We are officially in the double digits- only 91 days until the due date! And I am now officially in my third trimester... hooray for the home-stretch!
My mom and sister threw a wonderful shower, and it was so nice to have so much family there. (I just got the pictures from my wonderful Auntie Dina, so I just need to scan them in!) I'm finally starting to feel (materially) prepared, as the nursery is more or less done with all the furniture set up, I have just about enough clothes (minus a few things in the newborn size) for the first few months and the things we have left to get we've got budgeted out over our next few paychecks. Whew! Mentally prepared- well, that's another story! But there's only so much you can do on that front until the little guy actually arrives. Sometimes I don't think I'll actually believe we're having a baby until he's here, no matter how many kicks and punches he gives me!
Health-wise, both the little man and I are doing well. The third trimester is treating me well- I'm feeling much less sick in the mornings and haven't thrown up in almost two weeks now! I'm still having a bit of abdominal and hip/pelvic pain, but the doctor's not worried and is sending me to a physical therapist just to relieve some of it. The baby is doing great though, and is continually moving around in there. He is definitely an active little guy!
It's a good thing a lot of my first and second trimester woes have started to disappear, because I've started back up at work again! So much for the lying around all summer. :) It's been an intense week, and we already have a concert next week. But I'm feeling pretty good with my singing, and our new chorus master seems pretty great so far, so I'm pretty happy to be in the swing of things again. I may be coming home exhausted and ready to drop, but I really do love my job so it's definitely worth it. :)
November is suddenly seeming so much closer, and I really can't wait to meet this little guy!
Baby Weekend!!!
I am officially off of bedrest, which I am extremely thankful for! As nice as it sounds to have to do nothing all day and not leave the house, it's REALLY boring. I'm also thankful that the pain is gone! I have to wear a maternity support belt from now on, which helps support both my back and belly. I hope it makes a difference! But all in all, I seem to be doing well! Here's my belly shot for the week:
I'm also super excited because my sister is coming into town! She's helping throw a baby shower for me and it sounds like it's going to be awesome. A lot of family/friends are coming from out of town that I didn't expect! I am SO EXCITED to see everyone! It's so overwhelming to see the love and support that people bring when something like a child coming into the world happens. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. :)
I'm also super excited because my sister is coming into town! She's helping throw a baby shower for me and it sounds like it's going to be awesome. A lot of family/friends are coming from out of town that I didn't expect! I am SO EXCITED to see everyone! It's so overwhelming to see the love and support that people bring when something like a child coming into the world happens. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. :)
Time for bed rest. :(
Turns out they mean it when they say to try not to be too active during your pregnancy!
After a long day of Vacation Church School, taking Ratbear to the vet, meeting up with Linden for a Chicago Opera Playhouse "business meeting" and then a lovely dinner date with my husband, I suddenly got a really strange pain on the lower right side of my abdomen. It was a kind of pain that made me feel like if I didn't sit or lie down ASAP my body might give out and make me do it anyway. Yikes! Needless to say, this scared the living daylights out of me. As soon as we got home I called the on-call doctor at my doc's office and she said to essentially sleep on it and call my doctor if I still had pain in the morning.
Well, the pain hadn't gone away this morning, so as soon as the office opened I gave my OB a call. She thinks I pulled one of my round ligaments (they are the muscles that support the uterus) and has put me on partial bed rest for the weekend. The good news is that this doesn't affect the baby- he's still happy and kicking away like crazy. I swear it's becoming non-stop lately! This only affects me, and means that if I don't watch myself I'm in a lot of pain. Yay. It's funny, because it's not like I was being super active- just walking around and standing for long periods of time, but apparently that's enough to cause problems! I'm glad it's just for the weekend though. :) And if it persists or gets worse I have to go in right away, but she seemed pretty confidant that things would resolve themselves with just a few days of rest.
So that means the rest of my week and my weekend will now consist of lying down in bed as much as possible and as many fluids as I can handle. I'm sad to be missing the rest of VCS, but at least I haven't started back at work yet and hadn't made too many plans. But if anyone feels like calling or visiting I'd love a break from the boredom!
After a long day of Vacation Church School, taking Ratbear to the vet, meeting up with Linden for a Chicago Opera Playhouse "business meeting" and then a lovely dinner date with my husband, I suddenly got a really strange pain on the lower right side of my abdomen. It was a kind of pain that made me feel like if I didn't sit or lie down ASAP my body might give out and make me do it anyway. Yikes! Needless to say, this scared the living daylights out of me. As soon as we got home I called the on-call doctor at my doc's office and she said to essentially sleep on it and call my doctor if I still had pain in the morning.
Well, the pain hadn't gone away this morning, so as soon as the office opened I gave my OB a call. She thinks I pulled one of my round ligaments (they are the muscles that support the uterus) and has put me on partial bed rest for the weekend. The good news is that this doesn't affect the baby- he's still happy and kicking away like crazy. I swear it's becoming non-stop lately! This only affects me, and means that if I don't watch myself I'm in a lot of pain. Yay. It's funny, because it's not like I was being super active- just walking around and standing for long periods of time, but apparently that's enough to cause problems! I'm glad it's just for the weekend though. :) And if it persists or gets worse I have to go in right away, but she seemed pretty confidant that things would resolve themselves with just a few days of rest.
So that means the rest of my week and my weekend will now consist of lying down in bed as much as possible and as many fluids as I can handle. I'm sad to be missing the rest of VCS, but at least I haven't started back at work yet and hadn't made too many plans. But if anyone feels like calling or visiting I'd love a break from the boredom!
23 weeks!
Well, I'm finally home in Chicago! I had a fantastic time in San Diego, and Masha's wedding was absolutely beautiful. I then got to see my brother in Phoenix, and he and his girlfriend and Philip and I all drove to Denver to visit my sister and her husband and we all went to a concert together at Red Rocks. It was so fun! Baby seemed to love rockin' out, although I was pretty exhausted by the time the concert was over. All in all, I had an amazing vacation, but I'm so happy to be home!
Philip and my mom painted the baby's room while I was gone, and my wonderful neighbor Marcia gave us her daughter's crib and changing table. And being who I am, I immediately got to work putting the basics of the baby's room together. After all the furniture was put into place, I made curtains, a teething rail cover, basket liners, a duvet cover (for the bed we're keeping in the baby's room) and then I dug out of storage the few stuffed animals/books/toys that Philip and I still had from when we were kids and washed them all for our little man to enjoy too. I love how everything is coming together!
I'm especially excited to get The Hobbit artwork that my sister has done. IT'S AMAZING. But you're all going to have to wait until she brings/sends it to see it!
Now that we've got all the basics in and ready, I'll have places to put the baby's things! Lots of empty drawers for cute clothes, bins for diapers/wipes/burp cloths/etc and an entire empty closet for storing any bigger things! I can't wait for this baby to come!
On another cute note, Philip started reading The Hobbit to my belly yesterday. It was kind of hilarious because the baby was going crazy kicking pretty much the whole time he was reading. I, on the other hand, was starting to doze off, and when Philip stopped reading because I was falling asleep he immediately started kicking me harder as if to say "Wake up! I wanna know what happens to those trolls!" This is definitely Philip's son!
Philip and my mom painted the baby's room while I was gone, and my wonderful neighbor Marcia gave us her daughter's crib and changing table. And being who I am, I immediately got to work putting the basics of the baby's room together. After all the furniture was put into place, I made curtains, a teething rail cover, basket liners, a duvet cover (for the bed we're keeping in the baby's room) and then I dug out of storage the few stuffed animals/books/toys that Philip and I still had from when we were kids and washed them all for our little man to enjoy too. I love how everything is coming together!
Now that we've got all the basics in and ready, I'll have places to put the baby's things! Lots of empty drawers for cute clothes, bins for diapers/wipes/burp cloths/etc and an entire empty closet for storing any bigger things! I can't wait for this baby to come!
On another cute note, Philip started reading The Hobbit to my belly yesterday. It was kind of hilarious because the baby was going crazy kicking pretty much the whole time he was reading. I, on the other hand, was starting to doze off, and when Philip stopped reading because I was falling asleep he immediately started kicking me harder as if to say "Wake up! I wanna know what happens to those trolls!" This is definitely Philip's son!
21 weeks!
I had a ultrasound today, and our little man looks right on target! Everything looks normal, and he's measuring right on time (except for his arms and legs, which are measuring two weeks ahead. I think he's gonna be a tall boy like his grandpa!) Here's a cute pic of him sucking his thumb.
He was sleeping at first, and then seemed to get excited that the ultrasound tech was playing games with him, because he started kicking or punching back every time she finished pressing on him. Then he would cover himself up with his hands when she would try to get certain shots, like he was being funny. Seems like he has a sense of humor already!
So he's about a 1lb now and getting close to a foot long at about 11 in. Twice the size of my last ultrasound! Grow baby, grow!
He was sleeping at first, and then seemed to get excited that the ultrasound tech was playing games with him, because he started kicking or punching back every time she finished pressing on him. Then he would cover himself up with his hands when she would try to get certain shots, like he was being funny. Seems like he has a sense of humor already!
So he's about a 1lb now and getting close to a foot long at about 11 in. Twice the size of my last ultrasound! Grow baby, grow!
Long time, no update!
I had intended to do a weekly update, but time seems to have gotten away from me! The last time I posted was just before leaving for San Diego, and a lot has happened since then. So bear with me for a long entry!
One of the main reasons I haven't posted anything was because we had a bit of a scare, and I didn't want to be too dramatic about things when we didn't have any definitive answers. Shortly after arriving in San Diego, I got a call from my doctor who said I tested what technically constitutes as positive for Downs Syndrome. However, the "positive" result was for a 1 in 126 chance, (1 in 600-something is normal) and they wanted me to come in for the MaterniT 21 test, a new but far more conclusive test. But being in San Diego meant I had to jump through a ton of hoops to find someone to test me. And that meant a couple weeks of waiting with some serious anxiety for paperwork to be snail-mailed to me and then given to the testing lab and then sent with my blood test to the lab that performs the test before eventually being sent back to my doctor in Chicago with the results. Phew! Although we would (of course) love our child whether they were born with a developmental disease or not, I am very happy to say that the test came out clear and our baby does not have Downs Syndrome, and from what they can tell at this stage is completely mentally healthy. We are so happy!
As for much lighter news, our little man has started kicking up a storm! I'm in my 20th week now, (half-way there!) and he seems to be right on track. It's such a crazy feeling to physically feel another little person inside my belly. This started about a week and a half ago, and at first it was just these little fluttery feelings that were pretty unmistakable. But it wasn't anything that could be felt outside by someone else. Then as of Saturday he's started dancing away to the point of visibly being able to see him and feel him! It's SO exciting. I can't wait until Philip gets to San Diego so he can feel his baby kick! And my belly has REALLY started to look like a real preggers belly, not just like I'm ambiguously bloated. This one is from last week, and I think I may be a bit bigger now!
This past weekend, we traveled up to the Bay Area for my sister-in-law Masha's bridal shower. (Helping Masha with her wedding is why I've been in San Diego all this time. She get's married in less than two weeks, on July 22nd!) The shower turned out wonderfully, with a seriously gorgeous cake and probably some of the most amazing cookies I have ever seen. (made by the supremely talented sister-in-law Sophia! Here's her cake shop with pics of the cake and cookies.) Sophia and Masha's sisters did a fantastic job with what turned out to be a really lovely shower. It was so nice to see the family and so much love and support for Masha!
Masha and I came up a few days early to be able to visit with some of our friends in the area that we so rarely get to see. And lucky me, I also got a mini-shower with my friends! Because I'm flying back and can't exactly carry a ton, it was a "onesie" shower and I was showered with lots of super adorable clothes. And Sophia also gave me an entire box of clothes from her boys. I LOVE hand-me downs. Here's a quick glimpse at the adorable-ness they all sent me home with. I put some of my favorites on the top of the piles (assorted to size!) but it was so hard to choose!
There's also handmade burp cloths and a swaddle blanket in the picture, of course made by Sophia! And they perfectly match the decor I want for our nursery. Check out her etsy shop! I'm so lucky to be related and get this stuff for free.
Philip and my mom are painting the baby's room this weekend while I am gone so I won't have to inhale the paint fumes. It's going to be a soft popcorn yellow with white furniture. I can't wait to get back and start putting the room together! As I've said before, we're doing a hobbit themed nursery, and I've already made the crib quilt, curtains and a toy box from the palette of fabrics I've picked out. I got them all from Jo-Anns, and I'll be doing much of the nursery handmade with these fabrics.
I'm tempted to add the fabric Sophia made the burp cloths out of because I love it so much. We shall see! Even though I can't do much while I'm here in SD, I did finish the design for the wallpaper border that I'm going to print out and put around the room on removable wallpaper. The artwork is both Tolkien and Pauline Baynes. The borders are Tolkien's art for the original cover of The Hobbit, and the artwork is from Baynes' abbreviated version of The Hobbit. Pauline Baynes was one of Tolkien's favorite artists. You might also recognize her as the original artist for the Narnia books.
There are thirteen segments, (26 pictures) and the pictures tell the story of The Hobbit. I really love the way this turned out and I hope it prints out the way I hope it will!
That's all for now, but I'm sure it's plenty! I probably wont be able to update again until I'm back in Chicago, as the next two weeks are going to be super busy with the wedding and traveling. But I'll be sure to update again when there is more to tell!
One of the main reasons I haven't posted anything was because we had a bit of a scare, and I didn't want to be too dramatic about things when we didn't have any definitive answers. Shortly after arriving in San Diego, I got a call from my doctor who said I tested what technically constitutes as positive for Downs Syndrome. However, the "positive" result was for a 1 in 126 chance, (1 in 600-something is normal) and they wanted me to come in for the MaterniT 21 test, a new but far more conclusive test. But being in San Diego meant I had to jump through a ton of hoops to find someone to test me. And that meant a couple weeks of waiting with some serious anxiety for paperwork to be snail-mailed to me and then given to the testing lab and then sent with my blood test to the lab that performs the test before eventually being sent back to my doctor in Chicago with the results. Phew! Although we would (of course) love our child whether they were born with a developmental disease or not, I am very happy to say that the test came out clear and our baby does not have Downs Syndrome, and from what they can tell at this stage is completely mentally healthy. We are so happy!
As for much lighter news, our little man has started kicking up a storm! I'm in my 20th week now, (half-way there!) and he seems to be right on track. It's such a crazy feeling to physically feel another little person inside my belly. This started about a week and a half ago, and at first it was just these little fluttery feelings that were pretty unmistakable. But it wasn't anything that could be felt outside by someone else. Then as of Saturday he's started dancing away to the point of visibly being able to see him and feel him! It's SO exciting. I can't wait until Philip gets to San Diego so he can feel his baby kick! And my belly has REALLY started to look like a real preggers belly, not just like I'm ambiguously bloated. This one is from last week, and I think I may be a bit bigger now!
This past weekend, we traveled up to the Bay Area for my sister-in-law Masha's bridal shower. (Helping Masha with her wedding is why I've been in San Diego all this time. She get's married in less than two weeks, on July 22nd!) The shower turned out wonderfully, with a seriously gorgeous cake and probably some of the most amazing cookies I have ever seen. (made by the supremely talented sister-in-law Sophia! Here's her cake shop with pics of the cake and cookies.) Sophia and Masha's sisters did a fantastic job with what turned out to be a really lovely shower. It was so nice to see the family and so much love and support for Masha!
Masha and I came up a few days early to be able to visit with some of our friends in the area that we so rarely get to see. And lucky me, I also got a mini-shower with my friends! Because I'm flying back and can't exactly carry a ton, it was a "onesie" shower and I was showered with lots of super adorable clothes. And Sophia also gave me an entire box of clothes from her boys. I LOVE hand-me downs. Here's a quick glimpse at the adorable-ness they all sent me home with. I put some of my favorites on the top of the piles (assorted to size!) but it was so hard to choose!
There's also handmade burp cloths and a swaddle blanket in the picture, of course made by Sophia! And they perfectly match the decor I want for our nursery. Check out her etsy shop! I'm so lucky to be related and get this stuff for free.
Philip and my mom are painting the baby's room this weekend while I am gone so I won't have to inhale the paint fumes. It's going to be a soft popcorn yellow with white furniture. I can't wait to get back and start putting the room together! As I've said before, we're doing a hobbit themed nursery, and I've already made the crib quilt, curtains and a toy box from the palette of fabrics I've picked out. I got them all from Jo-Anns, and I'll be doing much of the nursery handmade with these fabrics.
I'm tempted to add the fabric Sophia made the burp cloths out of because I love it so much. We shall see! Even though I can't do much while I'm here in SD, I did finish the design for the wallpaper border that I'm going to print out and put around the room on removable wallpaper. The artwork is both Tolkien and Pauline Baynes. The borders are Tolkien's art for the original cover of The Hobbit, and the artwork is from Baynes' abbreviated version of The Hobbit. Pauline Baynes was one of Tolkien's favorite artists. You might also recognize her as the original artist for the Narnia books.
There are thirteen segments, (26 pictures) and the pictures tell the story of The Hobbit. I really love the way this turned out and I hope it prints out the way I hope it will!
That's all for now, but I'm sure it's plenty! I probably wont be able to update again until I'm back in Chicago, as the next two weeks are going to be super busy with the wedding and traveling. But I'll be sure to update again when there is more to tell!
It's a............
BOY!!!!
We had our anatomy scan today, and the ultrasound tech was 100% positive that we're having a boy! We're super excited, and yes, we have a name picked out but we're not deciding anything with finality until he's born. As of right now, we're thinking Johannus Henry (John) after my dad.
They also changed my due date to November 30th. A little disappointing, as that's a week more to wait to see him! But not that much of a difference.
The anatomy scan was pretty neat, as the ultrasound tech was checking out details to make sure things look healthy. So we got to see close ups of his brain and heart, and all of his extremities. I'm posting the most recognizable pics as some of the others are pretty indecipherable to me!
This picture is just one of general cute baby-ness. Squeee!
And here's his left foot with all five toes.
Here's his right hand. He was going back and forth between waving at us and what looked like scratching the back of his head in a way that was amazing similar to how Philip constantly scratches his head when he's thinking. :)
Here's the revealing moment! However, if it weren't for the convenient arrow and the blatant "IT'S A BOY" that the ultrasound tech wrote in, I'd have no idea what I was looking at. She seemed extremely convinced though.
And this one is another shot of him being male. Again, I'm very happy for the convenient arrow.
All in all, this made for a VERY happy seventh anniversary for Philip and me! We celebrated by going out for steak dinner and then stopping at a baby store to pick up one baby boy item. We mainly looked at the clearance section and Philip chose this adorable little coat that was on sale for $10! Originally almost $40, it made me realize how smart it is to shop the clearance racks now for winter clothes for our new little one!
Yay for babies!
We had our anatomy scan today, and the ultrasound tech was 100% positive that we're having a boy! We're super excited, and yes, we have a name picked out but we're not deciding anything with finality until he's born. As of right now, we're thinking Johannus Henry (John) after my dad.
They also changed my due date to November 30th. A little disappointing, as that's a week more to wait to see him! But not that much of a difference.
The anatomy scan was pretty neat, as the ultrasound tech was checking out details to make sure things look healthy. So we got to see close ups of his brain and heart, and all of his extremities. I'm posting the most recognizable pics as some of the others are pretty indecipherable to me!
All in all, this made for a VERY happy seventh anniversary for Philip and me! We celebrated by going out for steak dinner and then stopping at a baby store to pick up one baby boy item. We mainly looked at the clearance section and Philip chose this adorable little coat that was on sale for $10! Originally almost $40, it made me realize how smart it is to shop the clearance racks now for winter clothes for our new little one!
Yay for babies!
15 weeks!
Time seems to be going by so slowly! I can't wait for this little one to come. I THINK (hope/pray) that I'm done with puking. I've had some very good days, and although I think I'm going to be one of those that is nauseated for the entirety of my pregnancy, things are looking much better. I've found that as long as I eat every two hours and sleep a minimum of nine hours, things are good!
Baby is apple sized and growing fast! My belly is growing too...
Not much else new to report- our anatomy scan is only 2 weeks away! I can't wait!
Baby is apple sized and growing fast! My belly is growing too...
Not much else new to report- our anatomy scan is only 2 weeks away! I can't wait!
14 weeks!
Baby is about 3.5 inches long now, about the size of a lemon. :) I don't have another appointment soon, so we won't get to see him/her again on an ultrasound until June 12, (our anniversary!) when they'll do the anatomy scan.
As for me, I think I'm finally coming out of the first trimester woes! My energy has been up, and most importantly I've stopped puking multiple times a day. I've even been able to go without my nausea meds and be okay! The only thing I've found so far is that if I continue to sleep poorly, I'll have a really bad day and the nausea comes back. (although not as strong as it has been!) So I keeping up with the sleeping pills after attempting not to take one and having an awful day as a result. Things have been better for about 5 days now, so when I hit a full week of feeling better I'll officially consider myself done with morning sickness! yay!
I'm definitely looking pregnant these days, which I find to be a lot of fun. This picture was taken a week ago, and I feel even bigger now!
We also made our very first big baby purchase! I know it's still a bit early, but the stroller I wanted was on sale for about 30% off on amazon, so I took the opportunity to get it cheap while I could. I did tons of research to settle on it. It folds up small and is pretty light weight, has a lot of storage space and it can also accommodate an infant seat for the early days. So much less bulky than the huge "travel systems" that I've always found to be a pain. This is it, except in green.
I'm glad we've decided to space some of our purchases out a bit. I don't think we'll be buying anything else anytime soon, although I'm still working on a few sewing projects for the baby. :)
That's it for now!
As for me, I think I'm finally coming out of the first trimester woes! My energy has been up, and most importantly I've stopped puking multiple times a day. I've even been able to go without my nausea meds and be okay! The only thing I've found so far is that if I continue to sleep poorly, I'll have a really bad day and the nausea comes back. (although not as strong as it has been!) So I keeping up with the sleeping pills after attempting not to take one and having an awful day as a result. Things have been better for about 5 days now, so when I hit a full week of feeling better I'll officially consider myself done with morning sickness! yay!
I'm definitely looking pregnant these days, which I find to be a lot of fun. This picture was taken a week ago, and I feel even bigger now!
We also made our very first big baby purchase! I know it's still a bit early, but the stroller I wanted was on sale for about 30% off on amazon, so I took the opportunity to get it cheap while I could. I did tons of research to settle on it. It folds up small and is pretty light weight, has a lot of storage space and it can also accommodate an infant seat for the early days. So much less bulky than the huge "travel systems" that I've always found to be a pain. This is it, except in green.
I'm glad we've decided to space some of our purchases out a bit. I don't think we'll be buying anything else anytime soon, although I'm still working on a few sewing projects for the baby. :)
That's it for now!
13 weeks!
Only 189 more days to go! While it kinda feels like this is going pretty quickly, it also feels like it's taking FOREVER! I've had morning sickness for two full months now, and I'm just waiting for it to finally subside. I had to go to the hospital again yesterday to get more fluids, but they gave me vitamin B12 and Unisom to take as well as the Zofran and so far today seems to be going pretty well. I was actually able to sleep last night!
I also feel like I've "popped," meaning my belly is really starting to look like a preggo belly and not just like I'm bloated. All of my weight seems to be going to my belly, which makes the rest of me look smaller! But I'm sure that is going to be changing very soon.
The baby is about 3 in. long now, about the size of a peach. :) It's so surreal to think that we were all so small at one time, and this baby could potentially grow from so tiny to be 6'8" like my dad! Grow baby, grow!
I also feel like I've "popped," meaning my belly is really starting to look like a preggo belly and not just like I'm bloated. All of my weight seems to be going to my belly, which makes the rest of me look smaller! But I'm sure that is going to be changing very soon.
The baby is about 3 in. long now, about the size of a peach. :) It's so surreal to think that we were all so small at one time, and this baby could potentially grow from so tiny to be 6'8" like my dad! Grow baby, grow!
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