a few hours to kill on Monday I brought the Acadia in for some service. I really didn't expect it to be a big deal, but today is now Wednesday and I just got the Acadia back this afternoon. Well I didn't really think about it Monday when they said they were still working on it cause they couldn't figure out the problem. Usually not a good sign I know. LATE Monday night it dawns on me that I am scheduled for my appointment the next morning and have no way to get there. So I call on Tuesday and reschedule for Wednesday thinking for sure I will have my vehicle back. NOPE! They figure out the problem but have to wait on a part to finish fixing it. They tell me that it will be Wednesday afternoon before I have the vehicle back. So I bet you are wondering how I got to my appointment. This time Max was on this side of town for the day and was able to loan me his car for the morning. Thankfully!
So the Boss and I dropped him off at work and hit the rainy road to the med center. We had an uneventful trip up there so that is always good. The Boss has been telling me all week that he didn't want to go with me cause he didn't want to spoil the surprise of waiting to see his sister until she was born. Today my regular Doctor was out so I was scheduled to see one of the partners. Dr. Su. His assistant was very nice a was very taken with the Boss. She was impressed by how tall he was and told him he was very handsome. He spent most of the visit checking everything out and asking me what everything was for. Today for the first time I got to hear Baby M's heart beat on the doppler. I have been having ultrasounds each visit so I hadn't heard the heartbeat other than once when I heard it at home. The Boss thought that was pretty cool. Dr. Su came in and asked how everything was going. I told him all was well. He told me if I have any contractions or any problems to go straight to the hospital and do not pass go. At the end of the checkup Maddox told him his name sounded a lot like Dr. Suess. LOL Also the Boss didn't have his surprise ruined because we didn't have an ultrasound today so he will have to wait until she arrives to see her. He got his wish after all.

Operation Prep for Baby M

So we have been talking about it for a while now, but this week we are in Operation Prep for Baby M mode. I think it is finally hitting us that she will be here shortly. Actually just about 2 weeks from now if she doesn't come early. We still have a lot to do to get ready. I just started packing my bag for the hospital, but it isn't anywhere near complete. I have been sorting clothes that have been given to us to find all the appropriate sized clothing. I washed all of the hooded bath towels and wash clothes this evening. The Boss helped me carry all of the diapers into the office closet. It seems like she has a lot when you look at them now but as soon as she starts using them I am sure what we have will go quickly. The final act of the evening was Daddy going up into the attic and getting down all of the baby items from when the Boss was little. Now the task of sorting, washing, trashing, cleaning and donating begins. Should be a fun rest of the week for me. Did I mention that I am also trying to get my house clean and in order with a 5 year old running around taking everything out and playing with it? Please everyone pray that I...1) get some energy 2) get my tasks accomplished 3) don't go into labor doing it 4) am mostly ready with a clean house by the time she arrives.

Christmas Recap

Alrighty so the pictures uploaded in reverse order so you all will get a reverse recap!
ENJOY!!!

The Vige's at Granny's house in front of the tree.


Auntie Shyra & Granny posing by the tree on Christmas Day.


A lovely picture of me taken by Auntie Shyra while the presents were being opened.


The Boss showing off all of his Star Wars figures. Trying to see how many he could hold at once.


Christmas Eve Baseball! The Boss fielding the ball. Both of the brothers got their little one a baseball T, glove, bat & balls for Christmas and neither one had spoken to the other before they bought it. Talk about great minds thinking alike...and the kids loved them.


Cousin A trying to throw out the Boss


Coach Max giving batting tips


Coach Paran giving Cousin A batting tips


Fun trying to tag eachother out!


Check out our super car with bats for oars. They had so much fun playing with the boxes and the chairs.


The Boss showing off his new Star Wars gear.


Cousin A and the Boss opening their presents on Christmas Eve in E-Town.


The stockings hung with care at the Vige's in Texas!

Week 36 - (Crenshaw Melon)

Can you see how the Holidays have affected me? First I was late posting about my 11th appointment last Monday and then I totally skipped over Thursday's post about week 36. So better late than never right...


Baby M is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. She swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.
At the end of this week, Baby M will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) She's in a head-down position. But if she wasn't, my Doctor might suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying he'll try to coax the baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of my belly. Luckily I don't have to worry about that.

Can you believe there is only 2.5 weeks left until Baby M arrives? (and no I am not trying to be coy and still refer to her as Baby M while having a name picked out already. We are narrowing it down but so far we haven't chosen the winner. It might just be a game time decision.)

Appointment #11 - (12-20-10)

The most eventful part of my visit on Monday was the traffic getting to the Medical Center for the appointment. There was an accident on 45. It took me an hour to get from Nasa to Bay Area. That is only about a mile or two. I actually did make it to my appointment with 2 minutes to spare though. I did the usual stuff. I weighed and got my blood pressure taken. I had another ultrasound. She is measuring great and had her hands in front of her face. It was so cute. After that I had to give a little of my red stuff for some blood work. Even that wasn't bad. I am scheduled to see Dr. Su next Tuesday. In the 7 years I have been to Dr. Mundy he is the only one in the group I have seen. Should be interesting to see someone else and I will have Maddox with me. It should be fun.
The picture at the top of this post is a construction site that I pass on the way to my appointment. I think it is so cute and funny.

Week 35 - Honeydew

Baby M doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 6 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight. While she won't get much longer, she will continue to pack on the pounds — including large amounts of baby fat — right up 'til delivery day. Something else that's moving at a mind-boggling pace these day: fetal brain development! There’s a lot going on inside that tiny head, which is, by the way, still soft to allow an easier exit through the birth canal.

Surprise, Surprise!!

Today my co-workers threw me a surprise baby shower! It was really sweet. I got tons of diapers and lots of other really great things. They even made sure that there was food there that I would be able to eat. How awesome are they. I work with some really wonderful individuals and I am very thankful and blessed to have them. After I get a chance to sort through all of the great stuff I will try to post pictures.

Appointment #10 (12-14-10)

Today was appointment #10 woo hoo! It was the usual apptointment which is nothing eventful. I did get an ultrasound to check on Baby M's size. She is currently measuring 6lbs 3oz and I have 4 weeks left so if she gains 0.5 to 1lb per week... she will be 8.3 to 10.3lbs when she is born. Good thing I decided to go ahead and schedule a C-section. I can't imagine me delivering a 10lb baby naturally. I am a wuss. I have no pictures this week cause she had her hand in front of her face. It was so cute but wouldn't have made for a good picture. Well from now on I get to go once a week so only 3-4 more visits and she will be here. Everyone pray for me that I can get everything done in time.

BLESSED

I just thought I should take a moment today to thank God for all of my many blessings!
• I am thankful for first and foremost my family. I would not be the person I am today without my wonderful family. By family I mean everyone I am related to...My mom and dad, my sisters, my hubby, my son, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins...and the list seems endless. You all mean the world to me. Not a day goes by that I don't thank the Lord for my family. You are my rock.
• I am thankful for my health. I know that I am not in super star shape by any stretch but lately I have been reminded of what I do have and how precious it is. No one should take their health for granted. Be happy with what you have because there is always someone out there that would give anything to have what you have.
• I am thankful that I have work. I am blessed every day by having a job that I find interesting and sometimes exciting. Not every day is great but with so many people out of work I count my blessings to have such an opportunity to do what I do.
• I am thankful for my faith. I would be lost without my faith in God and what he can provide. There have been so many times when I wondered how I would get through something, but the Lord has always provided when I am in need. With this goes a deep gratitude that I live in the US where I can freely show my beliefs and be proud of them.
• I am thankful for all of my friends. Friends come in all forms. Some are just around for a little while to get you through something in particular. Some around for the long haul that you don't know what you would do without them. Some you don't see all the time or even talk to that often but you can instantly pick up where you left off. All of these different types of friends have a special place in my heart.
I am sure that I could make a long list of all the wonderful things in my life, but the highlights are listed above.
Take a minute if you can and leave a comment about one thing that you are thankful for or that makes you feel blessed.
Everyone have a very Happy December 13th, 2010!

Week 34 - Weight of a Cantaloupe

Baby M now weighs about 4 3/4 - 5 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18-20 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. The vernix (the white coating protecting your baby’s skin) is getting thicker. In other baby-related developments, those tiny fingernails have probably reached the tips of his fingers by now — and getting ready for that first postpartum manicure. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Week 33 - Pineapple

This week baby M weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. Baby M is putting on about a half a pound a week at this point. She will grow up to another full inch this week. With that much of her inside, I have all the fluid I can get in there. Which is why her pokes and kicks seem a lot stronger and sharper these days. (Not as much fluid to cushion the blow) She rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood. Antibodies are being passed from me to her as she continues to develop her own immune system, which will come in handy once she's outside the womb and fending off all sorts of germs.

The time is already starting to hit warp speed. I can't believe a week has passed since I was posting about Thanksgiving. December sure is starting off quickly. My TO DO list is HUGE... oh well. I am sure that it will all get done at some point.

The Bump

So I haven't shown you all how much the bump has grown lately and the picture from Thanksgiving was from a flattering angle. So I have decided to show you real pictures of the BABY BUMP = that big ole, big ole bump. I took the pics this morning before my appointment in the mirror. (Please excuse said mirror from being a little blurry. I didn't realize I needed to clean it so badly until I took these pictures) So although I have lost weight while being pregnant you would never know it by looking at the bump.
I hope these pics don't scare you all away. Please leave nice comments about the big basketball I am now carrying under my clothes. She will be here in just few short weeks.

Holiday Card Season is Here - Try Shutterfly

Christmas Card season is here. I can’t wait to get my Christmas cards out this year. Sharing and creating my Christmas cards each year is one of the season’s highlights for me. In the past I have used Walgreens for my photo cards. This past summer I went to a Shutterfly introduction event at a friend’s house and was hooked by their products and options. Right after that I set up Shutterfly web page. If you would like to check out my Shutterfly web page follow this link: Vige Family Shutterfly Page
My friend has used Shutterfly for years. She had lots of cards and books for us to look at. After the event I got some free cards that I could use. I decided to make pregnancy announcement cards. Check them out here – Big Brother. They were so great. I got so many compliments on the cards.

This year we actually got family portraits. Normally we just do a Christmas card of Maddox. I am not a big picture person of myself but I am so proud of the pictures that our friend Charity took of us I can’t wait to share. She takes great pictures. I know I have linked to her work before but if you haven’t gone to check it out please take a minute to look at her work – CAT Photography.

So here is the exciting part I found this while reading other blogs and I couldn’t wait to share with all of you. If you are a blogger you can get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… learn more: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Now go to any of the links below to check out all of the great products that they offer and make your Christams cards, Calendars or Photos today.

• Christmas cards

• Photo cards

• Calendars

• Holiday tags

• Photo wall art

• Story cards

Appointment #9 - (11-30-10)

Today was a quick appointment! All went well. She is looking great. I am doing well. She is currently about 4lbs 8oz or so and measuring a little bit ahead but pretty close to the actual week. Dr. Mundy reserved me an 11:30am appt at Memorial Hermann Medical Downtown Operating Room for January 13th. That means folks that I have 6 weeks and a day left! It seems to have passed so quickly. Everyone say a prayer that I can get all of the last minute things done during the Holidays so that when she gets here I am as ready as I can be.
Here is a pic from today's visit.



Her face is to the left of the screen. She didn't really want her picture taken today. She was hiding a little.

Turkey Day Pics

A few pictures from our low key Turkey Day today!

THE TABLE

THE FOOD

THE TURKEY

THE BABY BUMP

Week 32 - Happy for my little Turkey in the oven week!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!



By now, Baby M weighs over 4.5 pounds (the size of a small chicken, not actually a turkey) and is about 18 inches long, taking up a lot of space in my uterus. I am supposed to be gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to the baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth. In these past few weeks, it's all about practice, practice, practice as she hones the skills she'll need to thrive outside the womb — from swallowing and breathing to kicking and sucking. And speaking of sucking, my little one has been able to suck her thumb for a while now!

I want to take a minute to wish everyone of our family blog readers a very Happy Thanksgiving! There are so many things that we are thankful for this year.

Grandparents Day!

Maddox's Kindergarten class put on a performance this week for the Grandparent's. Here is my little guy all dressed up before school in his Western gear.


I dropped Maddox off at school in his Western wear. He was so nervous that no one else would be dressed like him.

For the first part of Grandparents Day they put on a Pilgrims and Indians play for the Grandparents. The grandparents got to eat pie.

Here is a pic of Maddox and his buddy Avery.

A little while later the Kindergarten, First and Second grade classes put on a show in the auditorium in their Western Wear singing songs like "Deep in the Heart of Texas!"

After the show was over Granny took Maddox to the new park in League City to burn off some more energy.

Look What I Finished

I know it took me a while, but I had to overcome my fear of working on it. I made a Boppy Cover! I was a little worried with all the rounded stitching and the zipper and there weren't a ton of pieces but more than I had thought at first. I sat down today and decided "No more procrastinating...I am going to finish this!" I finished it...and it fits! I am not tooting my own horn but I am so excited. I finished this whole project by myself. I am not a sewer but slowly hopefully I will get there one project at a time. So you can all ooh and ahh! LOL here are some pictures of my work. Thank goodness you can't see the stitches.

Week 31 - My Sack of 4 Navel Oranges

This week, baby M measures over 16-18 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's is moving a lot, too, so far the baby's kicks and somersaults have not kept me up. But I am to take comfort: All this moving is a sign that Baby M is active and healthy. This week she is working on her brain connections (she's got to make trillions of them!). She's now processing information, tracking light, and perceiving signals from all five senses. She's also putting in longer stretches of sleep, which is why I am probably noticing more defined patterns of wakefulness (and movement) and rest (when she’s pretty still).


Overall things are going really well. I must say that I am really celebrating today. I passed my Internation Space Station Book Manager Certification. So now I have the credentials that go with my job. Yee Haw! I have two books for ISS. One is the Communications & Tracking book and the other is for the HTV (Japanese Cargo Vehicle) Robotics book. Now I sleep better knowing that I have completed another thing off my list.

Appointment #8 - (11-16-10)

Today was my 8th appointment with Dr. Mundy and my first appointment of the every two week variety. I am not looking forward to making that drive every two weeks and then every week coming up here soon. There were 2 accidents and a stalled vehicle in my lane on the way over. His office is up in the Medical Center and we live in League City. It takes about 30 min in good traffic and up to an hour in gnasty traffic. (Such is life in the Houston area) I was a little late but not too bad considering the morning I had today. When I got there the waiting room was jam packed so I thought I would have to wait forever...but all of those other ladies were waiting to see one of the other 3 doctors in the practice. My doc was on call at the hospital so he just had a couple patients scheduled. YAY! I did the usual weigh in first thing. For the very first time since starting to see Dr. Mundy over 6 years ago I was actually ok with the number on the scale. I weighed less than before I got pregnant in April and less than I did for my annual checkup last December. Hard to believe I am losing weight while growing a big ole baby belly but it is happening. Just too weird to wrap my head around but I am not upset about that at all. On to the good stuff. Doc said all of my numbers looked great. He was pleased that everything is going well. I asked him if I could indulge a little for Turkey Day, Birhtdya and Christmas holidays coming up and he said sure as long as I don't overdo it and go hog wild. That makes me feel so much better about that cornbread dressing I plan on eating next week. Can't wait!!! So we are still on track for January 13th. He did tell me one thing that totally caught me off guard... He says "By the way if you have any contractions just go in to the hospital no need to call." So I asked, "Any contractions not just at a certain point?" He replied "Yes any contractions just come on in. It is easier to send you home than for you to get too far along!" I have 8 weeks left till my scheduled by day at 39 weeks. I am NOT ready yet. Guess I better light a big ole fire under my tushy. Now he has made me think it is closer than I was thinking. So after that nugget of information he sent me for another ultrasound. She is still head down. She has plenty of fluid around her. She is measuring 4lbs 2oz which puts her measuring about 32 weeks. I will be 31 weeks on Thursday so she is still a little bit ahead on the growth chart but that is what I expected. She looked just great and in exciting news. I FINALLY got a really good pic of the goods and she is a girl...no more well we can't see any boy parts so we think it is a girl. Today we finally got a pretty good look. Now we just have to decide on a name for our new little M. Wish us luck with that endeavor. If we are lucky we may decide on one before she gets here.

Happy Baptism Day!

Today was Maddox's Baptism Day! We celebrate every year on this very special day. If you ask him I think he just knows it as "Cookie Day!". Shyra his aunt and Godmother made him a really cute plate when he was baptised as a gift. On his baptism day each year you are supposed to eat a cookie off the plate to remember the special day! So here is to another special Baptism Day!

My Special Picture

I wanted to share with all of you a picture from my last launch support mission to KSC back in April. We worked with the STS-132/ULF4 shuttle crew. They were awesome. I can't say enough about how nice the crew was and how much fun they were to hang out with. They were my 4th launch support assignment and probably my last so it was really nice to end up with such a nice crew to support.


Ok now back to the picture at the top and what makes it so special. Normally when this particular picture is taken the support structure is already in front of the shuttle so all you can see is the external tank and the picture is taken from the the back side near the flame trench. Since Atlantis rolled out to the pad late because of weather the support structure wasn't in front of the shuttle so we got to take our picture in front of Atlantis. It was a truly amazing opportunity.

There are so many wonderful memories from my launch support of STS-132. We were able to see shuttle Discovery shortly after landing. We just missed landing by a little bit. We were flying to FL while they were landing.


We got to watch Atlantis roll out to the pad the night before.


We got our picture in front of the shuttle.


We got to watch a Ares rocket launch with the crew while we were there.


The actual Atlantis shuttle launch a few weeks later in May was flawless and went on time.


My family got to come over to Florida to see the launch and we spent a wonderful weekend enjoying ourselves and seeing the sights.

Thanks for letting me share all of this with you. I know it is way after the fact but I just got that special picture sent to me yesterday and was so excited I just had to share. If you would like a better look at any of the pictures you can click on them and it should open them larger.