When life gives you lemons...

You have to step back and take a look at the miracle of life that is happening before your eyes! I am the size of a lemon this week. I am busy doing a lot of little things in Mommy's tummy. I can squint, grimace, frown, and suck my thumb! I am also kicking and moving up a storm but Mommy most likely cannot feel it yet...Soon she will!

My kidneys have started to work enabling me to now use the bathroom. It might not be the normal thing to be proud of but Mommy and Daddy are VERY proud. Technically, what happens is the fluid that I am hanging out in, the amniotic fluid, basically cycles through me. It is sterile the whole way through when I swallow and then when my kidney's work to produce my #1's! Pretty cool if you ask me!

Mommy has been feeling pretty good lately. Her exhaustion came back though which she was a little bummed about. She has slept most of her 3 day weekend away, which bums her out because she hasn't gotten what she has wanted to get done...done. Oh well, it will eventually get done. Work has not slowed down for Mommy at all and when she gets home from her workday, she crashes hard! The only thing that hasn't been so good is the pain in her lower left abdomen where the doctors discovered her 3 cysts. They are really starting to hurt mommy again, but she knows that there is nothing she can do about them right now. Luckily we have our next doctors appt. in 2 weeks which she will be asking if there is anything more she can do. She has been listening very strictly to the rule of no lifting over 10 lbs. Harder than she ever thought!!

Daddy has been very busy around here too...He has been the biggest help to Mommy. Mommy is finding it pretty difficult to get around, with her joints being stiff and her equilibrium being so thrown off. It's amazing that for such a small thing that I am, how much it affects Mommy physically so early on! Daddy has been so helpful. He rocks! Daddy also has been busy back at his second semester back to school! He is working so hard to get his degree done so he can get a good job for when we make the move back home to the cities! He is also really busy at work but has a 3 day weekend coming up over Easter! He planned Easter lunch for Mommy and himself at Eagle's Crest Grille! It's a very nice restaurant out on one of the nicest golf courses in eastern ND! Mommy is so excited and Daddy is loving the menu!

Here are some fun pictures for you to look at!!

Mommy and "me"!

Daddy, Jack, and "me"!

My comparison to mommy's cell phone!

Just about the same length as something you may use every day! Scotch tape!

Can't wait to see you all next week with my next update! Doctor's appt. update will be given at 16 weeks!

Love you!

-Baby Horton

The 1st Belly Pictures!

Here are the first set of "Bump" pictures! Mommy feels like I popped out overnight!

There I am! 13 weeks and 1 Day!

Mommy likes this one a lot...

Mommy is a little embarassed to show everyone this one, but she wants to show you how I really did "pop" overnight!

Daddy did a great job taking the pictures of me! Mommy is really picky and Daddy was very cooperative. Thanks Daddy!

13 weeks!

Good Evening!

I am 13 weeks old today and I am the size of a Peach!  Man, am I ever growing quick! I am nearly 3 inches long...I came a very long way since I started out about the size of a pen tip! Fingerprints are developing if not are already there on my little fingers and toes. My vocal chords developed and are working on being ready for when I greet the world! If I am a girl, my girl parts are developing inside of me. You still can't tell what I am from the outside...soon though! Some people say depending on where I am, you potentially could tell by 15 weeks! Mommy and Daddy won't know though until there 19 week appointment! That is, if I cooperate!

Mommy has been doing pretty good lately...She is still really tired and some intense cravings have started! One night, after Mommy got done with work, she called Daddy and asked him what he would like from Mcdonalds because she NEEDED chicken nuggets! Oh Mommy! She's so silly. She has been craving corn dogs too...which she is hoping stays a craving long enough for the State Fair! Mommy has been having some difficulties eating though. Not because she gets sick, but because she is just not hungry. She has been doing a lot of research on it because she thinks it has something to do with her Gastric Bypass surgery she had almost 3 years ago. She is just worried because she wants to make sure I am getting enough vitamins and nutrients seeing as its hard for even her to get them.

Aside from that, it has been pretty uneventful around here in the past week. My dog Jack has been cuddling a lot with mommy and never leaves her side. He is very protective of her and I love him for that! He is my buddy already and I can't wait until I get to meet him in real life!

Flooding is in full force where Mommy and Daddy live right now. They are trapped as Mommy would say. The Interstate shut down because of overland flooding and so Mommy and Daddy for sure wont be home until Memorial Day. I hope I can see everyone again then! I will get to tell everyone what I am!!! I cannot wait to get back to Minnesota, that's a nice place!

Okay world, until next week. I have a lot to look forward to this upcoming week as growing starts to become very rapid!  Talk to you then!

Love you!

-Baby Horton

12 weeks!

Hello to all!

What an eventful weekend I have had! I drove all the way down to the twin cities with Mommy and Daddy to celebrate Daddy's birthday! Daddy didn't know he was getting a surprise party from Mommy though. She's pretty good at secret planning! The party was a lot of fun! Mommy and Daddy knew that this weekend was going to be the weekend that we were surprising everyone about me too so they talked about ways to do it! They chose to have it written on a birthday cake that they would play off as Daddy's! It worked great! Mommy brought the cake over to Daddy, set it down and waited for the reactions! It was SO fun seeing all of the reactions, well at least that is what Mommy said. There are pictures at the bottom of this post I had Mommy help me put on! I had a great time and everyone is very excited to meet me!

I was 12 weeks old on Sunday! My reflexes are developing like crazy! I can now wiggle my toes, clench my muscles and my eyelids are working on opening...I squint a lot! My eyes and ears are now officially where they will be when I am welcomed to the world! Now, some people say I am out of the first trimester now, but some say I have to be 14 weeks old. I don't know what to think!! Neither does Mommy. She's been feeling really good now too so, we are just going to take the weeks as they come! She has started noticing a potential "bump" but she is going to wait a couple more weeks to post pictures just to be sure! I will soon be starting to rapidly grow and mature in Mommy's belly, so she will for sure see me soon! These first couple of weeks have been really strenuous for me! I went from an embryo and now am in the Fetal stage and it feels great! All of my systems in my body are pretty much there, they just have to continue to grow as I do! How cool is that! I have been working so hard on growing and staying healthy! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of me!
Well everyone, I will talk to you again next Sunday! Mommy is so sleepy after this weekend...it was a lot of stress and running around! She is excited she is back "home" and gets to sleep in her own bed! Today is officially Daddy's birthday so Mommy and Daddy and I are going to kick back and watch a movie together and relax. I love hanging out with them!

There is my surprise cake!

There is my Mommy and Daddy! Man, I am going to be so cute!

 

 

These are Mommy and Daddy's bestest friends! Look at how excited everyone is to be Aunties and Uncles!

These are all of my Grand Parents! Grandma Dianne, Nana Vera, Grandpa Mark, Papa Tim, Grandpa Jim!

These guys are Mommy's family! That is my Great Auntie Vicki, Second Cuz Matt, Great Uncle Dan and Second Cuz Dani! They are all VERY excited for me too!

These are my two Aunties, Aly and Veronika and my Uncle Jared!

This is my Great Grandma Jo! She is so funny!!!!

That's Mommy surprising Great Gramma Anna about me! She was confused at first, but then was excited! She already started making me booties!

There is Daddy and Great Gramma Anna! She was so happy to see Daddy! She gave Daddy a snickers bar for his birthday and he was VERY happy!


Love you!!!

-Baby Horton