We have a Weir Baby Boy!

Ty has arrived!

2009-02-11T12:53:00.002-06:00

Wow! Okay, so apparently a LOT has happened since my last post on Blogger.

Ty arrived on 12/17/2008 at 8:22 pm. He weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces and was 21 inches long. It was such an amazing experience that day. Even though I had a lot of sickness and pains during my pregnancy, it was all worth it after seeing Ty's precious face for the first time! I've often said, "I wish I could relive that day over and over!" It was incredible!

Anyway, I've been publishing pictures of Ty using iWeb on my Mac computer. So, I'll continue to update and add pictures on that website. Click here to visit Ty's place!

Ty is now 8 weeks old and he'll turn two months on Tuesday! I can't believe it! He is an absolute dear, and is the BEST BABY! He's always happy and hardly ever fussy! He's very laid back...like his daddy! We love him so much and are cherishing every moment with him! We love being parents and can't get enough of little man!

Thank you all for your love, support and prayers! We love you all!

Love,
Brent, Staci and Ty Haydon Weir

Strike 2!

2008-12-15T08:04:00.006-06:00

False labor strikes again!!! On my due date!!! .... ::sigh::

So irregular contractions started over the weekend. By last night they were exactly 5 minutes apart without fail (for about an hour and a half), but the pain wasn't too terrible. I honestly didn't know what to do. The doctor told me to call or go in when they were 5 minutes apart, but I always thought..."shouldn't it hurt more than this?" I called the doctor's answering service and the nurse told me to go in and get checked. We left my parents' Christmas party in Lumberton and there was a sense of excitement as we headed to the hospital as I kept timing my contractions exactly 5 minutes apart. We decided to wait to call the rest of the family until we knew more.

Upon arrival, we headed to the maternity ward and the triage nurse (Wanda) asked me some questions, weighed me, and escorted us to the pre-admit room. She gave me a gown and a tinkle cup and told me to undress and...well...you know. I come out of the restroom holding my golden sample and she quickly snaps, "Leave that in the restroom!" (as if I knew...) We head over to one of the two stretchers separated by curtains and lays some straps across the bed and says, "ok." I'm not sure what she wants me to do exactly...sit, lie down, turn a flip, I mean...this is my first pregnancy. She should know that...she asked me that just a few minutes prior amongst a million other questions through the bathroom door as I tinkled in the cup!!!

Of course, she snaps again with, "Lie down!" And the feeling of excitement turns into a feeling of dislike for this abrasive woman. She performs the exam, and what do ya know...still only dilated to a 1. Goooo figure! As soon as she said that, I knew it wasn't the real deal. Dangit! She straps the monitor to my belly as we hear Ty's heartbeat and can watch my contractions print out on the graph paper and tells me to turn on my left side. She tells me to "Get comfortable. You're gonna be here for at least 2 hours!" After she finally leaves the room Brent and I just look at each other like, "What the heck just happened?!?!" I think Brent even said, "Ruuuude!" HAHA!

Brent had brought in some papers for his Fantasy football league and such and was working on some of that mess when Wanda came back in to check on me. By that time, I had rolled onto my back and she snapped, "I need to you lay on your side!!!" (Excuuuuse me! I thought you told me to get comfortable.) She then asks Brent about his note-taking, etc, and when she hears the word "football" she starts rambling on about her favorite players, and then talks about how she's from Canada and the big sport there is ice hockey. She rambles on about her nephew's opportunity to play for Boston College. Oh, but for future reference on Canadian trivia, ice hockey is NOT the national sport. Lacrosse is. (Wow! I'm so glad I now know that bit of information!) Brent asked me how I was feeling and my reply was, "I'm tired." Wanda pipes up and says, "Well go to sleep! Get some rest!" (How the heck am I supposed to sleep with your loud mouth rambling on about ice hockey, Brett Favre and your brother Barry who happens to have the same birthday as me???) She finally leaves and Brent and I are baffled at this woman!

Just as peace hit the room, another couple comes in talking about how her water broke. You could also sense the excitement in her voice. I was a bit jealous, because you know if you're water breaks, its the real deal! Well this sweet girl didn't mind saying what she was feeling or what was happening to her. She said it like it was, and the upcoming events brought entertainment to me and Brent as we stifled our giggles on the other side of the curtain.

She of course has to go through the same routine with the gown, the urine sample and the questioning. She comes out of the restroom and asks, "There are things floating in my urine...is that normal?" Wanda replies with a simple yes. One of the questions Wanda asked was, "Are you caught up on all of your shots?" The girl hesitates and replies with no. Her husband says, "Yes you are!" She said, "Well I never got my flu shot!" (HA...HA...HA!) -- After questioning, Wanda then does the litmus paper test saying it will turn blue if her water has actually broken. Of course, it doesn't turn blue, and in fact, she isn't dilated at all. Her sense of excitement quickly diminished to disappointment, confusion and embarrassment. Within a minute or two, girl's dad arrives and realizes its a false alarm and states, "You got me out of bed, and your water didn't break?" Girl snaps, "Well go home then!!!" Her dad says, "Well so&so and so&so from Pappadeaux are on their way!" Girl was apparently tense by this point and Girl's husband tries to mediate and keep everyone calm and her dad then exits the room. Girl starts to talk to Wanda again and says, "I KNOW I didn't pee on myself! I know when I'm peeing and it didn't feel like it came out of the.....urethra. It felt like it came out of...well, how my period feels." Brent and I were turning red from holding in our laughter. We were about to lose it!

Husband steps out and comes back (obviously from the soda machine) and says, "Guess what?" ::ka-ssss (soda opening):: "Dallas is winning!" Girl replies without holding back her sarcasm, "Woooow. That's greeeat." Wanda then calls in an ultrasound to do another test to prove her water had not broken. The ultrasound shows everything in tact and Girl says to the ultrasound tech the same thing. "I KNOW I didn't pee on myself. I don't get it!" Ultrasound tech leaves and Girl says to Husband, "Just tell everyone it was a false alarm and they can go home." He asks if she wasn't to say goodbye and she replies with a firm, "no." He comes back to the room and says "Your grandma, grandpa, mom, dad, stepmom, preacher, teacher, and the entire lineup of the Lamar basketball team is here and want to see you." (Ok...so not ALL those people were there, but there were a LOT!) We sit and listen as everyone takes turns coming in to say hello and goodbye and all try to explain to her what actually happened. Everyone leaves and they get the "Ok" from the doctor to go home. She gets dressed, starts humming and they leave the room. I tell you what...it sure helped pass the time by!

Over 2 hours had then passed and Wanda re-enters the room to do another exam, and of course, everything is the same. She unstraps the monitors, and tells me to get dressed and meet her at the nurses' station. She has me sign some paper, and asks me about Rao's bakery for some UNKNOWN reason. She then starts to tell me about how her brother Barry was in town last year on his birthday, then turns to the other nurse to explain that my birthday is the same as his, then turns back to me and says she got him a German chocolate cake from Rao's. I honestly did not know how to respond to this woman at that point. I think I said, "Oooo. That's sounds good." (or something to that effect...) She asks Brent again about sports as we had to sit there waiting for the insanely slow elevators. All we wanted to do was get away from this wacky Wanda woman. I was pretty much tuning her out at this point, but then she said something about something taking a while, and Brent and I both said in unison, "Like these elevators." We chuckled, then ::ding!:: and Brent actually said, "Saved by the bell!" (Wanda didn't catch on.) The doors shut and we just started laughing at this crazy experience we just had.

So, like Girl and Husband, we left the hospital with a little disappointment, but at least we were entertained. Taco Bell was calling Brent's name, so we stopped and got a late dinner (because I hadn't had anything earlier due to my contractions) and headed home. As I crawled into bed I had an honest feeling that I was just going to be pregnant forever and will never get to see Ty's sweet face. I know that's not true...but still...couldn't help the feeling. We are so ready.

I see Dr. Sherman today at 10:15, and she'll probably schedule me to be induced this Friday the 19th if I haven't gone into true natural labor before then.

Sorry for the long post. It was a long night.

Love to all!
Staci and Baby Ty

To Labor, or Not to Labor...

2008-12-09T11:48:00.003-06:00

I've been hearing a lot lately.... "Wow! Look how much you've dropped!"

Everyone is telling me that, and yes, I can tell that Ty has dropped. Monday at work I started having pre-labor pains (about 2 or 3 during the day) and my lower back began to ache, as well as both hips as I walked around the campus. My doctor's appointment was that afternoon, so I was hoping for news of progress made!

Dr. Sherman says I'm about the same, except that he has dropped more. Still only dilated to a 1 and effaced about 80%. Because of that, she did her technique of "ripening the cervix" and I tell you what...it was NOT comfortable. HA! However, yesterday evening I began having contractions. Brent and I went out to dinner, and I had one or two during dinner, but they were mild, and I didn't really know what they were at first. When I got home, I decided to soak in the tub to help myself relax while Brent watched Monday night football with our sweet pup, Cooper. With my body relaxed, I began feeling the contractions again, and realized that is what they were. I had moderate pain at the low point in my abdomen, with a sudden hardening of my stomach/uterus. I looked at the clock and started writing down the times (after exiting the tub, of course). Then relaxing on the couch, I had a few more. They were about 15-20 minutes apart, but not overbearingly painful. I finally got to bed around 10:15, and had a terrible time trying to rest. My mind was going 100 miles an hour as I waited for the next contraction. I then got up and tried sleeping on the couch without much rest there either. Since then, the contractions have mostly subsided with an occasional pain here or there. I figure my body was in false labor, but I figure that's a good sign that true labor will come within a couple days from now (fingers crossed!).

I got up about 6:30 this morning to take a shower and get ready for work. After my shower, I realized how tired I was, so I stayed home from work today because my body was beyond exhausted without any rest last night. I crawled back to bed, and slept until about 10:30 with an occasional awakening from the cat or the insanely loud thunder. So as of right now, I'm feeling much more rested. I'm doing laundry, and the dishes are done. Later, mom is coming over to go walking with me while grocery shopping. I want to be active, to maybe help progress things along. I'm so ready!

Anyway, hopefully we'll have Ty with us all soon. We sure can't wait to see his little fingers, toes, mouth and nose! :)

Love you all!

Staci and Baby Ty

Was hoping for more...

2008-12-02T08:13:00.003-06:00

Well, yesterday was another doctor's appointment, and according to Dr. Sherman, everything is the same (80% effaced and dilated to a 1) and his heart rate was at 160. Also, I normally gain weight with each visit, but this time I had lost a pound since last week. Not sure why...maybe because I was sick Sunday night and threw up, yet again? Who knows. Anyway, I was hoping for more progress than that, but Ty is being a bit stubborn and is basically saying "I will come when I'm ready!" I just have to remember that everything will be in God's timing.

I had a really hard time coming to work today. I got up two or three times last night to either get something to drink, use the restroom, or just walk around. I toss and turn at night because I can only lie on my sides which starts upsetting that sciatic nerve in my hip, and/or my shoulder starts to throb. I try lying on my back, and then my "new found snore" wakes me up. (The snoring is new for me...I guess it's the extra weight I'm now carrying, but as soon as I drift off while lying on my back, I wake myself up with a terrible sounding snore. -- Poor Brent!) Anyway, I guess it was mere exhaustion, and seeing my sweet husband still lying in bed as I had to get up to get ready that brought me to tears this morning. I DID NOT want to come to work. I wanted to stay home with my hubby and spend the day with him. But, I know I have things to do, and I've gotta be responsible and take care of my work load while I can.

Anyway, we've got more of the nursery completed, with the help of my very loving and helpful sister, Laura. I still need to paint a shelf, then hang it and I have to paint Ty's name and hang that as well. Brent is working nights tonight, so I'll probably do the painting this evening to help pass the time. We've got one more window to top with a valance, but we're waiting on the arrival of the curtain rod (had to order it offline).

Well, I'm at work, so I'd better get started on my day. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and hope to see you all soon!

Love,
Tired Momma & Stubborn Ty

I'm ready to breathe!

2008-11-26T09:11:00.002-06:00

You may be wondering what the title of this blog means. Well...it means just that. Even as I sit here, I have to take deep breaths every so often just to get enough oxygen. This baby is taking up quite a bit of room and is crampin' mom's breathing! haha!

Anyway, we went to the doctor again this past Monday, and I'm still dilated to a 1, but I'm now effaced 80%. Dr. Sherman says his head is down, and he has already dropped some. She also thinks if I go full term he'll weigh somewhere around 7 pounds. -- Ty is slowly, but surely, working his way to meet us all. We are getting really excited, and can't wait to see his precious face!

Now, how am I doing? Actually, I'm doing just as one would expect being 8 1/2 months pregnant. I have my normal aches and pains in my lower back and hips, and as I said before, the breathing issue is kind of annoying. And if I'm on my feet too long, they begin to throb with such a pain I've never felt in my feet before. I still have occasional nausea, and in fact, couldn't keep my dinner down last night. However, we are getting closer and this pregnancy is almost over. I can't believe it! Brent has been such a blessing with helping me cope with pain and sickness. He's always rubbing my feet or back, and bringing me water when I'm sick...he's such a sweetheart. He's also been very patient with my hormonal mood swings that occur almost on a daily basis, and he makes sure to always put a smile on my face or make me laugh to help me feel better. He's the best husband a woman could ask for and I thank God for him daily!

I've really been enjoying having this week off from work. Working at the school is really great because of this schedule. I'm loving it! I've gotten a few more things done, and actually about to get started on a couple more as Brent continues to catch up on his much needed sleep.

I guess that's all for now. Here's a picture of me at 36 weeks (a week and a half ago).

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! Love you all!

Staci and Baby Ty

Not much of an Update

2008-11-19T12:22:00.002-06:00

Just got back from another doctor's appointment. She said everything is looking about the same...no progress on effacement/dilation. Ty's heartbeat was 145, and everything seems to be looking good. She said he's positioned well with his head down, so now it's just a matter of time. I tell you what though...that little booger is still very active. I feel him kick, punch, toss, turn, and hiccup very often. I'm thinking I will have my hands full with this one!

The doctor also advised me not to travel to Dallas for Thanksgiving. There is a lot of "no man's land" to travel through when heading that direction, so she suggested I stay home for this holiday. I'm a little bummed about missing Thanksgiving in Dallas, but on an upbeat, we'll get spend it with Brent's family here in Beaumont. Maybe we'll get to go up to Dallas for Christmas if we think little Ty can handle it.

Right now, I'm just feeling exhausted. All I want to do is lie down and rest. I've been going to bed at night about 8:30 because I'm just so stinkin' tired! There are still many things to do in preparing for Ty's arrival, and I'm hoping I have enough energy to do them all. Luckily, I'll be off all of next week for the holiday, and maybe we can get some things done then.

We did get the car seat mounted into the car...which was kind of a headache. But I'm glad we got that done ahead of time. We've also have the Christmas tree up, and most of the Christmas presents purchased. So now, I just need to wrap them all! We did get lights hung on the house, but we're a few feet short, so we've gotta get one more box to finish it off.

So, anyway, our next appointment is this Monday morning. If the results warrant an update, I'll be posting more info for you guys!

Well...since I'm at work, I'd better get back to it! Hope everyone has a happy Wednesday!

Love,
Exhausted Momma and Active Ty Weir

Let the Countdown Begin...

2008-11-11T07:08:00.002-06:00

Ok...so the countdown has already begun, but now I feel I'm very close to becoming a mother. Less than 5 weeks away from the due date...wow! Plus, news from the doctor made me think he may come sooner than expected...

Yesterday was my first examination of many to come to check the status of everything "downtown." First she kinda squeezed my stomach as I was lying on the table and she felt he was about 5 1/2-6 lbs right now. (I'm leaning more towards 5 1/2.) If I go full-term, she said he'll probably weigh close to 7 1/2 pounds. After the full exam she said I was already 70% effaced and dilated to a 1. I was a little surprised! She said it doesn't necessarily mean he'll come early, but he may. And its a good thing because its helping me, and will make actual labor that much easier since I've already begun to dilate/efface. (So thats what those lower pains in my stomach were....ha!)

I actually wouldn't mind him coming a couple weeks early. I'm ready to see him, hold him, love him and take care of him! I'm ready to be a mom! This of course, lights the proverbial fire under my butt to get everything ready for the big day. We need to pack some bags, get the car seat strapped into the car, buy our video camera, and finish that nursery! If only the sinus headache I've had for over a week now would go away...it sure would help things out a bit. But, I gotta work through the pain, I guess. That's what moms do!

Love to all!

Staci and "Baby on the Way" Ty

Showered with Blessings!

2008-11-02T07:20:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was our baby shower for Ty. It was a beautiful day, and a beautiful shower. It was so wonderful seeing all my friends and family together on such a great day! I was overwhelmed with all the gifts we received for Ty. Receiving such thoughtful gifts was a bit emotional at times, and I actually had to fight back the tears on an occasion or two. Brent and I thank you all for coming, bringing gifts and sharing your loving advice. It was a wonderful blessing!

We are so thrilled about having Ty soon. We can't get over the fact that we're only 6 weeks away from Ty's due date! It is mind boggling...but very exciting! Ty will have such a great big host of family and friends that will love and cherish him as much as Brent and me, and for that, we will forever be grateful!

Thank you all again for your love, support and blessings! We love you all so much!

Love,
Staci, Brent & Blessed Baby Ty

Doctor Visit Update

2008-10-27T17:11:00.006-05:00

I just got home from yet another doctor visit. My last visit was 3 weeks ago. (I had to reschedule to this week because last week I had an important staff meeting to attend.) I've gained only a pound since my last visit, but Dr. Sherman says I'm measuring just right! Ty's heartbeat was a bit slower today at 130 but still well within the normal range. She asked if I had been having any pains or such, and as a matter of fact, I have. Last night mom was over visiting while Brent was on his night shift. I stood up from the couch and felt an immediate sharp pain very low below my belly in the center. The pain lasted for about 30 seconds or so, and eventually subsided. Dr. Sherman says, "Well, that's what labor will feel like. You had a contraction." She said he was pushing on my cervix...which I guess is what causes the contractions. However, she said its normal to have one every so often this late in the pregnancy. I guess its when they become regular is when the big day is here! I have another visit in 2 weeks, and after that I see the doctor every week. I still can't believe how close we are to having a baby and becoming parents! We are both so excited!

Oh...I almost forgot. Ty had the hiccups last night for the first time. My mom was a witness to it all. We then put a glass of water on my belly to watch it move as he hiccuped and then...he got to kickin'! It was fun! Should've had the video camera!

Okay! Back to today...

We also paid the deposit for my epidural. I'm still pretty set on having the epidural, but they said if everything is going smooth and he comes really quick or I decide not to have it, the deposit will be refunded...so that's good news! And now we've gotta select a pediatrician. I can't believe I haven't done that yet! Yikes...I'd better get on that right away!

Here is a picture of how Ty looks right now at 33 weeks in the womb (he should be weighing a little over 4 pounds now):
Alright. I'm about to head out to my parents' house for the evening since Brent is at work. They're having a fire in the chimnea/fire pit thing-a-ma-bob and we're roasting hot dogs and making smores. I'm not gonna lie...I'm pretty excited right now!

Adios!

Staci and "Hungry for Smores" Baby Ty

Finally! Another Photo!

2008-10-25T19:28:00.002-05:00

So, I've finally got another pregnant photo for the faithful viewers of my baby blog. Brent took this picture of me a couple of mornings ago...I am 32 1/2 weeks here. Tomorrow, I'll be 33 weeks. Only 7 weeks to go!

On a side note...

I've got a lot of my Christmas shopping done, which is great. Because the bigger I get, the less I can do physically. Plus, once Ty comes, I REALLY wont have time to do any sort of shopping. My goal is to have everything done before Thanksgiving...including having our Christmas tree up. And something new for me...this year, there will be lights on our house! I didn't have any last year because it was just me and Laura living here, and we aren't as handy as my wonderful husband Brent! He's already mentioned wanting to put some up, so that made me excited. I'm sure we'll wait until after Thanksgiving to do that though.

Anyway, Brent is at work tonight, so I'm going to head out for now and finish up working on our honeymoon scrapbook. I never did that...so I figured I'd better do it now before the baby or else it will probably never get done! HA!

Hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather as much as I am! Love you all!

Staci and Baby Ty

Sleepless Nights...

2008-10-21T05:04:00.002-05:00

Its way early in the morning, and I can't sleep. I know I need to get used to the "no sleep" thing, but I should still have 8 weeks of peaceful sleep! I've come down with some sort of cold or sinus drainage or something. The past three nights have been beyond miserable. Tossing and turning with clogged nostrils switching sides and waking myself up snoring as I gasp for air....yeah...its not fun. And of course, that's on top of being pregnant and having aches and pains in my ankles every other night with Ty kickin' me in the ribs every so often.

Brent left for work this morning at about 4:30, and soon after, I heard Cooper crying to go outside for a potty break. He usually stays in bed until I'm up at about 6:30 or so, but I guess he woke up early this morning. So, I decided to let him out and just stay up since its too difficulty trying to sleep!

Ok...enough complaining. Sorry.

I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment yesterday, but there was a staff meeting at school that required my attendance, so I changed my appointment to this Monday, the 27th. Not sure if I mentioned we're now going to the doctor every 2 weeks since I'm getting so close. We haven't done the 3D sonogram, but I think I want to. I need to call to schedule that...

Last night Brent and I watched a couple of videos online. They were simulated videos: one being development of your child in the last trimester and the other during labor and delivery. I read all about what happens to your baby right after he's born and along with the videos, it was very emotional. I started tearing up just thinking about all those things, and knowing soon my body will be going through labor and delivery and we will soon have our son. It is a whole gamut of emotions! I feel excited, nervous, happy, peaceful, anxious, and fulfilled all at the same time! Plus, the hormones don't help either! Brent and I talk about how we can't wait for Christmas, because when Christmas is here, we will be parents, and have a baby boy and things will forever be changed. It's so thrilling!

Anyway, I'm going to curl up on the couch with a comfy blanket and pillows, turn on the TV and hopefully doze off for a little bit before I have to get ready for work. I need sleep. Desperately!

Love you all!

Staci and growin' Baby Ty!

PS - I know...I know...pictures are needed.

Finally a new post!

2008-10-11T12:32:00.003-05:00

Wow. It has been a month since my last post on the ol' bloggeroo! I've been slacking! I think its mostly because I have a billion things to do. And when you have a billion things to do...its hard to have any motivation to do any of it. Plus, its hard to know what to do first. So today, I've been working on my billion things. Hopefully by the end of the weekend, I'll have cut the list down to a million!

As far as baby Ty...he's doing well. We had a doctor's appointment last Monday, October the 6th. I'm still measuring where I should be. The weight gain is still in the normal limits...just not used to weighing this much. It's definitely an adjustment! But as always, it was great to hear Ty's heartbeat (it was 145). And now I'm far enough along where my appointments are every 2 weeks instead of every 4. I'm only 9 weeks away from the due date! How crazy is that! Ty will be here before we know it! Which reminds me...I still have that list of a trillion things to do!

The sickness has pretty much subsided. I did have a small stomach flu or something early Tuesday morning. At first, I thought it was pregnancy related...turned out...it wasn't. I actually went to work and the school nurse sent me home to rest and hydrate myself. But it was just for the day...felt better by Tuesday evening. Then on Thursday, my allergies decided to attack! (again...not pregnancy related...geez...I thought I was supposed to have a break from feeling yucky!) So one of the meds safe to take (according to my MD) is Claritin. I took one, and it helped all right...but it wired me and I woke up at around midnight and didn't sleep a wink the rest of the night. All day Friday I felt okay, but my body was exhausted. Tried taking a nap when I got home...still...nada. Luckily the medicine wore off and I was able to sleep a little better last night.

Slowly but surely, we are getting ready for Ty's arrival. We're so excited he's coming soon and can't wait to meet him! The mom gene is really kicking in and I'm anxious to get the room finalized and ready! Anyway, I guess I'd better get going...got that list to get done!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Staci and Baby Ty

Evacuated due to Hurricane Ike!

2008-09-12T08:29:00.003-05:00

Well, this post comes from Quitman, Texas on Lake Fork where I grew up. Laura and I left at about 5:00 am on Thursday morning from Lumberton to head to Quitman where my parents were already located while taking a relaxing week away on the lake. I was a bit nervous leaving before the schools closed, but upon arrival in Lufkin we turned on local radio (for Beaumont) and heard they had ordered the mandatory evacuation of Beaumont and closed all schools, so we were thanking the Lord we left when we did. We didn't get into any traffic and made it safely to Quitman without any problems!

Ty is doing well and still kickin' the heck outta me! We had a doctor's appointment last Monday (September 8th) and everything is looking well! I've gained the recommended amount of weight at this point (17 pounds) and I'm feeling pretty good. However...I got sick again last night! ugh! That dern Mexican food...when am I gonna learn?

Anyway, I was in tears about having to leave Brent behind to work, but luckily they closed down the refinery and he is in route to Quitman right now. I spoke with him a few minutes ago and he's not sitting in traffic and making good time! Thank the Lord for that as well!

Anyway, hope everyone stays safe and secure during this crazy hurricane! Love you all!

Staci and baby Ty!

The Work Week is Over...

2008-08-29T18:23:00.005-05:00

So the first official week of work has come and gone. The first week of school is definitely hectic, and I got to see it from the "adult working in the school system" point of view. As a kid, you always think everything is hunky dory...sooo not true. The first day was mad chaos at Dishman Elementary. I'll start my week recap now...

Disclaimer: part of the recap includes sickness...just a forewarning.

So Monday morning I woke up to get ready for my "first day of school!" I was ready to get started, and knew I had quite a bit of work lined up for the week. I was ready to dive in! Well, my stomach started turning as I was getting ready and had to make a run for the porcelain throne. I sat there flushing about 8 or 9 times...which woke Brent up. He stumbled into the hallway, eyes squinting asking "are you okay? you've flushed the toilet like 50 times!" I felt so bad for waking him up, but I was NOT feeling well! I tried to get past it and started making my lunch and sipped on apple juice. Just a few minutes later I ran to the bathroom, but this time to throw up. I finally got myself dressed and ready to walk out the door, but I knew I would not have a place to park because EVERY parent had walk their kid into the school that morning. Luckily Brent was off, and he dropped me off. I went straight to my office to sit down and tried to get started working. Then, had to make another trip to the bathroom. I was leaning over the sink when I realized, "hmm...I kinda have to tinkle...I may want to take care of that before I throw up so not to piddle myself." It was NOT a good start to the week. But after a couple of hours, I began feeling better. Brent then picked me up at the end of the day with a vase of red roses and a sweet note he wrote for me! He's such a sweetheart! It was the perfect end to that work day!

Tuesday through Thursday went well. All days have been busy. I've been looking over my caseload of students I'll see for therapy and creating work folders, and sorting by grade, making a schedule, calling parents, scheduling ARD meetings. It's been busy. Today was another busy day. I had four ARD meetings this morning back-to-back! And I've never participated, nor conducted and ARD. Luckily it was a little more laid back than I realized, and all went well.

Now I'm home, and my hubby is at work. I've got Cooper and Tigre to keep me company. I think I'll start organizing things and packing stuff in case we need to evacuate for Hurricane Gustav. Plus, Hurricane Hanna is right on Gustav's tail. Praise the Lord for family and friends that live north of here! I'm praying all goes well, and we don't have to sit in traffic for hours if we need to evacuate.

Here is a cute video of what I will be experiencing very soon! Hope you've all enjoyed your week, and enjoy your labor day weekend. Praying everyone stays safe during the storm!

The Bladder Ballad -- powered by flowgo.com

Love to all!

Staci and Baby Ty

Kicky McKickerson

2008-08-23T08:40:00.003-05:00

I tell you what...Ty is quite the kicker...or maybe puncher...not really sure which one. But for the sake of this blog, we'll say kicker.

I sat down in church Wednesday night right as Dad began preaching and wham! wham! wham! Back to back kicks! My reaction is to hold by belly with an "oh my goodness" look on my face. It's still a little shocking when I feel him kick. It's the most unique feeling and I love it!

This morning, Brent was curled up on my side of our king size bed with about 3 feet of extra space on his side. So yes, I was curled up in a ball with very little space in our huge bed. However, this morning, it came in handy. I was lying on my back when Ty began kicking right at my belly button. Brent was mostly asleep, but I grabbed his hand and placed it on top of my tummy. He slightly kicked again and Brent gasped and said, "I felt him!" He then placed both hands on Ty and then he really kicked! Brent said, "Wow! He's a feisty one!" I'm so glad Brent finally got to feel Ty move and kick. It was a neat experience for us.

As far as how things have been going...well...I've been busy with inservice workshops and workdays at the school. Brent was up during the morning yesterday helping me move my heavy bins of speech materials and cleaning out cabinets and shelves of mess the last therapist left. A family stopped by to meet me and say hello. They were very nice and introduced me to their son, Stephen. He is diagnosed with high-functioning Autism and he was a hoot! He was previously enrolled in PPCD (Preschool Programs for Children with Disabilities) and received speech therapy. I was standing in the doorway when Ty was causing me some discomfort so I grabbed the side of my belly to rub. Stephen's dad says to his sons, "What do you think is in her belly?" He got very excited and shouted, "A baby!" I said, "That's right!" And then I whispered, "and it's a boy!" He then got very excited and exclaimed, "I bet he will be in PPCD!" We all chuckled and his mom said, "well...not necessarily!" The family was very sweet and welcomed me to Dishman with great sincerity. I can't wait to work with these kiddos!!!

Well, I've gotta get going. The stores open up in about an hour and we are going to start registering for baby stuff today! So, I've gotta get prepared and ready for all of that!

Love to all!

Staci and Taekwondo Ty

Fully-Loaded Update

2008-08-12T08:05:00.015-05:00

Yesterday was quite the busy day for me and Brent! MD appointment in the morning, breakfast with my parents at 10:00, post office, bank, quick 20 minute nap at home, my fingerprinting appointment I had for work, Brent mowed 4 lawns, we had dinner, watched some Olympics and hit the hay! We were pooped!

But as for the doctor's appointment...

I'm right at 22 weeks along and I've gained about 12 pounds so far. (We won't say exactly how much I weigh.) We got the pleasure of seeing our son again on the ultrasound due to him wiggling too much last time. They needed a clearer picture of his face.

My mom came with us to take pictures and video shots. She got quite a bit, but they're still on her camera, so I'll try to get them to you all soon. However, I do have pictures they printed from the ultra sound machine so I'll be sharing them with you in this post.

When she turned on the ultrasound he was lying still and most likely sleeping, but as soon as he felt mommy at rest, he got to moving again! It has been exactly four weeks since the last time we saw him, and it was so neat seeing how much bigger he was! This time we got to see his little mouth moving and everything!

I had a dream a few nights ago I delivered my baby at work with such ease, but she was a girl and was huge...like almost toddler size. HA! But we received a second confirmation that he is indeed a boy!

Anyway, here are a few shots from our first ultrasound on July 14, 2008 (18 weeks along). Also, you can click the picture for a bigger picture.

His face is on the right, and tummy on the left with his fists up by his shoulders.

It's a boy!

Here is a profile shot. His head is on the left and he's kinda curled up a bit.

Now for some shots from our appointment yesterday (August 11, 2008).

His little bitty feet! You can see his heels on the left side-by-side

and his toes angled up toward the right.

And here is Daddy's pick! The tech was wondering if he was sucking his thumb, and as she got close I said, "Looks more like he's picking his nose!" Check it out!

The tech said he weighs exactly 1 pound, which is doubled from 4 weeks ago! His heartbeat was 154, and everything is looking great! They did get the clearer picture of his face, and all well there too! Dr. Sherman said I was measuring just right and everything seemed to be going A-OK!

In the midst of all our errands yesterday, we did stop back by the house to grab something and upon our arrival was a box we got in the mail. I was very anxious to see what it was because it had my name on it! (I hadn't ordered anything online...so I was very curious!) It was from a good friend of mine, Amber. She had mailed me a pregnancy care package! It was sooo sweet and thoughtful of her! Inside were things she could not live without during her pregnancy (her sweet little girl is about 4 months old now). Inside was a bobby pregnancy wedge pillow (which I've been wanting so bad!) Also was a sleep mask to help me sleep during the day, a vibrating back massager for Brent to use on my back, Tylenol PM and some Tums! I was overwhelmed with emotion and almost cried at how sweet she was to think of me and put that package together just for me! Of course, as soon as we opened it up, I ran to the bedroom, laid down on my side, put the wedged pillow between my knees (ooooh...so comfortable!), put the mask over my eyes and asked Brent to massage my back with the massager. HA! It was nice! So Amber, I thank you again for such a kind thought and gift!

One more thing. Our babysitting experience with sweetie-pie Mark! I have a couple of pictures to share, and some funny and cute tid-bits from our few hours together. Before Brent got home, it was just me and Mark, and the animals. Cooper was so excited and could not stay away from Mark...it was driving me crazy, so I'm sure it was about to drive him crazy! I kept saying, "Cooper, no sir!" And it didn't take no time for Mark to do the same! Haha! I finally put him in his kennel, and he just sat there for the longest time watching us play. He'd start whining a bit, and I'd say, "Calm down, Cooper!" And of course, Mark would repeat. At one point, I clapped my hands and said, "No, Cooper!" And again, without fail, Mark copied with the hand clap and everything! So cute! I also told him about baby Ty in my belly. He didn't seem to understand at first, and raised my shirt to look at my belly thinking he would find Ty. Haha! I told him he was inside but couldn't come out until he grew bigger! So, when Christy came to pick him up, I asked Mark while pointing to my belly, "Who's in here?" He replied, "Baby Ty." And I asked, "When is he coming?" And then I prompted him with, "Before...." and he said, "Kiss-mas!" (a.k.a. Christmas) The little man is so stinkin' cute! Here are some pictures of us playing!

Counting, naming colors, and naming shapes. Mark is so smart, and he learns so well!

Posing for the camera!

Well that is all I have for you now. Hopefully I'll get those video clips and pictures from my mom soon, and I'll have more media to share with you all! Hope this post will suffice for now!

Love to all!

Staci and Early "Kiss-mas" present Ty

Issues...Clothing...Babysitting...OH MY!

2008-08-09T09:52:00.004-05:00

Apparently, Ty does not like barbecue either! Had some last night at Tommy's birthday celebration...it was delicious. I didn't think about it upsetting my stomach until after I took the last bite. I looked at Brent and said, "That was good...but it did have a spicy kick to it. Sure hope it doesn't upset my stomach tonight." After I said that...I knew it would. So of course at about 12:30 this morning I got up and sat in the living room for a while so not to wake Brent. After about 45 minutes or so, I finally had to make my way to the bathroom. It did not want to stay in my stomach. ::Sighhh:: Of course that is what woke Brent up and the sweetie that he is went to get me some ice water. -- Looks like I've gotta stick to foods with out any flavor whatsoever! Well, just gotta stick to a bit more blander foods.

On the good news front...did some more maternity shopping with my wonderful mother yesterday afternoon. We found some good deals and got quite a few shirts! Mom, thank you again for the lovely preggo attire! Love you!

On another upbeat...I (and Brent too after he gets off work) have the pleasure of watching Mark James Simon (our "almost 2-year old" nephew) this afternoon for a couple of hours. He's about the cutest and sweetest thing. So I'm looking forward to that...it should be fun. Plus he's already met Cooper and Tigre (the dog & cat) so he should have fun chasing them around too!

Alright. I'm out for now. Gotta clean the casa!

Love to all!

Staci and "No spice for me" Ty

Random Update.

2008-08-07T08:59:00.005-05:00

Praise the Lord! Edouard stayed the strength of a tropical storm and we survived!

Not too much happening on the home-front right now. We have another doctor's appointment on Monday, August 11th. They will be doing another ultrasound to get a clearer picture of Ty's face. He was moving too much in the last one. This time we'll think about bringing a camera to take still shots and hopefully video clips! Keep your fingers crossed!

As far as how mommy-to-be is doing...well she's hanging in there! The morning sickness has mostly passed, however, my stomach issues I've always had are still there! Ugh! Occasionally, I will get a sour stomach and end up throwing up, which is never fun. (I've realized Ty does not like Mexican food.) But, I shall survive!

Now for Ty...he's moving around like you wouldn't believe. Not so much when I'm walking or active. But if I'm trying to rest, he'll start moving. It's almost like, the pilot has said, "we've now reached a cruising altitude, you are now welcome to roam about the cabin." And...he does! But just as some turbulence arises (aka...mommy moving) its "please make your way back to your seats and hold on to your butts!" (Jurassic Park reference...haha!) Nonetheless, even though I feel sick at times, uncomfortable, back aching, stomach moving...I'm so excited about this whole process and becoming a mother. I hear there is nothing like it! I can't wait!

Until next time...

Love you all,

Staci and Ty

Why Edouard? Why? (Plus a picture!)

2008-08-04T17:24:00.008-05:00

Well its that time of year again. That's right. Hurricane season. Right now we have a tropical storm heading right for Beaumont and should hit early Tuesday morning. They are expecting it to strengthen to possibly a category 1 hurricane. Sigh...

My poor husband is working nights now, so he's already left for work and will have to be at work when the storm hits (unless it slows down and hits later Tuesday morning). However, his relief may not show up, which means he's stuck there for a while longer. So, lets keep him in our prayers!

So, we have these HUGE trees in our yard...both front and back. No telling what may happen to those boogers when Edouard's fury hits our city. I would hate for a tree to come crashing through our roof being home alone. So...my mom and hubby both felt I should go stay at my parents in Lumberton (a little farther north) for the night. Plus if our electricity goes out...whew...it will be hot for sure! So my bags are packed and I've prepped some things around the house in case wind-driven rain seeps in or heaven-forbid a tree comes crashing down. I've also baked a strawberry cake to take to mom and dads...yum. Can't wait for that! I will probably wait until 6:00 or 6:30 to drive to L-town to avoid after-work traffic as much as possible.

Anyway, I guess that's all for now folks. Everyone in the area, please stay safe, and everyone not in the area, keep us in your prayers!

Love you all!

Staci and baby Ty! :)

PS - I had a lovely visit with my good friends Lauren & Meagan this past weekend. They took a picture of me at almost 21 weeks. Here it is for your amusement! (If you click the picture, you'll see the full-size image.)

Maternity Clothes?

2008-07-31T08:42:00.005-05:00

So up to this point I have been blessed to not have to wear maternity clothes. I was still able to fit into my size 4 jeans up to this week! But alas, it has come to the point where I had to make my first trip to Motherhood Maternity. Tommy and Susan (Brent's dad and 2nd mom) went with us...and I tell you what...it was an event for sure.

I was lost as a goose in that store...I had no idea where to begin or even what size to try on. Luckily the lady behind the counter spoke up and said, "Is this your first time shopping for maternity clothes?" -- Now I wonder where she got that idea? Maybe it was the "fish out of water" look on my face. -- She asked "what size are you?" I said, "I don't know." (everything was in small, medium, large, etc.) She then clarified and asked what size I wore before my pregnancy and then told me to first try a Medium. So that helped out a bit.

I knew I wanted to get pants that I could wear to work (the elementary school I'll be working coming up in August), so luckily there was a sale rack at the back with all sorts of pants. Brent was trying to pick out tops for me...and that wasn't working. I picked out tops that he dissed...it was a mess. But finally, I had quite a bit of things to try on and made my way to the dressing room.

Now in the dressing room there is a fake baby belly you can strap on to see how the clothes will fit when you get bigger. I modeled first these great khaki pants that I LOVED (with of course the shirt on I had worn that day) and everyone agreed the pants were great. I stepped back in the dressing room to strap myself into the pillowed belly and tucked it into my pants and stepped back out to show off my future belly. Tommy jumped up, turned to face me with one hand over his mouth and the other pointing at me laughing at how "cute" I was? haha! He kept saying how he wished we had the camera! Brent's eyes were huge and sat quietly for a moment thinking, "Oh my goodness...this is crazy!" haha!

Anyway, I tried the rest of the clothes on and found out for the most part the medium pants worked...the medium tops...not so much. The ladies couldn't breathe in the medium. But I'm used to that already. haha! Didn't really like many of the tops they had there, so we left with a few pairs of pants (thanks to my wonderful husband, Brent) and a set of ever-so-comfy PJ's, courtesy of the lovely Susan! (Thank you again, Susan! You're so sweet!) All-in-all it was a successful first maternity clothes shopping trip.

As a side note: While in the dressing room, I noticed a sticker on the mirror that said something along the lines of "Nursing mothers welcome here." or "You can breast-feed your baby here." -- Something like that. Anyway, I read the sticker aloud while thinking hard about it and then said, "If you're breast-feeding your baby, why are you still shopping in a maternity store??" I didn't really get it. HA! Apparently, they open their dressing rooms to nursing moms that are shopping in the mall. Which is a handy tip to know in the future!

Until next time...

Staci and baby Ty!

It's a Boy!

2008-07-30T09:34:00.000-05:00

So, apparently when you are expecting, you're supposed to create a baby blog. I know of several people who have published thoughts, photos and even ultrasound video clips as they travel the whirlwind road of pregnancy.

Brent and I are very excited to be welcoming a baby into this crazy world. We know God is with us and will forever guide us through anything thrown our way. Most of you know (probably all of you know) that this pregnancy was definitely not planned. At the end of April 2008 I was terribly sick and had no idea the cause. In early May we realized that we were going to have a baby. It was obviously a great shock to us both because we were waiting until marriage to "consummate the relationship." Apparently we didn't learn anything in health class about how you can become pregnant doing certain other things. Needless to say, it was a definite eye-opener!

Thankfully Brent and I were in love and knew we wanted to be united in marriage. Being pregnant had no reason to do with why we got married, just how quickly we got married. We had a beautiful wedding...one I've always wanted.

We had an ultrasound on July 14th, 2008 and found out we are having a boy! We are so thrilled! In fact during the ultrasound, tears just began streaming down my face as I watched our son's heart beat and watched him squirm around all over the place! As we were walking out of the room, I was constantly wiping my tears of joy. We were then waiting in the hallway to see the doctor amongst many other couples and Brent was about to burst into tears himself, so he kept telling me to "QUIT IT!" Ha! Dr. Sherman said I was looking thin, but everything was measuring just right and everything was looking good!

Now fast-forward to today. I am about 20 weeks along and there's no denying it! (I'm due December 14th.) My belly is finally stickin' out there and I'm feeling a little on the whale side. Haha! Actually, all of my weight gain so far (about 9-10 lbs) is in my stomach. I'll have to post a picture soon of my big ol' belly!

Our next doctor's appointment is August 11th and we'll have another ultrasound because Ty was wigglin' so dang much in the last one they couldn't get a clear picture of his face. I'm thinking I'm going to have my hands full with this one!

As tradition goes in the Weir family, the first born son has the initials of T.H. Weir. So we have decided on a name, which will be Ty Haydon Weir. We're just so excited to meet him, and can't wait to see who he looks like. My guess is he'll look just like Brent, which is fine by me!

Okay folks, that's it for now, and I'll keep you posted on all the happenings of this pregnancy! Love you all and thank you all so much for your support and prayers!