It's a Baby! 
Side ProfileSaturday, October 30, 2010
36 Weeks...and Ultrasound Pics!!
Well, yesterday was a special appointment because we got to do our 36 week ultrasound! Of course, the reason for doing this from the doctor's point of view is to check where the placenta is, check the amniotic fluid level, check out baby's organs, look at the size of the head and abdomen and give a guess on the size of the baby, etc. etc. etc. We wanted all of this to look good, of course, and it was reassuring to hear from the tech that everything looked normal. However WE wanted 2 things: to see our baby and to get a confirmation on the gender (otherwise there would be a few trips to various stores exchanging clothes!).
Well first off as I said before, everything looked great! The estimated weight at the moment is 5 pounds, 13 ounces which puts her in the 35th percentile for babies at 36 weeks. And yes, there is no doubt about it at this point, she is definitely a 'she':-) No returns for me! For those of you who are convinced based on my size that I'm going to deliver early, I'll have you know that the computer actually predicted my due date based on measurements, etc. to be 5 days LATER than originally thought! The doctor's still sticking with November 25, though, since the earlier measurements are more accurate. We'll see!
My parents were able to accompany us which I really think helped keep my dad's spirits up being in the middle of cancer treatment and all. He seems to be doing quite well this weekend, all things considered. Still tired and dealing with some symptoms (he has very little hair left) but looked more with it yesterday morning than I think I've seen him since before the treatment started. Also, my mom heads out to Houston on Tuesday and doesn't return until the Thursday of the next week so I think it was good for both of them to have some good news and positive energy before embarking on the next piece of treatment (which, by the way, is undetermined...Dad will get checked out again in Houston on the 9th and they will decide whether or not to just jump in with radiation, do another round of chemo, or go ahead with the surgery). I'll keep everyone posted.
We were all pleasantly surprised when the ultrasound tech attempted to give us some good 3D shots! I didn't realize they would do that as a standard thing. So, for your enjoyment, I'll post some of these awesome photos of the little bug!
Monday, October 25, 2010
35 1/2 Weeks
Alright. So now I get why women get to that point in the pregnancy where they just say 'enough already!' I'm still doing quite well. Swelling only in my hands mostly and definitely more heartburn, but nothing I can't manage. But I'm definitely having moments where all I want to do is lay down on the couch. Sleeping has been harder...but I'm not complaining because I don't have to get up by a certain time any day so if I don't sleep well, I just take an extra few hours after Stephen gets up.
We're getting anxious!! Not that we'd ever really be 'ready'...but I think we're as ready as we're going to be! We are going to a 'new parent' class in 2 weeks which I'm actually looking forward to. I've taken care of a lot of kiddos, but not for awhile and the youngest was 3-4 months I think. So it will be interesting with a newborn. But we'll do great, I think. And any mistakes we make...well, my mom keeps saying babies bounce back pretty easily so I'll just keep that mantra in my head as we're trying to get through the first month or so.
I've been asked if I'm nervous about the birth and the truth is, I'm really not. Now, ask me when I'm in labor and I may have a different answer! But, I have trust in my body knowing what to do and the nurses and doctors helping me through the rest. I'm trying to go with an open mind. I'm not planning on getting pain meds right away, but I have nothing against taking them if needed. I've heard so many stories about long labors and short labors and c-sections, etc. so I'm just going to go with the flow. Soooo...I guess it's no use getting worked up about something I have little control over anyway. We'll just have to see!
Oh! And the best recent news is my coworkers threw me a surprise baby shower!! It was so nice! They rented a room at a nice Italian place and all! Stephen got me there under the guise that we were going to Park Meadows to do some shopping and I got all the way to the lobby without having a CLUE what was going on. Apparently they had been planning this for a month or more! They also included my mom which was very thoughtful since she's been dealing with my dad mostly. It was nice for her to have a break and get excited about the baby coming. Many thanks to everyone that attended and helped out. An extra special thanks for Deb and Meena because it seems like they did the majority of the organizing (but I know everyone contributed, so thanks to all!). My favorite part was doing the string game where they had to guess the length around my belly by cutting off pieces of string. They were all WAY over:-P (See, I'm not as big as you all think I am!) But LuAnn only had about an inch over...while my mom had enough for an extra belly :-D All in all, it was a great event:-)
We see the doctor on Friday (36 weeks!) and we'll get an ultrasound so I'll update with pics from that (if we get any) and any information we get. Hooray!
We're getting anxious!! Not that we'd ever really be 'ready'...but I think we're as ready as we're going to be! We are going to a 'new parent' class in 2 weeks which I'm actually looking forward to. I've taken care of a lot of kiddos, but not for awhile and the youngest was 3-4 months I think. So it will be interesting with a newborn. But we'll do great, I think. And any mistakes we make...well, my mom keeps saying babies bounce back pretty easily so I'll just keep that mantra in my head as we're trying to get through the first month or so.
I've been asked if I'm nervous about the birth and the truth is, I'm really not. Now, ask me when I'm in labor and I may have a different answer! But, I have trust in my body knowing what to do and the nurses and doctors helping me through the rest. I'm trying to go with an open mind. I'm not planning on getting pain meds right away, but I have nothing against taking them if needed. I've heard so many stories about long labors and short labors and c-sections, etc. so I'm just going to go with the flow. Soooo...I guess it's no use getting worked up about something I have little control over anyway. We'll just have to see!
Oh! And the best recent news is my coworkers threw me a surprise baby shower!! It was so nice! They rented a room at a nice Italian place and all! Stephen got me there under the guise that we were going to Park Meadows to do some shopping and I got all the way to the lobby without having a CLUE what was going on. Apparently they had been planning this for a month or more! They also included my mom which was very thoughtful since she's been dealing with my dad mostly. It was nice for her to have a break and get excited about the baby coming. Many thanks to everyone that attended and helped out. An extra special thanks for Deb and Meena because it seems like they did the majority of the organizing (but I know everyone contributed, so thanks to all!). My favorite part was doing the string game where they had to guess the length around my belly by cutting off pieces of string. They were all WAY over:-P (See, I'm not as big as you all think I am!) But LuAnn only had about an inch over...while my mom had enough for an extra belly :-D All in all, it was a great event:-)
We see the doctor on Friday (36 weeks!) and we'll get an ultrasound so I'll update with pics from that (if we get any) and any information we get. Hooray!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Baby Socks Hanging from Chandeliers
I never really got a chance to write a few things about the baby shower in St. Louis. First off, I want to extend another heartfelt thanks to both my Aunt Beth and my very good friend Susan for putting all the hard work into make the day/weekend so wonderful. Also, thanks to my Aunt Laura for bringing those yummy cupcakes (wish I could have brought them home with me...they were so good!). And ALSO thanks to everyone else who was able to attend. I know for both my mom and myself it was a welcome distraction from more serious matters.
It was so wonderful to see so many wonderful friends and family. It's hard to be away, even though I love Colorado and wouldn't change where I am for a minute. I miss the people, though. I wish we could see everyone more. Luckly most of my family is in one place, but Stephen's are all over and of course we have to balance that out at least a little bit. I'm a little apprehensive about this coming summer...I think it will be the summer of showing off the baby which will equal lots of travelling...and not just by ourselves anymore. But that's a worry for another day.
I have a Picasa site with all the pictures from the shower. If you have other pictures and want to contribute, you should be able to if I sent you the invite to view the pictures several weeks ago. Or, let me know and I'll include you on the list. To view the pictures, click here.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Birthing Classes and Feeling Overwhelmed (thanks, Babies R Us)
So this past weekend we attended our birthing class. We did the express class which combines what usually is 3-3 hours sessions into 1 full day experience. I know, contain your excitement! The 3 hour sessions were only offered on Thursday night, though and I didn't think my boss would much appreciate me taking off for three Thursdays in a row:-P Of course, I was super tired as I had to get up at 7 (shut it...I don't work until 1 at the earliest and as I'm not getting up for exercise classes at the moment, there is frequently a "9" at the front of the time when I get up in the morning these days) and of course within the first hour they showed the first segment of the movie which was like, can I take a nap now? Please?
Truth is, I definitely learned some things and it was awesome to take the tour and see the unit and get a sense for how things will go. I will say that if you've seen as many Baby Story's and Deliver Me: Home Editions and Bring Home Baby's and Birth Day's as I have (man that's a lot...I swear I'm not baby crazy) much of the material was stuff I had already heard. It was good to have them confirm that what I'd been seeing on TV was fairly normal, though.
Stephen, however, knew just about 5% of what we learned in the class so I think he felt much better after going through things. I also think he was exhausted by the end with all the information that was delivered. He's getting more and more excited...it's kind of cute to watch! Yesterday he actually was like, I want November to hurry up and get here...I want to meet her now! I keep telling him to enjoy the last few weeks of freedom while he's got them...but I think we're both ready for that loss of freedom. Well, I don't know if we're REALLY ready for what's to come (who is, really) but we're as ready as we're going to be.
After the birthing class, we realized that while we still have several weeks left, we're beginning to enter that 'it could really happen at any time' stage. Hopefully she'll hold off for AT LEAST 3-4 more weeks, but you never know at this point. So...we made a trip to Babies R Us on Sunday so we could gather a few absolutely essential items just to make sure we have them. Like, oh, a thermometer and some bottles, etc. I tell ya, every time I go into the store, I get overwhelmed! At least they keep it fairly compartmentalized so you can be sufficiently overwhelmed by just ONE category at a time. We made it out in one piece, thank goodness, and now feel a little better about what we have immediately on hand. Many thanks to the woman in the bottles area who suggested to start we just buy 1 of each kind of bottle instead of several of one...so we can see which one she likes and get more of those. Good thinking! We also spent a good portion of Sunday night unpacking things from the shower and getting the room a little more...well, like a room. We're getting there!
Right now we have someone setting up the baby room so Stephen can install the ceiling fan. Don't want it to get too hot in there in the summer...and she needs to have the obligatory fan to watch in wonderment, right? :-)
Truth is, I definitely learned some things and it was awesome to take the tour and see the unit and get a sense for how things will go. I will say that if you've seen as many Baby Story's and Deliver Me: Home Editions and Bring Home Baby's and Birth Day's as I have (man that's a lot...I swear I'm not baby crazy) much of the material was stuff I had already heard. It was good to have them confirm that what I'd been seeing on TV was fairly normal, though.
Stephen, however, knew just about 5% of what we learned in the class so I think he felt much better after going through things. I also think he was exhausted by the end with all the information that was delivered. He's getting more and more excited...it's kind of cute to watch! Yesterday he actually was like, I want November to hurry up and get here...I want to meet her now! I keep telling him to enjoy the last few weeks of freedom while he's got them...but I think we're both ready for that loss of freedom. Well, I don't know if we're REALLY ready for what's to come (who is, really) but we're as ready as we're going to be.
After the birthing class, we realized that while we still have several weeks left, we're beginning to enter that 'it could really happen at any time' stage. Hopefully she'll hold off for AT LEAST 3-4 more weeks, but you never know at this point. So...we made a trip to Babies R Us on Sunday so we could gather a few absolutely essential items just to make sure we have them. Like, oh, a thermometer and some bottles, etc. I tell ya, every time I go into the store, I get overwhelmed! At least they keep it fairly compartmentalized so you can be sufficiently overwhelmed by just ONE category at a time. We made it out in one piece, thank goodness, and now feel a little better about what we have immediately on hand. Many thanks to the woman in the bottles area who suggested to start we just buy 1 of each kind of bottle instead of several of one...so we can see which one she likes and get more of those. Good thinking! We also spent a good portion of Sunday night unpacking things from the shower and getting the room a little more...well, like a room. We're getting there!
Right now we have someone setting up the baby room so Stephen can install the ceiling fan. Don't want it to get too hot in there in the summer...and she needs to have the obligatory fan to watch in wonderment, right? :-)
Monday, October 4, 2010
Movement
Dear Zoe,
I know I was semi-worried all day because you weren't moving as much as yesterday but did you really have to wait until bedtime to let me know you're OK? Is this a sign of things to come? Regardless, Mommy would like to sleep now. Thanks.
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