Just an update--

Well, last Monday was our first appointment with MaryAnne and yes, it did go well.  BUT- I had asked about any specific precautions I should be taking as far as blood clots go (I was diagnosed with a Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in January of 2004 and it's still pretty much cemented in there...)... anyway, she spoke with Dr. Leazenby and that Wednesday, I had to go up toe Greenville to have my blood drawn to check my blood levels.

To shorten the story, it was found that I clot faster than average which means because of the increased blood flow due to the pregnancy and apparently blood is usually a bit thicker in pregnancy anyway, they are wanting me to start giving myself injections twice a day in the stomach of Heparin until Mason comes.  Yes, in the stomach... they say that there are plenty of layers of skin/muscle/chub before it even comes close to Mason... either way though, that's approximately 140 shots in the stomach in these next 10 weeks! :(

When I was first diagnosed, they sent me home from the hospital with a few weeks worth of Lovenox injections.... I couldn't do it.  Even though they were the popper needles (jab it in and the needle dispenses the medicine and pops out about as fast) I still freaked out.  My mom ended up having to do it for me (and did a good job as well- thanks mom!).  So this time around Josh or my mom is going to have to do it as these needles come to us empty- we put the medication in the syringe (7,500 units) and jab it in my stomach, plunge the medication in, then withdraw the needle.  Yeah, so not looking forward to it....

I'll keep you updated when I start the injections :(

PS: Took some quick pictures of the kids the other day though :)

School starts soon--- crazy how this summer (and pregnancy) have flown by.  Blake will be a 2nd grader and Sydney will be a 4th grader!!!!!! 

First Appointment with MaryAnne- 29 weeks

So far for this pregnancy, we’ve been seeing my family doctor in Lowell but since we are inching ever so close to our delivery date, it was suggested and recommended to start seeing my ObGyn. Turns out a lot of things have changed in their office much to my disappointment and surprise, so we decided to start seeing the Midwife I had when I was pregnant for Sydney. Her name is MaryAnne and will be referred to in the future as such.

MaryAnne is a really sweet lady and very experienced in the areas of labor and delivery. Because Sydney was a C-section (she turned breach at the last minute) and Blake was a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean), MaryAnne is not able to deliver baby Mason, but her associate, Dr. Leazenby is and will. He’s actually who had performed Sydney’s C-section delivery almost 10 years ago… wow, it’s crazy how time goes by…

Anyway, yesterday we had our first appointment with MaryAnne and for once I felt like I wasn’t being rushed out of the room. As we approach our final weeks, my body is doing weird things and somewhat painful things so I was happy to have my questions answered (thank you Josh for remembering my questions for me- love you!). She listened to Mason’s heartbeat and said he sounds like a happy baby already- he was moving like crazy all day yesterday! My weight gain is decent so far at 23 pounds for 29 weeks, but the total weight I am now is totally depressing, but I guess you’ll have that. I’m going to attempt to start walking a bit more regularly again as I did in the beginning of this pregnancy. We’re a little worried about preeclampsia as I had it (mildly) with the pregnancies for Sydney and Blake both.

So for now, we’ll just keep an eye on things and we’ll see MaryAnne in another 3 weeks! (PS: We’ll be delivering at Spectrum Health Downtown- AKA- Butterworth Hospital right off Michigan Street downtown Grand Rapids)


Also to share, here are a few quick pictures of Sydney and Blake when they were little…
Sydney- about 4 months old or so--



Blake- about 3 months- he was sicky with pneumonia

                                             (Picture taken of a picture-- sorry they're kind of cruddy quality :(

What's up :)

First, let me just say Hi! and Welcome!!


This blog is for family and friends to keep up on what’s going on in the Booker household. We'll have lots of pictures too! This will be a great opportunity for our long distance family members to keep in touch possibly a bit more (we miss you!).

So, let’s get you up to date with our family- quick and easy version :)

September 19, 2009- Wow, it’s crazy to realize that Josh and I have been married for almost a year. Last September was one of the most memorable times in my life. The wedding planning and figuring out, not to mention the stress, was all totally worth it. Thanks to family and friends, our wedding day was beautiful! Actually, looking back, I don’t think it could have been better!

(Top two pictures are thanks to our brother in law Kevin Dykstra and the second two are thanks to Beth Hallock, our wedding photographer)

PS: Had to add a picture of my flowers in here- I soooooo loved them!!! (Thank you Donnie for drying my bouquet out for me- I still love it!)

Our honeymoon was so memorable as well. I’ve never gotten to see the Pacific Ocean so it was quite the breathtaking experience when we flew to Oregon and visited the ocean for the first time. Josh and I also saw a lot more of Oregon and Washington and even went Giant Sturgeon fishing!!!! What an experience for sure! We also checked out Pikes Place Fish Market and bought some of the most fabulous smoked fish I’ve ever tasted!! 

Ok, fast forward..... here is our Christmas picture from December 2009-- (my little sister McKenzie snapped it on the way to Christmas at my brother's house :)-

Since that time, I’m still leading Sydney’s Girl Scout troop (she’s a Junior Girl Scout now) and I’m a year into my 4 year term as an elected school board representative. Last fall we also added to our schedule Cub Scouts. Blake loves scouts and is looking forward to another year. He was quite proud of his pinewood derby car last year as he won against Josh!

For this year other than scouts and school board, we’ve added in Rocket Cheerleading for Sydney and flag football for Blake. Their first games are mid-September. They’re each going to participate in a basketball mini-camp right after school in a few weeks (for a few weeks) as Blake really wants to play basketball. He’s pretty decent at it too!

Let’s see, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, school board, cheerleading, football, and a bit of basketball…. Hmmm, what am I missing? OH YEAH!!! We’re pregnant!!!  But, you probably already knew that!!!

Mason Jack Booker is expected to arrive on or around November 8th (2010). We’re all so excited and so ready to meet him! This pregnancy has been pretty decent but I’m now starting to get a bit uncomfortable and the belly is definitely getting big! He wiggles around in there all of the time and we all enjoy watching my belly make goofy movements. We just completed our childbirth preparation classes and learned a lot although talking about and learning about labor, makes us that more anxious to meet our new little man.

(<--- 22 weeks)

(<--- 23 weeks)

(<-- 27 weeks)

Blake and Sydney are sooo excited about Mason as well. We practice diapering, swaddling, and carrying Mooson (Moose-on) who is the stuffed Moose we made for Mason recently while vacationing in Mackinaw City. Speaking of Mackinaw, we also went to the Sleeping Bear Dunes- I had no idea Lake Michigan could look like that!! It looks so different up there than further south- so pretty!

Anyway, that is the somewhat quick version of what’s been going on with us since most of you probably saw us. Please sign up to follow our blog as we’re going to do our best to update it as often as we can. Also, look for pictures of baby Mason when it’s time!  I know there's soooo much I'm not filling you in on, but I don't want you to fall asleep reading in our first blog :)

Here are a few recent pictures of us (Fathers Day 2010 at Lake Michigan)  (Thank you Kevin!!)

(<-- I took these last two :)

Big Hugs!!
    ~Andrea, Josh, Sydney, Blake, baby Mason, and Gunner