27 Weeks

Week 27 marks the beginning of the third trimester!  We're in the home stretch!

This week marked my return to the chiropractor, after about a 2 month hiatus.  I was feeling extremely "out of whack", so I had an adjustment on Wednesday and it made a world of difference.  This is just about the time I started having back trouble when I was pregnant with Regan, so I'm anticipating a lot more discomfort in the coming weeks.

Next Tuesday is my next doctors appointment and my glucose tolerance testing.  I am a littler nervous about this, even though I passed with flying colors last time, I feel like I haven't been as good with my diet this time around.  I almost feel like ceremoniously consuming as many carbs as I can in the coming week, just in case the privilege is taken away from me after this test.

Week 27

The baby seems to be doing really well this week.  I have a feeling hes settled into the head down position, because I'm feeling more pelvic pressure, and lots more kicking high in my belly.  Most days he's pretty active, especially when I lay down to go to bed.

Regan is doing well this week too.  Inching her way toward her second birthday, we have noticed lately that she has become a lot more "self aware".  She has no problem telling you what she wants, when she wants it now - so we are working on her please & thank yous like crazy.  Patience is another thing we have been working on with her.  Every day I get a little bit more of a glimpse of the dreaded "terrible two's".  Granted she is far from terrible, but it's definitely not a attitude we are used to with her.  She has always been so complacent and easy going.  Hopefully we can nip some things in the bud now, before they get out of hand.

Speaking of things getting out of hand, I would like to give a shout out to my husband and the wonderful genetics that he has passed to Regan with regards to her hair:

This is what I wake up to every morning... Don King would be proud.  The straight/curly/long-in-the-back/short-in-the-front combo is proving difficult to tame.  I'm pretty sure Regan uses more hair products then Kevin and I combined on a daily basis.  Combo shampoo/conditioner with built in detangler, spray it down with a water bottle, add in spray-in detangler, try to comb it out, towel dry, try to comb it in order or put the top in a pony tail, hairspray.  And repeat.

26 Weeks/23 Months

This past week was an eventful one for Regan because she spent two nights away from Mom & Dad.  We had to take a trip for Kevin's work, so Regan stayed with the grandparents overnight, one night each.  She did great, barely missed us at all.  On Wednesday night she stayed over at Grandma Judy and Papa's house, played with Jack and all of her toys there, and slept like a big girl on the fold out couch.  The next day Grandma took her to see all the animals and they went for a walk with Jack down the street and saw Wendy.  Thursday night she stayed at our house with Grandma Gannon.  The next day when Mom & Dad came home late at night, Grandma looked exhausted, but Regan was ready to tell us about all the fun things she did that week.  So we got to hear all about it before she went to bed.

Kevin in front of Charm City Cakes! - We flew in and out of Baltimore

On Sunday, Regan got to go to her first Sabres game!  Even though we didn't bring home a winner, she still had lots of fun, and Grandma and Papa were there too!  She was clapping and cheering and shouting "Go Sabres!"

When we first got there Sabretooth was coming down from the ceiling, she was really overwhelmed!

Watching the game with Papa

Also, Regan will be 23 Months old on Thursday!  One month away from being two!  I can't believe how fast time has flown.  She has flourished leaps and bounds, every week it seems.  She is so smart, and isn't afraid of showing off her skills! Time to start planning a birthday party!

On the baby front this week, things have really started to get uncomfortable for me.  My back and hips hurt like crazy, and it feels like someone is trying to rip my pelvis in half.  I'm pretty sure that Rian has moved head down, because I'm getting a lot of pressure, and starting to feel kicks higher and higher up my belly.  We are officially into double digits in the countdown!  In two weeks I go for my glucose tolerance test, and hopefully we can schedule my c-section soon so we have a date to plan around.

I forgot to update the produce last week!

"Let your spouse put an ear to your belly -- he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required). Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. Baby's also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes."

25 Weeks

Well, today at 25 weeks, we are officially in double digits until this baby is here!  I know it says 105 days, but since the baby will be born a week early, there is less than 100 days left!

In celebration of this milestone, we decided to reveal the name we've chosen for our baby boy.  We hung the letters in his room this week, and made it official:

His middle name will be Patrick.  Many of you may wonder why we went with an alternate spelling for his first name.  Our reasoning was simple...we liked the name Ryan, but we wanted to pay homage to both of the Grandfathers.  Kevin's fathers name is Brian, so we simply dropped the B and made my Dads name the middle name.  Rian Patrick Kerl.

Regan is already in love with her little brothers name, and refers to him by name when we ask her who's in mommy's belly, or who's room this is.

Secondly, I must address the sudden development of the sports theme for the room.  We had initially agreed that Kevin wasn't allowed to do sports, and I wasn't allowed to do animals.  That all went out the window when Kevin found this sports bedding set on super clearance at Target, and I had a weak moment.  I was just so excited that Kevin was so excited about it, so I caved.  Now, slowly, sports are infiltrating every aspect of his room.

Now I have to go back to eating the sponge candy my wonderful husband got me for Valentines Day...though  I should probably save it for after I find out if I have gestational diabetes...

24 Weeks

I had a doctors appointment this morning, and there's nothing exciting to report.  Baby boy is doing well, and measuring right on track.  His heartbeat was about 160 today.  So far I've gained 15 pounds - I'm expected to double that by the end, and the baby only makes up about 2 pounds of that right now!

Here is a video of Regan having fun with bubble wrap at Grandmas house last week:

23 Weeks

Well, this week I'm a day late in updating, but that's ok because there's not much to report.  There are no more weekly produce comparisons... but I'm 23 weeks pregnant, and baby boy has had the hiccups on and off all morning.  This is the first time I have distinctly felt hiccups with him.

Hopefully this weekend, between all the Super bowl preparations, we can get some work done on the nursery and Regan's big girl room, and I can post pictures of both next week.

This past weekend, we went out to Papa and Grandmas to visit because Daddy was out of town all week.  Regan got to play in the snow with Papa and Derek and Daddy.  She loves the snow so much!  Then later we played a little bit of Wii Sports & Wii Fit, and Regan loved it!  She was cheering for everyone when they knocked down pins while bowling, and she even tried the downhill skiing and the soccer.

This week we went to play in the snow at Grandmas Gannon's House too!

Grandma showed off some of her drawing skills

On Sunday, on a whim we got tickets last minute to the last show of Disney on Ice

Regan loved it!  She spent the whole first act on her feet and dancing!  

22 Weeks/22 Months

This week begins the "monthly produce" instead of the weekly...

"It's a Papaya!  Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop." 

Week 22 Belly Picture - taken Friday

Regan is also 22 Months old today!  Where does the time go?  In just two more months I will be the mother of a two year old!


Regan has been developing in leaps and bounds, with her words, letters and now colors too.  Somehow she has managed to memorize the word lists at the back of her Elmo books, and loves to show off her skills of "reading" them.  She loves to play with her little laptop that she got for Christmas from Aunt LuAnn and Uncle  Mark.  She will say the name of the letter, and the sound it makes before she pushes the letter on the keyboard.  This in turn makes her want to play with out laptop too, and match the letters from her keyboard to ours. 

She also loves to do her ABC flashcards, and can almost correctly identify all of the words, and some of the letters.  The next big hurdle has been colors.  These seem to be a little trickier for her to figure out, and she seems to get attached to a color for the day, so when I ask her to name the color of something, its always the same.  For example, yesterday she liked green, so everything she pointed to was "green", whether it was for real or not.


This morning Regan was coloring at her table, and she came over to me and said "I drew a sun!".  Usually she takes the yellow crayon and asks me to draw a sun, so when I went over to look, lo and behold:

I'm not sure if you can tell on here, but she drew a yellow circle with yellow & green rays.  This is one of the most convincing things I've seen her draw!  She was very proud, and then asked me to draw a moon next to it.

Here are some other pictures from this morning - she grabbed my camera and asked me to take a picture of her:

 I asked her to smile so I could see her teeth and I got this:

21 Weeks

"It's a Banana!  Baby gulps down several ounces every day of the amniotic fluid for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch."


I had a doctors appointment last week Tuesday, and everything went well.  Baby's heartbeat was about 140, and I have officially gained 9 pounds.  They expect me to gain about a pound a week from here on out, which is just about exactly the same as I gained with Regan.

"Big Girl" Status

Yesterday was a big day for Regan.  We had plans to move her into her big girl room, and we were planning on moving the crib in there so she could be comfortable while she got used to the room.  On a whim I asked her if she wanted to take a nap in the "big-girl" bed, and she said yes.  Without so much as a whimper, she crawled into bed and took a 2 hour nap in her new bed, in a new room.  I cried.  It was both joy and sadness.  When did my little baby get to be so big?

 So last night was her first night in that room and that bed.  She did just fine, barely even walked into her old room today.

 Also lately, she's been loving her leapfrog Tag pen.  She sits on the couch and "reads" for long periods of time.  Usually she wants us to read her a book, but now that she can do it "herself" she prefers this.

 Another favorite toy lately was her tea set from Grandma and Papa

 Minnie and Mickey were enjoying their experience at "Cafe Regan"

Of course she still likes her time before bed when Mommy and Daddy read to her.  When this ritual goes, then it will really be time to mourn the loss of my "baby girl".

Half Way There!

"It's a Cantaloupe! Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!"

Baby boy is halfway cooked as of today!  140 days down, less than 140 days to go!  It seems to be going by so fast this time.  I remember that after 30 weeks with Regan, the pregnancy just flew by.

I know I have been slaking with the belly pictures this time around, so here is one that I took last week:

Big Day - In More Ways Than One

Well today was a big day, and we had our big ultrasound.  Regan also had a big milestone today, first haircut.

Let me start by saying that this was an unplanned haircut.  She was happily eating her pancakes smothered in syrup this morning, when she put a big gob in her hair and smeared it all around...creating a giant sticky knot of curls and syrup.  After numerous attempts to clean and brush it out, it was still a giant knot, and Regan was screaming for me to stop trying to brush her hair.

So I had to cut it out of her hair.  She was really excited to get her hair cut, because she sees me cut Kevin and my Dads hair all the time.  She got out the stool that Kevin sits on and put it in the middle of the kitchen.  I cut about an inch off the bottom of her hair in the back, so it falls even with the hair on the side now.

I was sad that this is the way she got her first haircut - but I did save the little curls for her baby book, and she doesn't look "chopped" up, so I think it went as well as it could.  Here are some "after" shots:

So after work Kevin met me at the doctors office for our anatomy scan.  We were both really excited to see if the prediction from out 12 week scan was going be to true.  We had both been feeling girl from the beginning.  The tech asked us if we wanted to know, and we said yes.  We got our answer fairly quickly because the first shot she took we saw this:

 It's a BOY!  We were both shocked!  Even though we both knew that there was a good chance it could still be a boy, to actually hear those words was really surprising.  We are so excited at the prospect of a son, and I am excited to go shopping for baby clothes!  Here are some other shots of the baby:

 He was moving around like crazy, and at one point was all balled up in this picture

What a crazy day!  On Monday this baby boy will be half way cooked!

19 Weeks

"It's a Mango! Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature."

We had an exciting weekend this past week to ring in the new year.  On Friday Kevin and I headed to Syracuse for his college roommate Rocky's wedding.  We stayed with his other roommate Kyle and his wife Sharon, who is also pregnant (about 6 weeks ahead of me).  It was so great to visit with everyone and we had a great time at the wedding.  It was hard to be "bean free" for the overnight, but we all survived, and Regan had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa Gannon.

We also took down the Christmas tree so that we could put up a very exciting gift from Santa... 

Her new tree tent!

 Even Daddy and Mommy can fit in there too!

Crazy Hair

We also had a nice visit from Rachel, Mike, Giulianna, and baby Rhyon.  I forgot to take any pictures, but I think Rachel managed to take a few, so hopefully I can post those soon!

Less than three days till our ultrasound!!

18 Weeks/21 Months/Christmas!

So today I am 18 weeks along, on Friday Regan turned 21 months old, and we had yet another eventful Christmas this year!

On the 23rd, Regan woke up with a fever... just like she did last year!  He temperature got up to 103 overnight, and we feared a repeat performance of an unhappy baby at all the holiday parties.  However, with the help of our good friend Tylenol, and lots of extra fluids, Regan managed to have a great time at Grandma and Papa's on Christmas Eve, and made out like a bandit with presents from the family. (Pitcures to follow when I get some, I forgot my camera!  Bad Mommy)

Christmas morning the fever had subsided, and all that was left was a cough and a runny nose, which we could handle.  

 Little miss sicky reading her favorite Charlie Brown book

 The stockings were filled...

... with Doozers! 

 Santa was here!

 The aftermath of opening gifts

 Hugs for the Doozer

 Helping de-fuzz Daddy's new sweater

Cousin Picture 2010, with all the new family members!

Regan is currently obsessed with her new "cousin-to-be" Kyle

Only one more week, and a few days until our big ultrasound!  It can't come soon enough, but we have so many things planned between now and then!  Hopefully if I have between now and then I will update once more.  Here is the info on this weeks produce:

"It's a Sweet Potato!  Your baby has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon."

17 Weeks

"It's an Onion!  Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints. "


I'm starting to feel the baby kick everyday now, which is pretty exciting!  We are busy getting ready for the holidays, all the shopping is done, the cookies are made, now we just wait for the big guys arrival.  Regan is really excited about Santa this year!

Ultrasound Scheduled!

Went to the doctor today and everything is going great!  We scheduled the anatomy ultrasound for January 6th, so we will be able to officially find out if this baby is indeed a girl or not.  Let the countdown begin!



Pregnancy-Countdowns

16 Weeks - 4 Months!

"It's an Avocado!  Watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender."

Rachel sent me a cute article from American Baby Magazines July issue the other day.  It was a woman complaining about how all these experts try to equate your babies size to produce, when they should be using more real world comparisons, and some that men can comprehend better.   For Moms she equates the Week 13 fetus to the size of the Hostess cupcake you want to devour.  For the men, by week 24 your little bundle of joy is the size of a regulation football.  It continues on like this, and some are really  funny.  I sorta have to agree with that opinion too, because next week is an onion...that has to be a pretty big onion to be bigger than an avocado.  Also, I think some of the fruits are subliminally telling me to eat better, because this past week I have been craving and eating oranges!

My next doctors appointment is Tuesday, so I will post an update if I learn anything exciting.

Seeing Santa/15 Weeks

This week we are all trying to survive the snow left to us by last weeks storm, with reports of more on the way soon!  Yesterday we went to a family Christmas party given by Kevin's work.  Regan got to meet Santa for the first time, though we weren't sure how she would react.  Lately she has been obsessed with Santa, reading books about him, saying "HO, HO, HO" etc.  So I thought maybe she would do well.

 This is as close to Santa as she ever got by herself.  She was saying "Hi Santa!" and waving, but didn't want to get any closer

 So we let daddy hold her while she rang Santa's bell

We took a family photo, got our gift, and parted ways with a more enthusiastic "bye, bye Santa!"

I'm just glad there wasn't a meltdown

Here's Regan walking around in mommy's slippers

Making snowballs when the snow storm started last week, back when we only had 6 inches or so...

"It's an Orange! Continuing the march towards normal proportions, baby's legs now out-measure the arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your baby is wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably still can't feel the movements. "

I took a belly picture myself the other day, because I feel like I'm starting to look a little more pregnant.  it's a little fuzzy, but you can definitely make out a bump.

This week is a "lay low and hope it doesn't snow" week for us.  My next doctors appointment is next week Tuesday so I will update after that.