August Beach Baby

Two blogs become one

2008-11-09T10:22:00.001-08:00

I'm consolidating the baby blog with the family blog and all future posts will be in one place - http://teamdejean.blogspot.com
Thanks!

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

We made our first trip to the pumpkin patch as a family in early October. Just across the river in Illinois is Eckert's Farm in Milstadt. Lillie had fun watching pig races and the pumpkin cannon! We took a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch and picked our family of pumpkins. We ended our day with a trip through the general store where we enjoyed apple cider and pumpkin butter!

On the tractor (Lillie sleeping...)

In front of the old truck (she woke up for a second...)

Sitting behind the old truck (back asleep again)

At home with our pumpkins!

And other miscellaneous pictures - her 10 week photo

Getting better at tummy time. The only way she likes it is if I prop her up on a boppy.

And here is a really cute video from a week ago when she discovered her lips and how to suck on them!

Good News and Bad News

2008-10-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

First, the bad news - After another round of blood work, we have been told that we have to switch Lillie to 100% soy formula. The galactose is building up much faster in her system than what the doctors can understand. She'll have more blood work done on November 6th to see how the soy is affecting the numbers. They like to see the galactose-1 phosphate level (what they are testing for) stay under 1 and she is up to 9.6, up from 5 a few weeks ago. These numbers don't mean a lot to me, but if the healthy range is 0 to 1 and she's at a 9.6, it sounds like we need to be doing something differently, hence the change to all soy. I have decided to continue pumping in the off chance that she will be able to bf again. In the mean time, I'll be donating the milk to local collection efforts here since it accumulates really quickly when your baby isn't drinking it!

And onto the good news - Lillie is sleeping through the night! It started about 10 nights ago. She had been stuck on a 6 hour stretch (which, by the way, I do NOT consider sleeping through the night since I need a full 8 hours myself!) for a few weeks when all of a sudden she started sleeping 8 hours, then 9 hours, then 10 hours, and now she averages between 11 and 12 hours at a stretch. She goes to bed around 7:30 pm and wakes about the same time the next morning!

More pictures coming soon!

Another update on the Galactosemia

2008-10-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I ever posted the results from all the blood work that we had done on Lillie regarding her Galactosemia. She is what they call a "dg" - she has the Duarte variant of Galactosemia, allowing her some ability to break down milk sugar. We were given the clear to nurse again at 3 weeks old. So for the past month, she's been eating at Moms.

Another round of blood work on September 17th revealed that nursing exclusively is proving too much for her to handle. The treatment: alternate soy formula with nursing and have blood work done every month to monitor how she is handling this. We also have an appointment with the genetics doctor on staff at Children's Hospital on November 6th to discuss how Lillie will be followed through her first year.

In all other respects, Lillie is perfectly healthy. What a blessing that they now screen for this and we have a treatment plan.

2 Months!

2008-10-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

Lillie turned 2 today - 2 months old that is! She is really starting to develop a little personality and is becoming a much happier baby as the weeks go by. She is more alert and spends more time interacting with us. Her favorite songs (so far) are "itsy bitsy spider" and "If you're happy and you know it".

She had her two month check up today and she weights 11 lbs 2 oz. Babies will gain up to an ounce per day in the early months of life. She managed to gain 42 ounces in 30 days! The nurse that weighed her said "she must be a formula baby!" and was surprised to find that that we nurse exclusively! I will occasionally pump to get her used to a bottle (so that others can feed her) and she is taking 5 ounces pretty consistently. This is a lot for a baby her age so I guess it's no surprise that she is gaining weight faster than average. Her weight puts her in the 60% percentile (up from the 26th at her one month check up!). She grew one inch (which is pretty average) and is now measuring 23 1/4" long. Her length and head measurements are tracking pretty close to each other (in the 85th percentile).

Some pictures from the past 10 days or so...

Come on mom, can we get this over with?!
Something caught her eye on the tv while her and Harvey were hanging out together!
One of her latest skills to develop is her ability to hold on to something for extended periods of time. She had these rings in her hands for over 5 minutes while she flung them around.
and she played with her new friend for a few minutes...
Finally, a picture from today, on her 2 month birthday!

Lillie Pics

2008-09-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

Some new pictures of Lillie...

Her new thing: smiles! She gave us one here and there starting right around six weeks. Now she gives them all the time!

Notice this one was right after a bath!

Just hanging out...

On her tummy - don't you just love the size of her head!!!

Climbing up mom's shirt...
Here are some of my favorite pictures of Lillie and I together

She loves her Moby Wrap (and mom loves it too since she takes naps in it!)

1 Month!

2008-09-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

We had our 1 month doctor's appointment and she's weighs in at 8 lbs, 8 oz. We seem to have a thing with the number 8! This puts her in the 29th percentile. She's grown 2 inches and now stands at 22 1/4 inches, putting her in the 89th percentile. I'm so glad to see that she is gaining weight and growing just like she should! We're still using newborn diapers and wearing newborn size clothes, but I can see her starting to fill them out more and more and I think within 2 weeks, we'll be transitioning to the next size up.

Lillie enjoying her tummy time!

Celebrating her 1 month birthday in her onesie!

Dear Miracle Blanket

2008-09-05T06:48:00.000-07:00

My baby slept from 9pm to 9am (and she is still sleeping!) last night, only waking up to feed once at 4:30am. I was able to beat her up and eat breakfast, shower, and get dressed, all in peace in quiet.

Thank you!!!
(for those who haven't had to deal with a baby who just can't get it together enough to fall asleep, the miracle blanket is a swaddling blanket that is next to impossible to get out of. Lillie just kept overstimulating herself all day yesterday because her arms and legs still scare her. By wrapping her up, she can actually relax and fall asleep.)

Lillie's first bath and other updates!

2008-09-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

In the past week, I broke down and introduced the pacifier! Babies use sucking to soothe themselves and there are times when nothing else will work. I've been able to put her down at night without her pacifier because my fear is that she would develop the habit of needing it at night and then waking every 10 minutes when it falls out of her mouth.

Isn't this picture a riot! The pacifer takes up half of her face and it's supposedly a newborn size pacifier. Apparently, there are bigger ones out there for when they get older!

I also got brave and took Lillie for a walk in the sling I bought while I was pregnant. Check out her little foot hanging out!

Lillie's belly button finally fell off on day 21 and we were able to give her a real bath! Here's a few shots from this traumatizing event!

Her reaction right as she was going into the water -

Dad and Lillie relaxing after the whole ordeal.
Good night everyone!

Galactosemia Update

2008-08-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

We received some good news today. Lillie does not have full blown (classic) Galactosemia but rather a variant of it called Duarte's version. It means that she has some capacity to break down milk sugars. We will receive a second set of test results either on Friday or Monday that will better tell us how to proceed with feedings, but for the time being, I am allowed to alternate nursing sessions with soy formula.

From what the doctor told me, she may be able to switch back to nursing full time depending on what we find out from the second set of tests. She would just be monitored to make sure the milk sugar isn't building up in her system.

So, for the past week, I had been pumping to maintain my supply and I'm relieved to find out that all that stored milk will go to good use! All I can say is that it's a good thing that we have a chest freezer!

Accidental Smiles and Thumb Sucking

2008-08-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

Lillie, Roger, and I survived our first week home from the hospital...barely! Having a baby changes everything is the understatement of the year. Until she gets on some sort of schedule, our lives revolve around her needs, end of story. Other mothers out there would probably ask, "didn't you know this before having a baby?!" and of course I knew it, but to live it day by day with severe sleep deprivation is another story!

So onto week one developments - Lillie found her thumb for the first time! From day 1, she normally puts her whole hand in her mouth and sucks on fingers when she's hungry (it's a great warning sign before she lets out a big cry!) but on day 7, she found her thumb and soothed herself while I got settled to feed her.

Lillie also gives us smiles from time to time. While not intentional at all (she only does them as she's drifting off to sleep after a feeding!), they are still very sweet and make my heart melt!

On to serious developments, we received some slightly unsettling news about Lillie's heel prick results from the hospital. She had an abnormal test result for something called Galactosemia. It has to do with the body's inability to break down sugars found in milk. We were advised to switch her to a soy formula right away and to bring her into Children's Hospital for additional bloodwork. Having to hold my baby while someone drew a vial of blood from her arm was very difficult! I was on the verge of tears the entire time. We will find out this week whether she has the disorder or is just a carrier of the disorder. I don't know much about genetics, but I do know that it is a recessive disorder so it would take both Roger and I being carriers for her to be more than just a carrier. The majority of cases are carrier cases (meaning that one parent is a carrier and passed it onto the child). If she is just a carrier, we can go back to nursing and she won't have milk allergies for the rest of her life.

Finally, we had our one week check up with the pediatrician on Friday and Lillie is already back up to her birth weight and then some! She was born 6lbs, 12oz, left the hospital at 6lbs, 6oz and was 6lbs, 15oz at her one week check up! Go Lillie! Now that she has surpassed her birth weight, we can feed her on demand (versus having to wake her up to feed) and she doesn't have to wear a little hat all the time (which was just about impossible to keep on her head!).

Our Birth Story

2008-08-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, August 6th, I had been to see my doctor for my weekly appointment and was told that I was still at 6 cm dilated. An induction was briefly mentioned, but no decision was made at the appointment as Roger and I wanted to discuss our options. We came home and eventually decided to hold off on an induction and give this baby more time to come on it's own.

I woke on Thursday August 7th and started about my normal routine. It happened to be my birthday that day, but obviously my thoughts were more on the baby and not on the fact that I was turning 29 that day! Around 9 pm, I noticed that my water had broken. It wasn't the big gush that you might expect, but rather a slow leak. I called my doctor at 10 pm and we headed to the hospital, arriving just after noon. Our doula, Julie, met us there within a half hour.

When your water breaks and you're in a hospital environment, you're sort of on the clock as far as how long they will let you go without intervening. Julie helped me try to get into an active labor pattern with her "bag of goodies". For 9 hours, we tried walking the halls, aromatherapy, drinking herbal drinks to help strengthen the uterus, position changes, etc. At 9 pm, the nurse on staff with me said that my doctor had called to suggest that we start pitocin since I was still 6 to maybe 7 cm dilated.

We asked for a few more hours. We were told that we had until midnight to try and get labor started on it's own. As the minutes passed by, it was obvious that my body was having trouble getting to the next phase of labor. Around 11:30 pm, Roger and I were siting next to each other on the sofa in the delivery room talking and coming to terms with the situation when we both heard and felt a pop in my pelvis. Immediately after the pop, I had a very intense contraction and the process of transition labor had begun! The best we can guess, it appears that up until the pop, the baby was in a position not suitable for delivery. In weeks past, my body had dilated on it's own until the point of transition and stopped because of the baby's position.

An hour and several position changes later, I was dilated to 10 cm. It happened so quickly that we were actually waiting on my doctor to get to the hospital so that we could begin the pushing phase of labor. For 30 additional minutes, I "practiced" pushed with the contractions, but I wasn't bearing down like you normally associate with pushing.

Dr. Shelton arrived around 1:15 am and the pushing process began. At this point, my contractions were lasting about 1 minute and were 2 minutes apart and I was pushing on my left side. In between contractions, my body was shaking uncontrolably so Roger would place pressure on my right hip and shoulder and Julie was applying pressure on my right knee. As the contraction began, the shaking would cease and Roger helped hold my right leg up and my chin to my chest.

The nurse brought in a mirror for the last 20 minutes of pushing and that really helped me connect with the pushing. Seeing the progress with each push was motivation that I could get through it! I remember asking Julie how many more pushes until the baby was out and she responded by asking me "how many more do you want it to be?". I knew no one had any answers for me, but I was so desperate to deliver our baby!

Julie and Roger were both amazing during the labor and delivery. Julie helped give us the peace of mind that at least one of us had been through this before. She was calm the entire time which helped give me confidence that I could actually do this! I never felt like the situation was out of control and that's entirely due to Julie. So many times during labor I was thankful she was there and couldn't have imagined trying to have our child without her.

My husband always joked about having his place in the delivery room - right up by my shoulder! When it came down to it, he was right in the thick of things helping me through every contraction. He was my biggest advocate and supporter, praising me with every push and motivating me with his words. We both saw sides of each other during that process that we had never seen before. For him, he saw the extreme strength - both physically and emotionally - necessary for bringing a child into the world and for me, I saw Roger's unwavering love and support in a stressful situation.

On August 8th at 2:23 am, our baby made it's outside appearance! Our baby was face down during delivery and my doctor made sure she had our attention before flipping the baby over to reveal whether our baby was a he or a she. To our surprise and delight, we had been blessed with a baby girl.

Lillie Lynn DeJean was 6 lbs 12 oz and 20 1/2 inches long at delivery (thank you Lillie for not being any bigger!). She has her daddy's eyes and mouth and a small amount of blonde hair like Roger and I both had at delivery.

Lillie represents a whole new kind of love like I have never experienced before. Granted, she also represents a whole new kind of responsibility! We're both learning about the other and her little coos and sighs are completely worth the dirty diapers and occasional crying fits!

Welcome Miss Lillie! For nine months, I've been amazed by the miracle of your development and curious to find out who you were. We are so blessed to have finally met you and are honored that you have chosen us to be your parents.

August 13, 2008?

2008-08-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

Is this a more realistic due date?

In 1990, researchers re-examined this issue for modern American women. Results indicated that, for first-time Caucasian moms, an average pregnancy lasts 274 days from conception (approximately 288 days from the last menstrual period).

The old "40 week" rule of thumb is calculated as 266 days from conception (or 280 days from the last menstrual period).

39 Week Doctor's Appointment

2008-07-31T15:26:00.000-07:00

No surprise based on past performance, but I'm 6cm dilated and still walking around! This baby has a mind of it's own and it's probably only an indication of things to come!

Some questions I've received:
Is this normal?
No, this is not normal, especially for a first pregnancy.

Is my doctor concerned?
No, my doctor is not concerned, but only because I was hooked up to continuous monitoring for over an hour this week and the baby's movement and heart rate are perfectly normal. The baby is under no stress. As long as the baby doesn't show any signs of stress, my doctor is ok with not intervening.

What precautions do I need to take when trying to determine when active labor actually begins?
Rather than applying the 5-1-1 rule (contractions 5 minutes apart, lasting one minute long, and occuring for one hour), my doctor wants me to call and come into the hospital when contractions are 10 to 15 minutes apart and the last one was stronger than the one before it.

I cannot explain how or why I've made it to 6cm without any significant pain. I can certainly feel contractions, but it's a tightening feeling with a side of menstrual cramps. It's nothing like you see on television where the women are screaming and panting.

My doctor is confident that this baby is coming soon - as in before my next appointment which is Wednesday August 6th. Let's hope she's right!

Foundations of a Nursery

2008-07-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

We'll be using a pack n play in our master bedroom for the first 4 to 6 weeks that baby is home. We've decided to leave the nursery set up as a spare bedroom during that time for visitors. It will also come in handy for when Roger has to get up to catch a 6am flight and he needs to get some actual sleep the night before! So here are the beginnings of our nursery.

The paint color (Jalapeno Jelly) and curtain panels (Joann's Fabric):
The coordinating bedskirt I made using the same fabrics in the curtains:
We're not using a bumper so I thought our crib would loook awfully plain with just a bedskirt and crib sheet so I made these fabric teething rails for when baby gets older and can pull itself up. For the time being, they'll serve no actual purpose other than looking pretty!
Our dresser/changing table from Walmart's Canopy line, the fabric covered lampshade that I made that coordinates with the teething rails, and the wall of wainscoting that will house canvas prints and/or wooden letters that spell out the baby's name once we deliver.
Hats, booties, and burp clothes. The turquoise storage bins came from Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
The drawer full of changing table supplies!
And just for fun, here's a picture from a month or so ago when we were painting the nursery. Barefoot, pregnant, and on a ladder...classy!

No baby yet

2008-07-28T14:11:00.001-07:00

No baby as of today! I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday and we'll see what she says! I've been having daily contractions that don't seem to get closer together or more intense. I always wondered what contractions would feel like and after two weeks of having them every day, I think I've got it figured out!

38 Week Doctor's Appointment

2008-07-23T16:10:00.003-07:00

5 cm, 100% effaced, enough said...

I'm trying to be patient about waiting for you...

Dear Baby

2008-07-16T10:33:00.001-07:00

I really don't mind carrying you around for a few more weeks as I could use the time to tie up a few loose ends around the house, but could you please back off of my sciatic nerve (pretty please)? I'd love to be able to walk around without shooting pains down the left side of my lower back and leg. Other than that, you have been the perfect guest! Can't wait to meet you!
Love,
Mom

37 Week Doctor's Appointment

2008-07-16T06:29:00.001-07:00

More progress - 3 to 4cm dilated and 75% effaced

The craziest thing was that she said the baby is so low that it's head is kind of crowning through the cervix and she could feel through the fluid and felt what she thought was either clumps of hair or a wrinkly scalp!

Because the last time we saw our baby was about 4 months ago when we had the 20 week ultrasound, it was really cool to hear her say that she could feel it! Our doctor doesn't do an ultrasound after 20 weeks unless something comes up in a test or physical exam that would cause concenrn so her being able to feel the top of the baby's head made the whole thing feel a bit more real! You'd think the constant kicking and my bulging stomach would do the trick!

I'm down 2 pounds for a total weight gain of 21 pounds and I'm still measuring 33cm.

Stop the shopping madness!!!

2008-07-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

Realizing that I only have a few weeks left (or maybe less), I went on a baby related shopping spree. Back in early June, I ordered my diaper bag, baby carrier, and mattress. The diaper bag was out of stock for the longest time, so I finally received my order last week.

Today, I ordered this refurbished (with factory warranty) video monitor and saved $70 off the original price. With that $70 that I saved, I ordered a beautiful leather post bound baby memory book.

It's Christmas in July over here at the DeJean house!

36 Week Doctor's Appointment

2008-07-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo for progress! I'm 3cm dilated and 50% effaced! Last Thursday, I had 4 to 5 hours of what I thought were Braxton Hicks contractions. They were regular, every 8 to 11 minutes, and lasted 20 to 30 seconds in duration. I wrote them down, but since they never picked up in frequency, duration, or intensity, I dismissed them as false labor. I had been suffering from a bit of a stomach bug and thought I may have been dehydrated, which can cause false contractions so I wrote the whole thing off as a non-event.

Well it turns out that the contractions did, in fact, cause cervical changes and because I wasn't too alarmed by them, my doctor wants me to be a little bit more conservative about when to call her if they happen again. She said it may be an indication that the rest of my labor could go more quickly than average.

She asked me to go home and get a bag together. I should also install the car seat (or at least have it in the car with the instructions)! She admited that I may have several weeks of appointments with no additional progress or that the next time she sees me will be at the hospital. It could go either way, but it was just exciting to know that I had made some progress.

Heart rate sounded good and I was measuring 33cm, which is another indication that the baby has dropped since last week I measured 34cm. I'm still up 23 pounds as sometimes your weight gain can level off or even decrease towards the end.

One more month!

2008-07-05T07:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I only have one more month left until my official due date. The house is still in a state of chaos and there are boxes and tools everywhere, but we are nearing the end and I have a feeling that everything will come together in time.

I have a maternity photo session with Clary on Tuesday and I can't wait! She has shared some inspiration pictures with me and they are, of course, amazing. Keep your fingers crossed for decent weather on Tuesday afternoon!

35 Week Doctor's Appointment

2008-07-04T07:31:00.001-07:00

My 35 week appointment was yesterday and the baby has descended well into the pelvic area and my cervix is starting to soften and efface, but no dilation yet. Yay for progress though! I guess I just worry that things won't progress like they naturally do for other women! News flash - everything is normal!!! I'm measuring 34 cm and the heart beat sounds good. I'm up 23 pounds with 5 weeks to go.

Oh, and the internal exam was such a non-event! When people tell me their horror stories about things like glucose tests and internal exams, I kindly remind them that if that's the worst thing they've experienced, then they have led a very blessed life in terms of medical interventions. And I honestly mean that. I consider myself to be very blessed in terms of illnesses, surgeries, and procedures, but even just recovering from stitches or a broken bone or minor surgery is 100x's worse than a glucose test or internal exam!

I think it's just good to keep things in perspective sometimes!

Week 34 Doctor Appointment

2008-06-26T06:18:00.000-07:00

Roger was able to meet the doctor for the first time at our appointment yesterday. We listened to the heartbeat and I got measured. I measured between 32 and 33 cm, which is up from my last appointment, but 1 to 2 cm behind generally where I should be (34cm). While I'm not concerned in the least bit, it could mean one of two things - the baby will be a little smaller than average when born (maybe 7 to 7 1/2 pounds) OR the baby will be late! I'm hoping for the first option! Or it could mean absolutely nothing at all!

I also start going weekly to see my doctor from here on out. For those of you who have been through this before, you know what this means....the start of internal checks!

Walks and Watermelon

2008-06-22T19:09:00.001-07:00

Harvey insisted on two, yes two, walks today. We went for our first one around 11am and apparently by 8pm, he had forgotten about his walk of the day. I tried distracting him by playing ball with him out in the back yard, but he isn't much of a retriever like his breed would suggest! Don't worry, I'm not trying to get all healthy on you with this pregnancy; the extra walk just means I can have a second scoop of ice cream tonight!

Today, my mom made the funniest (and probably true) comment about my belly and the shirt I was wearing. She said it reminded her of a watermelon. Hopefully, she was referring to the seedless kind as they tend to be a bit smaller than the seeded variety! On that note, here are my 34 week belly pictures.
And I haven't done an actual "belly" picture in a while, so here it is in all it's glory just for fun!
(ahh...the joys of a stretchy waistband!)
And another one just for fun...here is a glimpse into the beginnings of our nursery. I'm standing in the doorway of the room. The wall to my left side is going to have the wainscoting that I posted about previously and a dresser and the crib will go along the wall with the curtains (there is another window not shown in this picture that the crib will be centered between).

Surprise Baby Shower #2!

2008-06-15T08:35:00.001-07:00

My family threw me a surprise baby shower over the weekend and disguised it as a Father's Day celebration! I received so many wonderful gifts and as far as having the gear necessary for when baby gets here, I feel completely set! Here's a run down of all the awesome things I received:
Changing pad, ultimate crib sheets (great for middle of the night blow-outs!), cloth diapers for burp clothes, bibs, two quilts handmade by one of my grandmothers, white newborn and 3 month onesies, Aveeno mom and baby gift set, rattle, hand knitted booties, a mirror for the car seat, bebePod seat and tray, stuffed animals, a gift basket including j&j bath products, Swaddlers, bath time toys, a head rest used inside the car seat for neck and head support, a rectal thermometer (baby's favorite gift!), a boppy pillow with handmade cover, monitor, and a ton of blankets, hooded towes, and cute outfits with matching booties and hats. Some of the things not pictured include an Arm's Reach co-sleeper, a case of diapers, and a check for the dream stroller that I have been drooling over for the past 6 months - the Valco Runabout Trimode! Another thing we received that is already in the china cabinet is a silver cup that was made for Roger when he was born. It has his name and birthdate engraved on the bottom of it and it was made by friends of Roger's family. It is very special and will be passed down through the DeJean generations!

Close up of all the cute outfits and other soft goods.
And for fun, I had Roger take a picture of me at almost 33 weeks in the same shirt that I wore in my 23 belly shot! Flash back to 10 weeks ago...
...and at 33 weeks!

Doctor's appointment and baby hiccups

2008-06-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

I had another doctor's appointment today (every two weeks) and the baby was head down...for a split second! Actually, the baby was head down during the entire appointment and I even had a case of baby hiccups while we were trying to listen to the heartbeat! Heartbeat was at 142.

Speaking of baby hiccups - I never thought I would be able to tell when the baby had them, but as soon as I felt them for the first time about a month back, I knew exactly what I was feeling! Basically, it's just a thump or a tap in the same spot every 5 seconds or so. They are really helpful in being able to determine how the baby is positioned because it gives you a reference point.

Sorry for such a boring post! We're wrapping up the bathroom project (haven't I been saying that for the past 3 months? - yes!) and next on the list is the nursery! I can't wait! I've been collecting decorating ideas and I can't wait to get started on some.

Here's a preview of some things/ideas I've collected:

On the wall with the dresser, I am going to build this plate rack style of moulding about 5 to 6 feet up on the wall (our walls are about 10 feet tall so there will be more white space than in this picture). Below the rack, I'll paint the walls white and above it, the green color which we picked out for the room - Jalapeno Jelly by Valspar. The rack will be used to hold a few canvas prints and maybe some wooden letters that spell out the baby's name.

To give you an idea of the color we're using, here's a picture of Jalapeno Jelly that I found on the internet.

The picture below better illustrates the white trimwork/color above the trimwork combo I am going for. Notice how the white trimwork kind of looks like an updated version of wainscoting. This is what I am wanting to achieve.

Lastly, I've purchased some wall murals (basically wall stickers) for one of the other walls. We don't have an overall theme for the baby's room, but I wanted to incorporate a tree like this to represent our family tree. The tree is completely customizeable - meaning you can position the branches and leaves however you want. And if it's a boy, we'll leave off the pink flowers!

Our Birth Plan

2008-05-31T13:14:00.001-07:00

For any other expecting moms out there, you may be wondering what to include on your birth plan. I found a great website that lets you create your own simply by reading through their suggestions and checking the box next to an item that fits your wishes. I had never heard of birth plans before getting pregnant, but it's basically a list of requests that lets your nurses understand your desires during labor, delivery, and the care of your newborn.

Roger and I created ours a few days ago. I realize that this plan would not be suitable for everyone, but this would be our ideal labor and delivery. Let's face it though, I've never done this before and there comes a point when pain becomes more than pain, it becomes suffering. At that point, I'll ask for interventions.

Labor

I wish to be able to move around and change position at will throughout labor, including laboring in a tub.

I would prefer to keep the number of vaginal exams to a minimum.

I do not want an IV unless I become dehydrated.

I do not wish to have continuous fetal monitoring unless it is required by the condition of the baby. When intermittent monitoring is necessary, I wish to have a telemetry monitor.

I do not wish to have the amniotic membrane ruptured artificially unless signs of fetal distress require internal monitoring.

I realize that many pain medications exist I'll ask for them if I need them.

I would prefer not to have an episiotomy unless absolutely required for the baby's safety.

Delivery

I would like to try to deliver on my side or in a squatting position, using a squatting bar for support.

I would like a mirror available so I can see the baby's head when it crowns.

I would like to have the baby placed on my stomach/chest immediately after delivery.

Newborn Care

I would like to have Roger cut the cord.

I would like to have the baby evaluated and bathed in my presence.

I would like to donate the umbilical cord blood.

Update

2008-05-31T04:26:00.000-07:00

I've pushed back my due date to August 5th because as you may know, we are going for an intervention free labor and delivery. Because ultrasounds and my cycle have placed me anywhere from August 1st to August 5th, it's best to get used to the idea of the baby coming later rather than sooner so an induction doesn't sound quite so inticing. I'm trying to re-adjust my thought process and celebrate weekly milestones on Tuesdays rather than Fridays. Hopefully by 40 weeks, I'll be used to the change.

The pregnancy has been uneventful, which is definitely a good thing - especially since two women that are a month or so ahead of me are/have been induced for low fluid levels at 36 weeks. We finish our Lamaze classes next Thursday with a class party. It's been such a good class and I'm going to miss going each week!

I'm up 18 pounds and growing by the week. I had to retire a pair of maternity capris because they only have side panels (no stretchy panel in the front) and they were just too uncomfortable to wear for more than an hour at a time! Good thing I bought them from the resale shop for only $7!

The only other thing I've accomplished baby wise since my last post was making all the curtains for the baby's room. So far, I've gone through almost 36 yards of fabric and I haven't even started on the bedding yet! Pictures to come!

What's been going on lately...

2008-05-20T07:18:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted! We've been so involved with our bathroom remodel that the pregnancy just seems to be flying by unnoticed!

One thing I have noticed recently is how tight my stomach is getting. And with that tightness has come some weight gain! Once again, I went through a growth spurt and managed to gain 5 pounds in the past 4 weeks, bringing my total weight gain to this point at 16 pounds! It's strange to step on the scale and see these high numbers and not be concerned about it! I just don't want the weight gain to get out of control and to a point where it's excessive and hard to lose after the baby comes.

I had a shower thrown by friends over the past weekend and received some great gifts for the baby! Among the many things were a Boppy Lounger, Swing, Baby First Aid Kit, everything to stock my diaper bag, a Diaper Dekor disposal system, a baby bathtub, a Gymini Play Mat, and assorted blankets, hooded towels, outfits!

In other news, I had my 29 week appointment today and also met with a pediatrician yesterday. Both went well. I'm happy with the pediatrician that we are going with and everything is measuring as it should be and the heart beat sounds strong. The baby is still transverse (sideways). In another 4 to 5 weeks if the baby hasn't figured it out on it's own yet, there are some exercises and positions that I can get into to encourage the baby to go head down. Also, accupuncture is a consideration, but again, I want to give the baby a chance to show me he or she can manage this process on their own!

A 30 week belly picture coming soon!

Baby Girl Names

2008-05-02T11:56:00.001-07:00

We've decided that if we have a boy, his name will be Scott Matthew. We aren't quite so sure what we'll name the baby if it's a girl. Please vote using the poll in the sidebar for your favorite.

Here's a little background on your choices. I was born Christina but called Christie. This has kind of been tricky growing up because I have a formal name that no one calls me but is used on all official paperwork, and then I have the name that I go by. I would really prefer to name our child what we are going to call him or her. If you see one name listed (as in Lia) that means we would name and call her Lia, but if you see two names listed, then that means we would name her the first name, but call her by the second name.

Baby girl's middle name would be Lynn in every scenario.

Malia, but call her Lia
Malia
Lia
Alison, but call her Ali
Ali
Brooke
Kaley

27 week belly

2008-05-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

It feels like I'm getting ready to go through another growth spurt so stay tuned for further updates!

We start Lamaze classes tonight (or as Roger likes to call them - LeMans class). I had my one hour glucose test on Monday and the results came back today. I passed with a test result of 101 mg/dl. Anything under 130 to 140 is fine and doesn't require the additional 3 hour glucose test. Now here's a situation where I researched too much and read too many people's "horror" stories about the glucose test and worried myself for no reason! I had five minutes to drink the drink and I expected to need every bit of those five minutes based on how terrible I thought the drink would taste! I finished it in one minute. To me, it tasted just a little bit sweeter than regular orange soda. It certainly was not the end of the world! I didn't get nauseous, sweaty, light headed, dizzy, or weak at any point during the test. I brought a book, read about 50 pages, and had my blood drawn an hour later. End of story! Bottom line - don't research something too much ahead of time and don't get caught up in people's bad experiences!

Week 25 Doctor's Appointment

2008-04-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

Can I just say how much I love my doctor?! Seriously, when she asked me what's new with the pregnancy, she really meant it! I get so used to doctors who rush you in and out of the exam room and she just wanted to sit and catch up! We talked about how I can feel and see rolling body parts now. I told her how people can see the baby moving through my clothes. We talked about nursery decor and our bathroom renovation project! Seriously, this woman is great!

So, on to the stats. I'm measuring (literally, they measure you with a tape measure in centimeters and that number should agree with how far along you are in weeks) 24.5 to 25 weeks which is on track. We tried to count the heartbeat but the baby was rolling and moving all around and she that she couldn't get an exact count, but that it sounded in the 140 to 150 range.

Weight gain to date - 11 pounds

I'll post updated belly pictures soon!

Things they don't tell you when you get pregnant...

2008-04-21T11:55:00.001-07:00

There have been a few surprises along the way (all of which turns out are common but are just not openly discussed at doctor's appointments). To list, here's been a few of the unusual things that have happened since getting pregnant:

Nosebleeds - It's not the most pleasant thing to think about, but since you have about twice the amount of blood flowing around in your body, nosebleeds are more common during pregnancy. Up until today, my experience with this had been limited to seeing a little bit of blood in a tissue after blowing my nose every now and then. Well today, I experienced a full on nosebleed. I haven't had one in years and I guess my body was saving up for it because it got to be so scary that I wound up calling my ob to see if there was anything I could do to help it stop. I sat for over an hour on the couch with an ice pack on my face and tissues clamped down on my nose. Finally, it let up and I'm being cautious the rest of the day not to get up to fast or run around.

Hair growth - I think it's common knowledge that women's hair growth and texture can change during pregnancy, but I never thought I would notice such a huge change! For me, my hair growth has slowed down tremondously. While this is great for my legs, it means that I've gone 17 weeks without a haircut and you can barely tell that my hair has grown any!

Stomach muscles - This one freaked me out the most at first(and now it just makes me laugh!). Apparently, as your uterus grows, the stomach muscles pull apart from the center to make room. You'll hear people say they've "popped" and I think this has to do with this fact. Your stomach muscles separate down the middle and finally your uterus pops through. This is what my stomach looks like when I'm laying down...

And when I go to sit up... Check out how my muscles are able to keep everything in place along the sides. Along the center, there's nothing to stop it so my uterus (and everything else) just busts right through!

This may have been tmi (especially for all the non pregnant ladies) but I just find it so interesting how just about every aspect of your body changes to accomodate another life growing inside!

23 week belly

2008-04-07T09:52:00.001-07:00

In honor of the warmer weather (we've had three days in a row of almost 70 degree weather), I've decided that maternity capri pants and shorts are a must. Today I crammed myself into a pre-pregnancy pair of capris and am wearing them unbuttoned with a bella band. The belly is on the move and seems to be growing by the week!

I'm up 11 pounds total and don't see an end in sight. I seem to be following the standard of 1 pound per week after twenty weeks. I have 17 more weeks to go and hopefully only 17 more pounds to gain! For the first time, a friend this week told me that at least now I look pregnant and not just that I had put on a few pounds! I guess that's a good thing :)

20 week ultrasound short video

2008-04-03T20:18:00.001-07:00

http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewshow.html?fl=2960782&alb=0

This was the only way I could share the video. The original video is 14 minutes long and too large to upload to blogger or photobucket. I cropped the video with a software that I have on my computer, but then I wasn't able to save it as a file that was supported by the above mentioned outlets. The only way to share the cropped video is to host it through the software's sharing website. I don't intend for you to have to download anything to be able to watch this video so my feelings won't be hurt if it asks you to and you decline!

The voice you hear on the ultrasound (other than the doctor explaining what things are) is my sister! She was narrating the ultrasound and asking more questions that me! The video is about 2 minutes long and when the doctor gets down into the pelvic/leg area, even I have a very difficult time making the parts out and it starts to look like a big moving blur!

Surprise Baby Shower!

2008-03-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

Well, as you can imagine, having a shower thrown for me by close friends at only 21 weeks along came as a complete shock! I was in Arkansas visiting college friends over Easter weekend and part of their plans included throwing me and another friend, Christy, a shower!

I was completely caught off guard and they even laughed at how obvious it should have been that something was up! Like, for example, some of the girls stayed back at the house where the shower was thrown while me and two of the other girls headed out to visit with some people who were also in town for Easter weekend. When we arrived back at the shower location an hour or two later, there were extra cars parked on the street. I suspected nothing but my friends were worried that I did! I was oblivious!

Here are the cute invitations from tinyprints.com. I knew exactly where they were from the second I saw them because I have always liked the design and thought it made for a good gender nuetral invite.

From top-left, going clockwise: Jen, Charlotte, Ashlee, Amy, Christy, and me! There were two other girls (Melissa & Amy) there that had to leave before we got around to taking a group picture.

Decorations including the cute cake that matches the balloon and the diaper cakes! The colors in mine will even match the nursery so I plan on leaving it together and using it as a decoration.

Close up of my diaper cake!

And the yummy cake - which we ate all weekend and Ashlee even sent us home with cake "doggie bags"!

The ladies of the afternoon - me and Christy. We're modeling cute tank tops that Ashlee made for us! They read "Preggo Princess" and I plan on wearing mine a lot (especially around Roger when I need his help with something!).

All the wonderful gifts! Included are a boppy pillow, booster seat, bouncer, burp clothes, stuffed frog, bath accessories like hooded towels, wash clothes, and a bath mat, books, a Little Einstein cd, and several very cute onsies and a sleepsack (whew! Did I get it all?!).
A very heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who attended and had a hand in planning this surprise! I can honestly say I never saw it coming, but knowing what I know about each of you, I guess I shouldn't be so shocked that thought enough of Christy and I to do something special for us!

Add me to team...

2008-03-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

healthy baby! I went in for the "big" ultrasound today and everything is measuring on track. I got to see neat things like the chambers of the heart and kidneys and the doctor took measurements of the head and stomach. Everything looks good! The baby weighs 14 oz (a little big when compared to the week 21 facts to the side that say 12 oz) but it comes as no surprise!

Here is one shot from the ultrasound. For those of you who struggle to interpret ultrasound photos, this is of the baby's head and chest and the baby is looking towards you.

So, who does the baby favor - me or Roger?!

JCPenney versus Pottery Barn

2008-03-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

Not really baby related, but has anyone else caught on to the fact that some of JCPenney's product line is a flat out knock off of a comparable Pottery Barn product?! Not that I'm complaining! I was just browsing PB Kids and noticed that I could have ordered my crib from there and spent an extra $400!

JCPenney Renew Crib in "coffee" $199

Pottery Barn Kendall Crib in "espresso" $599

Just another example....

JCPenney Manning Dining Group $900 for table and six chairs

Pottery Barn Montego Dining Group $1600 for the table, $1780 for six chairs

And this

versus this...

Another example

And another...

There's even a dedicated blog to Pottery Barn Knock Offs for your viewing pleasure! http://copycatchic.wordpress.com/

20 week belly shots

2008-03-11T19:34:00.001-07:00

Actually, it's more like 19w4d, but I just had to share the belly progress! Out of nowhere, about a week ago, it appeared! I guess I am going through a "growing" phase. Regular pants are a thing of the past and maternity pants are now my new best friend!

Weight: 155 (+5 pounds from last weigh in(!!!), +7 total)

Baby's heart rate: 150 bpm

Made some decisions

2008-03-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

I purchased our crib today. Shown below, in the coffee finish, is the Renew Standard Crib by Rockland. I saved $50 off the original price and got free shipping. Grand total (including tax): $212

I started feeling really guilty about spending a lot of money on bedding! I seem to have very expensive taste and most of the sets that I was looking at were in the $350 to $450 range! I wound up buying the bedding below...well, almost!

It's called Bali by Cocalo Couture. Instead of buying the ensemble and accessories, I purchased the panel drapes for $85 and with that fabric, I am going to make a box pleat bed skirt. I will accent with a solid (maybe turquoise) crib sheet and I will be making my own "breathable" crib bumper with a celery green fabric similar to the color used in the current bumper pad shown.

With the leftover stripe fabric, I'll also cover two drum lamp shades (lamps were handed down from my grandma - originally purchased by my Aunt Cindy) and line the inside of a basket used for organizing diapers, wipes, and creams on the dresser. I may go back at a later time and purchase a few decorative accessories from the collection - they have everything from mobiles to rugs, to pillows available.

I'll also be making drapes for the room. There are three windows which will require 120" panels. I'll make these out of solid turquoise fabric, incorporating the stripe fabric along the bottom 12 to 15" of the panel to "weight" the drapes and tie them back into the theme.

I think I'll be painting the nursery Behr Asparagus (thanks Sherry for the recommendation) but I'll make the final decision once I have the fabric in hand. I have a few other ideas for wall decor but I'll save those for another post!

Other fun things I've been lusting over...

This diaper bag from Skip Hop. I like it because of it's versatility. In addition to wearing it like a traditional bag, you can also clip it to your stroller!

The Chicco Polly Adventure high chair. We probably won't register for once since baby won't need it until 6 months of age or so. We're really trying to focus on getting the baby's immediate needs met first!

The Chicco Key Fit 30 Infant Car Seat. Love the color, love the fact that it's lightweight, but most importantly, love the fact that it passed every one of Consumer Reports crash tests with flying colors!

Dream Stroller - the Valco Runabout Trimode. It looks like a jogging stroller, but it's actually intended for urban lifestyle baby raising. It's great for walks that involve a lot of curbs, uneven sidewalks, and bumps in the road. Since our baby will spend more time walking around the neighborhood than walking around the mall, this type of stroller is a better fit for us. But at $425, it may just stay a dream.

More realistic option: The Chicco C5 Stroller. At under $150, this is a more appropriate option that still gets good reviews. It's not designed for all terrains, but it's also about a third of the price! There is also a recline feature on this stroller, but some real life moms complain that it doesn't recline far back enough for their baby to sleep in. This stroller, in combination with the fact that I hope to "babywear" for the first few months, should be a good combination.

2008-03-03T12:01:00.000-08:00

I'm still in Seattle and I am hearing that St. Louis is getting snow today and tomorrow so I am in no rush to head back! Meanwhile, I've spent some time on the internet collecting ideas for the nursery. Yesterday, Roger and I went to a mall up here in Seattle that had a Land of Nod store. I was able to see some bedding and a crib that I love. I had envisioned having a white crib and dresser, but Roger prefers the espresso finish and now I'm reconsidering the bedding.

This is the Land of Nod Straight Up Crib in Espresso. The only downfall is that it's $599.

This is the bedding that I had originally picked out to go with the white crib, but now that we are going with expresso furniture, I'm reconsidering it. It's also from Land of Nod.

As an alternative to the circle bedding, I'm considering this bedding from Caden Lane. I think the brown stripe in the bedding would work better with the espresso furniture.

This is (still) the desk that we are going to incorporate into the room since the baby's room will also double as an office. It's from Crate and Barrel and it's also in an espresso finish. We had originally thought this was a black finish because the website calls the finish ebony. In the store, the tags say espresso and it definitely has a bit of a brown undertone to it.

And instead of the Ikea Hemnes dresser in white, we're looking at the same dresser in their black/brown finish.

Finally, after having remorse about the thought of spending $600 on a crib, here are several alternatives.

For $350, this is the Sweet Pea Modern Crib from JCPenney. The shelves on the end would work well for us since we will be placing the short end of the crib along a wall (the crib will create a peninsula effect in the room) and the shelves would be the first thing you'll see upon walking into the room. I think if you kept the shelves organized (with colored baskets), it could create a cute focal point in the room.

For $200, this is the Renew Standard Crib by Rockland from JCPenney. This is the most reasonably priced option and I think it makes for a nice basic crib.

This option, for $400, incorporates both the white and espresso finish and goes along with the clean lines of the dresser.

Finally, the Annabelle Crib by DaVinci for about $330 (depending on the website) is another alternative. I'm not sure that it's worth the extra $130 over the Renew crib (I don't prefer one style over the other) so it comes in last.

Any thoughts or opinions?

18 weeks in Seattle

2008-03-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

I'm visiting Roger for a few days in Seattle and celebrated 18 weeks yesterday! In the past week, I've really started noticing some physical changes in my body. I've had round ligament pain as things start to stretch. I feel like I could pop at any moment! Maternity pants are becoming a more regular part of my wardrobe! My low rise jeans will still technically fit, but why bother when the stretchy bands on the top of maternity pants are so comfortable! I'll update the belly progress with pictures at 20 weeks and just maybe there will be noticeable progression!

Funny quiz

2008-02-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

According to childbirth.org, I have a 38% chance of having a boy and a 61% chance of having a girl.

And Here's Why...
You are carrying the extra weight out front, so it's a boy.
The hair on your legs is not growing any faster during your preganacy, so it's a girl.
Boys are carried low. You are going to have a boy.
Sleeping in a bed with your pillow to the north indicates that you will be having a boy.
Your feet are not colder than they were before pregnancy. You are having a girl.
You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread. You are having a girl.
Dad-to-be hasn't been gaining weight along with Mom-to-be, so it will be a girl.
The maternal grandmother doesn't have gray hair (dyed or natural), so a girl will be born.
You didn't have morning sickness early in pregnancy, so it will be a boy.
You are looking particularly good during pregnancy. Therefore, it must be a boy, because girls steal their mother's looks.
Your chest development has not been very dramatic during pregnancy. You should expect a boy.
Since the sum of the mother's age at conception and the number of the month of conception is an odd number, it will be a girl.
Your urine is a dull yellow color, so you will have a girl.
You are craving sweets, which means that it is a girl.
Your nose hasn't changed during pregnancy, which indicates a girl.
You have been craving fruits, so it is a girl.
Your baby's heart rate is 140 or more beats per minute, so it's a girl.
You are having headaches, so it's a boy.
Your belly looks like a basketball, so it's a boy.
You show them the palm of your hand, so it's a girl.
You use the body of the mug, so it's a girl.

Some of those are just down right hilarious!!!

Shirts these days...

2008-02-21T18:15:00.000-08:00

So I have to special order my pants, but it seems like the best time to be pregnant because what is the deal with all the loose fitting tops these days?! I love it that these overflowing, billowing tops seem to be in style. Call them tunics or trapeze tops or whatever, it makes it so easy to save money on tops because I'm not trecking out to the maternity store to spend $45 on a basic shirt!

A few firsts this week!

2008-02-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

Week 16 has been pretty eventful thus far. On Sunday evening (16w2d) as I was falling asleep, I felt four twitches on the right hand side of my stomach, just below my belly button. I dismissed it as possible gas or some sort of digestive rumbling, but I made a mental note to remember it in case it happened again. Well last night (16w4d), I felt it again while falling asleep and this time it happened as I rolled from my right side to my left side. It was a little more pronounced the second time around and I feel more confident that it is indeed the little baby in there kicking around!

Another first this week - I got "called out" by one of the employees at Lush. I was there picking out a massage bar to use on my stomach and without even telling her, she says "Oh, these are great when you're pregnant". I'm sure my eyes got huge and I asked her, "You can tell?!". She said that she noticed a little bump!

16 Weeks

2008-02-16T07:57:00.000-08:00

My 16 week stats

Weight: 150 (+ 1 pound since last weigh in, + 2 pounds total
Baby's heart rate: 162bpm

Maternity Jeans!

2008-02-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

I ordered and just received these maternity jeans from the Ebay shop, Time of Your Life Maternity. They are a brand I've never heard of, James Cured by Seun, but the reason I bought them was because they are only one of three brands (that I've found) that carry maternity jeans in a 35" inseam! I tried them on immediately and am in love. First off, the wash is fabulous. They are a lighter weight denim and have a very soft feel - almost like they've been washed 100 times - but they look brand new! Secondly, the stretchy demi panel feels like heaven! I'm still able to wear my pre-pregnancy jeans, but when the day comes for these, I will welcome them with open arms!

Shopping!

2008-02-04T11:44:00.001-08:00

Roger and I have a wedding to go to in one month out in California and I also wanted something to wear for Easter weekend. Because I'll only be 19 weeks and 21 weeks, respectively, I don't think I will need full out maternity clothes, just clothes that are roomier in the tummy area.

Here is a swing jacket that hits about mid stomach.

To be worn over this cute shirt which has grey circles in it!
And finally, this empire waisted dress. There's definitely room for a growing belly inside! I have to thank Kristal for bringing my attention to this dress :)

And for the baby, I bought a Maya Sling in a beautiful jewel tone blue color.

And I will be making my own Moby wrap with 5 yards of stretchy knit fabric in a beautiful light pool colored fabric.
Hopefully that will be the end of shopping for a little while. I certainly don't want to go overboard!

I need your opinions

2008-01-30T11:47:00.001-08:00

To give you a little background, our baby's future room will also be doubling as an office. We will no longer have a spare bedroom and my jewelry making supplies will either be moved to our bedroom or to an area in the basement. I had to choose between keeping the jewelry table or the computer table in the nursery and I chose to keep the office in the nursery due to the small beads and components that are involved in making jewelry. So, I need to incorporate both a nursery and an office into one room. Here are the pieces that I have picked out.

Crib - from C&B It's called the Straight Up Crib

This dresser is from Ikea - part of the Hemnes collection. I would switch out the knobs to something more whimsical once the baby arrives.

Finally, this is a desk from C&B that folds up and looks like a dresser when you're not using it. Inside, there is a sliding keyboard shelf, a sliding printer shelf, a legal/letter size filing drawer, and a place for a cpu. Unless I get a laptop, my black flat screen monitor would sit on top, along with my speakers.

I hadn't planned on doing both white and black furniture in the same room, but I'm having a hard time finding a white computer cabinet that doesn't take up a lot of space. I think I can make it work - I see people combine white and black in the same room and they pull it off just fine. What do you think?

A tribute to my first trimester

2008-01-30T08:20:00.000-08:00

I've graduated to the second trimester and would like to share with you some highlights from my first trimester!

November 22, 2007 – 9dpo – First Craving
We were celebrating Thanksgiving with my family and I had no idea I was pregnant at the time. I went off on my mom about throwing out the relish tray because I wanted some of the pickled vegetable medley and marinated mushrooms! My aunt Helen even asked if I had something to tell the family!!!

November 28, 2007 – 15dpo – Positive pregnancy test
Believe it or not, I only took one pregnancy test, a digital one, to confirm my pregnancy when I was three days late.

December 22, 2007 – 7w4d – Told Roger’s family and received first baby gift.
Roger used the 2x4 method to tell his family that we were pregnant (his dad’s words!). He basically waited until everyone gathered in the kitchen and then just non-chalantly said “and Christie’s pregnant”! Claire gave us our first baby gift, a colorful toy lion that attaches over the baby’s car seat.

December 27, 2007 – 8w2d – First ultrasound
The baby measured right on track and a due date of August 6th was given. The baby’s heart rate was 167 beats per minute.

December 31, 2007 – 8w6d – Told friends officially
I made the announcement on our blog and emailed friends.

January 4th, 2008 – 9w3d – Food aversions seems to be passing
I had Chicken Chardonnay with my mom today at Roberto’s followed up by a chocolate lava cake and spumoni ice cream!

January 17th, 2008 – 11w2d - First prenatal yoga class. It was amazing! We do a lot of breathing techniques with the poses and I can definitely tell that I am benefiting from the stretching and relaxing!

January 22nd, 2008 – 12w4d - Second ultrasound. Roger was in town for this one and we were both amazed to see how much the baby had grown in four weeks. The heart rate was good at 155bpm and you could see individual fingers and toes. The baby was shadow boxing and kicking it’s legs all over the place! A new due date of August 1st was given.

January 24th, 2008 – 12w6d – Had a craving for fried pickles so I asked around and found a place in South County that serves them. I made Roger go with me after yoga class!!!

And onto the second trimester!

Bella Band

2008-01-26T06:58:00.000-08:00

I'm going to have to break down and buy one...a bella band that is. I wore khaki pants yesterday and I was so uncomfortable when I sat down and tried to lean forward! I've been lucky enough to be able to wear jeans and yoga pants throughout the pregnancy so far and with jeans being cut with such a low rise these days, the waist sits well below my growing belly. Yesterday, I wore khaki pants that were cut with more of a mid rise and the waist band was not my friend! I know that maternity pants will be generally hard for me to find. I wear a 35 1/2" inseam and most "long" maternity styles at places like Gap and Old Navy are 34". If this bella band works out, hopefully I'll be able to get another month or two out of my pre-pregnancy pants. You wear the band with your pants unbuttoned and even unzipped. The idea of having my pants undone makes me a little nervous, but we'll give it a try!

First Maternity Clothes

2008-01-25T07:40:00.000-08:00

Even though I don't need them yet, I couldn't pass up an awesome sale at Ann Taylor Loft! I got these three tops for $44 including shipping and tax! They arrived on my doorstep today and I think all three are going to work in the future. I tried them on and then shoved a towel up under the belly to simulate another couple months growth!

12 week appointment

2008-01-22T16:03:00.001-08:00

I'm movin' on up! I know this won't sound like a big deal, but I was supposed to be at 11w6d based on my first ultrasound and the baby measured at 12w4d, a full 5 days ahead! My new due date is August 1st! The ultrasound was a traditional "belly" ultrasound and because I'm not *that* far along, the pictures aren't nearly as clear as my first ultrasound, which was an internal one. The heartbeat was still strong at 155bpm. The heart rate peaks around week 10 and then levels out to somewhere around 140bpm by 15 weeks.

I'm going to explain these pictures because, admitedly, it's very hard to tell what's going on here! The first two pictures are looking down on the baby from above. Imagine standing above someone and looking down so that you see the top of their head and maybe some arms sticking out to the sides. If the person was seated, you'd also see the top of their legs and maybe their feet.

The first one shows a picture of the top of the head and the right arm, bent at the elbow.

This picture was my favorite for some reason. It shows the top of the baby's head and you can see it's legs crossed at the ankles! It's arms (which are very hard to make out) are up on each side of it's head - kind of like it's camera shy!The last picture is a profile picture and it's just really hard to see what's going on here! Everything is labeled and while it was clearer on the screen, both Roger and I had a hard time making everything out!

Eleven Week Update

2008-01-15T06:44:00.000-08:00

Eleven weeks along and nothing really looks different yet!

Weight:147 (-1 pound)

I've been dealing with an insurance issue that probably has me a little stressed out and could explain the weight loss. I'll explain the story below the picture...

Roger started a new job with Continental back in September. For some reason, his company does not provide medical insurance for the first six months of employment. Therefore, I researched some short term insurance options for the two of us to get us by. Through a company called ExtendHealth, I found a great BCBS policy and was even able to add a maternity rider. During the entire time, I was very clear with the sales representative that this was a short term policy (with Continental insurance taking effect March 1) and that I was not pregnant at the time I was calling, but would like to try to get pregnant and would therefore need maternity coverage. I asked the sales representative to double check to make sure that the maternity rider didn't have an exclusionary period and that I would receive maternity benefits on day one if I needed them. He assured me that there was no waiting or exclusionary period (it's very common that there is one, that's why I had him double check). I pay $110 a month additional for the maternity rider.

So, fast forward to today. I have a second ultrasound (at 12 weeks) scheduled for January 22nd. Because an ultrasound at 12 weeks is not common, it can be questioned by insurance companies. I called BCBS directly to give them codes to check to see if it's covered. Apparently, I do not have ANY maternity benefits for the first 12 months of my policy. Yes, that's right. I've already been in for bloodwork once at 5 weeks and had an ultrasound done at 8 weeks, all without insurance. Also, I have yet to received a bill from either one of these appointments or it would have been completely obvious that none of my services were being covered.

I am livid with the ExtendHealth representative. I called them to try and track him down and apparently he was only with the company for three weeks!!! I had another representative help me and the first line of the maternity rider states that maternity benefits will not be paid for the first 12 months of the policy. Now why the original moron representative couldn't read that is beyond me!

I'm kind of devastated at this point because I've been put in this horrible position of trying to have to budget for necessary care for our child. I have to count my blessings that at least I will have permanent insurance that doesn't exclude maternity coverage for any length of time - I called the three big companies that Continental offers insurance through (Aetna, Cigna, and BCBS) and they will cover me from day one even though I'm pregnant now - come March 1, at which point I'll be about 18 weeks. I just hate that I am in this situation because I did so much to try and make sure that this didn't happen. I can't tell you how many hours (literally) I spent calling insurance companies to make sure this wouldn't be an issue if we wanted to get pregnant.

So the battle continues today. I'm in the process of trying to receive a refund for the three months of maternity coverage that I paid for to help offset the cost of the doctor's appointments and ultrasounds that I will paying for out of pocket. Basically, I will have 4 appointments to pay four out of pocket (the two that I already had, one at 12 weeks, and one at 16 weeks) before our new permanent policy kicks in. It's not the end of the world, but what really gets me so riled (is that a word?!) up is that some random moron from Salt Lake City (where ExtendHealth is located) is making this so difficult! What did I ever do to him?! All the planning and researching in the world doesn't make up for the ignorance of some people!

Vent over! If you made it this far, I really am thankful and grateful to even be pregnant in the first place and this is just a little bump in the road. We'll get through it, the baby will get through it, and as long as it's only a matter of money, all is good in the end!

The name game

2008-01-14T16:47:00.000-08:00

In honor of Jenny's request, here are some names that we've at least discussed and weren't disliked. We're FAR from deciding though!
Girl - middle name will be Lynn (we seem to have a lot more girl names)
Brooke
Katy
Ali
Taylor
Malia (this is sort of a running joke because I have loved this name forever!)
Avery (I loved this name when a character on Felicity was named Avery. However, I think it's become too popular in the past few years and it's all of a sudden a "trendy" name.)

Boy - we have not discussed boy names at all!
Scott
um, yeah, that's it for boys!

I'll get back to you in a few months on this topic! A friend (Krissy) dropped off three name books for me to reference over the coming months so hopefully the list will be a little more encompassing next time!

More decorating

2008-01-13T16:21:00.000-08:00

More random decorating ideas!

I like these three sets from Maddie Boo

Carson

Kirby AveryThis set by NurseryWorks called Set Sea Holly Rose

These two sets by Beautiful Baby:

Retro Dots

Disco Dots

And this set by Caden Lane

Hayden

And finally, I saw this idea for a name sign. I thought it looked relatively easy to diy and I would incorporate the colors of the bedding (once I finally come to a decision!) in the sign.

Decorating ideas (first of many to come I'm sure!)

2008-01-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

The hardest part about not finding out the baby's sex ahead of time will be decorating the nursery. I've decided that I definitely want the nursery to look gender specific so what I'm planning on doing is painting the walls a green color similar to what's shown below. I'll wait on buying bedding and accessories until the baby is born. Some other features that I like about the picture below are the dresser (how it looks like a normal piece of furniture and not something baby specific) and the round mirror.

In addition to painting the walls green, I would like to add a plate rack style moulding about 2/3rds of the way up the wall and paint a stripe pattern similar to what's shown below. I'll incorporate the green color in the stripes, but again, I'll wait until the baby is born to determine what other colors will be included in the stripes - pinks and oranges for a girl and blues and turquoises for a boy.

For a girl, this is one (of probably many to come) of the baby bedding ensembles that I like. I definitely will be going with solids, stripes, dots, or other geometric patterns as opposed to a character theme (like Disney, etc.).

An option for a boy...

And this is the crib style that I will be going with. I never thought I would have a preference on cribs, but here is what I like about this style: The front is the same height as the back (meaning that it doesn't convert to a full size bed like some cribs do that have the higher headboard and lower footboard styling) and the sides are the same height and don't flare out like a sleigh bed. I like the clean lines of this crib. I think we'll be going with a white crib, although I would love to get my hands on a "distressed" or "antique" white crib if I can find one.

As far as a changing table goes, I purchased a dresser for $15 that is in desparate need of refinishing! I'd love to pull out a color from the bedding and paint it to coordinate. Again, I like the idea of using "everyday" furniture as opposed to baby specific furniture so I'll just be using one of those countoured changing pads on top of the dresser as opposed to buying a changing table.

How we told

2007-12-31T13:43:00.000-08:00

This is how we told our family. Background: I had just finished renovating an investment property and since our whole family was together, I made a slideshow of the befores and afters so that my out of town family could see what has been keeping me busy for the past several months. It's a pretty quick video - only about 4 minutes long.

8 week ultrasound!

2007-12-27T13:02:00.000-08:00

What a relief to finally "see" the baby for the first time! I'm measuring a day behind where I thought I was so my new due date is August 6th, 2008. The heart rate was strong at 167 beats per minute and it was the most amazing thing to see it and hear it beating through the ultrasound! Wow, this really makes it feel real!

Check out this short video of the ultrasound. The baby is facing straight on and if you look at the center of it's chest, you can see the heart beating! So amazing!

Back to sleep!

2007-12-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

About four or five days ago, I noticed that it was no longer comfortable to sleep on my side. It feels like there is this huge weight on my back and that when I sleep on my side, every vertebrae is out of alignment. So I've been sleeping on my back. I know there has to be an easy fix - maybe a body pillow against my back when I'm sleeping on my side to help provide support? Sounds like a good excuse to go shopping...

Six Weeks & My Starting Stats

2007-12-11T08:33:00.000-08:00

I'm six weeks today and here's what a typical day consists of for me:

Go to bed at 9:30pm

Get up at 8am - yes, that's almost 11 hours of sleep

Go strong until noon

Fight to keep eyes open until 3 or 4pm

Afternoon "second wind" from dinner until about 8pm

Struggle to keep from falling asleep on couch and drag self up into bed around 9pm.

Rinse, wash, repeat!

Since I didn't bother taking a picture of my belly the second I found out that I was pregnant, I'm going to use six weeks as my starting point.

Weight: 148

Belly Shot:

First doctor's appointment

2007-12-08T18:42:00.000-08:00

I had my first doctor's appointment at 5 weeks, 3 days on Friday, December 7th. They drew 8 or 9 vials of blood and the doctor did an internal exam. Not sure what you can tell this early on, but everything looked and felt normal! Also, I was concerned about my progersterone level since I had issues with my cycles that were due to low progesterone. However, it appears that my progesterone has corrected itself with the pregnancy. They were looking for anything above 15 and mine was at 30.1. A range of first trimester pregnancies show progesterone levels from 10 to 47 so I'm right in the middle! I'll take average!

Thirty

2007-12-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

The number thirty represents two things to me.

1. The maximum number of pounds I would like to gain with my pregnancy (keep my fingers crossed on this one because I'm not good at denying myself of cravings).

2. The maximum number of pounds I'm supposed to lift while being pregnant.

I'm shocked that I'm not supposed to lift more than 30 pounds! I broke that rule twice today as I carried the air compressor to the truck and then again when I carried a 55 gallon trash bag full of scraps of drywall and other trash from the investment property. Don't get me wrong, I definitely watch myself now, but 30 pounds?! This is a bit ridiculous for my line of work!