All about Lukas!

5 weeks and growing!

2010-03-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Mr. Luke is 5 weeks today. He had his 1 month check up last week and he is doing really well. He was 5lbs and 8.5 oz and 19inches long. He has been doing well and over the last few days he has been having what I think is a growth spurt. He is up longer periods of time and just wants to eat, eat, eat! He is a big smiler and loves to already try and talk about how things are going.

My friend Lisa flew in from Texas last week to come see us and sweet Luke and get a lil' bit of Panama as well. Below are pictures from Lisa's visit and photos of Luke... we had a wonderful time and hated to see Lisa go.

So I will try and be good about keeping an update at least every month about Mr. Luke!

Here comes baby!!!!

2010-03-07T10:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, so a much needed update! As you all probably know baby bean is here and his name is Lukas Andres! He decided to arrive on February 13th, his Great Granny's 92nd birthday!! What a wonderful day for him to come.

Alex and I were very surprised on that Saturday. I had woke up around 4:30am that morning and just felt weird. I was uncomfortable and couldn't sleep. I paced the floors of our place for about an hour and then tried to lay back down, but nothing was comfortable. We headed to my doctors office around 9am to have him check me out. We then found out I was going to be heading to the hospital as I was already 4cm dilated. I think I was in shock at first when he said it.

I was all pretty much packed and ready to go ... Alex and I headed to our house and then packed me up and drove to the hospital. We had a bit of a detour as it was the start of Carnivals in Panama. They had streets closed and so we ended up on quite a tour of the streets just to make it to the hospital. We arrived around noon and all the excitement started. I felt really good and relaxed. I didn't have any extreme laboring pains. Around 2pm I was administered my pain medication. They told Alex they were only giving me a light dose as I was progressing quickly and they wanted to make sure I could feel my contractions and were able to push. So when I reached the full 10 cm, I felt EVERY bit of it. I was wheeled into delivery around 4:05pm and Lukas arrived at 4:28pm!! I did less than 20 minutes of pushing and ahhhh he was here.

EARLY and tiny!! Little man weighed 5lbs 20z. and was 18 inches long. But everything was perfect with him and the doctors said he is tiny but very strong.

We stayed in the hospital till Monday, Feb. 15th and then headed home with our new sweet boy!

We are both loving every minute of it and just adjusting to our new schedule. The transition has been going pretty smoothly. Kemah is in love with her new brother. She loves to give sweet kisses to his toes!! I know before we know it Luke will be chasing Kemah around the house.

Below our some photos of hospital, Lukas's birth and just being home!

33 weeks and growing!!!!

2010-01-16T11:47:00.000-08:00

So baby boy is doing well!! We had our appointment on Thursday at my 32 weeks and 6 days and my goodness if this bean isn't much of a bean anymore. He almost gained 2 lbs since the December appointment! I was thrilled since I had gotten sick at the end of December with a sinus infection and well was afraid that I hadn't nourished this baby boy enough. Well he weighed in at 4lbs. and 2oz. And from this week on they gain approximatly 1/2lb. a week till birth. At this rate we are going to have a plump little man on our hands and I am wondering how I can stretch my belly much more to fit this chunker in there! :) So the doctor says that if I haven't given birth by Feb. 25th he will be inducing me. So of course we are thrilled and excited and also just anxious to have our little boy here all safe and sound. I have been still feeling pretty good other than my sinus infection at the end of December and well you know the HEARTBURN that is now a permanent fixture in my life! Oh well guess I'll have a hairy little monkey on my hands!

I am working on his bedroom.. at least I got Alex to get his crib, dresser and changing table all put together. We are also anxiously awaiting 3 boxes from Nana and PawPaw Bandy to arrive. Here is a look at his crib!

Kemah is also so excited and wondering why she can't play with the new squeaky bath toys or the stuffed animals in the baby's room. I also just know if she could talk she would be saying 'hey are you guys taking me for a ride in this new hot stroller thing?' Anyways she has been doing really good and listening so well to me. Also after sleeping almost 8 years with her momma she is officially a BIG girl now sleeping all by herself on my side of the bed in her dog beddie! She loves it and I love that it was so easy to adjust her!

Well I will be updating again in a few weeks after our next appointment AND will be taking a disk this time because the machine would still not save our sonogram pics to my flash drive. So we will have a good profile pic of our little man for next round.
Lots of love to everyone!

28 weeks

2009-12-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

We had a great appointment! Based more so on the bean's measurements the Doctor is saying we are more so back on track with the March 9th due date. So I'm rolling back a few weeks and am at 28 weeks. But I think anywhere between the 19th of February and the 9th of March is a safe range! LET'S HOPE SO!

So baby boy bean is doing well. He is 2 lbs. 6 oz. and growing and moving up a storm. The only bad thing is we didn't get any good pictures of him. He was so stubborn (wonder where he gets that from) he would not move his hands or arms away from his face.. and then to top it off the machine wouldn't copy the pictures onto my flash card so I think something must have broke. We did get a few great views of his profile and Alex is convinced he has my chin. I think he has Alex's full lips and we could even see his little ear. Got some good shots of his little feet .. he had his ankles crossed and seemed to be most relaxed. I can really feel that he is getting bigger. I have already started to wake at night with kung fu type kicks to the ribs.

We head back to the doctor on the 14th of January... Hope to report all is well and that he is on track! Have a wonderful weekend! Here are two baby pics of Alex and I! Getting so anxious to see what our little man will look like.

On the road again...

2009-12-13T17:07:00.000-08:00

So this is a long over due blog entry. Since last month I have been in 3 states, two countries and a lil here and there in between.

First off I had a wonderful trip to Los Angeles. I love and miss my wonderful friends there.. they are really a second family to me. Thank you so much for all the great visits and wonderful things for the bean and I!!

Next we made a little trip with Alex, his mom and grandfather to Miami on the 15th of November. It was a wonderfully fun trip as well and we did lots of shopping and more shopping for this soon to be baby boy and our new home. YES.. I said NEW HOME. We have arrived. All our stuff was moved and dropped off at the new place before we headed North to Miami. Alex returned to Panama to help get stuff settled and of course that boy had to be flying. I need him to have as much vacation as possible when we have this baby!
From Miami we flew West to Texas to be with family for the Thanksgiving holidays. (WE meaning the BEAN and I):) Amy and family was in from CT and we all had a wonderful time at our Thanksgiving that we do in Christine with my mom's side of the family. A smaller group this year and we missed a lot of the folks but overall a wonderful time. I was given two wonderful baby showers while I was in Texas and things just couldn't have been better. Visits with friends and family are so missed and loved!!!!! Bean and I also got our fill of Momma Bandy's cooking (which is by far the BEST) and my beloved South Texas Mexican food. I also loaded up on some good ol' BBQ.. thank you McBee's for making that happen!
On Dec. 2nd the bean and I headed back to Panama...with summer in full force we were welcomed back with that bright Panama sun and warm heat! And the day I left Texas.. Dallas area got snow! Ahhh gotta love that Texas Weather!

Our home is really starting to look and feel like HOME. We have been unpacking and settling as much as possible. Still have some tasks of blind and curtain buying as well as getting some photos up and pictures hung. Walls in Panama are made of cement.. so hanging a photo is a bit more involved then just with a hammer and nail.

Baby bean and I are doing well. He is growing and growing I tell ya!!!!!! Which in turn means I am growing. I really feel like I have a basketball in my belly! He is quite a mover and shaker... although I knew that even a month ago. BUT now he is quite the puncher and kicker! Nana Bandy says he may be a kick boxer. We have our appointment on Tuesday and hope to give all around good updates.

Here are some photos from Texas and our new home. The baby calf is dad's. His name is Bruno and he is so cute. He's was a twin calf and the mother only took to his sister.. so Dad took to Bruno and has been bottle feeding him since. He is more like a dog than a cow I tell ya. Anyways him and Sadie are quite the pals as well. Hope you ENJOY!

Us with Granny

Sadie and Bruno, pure love

Me & the Padres

Thanksgiving Crew

25 weeks!

2009-11-06T10:08:00.000-08:00

So I am off on a little trip to the West Coast.. my beloved Los Angeles!!!!!!! Baby and I will set flight later tonight. So I will make this short and sweet and we will update next week after our Doctor's appointment and with some photos from Cali!

Everything is going well though.. I have been feeling good. No heartburn, No leg cramps... I feel so lucky. Maybe I actually shouldn't even talk about it. LOL.

A little bad news in that there is a delay in our new place. But it should be all resolved in the next 8 to 10 days. Very excited about that and looking forward to all the unpacking and settling in..... ahhhh moving!! Who doesn't love it!

Well have a wonderful weekend and look for a better update next week! This baby should be approaching the 2lb mark! He has been very active and I swear I will have a dancer on my hands. Lots of love!!

23 Weeks and moving.....

2009-10-25T08:41:00.000-07:00

this baby in my belly that is. My friend Rachel and I went to a play here in Panama on Friday night and with all the music this baby was having a ball in my belly! It's actually quite amusing for me. I just will laugh out loud at times. I do hear that it can get quite uncomfortable as the baby grows and gets bigger. For now I am loving feeling the movements!!

I can tell the baby moves a lot more too when he is enjoying something. He and MOMMA were very happy last weekend when we drove out to the Atlantic Caribbean side of Panama to feast on fresh Lobster and sit looking out at the ocean! It was fantastic!! I am only mad that I forgot to take a picture.. Alex was happy because he said we finally didn't look like tourists with my camera out.

The heartburn seems to be slowly getting better. Not gone, but better. As long as it isn't severe, that is all I am concerned about. I have started to have some leg cramps now. I had a pretty bad one in my left calf earlier this week and it left me sore for days. It is getting better now and I am trying to do stretches before bed to see if that seems to help.

Otherwise things have been great. Our place is almost finished and we will receive the keys this coming Friday. So that is wonderful and exciting news. But the moving of things is always a pain, but we'll get it done.
I also have less than a month now till my Texas trip! Wooo Whooo! Very excited about that!

Well my next update will probably be in a few weeks after we go to the doctor again. Hopefully this time we'll get a better photo of the little bean!
Hope you all had a great weekend. Miss and love you!!

It's a boy!!!!!!!

2009-10-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

So after Thursday's appointment there is no doubt, 100% that this baby is a boy! Thank you to my friend Laurie that advised me to drink something sugary to help get that baby bean a movin!!! Well it worked and so good that he was bouncing around and we were unable to get a very good sonogram picture of him. The doctor also had a hard time getting the measurements but that just had me on the examine table for over an hour to make sure all was exact!!
I am thrilled to report that all is well and I have even been pushed a bit forward. I was 21 weeks and 6 days on Thursday, so as of today I am 22 weeks with a new due date of February 19, 2010!! I am beaming because hopefully this baby will be an Aquarius just like his momma!!

Things seem to be moving along very smoothly and I am very happy about that. I have been so lucky.. minus the awful heartburn (which I have a new prescription and I am hoping for some much needed relief).

The baby boy was a whopping 281g. or 10oz. in weight. The doctor says in the next 4 to 5 weeks the baby will weight almost twice as much as he does today! I have also been feeling lots of movements which is quite exciting to actually feel something going on in there!

I am also excited to report I finally have a pop in my belly! It's almost like it happened overnight, but below you can see the new baby bump development.

Here is a video of the baby boy bean (Click on the link)... not great views but you can see those hands moving around his face!

Video Boy 21 weeks 6 days

This is the left leg and below that the penis!! Can't really tell so much there but we got a few good views.. just not a good picture!

I also started prenatal yoga last week with a wonderful woman that comes from California originally. She is fantastic and I am just loving it. I plan on doing it up until I get ready to deliver and then continue after giving birth!

Everything else is going well... our new place looks to be ready in the next few weeks.. so we are excited about our pending move. I am also on countdown for my visit to Texas. I can't wait to see my family and some friends and enjoy Thanksgiving and all that I am thankful for at this time.

I hope everyone is doing well and I miss all of you dearly! Lots of love, Krista and the baby boy bean!
Oh and you can always click on the photos for a bigger view!!

17 weeks and growing.....

2009-09-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

my belly that is!!! Finally I am really seeing a bump now! Such an exciting thing it is.. I can just imagine the little bean getting bigger and bigger!!

I have still been feeling really good.. besides the heartburn that has decided to attack me the past few days. I had never really experienced heartburn until now.. NOT a fun ordeal!!

We had a great trip to El Valle with lots of relaxation and touring around. The weather is quite cooler there and it was nice to actually put on a hoodie at night! I have picked up two more students for tutoring, a total of 5 kids now! Looking forward to adding a few more as the referrals keep coming in!

I am also still very anxious for the 15th to hurry and get here. I so want to know if this baby is a boy or girl! BABY BEAN.. you better participate at the doctor that day!!

The apartment is still coming along. I don't foresee us in the place by the next few weeks as was first told.. but hopefully by the beginning of November. I am being as positive as I can about all that!

Here are some photos of El Valle and my bump!!

15 weeks!!

2009-09-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

Hello all... Well baby bean and I are doing well. I still have been feeling pretty good and haven't had too many issues! A bit of heartburn now and then, but so far so good!! During this 15th week the baby grows really rapidly, with this growth setting the stage for development later this month. The bean's weight will increase 6 times during the fourth month!! WOW!! Even then though.. the baby will only weigh about 6 ounces, not even half a pound! Still so tiny....

My tutoring is still going well and I have picked up one more child. Another 6 year old boy. I will also be tutoring his older brother and sister in about a month after they finish some other activities they are doing. So that is great news and I am hoping for more and more referrals!

Heading out of Panama City today for some nice relaxation at the beach and in the Valley! I will post some pictures of all our fun! Hope everyone is doing well and have a wonderful weekend!!

13 weeks 3 days!

2009-09-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

So this little bean is growing and growing. Had a great appointment today and got some great 4D photos and a few videos. From the last appointment the little bean was 3.5cm and has grown to a whopping 6.62cm. It's amazing to see such detail in the baby although it's only the length of my index finger!!! Everything looked great and we will be anticipating the October appointment... Finding out the little bean's sex!!

Here are two links to the videos. I could not get them to upload on here.

Baby 4D Video 1

Baby 4D Video 2

12 weeks... end of my 1st Trimester

2009-08-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

Wow this has been a breeze so far. I have been so lucky to have felt as great as I have....

So first off.. update on the job. It may seem a bit crazy.. but well that is how Panama can be.. but the job is a NO go! Literally the guy I was suppose to work with is MIA. No working phone, no contact, no nothing. I had started to get a bit worried last week as I had some doubts concerning him and well my intuition was right. So for now it's back to the drawing board. I need to find a good hobby to keep me busy. I did get a referral from sweet Rachel and started tutoring English to a couple of kids, 61/2 and 5 years old. Maybe that will turn out to be a few more referrals and I can do that some to keep me busy.

The bean has been busy this week as well. The baby's hands are becoming more and more functional. They begin to move their thumb in opposition to the other fingers. I can just picture this all happening in the womb.. that baby is amazed with it's own hands! HA!!
Also this week the external sex structures of girl babies can be clearly distinguished from those of boys. So it's in this week that the baby's sex is really determined. WE won't actually find out the sex for another 4 weeks.
The baby is also practicing inhaling and exhaling movements in the womb that send amniotic fluid in and out of it's lungs. The baby's arms have almost reached their final proportions relative to the body size, but the legs are still quite short.

It's so amazing to me all that is happening and developing. Every day that I read something new I am just as amazed as before. So off to the doctor this coming Thursday! Can't wait to report!
Have a great week to everyone!!

11 weeks 4 days!

2009-08-22T07:15:00.001-07:00

Here is the 11 weeks belly bulge! This week the baby's vocal cords will be formed in the larynx, or voice box. All of the baby's 20 baby teeth and their sockets will have formed in the gums. Over the next three days the baby's intestines will form into folds and become lined with villi (small, fingerlike projections in the lining of the intestines that absorb certain nutrients).

I have been feeling extremely good. I can tell I am not as tired as I was in the weeks before. Looking forward to the 2nd trimester and the next Doctor Appointment on Sept. 3rd. We will be finding out the baby's sex at the Oct Appt. We have had bets already for both a boy and a girl. I will be excited either way.. but am for sure looking forward to finding out.

Today marks the end of my 10th week!!!

2009-08-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

Just an overview of what has happened in my 10 weeks. My sweet friend Rachel gave me a book that overviews exactly what is happening everyday of my pregnancy. I have felt great and starting to get past the 'oh so tired days'!!

Anyways here is what this baby has been up to!

This baby's finger nails have begun to grow from the nail beds. And the baby's brain now has the same structure it will have at birth, but it's just a much smaller size now.
The baby's thyroid, pancreas and gall bladder will complete their development this week.
A new reflex is present.. when the baby's face is touched, it will open it's mouth. This is called the rooting reflex and it helps babies find their food source. The tooth buds for the permanent teeth begin to form this week also, as do the membranes that will become the vocal cords!!!
And now the hard, boy part of the baby's palate is now completely formed. This bony plate divides the mouth from the nose and makes it possible for your baby to eat and breathe simultaneously.
The muscles in the walls of the digestive tract have become functional and are beginning to practice the contractions they will make when they have food to digest.

Such cool things... yet still quite amazing to me!

I will try and keep posting each week all that progresses with me and the bean!!!

1st Appointment!

2009-08-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

Wow!! Let me say I am much more relieved after finally seeing the doctor on Friday! I found out this little bean is 10 weeks and now as of today 6 days along! Almost 11 weeks! Very happy about the doctor that I am seeing and he speaks great English to me.. which was important. I figured in a high time of PAIN I may need to yell some English and my limited Spanish cuss words wouldn't be as handy!
Anyways here is some photos from the 1st Sonogram! Looking forward to entering the 2nd trimester coming soon!