Welcome to the third tri!

Holy crap!! Where on earth did 2/3 of this pregnancy go? Time has FLOWN! We have made some progress on the bathroom, and Vince is hopeful it will get completed this weekend. Pics are coming once it is finally done, natch.

We have also made plans for the nursery and have started gathering materials (paint and such) and have bought a super-cool rug, which should help tie together some of the blues that will be going on:




Still absolutely no progress on a name choice, but I did finally manage to get our registry together. And I got us registered for our classes (tour/insurance paperwork, breastfeeding, and baby care basics) at the hospital for January. Next on the list - get a doula!

I have also given notice at my job. I have an open-ended leave date, which will be determined by how long it takes to train my replacement. But, mid-January will be the latest. We were lucky and found a great candidate internally, so the training should be a snap! Both of my bosses were wonderfully supportive of our decision for me to stay home, and I can tell my contributions here have been appreciated, which is an awesome feeling.

I have been feeling really crummy this past week and got to experience my first Braxton-Hicks contractions. They have settled down, but have become a general, continuous aching/crampiness in my lower abdomen. And I'm sleeping like poo again. I fear it is my body responding to the baby getting bigger. The good news is that I passed the one-hour glucose test, so no gestational diabetes for me!

I have a feeling the overall discomfort may be here to stay, and is a reminder that maybe it is time to slow down a little. Looks like the end is now in sight for my practice. I have clients scheduled through my upcoming holidays, and I'm not sure how far into 2008 I am going to get. It makes me so sad to think about shutting down the practice, but my body is making this decision very clear for me.

Another doc appointment

We had another appointment this past Monday and in all everything is still going well. Vince was actually late to the appointment, but made it in time for the important part, hearing the baby's heartbeat.

I gained 8 pounds this month - EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! That puts me at 28 lbs to date. Not good. Truthfully, I'm bumming pretty big time about it and feel ashamed. I know I shouldn't, but I'm really struggling with it. Oh, and the big 2-0-0 mark is looming and makes me want to cry to know I will definitely be over that terrifying number on the scale.

Blood pressure and urine tests are still fine. Baby's heartbeat was 156 and my fundal height is still right on target. I had my 1-hour gestational diabetes test (ugh, I forgot how awful drinking that stuff before the test was!) so the results from that should be back by early next week at the latest. If I pass then no more blood draws!

We spent a lot of time asking Dr. McCollum questions. We talked about me traveling safely over Christmas, selecting a pediatrician, breastfeeding classes, care classes for daddies-to-be, our work schedules, my diet and weight gain, heartburn, and she asked how Vince and I were doing in our relationship and how we were handling everything so far. Can I just say again how much I love her as a doctor?

She reviewed the images from our ultrasound last month, and was not happy with them - I think the images of the baby's heart were poor, so we have another u/s scheduled for next month. So, we get a bonus look at the baby! That will be our last monthly appointment. After that one, we will be going in every 2 weeks for checkups.

After the appt we had some dinner and then went to Babies R Us to pick up our crib, which had arrived. We also spent some time messing around with strollers and car seats so that we can register soon. Which is good, because this week a few awesome friends have stepped up with offers for baby showers. We are so lucky to have such amazing people in our lives who care for us and our little one!

Now that the crib is home, I guess it is time to commit to a choice for the baby's room and get to work on it. Vince has a 4-day weekend for the holiday so I am betting we see some progress on the bathroom and maybe even beyond.

My random musings from this morning...

So I was thinking a little bit about the dichotomy that I seem to be with respect to my attitudes, expectations and beliefs about childbirth. On one hand, I am pretty "granola," I'm 100% for breastfeeding, natural (unmedicated) childbirth, potentially deferring or delaying certain immunizations, massage, baby slings, considering cloth diapers, so on and so forth. But, I am also planning to give birth at a hospital with an OB, we elected to have the NT screening done and we are doing the GD tests and such, we love getting ultrasounds, yadda yadda. I feel like women seem to fall either on one extreme or the other, but obviously I know I am not alone in these seemingly conflicting choices. And I guess that is the beauty of where we live - I have lots of choices available to me while on this path.

But, I do think that all these choices are getting more and more overwhelming. I wish and wish I had some all-knowing mother hen to turn everything over to and say, "Please make all the perfect decisions for me and let me know what to do next." Wouldn't that be nice? I know the options and decisions we will have to consider and make are really only just beginning, and that in and of itself is terrifying. I can barely cope with choosing strollers, cribs and car seats, how on earth am I going to handle choosing a preschool or care provider down the road? Names? To circumcise or not? Who is our pediatrician? Aaaagh!

I know a lot of this anxiety stems from my Type A, yellow, plan-your-drive-and-drive-your-plan personality, and that most of it is really not that important and will work out for the best as it is meant to. But damn it all if it isn't the scariest thing I have ever faced. And of course a lot of this is exacerbated by the fact that just I realized that I am thisclose to the third trimester, our bathroom *still* isn't done, the basement hasn't even been approached, baby's room is untouched, no registry has been put together, the holidays are stealing time already, work and massage practice are crazy busy, the house and the laundry are begging for attention, and Vince is barely keeping his head above water with his work demands. I wonder how much more can possibly fit on our plates?

Alrighty, random musings/venting/freak out over. Time to stop griping and get a plan together, no?

24 week photos

Here I am so you can see me in my entirety (it's a nice break from the pastiness of my belly skin, no?)


24 weeks front and side:



And just for fun, some recent pics of our first babies, Izzy and Tank:

Is laughing allowed in yoga class?

The baby has been quiet the past few days, not really moving around as much. Well, he more than made up for it today during prenatal yoga class. We were doing the "legs up the wall" pose. Yeah, it is pretty much just that - laying with your legs up the wall. It is a restful pose that encourages getting extra fluid out of the legs (my puffy feet love/need this). All of a sudden, the babe went into a flurry of movement. He kicked me so hard that I was so surprised, it made me laugh! I did my best to keep quiet, but for some reason it totally cracked me up. And he did it a bunch of times. I eventually had to come out of the pose so that I could get it together. I imagine that soon those kind of kicks won't strike me as funny, but I'll enjoy the novelty of it all for right now.

A really sweet wake-up...

Instead of waking up this morning to the sound of my alarm clock, I was for the first time awoken by the feeling of the little one kicking away in there. : ) Tank was laying next to me with his paws pressed against my belly. I wonder if the baby felt that and that is what prompted the early morning antics?

More pics!!!

Now that I am getting the hang of this...

Belly pics - 23 weeks, front and side. Eeeeek, I know! Pretty please don't laugh at me.





And now some shots of the awesome presents the Babe has gotten so far:
These are the books and CD that Auntie Margaret sent:


And here are some gifts from lots of cool peeps - the blue elephant I bought while in Myrtle Beach, SC, the blanket that Great Grandma Astrid crocheted and sewed, the bib from KatieSunflower, the rattle from Cyndi and Niko that they bought in Croatia, the green blanket that Sarah, Rob and Ben sent (that Sarah's mom made), and the little bear pram that Auntie KD bought that may be what Babe comes home from the hospital in.:


And here is the crib we picked out and that Grandma and Grandpa Loney bought (Babi Italia Pinehurst):

Loving the feeling...

of the baby moving!!! Yep, I'm finally feeling the little one pretty consistently now. The other night, on Wednesday, Vince even got a chance to feel him. We were laying in bed watching TV (oh, how I love The Office) and I was feeling the baby moving around, so I had Vince put his hand on my tummy. It didn't take long until Babe did a back flip or something, and Vince clearly felt it. SOOOO COOL!!!!

For some reason, the past 2 days have been hard. I have just been really tired and generally achy all over. It's like all of a sudden my body is 'feeling' pregnant. I'm moving much more slowly, changing positions while sleeping is an ordeal that involves a lot of grunting and panting (and not even in a fun way), and I totally caught myself waddling this morning. Oh, and strangers are starting to ask me about being PG, and I have had more than a few requests to touch my belly. So, there really is no denying it any longer. Aaaaaagh!

Dad and Kendra are here this weekend, so we will get in some quality time with them. I'm thinking we will make an executive decision and get the crib ordered too.

It's a ........

BOY! The big ultrasound confirmed it today, we have a little man on the way. Vince and I are thrilled to finally know the sex, and to have gotten to see the little one again. Everything is perfect and healthy, and he is still measuring about 1 week ahead of schedule. But, the docs have left the due date unchanged. Heartbeat was a perfect 154 bpm, and we got to see the kiddo moving around and even giving mommy some punches and kicks. I know it won't be long until I am acutely feeling all of those. I need to get all the ultrasound photos scanned onto a CD so that I can get them posted here.

I'm doing well too. I only gained 2 lbs this month (WHEW!!!!), so that puts me at 15 lbs to date. Blood pressure is still great too. We saw Dr. Stewart this visit, and he was cool. We chatted about getting a flu shot, how to pay attention to baby's movement patterns (once I start feeling him move more than I am now) and about instructions for next visit, where I will have my first test for gestational diabetes. I am already having flashbacks to the glucose tolerance tests I had done as a kid. Luckily, this one looks like it will be a bit less awful (only 5 ounces of stuff to drink, and only one blood draw).

We came home to some nice surprises too - there were a couple of packages with gifts for baby. Good friends Sarah, Rob and Ben- sent us a beautiful and oh-so-soft green blanket made by Sarah's mom, Janet, which was accompanied by the requisite smart-ass card. Auntie Margaret sent the baby a collection of amazing children's books complete with instructions to read them dutifully to "Babe" starting immediately, and also a CD of classical music inspired by her recent travels to Italy. This will surely be one Babe schooled in culture, much as I was so lucky to have been growing up. I hope to get some photos of all the awesome gifts up on here soon so we can give credit where it is due for all to appreciate.

I started prenatal yoga this past Saturday, and it was wonderful - very restful, and a little bit challenging as well. My muscles were pleasantly sore yesterday, and man has it been a while since that has happened. During the ending meditation I was finally able to feel the baby move and know with certainty it was him making his presence known. What a gift! I got a massage last week at the school up in Boulder, and it was nice. I have a professional session scheduled soon, and I can't wait.

Finally.....PHOTOS!

Instead of going back and adding them to prior posts, I figured I would just post them all here and move forward from this point. WARNING - some of these ain't pretty!!







Belly Pic at 9 weeks












Belly Pic at 12 weeks (front)












Belly Pic at 12 weeks (side)
















Belly Pic at 19 weeks 5 days (side)










Belly Pic at 19 weeks 5 days (front)









OK, seriously, my hips can STOP getting wider. Any.fricking.time.now! No wonder none of my clothes fit me these days.

Still waiting to feel the baby move. And the big ultrasound is only a few days away. I'm having more heartburn now, especially after eating anything spicy. And I'm having some wicked SI joint pain in my low back/hip. I have been seeing my DO for osteopathic adjustments, with some relief, and I'm getting some massages set up too.

More updates

Well, it has been a while. Here is latest and greatest....

We were on vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC frm the 8th to the 15th. Sun, fun, golf and seafood was just what we needed! Bathroom progress has been nonexistent since Vince had the flu the week before we left and then we were gone. We got home to some sad news - my paternal grandpa passed away peacefully on the 16th. So, I headed up to Canada to be with my family for the funeral and such. His passing is bittersweet and I know there are lots of emotions still to deal with over all of it. But life is going on...

While I was home I got to pick out some fabric with my sister, who is making a really cool quilt for the baby. I also recently picked out the yarn for a blanket my mom will be crocheting. This baby is loved and so lucky to have such generous people taking good care of and spoiling him already!

Had another appointment Monday (9/24). Weight is through the roof! I have gained 9 lbs since last appt, so that puts me at 13 lbs to date. Guess I overdid it on the seafood while on vacation in SC, eh? But, doc is still happy and says the progress is perfect. BP was good again today, and still no sign of sugar or protein problems in my urine.

Baby is doing good. Heart rate today was 163, and Dr. McCollum had no problems finding it right away!

We have scheduled our big ultrasound for October 22. I'll be a little bit over 21 weeks at that point and they will do all kinds of measurements and hopefully we'll get confirmation of the sex if the little one cooperates and shows us the goods.

I have been feeling good. I'm mostly tired I wish I could sleep at night without my hips getting sore or my arms constantly falling asleep or needing to pee or the dogs needing out and Vince ignoring that he hears them. I have been having some round ligament pain. Well, not so much pain as it is intense stretching when I stand up from sitting. I have also been noticing some swelling of my feet in the afternoons/evenings. Vince has been good about making me sit back and put my feet up at night.

We are hoping to get some major progress on the bathroom done this weekend since we have a houseful of company coming next week - my maternal grandma and her husband are coming for a few days, and then my cousin and her fiance will be with us over the (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend.

:::waves goodbye:::

This morning two more pairs of pants plus a pair of pajama bottoms got added to the bulging storage bin of pre-PG clothes that no longer fit. I'm not even 15 weeks, I'm already way showing, and nothing fits!! If I felt even remotely "cute" or "glowing" I might be able to deal better with this. But since my weight gain is low so far, I just can't figure out how the hell I am growing and spreading so much already. I know you are worth this, babe, but I am shocked at how hard I am taking this......

Hello second trimester!

We had another doctor appointment yesterday on 8/28/07. Dr. McCollum once again rules. I have been feeling pretty crummy and crampy the past few days, and spotting started up once again. She did a great job reassuring Vince and I that all is well. We talked a lot about me getting lots of rest, and about how to get better sleep at night.

Weight gain for me is +1 lb from last visit (25 days ago) so that's a total of +4 lbs for the first trimester. Why does it feel like a hell of a lot more than that?!?!?! Oh, and BP is still a perfect 110/70. Whee!

Baby's heartbeat was 156, so still right where it should be. Even though the screening ultrasound pushes the baby's sue date up because he is measuring ahead, they are going to leave my due date alone at 2/29/07.

I'm so lucky, my work has been awesome about all of this and has been so great about letting me take the time I need to rest. I'm still getting everything done, and I really appreciate their understanding. I know how lucky I am!!!

As of today I am 13 weeks 5 days, so officially I am in my second trimester and am (not so) patiently waiting for the rebound of energy and motivation I keep hearing is just around the corner. Heaven knows my house and laundry would welcome my attentions once again.

Progress on the bathroom remodel has stalled, but I'm hopeful it will pick back up again this week and we can knock some big projects out of the way over the upcoming long weekend and before we head out on our vacation to South Carolina.

The coolest sight ever

We had an ultrasound this past Friday, 8/17. We opted to do the sequential screening for genetic disorders such as Downs and that means an ultrasound and blood test at 12-13 weeks, and then another blood test around 17 weeks or so. I barely made it there on time, rushing to get through Friday traffic, and Vince wouldn't have made it at all if the office hadn't been running behind - he left late and then got stuck behind a train, so he was almost 20 minutes late. But, luckily it all worked out and shortly after he made it we were called in.

This one was an external ultrasound done over the belly. The last time we saw the rugrat it was just a teeny speck with a yolk sac. I knew it would look a lot different, but I was still totally surprised to see what a complete little being it already was. I even said out loud, "Holy shit, it's a baby!" I can't even describe how blown away seeing that was for me. I know you won't believe it, but in fact I did not cry. I was too fascinated with what I was seeing to cry, I think.

The tech's primary goal was to measure the nuchal fold, which is the thickness of skin at the back of the neck. A thicker measurement can be an indicator of chromosomal defects. Luckily, it looked perfect. She then got a look at the face to make sure the nasal bones were forming correctly, which also can be a red flag if they aren't. Again, everything looked great.

The little one was MOVING! We got to see a big yawn, waving of hands and wriggling of fingers, thumb sucking, stretching, and even some flipping. I asked the tech (Pippa again) if it was too early to take a peek between the legs. She said we could see if there was anything worth seeing, but that it was likely still too early. The baby initially had its legs firmly crossed across its body, so it seemed we wouldn't even get a look, but then almost as if on cue, the bugger flipped right over and spread its legs to show us the goods. The result - likely the little one is going to be a little man. Obviously we won't be going out and decking things out in blue until the big ultrasound at 20 weeks confirms it, but we are thrilled (and not at all surprised since we both from day 1 have been positive this baby was a boy)!

Baby is about 7cm, so about the size of a lime, and looks perfect. Heart rate today was 154. It was hard to hear it since he was moving around so much Pippa had a hard time capturing it. No idea on my weight - they didn't take it this time. And I didn't get my blood drawn either because by the time we were done with the ultrasound, they had already sent out all the blood work for the day. So, I went back this morning (Monday). All I can say is as nice as that nurse was, she was the worst stick EVER! My arm has been sore all day. Grrr.

Another post, another promise of photos. I need to get the pics scanned and digitized so I can attempt to post them here. I know, I know, hold your breath waiting on it....

We have a strong heartbeat!

Went to the doctor on Friday, 8/3. Dr. McCollum was awesome, both Vince and I really liked her. She just returned from her own maternity leave, so it is kind of nice to know she has so recently been through a similar experience. We scheduled our next monthly appointment with her as well.

Weight gain at 10 weeks - + 3 lbs.

She talked to me quite a bit about the spotting and was generally not worried, but did tell me what to look out for, and how to get in touch with her if I needed to. Thankfully, the spotting has stopped!

She used the Doppler to try to hear the heartbeat, but she did caution us it was unlikely they could hear it at 10 weeks - we would likely just have to go in to the ultrasound room to check. But, she found the heartbeat without any problems. It was a perfectly strong 166! It was beyond cool to hear it, and even she seemed surprised to find it!

She talked with us at length about the upcoming sequential screening, where they do blood tests and an ultrasound to try to assess the risk of Downs Syndrome or other genetic abnormalities. We were on the fence over whether or not to have the tests, but she gave us some really good points to consider, and we finally decided to agree to the tests. Feel free to ask if you want to know more. So, we have the blood draw and ultrasound scheduled for 8/17, at 12 weeks. Can't wait to get to see the little bugger again!

Our niece Veronica just turned 4. She has been told that Auntie has a baby in her tummy, and she has decided that she wants the baby to be a boy because she only has one cousin, Reese, who is a girl, so it would be fun to have a little boy cousin! She then went rummaging around in her toy room and emerged with a little rattle with Winnie the Pooh on it. We recognized it immediately - it was one of her rattles as a baby. She handed it to me and said it was a gift for the baby since she and her brother were big kids and didn't need the baby toys anymore. It was just too cute for words - we are lucky to have such a bright, funny, and thoughtful niece! I know she will be a great older cousin for this little one.

My dad and sister were here this past weekend visiting, and we made a stop at Babies 'R Us to look at cribs, since that is what my parents want to buy us for the little one. We checked stuff out, but will definitely be shopping around some more. Also, while at the store, Auntie KD bought the baby his or her very first gift - an adorable little sleeper that is brown and fuzzy and has a hood with ears to look just like a little teddy bear. It is super cute!

And another bright note - the nausea is pretty much gone at this point. I'm not really bloated anymore, but the bloat has been replaced by really firm abs and a lot more roundness in the belly. You could almost call it 'showing.' I get really tired very easily, but sleeping at night is tough and isn't very restful right now. Oh, and can someone please tell my skin that I am not reverting to puberty, I am just pregnant? So it can stop with the disgusting breakouts, thankyouverymuch.

A small scare

It's been a stressful few days, and last night it seems my body decided to give me a very visible reminder to slow the heck down and just let stuff go. I started having some light bleeding last night, which has continued into today. Luckily we have the doctor's appt this afternoon so we can make sure all is well. I'm not too worried about it, but it will be reassuring to know everything is OK. Fingers crossed!

More updates

I hate to jinx myself, but the past few days the nausea has let up! I'm more tired than ever, but I'll take that hands down over feeling sick.

Insurance has been changed over, and I'm now part-time (about 32-35 hours per week) at the day job. So things are falling into place nicely. We are plotting our course of action for home reno stuff before baby comes. We have agreed high priority to-dos are completing our master bath, finishing the basement so we can move my massage office down there, and then picking a room for the nursery and getting that done. That should keep us busy for a few months, right?

I broke down and let Vince take a belly pic of me on Friday at 9W0D. The squidgy bloat has morphed into hard roundness that I fear isn't going anywhere. So I guess it is time to start documenting the changes. Maybe this week I'll get ambitious and figure out how to post a few photos.

Next appointment is this Friday, 8/3 - I'll be 10 weeks.

Some updates, and now really everyone knows!

Friday July 6 we had our first ultrasound. The baby was measuring 5mm, which put me at 7W1D, and a due date of 2/29/07 -which is right where I figured it should be. We got to see the baby (and by baby I mean a teeny round speck) and the yolk sac. And, as a bonus, we got to see and to hear the heartbeat - 120bpm, which the tech Pippa said was perfect. It was beyond cool to see and to hear the little one!

Word has been spreading, so most friends and family are now in the know. We got to tell my family in person at the big reunion in Yellowstone on July 12th. We took one of the photos of the baby from the ultrasound and made a copy and framed it to give to my parents and to my grandparents. I think everyone was very excited for us!

So far the main symptoms have been sore breasts (but still no increase in their size, dangit!), lots of nausea (but luckily still no vomiting), beyond ridiculous bloat, and some tiredness. But I know it can be much worse, so I'm trying to count my lucky stars so far!

Pics of the BFP and some belly shots are on their way, once I get brave enough to show off my bloat to the world, that is. : )

Does the whole world know?

No, they don't. At least the part of the world with my family in it.

We initially wanted to keep things quiet until at least the first ultrasound. Well, that didn't last long. We felt we had to tell Vince's brother and sister-in-law because of a pending issue with me possibly working for them next year. Since a baby really impacts those plans, we wanted to give them a heads up. Well, Vince decided he didn't want his brother knowing before his parents, so we ended up telling them only 3 days after our BFP, before even our first doctor's appointment. Then Vince told a few people at his work, then we had to tell his other brother and his wife (because we didn't want someone else to spill the beans and them hear it that way instead of from us directly), and then at our BBQ this past weekend, by the end of the afternoon, pretty much everyone knew.

I haven't even told my family yet. My own mother doesn't even know that she is going to be a grandma, yet the dude who owns the season tickets next to us at the Rage hockey games knows we are expecting! I'm so glad it is only another week until we will see them in person and then we can tell them too. I just didn't want to give such big news over the phone.

So many people knowing so early makes me incredibly nervous. I really hope this baby is sticky - I can't even imagine having to figure out a way to have so many people hear potentially bad news.

Fingers crossed!

Someone special is on his/her way!

Well, the mother of all surprises and adventures is upon us. Wednesday, June 20th is the day our lives got turned on its ear for good - BFP! (BFP = Big Fat Positive pregnancy test) I took the test mostly on a whim. I really did not believe this was our month, but I wanted to test to prove my chart and all its uppity temperatures wrong! A quick trip to Walgreen's between clients got the tests into the house, and without thinking, I went ahead and peed on that stick. Of course I was fully expecting another negative result, so you can imagine my shock when I had just finished peeing and turned the stick over to put the cap on and the second line was already there and darkening rapidly. HOLY SHIT! Deep breaths, deep breaths, crying, shaking, crying. How do I tell Vince? How do I compose myself to work with my next client who is due to arrive in about 10 minutes? What was I thinking?

I came downstairs to talk to Vince. I told him he should go get us some ice cream (which, not being a big fan of sweets, I rarely ever want). Normally he would say yes, but funnily enough, he had just been thinking about how ice cream didn't sound all that good, so he said no. So that forced me to say, "Don't you want to know WHY you should go get us ice cream?" She he took the bait and asked why. To which I replied, rubbing my belly for emphasis, "Because the baby wants some!" Then I showed him the test.

I have to say, he gets a gold star for his response. I got a nice hug and a kiss. And I could tell he was all proud of himself for knocking me up. He's a keeper for sure.

The first doctor's appt was on Tuesday, June 26th. Pretty boring stuff. Take some blood, pee in a cup, get pap/pelvic/breast exams, and go through pages of family medical history. The bright side - our first ultrasound is really soon - next Friday, July 6th!!!!