Keeping Up with the Jones'

Whoo - hoo! We're finally here. The third (and final) trimester! Camille is putting on layers of fat. She's about the size of an egg plant. She weighs in around 1.5 to 2.5 pounds and measures about 13.6 to 14.8 inches. She will keep getting bigger -- and smarter -- after week 28, and other than that, she just needs a few more finishing touches. Camille is  quite the busy body. She's always moving around, kicking, and it feels like she's punching me from the inside sometimes! It's unlike anything I've ever felt before! I have my 29 week check up on Tuesday, October 2. After that I will start going to the doctor every 2 weeks and then when I hit 36 weeks I'll go every week. I can't believe how fast this time is passing by.  Also - my baby showers are coming up during the month of October. I am anxious and so thankful that my friends are doing this for me. This is also a very bittersweet time because my dear friend Martha will not be here ...

I married the man of my dreams - Alvin Howard Jones, Jr. On the day that we married, I was filled with so much love; I didn't think it was possible to love him any more. Well - I was wrong (for once)...I love him more today than I did four years ago. He is truly the best part of my life. The last 4 years have been the best 4 years. We have gone through a lot and have had some truly amazing times. Alvin has exposed me to some new things and I've experienced a lot of "firsts" with him. He has been there for me during the happiest times and saddest times of my life. When good things happen to me - I can't wait to share them with him. It feels like it didn't really happen until I tell him. We never run out of things to talk about!  I am so excited to move into this next chapter of my life with Alvin as parents! Today, I'm 28 weeks & 4 days pregnant. Camille will be one lucky girl to have a father like Alvin. I have no doubt that he will be the best fathe...

I've missed a few weeks of writing as there has been a lot going on. I have been dealing with the untimely, unfortunate passing of my dearest friend Martha Fondel Smith. I received a call on 9/14 from her husband that she suffered a stroke. I flew down the next morning to see her. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. The person who has been more like a sister to me than a friend for the past 15 years, who has stood by me through thick and thin was laying in a hospital bed not able to breathe on her own and showing no signs of any brain activity. Martha's husband Tony & her family made the decision to let her go - so on Saturday evening my sweet sweet friend went on to be with the Lord. This has been absolutely devastating to me as I don't have many memories over the years that don't include her. She was my trusted a confidante and I was hers. We stood up for each other in our weddings - we got married in the same year only a few months apart. Martha ha...

Hmmmm I just realized I missed writing during the 25th week:-(  Camille is about the size of a head of lettuce. She's about 13.6 - 14.8 inches long and weighs between 1.5 and 2.5 lbs. Her eyes are forming and will soon start to open AND she has eye lashes. I sure hope she has hubby's eyelashes - he has dark & long eye lashes:-) She's getting her immune system ready for life on the outside by socking up my antibodies. Camille is also taking breaths too - it's just amniotic fluid, but it's great practice.    Last week we went in for my 25 week check up. The next time I go will be 29 weeks - then we'll start going every 2 weeks and then every week. This time is passing so quickly I can barely keep track of everything. Camille's heartbeat was beating very strong and rapidly. I took the glucose tolerance test - it's a test for gestational diabetes. I found out on Friday that I do NOT have gestational diabetes - thank God!  I had trouble sleeping...

Camille is about the size of a cantaloupe. She's measuring 10.5 - 11.8 inches long and weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 oz. Each week she's getting closer and closer to being ready to survive (and thrive!) in the outside world. Her see - through skin is gradually becoming more opaque and has a new pink glow thanks to the small capillaries that have recently formed.  Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. Last week was a pretty low key week for us. Work is work - at this point I'm having a very hard time concentrating on anything that isn't baby related. This past weekend was our chapter retreat - it was a lot of fun, but boy was I tired. When I got back home, my ankles were EXTREMELY ...

We have finally decided on a name for our princess: Camille Reese Jones:-)  Camille is about the size of a grapefruit. At 23 weeks - she's about 10.5 to 11.8 inches long and about 12.7 to 20.8 oz. She's getting bigger and bigger every week! She even has little nipples. Her face is fully formed now - she just needs a little extra fat to fill it out. She's able to listen to my voice and heartbeat and even to loud sounds like cars honking and dogs barking - I'm sure she hears Coley all the time! We had a pretty exciting week last week. I finally ordered Camille's bedding. I settled on a pink & green polka dot and paisley color scheme. It's sooooo cute. It came in on Friday. I even worked from home on Friday to make sure I was there when the package arrived. It's even cuter than I thought. All of the nursery decor will be centered around the bedding. Then - Camille's Auntie Brooke visited us over the weekend. We hit the streets Friday night - s...

Week 22! Our baby is about the size of a papaya. During month five, the average fetus measures about 10.5 to 11.8 inches and weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces.She's got more developed eyes and lips and is looking more and more like a newborn. She's also starting to sleep in cycles - about 12 to 14 hours per day - these are probably the times when I'm not feeling any kicks! Alvin is so anxious to feel the kicks too - hopefully that will start in a couple of weeks. Last week was another good week:-) I had a wonderful birthday weekend so it was the perfect lead in to an awesome week! Alvin & I started interviewing daycares which is a very grueling task. This is one of many important decisions we will make as parents for our baby girl. Just want to make sure we're making the right decision. We visited one on Thursday and another on Friday. Both were very good and passed the interview by doing a good job answering all of our questions. I know that at the end of t...