The World Welcome Trace Liam Bourgeois

The love of my life has arrived.

It has been hard to get to this blog lately. Sorry the videos are short and to the point, but baby calls!

We are happier and healthier than ever. So ever grateful for everyone's support and help. He's just simply perfect and the best addition to my life yet.

Enjoy..... :)))))))

Trace Liam Bourgeois

8lbs 5oz

20 1/2 in 

9:38pm

OCT 14, 2010

Start the Countdown!

TRACE LIAM----OCTOBER 18th!

It's finally here! A due date! My dr went ahead and scheduled a date for us to meet our little bundle of joy. Yipee! We are super happy to have an end in sight. Although, I really wanted the traditional labor--water breakage, hurry to hospital, and all that jazz. I guess I'm not meant to do that.

Trace is just snuggly and comfy in there and doesn't want to come out yet. I guess I don't blame him.

This will be my final video before I have him ( i think )

I go in at 6am that morning and will be sure to let you all know whats up and when he arrives.
Say some prayers as I don't prefer pain or hospitals. I can only think of how amazing he's going to be to get me through the needles and pain.

OMG--I'm going to have a real baby. wowza

xx,
Leaha



Video of me in the cart at walmart....thanks jeff!



BEGINNING OF PREGNANCY--

END OF PREGNANCY---

Very Informative Article

Whether you agree or disagree--its always wise to be well educated before you speak.
I'm not going to say 100% of this is fool proof, but it does make you think.

I encourage all parents, soon to be parents and people who want to know what the heck they are talking about to check this article out.

It's not  a sit down article. It's more like a short book. Take your time and visit it and reference it.

Knowledge is Power..

BTW, 9 more days till Trace is here :)

What are we putting in our generation??

Parent View on Vaccination Trips to Pediatrician

:) Interesting.
I know we're getting a lot of flack about our decisions for baby Trace, but it really is something we are highly researching. We will never put our baby in harms way and I think this education has empowered me to think PRO-health on this child. I know there are tons of things to help this baby be well and healthy without shooting him up with poisons.

This parent article put a reality bug in my ear. I know we have an amazing pediatrician, but its still good to know what to expect.

Opinions are flying, but knowing all sides of the story are always better than being close minded.

happy day!,

leaha

ARTICLE:

Be Prepared Article

GROWING GROWING GROWING

They say you stall the last few weeks in gaining...the baby gains...and you start to settle.
I don't know if I believe that!

Here is a little bit of the last documentation of my changing body before the hospital. :)

I think you can see why walking, sleeping, and eating are almost impossible now.

I'm ready to meet my sweet boy.

xx
leaha

This is why I am opposed to vaccinations

Who in their right mind would fill their brand new baby with this trash.

Count me OUT.

Vaccination Cocktail

Baby Bouge Blog #8

We are SOOOO Close!

Baby Bouge Video Blog #7

We have reached 34 weeks and nearing the end. Join the madness
Braxton hicks have started and exhaustion are commonly seen on my facial expression :)

Ah, the joys of 3rd trimesters!

Enjoy the video, I suppose:)

Updates!

Well we are almost 34 weeks now! Things are getting VERY exciting! I haven't even had time to make a video blog in forever! I  think its a precursor to what life will be like once Trace arrives!

I have been feeling rather well! Typical complaints would be: Exhaustion, some swelling, sleepless nights, and HEAVY!

I tell ya....this extra baggage is really really hard on me. Im not used to carrying all this around! It makes everything hurt! So far its about 32 lbs! Being right under 5ft doesn't help. Going back to work has really played a toll on me. The kids and teachers are overwhelmingly helpful and concerned for me. It so sweet and I appreciate all of their love. I try to sit as much as possible and bathroom breaks are getting more and more frequent.  Just uncomfortable, I suppose.

We have spent the last month really nesting and getting things ready for Trace. The room is about 90% complete and he has enough clothes to last him through atleast 6 mo. We hit up the PLANO DIVINE CONSIGNMENT sale. Whew that was fun! Then our gracious neighbor had a grandson who was too big for his clothes and just gave them to us, brand new! I'm talking 40 outfits! So awesome.

Knowing that our budget is going to dramatically drop as I take on photography full time, I realize that consignment and gently used things are a blessing. It's funny how your priorities change so quickly. I used to be the girl who bought $250 denim jeans. Now I'm the girl who says--if it it fits and is a nice wash--wear it.
:)

DR VISITS: Dr is watching me carefully. I did lost pieces of my mucus plug and I have dropped considerably. Cervix is closed as of now, but his head is DOWN and pushing. I need to make it to 36 weeks to be safe. That's like 2 1/2 weeks. EEK!  The Dr says I measure bigger in my circumference b/c I am so short. The only way to go is OUT. People think I am due like NOW, but scary enough---I am still growing! I can see myself walking the state fair in the beginning of OCT trying to get this baby moving :)hehhehe

BIRTHING CLASSES: We start a 3 week course of birthing classes next Sunday. Jeff is super stoked to learn, I'm not super stoked about all of those positions they make you practice. hahahha It will be a bonding experience for both of us. Bring on the awkwardness.


Here are some advances we have made over the last month!

Custom Bedding For Trace :)

The Room!

Jeff Customizing a Tree!

Building Building Building

Bouge Crew Photo Session!

28 weeks and counting! We are getting super excited and really wanted to showcase the family in this happy time! We are all starting to get a little anxious and all the preparing is finally coming together. :)

Chandi Warner of MUSIC CREEK PHOTOGRAPHY is a super great friend of mine. I love that our styles are polar opposites because thats exactly the kind of photography I wanted! She's a pro at natural light photography and really capturing the moment in someone's life. Thank you is not nearly enough to say when I look at the photos.

For the Full Session: POPography's SmugMug

3d Sonogram

Wow, what a privilege to get to see your baby before their even born! We were surrounded by the ones we love to top it off! Trace is going to be so spoiled with all the love he's getting! Thank you to Mom, Madi, Lynsey, Bobby, Allie, Milad, and ShaRita for joining us on this superb occasion! The unveiling of baby Trace's beautiful face! :)

He was just a tad stubborn during this session. I guess I didn't have enough sugar to keep him awake. So he was sleepy most of the time. The umbilical cord and placenta kept getting in the way and he loved his hands on his face! Either way we are overjoyed to know he's growing and looking gooooood :) ha

We think he has my mouth/lips and possibly Jeffs eyes and nose. He gave us a couple of waves and yawns and even opened his eyes a couple of times. Today- things became one step closer to REALITY!

The shower is next weekend and I'm so excited. Its such an honor to have all the people you love in one place to celebrate with you! Well, enough talk- lets get a look at this sweet boy!

Some Video of the lil guy in action!

Just a short video of him moving and grooving!

6 Month Update

Feeling good, looking huge, and trucking along!

Baby Bouge Video Blog #6

Whew! Almost through the first 2 trimesters!!!

In our 6 month blog I blab about:
Dr Visit, Diabetes Testing Coming up, Making Big Purchases, Shopping!!, Daddy Diaper Bag, The Upcoming Baby Shower, Everything I want is on order, and more...

Enjoy the madness called Pregnancy and Impatience!

Untitled from Leaha B on Vimeo.

Awesome Diaper Bag!

So for fathers day I got Jeff this amazing Daddy Diaper Bag :)
I'm so excited to see him carry Trace in one and hand this rad diaper bag on his shoulder.

He's already proving to be an amazing father.

Go daddy Go!

Link to diaper bag: DAD GEAR

Watch the video on their site. It has a cool Whipey Window! and hidden side pockets for bottles and such.
Loves it

20 Week Update!

Video Blog: 20 week appt, Furniture purchases, Weight Gain, What to eat?, Excited to have co-ed baby shower in July!, etc

A Big Day for Madi

Madi accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

:)

Baby Bouge BLog #4- 4 months

What am I gabbing about this month?
18 weeks, Finding out its a Boy!, Meaning of the Name, Jeff Graduates MBA, Weight Gain, CLothing choices, Bedding Shopping, Glider Chairs, Ice Cream! Food! Sugar! and yes, More Water!

:)

MBA Graduation & Meeting Baby Trace!

Here are some photos of our day together. Jeff got his MBA and we got to see Baby Trace together!

What a great day of celebrations!

I'm so excited for my family and proud of my ahhh-mazing husband!

GRADUATION

FINDING Out About Baby Trace! :)

The newest love of my life....

THE GANG!

OUR GROWING FAMILY

                                   

HAPPY GRANDPARENTS

                                  

Trace Liam Bourgeois

WELL- It's a Boy!
The sweetest and cutest sonogram I've ever seen ;)

Who: Well, everyone. Everyone was there! Both sides of the family from TX and Lousiana were present and even some of our best friends. It was super duper awesome.

Where: We went to the Plano site of Storkvision.com . It wasn't as big as I thought it would be, but it was super neat. We were all able to go in the same room that was full of couches and a tv. Everyone got to watch as the sonogram began.

What: 20 min video and photos. A once in a lifetime experience!

When: We were 18 weeks prego (almost)

Trace Liam Bourgeois
Our beautiful baby boy

Trace? - Jeff came up with this one. Tres in spanish means 3. Three is the Perfect Trinity. Each side of the Trinity is equal. The way he saw it was we will all love Trace Equally between Jeff, Madi, and myself. You can put any family member in the middle of this Trinity and they will be loved from all sides just as God loves us.

Liam?- My dads name is Mickey Lee. I really wanted to pay tribute to my amazing dad. We did a play on his middle name "Lee" and extended it to "Liam"

Trace is french. (for Jeff)
Liam is Irish (for Leaha)
Bourgeois is french

Thats a nice sandwich. hehehe

Here is what happened at the visit.
*New Blog video coming up this week*

My Beautiful Boy!

There's our evidence!

His little butt cheeks and well, the goods :)

VIDEOS of Trace :)

Trace's 18 Week Sonogram Video #1

Trace's 18 Week Sonogram Video #2

Stork Vision!

Big shout out to a great place to experience your Gender Determining Sonogram!

Stork Vision!

They have comfortable rooms for the whole family. My cousin Kenley opened one up in Amarillo! You go girl!

I will be going to the one in Frisco. It just so happens its the same day as Jeff graduates with his MBA! And his family will be down! YAY! MAY 15!

Check em out!

12 Week Update

Everything is starting to fit funny and people are rubbing the bump. I'm actually starting to feel pregnant.
:)

Baby Bouge Blog #3- 3 Months

We are now 3 months into our pregnancy and healthy as ever!
Things covered in blog:
12 week updates, 3 mo dr visit with the family, pregnancy annoyances, WATER!, Energy, Stretch mark prevention, Decorating ideas, BOY VS GIRL

:P,
Leaha

Sonogram #2: 3 Months in!

The juicy details will come with the video blog later this week, but look at how sweet our little bun is! It was so great to have Madi come along and see her little baby brother/sister. :)

My Happy Lil Family

The Nine Month Stretch Battle

We all know the torture we put our bodies through when carrying a child. I really LOVE my daughter, but I have the damage to prove my many months of growing! My mom brought me this amazing stuff and I only think its fair if I share this with everyone I know.

Check out their products and see what you think! It smells delish too!

I have started to get comments the past week that I'm starting to 'bump'. I only think its fair to my ever changing body to replenish what is being taken away ;)

Stay tuned,
leaha

Mama Mio

Pregnancy Advantages (yes, there is such a thing)

I have experienced some great advantages to the baby bump status. I like getting my way, but getting privileges is awesomeness.

Muse Concert- My friend Tisha and I went to the concert and were dead middle towards the back and very claustrophobic..and I had to use the bathroom like 4 times in 45 minutes. Tisha asked the security if I could sit in Handicap because I was preggo and needed bathroom services every 15 minutes. :) She said sure. We got a great seat, super great leg room, and a fold up chair! YES!

Austin SXSW Conference- Parking--need I say more? It is a hassle and costs ya too. We pulled up to the closest spot to the club I was shooting at and said "She's pregnant and really cannot afford to climb the stairs or walk far" They let me park right on the bottom VIP style. :) $10. I was so excited and so was the crew I was riding with. Then the next day--it worked again!

:) And BTW, people are starting to notice I'm pregnant. Hello 10 weeks

To be or Not to Be Vaccinated?

This is a pending concern for my unborn child. Its also a very controversial topic with other moms and doctors. Obviously I want to protect my child from harm, but I also don't want to poison them from making poor choices. I have a great friend who is super educated and is always very helpful to make sure I know the latest news and what is available as far as choices in vaccinations. 

I'm curious to how other moms feel about this. Feel free to respond to this topic. I really would like some feedback.

I feel as a mother I need to really research what is best in this ever changing world for my child.

Here is a link for Texas:

http://www.vaccineinfo.net/exemptions/index.shtml

Check this out

Aluminum in infants is toxic between 1-20 micrograms. Check out the childhood vaccine schedule of shots reported by Neil Miller, www.thinktwice.com just showing the approximate aluminum levels a child will get in vaccines by 18 months old: o Hep B 250 micrograms given 3 timeso DTaP 625 micrograms given 4 timeso Hib 225 micrograms given 3 timeso PCV 125 micrograms given 4 timeso HepA 250 micrograms given 2 timeso Grand Total = 4,925 micrograms This does not include the Gardasil Cervical Cancer Vaccine which contains 225 micrograms of aluminum or the flu vaccines which also contain aluminum.

8 Weeks!

Baby Bouge Blog Video #2-

Prenatal Visit #1, Balancing, Cravings, Great literature, and more..haha

1 Beat at a Time

After much anticipation and excitement-- we finally had our first doctors appointment!

Dr Cowen is a great man. He was very patient to explain everything and hear me gab about this and that. Mom and Jeff both accompanied me on this appt. I was grateful. I'm kind of a chicken when it comes to most things in life. :) I will say I am getting better at handling scary situations.

Mom has really been talking to me about "FEAR". For some time of my life fear has really guided my decision making and held me back from doing a lot of things. I tend to change that. With Jesus as my Lord--fear is not going to rule my life anymore. Done.

Onward with my doctor story--so, they went ahead with my yearly examination or what I like to think of "invading my privacy" :) hahah He determined that I am at 8 weeks and that everything is moving right along. We did an UltraSound (since Im so early in my pregnancy)For those who are not familiar..this is a vaginal entrance. The first thing I said was "please tell me there is a baby in there". He squirmed around a minute and then said "Yep, there's a lil one in there and the heart is pumping"~ About that time Jeff and mom came in and got to see as he took pictures. I think Jeff, mom, and myself all started crying at the same time. REALITY! There really is a baby coming into my life. That one lil heart beat changed everything today.

*SLOW CLAP* Leaha didn't freak out or cry when she got her blood drawn! THANK YOU EVERYBODY!

The doctor said that me feeling so healthy is a blessing. He said my hormone levels must be really good for me to be feeling fantastic. He also noted that the sac looks super thick and healthy! We couldn't be more happy.

Round 1 Doctor- done.

Super excited to see the adventure begin. Being pregnant only 2 months feels like FOREVER! :)
I guess I will be blogging for eternity!

To help pass the time I do things like read. My cousin, Kenley, gave me a great book that i've been hitting up here and there. "The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy" by Vicki Iovine
Such a hit with me. It's super fun to read all the lil things that you wanna talk about, but rarely bring up to normal people.

Rituals and Routines
I love taking my hot bath round 4:30 every afternoon.
Putting cocoa butter lotion on all prone areas of stretching!
Keeping me feet from hanging over the couch.
Eating 6 times a day
Falling asleep on my back
Waking up and rolling on my belly to snooze (while I still can)

I hope we are not totally boring you with our updates :) Love you all and thank you for continuing to pray!

Bouge Video Blog!

Enjoy the madness! :)

Itty Bitty Teeny Weeny

Blogging- I think everyone needs one of these things in this time and age! I hope we don't bore you or talk way too much. Thanks for stopping by and hopefully we'll see you on your own blog soon!

It's Official. I have a teensy weensy baby growing within me. This has been a desire of my heart for many years. Sharing this moment with my family is really a dream come true. Jeff is going to be the most amazing father and I knew Maddy would be an amazing sister for a long time.

We have been preparing for this moment for about 6 months. Waking up early on Feb 10, 2010 was the most anxious day of my life. I went by myself to check and after a long 3 minutes- shazam! It read PREGNANT in bold electronic words. Immediately every thought you could have about a baby went through my head. I swear I sat there for a few minutes overwhelmed. I thought I could hold it in, but alas I went to the bed and just told Jeffrey. We cried and I probably talked his head off for about 2o minutes. :)

We held it in for several days. I had a trip out of town and honestly---I was in disbelief for several days and continued to take tests! Hahha

We are yet awaiting our Dr appointment. After some calculating- We are due on or around OCTOBER 20th!

Keep us in your prayers please. We are super excited and can't wait to see where God takes us. We are thrilled to experience this journey as we wait on the ever growing BABY BOUGE!

THANK YOU JESUS! :)