Wednesday, June 4, 2008Birth StoryThis is my rendition of the events leading up to Jameson's birth. I remember waking up Tuesday morning and I just knew I was going to meet my son soon. I even tried to take a "pre-explosion" belly shot - I thought that could be my last chance. I don't remember when I started feeling my labor cramps, but it was around 10:00 in the morning when I started writing them down and paying attention to length and frequency. My contractions did not feel like I read they would feel like, rather they were just like period cramps in my pelvis that came and went consistently. After lunch my contractions jumped from one hour apart to 15 minutes apart. By mid afternoon, they jumped another five minutes to be just 10 minutes apart. My doctor told me I needed to call in when my contractions were five to seven minutes apart. With my contractions getting closer together so quickly, it probably would have been a good idea to head home but I really wanted to make it through the day, and I did :), but by 3:00 or 3:30 my contractions were seven minutes apart. I kept in contact with Rodd via email letting him know that when I got home from work, it probably would not be long before we were headed to the hospital. On my way home from work I called our doula to let her know that something was up, but that I'd call her later when I was for sure. Once I got home, I tried to clean - I had lots of things on my list, but it was really difficult to time contractions when I was running around the house and I knew that that was important - more important than a clean house. I believe it was 5:30 or 6:00 when we first called the hospital. I was still in a cheery mood, but my contractions seemed to be right on top of each other - about 4 minutes apart and I was starting to freak out. I know that the nurses can tell by your voice how far along in labor you are and I know that by my voice, I did not sound like I was very far. They asked if this was my first, then told me to take some Tylenol, a bath, and lay down - if my pains did not go away in an hour to call back. Well they did not go away, but when I called in an hour later, I was still in a cheery mood, I was just scared, the contractions were getting closer and closer together. They were like well just come on in. I knew they were just humoring me, thinking "she's a first time mom - it's going to be a long night." So we called our doula and our parents to let them know we were on the way to the hospital. Once we got to the hospital, they needed to check me to be sure I was actually in labor. I was and I was 5-6 centimeters dilated already. I remember saying "YES!" That was pretty good. So they admitted me. Shortly after we settled into our room, our doula showed up. I can't even express what a relief it was to see her. I was really scared and kind of freaking out for some reason, things seemed to really be happening, but once I saw her, I felt a sense of relief and I knew everything would be ok. The nurse hooked me up to an IV of fluids and antibiotics (I tested positive for Group B Strep at a previous prenatal appointment) and we sat in the room and talked, then walked up and down the halls. The talking really was a great distraction for me. Up until now, my labor was going really well - I was thinking "this isn't so bad." It got worse and this is where things become a blur. I remember the nurse stopping us in the hall when we were walking and had me come back in the room so she could hook me up to fetal monitors to monitor the baby's heartbeat and my contractions. I remember I was supposed to be hooked up for 20 minutes. After 25 or 30 minutes of that I asked Rodd or our doula to get the nurse to get me the hell out of that chair - that is when things started to get really hard and that part really sucked! I think things moved pretty quickly from there. I don't remember what time this hard part started or how long it lasted, but when I was in it, it felt like forever. I remember asking over and over "how much longer?" and "I thought I was going to get a break" (there was no break between contractions. It was just constant pain. This is when I concentrated all my energy inward. I only heard Rodd and our doula and I didn't open my eyes much. I also remember screaming "THIS HURTS!" but that did me no good - pain wise - it did feel good to yell though. Rodd and our doula were awesome. I remember our doula saying "you're doing awesome" "you're so strong" "great job"... That really helped me. I never got any answers to my questions, but I knew that I was in what they call transition and I would be pushing soon. I wanted as natural as possible of a birth as I could, so when they asked if I wanted the doctor to break my water, I hesitated. I eventually thought - what the hell, it will make my contractions even stronger, but my labor will be quicker, and I will be out of this pain faster. As the nurse was on the way to get the doctor my water broke on its own. And holy crap, I'm glad that happened in the hospital. It sure felt like a lot of liquid to me. I remember asking what color it was - I was scared that since he was overdue he would have pooped - it was clear - thank goodness. Soon after that they checked me and I had progressed to 8cm which is good, but I really wanted to push. It was really hard not pushing. I think I kept asking when I could push and eventually they told me "two more contractions and then you can push." At the next contraction I said "ONE!" moments later I said "TWO!" but they still needed to check me to be sure I was fully dilated. I don't remember what the result was, but I was pushing soon after. I don't remember how long I pushed, maybe 40 or 45 minutes, I just remember it felt really good to push through the contractions, I also remember thinking, is this nurse going to deliver the baby because the doctor wasn't there and the nurse was doing all the work. I didn't care, I was just confused. The doctor eventually showed up, Jameson came out (yeah!), and I got to meet my son! When Jameson finally decided to make his appearance I remember Rodd saying with tears in his eyes "He's got an ear! He's got an ear!" If I remember correctly, I was thinking "that's nice, I want him out of me!" Rodd did a great job advocating for me. Things I had forgotten we had put in our birth plan (because I was so centered on getting him out), Rodd remembered, and everything went perfectly. I can't believe how awesome things went - I couldn't have planned it better and would not change a thing about the experience. I can't believe it's over and I did it, what an accomplishment. To be completely honest, I don't remember any of the pain. I know I was in pain because Rodd told me I was, but honestly, I couldn't tell you what the pain was like. I was thinking this experience was going to make it difficult to rate my pain on those 1-10 scales they use at the doctor's office - I figured this would be off the charts. Maybe it was, but I don't remember and that's a good thing I guess. It took the doctor and nurses awhile to get me all fixed up and stop the bleeding. Once they left I started shaking, like I was super freezing I shook A LOT and for a long time - at least an hour. I kept asking our doula when I would stop shaking. She told me that it was the hormones and the adrenaline running through my body. I just went through a pretty dramatic experience. The only time I stopped shaking is when I was holding Jameson - which wasn't much, Rodd took care of him most of the night because I had to do so much to take care of myself. He's such a good dad. I knew he would be, but he's more awesome than I'd imagined. So it seems as if I remember a lot, but it's funny talking to Rodd, because he knows a lot more about what happened than I do, and he remembers it a lot better. It's funny to hear what happened that I had no clue was going on. Well, that's the end of this blog - thanks for reading. Thursday, May 29, 200840 WeeksWell this baby is officially due and officially not here yet. I did tell him that June 7 would be pretty cool because then his birthday would be 6-7-08 and I also said he needed to wait until at least June 1 so some things would work out better for me, but now that I have everything worked out and it's my due date, I'm getting impatient. Rodd and I thought it would be really cool if he was born on Monday, May 26 because we're really into the 13 and 26 thing - he did not listen. I just hope he doesn't get too big. Today we had a doctors appointment. He ordered a stress test for the baby. The baby is not stressed out. Eating chocolate really is working :) According to the test he is doing very well. Last night I was telling him all the advantages of being out. I was like I know you're cozy in there and seem to be totally content, but the real world thing is fun too and we'd really like to meet you and all that. No go. The good news is that there are no cases of eternal pregnancy :) Monday Rodd's family came up to visit us. It was awesome seeing everyone. We had a difficult time finding a place to eat as it seems that the whole town shuts down on Memorial Day but we eventually ended up at the OP - very good! I've never been there before, but I will definately go back. Everyone really enjoyed the food and Robin and Adam left with a large stack of cups :) I asked AJ if the baby was big enough now to come out - he said he is. He also said he thinks the baby will be as big as him :) Gee I hope not! Well Rodd and I are officially ready to meet this little guy. Hopefully he's gearing up to come out and meet us soon :) Learn more about the baby this week. Thursday, May 22, 200839 WeeksThirty-nine weeks - I really didn't think I'd blog on thirty-nine weeks, but I'm happy I am. I've told the baby that he can't come until June 1, after that, we're all good. Lots of things will just work out better then, so let's see if he listens. On Saturday I decided that I've officially hit uncomfortable, it's not unbearable, but I definately am uncomfortable. I guess it's a good thing though - I've really enjoyed being pregnant. If I'm uncomfortable at the end, I don't think I'll miss it as much :) When I was at the doctor on Friday I told the doctor I'd see him next week. He responded, or maybe before. I shot back - I'll see you next week and he thought that was hilarious. I think I was right though - my next appointment is tomorrow - I think I'm going to make it :) I guess I've been pretty boring this week. I've been really tired and trying really hard to get our house back together after all our projects - it's a very slow process. Hopefully I get some energy this weekend and can finish some things up. Wish me luck! Learn more about the baby this week. Thursday, May 15, 200838 WeeksTop 10 Pregnancy Must HavesI would not have survived without - in no particular order...
My cravings - an inconclusive list
* I have not given in to these cravings. I will have my Jimmy Johns, Mountain Dew, and jelly donut probably while still in the hospital after having this baby. ** YICK! I hate brats and the beer they boil in is even more disgusting! Week in Review
Monday, May 12, 2008My First Mother's DaySo even though I don't have a baby to hold in my arms - I have considered myself a mother for the last 37 weeks. I am very aware that everything I do affects the baby and as a result have become even more anal - how is that possible? And everything he does, affects me :) I love being his mom and feeling him move around and hiccup. I'll love even more holding and kissing him and raising him in this crazy world we live in. ANYWAY, I enjoyed my day. Nathan came over and joined us for lunch - Rodd made me a delicious steak. I "choked" on the first bite and spent the next hour in the bathroom, but that first bite was DELICIOUS! AND I was better in time for the apple crisp I made to come out of the oven. It doesn't get much better than warm apple crisp and vanilla ice cream. Ummmm.... :) Grandma Jan taught AJ to sing You Are My Sunshine and got him to sing it to me over the phone - cutest moment ever. He is so precious. He really loves his baby cousin - I'm so excited to see them together! Besides church and lunch we didn't do much on Sunday. I got to take a nap - I've been really tired lately, so that felt really good and then Rodd and I took a walk - a whooping one and a half mile walk. While we were walking a lady drove by and I could see her say "O - My - God" I go to Rodd, I'm not that big and he was like - yes you are. Thanks honey! Anyway, it was a good day, nice and relaxing. Hopefully next year I'll be able to relax as well :) Thursday, May 8, 200837 WeeksThirty-seven weeks and one - two centimeters dilated. The process has officially begun :) I'm hoping he comes closer to his due date or even past his due date rather than early, but I am very excited to meet my little man. I feel like Rodd and I have been VERY busy. It just never slows down. Friday we bought a glider rocker for the living room from the Veridian Swap Sheet, we've found SOOO many good deals in that swap sheet. Sunday we got a maturnity photo taken. That was a pretty fun experience.I stepped way beyond my comfort zone, but the pictures should be really awesome! I'm excited to see them. Tuesday we had a breastfeeding class at Covenant. The class was great, we had an awesome instructor - they really seem to make or break the deal. Then on Wednesday we had infant massage - another totally worth-while class. And today we had another appointment - weekly deal now. We're getting down there :) Mom and dad came up this weekend and when they left I realized that is probably the last time I will see them while I'm pregnant with this child. Weird. Next time I see them I'll be holding him :) That's just nuts - in a couple weeks or tomorrow I'll be holding my baby! Learn more about the baby this week. Thursday, May 1, 200836 WeeksWe've hired a doula - as of about an hour ago. Rodd and I met with two doulas this week. It was a tough decision because they are both wonderful women, but we're very excited with our choice. The doula we chose suggested that the other woman be her back-up - great idea. Rodd and I know that we are comfortable with both, so either way, we're in good hands. We had our 36 week appointment this afternoon. We met with the other delivering doctor - I figure it's about time I met him - just in case. He was really nice and stayed and explained things to us and talked briefly about our birth plan and what to expect and watch for these next couple weeks as next week the baby will be considered full term. Any day now - YIKES! I finally scheduled my prenatal massage for this Saturday, it will be awesome. When I got my permission slip signed by my doctor several weeks ago, he kept saying, jokingly, make sure they don't put you into labor. I know that it won't, but at the same time it scared me - what if? Rodd put a scary thought into my head this weekend. I woke up in the middle of the night with really bad gas cramps and Rodd said "maybe you're in labor. Remember that comedian whose wife just had a baby and she kept saying her ass was falling off when she was in labor?" So that got me going. We were in Dubuque so I was thinking I don't have my stuff, we haven't hired a doula, I didn't get my massage or my maturnity photo, I want my doctor, I want to be at Covenant - I can visualize Covenant and my doctor, I can't visualize birthing at a hospital in Dubuque... I babysat for an OB/GYN in Dubuque for many years and always thought he'd be there to deliver my babies, but as I laid awake, I really was hoping Rodd's idea was just as crazy as I was. I eventually fell back asleep and obviously was not in labor. I, however, did have his car seat in Dubuque. I had it installed on Saturday by one of my mom's friends/coworker who is a certified car seat technician. At least I had my car seat so I could take my baby home - one nightmare adverted. Learn more about the baby this week. Monday, April 28, 2008My Baby Shower
This weekend Robin, Jan, my mom, and Joy - Rodd's godmother, threw me a shower. They really went all out for me - so much more than I expected. Mom made me a Pooh diaper cake. When we came home on Friday and I saw it and I was like, I can't believe she bought one of these - she didn't - she made it. It looked awesome! Way too cute. Now I just have to figure out how to get it up here without it falling apart. We didn't have room in our car, but I think Jan is going to bring it up for us tomorrow. I'm excited to display it when the baby gets here. AJ was hilarious this weekend. He's facinated with this "baby in my belly" thing. Apparently he's been asking a lot of questions. The poor guy must be so confused. He's very excited about his baby cousin. He sang songs to the baby, sitting down singing to my belly, he gave the baby hugs and kisses goodbye, and as he was helping Robin set up Saturday evening he was singing songs about his baby cousin. I'm so excited for the two of them to meet. I hope they become good friends :) I'm so not used to being the center of attention. I feel so awkward in those situations. I did not know what to do with myself yesterday. It's kind of overwhelming to see how many people care about you and are so excited about your baby. I told Robin I'm used to being a member of the audience - I know what to do there :) I had a great time, I still can't believe the amount of planning and work they put into throwing this shower, and I am thankful to have family members that love us so much. I will be posting pictures hopefully sometime this week - so check back if you are interested. Friday, April 25, 200835 WeeksWell we have furniture for his room now. We found a dresser and chest in the swap sheet this weekend. It's not great, but it looks nice and it's what we need for now so I am very excited that I can start washing and putting away his little clothes. I feel like we got a lot done this week. We got the dressers, I made an appointment to get a pregnancy portrait taken, we set up appointments to meet with two doulas next week that we are both very excited about, mom and dad come up so mom could made curtains for the baby's room which are now hung and look very nice. Things are really coming together, so yeah! I found out this week about the BPA scare. I saw the reports on TV but had decided to ignore them - however Dave from work clued me in. YIKES! I've been really careful about keeping away from smokers, not taking any medications including Tylenol which is supposed to be safe, not drinking soda but drinking an insane amount of water every day, etc., etc. Anyway, I've been drinking oh about 95% of my water from my Nalgene bottles which apparently are part of this BPA scare thing. Great - I try to do good and I've been drinking out of a cancer bottle for years. O well, what are you going to do. I should probably read more about it - I don't know much except that I'm throwing away all my water bottles, I have to take back the cute Winnie the Pooh bottles I got for the baby, and I've purchased glass bottles for him - we'll see how that goes :) Anyway, as of Wednesday, I'm BPA free. Slowly but surely things are coming together. I know not everything that I'd like to get done will, but that's ok, you do what you do. Learn more about the baby this week. Mouse Tales UpdateWe caught the mouse! And yes, it was a mouse and it was dark colored - I asked. Last night was a crazy night. It was storming really bad - extremely windy with incredible amounts of rain - so it took me forever to fall asleep - I was worried about rodents running around my house, flooding, and not hearing tornado sirens. Anyway, I woke up in the middle of the night needing to go to the bathroom but too scared to go because maybe the rodent was running around just waiting for me to come out so he could get me. At least Rodd was home :) When I was getting to the point where I couldn't wait much longer and was trying to muster up the courage to leave my "safe zone", I heard Rodd get up. Yeah, I could go out now, someone paved the way. Anyway, when we were up for our 3:00 potty break he checked the trap and low and behold we'd caught him! Yeah!! So Rodd had to run him out to the trash in the pouring rain, but YEAH we caught him! Just thought you'd all like to know cause I know you were worried. Thursday, April 24, 2008Mouse TalesI've had a very exciting morning if that is even the right word to use for such an event. I woke up at 5:15 to go to the bathroom because pregnant people do a lot of that and I noticed something in front of me peeking from the linen closet in the bathroom. I thought maybe it was a sock or something - nope, it was a rodent! I'm thinking a mouse, but who can be sure at 5:15 in the morning when you are tired and it is dark. Needless to say - I FREAKED OUT! Rodd is in Des Moines for a conference, but I called him anyway. Poor Nathan also got a call. Nathan was like I'm probably not going to be able to find anything, but I'll come over if you'd like. I told him I was not leaving my bed until someone else was there with me - I was freaking out - I was shaking and near tears - OVER A MOUSE (or some other unidentified rodent). So my wonderful brother came over to calm my fears, looked all over the house in the nooks and crannies where the "mouse" could be hiding with a broom and dust pan, ran to Hy-Vee to get some mouse traps, and waited for me to get ready and get the hell out of there to get to work this morning. I left my house at 6:45 this morning - almost a full hour before I usually leave. I packed my breakfast and ate that up in the cafeteria and now I have time to blog about my early morning experience. What a day - I'm so tired! Rodd does not travel very often and we have not had mice in our house for a year now - what are the chances both would occur on the same day! I'm just glad I had Nathan to call on - otherwise, I don't know if I would have been able to get ready for work this morning. I'd have had to make myself - but I would have had to muster up A LOT of courage! Thursday, April 17, 200834 WeeksToday the baby and I started playing a new game - we high five now. I poke him, he high fives me :) I think it's a fun game, and I think he does too, he always high fives back. He's probably thinking "would they just stop poking at me all the time" but I enjoy his reaction so no, baby boy, I will not stop poking you. Going out in public now that I'm getting really big and not wearing sweaters and winter coats is interesting. Yesterday we were at the mall and I could see people's eyes follow me and I got a lot of smiles and hellos and all that. I have not had anyone try to touch my belly yet, so that is good. I don't mind people that I know touching my belly - it's the strangers coming up and doing so that freaks me out. This week I put together a list of baby related things that I need to get done. I'm going to try to get a couple things done each week. This week I set up baptism - July 20th - and we started looking for a doula. Rodd and I are both excited about possibly hiring a doula. I've read that "if a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it" - neonatologist and researcher John Kennell. It will be nice to have the extra support, knowledge, and experience during labor, delivery, and the days/weeks after the baby is born. I've also started looking into getting a professional pregnancy picture taken. I'm really enjoying this pregnancy and I think pregnant people photography is beautiful. Today we started another baby class. Have to say, this one is not nearly as good as the last one. O well, it's only a two week course, maybe next week will be better. This weekend we're planning on getting up real early to go to a garage sale. There's one in the swap sheet that has a dresser and a glider rocker. I'm hoping something works out, but I'm not going to hold my breath (not good for the baby). There was a glider rocker in the swap sheet a couple weeks ago for $30, looked really nice. But I called to late. So now I check the swap sheet several times a week. There are some really good deals in there :) This weekend we're also planning on making the curtains for his room. I picked some fabric out at Christmas time and have been waiting for it to go on sale ever since. Well, we finally have it and mom is going to come up to make the curtains :) Yeah, Saturday will be a good day - maybe we'll even have a dresser to put in there - maybe. Learn more about the baby this week. Sunday, April 13, 2008We're Having a Baby!So, I've just realized (as of the middle of the night last night) that we are having a baby! Holy cow - I'm starting to freak out. In just a couple weeks we have to take care of this little boy growing inside of me. He really is going to come out soon. Maybe I'm freaking out because I don't feel like we've got his nursery even close to being done - yet it's done enough for him to come home. I'd really like to get a dresser in there and we looked at one yesterday from the swap sheet, but it was a no go. This could be part of my impatience creeping up on me - we've got time, just not much. Anyway, reality is sinking in, this phase of our life is coming to an screeching halt very very soon :) Friday, April 11, 200833 Weeks
Last night Rodd and I had our first baby shower. Therese Callaghan threw us a shower that we hosted at our house because they will soon be moving to their new house! Which conveniently is located about three blocks south of our house - neighbors :) Pete and Therese, Scott and Sarah, Nick and Becky, Justin and Kelly, and Matt all "showered" us with some pretty awesome gifts that little Charlie will just love. Thank you! Rodd and I had a great time, we enjoy having people over especially now that we've gotten our new floors and the baby's room is coming together :) On Monday we had our last Lamaze class. The class was really awesome, so much more than I expected. I read A LOT and I kind of thought this class would just reiterate what I've been reading, but it covered so much more. Besides offering both sides of the story on many different birthing scenarios, giving us useful labor and birth tips and relaxation techniques, one of the best benefits was learning how Covenant does things. That gives us more of an idea of what to expect and how to have the birth we hope to have. I especially enjoyed the birth suites tour. It helps me visualize our space and what will be available to us during labor, birth, and the days after birth. We highly recommend Covenant's Lamaze class and if your instructor is Buffy - you're especially lucky - she's great! O and for all of you out there that think Lamaze is all about breathing - it's not - we learned one breathing technique, how to take a deep breath, that can be used to help relax you (men and women) even when you are not in labor :) This week I was seriously craving chocolate ice cream. Just out of the blue (ummm it sounds so good). When I told Rodd his whole face lit up and he smiled and said he'd be right back. He seems to enjoy my cravings, which I don't think have been too bad. I just laughed at him and said it was not that big of a deal and that the next time we were at the grocery store, if I was still feeling it, I would pick up my chocolate ice cream. He countered saying it's "his job" to make late night runs to fulfill cravings. He's funny - I love him. Anyway, the next day I was at the grocery store and I did give into this one. WOW! Best ice cream I've ever had :) Learn more about the baby this week. Thursday, April 3, 200832 WeeksThis has been a pretty exciting day for me. The carpet is in! I feel like I'm in a new house, it's awesome. I really, really wanted to put up the crib today and start putting together the nursery, but it seems as if there was a mis-communication. So I have to wait. For some reason I thought that Thursday night television was back on this week. I guess I was wrong on that too. I'm pretty disappointed. Will my Grey's Anatomy ever return? 
Rodd and I had a pretty awesome weekend. The weather was beautiful, I quilted the baby's blanket, we found the cutest outfit for little "Charlie" to wear to basketball games - a basketball jersey and shorts - adorable, and my parents and Rodd's mom came up on Sunday. It was a good weekend. Learn more about the baby this week. Thursday, March 27, 200831 WeeksWell the single digit weekly countdown has begun :) This baby will be here before we know it. Rodd and I are really starting to get a move on all the projects we've started around here and are getting a lot done. Our carpet is in and it will be installed next Thursday. Then we can put the baby's room together! Yeah! Rodd and I created our Target registry this week. I have to say, I thought it would be more fun. I had a great time registering for our wedding. I guess maybe because I had a better idea of what we needed. I've done a lot of research on baby stuff, but the local selection sucks. We register and then I come home and look the stuff up to be sure it's safe and has gotten good ratings. Good thing for Amazon :) 
It's official - we have a car seat! We bought the Graco SnugRide from a couple Rodd works with at UNI. I have to say, we made a great decision, I am very happy. The car seat looks like brand new and although the stroller/travel system is GINORMOUS, it's totally decked out. Every week lately has been bringing something new with the baby and how I feel him move. This week I started to be able to see him roll around. He presses up against my belly and it's really neat to watch. I love sitting down to relax at night and "playing" with him. I talk to him, sing and read, and giggle when he reacts. Last night Rodd wanted to see the baby moving and was sitting on the floor as I was standing and he noticed stretch marks! I had been thinking "I'm doing really good, no stretch marks yet." Yeah, no stretch marks that I could see. They are all under my belly, which I have not seen for awhile now :) (I had to get out a mirror to see the bottom of my belly) O, well, I'm not upset, I actually thought it was kind of funny that I had no idea and that we found them because Rodd was looking up at my belly. Last weekend Rodd and I were in Dubuque for Easter. It was great spending time with family. Playing with AJ and baby Alex (he's getting so big and is absolutely adorable!) That'll probably be the last time I see the Link side before I have the baby, so it was fun that they got to see me showing :) The Easter Bunny also paid a visit to little "Charlie." He got some very cute Pooh outfits, Pooh board books (I told him, "You can eat these books and you won't even get in trouble" :) and an adorable Pooh calendar to keep track of his growth and development in the first year. Apparently Easter Bunny has had this calendar for five years or so (you write in the dates making this possible). Easter Bunny has been waiting for another baby in the Link family for awhile I guess :) Aunt Robin also gave baby "Charlie" some adorable outfits including an Iowa Hawkeye's outfit (because we keep giving AJ Panthers stuff :) and some teeny tiny baby socks. Baby's clothes are so fun :) We had a great week this week. I'm starting to get uncomfortable, but it's not too bad. Being back in my own bed helps a lot - again, that foam mattress pad is a life saver! Learn more about the baby this week. Thursday, March 20, 200830 WeeksExciting news of the week: I can feel body parts when he's really going at it now. Yesterday I believe I felt his foot and his hand. It was amazing :) Funny news of the week: My ability to move like I used to has greatly diminished - just this week - BAM! I have to sit down now to put on my socks and shoes, lifting my leg to do that is getting to be very difficult and rolling - o wow - it's a process. We have that new foam mattress topper on our bed now and I was trying to get up and was not able to do so on my first couple attempts and Rodd and I both thought it was hilarious. I think it's time to start getting serious about the yoga. I still have 10 weeks of this to go. I can't imagine what I'll be like in six or seven weeks - YIKES! Almost worry of the week: At our Lamaze class this week the instructor taught us "belly mapping" - figuring out by certain feelings how your baby is positioned. The instructor was talking about how the baby settles in a position for birth and that it's best if they are facing toward your back, head down, and it sounded like our baby should be getting into position already. I'm pretty sure our baby is diagonal. So that was the new worry. Good thing I had a doctor's visit the next day. I asked if he could tell how the baby was positioned and he kind of chuckled and said it was too early, they'll start looking at that a couple weeks before the baby's due. He said the baby is still small enough to move and roll around a lot so even if he could tell, it wouldn't make any difference. I'm pretty sure that today the baby is diagonal with his feet down. But he's rolling a lot so that is fun. Mood of the week: Exhausted and crabby. I laid awake last night for no reason for a very long time - and that makes me even more crabby. Bitch fest for the week: Epidural vs. natural birth. I think it's really disappointing that when we tell people that I'm planning a non-medicated birth, their mouths drop and they look at Rodd and/or I with a look of horror and a 'are you NUTS' look on their face (Rodd is with them - I think he's more afraid of what will happen then I am. I'm actually excited about the whole thing). I just don't think it's right for me - I really want the whole experience for so many reasons. Maybe that would not be the choice for you - as it's not for 60%+ of women - but please don't put me down for wanting what I feel is best for me and my baby. That said - I've never been in labor before and I have no idea how I will actually react. Depressing fact of the week: I'm watching Tommy Boy on TV (Thursday night television sucks now - that's not the depressing fact, but it definately could be). So what is the depressing fact? At the beginning of the movie when Tommy is eating M&M's in the car I just saw 69¢ written on the bag. Sixty-nine cents!! I wish! On sale these days they are $2.00 - $2.50. Anyway, I found that depressing. Learn more about the baby this week. Saturday, March 15, 200829 Weeks
This has been a pretty uneventful week since the last post. Which I guess is a good thing :) I started taking that iron supplement Monday evening which is supposed to give me more energy. Pretty sure the baby is getting it all. I have a hard time making it through the 10:00 news. My eyes get so heavy it's impossible to keep them open. And apparently, according to Rodd, I fall into a really deep sleep. I've been sleeping A LOT better now that we got our memory foam mattress topper. Money well spent! Rolling is becoming interesting with my growing belly, but at least I'm comfortable once I get to where I am going :) Last weekend I got my first ever Mother's Day gift. Nathan, my brother, was not sure when Mother's Day was but he wanted to give me a prenatal full body massage. THANK YOU NATHAN! I can't wait to use it. I'm not normally a full-body-massage-by-a-perfect-stranger kind of person, but I am very much looking forward to redeeming the gift :) The baby is saying "hi" to all you readers. He's been really active and fun lately. I can tell he's getting more squished in there by his movements - get used to it little boy. My favorite feeling is when he drags his little hand, knee, foot, across my belly. It actually tickles :) Learn more about the baby this week. Monday, March 10, 200828 Week - UpdateI passed my glucose test - finally. The nurse today said everything came back normal but that I should start taking an iron supplement because my iron was low - can do. Whew! I am relieved. That was a long week. I officially made up my mind on a car seat yesterday. I'm going to go with a Graco SnugRide. It was my fourth choice originally, but it came down to the SnugRide or the Chicco KeyFit 30. I can't justify the extra money for the Chicco. The one reason I could have justified it was because I think the stroller that goes with it making it a travel system is quite a bit smaller than the Graco stroller, but I decided I can live without the travel system - maybe baby #2. Anyway, a guy that Rodd works with is selling a really nice SnugRide. They only used it for a couple months before they needed to get a different one for their daughter. We know it has not been in a car accident and it isn't a model affected by the recall, so it just makes sense :) Yeah - I'm glad I can finally stop stressing about this. What should I worry about now?? This evening was Rodd and my first prenatal class at Covenant. We started our Lamaze class - a five week series. Our instructor is pretty awesome and although we were in class for two and a half hours, it did not seem that long. Pretty much from here on out we will have a class to go to each week until the middle of May. We're getting all educated. I wonder if you get a diploma after all these classes? New parent certification?? Saturday, March 8, 200828 Weeks - 3rd TrimesterThis week marks the beginning of my third trimester - the final countdown :) I took my glucose challenge test this week and failed by one point :( So right now I'm sitting in the hospital taking another glucose test checking for gestational diabetes. Let's hope I pass this test. From what I've read, having gestational diabetes would be no good and would put me and the baby at higher risk of having diabetes for real :( So, I'm worried. I'm starving because I have not eaten since dinner last night. This is a three to four hour test. I had to get my blood drawn right away when I came in today - my fasting blood sugar, and then drink a very heavy, syrupy cola drink (ummm - delicious), and then get my blood drawn every hour for the next three hours. I'm now waiting for my last draw. Then I can eat :) YEAH - we're hungry! I thought I'd get results today - at the doctors office I got them immediately - but I have to call the office on Monday for my results :( This has been a long week and I thought the worried wait would be over today, o well. Last weekend we picked out the carpet that we're putting in the bedrooms. We decided to have it installed. Home Depot will put it in for $200 which is very worth it to us - especially Rodd. They are supposed to come measure this week and then order the carpet. I'm hoping that by mid April we are putting the baby's room together :) I'm still freaking out about the car seat thing. I wish I could just make up my mind, purchase it, and forget about it. Why am I so hung up on this?? O, we purchased his mattress this week. Once the carpet is in, we can set up his crib :) We got a really really nice mattress, he better sleep great. I told him that he is going to sleep so much better at home than he will at Grandma and Grandpa's. Rodd heard me say that and said maybe we should sleep at the other Grandma's then :) I'm sure mom and dad wouldn't mind getting up every couple hours to a crying baby :) Well, I'm excited that we've entered the final stretch - I can't wait to meet my baby. This pregnancy is going really quick :) I love being pregnant and I'm super excited to be a mom. I'll miss feeling him inside me, but I'll love holding and kissing him :) Learn more about the baby this week. Sunday, March 2, 2008Road Trip to Des MoinesYesterday Rodd and I ventured down to Des Moines to go baby shopping. I've picked a lot of stuff out online - ok, everything online - that we'll need (car seat, stroller, crib mattress ...). I've decided to purchase one large item a month so that we don't spend a ton of money all at once. Last month I got my breast pump, this month I think it will be the crib mattress, ... Anyway, I wanted to see the mattress and the car seat I've got picked out before I decide that's what I actually want. So Rodd and I went to Des Moines. The weather was gorgeous! Although I took my coat with me, there was no need to wear it. We first stopped at the store Simply for Giggles - way cute baby store. Lots of fun stuff to play with :) They had the mattress that I want. Then we ventured out to find a flee market for Rodd. He's beyond obsessed with shaving stuff and he wanted to look for double edge (like the ones our grandpas would have shaved with back in the day) razors. We did not find any :( And then we stopped at Babies "R" Us. WOW! That store is awesome! I was expecting a lot less. The name of the store is pretty accurate - they have everything baby and lots to choose from. They had both of the car seats that I've been looking at and we were able to try them out in our car. Rodd found the whole experience overwhelming and started freaking out about the eminent arrival of this baby. I however was in heaven :) After shopping we met up with Tim and his girlfriend Masha for dinner. We had a great time - lots of laughs!! They are a very fun couple. After touring Tim's place, Rodd and I were on the road again. Good thing I was driving because it was several miles an hour less than Rodd would have been driving and we got pulled over. Thankfully the State Trooper was very nice and gave me a warning and reminded me to slow down - I did. Anyway, I thought it was a great day. Good to get out of the house especially on such a great day. And we're pretty proud of ourselves for navigating around Des Moines to the different stores, one because we got there and two because we did not fight like we normally do when we don't know where we are going or where we are, so yeah! I'm still overwhelmed with figuring out what car seat we should get. I started freaking out today that maybe we should have looked at other car seats and strollers while we at Babies "R" Us since they had such a selection - I wish I had a better idea of what we really need. O well, it seems like all the car seats on the market are safe, it just depends on what you want I guess. Cool side note: my belly moves where the baby kicks. Pretty awesome! I hope he's not trying to bust out - he's not in an eye shell :) Thursday, February 28, 200827 WeeksRodd and I went to our last Panthers basketball game for this year last night. It was a good game and we won - yeah! I'm looking forward to taking the baby next year. I love watching another kid we know at the games - playing with TC, dancing to the music, cheering with the cheerleaders - too cute! I've been keeping an eye out for clearance Panther baby clothes for him to be able to wear to the games next year. That stuff is so expensive, so getting it on sale is awesome. I, of course, am very excited to meet this baby. I think he's going to be a little stinker. Last weekend we went back to Dubuque just cause. The baby is usually pretty active at night when I sit down to relax so I asked mom and dad if they wanted to feel the baby kick. Mom of course jumped at the idea. She was working on her laptop with one hand on my belly. Whenever she'd take her hand off my belly to type something real quick, he'd kick. He did that twice - two nice hard kicks. I thought it was funny. Mom thinks he did that because he's going to be good for her when she's around. I think he's going to be a little stinker :) Floor update: Floors are down!! We still need to put up trim, but the floors are down!! Not only are the floors down, but we have enough left over to do the basement bedroom. I can't believe we're actually checking off so many of these projects from the long list of projects we wanted to do when we first moved in. Our list of home improvements is getting shorter :) The rest of them are large dollar projects - so it will be awhile for them to be started. I'm so happy my floors are done. My officemate, Claudia, was going through her design magazines today and found a baby one. One of the designs they showcased was the The Baby Owner's Manual: Operating Instructions, Trouble-Shooting Tips, and Advice on First-Year Maintenance. Funniest book ever - everything I read says babies should come with owners manuals - good thing you can just purchase one for $5 :) Baby development cool notes:
Learn more about the baby this week. Wednesday, February 20, 200826 WeeksI'm better now, just in case you were worried. It took a week and a half but I feel better now. Rodd doesn't, he's got my cold now. Doctor says there is some viral thing going around. He keeps asking when he will feel better. I tell him he's got a ways to go. I don't know what he's complaining about - at least he can medicate himself. If I remember correctly from last years cold, that Day-Quil stuff was really awesome. So I just realized this week how pregnant I am. I know I'm getting bigger but as I was getting ready to take a shower this weekend I saw my profile in the bathroom mirror. I came running out and I asked Rodd, "Do I look bigger today or is it just me?" Apparently, it was just me, but man I was shocked. I super hope I don't get ginourmous, but whatever it takes to have a healthy baby I guess I'm up for. The weather this week has been insane. The weather this entire winter has been insane. It seems since Thanksgiving every weekend but a handful (if that) has been snowing or storming. So far this week the college was closed two days. UNI even closed early on Monday and had a late arrival on Tuesday. That is unheard of. It is sooo cold and there is so much snow and ice that clearing the roads is almost impossible. It's great. I can't wait for our heating bill to come in - yippy! Rodd and I went on a real date this weekend. Rodd's afraid that after this baby gets here that we won't go out anymore - we don't really go out now, but I can see what he's saying. I've told him that when we go back to Dubuque for the weekend after baby we can drop the baby at one of the grandmparents and go out and not have the additional babysitting cost plus I'm sure they will enjoy the one-on-one baby time. ANYWAY, we went on a real date, movie and dinner (thank you Jan and mom and dad). Jan gave us a gift card to Applebees (our favorite) for Valentines Day and mom and dad gave Rodd $$ for his birthday. We went to Juno and had a great time at dinner. I like dating :) Learn more about the baby this week. Friday, February 15, 200825 Weeks
Yesterday was Valentines Day. I've been not so subtly giving Rodd hints that I wanted the pregnant lady Willow Tree figurine. When I came home on Tuesday (the day before Valentine's Day) Rodd said he got me a Valentines gift (we don't exchange Valentines gifts - let me rephrase this - I don't give Valentines gifts). He said I had to "find it." I told him "this is not Easter, you got you're holidays all mixed up. Anyway, as I was asking for a hint, mid-sentence, I saw the figurine on the shelf in our vacant living room. Yeah! I was thinking more for Mother's Day, but I won't complain. :) So I got another cold - this makes three. Sore sore throat, running/stuffy nose, a horrible cough, the works. This sucks! I've had it for a week now and there seems to be no end in sight :( At least it's not the stomach flu - I can't handle stomach problems. Floor update: the living room and kitchen are laid. Our house is a mess, but our floors are gorgeous! I'm so excited to get it laid and put the finishing touches on, but I can be patient. The end product will be so awesome. I found out this week how great of a dad Rodd is going to be. Apparently when he was four he promised he would never "do that" when he was a parent. Things like his kids will never have to clean their room, they can eat whatever they want, they can go to bed whenever they want, if they want something when we are shopping we have to buy if for them, homework is optional... you get the point. When he told me this I laughed so hard I peed a little. Cravings: so I've been craving a jelly donut and a Jimmy Johns sub sandwich pretty hard, but I can't give into the sub because of the cold meet and I really don't want to try pushing out a 10 pound baby. But I have an idea - I can eat all this the day after I have the baby. I told Rodd that the morning after the baby comes he is going to get me a jelly donut (memories memories) and a good, full strength cup of our coffee. Then for lunch I'm going to have Jimmy Johns and a nice thick syrupy Mountain Dew (I didn't like Mountain Dew before I got pregnant, but ummm it sounds good now). I'm not sure what I'm going to have for dinner yet. I'm pretty sure with the sugar and the caffeine - especially after having NO caffeine for so long - I will be able to make it through a weeks worth of the long nights ahead of me. Who needs sleep anyway. I've also developed a big thing for french bread. I can't get enough of it. French bread french toast, french bread garlic bread, and best of all french bread with Welches (yes, I crave specific name brands) strawberry jelly. Ummm, ummm, ummm. I've always really liked french bread, but now I just cannot pass it up whenever I'm in a grocery store. Enough with the cravings, I'm making myself hungry. This posting needs to end - I think I've asked Rodd how to spell 5 or 6 words now - this is embarrassing. Learn more about the baby this week. Friday, February 8, 200824 WeeksFloor update: Well the tile is completely laid and grouted. Rodd is going to seal it this weekend and then we will not only be able to walk on it but we will be able to walk on it with wet shoes! How exciting. We started laying the laminate earlier this week. The first 3 or 4 rows were incredibly frustrating for Rodd - there is nothing inaccurate when they say "floating floors." Every time we put on a new board, the entire floor moved. Anyway, we figured it out, got past those crazy first rows and got about 3/4 of the living room floor laid. Hopefully this weekend we can get the rest of the living room and the kitchen laid. I'll keep my fingers crossed. We had another doctor's appointment today. Apparently we have a very active baby. It's been confirmed - Rodd is the daddy. I couldn't feel him wriggling around in there (although I feel him quite a bit) but the nurse had a difficult time getting his heart beat because he kept moving. Rodd and I smiled and laughed. Last night we had the first of a slew of classes that we've signed up for - Baptism class. We passed. Rodd and I have always really enjoyed St. Stephen's baptisms. It was an interesting class and it was nice learning more about St. Stephen's baptisms. Once this baby gets here, we're good to go to get him baptized. :) Exciting news: I ordered my breast pump last weekend. I thought I'd get it today, but I'll get it soon. Not like I'll need it for awhile yet but I think I got a good deal - it looks like the 2008 models just came out so I wanted to get one now while I could still get a good deal. Learn more about the baby this week. Thursday, February 7, 2008I Think I Need a Car SeatAs most of you know, I have always had really crazy dreams that I am fortunate enough to remember in the morning. Last night I dreamt that I had the baby. Rodd and I were at my parents house and all of a sudden he just came out. He was 8 weeks early and the date was November 15 (although the weather was more like July). I was not as concerned that he came early as I was about the fact that I did not have a car seat for him yet and was not in a city that I could purchase the car seat I think I want. Anyway, baby just comes out, Rodd cuts the umbilical cord from the top of his head as I was yelling at him not to because I know that you are not supposed to do that. Then the grandmas come in and ask what it is. I was like I just had the baby - I need to go to the hospital, I think I'm bleeding internally and I need to see a doctor. And they were both like yeah, but what is it? I was like "He's your grandson! Can you please just take care of him. I don't have a car seat and I can't just take him in the car." Then I was trying to drive myself to the hospital - Rodd apparently was too busy. I ended up at a Trump tower with Donald Trump riding up and down 104 stories in his "really fast" elevator. Finally after several trips up and down I told The Donald that I had to get to the hospital or I would probably die so I escaped the elevator and began my decent down the stair case. From there I ended up in an airport - I think I was still looking for a car seat. I was really upset that I did not have that car seat and did not want to settle for whatever Walmart or Target had on special that day. Then I woke up. I never did get my car seat and I did not die :) Thursday, January 31, 200823 WeeksRodd started laying our new floors this week. We decided to lay tile in our entry way because water sitting on the laminate is not good and during this sloppy winter weather, I would constantly be wiping up the floor. Hopefully he can get that finished this weekend and we can start laying the laminate. :) I have to say though - the tile looks awesome!! He did a great job laying it and even though it set us back a couple weeks - it was well worth it. The baby is now about 11 inches and about a pound. I can really feel him throwing his weight around in there. Rodd got to feel a good kick last week, but every time he put his hand on my belly this week, the baby got shy. I also got kicked in the bladder for the first time (and many more times) this week. I tell you what - that is unpleasant. I love to feel him moving - but I wish he'd stay away from the bladder. Rodd and I went back to Dubuque last weekend. Robin explained to AJ that there is a baby in my belly. The next day I was wearing a maturnity shirt (which makes me look really pregnant) and AJ just stared at my belly as said "Baby boy play with me?" - too cute. It'll be fun to see the two of them play together once the baby gets old enough to play :) I had a really neat dream this week. I dreamt that Rodd and I went out and Jim and Jan were watching the baby. When we got home Jim was rocking the baby to sleep. He must have been fussy because Jim was standing up and bouncing/rocking him. I thought it was a pretty awesome dream. Learn more about the baby this week. Thursday, January 24, 200822 Weeks
Rodd got to feel the baby kicking (or punching) for the first time this week. It was pretty cool. The baby has to really be going at it for him to feel it, but on Friday he gave Rodd a good whack :) We got our new floors in this week. We currently have no ugly brown carpet in the living areas and Rodd has started taking up the linoleum. I'm very excited to see the new floors go in - even more excited for it all to be done! Although it's a ton of work, it'll be all worth it once it's finished. I told the baby that he is going to love his new house, well actually he could care less, but his mother will be very happy :) We interviewed a child care provider this week. This lady goes to our church and when we found out she has a home child care center I was very excited. She's as awesome as we hoped she would be, and the baby will almost certainly be cared for by her, but she encouraged us to check out other places to be sure. There were four that made the cut, and only one other accepts infants. This other lady thought it was really early to be looking, maybe we should call back this summer when we actually need child care. That surprised me because I was starting to worry that we've waited too long to find someone good. Anyway, I'm very excited to have a wonderful place to take our baby boy next summer. Learn more about the baby this week. Thursday, January 17, 200821 Weeks
I am so happy Rodd and I decided to find out boy or girl. I love being able to refer to him as him :) He's getting stronger and stronger. I can feel him more and more now. Pretty sure he's got his nights and days mixed up - but I guess everything is night for him right now. When I wake up in the middle of the night I can feel him playing around and then that gets me to dreaming and thinking about when he gets here - too exciting! I always thought that a solid 8-hour nights sleep would end after the baby got here. WRONG, I know I should not complain because in a couple of months I will be wishing I could get as much sleep as I am now. :) I've been doing a lot of research this week on baby products - car seats, baby mattresses, strollers... I picked out a car seat using our new subscription to Consumer Reports online (which I have to say is awesome!) and Amazon.com Bestselling list and consumer reviews. I thought I had found the perfect car seat - until I saw it at Target. Some more research and now I'm excited to go to Des Moines or Madison (or someplace that has baby stores) to see for myself if this new car seat is as nice as it looks online. Rodd ordered our new floors this week. He did A LOT of research on what we wanted over Christmas break and so when we went shopping for floors again on Saturday, it did not take us long to pick them out. He did a lot of dealing and got us - what we feel is - a good deal. They should come in any day now. I'm so excited for him to start this project! :) On Sunday Rodd started ripping up carpet so once we get the call he can start laying the new flooring - YEAH! Hopefully next week I'll be posting pictures of the project in progress. Learn more about the baby this week. Saturday, January 12, 200820 Weeks - Half Way There!
Well, the wait is half over. Twenty more weeks and we should be holding our little baby boy. We found out yesterday that we are having a boy! Neither of us had a boy/girl preference, but we are ecstatic that we are having a boy :) Our ultrasound was incredible. We got to see his precious little face, watch him move his mouth and rub his eyes, see his heart beating, and all kinds of cool things. The nurse says he looks healthy weighing in at 15 oz. which apparently is normal even though what I've read says 10 1/2. He seemed to be sleeping the whole time, but I'm still super excited I got to see his little face (and his little penis :). I tell you what, this baby stuff is incredible! Rodd has the other ultrasound pictures up on his Flickr account if you are interested. I found out something cool this week. When I drink ice cold water the baby reacts. I drink, he kicks. I had heard somewhere that if you drink cold juice before your ultrasound, the baby will be more active. Although it did not work for us (I was chugging ice ice cold water on the way into the ultrasound), it works real well in the evenings when he is awake :) Rodd has been busy around here. He and Jenna painted the baby's room last week. HUGE thank you to Jenna - the room looks awesome! Rodd has a lot of projects on his plate that we'd like to have finished before the baby gets here so getting a head start is definately a good thing. This weekend we are looking at flooring. The entire upstairs is going to get a much needed face lift - YEAH! Learn more about the baby this week. Wednesday, January 2, 200819 WeeksHappy New Year! Rodd and I spent New Year's Eve in Des Moines with "Uncle" Brandon and "Aunt" Katie. We had a great time! I got myself some Capri Sun juice boxes - ummm good times! I've been sick again this whole week. I somehow got another cold as I was still recovering from the first. This one was way worse. I was missing home (Rodd and I were away for 8 days), I had a cough, couldn't breathe right, my nose was a constant snot factory, and energy was not something I had any of. Today was my first day back at work since December 19 (I have a very nice holiday break.) and I finally feel better. It sucks that I spent my whole break sick and didn't get any of my projects done, but I guess I'd rather be sick on break than trying to work through it or wasting precious sick days at home. 
My belly is getting noticeably larger. The baby grew an inch and a whopping ounce and a half. Rodd and I compared bellies. He's still winning, but I have a feeling I will pass him up soon :) Learn more about the baby this week. Wednesday, December 26, 200718 WeeksMerry Christmas everyone. Rodd, I, and the baby had a great Christmas. Baby Grady got lots of books from his grandmas and grandpa that we can start reading to him :) Grandma Jan apparently has been saving up over the last several years. Uncle Nathan got the baby a Panther onesie, size 6M, for the baby to wear when we bring him home from the hospital. If our baby is that big - shame on me and OUCH! Nathan now knows what the "M" means :) Aunt Robin gave him a mobile that projects images onto the ceiling or wall and plays music - AJ loved it! I can see us using this for many years :) Baby Grady says "thank you and I love you!" I'm still recovering from my cold, but I feel much better, just dealing with a constantly running nose - I can deal with that. This evening I'm heading up to Madison with mom. I want to check out Madison's shopping and hopefully pick up some more clothes. As of Sunday, December 23rd in the evening, I know I'm feeling the baby kicking and punching me. I was expecting "flutters" whatever that would feel like - but what I feel is more like muscle twitches or as some have described "popcorn popping". Somehow when I felt the baby for the first time, I just knew it was the baby and not gas or something. I'm pretty confident I am right this time because I've felt the same sensation everyday since in the late afternoon and again in the evening. I'm very excited for next year's Christmas when that baby will join us in our celebrating. Learn more about the baby this week. Thursday, December 20, 200717 WeeksI've been sick the last couple days this week. Sore throat, ears, sinuses. I did go to the doctor to be sure I didn't have strep, just to be on the safe side. Being sick sucks, especially when you're a paranoid pregnant person. I know I can take Tylenol to relieve aches and pains and Sudafed to relieve cold symptoms, but I suffered it out solo. I'm just starting to feel better today, but I'm going to continue to be lazy so I can feel great tomorrow. I thought I felt the baby move earlier this week, but maybe I am just nuts. I'm starting to second guess that, but it was fun thinking it could have been the baby. Any day now! Mom and Dad were in Madison last Friday and they did some maturnity clothes shopping for me. They did an awesome job picking out a bunch of tops and pants that will hopefully get me through this pregnancy. I told them I am not planning on getting ginormous, and they all laughed. We'll see. I still have some time before I will need to wear them, but I know that time will get here sooner than I can imagine. Learn more about the baby this week. Monday, December 17, 2007I Think I Felt the Baby KickingToday I think I felt the baby move for the first time today. I have been waiting and thinking about when I will start feeling the baby move for awhile now, but especially since this weekend. So maybe it was just wishful thinking, but it felt like some weak little punches or kicks where the baby is. As the baby gets bigger I will know, but for now, YEAH! Thursday, December 13, 200716 WeeksWell the baby is definately growing. My pants continue to be harder and harder to zip all the way. From now on the baby will be more and more noticeable as he continues to grow and gain weight. This week he may start to be able to hear us :) I've been talking to him (when I'm alone of course - I know I'm crazy, but Rodd doesn't need to know that :), but now the baby can hear me! I can read to him and play the piano for him. I kind of hope that once he gets bigger he will react when I play - I think that would be fun. This week we decided on a Pooh and Friends theme for the baby's room. Rodd is planning on painting a mural on the wall and we've discussed how we are going to set up the nursery. Over Christmas break, Rodd wants to start painting the room and the mural. He's picked out a lot of really neat designs and I'm excited to see the one we choose on the wall :) Getting the nursery ready means we need to find places for all the stuff we are storing in our current "walk in closet." It'll be interesting where we find places for it all. Learn more about the baby this week. Saturday, December 8, 200715 WeeksWell, my pants are starting not to fit. I can no longer button most of my work pants - however I can still button my jeans! I bought a couple Bella Bands to help me stay in my regular pants longer. I can wear my pants unbuttoned and a little unzipped and the bands comfortably hold my pants up. So far I'm pretty impressed and happy that they work. Once I have to give into maternity pants they will help me keep them on when the pants are still a little too big and I'll be able to use them again in the postpartum time after the baby comes and my maternity pants are too big and my regular pants don't fit. So I feel they were a pretty good deal - I'm hoping not to have to buy "step-2" pants." As excited as I am about showing - I'm also freaked out about it - YIKES! Learn more about the baby this week. Wednesday, November 28, 200714 Weeks - 2nd TrimesterToday marks the beginning of our second trimester -- Yeah! From what I've read, this is supposed to be the "honeymoon" trimester. The morning sickness, tiredness, sore boobs, ... is supposed to go away and the discomforts of carrying the baby have not yet set in, so bring on the second trimester! This week the baby is learning to make faces, peeing, and possibly sucking his thumb. I find the sucking the thumb thing interesting. I've seen things on TV about babies sucking their thumbs when they are in the womb. If they can suck their thumbs in the womb, why do they need to re-learn that after they are born? Little baby Alex was trying to find his thumb over Thanksgiving, I enjoyed watching him try. If he would have just stuck out his thumb he would have had it! And I remember AJ hitting himself in the forehead and dragging his fist down his face to his mouth to suck his thumb/hand. I just thought that was interesting. Learn more about the baby this week. Monday, November 26, 200713 Weeks - Telling our Family and FriendsWell the time has finally come to tell everybody about our baby. We were SOOO excited to spill the beans! Especially after last weeks ultrasound. We told Jan right away when we got back to Dubuque. Rodd and I wanted AJ to tell his Grandma Jan about cousin Grady, but when we got to Jan's house early in the afternoon, AJ was supposed to be napping, but he was too excited about Rodd, Tistal, and Jenna coming home to play with him to sleep and we were too excited to wait for him to "wake up." I'll never forget how Rodd told Robin. AJ has been blaming Rodd for different things lately, such as ripping pages out of books, saying "Rodd did it." So when Rodd told Robin, he showed her the ultrasound picture and said "Rodd did it." I thought it was really cute. 
On Thursday when the whole family got together at Jan's house, Rodd and I had prepared a sausage and cheese platter which had the cheese slices cut into Noah's Ark shapes. Annie was commenting on how cute it was and I told her I thought that would be a good way to tell her about the baby. We also brought a Noah's Ark cheese platter to the Link Thanksgiving Friday evening. Well, we had an exciting and fun week. I'm glad this first trimester is over -- we made it through with no morning sickness. YIPPIE! Learn more about the baby this week. Saturday, November 17, 200712 Week Appointment - Our Baby's First PictureYesterday Rodd and I experienced the most awesome experience of our lives. We went in for our 12 week appointment and expected to hear the baby's heartbeat and we were thrilled and excited about that. But we also got to SEE our baby! It was INCREDIBLE! I've been having pains on my left side that the doctor was concerned about so he ordered an ultrasound. Apparently I have a cyst on my left ovary, but they are not concerned and said it should pop soon, within the next couple weeks. So unless I start bleeding, I don't need to freak out -- YEAH! Anyway, the baby was really active when we heard the heartbeat and during the ultrasound. I will never forget him stretching his tiny legs and arms. He has two tiny stick arms with tiny balls at the end. It was AMAZING -- there really is a baby in there! I read so much about the baby's growth and knew the baby was moving and shaking in there, but seeing him moving ... WOW! I just can't believe that someone so tiny and so early in their development, can move. How is that possible? I don't think I stopped smiling all day :) The baby's heartbeat was 160 and 173 later during the ultrasound. According to my fun pregnancy Book The Pregnancy Countdown Book (highly recommended to lift your spirits when all the other books are freaking you out -- very humorous!) Can a heartbeat reveal the baby's sex? So according to that we're having a girl! However, I've also read that if you are carrying a boy, you are less likely to have morning sickness and I have had none of that :) I'm also hungry ALL the time. So the baby could be a boy. WHO KNOWS! We'll find out at our next ultrasound at 20 weeks. YEAH! 
Well enjoy our first baby picture. As the child's parent this picture is incredibly special to me, but I can see how it would be a blob of black and white to anyone else. Rodd thinks he looks like me :) Wednesday, November 14, 200712 WeeksThis has been an exciting week for Rodd and I. This weekend my family came up to celebrate my dad's birthday and to cheer on the Panthers at a basketball game Saturday night. We decided to tell the fam a little earlier than we originally planned, but I think it was a perfect way to break the news. Mom made lasagna for dinner Saturday afternoon, so the six of us sat down to a delicious family dinner. Mom brought up a couple bottles of wine and really wanted me to try a new one she bought. Me being the wine enthusiast I am, and also the one that introduced the idea of wine in my family, kept making excuses and saying I'd have a glass maybe later. After dinner we gave dad his birthday cards including a grandpa card signed by Baby Grady. Let's just say they were a bit surprised and very excited! They all then understood why I didn't have a glass of wine with dinner. I told them I don't want this baby drinking until he's 22. Hahaha. I haven't been sleeping as good as I am used to. It takes longer to get to sleep and I'm waking up earlier and earlier. Today I think I was up at 4:30 tossing and turning, drinking water, blowing my always stuffy nose, and being a pain in the butt for Rodd. And ever since Friday or Saturday, I seem to be hungry all the time. I've been trying to keep healthy snacks around the house like baby carrots and broccoli and a dill dip, and some fruits, so now I need to remember to pack a couple snacks to get me through the day at work. I have a lighter lunch then which is a good thing because my morning snack is usually what I'd normally have with my lunch if I had not already consumed it. Other than not sleeping as well as I'm used to and the constant hunger, I'm feeling great :) Speaking of Rodd -- he's awesome. I don't think I could wish for a better person to have a baby with. He's been really supportive and protective and is really understanding of my craziness and helps me remember what I should and should not do and eat. Plus he doesn't complain about my crazy, less than ideal sleeping habits of late. Anyway, he's awesome and I super appreciate him being such a great guy. The baby this week is a whopping 2 1/2 inches and we have an appointment on Friday to hear the heartbeat. I can't wait! Yeah! He's wiggling around, kicking his legs, and moving his arms. It'll be awhile before I can feel his acrobatics, I look forward to that time :) One week from today, seven more days, the rest of our family will know of our big hairy (well not so hairy at this time) secret. I'm WAY excited to tell our families about the baby. Yeah, it will be a great Thanksgiving weekend. Learn more about the baby this week. Wednesday, November 7, 200711 WeeksThis week we signed up for several childbirth education classes. We'll be busy the last three months of this pregnancy. I'm excited about them, I think they will be very informative and since this is baby number one, it can't hurt. I continue to feel great and the baby continues to grow, she should be about an inch and a half and wriggling her tiny body around. Learn more about the baby this week. Thursday, October 25, 20079 Weeks - Our First AppointmentToday really was our first appointment. We met with Trudy, she was great. Our appointment was first thing in the morning so I knew I'd get right in. Five minutes before my appointment time, Rodd was still not at the office. Apparently some emergency happened at work, but he made it there by the time he needed to be :) While Rodd was MIA, Trudy and I went over my family history and since I have such a large extended family, that adequately filled the time while we waited for Rodd. Trudy gave us lots of information and answered our questions. She then sent me off to give up half of my blood volume. I'm surprised they don't wheel you out in a wheelchair and let you drive after that. I'm still feeling really good. My allergies are awful and I can't take my allergy medicine, but I'm not puking, so I'll happily put up with the sneezing and constant runny nose. Trudy's reaction when I told her I haven't had any "morning" sickness was pretty funny. She said not to say that too loud or I'd upset the other women in the waiting room who all suffer(ed) from "morning" sickness. The baby this week continues to develop her major organs. The four chambers of her heart and her heart valves are getting ready to take on the role of pumping blood throughout her tiny body. She still has a tail, but she's rapidly growing out of that :) She's also starting to develop teeth. That's really cool. She's seven weeks old and starting to grow teeth that we won't see for a very long time. Learn more about the baby this week. Thursday, October 18, 20078 WeeksSo I thought today was my first prenatal appointment. I was wrong. Rodd and I went to the doctor's office bright and early this morning for our 8:30 appointment only to find out we were a week early! Needless to say, that was embarrassing. The baby this week is growing arms and legs, fingers and toes. He still has a tail and his fingers are webbed, but yeah, he has fingers and toes! Babies and pregnancy seem to be coming up a lot in conversation lately at work and with Rodd's friends. Probably not more than usual but now we have to lie about when we are going to have kids and all that stuff. It'll be really awesome when we can finally talk about this baby. We are both incredibly excited but are keeping it to ourselves. Pregnancy is a waiting game, this is just one of the players I guess. Learn more about the baby's growth this week. Wednesday, October 10, 20077 WeeksThe baby has doubled her size this week and is about the size of a raspberry. I think it's incredible how quickly the baby is developing and knowing that the baby's organs are in their first stages of development, I'm very concerned about my surroundings (smokers especially) and medications I'd like to take such as my allergy pill and a pain reliever. Last Thursday and Friday I had a very painful headache. Looking for relief I bought my first book, Mayo Clinic's Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, because I was getting impatient waiting for my books to arrive from Amazon (I just got them today. I ordered them 3 weeks ago. That was a long wait for me.) Anyway, this book said that I could take Tylenol but when I bought it, the package said to consult with your physician if you are pregnant. So I freaked out, what to do. O the joys of your first pregnancy. Other than my wicked headache, I've been feeling awesome. I am having many pregnancy symptoms, but I've been lucky and have not had morning (I mean all-day) sickness, fatigue, increased sensitivity to smell, or crazy mood swings (maybe I should have consulted with Rodd on this first) :) I have had some pretty wild dreams (maybe I should be writing them down, hmmm maybe I'll start doing that), I have become a lighter sleeper, and I don't feel like I sleep as hard, but I do feel rested in the morning. It doesn't help that it's still dark out when I wake up, but what can you do. Last week I talked about my mash potato craving. I have been trying to be good and eating more fruits and vegetables. It helps knowing that what I eat directly affects the baby. Giving up that ice cream cone somehow just became a lot easier. I should have gotten pregnant a long time ago. Anyway, Rodd went home this weekend and he swears he did not say I was craving mashed potatoes (specifically KFC mashed potatoes) and Jan sent home leftover KFC mashed potatoes with him. So even though I am trying to be good, those potatoes were awesome! Thank you Jan! Today I set up my first prenatal visits. For some reason I was scared to make those first appointments, but I figured it's about time I get around to making them. Now that it's done, I can't wait for my first visit next week. Learn more about the baby's growth this week. Thursday, October 4, 20076 WeeksDuring the last week the baby developed a heartbeat, our tiny quarter inch baby now has a heartbeat! I've read that this week he will begin developing his facial features, eyes, ears, nose ... and buds for his arms and legs will begin to form. I'm absolutely amazed by the stuff I read about how our baby is growing and developing.
How am I feeling? Pretty good. I was feeling nauseous pretty much all day Sunday and was freaking out that morning sickness was not only going to be a part of this pregnancy, but would last all day. Lucky for me, the nausea just lasted a day. So far so good. Today I have a nasty headache so I will be hitting the sack real early tonight. I haven't researched what I can and cannot take yet, but I have read that headaches are normal symptoms at this stage of pregnancy with increasing hormones and blood volume. Hopefully a good nights sleep will help me get rid of this headache so I feel better tomorrow. Oh, and those of you that know I have wild dreams, I've also read that the increasing hormones during pregnancy cause vivid dreams which I'd have to say I am experiencing. Nothing too exciting. Well except one, I dreamt that Rodd and I were in class watching a movie and I was naked, but apparently I did not mind until I noticed the looks that others were giving me when the lights came on after the movie, including the teacher and Rodd. Cravings. Like the crazy dreams, I've always had strange cravings. But I'd have to say that my craving for just-add-water mashed potatoes this week has been unusually strong. I did get a side of mashed potatoes in the cafeteria this afternoon to go with my sack lunch. It's a good thing I had a sack lunch because the potatoes were not good and after about 2 bites, I was finished with them. Check out what BabyCenter.com has to say about the 6th week of pregnancy. Wednesday, September 26, 20075 WeeksToday marks 5 weeks for us. Five weeks down, 35 to go. I think it's incredibly exciting how much the baby is growing. BabyCenter.com says the baby is now about the size of a sesame seed and this week the chambers of her heart will begin developing and she will have a tiny heartbeat. Rodd and I went out tonight to celebrate our anniversary (yes, I know our anniversary was two months ago, but we just finally got around to celebrating). It was also a good time to celebrate the baby. We don't go out much so it was especially enjoyable. Tuesday, September 25, 2007We're having a baby!Rodd and I found out this weekend that I am pregnant! Yeah! I am 4 weeks so we have A WAYS to go, but none the less, we are very excited. Rodd and I have been reading a lot online and have ordered some pregnancy books to learn as much as we can about our growing baby and what to expect. From what we've read our baby should arrive around May 28, 2008. I feel great, but what I read, I'm not out of the morning sickness woods yet, so I cross my fingers that I will be a lucky one to pass that phase over :) |
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