28th Week Update

Well, we're really getting close to the birth of little Abigail. We're now in the the third trimester and have only about 10 weeks to go. Jennifer is really starting to show off that belly and can feel Abby's movements almost all the time. We started the prepared birth classes last Monday and have really enjoyed spending time learning from other couples who are going through the same things we are. Here is Jennifer in front of our beautiful rose bush in the back yard.

Moises has really been working hard to get the back yard in shape to be a little more kid friendly. He started by removing all the old tree stumps from the dead or dying trees that were present when we moved into the house. He then tilled the entire yard to remove all the weeds and pulled out all the bushes that Jennifer couldn't stand. Last Saturday he spent laying down the sod. We chose Zoysia Pallisades, which is a grass developed at A&M to be both durable and resistant to shade and drought. You get two guesses at who chose the grass...

We really struggled to decide how on earth we were going to transport the sod from point A to our house. We needed just enough sod for it to not fit in his Yukon and we were just out of delivery range from the sod dealer. Thankfully, Moises' brother, Saul, stepped up and let us use his truck to get the job done. Saul made a very happy mommy and a very exhausted daddy.

Below are the before and after pictures of Moises' hard work.

BEFORE

AFTER

100 Days to Go!

Well, we are well past the half way mark and only have 100 days to go. Tomorrow, Jennifer will be going in to the doctor for her glucose tolerance test, so send positive thoughts and prayers that all goes well. Little Abigail is now the size of an eggplant and measures 9.2 inches and is about 2 pounds in weight.

As we mentioned before, in preparation for the arrival of Abigail our dogs went through a two week boot camp to learn a few more manners. They both did very well, but were VERY glad to be back home with us. It took them about a week to recover from the trauma.



Last Friday, we took Ginger in to get fixed so the poor girl now has to wear an e-collar for the next ten days so she won't mess with her sutures. It's quite a pitiful sight. She's had a rough March, but Frodo has been keeping her company as she recovers.





This past weeked was a great time for both of us to spend some time with our families. Moises flew to his home town to visit his uncle, mom, dad & siblings. It had been a while since he had made the trip to the Valley and he was very happy to see everyone. He loves visiting with his neice and nephews and as you can tell they do too.

Jennifer's mom, mema and aunt Terri drove through Dallas this weekend so she got to spend some time with them. They went to dinner and she showed them all the work we've done on the house (and it's a lot!). It was great for her to see them; she wishes she could see them more often.

Home Sweet Home...

Well, we just made it back from the 2nd annual cruise. It was the first cruise with all the girls and their husbands and the last one with only one little one. A good time was had by all between the lounging by the pool, going to comedy shows and, of course, EATING! Each of us probably gained 10 pounds by the end of the trip as we seemed to eat almost every two hours. Little Abigail certainly enjoyed the smorgasbord of food and we seem to be having a hard time adjusting back to the old schedule of small snacks throughout the day.

We really enjoyed all the time we got to spend with Papa & BB and Chris & Ashley and Ryan & Alisha. They are each some of our favorite people in the world and we don't get to see them nearly enough, so it was very special to get to spend a full week seeing them daily. Of course, we LOVED spending extra special time with Little miss Ella Faith. Uncle Moises and JJ love that little girl and it seems that she really loves her Uncle Moises. He was one of her "go to" people on this trip and he loved every minute of it.

Throughout most of the trip we commented on what a difference a year makes. Last year Chia (Alisha) and Jennifer were both single women about to be married, Ella Faith was the only child on the horizon, and none of the son-in-laws got to join the cruise. This year Chia and Jennifer are both pregnant and married and all of the son-in-laws joined the trip. No beer on this trip for either one of those girls, but GiGi enjoyed! Here are pictures from last year to this year!

Abby girl also got her first pajamas from Aunt GiGi (Ashley) and Uncle Chris. We are so excited to dress her up in these and can't wait to have her looking like a princess every night before bed. Thank you GiGi and Chris!

We are so thankful that Papa and BB work so hard to bring all of us together once a year to spend quality time together in such a unique environment. We love them both very much and are blessed to be a part of the Petersen, Altman, Cain, Ledezma clan! Thanks you guys, we can't express our gratitude enough.

Much love,

Moises & Jennifer

22 weeks...only 125 more days to go!

We've started a new week of pregnancy. Right now baby Abby is approximately 11 inches long (about the length of a spaghetti squash) and weighs about a pound. Her lips, eyelids and eybrows are becoming more distinct and even her tooth buds have formed under the gums. Her eyes have formed, but the irises do not have pigment yet.

Every week since about week 12, we've been taking baby bump pictures. This is the picture that we took yesterday and the bump is becoming more pronounced. As you can see Ginger enjoys being in the photo too, because she's special like that.

Welcome!

This is our first foray into the blogging world as the authors. So please bear with us as we get the hang of it!

We are expecting our first child this summer. Jennifer is 21 weeks and counting, we just started feeling the baby kicks on the outside of the belly. For Jennifer the kicks are getting stronger by the day and have increased in frequency. Jennifer has also started moving a little slower than her normal pace. Moises likes to call it her pregnant speed, but is very patient as she moves around now.

We found out last week that we will be having a baby girl and have decided to name her Abigail Marie.

The pregnancy has been an exciting time of new experiences. We are trying to prepare our other "kids" - Frodo and Ginger for the dramatic change that's about to hit their lives. The two dogs are so used to being the center of our focus that the change will probably hit them hard. They'll be doing a two-week training program starting next week while we go on vacation. We will definitely miss the little guys while we are gone, but this will be a very good thing for Casa Ledezma.

Love,
Moises and Jennifer