Porter Has Arrived!!

YAY! Porter has arrived! We are very blessed and happy to have Porter safely at home with us. Porter was born on July 20, 2010 at 2:36 pm. He weighed 8lbs. and measured 21 inches long. As you can see in the pictures he is the cutest baby ever :)
He did give mommy and daddy a rough time entering the world, but it was worth it. Here is the story: So, Monday night as Luke, Courtney, Ben, Shirley, and myself are playing cards I declare...I am going to win this game, stand up and have my water break, and then buy a winning lottery ticket on the way to the hospital. Well, funny enough, I did win the card game, stood up and my water did break...unbeknownst to everyone else! After a while I decided that, yep, my water probably did just break and I should say something. I told everyone, called the doctor, and then we headed to the hospital. Unfortunately, we were a little too anxious and forgot to stop and buy that winning lottery ticket! Got admitted to the hospital and put in a labor/delivery room around 10:30pm. After 15 hours of labor (which wasn't bad because I did get an epidural!) my body would not agree to let Porter out so the doctor decided it was time to do a c-section. I was pretty upset and disappointed at first, but now I just don't care because it got Porter to us. The c-section went smoothly (other than me having to get knocked out and then being completely delirious for the next several hours) and Porter entered the world screaming :)
We are all home now and recovery is going well. Porter has his first doctor's appointment today (July 26) so we will see how he is doing. We are adjusting to parenthood rather well, I think, and loving it. I honestly couldn't be happier right now. Visitors are welcome so come meet our little man :) Thanks to everyone for being so supportive on this journey! Love y'all!!!

4 weeks to go!

Just a brief update...we only have 4 weeks to go! Wow, I can't believe it's almost time. We are so ready to meet this little guy, but we are trying to enjoy these last few weeks of freedom :) I am feeling great still and everything appears to be on track for a healthy baby and delivery. Other than the new pains and occasional swollen feet, I really am doing well! I wanted to post a few belly pics for y'all so you can see just how big I am these days! Rachel Erin Photography (who did our engagements and wedding) came and took some wonderful photos for me. I am also waiting to finish up some more great photos that a great friend, Shelley Vance of Shelley Vance Photography, will be taking as well. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photos. We are getting new windows throughout the house on July 6, so once those are installed I will post pics of our great little nursery. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we go day to day waiting on the arrival of Porter :) I will do my best to keep everyone updated on here weekly until he arrives! Thanks everyone and have a Great 4th of July!!

10 weeks to go!!!

Wow, so we only have 10 weeks left until the arrival of Porter James Gleason :) Today at our doctor's appointment I was told that Baby G has a big head and short legs...hahaha! How about those 4-d pics of him?!?! They are cool, yet crazy at the same time! Well, we are getting very excited to meet the little guy. I believe we are emotionally/mentally ready, now we just need to get the house/baby room ready. I am hoping that instead of having to wait 10 weeks, we only have to wait 7-8 weeks...wishful thinking, but you never know! I'm hoping he will be here to meet his Tutu, a few of his uncles, and other family members in mid-July. Let's hope he's not stubborn! Anyway, enjoy the photos and try not to be too creeped out by them :) Love y'all!

Belly Update: 26 weeks

Hi All!

Sorry it's been awhile since I last updated the blog. I guess the good news is is that I haven't really had anything to report...no bad news :) Well, a quick update: I have been growing out at a very rapid pace! I have only gained 11 pounds, but I feel like it is much more! My belly is getting huge. You can see how quickly it grew from 21 weeks (bottom photo) to 26 weeks (middle photo)! I grow a little more every day. Today I went to the doctor's office for my Glucose screening. All I could think was, "Please don't let me have gestational diabetes...I like to eat too much!" Thankfully after some blood was drawn, I drank some yucky liquid, waited for an hour, and then had my finger pocked, I heard the good news: My numbers were just fine and I was free to go...no gestational diabetes! Yay!

I can't believe we only have 14 more weeks to go. The pregnancy has flown by for me! Baby G kicks a lot more and a lot stronger now. Poor Luke, without fail, whenever he tries to feel baby kick, baby stops kicking. Sometimes this is really helpful for me, such as when I want to sleep but Baby wants to squirm...just have daddy put his hand on belly and aaahhhh...relief :) Speaking of daddy, notice in the new ultrasound pick the size of those cankles the boy is going to have! He gets those from daddy! Ha!

Well, so far this has been one amazing, bumpy roller coaster ride. Excited to meet the little boy relatively soon! Can't wait for y'all to meet him either :)

And....It's a BOY :)

Well, this will come as no surprise for members of the Gleason family, but we are having a little boy :) We had the ultrasound this morning. I was so anxious all morning and it felt like we had to sit in the waiting room forever, but it was well worth the wait. At first I was nervous because the boy was so bunched up in a ball the tech wasn't sure if she would be able to see anything! But after a little while she was able to get a good shot and sure enough it was obvious we were having a little boy. Baby Boy appeared to be growing at a healthy pace and looked well. He currently weighs a little over 9 oz. He wouldn't give us a frontal shot and he wouldn't move out of his balled up position. You can see in one of the pictures how his legs are over his head and he is crunched up. He apparently likes this position. He is so darn cute I could've stayed there all day to watch him just hanging out in there :) Anyway, enjoy the pics of the boy :) Yay for little boys!!

Baby Gender Myths/Theories

Okay, I figured since we will be finding out the sex of the baby soon I would try out these myths/theories for guessing the sex of the baby. Below are the 10 most popular myths and my experience with them thus far. This may help you guess what you think Baby G is going to be :) Make sure to cast your vote on our poll!! I promise to post the answer to this question as soon as we find out in 2 weeks! So excited :)

1. Baby's Heartbeat: This old wives tale believes if you are having a girl, then the fetal heart rate will be above 140. A boy will have a slower heart rate below 140. A baby's heart rate is not affected by its sex until it is born, when a girl's heart rate will increase considerably compared with boys during labor.
ME: Baby's heartbeat has been fast. The first ultrasound recorded a heartbeat of 158 bmp so this would indicate a girl.


2. Carrying Low or High: Did you know that the way you carry during your pregnancy is one of the most popular baby gender myths when trying to determine the sex of your baby? This old wives tale often believes if you are carrying low then you are most likely giving birth to a baby boy. However, if you are carrying high then you are giving birth to a baby girl.
ME: Well, this one is tricky since I really am not showing much yet. I can't really say if I'm carrying 'high' or 'low' so I guess this one is just going to have to be a neutral. If you have seen me and have an opinion of how I am carrying let me know :)

3. Food Cravings: Are you craving chocolate and other sweet cravings? If so, you could be having a baby girl! If you are craving salt and sour foods then you may be having a baby boy.
ME: Well, again this is a tricky one because (a) I really don't crave anything and (b) before I was pregnant I always craved chocolate/sweets. I would say though that I am craving less chocolates/sweets now that I am pregnant and do go more for things like chips and popcorn so I guess this would suggest a boy.

4. Weight Gain: This old wives tale actually refers to your partner's weight. If your baby's daddy puts on weight during your pregnancy then you might be having a baby girl. The myth also states that if he doesn't gain an extra pound or two then you are carrying a boy.
ME/Luke: Actually Luke has put on some weight, but not sure if this happened before or after the discovery of Baby G. So I guess we will have to say that this indicates a girl.

5. The Wedding Ring Test: Take your wedding ring and tie it from a string and hold it over your belly. If the ring swings back and forth you might be having a boy. If it goes into a circular motion, then it's a girl.
ME: So we didn't do this with my wedding ring, but instead with just a necklace I was wearing. We did the best out of 3 and a boy won.

6. Acne: Some women believe that if they notice there face is breaking out more then usual then they are having a baby girl.
ME: Again, this one I am unsure of because in my first trimester I did have more acne problems than now. I do feel that acne has been a problem since the pregnancy so I think this one I would go with a girl for this myth.

7. The Shape of Your Face: Look at your face in the mirror. If your face is more round then usual you could be having a baby girl!
ME: This one is just funny. I do not feel that my face is anymore round than it ever has been so I am gonna say this one gets a boy count.

8. Morning Sickness: This old wives tale believes that the more morning sickness you endure more likely you will be having a baby girl.
ME: Well, this one definitely gets a girl count. I had awful morning sickness all through my first trimester so I guess that indicates a girl.

9. Feeling in Uterus: This old wives tale believes that if you feel heaviness in the lower area you will be having a boy. If you feel pressure higher up then you might be having a baby girl.
ME: I generally feel the most pressure higher up I think...so that indicates a girl.

10. If daddy drinks a lot of soda, you could be having a boy.
ME/Luke: Well, Luke does drink a good bit of soda so this one is gonna have to go to the boys.

Okay, so the official tally then would be: Girl: 5 and Boy: 4 points. Ha, pretty close. Well, good luck with your guesses and we will all hopefully find out in 2 weeks. Until then, happy guessing :)

Baby Gleason Update

So baby and me had a prenatal visit today. Everything looks well! I am almost back to my pre-pregnancy weight, which means I am finally gaining weight. I guess that's a good thing, I think :) Baby G's heartbeat was easy to find this time and sounded fast and strong. The good news is is that we have the big ultrasound on March 1st. Yay, we will finally know if baby is a boy or girl. I am very excited about this. So, until then, keep praying for baby and me to be healthy! I will let you know as soon as we know if Baby G will be a he or a she :)