30 Weeks!

Girls night out before Maria's big day

Maria's hot bridal party!

Going to the Chapel!!!

One more first kiss for my camera!

Newlyweds!!!

Pool day at the Hyatt after Maria & Gary's wedding

One of the impressive views from the Waimea Canyon

View from an amazing hike in Oahu

View from our hotel in Honolulu

We found the pot of gold!

The Rainbow Drive In - they specialize in very fattening plate lunches and we learned after going that it was one of Barack's favorite places to eat at when he lived in Honolulu!

Our last dinner in Hawaii with a perfect sunset!

The past two weeks have gone by sooo quickly and have been so much fun! I headed out to Kauai while Mike was still working in San Diego and Maria put me to work right away on last minute wedding details. Between a little bit of fun, and a LOT of work :) the wedding came so quickly! It was an amazing day and the details were absolutely gorgeous. I am not sure that she could have screwed much up with Hawaii as her background, but Maria did a fabulous job planning and executing her big day. After the wedding, we stayed in Kuaui for a bit longer to explore and then headed over to Oahu where we stayed in Honolulu. The city was a little bit crazy for an almost 8 month pregnant woman, but it was fun none the less. The North Shore of Oahu was absolutely incredible and so much fun to explore. While I did get to do one hike that was paved the whole way up, I know I definitely missed out on some pretty cool hikes that we could have done minus the belly! I feel especially bad for Mike who had to put up with my sore back the whole time! By the time our vacation was over, we were both ready to come home - Mike especially as he was starting to think that he no longer lived in Las Vegas as he has been travelling so much! With the exception of one short trip for Mike, we are both home for the next nine weeks until the baby comes - NINE WEEKS - it is SO HARD TO BELIEVE CHASE WILL BE HERE THAT SOON! We go for my 4-d ultrasound on Saturday so stay tuned for some interesting pictures of the baby!

What's happening with the baby this week: The baby is about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in my uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face.

Off to Vacation!

Well, I don't have any pictures to share from this past weekend as I was lazy in the camera department and spent the weekend getting ready for our trip to Hawaii, working on the babies room and listening to Mike rant and rave about his football draft. This is big news in the Terrones household as he is a total Fantasty Football Freak (and I do mean Freak with a capital F!). Anyways, with Mike's team all set (let's hope Chase doesn't come on a Sunday because I may not have Mike to help with the delivery!) and my bags packed, I am ready for a little R&R in Hawaii! I will send lots of pics while I am there!!!

What's going on with Chase this week: By this week, Chase weighs two and a quarter pounds and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through my womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Growing and growing!

28 weeks...My how fast he's growing (or I am growing :)) Just friends?

Or something more?!!!!! Nice to see my husband again!

And grandma and Julie too!

Was it me just less than a month ago that wondered when I would ever really look pregnant? Well, those days are gone...because not only do I now look pregnant, but I feel pregnant too! Between middle of the night bathroom trips (sometimes four a night!), feeling like I am lugging a bowling ball around in 100+ degree temperatures, and having a thirst for anything liquid that I can't seem to satisfy, I cannot complain about "not feeling pregnant" anymore! However, my seventh month has come so quickly and overall, I have had an amazing pregnancy. It has truly been so much fun to be pregnant and I am loving every minute of it. Chase has got some serious acrobatics going on and makes sure I know he is still doing great often (especially at around 1am when he gets especially feisty)!. I think we have a future athlete on our hands for sure!

Mike and I celebrated our FIVE year wedding anniversary this weekend! He came home Saturday morning at about 1am and we had a nice lazy day yesterday followed by a relaxed dinner. Then he was off again this morning, after breakfast with his family, to wrap up his training with J&J in San Diego...he will get to meet our friends Top Dog & Grace's newest addition, Bella...I am so jealous! I do get to watch Harley this week which provides hours of entertainment watching him and Rigley play, so I have lots to keep me occupied!

Speaking of meeting new arrivals, we got to meet Piper Hall yesterday, the beautiful daughter of our friends Christian & Andrea....At four days old, she is absolutely adorable and mellow too! I left with a serious desire to hold Chase, but my baby fix was at least satisfied for a bit!

What's going on with Chase this week: This week, your Chase weighs almost two pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, his brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now. He is also fully capable, and taking advantage of, hicupping!!! Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother me at all, hopefully he doesn't mind them either!

LOST CAMERA :(

Hi all,

Well, with Mike gone for quite a while training, I have been a busy bee! Friends and family have all taken very good care of me so that I am not alone...I have also had a lot of time to work on the room!! I wish I could send better pics, but I can't find my camera! The few pics above are from my cell which obviously don't make for very clear pictures....I promise to find my camera soon!!!! Mike is away for training with his new company, Johnson & Johnson. He is still in medical devices selilng Ethicon Endo products - don't ask any more questions about what that means, I am lucky to just remember the name of his product line! Yesterday I went to Andrea's baby shower - it was so exciting and only made me that much more ansy to bring Chase into the world! Let's just hope I have my camera then so I can put pics of him up :)....

What's going on with Chase this week: Chase is still growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long, he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Growing And Growing!

23 Weeks and the bump is growing! Proud nana meets the bump!

Now THIS is an Oregon tree (oh and Maria too)!

I know that the baby has been growing because I have been GAINING. However, it wasn't until the past couple of weeks that I actually felt like rather than having a muffin top, I have a baby bump! This is all very exciting to me because I have been waiting and wanting to wear my maternity clothes (ok, I wore the maternity clothes before I even needed them, but I have been SO excited!). I am also feeling the baby kick more regularly now and even though Mike isn't sure if he is feeling his heartbeat or the baby's kicks, I am pretty sure the baby has gotten one or two good shots in at him. The baby is finally feeling so real to me and I am loving it!

Over the past week, I got to drive my mom up to Eugene, OR to move to her new home. She has left her home in Mexico and has moved to the beautiful and quaint city of Eugene - I know she will miss being with the baby all the time but I think she had an ulterior motive when moving to Eugene - she knows I LOVE Oregon and will visit often! I then got to go up to see Gary and Maria who found Copper River Salmon for the Salmon lover in me - it was so good I wrapped a fresh cut up and brought it home to Mike! Mike turned the big 29 on Thursday and we were pretty low key - just a night for us before celebrating the 4th at the Pulliam residence. It was a great vacation week and I was sad to come home and go back to work!

What's happening with the baby this week: At 11 inches (I'm going to go away from fruits and veggies this week and say he is about the size of a ken doll :)) and almost 1 pound, the baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If we could see inside, we would be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.