26 Weeks (almost 27)

Although I have been on Christmas vacation, things have been in full swing around here...you could say "nesting" is the feeling. The nursery is empty and ready for painting, furniture, etc. Our "new" guest room has been transferred and is ready for guests! Come visit us... :) In the process of cleaning and moving furniture around I have been able to organize-love that feeling! Yesterday Justin and I went to Home Depot (by far his favorite store...aside from maybe a hobby store) and found shelving, etc. for the baby's closet (pics to come soon). Aside from the occasional add-on, our registry is complete and it has been very fun researching and compiling a list of things our son will need/want. Below is a picture of my belly at 26 weeks. On Monday I will be 27 weeks and before we know it Spring will be here with a special delivery :)

For Christmas we received an adorable jacket from my parents. On the back of the jacket my mom had it embroidered with an airplane and a sweet phrase (see below). The best thing about the jacket is it totally reminds me of my mom and something boys would have worn when I was growing up. I love the corduroy sleeves!

Happy New Year everyone!

As we begin to get the nursery ready I will post pictures.

Oh Christmas Tree...

Before Thanksgiving (yea you heard me...I know, I know, I broke my own rule) we went and tagged our Christmas tree at a local tree farm, Moon Mountain. Every year I look forward to the tradition and humor of tagging a tree. My Mom and I went there when I was growing up and it hasn't changed a bit...well, maybe the prices. I will take tradition over prices any day though. I can't wait to take our son up there next year all bundled up to find his very first Christmas tree. Below are the pictures of our fun adventure!

Justin being silly as we are trying to take a picture....no way, never!

This is no laughing matter...we get very serious about the perfect height of the tree. This is Justin setting Murray straight on how tall this particular tree is. It was super funny!

Look at that beautiful couple! You should ask them to tell you the story of the adventure we had taking the trees home. You will get a kick out of it! I know I did as I sat innocent in the back seat :) :0

Where do I begin?

I broke my promise...so sorry.

I have not blogged in a while but my oh my are things in full swing around here to get ready for our baby boy. I was 24 weeks on Monday and still feeling great! My feet get sore by the end of the day, but whose wouldn't when your with first graders movin' and groovin' all day :)

Below is a picture of me right now (literally...Justin took it 5 minutes ago). It's nothing special, but it shows you how much I have grown in the last bit. The baby is moving more and more, but I still wouldn't consider him super active at this point (ya know...cause I've had so much experience in this department :) wink wink). He doesn't wake me up yet, so I suppose that's a bonus. Justin has felt him move twice and it was super cool! He described it as "really neat and kind of weird." I don't blame him...there are some movements that our son makes that feel REALLY foreign. Don't get me wrong, I love it when he moves, but at times it feels very different.

Alrighty, below is the picture and the WebMD/Baby Center update:
xoxo for now!

Week 24

Baby: Your baby, now about in its 22nd week of development, is 8.4 inches from crown to rump and weighs about 1.2 pounds. It is starting to produce white blood cells, mostly for combating disease and infection, and may respond to your touch or sounds. If you haven't felt hiccups yet, you might feel some jerking motion now.

Mom-to-be: Your uterus is about 1.5 to 2 inches above your navel. Expect to gain about a pound per week this month. Glucose screens for detecting gestational diabetes are given between this week and 28 weeks.

Tip of the Week: Dad-to-be might be able to hear the baby's heartbeat by putting his ear to your abdomen.

How your baby's growing:
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Family Fun Night

Last weekend my family came up for a fun evening and dinner. There were 13 people eating in our dining room-we were cozy, but it worked well! We had fun catching up, relaxing together, playing chess, and celebrating my Auntie Chris' birthday. We just love any excuse to sing our Kings and Queens song to each other :) My sweet cousin Lily made blue cupcakes in celebration of our son. She is so sweet and quite the baker!

Thank you everyone for for a fun evening!

Below is a video of our Birthday Song...

His First Piece of Clothing

At dinner after our ultrasound on Monday my parents gifted us with an "It's a Boy" goodie bag (my mom had one of each in her car-so sweet :) and oh yes, it was quite the goodie bag indeed. Inside was our son's first piece of clothing, but it is truly much more than that. As the story goes....

Years ago my Grandma Beerbohm gave my mom two different crocheted baby sweaters, you know those "old-fashioned" sweaters and booties that come from the sweetest ladies (aka Grandmas), ya, those! My grandma gave my mom a pink one and a blue one for that "special occasion." Well, that special occasion has arrived and on Monday Justin and I were given a piece of my past, a memory, and a special piece of clothing that will forever be dear to my heart. As a child I remember watching my Grandma Beerbohm work as she made beautiful baby booties and sweaters for local hospitals as well as family and friends. Now as an adult I can truly appreciate the gift she had and gave to so many-her love and kindness. Thank you Grandma and thank you Mom for this special gift.

So in true maternal tradition I held this beautiful memory up to my belly (our son :) and had Justin take a picture of his first piece of clothing!

It's a Boy!

Justin and I had an amazing ultrasound appointment on Monday where we saw our little baby movin' and-a groovin'!! We were just so thrilled to see a "baby" via ultrasound. Don't get me wrong, we were obviously expecting a baby, but this was the first time we were able to see our baby actually looking like a baby. It was unbelievable and I barely have words. We even saw *him* sucking his hand and moving all around. That's right, you heard correctly, *him*. Justin and I are looking forward to meeting our baby boy in April. Justin mentioned as we were walking in how excited he was for our baby to have an "identity." It was really neat to find out what we are having and now even more fun can begin...

Afterwards we went out to dinner with my parents to celebrate. They were able to share in the joy of our Little Langlois and it was so special to have them there. We had such an enjoyable dinner relishing in the excitement of it all.

Today I referred to him as a boy multiple times and it felt so special, so neat!! I had fun with my first graders today. First I had them guess what gender they thought the baby was and 15/22 thought it would be a boy-pretty good intuition eh! I had so much fun telling them about our baby boy and showing them pictures (nothing to graphic of course :) this will make more sense down below).

Alright, let's get to the good stuff. I don't have any pictures of myself yet (I promise they will come soon), but here are a few of my favorite ultrasound pictures.

This is one of my favorites-just so sweet looking!

Here is our sweet baby boy sucking on his hand.

Okay, now the original is darker, but look carefully...

This picture is the EVIDENCE that we are indeed having a boy-hahaa! What you are looking at is the legs spread like a V and his "yakafritz" in the middle. Yah, you know what I am referring to...hahaa! You can ask Justin for an explanation of the term yakafritz if you need to :)

That's all for now folks. I am still on cloud nine and looking forward to walking into my first store where I can actually look at clothing for our little man :)

18 Weeks

Today I am 18 weeks and super excited to be moving along! Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying this pregnancy and the little miracle inside me, but I am also looking forward to all the fun to come.

This last weekend we had fun celebrating Meredith and Mike's engagement at Russian River Brewery. I ran into a few friends (and one blast from the past) and it was really fun being "obviously" pregnant. I know, I know...there is still so much more "obvious" belly to grow, but I already feel like I look so different. In my classroom I have noticed a few students staring at my belly at times. I wonder what they are thinking... I am sure as I get bigger they will be more vocal about it, but for now I just see them staring at the belly-it's super cute! :)

I have been working slowly on a registry and researching different baby items. My friend Melissa, due in early January, is great at this. She puts a lot of time and effort into research and I value her opinion. I don't have the patience she does for the amount of research it takes to look into all the safety features, etc. of different items, but I am workin' on it. :)

What are you doing next Monday?

I couldn't be more thrilled at where we will be...

Justin and I have our 20 week ultrasound next week. We have not had an ultrasound since around 9/10 weeks. I am thrilled beyond words to see our little sweat pea and get a check-up of our baby's growth, health, organs, etc. At this appointment we are also hoping to find out the gender of Baby Langlois. We were looking in a name book the other night and became very excited over a boy name (for those of you who know me well,

you know that all I can think of are girl names).

Alrighty, I have been rambling plenty so here ya go folks, below is the WebMD information for this week of development (be advised...it gets a little graphic, actually, very graphic). Have a great week and we'll be in touch soon with ultrasound pictures :)

Your baby measures about 5.2 to 6 inches from crown to rump and weighs about 7 ounces. The baby's skin is developing and is transparent, appearing red because of the visible blood vessels. A creamy white protective coating, called vernix, is also developing. As your baby continues to grow, you may be feeling some mid-pregnancy aches and pains. These are very common symptoms, however if you have a high risk pregnancy you need to discuss these symptoms with your health care provider. Individuals who have a history of mid-trimester pregnancy loss should be followed very closely with ultrasound. Most women have a vaginal discharge either a white or creamy type of discharge. If you notice an increase in this discharge, a change in discharge to a clear discharge or if you notice a loss in your mucous plug (it looks like the substance when you blow your nose) then notify your doctor.

You may also have mild lower abdominal achiness, dizziness, heartburn, constipation, leg cramps, mild swelling of ankles and feet, and a backache. All of these symptoms may be normal. Mild lower abdominal discomfort may be related to the changes of pregnancy. The hormone relaxin causes ligaments to be more lax and may lead to you having more back pain. Heartburn may be caused by the hormone progesterone. It relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter (a muscle between the feeding tube and the stomach). Constipation may also be related to progesterone as well. It helps relax the muscle of the bowel. It leads to a longer amount of time for the stool to pass. This can help lead to a higher risk of constipation. You need to make sure you drink plenty of fluids as well as eat enough fruits and vegetables. Dilated blood vessels develop because of the hormone estrogen. This causes tiny, temporary red marks (called spider nevi) on your face, shoulders, chest and arms.

This is the best week to perform the level II ultrasound exam. Sometimes at 18 weeks the fetus is just too small to see well and many women do not want to wait till 20 weeks to have the ultrasound exam. Most of the fetus can be seen at this point in time.

17 Weeks

I am 17 weeks!

(which means I am into my 18th week)

Below is some information from Web MD about the 18th week.

You're 18 Weeks Pregnant. Your baby measures 5 to 5.6 inches from crown to rump and weighs about 5.25 ounces. The rapid growth spurt is tapering off, but reflexes are kicking in. He can yawn, stretch and make facial expressions, even frown. Taste buds are beginning to develop and he can now distinguish sweet from bitter. The baby can suck and swallow, and he may even get the hiccups. The eyes have become sensitive to light, so if a bright light is shined on your belly, baby will probably turn away. Your uterus, about the size of a cantaloupe, can be felt just below your navel. You may be just beginning to start feeling the baby move. Those of you having your first baby may still not feel the baby move. It is Ok. There may be a fluttering you may sense that is the fetus moving. Those of you having your second or greater can probably tell the fetus is moving. If the placenta (or afterbirth) is towards the front of the body it acts as a cushion which may make it harder for you to feel the fetus at this point in time. A mid-pregnancy ultrasound may be performed between now and 22 weeks to assess your baby's growth and development and to verify the due date. This is the best time to see if there are any abnormalities on the baby. Many abnormalities can be identified by this ultrasound, having said that some abnormalities may be missed. Obesity has now been proven to reduce the effectiveness of detecting abnormalities in the fetus. If the baby is in the right position, the ultrasound may even be able to determine the baby's sex.

Justin took a few pictures of me in "the spot" after work the other day. What is really fun about the pictures is that I am wearing Maternity Clothes!! That's right...I said Fun! They are so comfortable and I feel like I look more pregnant in them-seems weird to say, but that makes me excited! My wonderful mother and I went to Corte Madera on Saturday (in the pouring rain mind you) and went Maternity Shopping. It was actually a blast and I am so happy to have clothes that feel and look good. Thanks Madre!

Take a peek below...I am showing you my goofy side as I show off my maternity pants. :)

My energy level is getting better and better, but my precious sleep is getting worse and worse. I wake up every night at around 3:00 and each night it is harder and harder to get back to sleep. Last night I just tossed and turned until my alarm went off. Poor Justin gets woken up as well during this lovely time of night :( On a fun and lighter side, Justin wakes up most mornings and says, "Good morning Baby." It melts my heart! Our next appointment is in Radiology and it's a BIG one! We look forward to sharing the health and good news of Baby Langlois with you after that appointment. Thanks for checking back!

xoxo, Morgan and Justin

One Item Off The List

Well, I must admit, I have a list (a major list...) of things I would like to do around our home before Baby Langlois joins the crib! They are pretty simple things, but nonetheless they take time and sometimes money. This past weekend J and I hung a few things in our living room that I have had for WAY too long. One of my "to do's" is to hang wall art/pictures around the house and the living room is almost complete! Yay!

To make it more official and to keep my butt in gear I am going to post this list on the blog that way there is the hope that I WILL get it done before the end of March...and let's hope sooner than that eh!

Mirror hung above fireplace-check!

Picture frames/art hung in living room-check!

The List...dun dun dun....

1. Hang pictures/art in living room, dining room, office and master bedroom
2. organize closet in office
3. Rearrange office and purchase small desk/hutch from IKEA for the office
4. Purchase headboard, nightstands, and dresser of drawers for master. This takes the most money but is much needed.
5. Organize shelves in the garage
6. Organize hall closet with baskets, etc.
7. Clean up fireplace and look into a new insert for it
8. Purchase and hang new drapes for our living room, dining room and master bedroom
9. Purchase and install blinds for office and Baby room
10. Spruce up guest bathroom (Mom>>>that is all you!)
11. Purchase a cheap fridge for our garage

Alrighty, that is all for now, but I may think of things along the way :) You may notice that the Baby's room is not on the list. I view this list and the Baby's room very differently. I am so excited to get rolling on the baby's room and although the list has fun items on it, it is more of a "chore" than a fun task.

Adios for now!

Fun with a Ticker

As I was researching strollers and car seats and beginning to get a headache (why can't we just have one or two safe options and just call it a day?)...

I decided to take a break and find a ticker to add to our blog. There are so many kinds out there, and truly, I could have made five and posted them all, but I figured that would have been a little overboard. :) I like this ticker because it states the exact number of weeks I am and gives a little blurb about the babies development. I am looking forward to all the planning, decorating, reading, researching and name deciding that is in our future! I am also making a list of things to do around the house (mini projects) before the baby arrives. Let's just say Justin is quite involved in many of those :)

Thanks for checking in and I will have pictures soon!

Exciting News to Share

Take a peek at this picture to guess our fun news!

Justin and I are thrilled to announce that we are expecting our first child on April 4th (or ya know...sometime near then)! I am 15 weeks and just starting to show a baby bump. I am beginning to feel back among the land of the living-these last 14 weeks have pretty rough with low energy, nausea, etc. Justin has been so amazing here at home! He makes my lunch every morning (which was pretty tricky as not much sounded good) and he has been keeping our house in order in so many ways. You’re the best honey!
This morning I decorated for Fall while doing other things around the house and if felt SO good to be productive! I am feeling pretty good these days and have good energy. I am looking forward to the second trimester and all the "goodies" that come along with it. Justin and I will be finding out on November 10th (with the baby's cooperation of course :)) if we will be having a boy or girl in the spring!
It has been quite a while (and that is an understatement) since I have posted something on our blog, but you can bet with this fun time in our life that I will be sharing all kinds of pictures and stories with you. My first graders have already given me some hysterical names :)

They seem very excited! Stay tuned for Preggo updates...

Here are a few pictures from events in the recent past (some less recent than others :))

A visit from my Auntie Shell and Spike!

A visit from Justin's parents over the summer

Murray and I hiked about 15 miles in Yosemite over the summer

Murray and Justin on the BBQ with a serious amount of ribs :)

My parents and I at Lisa's wedding

Murray's Work Party

Does this look like a face of surprise or what?

Murray's co-workers threw him a huge surprise party at his favorite restaurant in Healdsburg, Ravenous. It's quite a long story, but Murray is changing positions within his company at NCPA (we'll just say it's not on his terms and was not done in any kind of a professional and/or ethical way). All the guys (and a few ladies) up at the plant put together a beautiful send-off party for Murray. It was evident in their words, emotions, and memories that they are all really sad to see Murray go. He will now be working in city of Healdsburg (that's a plus!) doing research in his field. I do not know more, as even Murray is still putting together a job description. Looking on the bright side and seeing this change as a huge blessing...he can now walk to work, go to the gym in the morning with my mom, meet friends, etc. for lunch, and create a very flexible work schedule for himself!!!

Below are more pictures from his fun night! He was beyond surprised and truly overjoyed!

They gave Murray a bottle of wine from Trentedue! That's not all though...they know how much he loves his Alma Mater UCLA, so they engraved the back side with UCLA's logo-

it is really neat...a keepsake.

Back at the house after Ravenous...they presented him with meaningful gifts, funny stories, awards, and they each shared how much working with Murray meant to them.

I love you Murph and I hope this new job opens up the doors of opportunity and a less stressful work environment in which you can begin to think about retirement!

Puerto Vallarta

In Puerto Vallarta we had a blast on our excursion.
The sun was hot and we were ready for an adventure!

We chose to do the Extreme Canopy Adventure, which involved zip lines, a mule ride and much more! When we reached the port in Puerto Vallarta we took a Zodiac boat across the ocean (quite a ways away from actual Puerto Vallarta). We cannot remember the name of the area we were in :( but it was very secluded and a true showing of real Mexico,

not commercialized Mexico.

The boat ride was an adventure all by itself...quite bumpy with view of whales at times. Once we reached land we were escorted by an adorable little Hispanic fellow (who thought he was quite funny) to an outdoor jeep vehicle. We loaded up our group and headed up the mountain. The drive was awesome because we were able to see a lot of the rural parts of Mexico and many homes, ranches, gardens, etc. About an hour and a half into this adventure we finally reached our base camp where we geared up for the next few hours. We were loaded down with zip line gear and left everything behind as we would be repelling down and zip lining into water

(this meant no camera...I was bummed).

We headed out on our individual mules up steep hills to the very top of the mountain range to begin our first zip line. When all was said and done we completed 9 zip lines and 3 repellings. We repelled down a waterfall as well as into pools of water. We crossed rickety little bridges and hiked throughout the beautiful lush trails. 6 hours later we were back down at the Zodiac boat and ready to head back to the ship. We had so much fun, I can't even put it into words. I would go back tomorrow just for this one excursion. I love thrills and this was definitely a thrill. The pictures in this post are from just before and just after our excursion

(remember...no camera was allowed).

Mexican Cruise Photos

Isn't this car/taxi just the cutest...?

We took this taxi from the port in Mazatlan to the downtown area where we were hounded by every business owner to step foot into their establishment...it was quite interesting. Mazatlan was where we first experienced warm sun, so I didn't care much about the hounding. We did not do an excursion in Mazatlan, but rather just walked around to enjoy the area...if ever a next time...we will definitely do an excursion.

Gotta love the turn down service creativity! It was so fun to look forward to.