29th Birthday

Not only am I getting bigger and bigger by the day, but I was reminded that I'm also getting older. For the past two days we have been celebrating my 29th birthday and this of course will be one I will not forget. Probably b/c there's no booze involved! Anyway, thank you for all the birthday wishes and all the nice gifts, I'm really spoiled. We celebrated by going to dinner Tuesday night at Jacquios (my favorite), good food has been something that makes me very HAPPY. Wednesday my brother Chris and his wife Jess baked up one heck of cake for another celebration. Layla Grace and I both enjoyed that cake very much. Again, thank you all so much for all the fun and festivities. Next year's the big one...30!

Baby Bernie

Looking at my nephew I thought to myself, "I sure hope there's some cuteness left in the family for my sweet baby, b/c Tad is way TOO CUTE"

Where did my waist line go?

So, here I am at 21 weeks and I noticed in the mirror that I no longer have waist, a bit bizarre. Seems like this past week my body really changed and a nice bump popped out. I've gained about 11 pounds, to me it looks like even more then that. This is what I have been waiting for, I know, but now I think I might be a little weirded out seeing my body change so quickly and having absolutely no control over it. Speaking of "no control," the boobs are out of control.What a crazy, crazy experience!

Baby Dan has been shaken and movin' in the tummy. I constantly feel him moving around. I'm wondering if he has dance moves like his Daddy, scary! We try to talk to him every night and tell him just how much we already love him. We explain to him that Dan is his Daddy and I'm his mommy and Mollie is his sister, weird..I know. We also promise him to be the best parents, we have really set high expectations for ourselves, but I'm sure we are going to do everything possible to meet them.

At 21 weeks, our "little Mano" now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. His eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed. And I can certainly feel him move. He's oblivious to my schedule, though, so I'm not to be surprised if he starts working out just when I'm settling down for the night. (according to Baby Center)

YAHOOOOO, 20 weeks down only 20 more to go!

Dan the man and I headed to the doctors office on Monday for the halfway check up. Everything is just PERFECT! We got to see the little man's every last feature. We counted 5 fingers on each hand, we saw his little bitty feet, we didn't get the see the toes up close, umm. We checked out his brain, which was huge like mine. We looked at his nasal cavity, and his little lips. No cleft lip which is usually an indicator of other problems, so that's great. His tiny spine was looking just fine, so that indicates we shouldn't run into Spina Bifada (sp?). We looked at his full belly, and we checked out his penis again. It's still a "man child." We saw his heart pumping away and we could see the four chambers but due to his positioning they were unable to get a good picture of his heart. She let me know she has no concerns with the heart but next time she wants to check it out again to get good pics for the file. I really feel blessed to have everything going so smooth. I look forward to meeting our little man! On Monday Baby Dan weighed 10 ounces, his measurements put the due date at 8/16/08, that was 19 weeks 2 days for me.

EASTER

HAPPY EASTER

Is this what I've got to look forward to? Cousin Izzy and her chocolate bunny...YUCK!

Layla Grace, my favorite niece!

Uncle Dan with Tad and Layla in the space walk

Haha, my little buddies. Layla interested in something else, ha.

Sweet Burnell III, "Tad"

Sorry Baby Dan, we don't get to pick our family, your stuck with crazy Granny B and Aunt G

18 weeks and feeling great.

Just a quick update. I'm 18 weeks along and excited to be approaching the half way mark. I am feeling great although I am still dealing with some minor issues. Yep..I'm starting to get bigger, finally! My belly is definitely showing now and some of my clothes are being stored away until after Baby Dan is born. To be honest I am excited about getting bigger, I'm over hearing "You don't look pregnant." I find myself to be eating more too, I guess I should since there are two to feed. I haven't had any crazy cravings, just a sweet tooth that I never had before. I like to think that I have been very stable as far as my emotions are concerned, my husband may think differently. Well.. my patients are a bit shorter but Dan knows how to push my buttons. On a whole I am very happy with the pregnant experience and I am looking forward to see what the remainder holds.

The Baby's Progress:

How your baby's growing: Head to bottom, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll likely start noticing more and more. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin and his ears are now in position and stand out from his head. Myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born.

IT'S A BOY!

We are so excited to share with you all the exciting news, BABY CROWLEY IS A BOY! Dan Michael Crowley III, Dan wouldn't have any other name. We went for a scheduled doctor's appointment on Tuesday and since I'm still experiencing some issues the doctor opted for another ultrasound, of course we didn't object. As soon as the ultrasound started Dan and I both were anxious to find out the sex. The nurse was able to see right away that the baby was a little man. We weren't quite sure what she was seeing but after she pointed it all out to us it was clear that we have a baby boy. My dear husband is SO EXCITED though he claims he didn't have a preference. Me, I'm starting to really like the idea of having two men in my life! I have a feeling that Baby Dan may be a momma's boy, I hope.

I'm about 17 weeks now, and I'm feeling great. I've gained 6 pounds but I'm still fitting in my clothes. I'm looking forward to getting a bigger belly and looking more pregnant. The baby is now about 5 inches long and about 5 ounces. I believe in the next couple of weeks he will double in weight and length. In about 3 weeks we head back for another ultrasound to measure all the tiny body parts to be sure we are on track. Dr Schiavi has no concerns for me or the baby, we are doing great so far.

That's it for now, we will be in touch.



(Pic 1) Sweet baby boy! (Pic 2) Little butt and proof he's a little boy!