Just 6 Weeks to Go!

I (Auntie Jessie) am in Thailand right now but still thinking and praying for my nephew. So I wrote Stephie for a an update. She writes:

"By the end of this week, I will be 34 weeks along, which is eight and a half months! Probably only 6 more weeks to go, if he arrives right on schedule, so the end is rapidly approaching!!

I've still been feeling really good - no major complaints - although I'm starting to "sit out" on the princess parties. It's tiring enough for me on my feet all day long and running around with all those kids that I'm starting to send my performers out by themselves, so that I can have some weekends at home to rest! But we're booked solid thru the end of June, so that doesn't mean that we won't be keeping busy "making little girls' dreams come true"!

We'll take a hiatus in the month of July, so that I can focus on "baby time", and learning to be a mommy, but then we'll jump right back into parties in August.

As far as baby goes, he seems to be doing VERY WELL - his kicks, pushes and bumps are getting stronger and more & more persistent... it seems as if I'm feeling more movement from him every day! I think he must be running out of room in there, because I'm feeling every little wiggle!

Because of that, my belly is starting to get a little more uncomfortable, making it a little bit more difficult to sleep, but with all my pillows, I still manage! And I only have to get up once a night to go potty, so that's not half bad!

I'm measuring about 39" around these days, and we won't even talk about weight! ;^ P But I'm still feeling pretty healthy, and still loving being pregnant!

We had a great Baby Shower two weeks ago - a gorgeous, extravagant event that blessed my socks off!! (Okay, I wasn't wearing socks, but if I had been... you get the picture!)

We received many wonderful gifts, and have almost everything we need - we're still working on getting a little bouncer, and an infant carrier, but our gift cards should be able to cover those things! We also received lots of adorable clothes, and plenty of cute blankets and stuffed animals, and enough bibs to last us from here to kingdom come!!

For now, we're most concerned about saving up for our "diaper fund"!! We plan on using an organic brand called "7th Generation", which is more expensive than other brands, but worth it, for baby's bottom! Much less irritation from chemicals, from what we hear. (And they're biodegradable, so it's worth it for baby's future on this beautiful earth, too!)

We still have yet to finish decorating what will be baby's room/Steph's office, but all the important stuff is there - the crib, the changing table, and the rocking chair! What else do we need?! ;^ )"

Here are some incredible pictures of Steph's Baby Shower (Thanks to Carla who dreamed it all up and made it possible. If you ever need an event planned Carla Domen is your woman!)


The Elegant spread included quiche, chilled melon soup, small sandwiches, corn dogs (stephie's favorite) mounted in pineapple, Chinese Chicken Salad, Thai apple salad and mini-burgers.


Carla transformed our backyard! I loved the lanterns!


The table settings were amazing complete with crystal and a poem called "My Son's Hands"


Look at this cute Momma!


Thanks everyone for making this day possible!

I love Family

Yesterday I left for Thailand. One of the last people I spoke to before I boarded the plane was my darling sister. We both shared how we were feeling vulnerable. For me, I knew that going to Thailand always requires complete dependance on the Lord. For Stephie, she is feeling what every first time mother experiences, questions about the birth of her new son. We prayed together and I felt an immediate lift in my heart. She always has that effect upon me.

Here are some recent pictures of our new Momma taken at my brother's graduation party 2 weeks ago. Doesn't she look beautiful? She reports less sharp kicks as Nephew is getting larger and more "rolling sensations" as he shifts in her belly. Amazing.

Baby Jensen Update

Our little boy is growing quickly! At the time of this picture baby is 6 inches and 10 ounces (taken at 19 weeks). Two weeks later at the next ultrasound our little guy doubled in size and was 1 lb 4 onces measuring in at 11 inches.

Now Stephie is at 27 weeks gestation (coming up on 7 months). She reports feeling great. The baby is kicking like crazy especially when momma wants to go to sleep! At times, you can even see the baby moving from the outside. The preggy belly continues to grow and measures in at 37 inches around (These pictures were taken on March 2nd and now our Momma is a glowing and a bit rounder!) We are all so excited to meet this little guy in July.

Mom and Dad still haven't decided on a name but Auntie's personal favorite is Jessie Jr.

Save the date of May 10th to celebrate Stephie's Baby Shower!

The Baby on a Boat!

This past weekend Baby Jensen, Momma Stephie and the family boarded a Carnival Cruise to Ensenada, Mexico. We enjoyed eating, putt-putt golf, eating, going in the spa, eating the midnight buffet, playing ping pong, playing shuffle board, and more eating! I think the baby enjoyed the food the most. It was a wonderful time together as family.

Pictures of Preggy and More!

These are pictures of our new Mommy so we can see the progression of her growing tummy! These pictures were taken when she was 8 weeks along. I thought I would also add pictures of Santa Sue, and silly Uncle MIah in Jessie's sweatshirt! Stephie reports feeling well. She had her first doctor's appointment who gave her an updated due date of July 17th. She had her first ultrasound and heard the baby's heartbeat! More Later!

Baby Jensen at 8 Weeks

I thought this was interesting information from a website: http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/pregnancy/calendar/week/8

"At 8 Weeks your baby is about the size of a pinto bean and is approximately 14 to 20 mm long. Your baby is developing at an amazing rate during these early weeks. Eyelid folds and ears are forming. Your baby's eyes are still very wide apart on the sides of her head, but will eventually center themselves out. The tip of the nose is actually present at this time as well. On ultrasound you can see that the aortic and pulmonary valves of the heart are present. The tubes that lead from the throat to lungs are branching and your baby's torso is getting longer and beginning to straighten out. Just a few weeks ago, your baby's arms were tiny buds. Now the elbows are actually present and the arms and legs extend forward and have grown longer. Fingers and toes are becoming visible also."

This helps me to know how to pray for Baby Jensen! I am reminded of Psalm 139 which says, "You knit me together in my mother's womb." How amazing!

I am a Proud Aunt!

In the words of my Daddy, "I am ALREADY an Aunt (he said Grandfather)." I don't have to wait until I meet baby Jensen to claim the title! One of my favorite past times of late is pat Stephie's tummy and tell the little one how much I love her (or him).

Yesterday I came home from 2 months in Thailand. I was eager to spend time with the family and was delighted by my Mom, Dad, and Stephie picking me up at the airport. We climbed in the car and as soon as we started moving Stephie handed me a box with a little pink bow on it. She said, "I have a present for you. I have been working on it the entire time you have been gone." I opened it up and thought, "What an oddly shaped pen." And then I saw the two little pink stripes and realized what it was. A positive pregnancy test! I screamed with delight. My big sister is having a baby.

God is good! And I wanted you to share in the delight of watching baby Jensen grow in Momma's tummy. So this blog is dedicated to the journey of Baby Jensen into the world. I will encourage Stephie to fill it with baby news and I will pass along anything that I hear as well.

Much love!