Almost There!

Dear precious baby girl,
I know it has been FOREVER since your daddy and I have updated this blog! We're bad parents already! The truth is, though, that we have been so busy lately, between traveling to New Mexico for your cousins' weddings, to having people visit, to getting your nursery ready, to finishing up our childbirth classes, to getting things done at work so that when we're home on maternity leave we won't have people constantly calling and emailing us for work stuff... it's been crazy around here! Not to mention that your mama here is seemingly trying to set a world record for number of naps taken in a day because I am JUST. THAT. TIRED.

There is alot to report since the last time we wrote a post here, but first, PICTURES!

Here is what I look like at the 38 week mark:























I would just like to note that up until a couple of weeks ago, I was all kinds of excited that I hadn't had any stretch marks, and was even teasing some of the other expectant mamas in my pregnant mama's group that neener neener, I didn't have any stretch marks ha ha ha ha! And then last week, WHAMMO. Serves me right. Look how many I have now! *sigh*

Here are a couple of pictures of your nursery under development:








































Your daddy has been doing alot more work on it in the last week, though, so it will look more finished very soon! It's been so fun watching your daddy put together the nursery- he did all the painting, he put together your crib, he hung the drapes, hung up the light fixure, put together the bookshelf, painted the rocking chair, painted the letters above your crib, picked out the rug/lamp/hamper/nightlight combo, and hung up the pictures. My job has been to wash and fold all of your clothes and bedding, organize the little decorative items, and generally tell your daddy- "Yeah, that looks great! Right there! No, a little to the left! Perfect!".

Your daddy has also been busy putting together your stroller, carseat, and pack n' play:
















So as you can see, we are getting ready for your arrival!

ABOUT YOU:
You are now 38 weeks old, which is something your daddy and I almost cannot believe! Your due date is in only two weeks and you are now considered full-term! Wow! We have a feeling, though, that you will probably arrive before then, because at my doctor's appointment last week, I found out that I'm already 3 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced (effaced refers to the thinness of my cervix)! Plus, I've been having mild contractions now for almost a week, but they aren't regular yet, and they don't hurt too much. Of course, that will change when I go into active labor, but for right now we're just playing the "watch and wait" game.

At this point, you weigh about 7 pounds, and you are about 21 inches long. I can definitely tell that you're getting bigger, because not only is my tummy a LOT bigger, but I also can see you move around in my tummy a LOT! We've been trying to catch your movements on video, but every time we get the camera turned on and ready to go, you stop moving. Apparently you're camera shy just like your mama!

For the last couple of weeks, your biggest job has been to gain weight and put on lots of body fat which will keep you warm after you're born. All the rest of your organs have been fully formed and ready to go for a while now, and you have just been hanging out, practicing breathing, blinking your eyes, and probably sucking your thumb or maybe even your toes since you're all squished up in there!

According to my doctor, your heartbeat is nice and strong, you're already in the perfect head-down position for birth, and you're measuring at exactly the right size for this week. So everything looks great! Now all that's left is for you to decide when you're ready to come out and meet us!


ABOUT YOUR MAMA:
In additionto being super tired (both from not sleeping well at night and also lugging around about 28 extra pounds), the last month or so has been pretty tough on your mama here. It's getting almost impossible to get in and out of a car or stand up from a chair, I am going to the bathroom every 15 minutes (or so it seems), I have swollen feet and ankles constantly, and I get literally out-of-breath exhausted by walking just 50 feet! Plus, all kinds of things are leaking out of all kinds of places, which is REALLY weird. I'm also pretty sure that we'll have to buy a wheelbarrow sometime soon, because I think that's the only thing that will carry around my HUMUNGOUS boobs. And I haven't even started lactating yet! Aggghhh!

Emotionally, I'm all over the map. There are some days when I am so excited about seeing you that I can't STAND it! And then there are some times when I get worried about what might happen during labor, about whether you'll be healthy, and about how much our lives are going to change after you're born (and whether I'm *truly* prepared for that). It's a good thing I married your daddy, because he has so much confidence in me getting through labor and being a good mama. His calm nature and faith that everything will turn out great has been a huge help to me. I know I've said it a million times before, but I am SO glad that he is going to be your daddy, and I cannot wait for you to meet him.

I think your daddy and I are prepared as much as we can be for labor. We have our hospital bag packed and ready to go, our birth plan written out, we have hired our doula, and we've practiced different ways to cope with pain during labor. We're going to try and have a natural childbirth with no interventions (we have lots of reasons for this), so it's important for us to have lots of strategies for dealing with pain. Of course, I have always been kind of a wimp when it comes to pain, so if it really gets bad, I'll probably choose to have an epidural. Of course, I could end up with a C-section too, because there are so many unpredictable things that happen during birth! So, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens!

When we head off to the hospital, your daddy and I will send out an email to all of our friends and family, and we'll call our parents and siblings. We'll also be sure to update this blog as much as we can (yes, we're bringing our laptops with us to the hospital), because we know everyone will be excited to hear about what's going on and see pictures of you after you're born!

Very soon, baby girl, your daddy and I will have you home with us, and we'll be able to hold you and tell you in person how much we love you. How special is that?

Love,
Mama

Woah, baby!

Dear precious baby girl,

Alot has happenned in the last few weeks! We went to your cousin Andrea's wedding in New Mexico earlier this month, and had such a good time with everyone. Andrea looked absolutely beautiful on her wedding day, and she and her new husband Johnno look so happy together! Many of your aunts, uncles, and cousins hadn't seen me pregnant, so you got lots and lots of belly rubs. Your daddy and I also got to meet your brand new cousin Amelia when we were there, and she is absolutely adorable! You will meet her during Christmas vacation when you, your daddy, and I travel to New Mexico for the holidays.

We also had our baby shower while we were there! All of your cousins, your aunts and uncles, and some of our friends came to celebrate with us, and it was so much fun! You have so many new things for your nursery now, and so many new clothes- everyone was so generous, and we are now all set with all the supplies we need for your arrival! Your aunt Marie had your daddy and I play a game where we had our backs to each other so we couldn't see how each other answered, and then she asked us a bunch of questions about which of us will be more responsible for things like waking up in the middle of the night to feed you, who will teach you your first curse word, who will be more strict with you, who will spoil you the most, etc. It was really funny to see how many times your daddy and I agreed and disagreed with each other.

Last week, I flew to Texas for some work training (you are one well-travelled little girl already!). While I was there, I was able to visit with alot of my friends from the hospial where I used to work. They surprised me with some baby gifts for you, so it was like an impromptu, unexpected baby shower! It was so thoughtful of everyone to come and bring such adorable things for you. Your daddy and I will definitely have to go back to Texas after you are born so that you can meet everyone who took such good care of your mama when she was pregnant with you :).

I am now 33 weeks pregnant, which means that you are getting really, really big! All of your organs are fully formed, you can feel, hear, and see, and you are about 16 inches long and weigh about 4 1/2 pounds already! From this point forward, you will gain a half pound each week until you are born in JUST 7 WEEKS! Your daddy and I can't believe that in less than two months, we will have you here at home with us! We are busy finishing your nursery, so that everything will be ready for you when you come home for the first time.

Our doctor says that everything is looking great- your heartbeat is really strong, and you are measuring right on target. I feel pretty good for being at this stage, having only gained 21 pounds so far. In the past couple of weeks, I have started to have some shooting pain from my lower back into my left hip, which makes walking a little more difficult these days, but other than that and some occasional heartburn, I have no complaints :). My belly seems to be growing so much each week- this is what I look like at this point:























Can you believe how much bigger my belly is since the last time we took a picture?

Next weekend, we will take our last trip before you are born. Your cousin Melanie is getting married in New Mexico, and luckily, I am still able to fly on a plane. It is so weird to think that this is the last time I will see most of my family without a baby in my arms... the next time we see everyone, you will be about 3 months old! Wow.

Love,
Mama

Making Progress!

Dear precious baby girl,
There is so much to tell you about this week! First, your daddy has been working hard to get your nursery painted, and finished it today! It is such a pretty soft green color, and we can't wait to put all of the furniture in and get it decorated the way we want. We've been looking through the Pottery Barn Kids catalog, and found so many cute things that we're excited about putting in your room :).

Second, I got the results back from the diabetes test I had last week. And... YAY! We passed! This is a good thing, because if I had gestational diabetes, you would grow to be really big- so big that you would probably have to be delivered early by C-section, which is something I would prefer to avoid if possible. Also, if I had gestataional diabetes, I wouldn't be able to eat a big 'ole mound of vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup whenever I want. So, YAY! No diabetes!

Most importantly, this week, your daddy and I finally picked out your name!!! It's the name we both liked from the very beginning, but we wanted to be absolutely CERTAIN it was the best name for you, so we each read through a book that has 100,000 baby names in it. We created separate lists of our favorite names that we didn't share with each other until both of us had finished the book. Surprisingly, we had alot of the same names on our top 10 lists, but your name was still the at the top for both of us. Your grandma B is SO excited, because she's been calling you by your name for over a month, now, certain that it would be the name we picked. You have one wise grandma, you know :).

You've been having a lot of progress this week too! You are now about 3 pounds, and 17 inches long! From here on, you will be gaining about a half pound a week, woah! Your permanent teeth are all grown (even though we won't see them for another year or so), and you can also recognize my voice already (based on ultrasond studies that show babies turning their heads towards the sound of their mother's voice but not to other people's voices). If you were to be born at this point, you would be able to keep yourself warm because now you have enough fat on your body, you would be able to breathe on your own, and you would have a 90% chance of survival. Of course, we would prefer if you stay patient and in my tummy for the remaining 10 weeks so that you are FULLY grown and prepared for life out here in the world. This is kind of what you look like right now:






















and amazingly, if you were to look inside my uterus, you would look something like this (except obviously you are a girl, and this is a picture of a boy):




















Everyone keeps asking me how I'm feeling, and for the most part, I am really feeling great! I still have bad heartburn, but am now taking Zantac which has helped a LOT. My feet are starting to swell during the day, so I put them up regularly, and I still have a hard time sleeping because my big belly keeps getting in the way. But I keep telling myself that it's just preparation for the lack of sleep I'll have after you're born. And, I've started having small contractions called Braxton Hicks contractions. These aren't anything to worry about, it's just my uterus practicing for the REAL contractions that'll come later. But they are still really weird-feeling!

Next week we will be in New Mexico for your cousin Andrea's wedding, so we probably won't be posting a new message until after we get back. But at least we'll have lots of pictures to post!

Love,
Mama

Week 29 update

Dear precious baby girl,
Today you went with your daddy and me to your first volunteer activity. The Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Walk for the Cure was held today in Seattle. Your daddy and I wanted to help out in some way, not only because it is a great organization, but because this year your aunt Marie was diagnosed with breast cancer, and your grandma Murphy is battling it for the second time. They are both doing great right now, though!

Today you are officially 29 weeks old. I cannot believe how quickly time is passing, and how much closer we are to meeting you in person! You must be growing a LOT, because you're moving around in my tummy all day long. Sometimes you even wake me up in the middle of the night! My belly is getting bigger every day, it seems, and it's making it more and more difficult for me to move around like I used to. I constantly wonder how big it will get in the next 11 weeks before you're born. I think your daddy may need to start carrying me around in a wheelbarrow soon if you keep growing so quickly!

Our doctor told us this week at our appointment that everything seems to be great so far- we got to listen to your heartbeat again, and it is nice and strong! I took my first glucose test this week, which is a test for gestational diabetes. I had to drink a bottle of a really sugary drink (it was gross) and get a blood test an hour later. We will find out next week what the results are, and we're hoping it comes back negative (since gestational diabetes would mean that you'd probably get too big too quickly and we'd have to have a c-section before your due date).

Your daddy and I have been taking a lot of childbirth classes lately, and last night in our class, we learned about all the different stages of labor and ways to cope with labor pains. Even though watching all the birth videos makes it look really painful (all the soon-to-be moms cringed when we watched the babies being born), we are going to do our best to have a natural childbirth without any interventions. Of course, your mama here is kind of a wimp when it comes to pain, so we'll see what happens. :)

We have been busy lately, getting your nursery started and finishing our baby registry. Your cousin Katie, aunt Cathy, and aunt Janie were nice enough to offer to host a baby shower for us when we go to New Mexico for your cousin Andrea's wedding. We are really looking forward to it! Your grandma B wants to put your name on all the favors, but we haven't picked your name yet! We'll have to figure that out soon, I guess!

Love,
Mama

28 week update

Dear precious baby girl,
The last two weeks have been SUPER busy for your daddy and me. Your daddy was out of town for a week for his work, and then I was in Boston for a week for my work, so we haven't had much time to post updates.

You are 28 weeks old now, can you believe it? That means that you're about 15 inches long, and weigh about 2 1/2 pounds already! Your brain is growing leaps and bounds, you can now open your eyes and see what's around you, and all of your features are now fully developed. From here on out, most of what you'll be doing is putting on some fat and growing a few more inches. We are officially in the third trimester now, which we almost can't believe!

My belly is getting much bigger this week- check it out:























The strangest thing for me right now is that in addition to feeling you kicking, I can now feel you wiggling around inside my tummy! If your daddy puts his hand on my belly, it feels like a little golf ball rolling around. It's incredible to me that you're getting so big that we can feel you actually MOVING, instead of just kicking. It is such a bizarre feeling inside my tummy when you do that, but so neat at the same time.

Today is father's day, and I just want to let you know that you have such an amazing daddy. I cannot wait for you to meet him, and he is SO exited to meet you too! Every day, he talks to you and kisses my belly, telling you how much he already loves you. I am really looking forward to sharing parenthood with him, because he is incredible in so many ways: he is kind, patient, intellectual, loving, and honest. These are just some of the qualities that I hope you inherit from him. You are so lucky to have him as your daddy.

Love, Mama

26 Week Update

Dear precious baby girl,
Your daddy and I got back from our honeymoon a week and a half ago (I know, we're so lazy in updating your blog!), and we had SUCH a good time! We started out in Santorini, which was absolutely, stunningly beautiful- the blue water, white-walled architecture, and relaxing atmosphere were exactly what we needed! On Crete and in Athens, even though we both picked up a nasty cold while we were there, we did a lot of exploring and visited a number of ancient sites, which was fascinating! Your daddy and I said that we would be sure to bring you there someday with us because even we can't wait to go back again!

In the last few weeks, you have grown leaps and bounds! You are now almost TWO POUNDS and are about 14 inches long from head to toe. You can now hear things that are happening in the world, like when your daddy talks to you every day and tells you how much he loves you and can't wait to meet you. You're really working out your lungs now too, by practicing breathing movements all the time. In fact, you're replacing all the amniotic fluid in my uterus about once every hour!

What's most exciting (to me, anyway) is that now you can open your eyelids and check out your surroundings! Plus, because you're getting so much bigger and are accumulating more muscle and fat, your kicks are REALLY strong! Not only can you see my tummy jump when you give a swift kick, but sometimes your kicks stop me right in my tracks. Ow! I can't believe that we're already at the point where we're at the end of the second trimester. Woah. Right now, you look like this:

















(image courtesy of babycenter.com)

At this point in the pregnancy, now that my belly is starting to grow much faster, it's getting more difficult for me to move around. I'm even starting to get that pregnancy "waddle" when I walk- yikes! Sleeping is getting uncomfortable too, because I now have a hormone in my system called "relaxin" that causes my joints to loosen up. This means that when I sleep on one side, my hips and legs start to really hurt, so I toss and turn a lot from my right side to my left side. This seems to bother you too, because every time I change positions, you start to kick me as if you're saying "hey, I'm tryin' to sleep in here!".

You're probably noticing too that I am only eating tiny little meals a lot of times during the day, because you are growing so fast that my stomach is all scrunched up and can't handle much food at one time. If I eat too much, I get REALLY bad heartburn and acid reflux, and let me tell ya, there aren't enough Tums in the world to help out with that!

This past week, your daddy and I started getting things for your nursery! We decided to paint the room a light green and white (we'll accent it with green and pink accessories), and went out and bought the paint. Your daddy has already started to paint the walls, and we're also looking for furniture that we like. Of course, your Nina B has already sent us some things for your nursery, so in the next few weeks we will get it all finished and decorated. We can't wait!

Love, Mama

Off to Greece!

Dear precious baby girl,
Tomorrow your daddy and I are going to Greece for our honeymoon! We have been looking forward to this trip for a long time- in fact, we planned it before we even knew we were expecting you! We'll be gone for 12 days, so there won't be any posts until we get back, but we'll definitely post some pictures for our friends and family once we return.

In the last week, you have been REALLY active! It seems as though you can't stop moving around in my tummy, kicking me all the time to let me know that you're still there. I am still in complete awe about the fact that I can FEEL your little movements. You must be growing quite a bit this week, because not only can your daddy and I feel you if we put our hands on my tummy, but now if I'm sitting really still we can see my belly move when you kick! I can't believe it! Someday we'll take a video of it to post here so other people can see it too.

At this point, you are now about 12 inches long, and you weigh a pound already! I can't believe how fast you're growing! Your hair and fingernails are growing rapidly, as are the little buds where your teeth will be someday. You are probably practicing sucking movements with your tiny mouth, and you can now feel things with your hands! In about a week, if your daddy and/or I poke my tummy, you will start to respond by kicking us back! It is so amazing how quickly you are growing and developing, I can hardly believe it. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to each and every week, when I know you'll be doing something new inside of me.

We love you so much already,
Mama and Daddy