Our first letter to our sweet baby...

"Before you were conceived I wanted you. Before you were born I loved you. Before you were here an hour I would give my life for you. This is the miracle of life.” ~ Maureen Hawkins

To my sweet baby boy, Joseph;

There are so many things I want to tell you and so many emotions running through my head. Where do I begin? How can I put into words how much your dad and I love you already? Your father and I wished for you, we prayed for you…and you made our dream come true. You are OUR miracle.

I have so many hopes and dreams for you…and I know no matter what path you choose, your dad and I will not be standing in front of you, or behind you…but right beside you with love and support. We promise to let you be your own man, and make your own mistakes to learn from. We know you will grow up to be an honorable man, one who is respectful of others, lighthearted, and one who will be a true friend. You will come to find that your family will always be there for you, through thick and thin; keep them close to you.

As my father always told me, “You are my life!” And for your father and I, YOU ARE OUR LIFE! We promise to protect you, comfort you, and pray for you. Take your time and when you are ready to enter this world, your dad and I will be here for you. Until then, I hope you continue to grow and stay strong. We welcome you with open arms, my sweet baby boy.

All Our Love,

Mommy and Daddy

We are having a sweet, baby BOY!!!

November 10, 2011 was my 20 week appointment, and we were able to find out the gender. Joe and I both took half days from work and actually got to the appointment right on time. Shocker, I know! =) They called me back, and did the sonogram right away. The sono tech showed us the head, the profile shot, the feet, and the 4 chambers of the heart. All of it can be summed up in one word, AMAZING! Our little baby even waved at us, opening and closing their hand. 10 fingers and 10 toes! Heartbeat was beating at 135 bpm. She then zoomed in on some awkward looking part, and I just knew we were looking at our baby’s gender. I honestly ‘felt’ like we were having a girl. Joe was convinced we were having a boy. The sono tech starts typing…B O Y. Joe screams, ‘A HA!’ I swear he was going to start jumping up and down! He was so proud, his face was so happy; he was going to have a son! I was elated! I started laughing, because he was right, right from the start. I will now have two boys in my life…my heart is already filled with love for both! I wasn’t able to see my doctor, she had to go and deliver a baby, so I made an appt to see her the next day.

That evening we had dinner plans with our family for the big “Gender Reveal” at Pappadeaux! I made nametags and brought balloons in the color of what they thought the baby would be. It was a tie at 4 girls and 4 boys. Joe and I excluded, of course. We obviously couldn’t wait until after dinner, so we had both moms’ cut into the cake to reveal if we were having a boy or a girl. As they cut, they saw the blue icing inside. Everyone was excited!! They were all so happy!

The next day I went in to see my doctor, she just wanted to look over my sonograms, and check my blood pressure, weight, and things like that. I gained 4lbs which is right where I needed to be. I was able to hear the heartbeat again, and it was back up to 160 bpm. The nurse was actually very surprised we were having a boy; she said he’s an ‘active little thing’! But everything else looks great! Next appointment is December 8!

It’s still so surreal to me, I’m having a son! Wow—a boy! As Monica from ‘Friends’ said, “I’m going to love you so much, no woman will ever be good enough for you!”

I leave you with sonogram pictures of our sweet baby Joseph…and pictures from our Gender Reveal dinner. Enjoy!

Our son, Joseph Hubert True V

Face shot

Proud grandmothers about to cut the cake!

Blue icing!

I think G sercretly wanted a girl...or he just didn't feel well.

Proud grandparents!

Happy and proud parents-to-be!!

Officially 5 months preggo!

Eeeeek, only 2 days until we find out what little BTrue will be!!!! Joe and I are beyond excited! Joe wanting a baby boy, and me--I "feel" like it's a girl, but will be happy with either. We started our baby registry, only a few items for now, we need to know the gender to register for all the rest. Joe took me maternity shopping last Friday, and my mom and I went and checked out Old Navy that Saturday. I'm set for fall, and can officially say I am wearing my first pair of maternity jeans to work. Other than that, nothing else has been going on...just chillin' on the weekends, watching my nephew who grows cuter by the second, and catching up on movies. Joe has become more attached to this baby, coming up to me and rubbing my baby bump and then walking away like it was part of his routine. Definitely makes my heart melt!

This post won't be long, as there is not much to report on, but come Thursday, I will have big news!!! Until then, I leave my 20 week baby bump...let me know what you think the baby will be!



20 weeks

P.S.--It seems I am starting to get that line down the middle of my belly! Oh joy! It's still very faint, but I can definitely see it. Good thing it goes away after birth. =)

Update!

Just a quick update, only 14 days until we finally find out what little BTrue will be!!! Girl or boy! I am beyond excited, I see all these things I want to start buying and start registering for, but I have to wait two more weeks.

We celebrated Joe's "31st" birthday this past weekend. I took him to Oceanaire and we had the best time. That place was awesome! Joe also got World Series tickets from his parents...he was able to go see the Rangers play the Cardinals in the 2011 World Series! I was completely jealous, but he deserves it! This weekend Joe and I are going to a couple of Halloween parties, so I'm excited about that...and hoping to make it to at least midnight and party it up!

Joe also got an AMAZING raise that definitely gives our new family some breathing room. I am going to take 3 months off when the baby is born, where before I would have to return after 6 weeks. Joe's mom may be retiring after this school year, so we may have a babysitter lined up as well. My mom gets 3 weeks off during the summer, and will also be able to help watch the baby. Things are all starting to fall into place!

I am officially 5 lbs heavier, growing, and loving every minute of it! Until next time...I leave you with a baby bump pic!



17 Weeks 4 Days



It was a good day!

So yesterday was my 16 week appointment! And everything went great! To start my day, I had lunch with a good friend, and met her 3 month old son, Whit, who is as sweet as can be. She makes motherhood seem like a dream. She also told me my first non-horrifying breastfeeding story. I am hoping that I will be one of those good stories too. After lunch, I went home and napped (as I always do), and then got ready for my 4:00pm appointment. Headed out, got there, the nurse took my blood pressure (good), and my weight (no weight gain, which she said is okay). She checked for the heartbeat, and like last time she was surprised at how high the baby was...but there it was! Heartbeat was 152 bpm! It sounded perfect to me! The nurse said, is your husband tall? I said he's about 6'2...she said, Okay, maybe your baby is just long. I was thinking, cool! The doctor came in and pressed on my belly, and said, "Oh, you are a lot higher. You are about where a 20 week mother would be, I know we have your dates right, this just tells me you have a short torso. Which means you will probably show further out than a taller woman." Fun for me! But as my friend Margaret said, better to be out than wide! That's for sure! The doctor also said to be prepared for a growth spurt these next couple of months, meaning, be ready to gain some weight! Haha! So all in all, the appointment went great!


Next appointment is November 10, and that is where we will find out the gender! I've always wanted to find out the gender with just me and Joe in the room. I know my mother would LOVE to be in there, but this is something I really wanted to share with just my husband. So we have decided to have a little "gender revealing "dinner with my parents and brother, and Joe's parents and sister. We are all going to dinner that evening...and I am going to bake a cake, and the inside layer of icing will be either blue or pink. We will have both mother's cut into the cake together, and VOILA! Baby True's gender will be revealed!

As for how I'm feeling, I'm still feeling really good. No morning sickness, just little growing pains every now and then. Can't really breathe at night too well, but other than my slurpee addiction, I am doing great! Joe reminds me often that he not only loves me, but our baby as well, and that makes my heart melt!

Until next time, I leave a belly pic!

15 Weeks and 4 Days

And let the fun begin!

Tomorrow is a big day for me! I will be hitting 14 weeks, which is the beginning of my 2^nd tri-mester! I am so excited! Time went by pretty fast, so I’m hoping the next 6 weeks go by just as quick, so we can finally see what BTrue is…girl or boy!

Let’s see what else has been going on…I think I have my first craving! Oh yes, a nice cold Coca-Cola slurpee! Oh so good! And Joe has been kind enough to venture out and get me one when I ask. =) I have been having quite a few bloody noses in the morning, and some headaches, which is all normal. I’m still very tired all the time, which I’m hoping the 2^nd tri-mester will cure.

There are days where I have to remind myself that I am pregnant. It’s still very surreal to me. I think for Joe & it will become more real once I start showing more and start to feel the baby kick. I am, however, feeling some movement. Not sure what it is, it may be the placenta moving around. But when I feel that movement, I place my hand on my stomach and press down a little bit, and it feels as if someone is on the other side slowly pressing their hand from palm to fingertip. It’s a very cool feeling, makes me feel better that my baby is swimming around in some good ole’ fashion amniotic fluid! =)

Other than that, not much is going on. My next appointment is October 13. So until then, I leave you with a picture. Not so much a belly…I feel as if the baby is just pushing my fat out. So I seem thicker…instead of having a cute baby bump. But I don’t mind, I will take what comes!



13 Weeks & 2 Days



Officially 12 weeks!

On Tuesday, I hit 12 weeks!!!

Last Friday, I tried Fuzzy's Taco's for the first time with my parents...not gonna lie...not a big fan. But my dad loves it, so we went for him. Afterwards, I was feeling full, bloated, and wanted to undo my first button on my jeans. So my mom offered to buy me my first pair of maternity jeans, and a shirt. We went to Kohl's...which by the way, has literally only 4 racks of maternity clothes. Note to self...try a different store next time. But I came home with some jeans and a black maternity top. The jeans are...hmm, what's the word...sexy! NOT! But they serve their purpose, and are very comfortable, although I have not worn them yet. I came home and modeled for Joe, and told him how it makes my butt look flat. His response, "Well Deanna, it's probably because you don't have a butt." Oh yea, forgot about that part. I am hoping to grow one over the remaining 7 months.

Today, I had my 12 week appointment. I was a little nervous going in, I was scared they weren't going to be able to find the heartbeat...you know me, I think the worst. But the nurse was very sweet and could see the worry on my face, and said, "Let's see if we can fix that." So she took my weight, which I have now gained 3 pounds, and took my blood pressure, which was normal. Then she took out the Doppler and put some gooey stuff on my belly, and forewarned me that sometimes it's too early to hear the heartbeat on the Doppler, but that if she couldn't find it, they would do a sonogram. So she searched and searched, she found my heartbeat...and searched and searched, then I heard her say, "Oh! It's a little higher than I thought! Do you hear that...that's your baby! It's a very strong heartbeat, very strong, 161 beats. That's really good!" As I heard the heartbeat, I grabbed her arm for reassurance. She let me listen for a while, as I cried. It was the most wonderful sound. It still brings tears to my eyes knowing my baby is alive and well! After that, my doctor came in and did a culture for chlamydia and gonorrhea...which is routine for them to test. I think they do an STD test every tri-mester. They are also going to test by thyroid since I have been very sensitive to coldness. Other than that, the doctor said everything looked great. and she would see me in 4 weeks. Until then....I am going to dream about hearing that heartbeat, and sleep well tonight! =)