WOW!! What a Healthy and Fast Growing Boy!!

Alleluhia! We had a very healthy and positive check up with the doctor today. We are 30 weeks along and the placenta has now moved up to 6.4 cm above the cervix, so the doctor has put is in the all clear category. There is no longer any concern with low laying placenta! Everything is progressing as it should be and the baby is already turned head down, facing left. Hopefully, he will stay somewhere close to this position and we will be able to have a normal birth - no c-section necessary! Keep praying for the positive progress.

The baby has been very busy growing this past month - he has filled out and has visible cheeks and limbs now. He has nearly doubled his weight, going from 2 lbs. 5 oz. last month to 3 lbs. 14 oz. this month! He measured in the 49 percentile last month and today he measures in the 69.7 percentile!! Those Tinker genes are kicking into action. He is very active and the heart beat of 143 bmp is very healthy. Jonathan was with me for the ultrasound and we were able to see the insertion of the umbilical cord and the healthy blood flow into the baby's belly button. These GE ultrasound machines are truly amazing!

The ultrasound technician and I think we can already see a distinct resemblance to Dad in the baby's profile - take a look at the pictures for yourself and see what you think! We see 5 fingers and toes on each foot... and the coolest part of all - we can actually see all four chambers of the heart beating very strong and healthy and there are no abnormalities! (See the pictures below). Dr. Gallagher says everything is looking good. We could even see that his bladder was full today, so he swallowing the amniotic fluid when he practices his suckling.

Thank you all for your continued love, support and prayers. Just 10 more weeks!

A Weekend at the Lake!

What a wonderful Memorial Day weekend at the lake house we had! We left San Antonio around 3:30 Friday afternoon, anticipating a 5 hour plus drive to Lake Livingston, where Mom and Dad have a lake house. The drive could not have been prettier - we meandered through small towns heading east and arrived around 7:30 PM where we were greeted by Mom, Dad, Nannie, Willie, Angie, Matt and Jackie Mae. We had a great dinner, played a fun game or two of poker and enjoyed the stars out on the porch.



The next day, Aunt Brenda and Tiffany joined the party and we all enjoyed good food and a day on the lake. I was not allowed out on the boats of course, but that did not stop me from enjoying the cool water and some sun floating around on a raft. Jonathan enjoyed some much needed relaxation reading his Truman book and fishing with Dad (see the newly added pictures for evidence).



The weather all weekend was perfect. Aunt Julia and Uncle Ed joined us on Sunday afternoon and we had a delicious rib dinner and just enjoyed being together. This little boy is joining such a loving family - from both sides. The weekend was awesome, and it was a test of my endurance in the final stretch! I must say I held up great through the car rides, fun outdoor activities and late nights. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to spend many fun weekends at the lake with the little man!

Entering the Home Stretch!

WOW! Can you believe we are already entering the third (and final) trimester???
The time has flown by, and yet there are nights like last night, when Jonathan says, "I'm ready for this baby to get here!" The reality of that this precious bundle has to come out one way or another is starting to hit me and the anxiety and fear of labor is a pretty regular feeling for me these days. Mixed with those emotions is of course, a WHOLE LOT of excitement! We pray every night for guidance, grace and wisdom to become parents.

We have been attending a prepared parenthood/ child birth class for the past few weeks and on Monday we toured the hospital and got to see where all the action will take place. We will deliver at Methodist Hospital in the medical center. I didn't know you actually deliver in the room these days - I thought they still took you off into some special area with sterile stainless steel walls. It seems the only reason you get taken to a different area is if you have to have a C-section, which we pray will not be the case.

Well, with the excitement, anticipation and flurry of the third trimester, some tiredness has returned. I am enjoying water aerobics two days a week and trying to swim every day if possible since it is already so hot here! I still work out about 3 - 4 days a week with really light weights and the doctor says that will help post-partum.

As for now, we are officially ready for a little R&R. We will head to my parents' lake house this weekend for the holiday. We can't wait!

What a Week!

Well, this week has been very busy. Mommy-to-be had to travel to Austin Tuesday and Wednesday to meet with clients and daddy-to-be had to turn in the budget by noon yesterday. We have both been very busy, but finally it's Friday and after about 8 more hours, we will have a fun and restful weekend! Our good friend Patricia Hood is coming to visit and stay with us.

Last weekend was Mother's Day and so many people made me feel special with Mother-to-be cards and gifts! What a surprise and a delight. Thank you all! We had a very exciting weekend. With the doctor's approval to ride in the car but not drive long distances, we headed out to Abbeville, LA. We had been planning a surprising trip for about a month and it was worth it! We snuck up behind Mom and Dad after mass and Mom was surprised, she literally screamed with delight!!

We had a nice evening visiting and eating Lanpau...not sure if that's how you spell it, but it like a Cajun goulash of every vegetable and meat you have in the fridge, served over pasta. It was actually delicious and my Dad would have loved it - using all the left-overs!!

On Mother's Day, we went by Ma Ma's grave and then on to Pa Pa's for a crawfish boil. Aunt Donna and her family, Aunt Ruby, Aunt Fee and Uncle Pee-Wee were all there for the celebration. It was a wonderful day.

And of course the best part....Mom (Tinker) got to see and touch the growing baby belly!!

Soon-to-be Mommy weekend fun!

Well, it was hard, but I stayed around the house and did very little other than work from my bed or the couch most of the week, per the doctor's orders. I am feeling great and there is no sign of any more bleeding.

So, we will have a great weekend and celebrate the coming birth of our little angel boy! This time next year, I will be a full fledged mommy!

Happy Mother's Day to our moms and to all of you that are AWESOME MAMAS and GRANDMAS!

Good news!

First and foremost, thank you all for all your prayers and calls of concern over the weekend and past couple of days. I was admitted to the hospital Saturday around noon and had to stay there until 10:00 PM while they monitored the baby's activity and waited for me to stop bleeding. My sister was with me the whole time and Jonathan returned from a bachelor party to be with us. Fortunately, the bleeding was not too heavy and the baby seems to have experienced NO distress at all.

I have been resting and working from my bed since Monday while the doctor here in San Antonio ran some tests to make sure everything is still 100% healthy. By the grace of God, everything seems to be fine and the bleeding episode was most likely due to my low laying placenta. When the placenta is low and you carry low like I am, the chances of having a bleeding episode (or episodes) are fairly common. They said we definitely did the right thing going into the hospital because the bleeding often gets much worse, but again, we had the angles on our side.

I just got the call from my nurse here that the fetal fibronectin test she did to make certain my body was not trying to go into labor early was in fact negative. Also, my one hour glucose test (which tests for gestational diabetes) was normal. So, again things look to be 100% healthy. I will of course, be more careful when lifting and exercising to limit the chances of bleeding again. Other than that the doctor said to try to do things as normally as possible and not stress out.

So, our little guy will keep cooking a little longer which is exactly what we want to hear!

Looking Good...and Healthy!

Hello family and friends! We went to the doctor today and our little guy is 100% healthy and growing like crazy! He weighs in at 2 lbs. 2 oz. according to his measurements, and of course his legs and arms measure longer than average. He has Tinker blood through and through!

From the profile on the sonogram, I think he will look like his daddy. His heartbeat is 148 beats per minute, which is very healthy. It is so amazing what they can tell you and measure, etc. with the technology available today. For all my al natural loved ones, I am sorry to overwhelm you with stats and technology, but Jonathan and I are truly kids of the technical generation and we love it!

The baby is very active, moving around, practicing his suckling which will help him prepare to eat when he arrives. He is definitely a he - everything is forming and dropping where it is supposed to be if you know what I mean :-) At this stage - 26 1/2 weeks, they also check for any abnormalities with the heart, spine, facial features, and praise God he looks perfectly healthy! I am not sure if there is any better feeling when you are pregnant than hearing those words. They showed me all 4 chambers of his little heart and they appear to be forming perfectly, as do his kidneys and stomach and other organs. His spine is the most visible part of what you can see and it is tapering to a point, which is what they want it to do. They even check for a cleft lip, which he does not have.

Well, I know that's a lot of information, but it was an exciting visit. Now, the scary part....only 13 1/2 more weeks til this little man arrives!! Thank you all for continuing to pray for our guidance and grace as we prepare to be parents!

Lots of love,

Jonathan and Christina