New Video of Austin talking to camera

Austin has discovered he can make sounds and likes to talk to us. Check out the video:

AUSTIN IS 6 WEEKS OLD

Here are some new pics of Austin. He has been starting to smile alot more and is growing like a weed.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dgross17/AUSTIN6WEEKSOLD?feat=directlink

VIDEO OF AUSTIN:

Christmas Time SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It snowed extremly hard for about 4 hours and it accumulated on cars and the ground. It was an awesome experience being so close to Christmas..

http://picasaweb.google.com/dgross17/SNOW#

Video:

Austin 1 Month old already

Time flies.. Austin is already 1 month old and growing like a weed. Here are some updated pictures.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dgross17/Austin1MonthOld#

Austin's 1st Thanksgiving

Austin had his 1st Thanksgiving with his family in Beaumont. Here are some pictures.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dgross17/AustinS1stThanksgiving#

Austin Visits Grandparents

Austin finally got to meet his Grandpa and also got more spoiled by his other Grandparents as we went back home to Beaumont for a few days. Austin also was able to meet his uncle Kevin, Zach, and Robert. Here are some pictures from the trip. We can already tell he is growing and getting bigger. Enjoy the pics!

http://picasaweb.google.com/dgross17/AustinSVisitToGrandparents#

Video of Austin Smiling

Here is a video we caught of Austin smiling while he was sleeping..

More Pictures of Austin Daniel!

Austin has been home for two days now and we are loving him every minute. He has been great and we can't stop taking pictures and cuddling him. Click the link below to see more pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/N--HLDFQE2EjcZKi54HPgw

Austin Daniel is HERE!!!!

Austin Daniel Gross was born on Wednesday 11/5/2008
Weight 7lbs 9oz
Length 20 1/2 inches

After about 24 hours of labor Austin Daniel was welcomed to the world. He is doing great and Mommy is doing great as well just very tired. We have been enjoying him all day long and can't wait to bring him home. We made a photo album online for easy viewing all the pictures that were taken the past few days.
Here is the website:
http://picasaweb.google.com/dgross17/AustinDaniel#

Baby Shower Pictures

Latest belly pics!!! Can it really get any bigger???
Scroll down and you'll see some photos of some of the cute decorations I had at each of my showers. Check out that diaper cake!! It's too cute to use any of the diapers. My shower in Groves was centered around the theme Baby Safari Animals. The cake was too cute. My Pearland shower was all about April's little pumpkin. Check out the pumpkin flower bouquet. I'll post more shower pics soon! Also, scroll down to see pics of our Hurricane Ike evacation adventure. Enjoy!

35 Weeks!!!...Let the countdown begin...

Oh my gosh..I'm already 35 weeks along on this journey. Pregnancy goes by fast, and I hear time flies even faster when the baby arrives. I know part of it is due to just plain busy..ness with work and Hurricane Ike and baby showers..and stuff...I have been having a blast unpacking all of the baby gifts and putting everything in their place. The nursery is completely finished...and everything is washed and ready to go. I even packed my hospital suitcase today..just in case he decides to come early! Now all I have left to do is stock the house with easy to prepare meals (since we probably won't feel like cooking in those first several weeks) and get the carseats ready to go. I'm such an organization freak. I want to be totally ready. Danny says I'm like a mama bird, getting the nest ready. That's exactly how I feel. It's alot of work....and it's alot of fun.
During hurricane Ike, we evacuated to Austin for about a week and a half. It took us that long to get our power back. We had a good time, hanging out with family, shopping, getting a massage, and we even went to our first UT game. We took many long strolls through my aunt Laura's beautiful wooded neighborhood and came across so many deer, that were just roaming around on people's front lawns. That is so cool. All of this helped take our mind off of Ike temporarily, until we arrived home and saw many of our neighbors with their entire household on their front lawn. Many of the homes in our neighborhood sustained horrible damage. We are so blessed that we did not. We have some close friends and family who basically lost their homes. Our hearts and prayers go out to them.

Austin Daniel is growing so fast now. He's gaining about a half pound per week. Now he's about 4-5 pounds and about 14 inches from crown to rump. I don't feel as many kicks, as he is running out of room in there, but he is defintely squirming like crazy. I often feel and see his heels and elbows sticking out from my stomach. It's really weird, but great. The doctor was able to feel his head at my last appt., and she said he has assumed the position for birth. His head is pointing down. That's a relief. It won't be long before he drops, and I will be waddling like a duck even more than I am now.

Special thanks go out to all my friends and family who worked so hard at throwing me a baby shower and those who attended my showers. I am ever so grateful to have such wonderful people come to celebrate with me in preparing for Austin's arrival. Both showers were so much fun, and I love all of my gifts. I am set to go...

Enjoy the latest photos! It won't be long before Austin's cute little face will be plastered across this blog page!

7 Month Progress Photo

30 Weeks along!!!

Finally Nursery Photos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally we have pictures of the Nursery! Theme is Baby Safari animals. Enjoy!

Third Trimester!!! Month #7 (Weeks 28-31)

I am now officially in my 7th month (30 weeks already!) I so happy to say, that I'm still feeling pretty good. However, it's definitely not as easy to move around (ie. get up off the couch, turn over in bed, or even be on my feet for extended periods), but overall, I can't complain. I'm still exercising and stretching a couple times a week, and that's helping my muscles from tightening and cramping up which is common in pregnancy. Other than a little more fatigue (sometimes alot)and a little more heartburn, I feel good. I hope I can still say that at 9 months. Right now, my little boy is 17 inches long, just over 3 pounds in weight and cute all over. His brain is really developing alot right now, so I have to remember to eat my sardines...yummy...lol! They contain high amounts of those omega 3's that are so good for the brain. He's also starting to shed all that baby fuzz that has since covered his entire body to keep him warm. Danny and I attended our Lamaze/Childbirth class on Sat. and it pretty much confirmed for me that I want the drugs when it comes time to deliver. Why? Well, to feel no pain, of course, but, mostly, I don't want to make those funny noises like those women on the video who are in so much pain, and trying to soothe it with those weird panting sounds..LOL! Now, just because I said that, I'll probably sound twice as goofy as they did. The class was fun, though, it had alot of other couples, and many of the dads were quite the comedians, so we laughed alot, especially when the teacher had them wear the fake pregnant belly and had to mimick some of the comfort positions of the laboring mothers in order to demonstrate to us moms how it's done. Then, we went to visit our friends, Che and John in the hospital who just had their new baby girl, Peyton Elise, who is absolutely beautiful. As I held her, my baby must have felt her on my stomach, because he would kick her alot, making her bounce up and down. It was pretty funny.
Well, we're still trying to make a final decision about the name. The three we like are Austin, Chase and Hunter. Daniel will be the middle name. Danny went to a football game the other night, and a couple of the players had the names Austin and Hunter, so of course, that just made him like the names even more. He's looking forward to his little football player to throw a football to....and his little fisherman to bring along on his fishing trips.
The nursery is almost finished, so we'll have pics up soon. Can't wait to see everyone in a few weeks at my shower!! I pray there are no hurricanes that weekend!! See you all soon!!

Week 26!

Month 6 (Weeks 23-27)

OK..ok...I know some of you are tired of opening our blog and not seeing any new postings. I apologize. I promise I'll try to do better. I am now 26 weeks along on this journey. I'm still feeling great, except I'm not sleeping all that great. The baby is so active at night, that it makes it hard for me to relax and fall asleep. I know he has grown significantly this past week, because my tummy has expanded tremendously in just one week. Also, I've been hungrier than usual. My problem is that crave sugar, which is not the best thing to be eating alot of right now. I try to reach for fruit as often as I can, but sometimes, I just have to have chocolate. I'll get my glucose test at my next docs appt (in about 3 weeks). Unfortunately, I won't have any more ultrasounds. I'm not happy about that. I really wanted to see my baby again, but my doctor says the only way I'd have another ultrasound, is if there was reason to be concerned about his (and my) health. So I'm not going to complain, because I'm happy that this pregnancy is healthy. Our baby is growing by leaps and bounds, he's 9 inches and weighs 2 pounds. His eyes are already beginning to open and he responds to noise (we tested and confirmed that fact at the new Batman movie and Mama Mia!) He responds to his Daddy's voice, too. Sometimes he'll throw a punch at his Dad when Danny calls his name (We're not telling the final name choices, til we're 100% sure, so it will be a surprise...sorry..) Anyway, I can expect to keep growing throughout next week, cause by week 27, he'll already be 15 inches...That's alot of growing in one week...
We've come a long way on the nursery, and I can't wait to post pics. I want to wait til we're completely finished before posting those. The theme we chose is a baby safari theme. We've also gotten several decorative items from IKEA to add even more fun to the room. Our cat, Pumpkin is enjoying all the new stuff. He likes the stuffed animals with the rattles in their tail. Boy is he in for a surprise, when our new arrival gets here. The room will no longer be his..lol.
Gotta go for now. Hope you like the new pics. The pic on top is from month 4-5. The bottom pic is month 6.

Pregnancy Progress Photos. Months 2-5!

We originally were going to do weekly photos but have been unable to. So we have monthly photos. Enjoy!

Nineteen Weeks

I know I'm slacking with keeping this blog updated. Sorry to those of you who are anxiously awaiting new posts. I am now almost to the halfway point. Already nineteen weeks. I can't believe how fast time is flying. We have confirmed that we are having a boy (check out the latest pics). We're currently trying to decide on names. That is so hard, when there's so many names that we like. If anyone has suggestions, feel free to post. I like to hear people's ideas. I am feeling some light movement. When I do feel it, it feels like a tiny little foot is kicking me just a few times, then it stops. Thump, thump is exactly what I feel. It's so cute. I can just picture those tiny little legs. According to the books, my little munchkin is doing acrobats inside my belly, kicks, punches, flip flops...you name it. I better enjoy those light thumps while I can, because I hear it can get pretty rough toward the end :) No weird cravings, but I am back to craving italian food (it has been mexican for the past several weeks). My energy is still really high, and I'm feeling great. I've been exercising on a regular basis, and that helps with the back pain and muscle aches. I'm really enjoying being pregnant, and can't wait to see my little man!
Will be back soon....

Fourteen Weeks

I am so relieved to be feeling better now that I'm beginning my 2nd trimester. My energy has really picked up. I just go go go all day, then by the evening, I'm so exhausted, I can't even pick myself off the couch to get into bed. However, this was pretty typical of me anyway, even before I was pregnant. My appetite has tripled and I've really been craving spicy food, such as anything cajun, especially crawfish, and peppers. And, I'm already beginning to show a little. We're in the process of clearing out the extra room to make room for baby. We've purchased a crib and the bedding already (see picture)....and alot of stuffed animals from IKEA to add some bright colors (I couldn't resist). And of course, the two grandmas are so excited, they're already buying us diapers (the little ones are so cute!) By the way, this is the first grandchild on both sides, so as you can guess, he'll be extra spoiled.
See ya in a few weeks with our next set of ultrasound photos!

Nursery

This nursery theme titled "Baby Cocoa" is one of my top choices for nursery themes. I love the baby animals.

Ultrasound photos at 12 weeks

These are ultrasound photos at 12 weeks. Click on each pic to enlarge. As you can probably tell, it looks like our little one may be a baby boy. We are thrilled and have already been shopping for boy things. However, it's still too early to tell for absolute sure, but I have a strong feeling that it is a boy. We're still working on names, and may reveal the choices in later posts. Notice in one of the pics through the link that he is waving at you!

Click the link below to see the rest of the pics...

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=add483c17526a1197069484bded33bcd17f067fcac671948

Eleven weeks already

Ok-we're back. Sorry it took awhile for another post. Both Danny and I have been really really busy with our jobs and my energy is just shot in the evening (can't wait for that wonderful 2nd trimester burst of energy I keep hearing about...) Anyway, yesterday was my 31st b/day, and today I had the most wonderful b/day gift of all...hearing the heartbeat of my tiny little one. And wow, was it beating away. I'll be getting another ultrasound next week, and the doc said they may be able to give me an 80% determination of the sex. I can't wait. My appt. today did go well, except the doc wasn't very pleased that I haven't gained any weight yet. I tried to tell her I'm working on gaining the 10 pounds back that I had lost during all that morning sickness...it happens....Good news is I am gaining some of my appetite back, and I'm not having near as much nausea. Yeah!
My baby is just over 2 inches long now and weighs about a 3rd of an ounce. His/her body is straightening out and the torso is lengthening. Hair follicles are forming and fingernail/toenail beds are developing (nails will grow in next few weeks). If it's a girl, ovaries are already developing...so exciting!!

First Ultrasound

How's the Mama?

I had my first ultrasound today! The ultrasound tech said that my baby was very photogenic! I'm pretty proud about that..ha ha. The fact that it actually looked like a tiny baby at this stage was surprising to her. The little heart was just beating away...and the baby was moving about like crazy. Right now my baby is about 1 inch long and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. Starting to look more and more human, and the essential body parts are accounted for. Her tiny heart is starting to divide into four chambers and her tiny teeth are starting to form. The "tail" is completely gone. The sex organs are there, but won't be distinguishable for another couple of weeks (I can't wait!!). She has tiny earlobes and her mouth, nose and nostrils are more distinct. Her eyes are formed, but she won't be able to open them just yet. She is now poised for rapid weight gain.

Speaking of weight gain, I haven't gained any at this point. Since the beginning of my pregnancy, I've lost about 7-8 pounds. Not too bad, I've heard of women losing more than that. My morning sickness is getting much better, as I'm able to eat pretty normally now (just not alot of meat!) And no vegetables...yuk. My diet consists mostly of waffles, fig newtons, little debbie snack cakes, and pasta..lots and lots of pasta and pizza. I think I've had pizza about 3 times per week for the past few weeks. That's the italian in my baby that's craving it I guess....

Danny has been great. He's totally taking great care of me while I've been feeling sick by doing all the cleaning and grocery shopping. What a huge help. He's so awesome.

Well, just four more weeks to go til my second trimester. I'm so ready. I want energy again. Between the fatigue and the caffeine withdrawals, my day consists of two things: work and laying on the couch til bedtime (which has been pretty early the last few weeks..between 8 and 9). Except, now I'm addicted to another HBO series that's keeping me up later than I should be, so I'm extra exhausted every day.

Ciao for now, and we'll be back soon!!!

WEEK 8

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

How is the Mom and Dad doing?

April's morning sickenss was not as bad this week as before. We actually went out to eat Friday night for a belated birthday dinner. She has been tired which seems to be the norm for the next few weeks. April has been busy with work but she's hanging in there and waiting for the first trimester to be over, supposedly morning sickness will get better and she'll begin to feel good again.

Dad has been busy with work as usual and has started running again which has helped with my energy level. I also need to get my boat fixed because it's past time to start fishing again.

We also are pondering the idea of looking for a house soon before April get's too big and pregnant. We will post some pictures of April's belly progression as soon as I find the camera cable.

WEEK 7

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, the baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

First Doctor's Visit

We had our first Doctor's visit and it was very good but still early. April is only 6 1/2 weeks along, but her hormone counts are exactly were they need to be according to the doctor. They still gave us the due date of November 19 or 20th.

April is having morning sickness periodically throughout the day for the past week or two. Other than that she is doing great and is excited. I was sick last week and over the weekend so we have been staying away from each other so she doesn't catch it. Well that's the latest and we'll post back in a few days.

We're Pregnant!!!

We have been blessed with the news that we are going to have a bundle of joy join our family. We are so excited and can't wait for the adventure to begin. We have our first Doctors visit tomorrow.