farewell, blog

After much deliberation, I've decided to leave the baby blog behind and blog exclusively at our family blog: ThingsDaily.com. After all, Harper is part of the family now! Come on over! Thanks for following, commenting, voting, and sharing in the journey.

welcome, baby Harper!

They say to sleep while the baby sleeps, so I really should be sleeping (or cleaning the kitchen!) right now. But it's about time I posted Harper's birth story, so here I am. Feel free to jump to the condensed timeline version of the story at the end of this very long post.

The story really starts back in December, when a crucial detail took place.  We signed up for a supplemental health insurance option that covers hospitalization - basically a guaranteed payout when you have a baby. Several friends and family members clued us in to this insurance and we signed up on the 22 of December.  In order for the payout to occur, however, it had to be active for 10 months before we could claim any money.  No problem.  We were thinking we'd have our first baby around January of 2011.

As the new year rolled around we started getting more and more antsy for kids, so we decided to abandon the birth control at the end of January.  It wasn't until I got pregnant and we figured the due date out that we realized we were cutting it pretty close as far as our insurance was concerned!  We would have to have our baby after October 22. The due date was Nov. 3, so as long as she wasn't more than 12 days early we'd be fine.

When October 22 rolled around we were relieved that we had made it!  We told our baby that she could come at any time - but I honestly figured she'd be late, as many first-timers are.  That evening we went to dinner and a movie with McKay's parents.  McKay and I opted to walk the half-mile from the theater to the restaurant, haf-joking that it might induce labor.  After our fun-filled evening we went back home to finish our Friday night.  All during the movie and dinner I was pretty uncomfortable.  My lower back hurt, my muscles ached and I was burning through tums. But there were no contractions - just uncomfortable end of pregnancy stuff.  At home I fell asleep on the couch while McKay finished up some work stuff.  At 1 am we headed up to bed - our last night as a family of 2!

Around 4 am I was having a dream about giving birth and breastfeeding.  My eyes popped open as I felt two small gushes happening down south.

"What!? Was that my water breaking!?!"


Quickly I checked the time. 4:03.

COAT . . . color, odor, amount, time. I rehearsed the acronym of water breakage stats as I headed to the bathroom.

Sure enough, this was it.

I shook McKay awake.  "I think my water just broke".

He hopped out of bed.
"Okay, what do we do first?" he asked, alert.
"You install the car seat, I'll shower and get my stuff together."

About 40 minutes later we were on our way to the hospital, bags packed, and munching on dry cereal and string cheese.  Excited, nervous, yet calm and comfortable.

We checked in and I climbed aboard the wheelchair bound for labor and delivery.  I stripped down and put on my loose, flowy robe. We checked in right at a shift change so we went through a handful of nurses before our team was set. We had the best experience with our nurse, Katy and our midwife, Claudia and the whole crew at Timpanogos Hospital.

Because I had tested positive for Group B Strep I was hooked up to an antibiotic to make sure Harper didn't get any infections once out of her protective sack!  Because my water broke first, before I was in serious labor, and because I had this strep thing and was being pumped with antibiotics (every 4 hours), time was of the essence.  Claudia suggested we get going on pitocin to move labor along.  I was initially anti-pitocin because I wanted my labor to progress naturally until I was really in labor - at which point I'd get an epidural and finish up medicated.  But, after weighing the pros and cons, and realizing that getting Harper here before a third dose of antibiotics were administered would be ideal for both baby and me, we went for it.

The nurse anesthetist came in and got the epidural in. The pitocin was started and my legs started falling asleep. It was such a funny and weird feeling not being able to move my legs or wiggle my toes!  Especially because my right side was completely numb right away, but my left side had a tiny bit of feeling through most of labor.  I was able to tell when contractions were hitting - on my left side - but it wasn't bad.  In fact, I watched some Office episodes, played Tetris and dozed in and out of sleep until it was time to push!

At about 1:00 Katy came in to check me.  I was only dilated to about a 6, but I was all effaced and Harper was descending into the birth canal a bit more.  Hopefully things would pick up soon!  About 45 minutes later Claudia decided to check me again.  This time?  Dilated to 9 3/4.  Alright!  It would soon be time to push.

Claudia, Katy, McKay and a student nurse helped me push and when Harper started crowning, McKay put gloves on and helped Claudia with the delivery.  As Harper's head and shoulder came out, McKay was right there helping her make her entrance into the world!  When her top half was out, Claudia had me reach down and together McKay and I pulled Harper the rest of the way out and up on to me.  They got her all cleaned up as McKay and I held out new baby girl!  What an incredible moment!

she's healthy and happy

The rest of the day is a bit of a blur of breastfeeding, visitors, various vital sign checkups for both Harper and me, and lots of emotions!

already going for the thumb!

The whole staff were champs and we really had a great experience.  We love our baby girl.  It's difficult to describe the emotions I'm experiencing as a mom, but it really does give me a new perspective on parenting, and life in general.

We are so happy.  More to come!

our sweet girl

Labor & Delivery Timeline
4am- water broke
5am- arrived at hospital
6am- first dose of antibiotics
stats: 80% effaced, dilated to about a 4.
8am- midwife Erica off duty, Claudia on duty
We discuss pitocin, decide to get going with epidural and pitocin
10:00am- second dose of antibiotics
epidural in, pitocin pumping, catheter taking care of business
11:30am- stats: fully effaced, only dilated to about a 5.5
nap, play, text, Office, chat with McKay, as labor progresses
1:00pm- stats: dilated to a 6, fully effaced, baby at station 0
1:45pm- stats: dilated to a 9 3/4!  Baby at station 1.  Time to push in 15 minutes!
2:00pm- McKay, Katy, Claudia and a student nurse help me start pushing.
2:20ish- Harper starts crowning, McKay puts on gloves, gets instructions from Claudia and delivers Harper!
2:32pm- Harper's head and upper half are out, Claudia has me reach down and McKay and I pull Harper the rest of the way out, and right onto me!  They get her cleaned up as I'm holding her.
Our little family of three!

  

38 weeks, 3 days, and broken water!!

My water broke at 4 am! I'm sitting in the hospital bed dilated to a 4 and excited/a little scared!!

Sorry I missed the 38 week post. This is more exciting though!!!

officially full term

I'm 37 weeks today, which makes me officially "full term".  If I went into labor tonight our baby girl would not be considered pre-mature.  But I think the extra couple weeks will be good for her.  So I guess I'll be patient...

my 37-week belly

I'm almost getting used to my bowling-ball-belly.  I barely even notice it getting bigger these days, although I'm reminded when I try to do things like put socks on, shave my legs, pick anything up that is below knee-level, and one of the hardest tasks: turn over in bed.

Last weekend my sisters-in-law gave me a family baby shower - I'm so spoiled!  It turned out great - good food, and lots of cuddly pink gifts.  Nesting mode is in high-gear and I've been suppressing the urge to go out on a baby shopping spree until after my baby showers.  But that hasn't stopped me from organizing and reorganizing the baby's room!  I have gentle detergent ready to use on my already sorted newborn-3 month clothes and blankets.

It's getting so close now!  But I will say, nine months is a long time to be pregnant.  I'm getting more and more excited to meet our little girl and see what she looks like.  I feel like we're little buddies already!  She seems to wake up and start moving around when McKay and I wake up and start talking in the morning.  It's like she wants to be part of the fun.  She's pretty cool.

Let the 3 week countdown begin!  And don't forget to add your birth day guess to the Baby Thomas Guessing game (top right).

Friday pop-in

Maybe it's my eyes playing tricks on me, or maybe it's just the sweater I wore yesterday, but the baby seems to be riding a little lower these last couple days...

Is it just me? Could she be working her way down, prepping for that all-important birthday?! Hope so.

I'm absolutely loving this song right now. So precious. Have a great weekend!

My Sweet, My Lovely by Plumb

thirty six weeks

I'm getting so large!

Four weeks to go, and I'm getting READY! To Do's: two baby showers these next two weekends - shout-out to Michelle and Julie for putting them together, thank you! - a car seat to install, a dresser/bookshelf to get from Ikea, a hospital bag to pack, some baby clothes to wash/hang dry, rocking chair legs to tighten, and plenty of naps to take!

Although this baby is really starting to crowd my space, I'm loving this last phase. I'm huge, I waddle, I grunt and breathe heavy when I move, but I feel like a million bucks. I even pulled out my sassy fall boots for my errands today. I was magically transformed from a pregnant penguin to a hot and slim lady with places to go. At least that's how I felt as my heels clicked on the rainy parking lot pavement. I don't think passersby got the same vibe...

I'm down to weekly doctor's appointments, and these ones are getting fun. Lots of personal area violation in the next month, culminated by the ultimate privacy annihilation party on delivery day. October is going to be great! See you soon, baby!

one month to go

Yesterday was officially one month before my due date! Worthy of a blog post, I think. Here's proof that you really do keep growing like mad as the end draws near!

1 month to go!

So, it's the final countdown! It seems like a couple weeks ago I was writing the 100 day countdown post. Now, to be 30 days away feels unreal. I've spent some time looking back over some of my first posts to this blog. It's crazy how quickly my due date is approaching, and yet how long ago those early days seem now. It's funny how big I felt like I was getting even six weeks ago. Now my 30 week picture makes me look small! I'll just plan on doubling in size this month - no surprises.

We got our car seat the other day and will soon be driving around with it installed, empty, and ready at any moment!

This past weekend was wonderful. Conference had some great parenting messages, I thought. Particularly Larry Lawrence. Wow! Even though his message was directed to parents of teenagers I ate up every word. Great counsel. Between sessions on Saturday we met up with Monta to pick out the lace she'll be putting on the blessing dress she made for us. I'm allowed to brag about my mother-in-law, right? She's amazing! The dress is beautiful, with smocking around the sleeves, collar, and bottom ruffles. And now she's furiously quilting a baby quilt - when she's not teaching her 9th graders, hiking, or training for marathons. What a woman!

Saturday night my mom and Monta and I went to dinner while our men were at Priesthood session. Over dinner I discovered that all my mom's babies (minus the two boys who were premature) were high 8 pounders, and that Monta had one baby under nine pounds, and two over nine pounds- all of which had huge noggins - and yes, McKay was Monta's biggest baby.

So I'm preparing myself for a giant baby with a giant head! But, I hear big babies are good sleepers, so let's cross our fingers for that! McKay insists that she'll be small - his attempt at keeping me calm, I think! So we decided to start collecting guesses for our baby's arrival day, time, height, and weight. Here's what we've got so far (baby's due date = November 3rd)

McKay's guess: November 1, 3:00pm. 6lbs, 5 oz (refused to give an inches guess, don't ask me why!)

My mom's guess: October 27, 1:15pm. 8lbs, 12 oz // 21 inches

My dad's guess: November 1, 2:14pm. 7lbs, 12 oz // 19.5 inches

My brother, Randy's guess: November 2, 5:30am. 7 lbs // 22 inches

My guess: November 4, 10:17am. 8 lbs, 2 oz // 22 inches

Join in the fun by adding your guesses to the mix! Check out "Baby Thomas Guessing Game" at the top right of this blog.

35

I am 35 weeks today, with 35 days until my due date! I was wondering how I would keep growing this last month or so, and I think "out" is the answer to that question.

It's hard to tell for sure, but I think I felt my first Braxton-Hicks contractions this past Sunday. Fun stuff. They aren't painful, just tight. It makes me feel like I'm getting closer to the end!

I've said this before, but I really feel blessed to have had a very mild and relatively comfortable pregnancy. Last night I didn't sleep well at all, but those occasions are few and far between. I'm experiencing a bit of that famous "round ligament pain" so I've been piling, wedging and positioning multiple pillows around me at night. Last night McKay and I were getting into bed when a craving for Arby's hit me. Because I've had so few crazy late night cravings, McKay has been anxious to be the knight in shining armor when they have hit. So he bounded out of bed, threw on some jeans and cruised to the nearest Arby's. Love me some curly fries and roast beef! What a good man.

We can't wait to meet you, baby!

thirty four . . . thirty five . . .

Time flies when you're having fun, I suppose! Tomorrow marks 35 weeks and I didn't even post for 34 weeks. I do have a picture from last week, though. Here for your viewing pleasure . . .

I can't believe I got this zipped up! It was a struggle, but I wanted to see if I could do it. Little baby must not have appreciated the additional confinement because she started banging on my belly to let me know I was cramping her style!

You're free! You're free!

I'm really starting to feel huge these days! Moving, in general, is getting tricky. Getting out of bed is laughable, and happens once or twice each night as our little jokester thinks it's funny to use my bladder as her pillow! But it's all part of the ride, and we're getting very close to the end! Nesting mode is in full swing. I love looking at adorable tiny clothes online, making lists of the things I still need/want, and hitting up Baby Gap's sale rack.

I have pretty regular dreams about having the baby. Although they are typically unrealistic . . . she's often a boy and there's usually no pain/tearing/trauma from labor (hope that dream comes true!). Breastfeeding must be on the subconscious brain all the time because getting my dreamworld baby to latch is almost always the main theme of my dreams! The other night, my "baby" was a little boy with several teeth when I was trying to teach him to latch. I'll have to take that one to the dream interpreter . . .

The only thing left for the nursery is a dresser. I've been hitting up KSL pretty regularly but have yet to find the winning piece (maybe we'll check out DI?). This hasn't stopped me from organizing, folding and refolding her various jammies, blankets, onesies, pants and hats . . . several times! It's unbelievable how close we're getting. Our emotions are all over the place and typically bounce around between fear, anticipation, gratitude, and over-the-top excitement.

It's the home stretch, folks. Thanks for following along! In roughly one month we'll be parents . . . any final words of advice?

the next 48 days

Down to seven weeks! It's hard to believe I am 33 weeks now. I remember how far away November felt in the early days. It seemed like all my friends were racing through their pregnancies and having their babies and I was still a bumpless, grumpy, boy-or-girl? first trimester-er. But, here we are! Time marches on.

The growing bump

Sometimes I wonder how pregnant I really look. I'm getting so used to this bowling ball that I imagine myself looking like a moderately normal person. Then I see the profile shots! And I remember. And I wonder how the next seven weeks will look! Here is me seven weeks ago . . .

26-week me! I've done lots of growing since then . . .

Baby stats of the week: she's around 5 pounds and 20 inches long this week! Her fingernails are long (and may need a trim ASAP once she gets here!). She continues to flail around inside, despite being more and more cramped in her quarters! We are getting so excited to have her here . . . and I can see how people get anxious toward the end. Every couple days I feel like I should be another week along. It's not that the days feel long, I'm really enjoying my schedule and have started to structure my days with little projects and goals before teaching my afternoon lessons. But still, in baby time, I feel like I should be about ready to deliver!

On a final note, I'm very excited for my ward baby shower tonight. A huge shout out and thank you to Kim Allgood (the champion of celebrations, cooking, and giving me mom/home advice!) for putting it together. Should be a party!!

With that, I better get to my structured day!

eight week countdown

Well, folks, I am 32 weeks today. With eight weeks until my due date. That seems pretty soon! Eight weeks is the amount of time between Halloween and Christmas. And eight weeks ago was right in between the 4th and the 24th of July. When I think of all the stuff I need to do/get before our little girl arrives . . . it feels like time is running out!

Stats of the week: I'm getting big.

So is baby.

Her immune system is getting strong and she opens her eyes when she is awake. She can perceive light and darkness through the ever thinning uterus wall. She's between 3.5 and 4 pounds and 17 and 19 inches long. Wow. No wonder she's jabbing and squirming around! I'd be claustrophobic if I were in there all bunched up.

I'm so grateful for how uneventful this pregnancy has been. My heartburn comes and goes, and I have some sciatic nerve annoyance every now and then (mostly when I clean the house . . . better pass that duty off to someone else!). But I'm sleeping well, and I'm feeling generally good.

Lots of fun stuff to look forward to in these next 8 weeks. Fallidays has arrived! McKay and I love autumn! To celebrate, we created Fallidays which runs from the day after Labor Day to Thanksgiving day. During this festive season we make soups and pumpkin treats and cocoa and wear sweaters and savor the beautiful leaves and crisp air. General Conference (and screpes) are coming up in October, and I have a few more baby showers to look forward to.

And though I can't wait to hold my baby and regain some mobility, I am enjoying relaxing evenings with McKay, staying up late, napping, and basically doing what I want! I hear it from a lot of people - and I'll do my best to enjoy these last weeks of pregnancy before my little girl is taking all my time (though I'm excited to give it!). Here's to a fabulous eight weeks.

thirty-one

One more week down! I'm two months away from my due date and I'm feeling good. My belly seems to be growing by the second. I run it into everything and find peanut butter smudges, make-up, and pen on my protruding bulge far too often! Thanks to Oxi-clean (five points to Kim for introducing me to this wonder product) my clothes have a fighting chance of making it through these next 9 weeks.

look at the size of that thing!

Our baby is still kickboxing a lot - especially at night! But she's filling up her little home so her jabs have less room to build momentum! That being said, I'm also feeding her well, so she's fattening up nicely, which means those elbows and knees she's throwing around are getting stronger!

It's been really fun for McKay to see and feel her moving these past weeks. It's exciting for him to feel connected to my 24/7 companion. This week he pointed out that my belly is "significantly bigger" than last week. Thanks, honey. But seriously, it's so fun to be in this stage of so much change and growth and movement! I'm glad he's excited (and observant!). I really can't imagine how much bigger I'll be by the time November rolls around.

31 weeks

On a final note, tomorrow I'm heading up to the Uintas with McKay's family. We'll be hiking an easy (or so I'm told) mile in to our camp site and staying until Monday morning. We have all our stuff in backpacks - including food (think oatmeal, trail mix and freeze-dried dinners) for 3.5 days. Am I crazy? Maybe. I have a little air mattress, fortunately. But 4 days in the wilderness with no couch/bed/shower/toilet (yep, we'll be digging holes)... Adventurous for sure! I do enjoy the outdoors, I've just never gotten so cozy with nature... and at 7 months pregnant! Fingers crossed...

75%

Wow! It's the big 30 week mark. 75% done. 10 weeks left.

We'll commemorate this momentous milestone by taking a journey. to the past.

Flash back 26 weeks ago, to February 26. McKay had been on a business trip and said I wasn't allowed to pee on any sticks until he came back. When he did, I was ready.

positive! 4 weeks pregnant

Over the next bundle of weeks, I did my best to take a picture a week of my growing profile. I only missed a handful of photo shoots. Here's a timeline of my baby bump.

click image to enlarge

And now - about 6 months, a BYU diploma, and two seasons later - here I am at 30 weeks!

The baby is growing and moving like crazy. It's fun to see little wiggles and jolts coming from my belly. It's hard to believe that there are ten more weeks of growth left in this child - and in my body!

I'm really enjoying this stage of things. Although my lungs and ribs feel a bit crowded, I'm grateful for the occasional discomfort. My baby girl is growing healthy and strong. I couldn't wish for anything more.

10 weeks ago we found out we were expecting a girl. And 10 weeks before that we were listening to Steve Jobs announce the iPad from our basement apartment. In the next 10 weeks we'll celebrate the best season of the year and get ready for our little one to arrive. Happy three quarters!

twenty nine + shower

I had my first baby shower last night - thanks to my in-laws!

Wendy and Monta were the treat champs. We sipped pink lemonade and enjoyed cupcakes and ice cream with peaches and chocolate sauce. Mmmmmm!

I got some essentials: onesies, hats, bibs, blankets

and some luxuries: Cuddle-U, diaper genie, cash, and . . . the car seat I've had my eye on (coming soon)!

And, feast your eyes on these:

tiny + pink = inevitably cute! It's crazy & exciting to think of actually putting little feet into those shoes, or guiding tiny wiggly arms through mini onesie arm-holes. Wow.

In less than 11 weeks she'll be here! I'm 29 weeks along. My belly is growing. The baby has found out how to kick my bladder! I had my first charlie horse the other night that pulled me out of blissful slumber. And my first thought as I tried to move my leg was "there's no way I could deliver natural!" Ha ha! I guess I'm freaked about labor.

Weekly pics

Baby stats for the week: she's getting a bit fatter and her brain is getting those little grooves this week! She's starting to lose that white fuzzy hair covering her body as her brain and circulatory system are able to regulate her body temperature now. Pretty cool.

We are excited to have her here. But until then we'll keep watching movies every night and napping when we feel like it. It's only a matter of time before those luxuries are a thing of the past!

28 weeks, 12 to go!

Another Wednesday! Another week. This week we begin the 12 week countdown. For some reason 12 weeks seems short. Much shorter than 13 weeks . . .

Fun facts for the week: the baby is 17 inches long! She probably won't get too much taller before she is born, but she'll easily double, and maybe even triple her weight before making her debut into our family. She's about 3 pounds right now.

She's been moving around a lot and her movements are getting bigger/stronger/more noticeable. She's quite the active kid! Especially at night. And so it beings, right? Maybe we can change her nocturnal habits . . . or maybe she'll change ours!

Not too much else to report. I've been moderately consistent in my gym attendance, which I'll count as a success! Swimming is the dream exercise for pregnancy, FYI. I've also been doing some low-impact weight lifting. Partly for health, and mostly because I'm freaked out about delivering a baby out of shape!

And now for this week's picture:

And finally - anyone out there have any thoughts/recommendations on childbirth classes? What's good? What's a waste of time? What's relevant?

third trimester!!

27 weeks!! Welcome to trimester three! Wow, here already? And yet, I've been pregnant for half a year . . . does that sound like a long time to anyone else? It's funny how time can play tricks - I can't decide if the time has flown by or not. I have a feeling the rest of my life is going to feel like this.

Let's start the fun! There are some cool baby stats for the week:

Our little girl may be dreaming this week! Brain wave activity, including REM sleep cycles, have been measured in third trimester babies. Wow! I wonder what she's dreaming about . . .

She's weighing in at around 2.5 pounds and about 16 inches long (like a little snake!). That seems long for such a lightweight.

Coughing, blinking, sucking and breathing are talents that are being refined this week. Her lungs have matured enough that her chances of survival are pretty good if she should decide to come this early. Although we strongly advise against this! Stay in there for a while, baby!

Mom stats for the week:

I'm growing!

My ribs often feel as if they are being pulled apart. Especially when I'm driving. Hmmmm . . .

I'm starting to get uncomfortable doing anything other than lying on my side! My bed is my most favorite place to be these days :)

My tailbone hates me after three hours of church - two of which are spent on a piano bench!

But life's not all uncomfortable! Out little girl is moving around a lot which is a lot of fun. I can't identify them yet, but I'm starting to feel body parts trying to push their way out of my skin!

My bellybutton is starting to disappear!

Sometimes my belly looks lopsided - like she's curled up on one half of my body.

Oh my gosh, as I write this I'm seeing movement from the outside for the first time! She must be kickboxing in there right now - maybe to remind me to go to the gym. Wow! And thanks to the iPhone 4, McKay and I just got off a FaceTime phone call where she did a little dance for her dad to see. Awesome. What a fun moment to kick off trimester 3 (my lucky number) and August (my birthday month)!

And now, for the pics of the week

It's fun to see the votes coming in on the name poll! Our decision is about 99% made (including middle name), but of course we'll keep that under wraps for a while. Wouldn't want to sway the votes!

Happy T3!

26 weeks

It's the last week of my second trimester and time is flying! The first 13 weeks felt twice as long as the last 13 have . . . and if the next 13 double in speed again . . . she'll basically be here tomorrow!

Fun facts for this week:

Our baby is over 2 pounds and is about 15 inches long! Measurement is now from head to foot, rather than crown to rump like in the early kidney bean days.

She is wiggling around a lot, especially at night.

Her hearing is getting better, and her taste buds are quite developed! Apparently she can get the hiccups now, if the amniotic fluid tastes . . . hiccupy.

And speaking of eating . . . she's giving me heartburn! I've never had heartburn problems in the past, no matter how spicy or crazy the food. It started out as a little sensation late at night around week 20 and has since grown into an almost 24/7 deal. I wake up feeling good - and fortunately I don't have trouble sleeping - but as soon as I eat - whether I eat cereal, jalapenos, or smoothies I'm packing some heat in the throat! Oh well. I've been downing Tums and I've gotten some suggestions on other remedies as well. I'll survive!

Next, for your viewing pleasure . . .

26 week pictures - complete with maternity jeans line!

for a fun comparison, check out week eight to see this same shirt without a 15 inch baby underneath!

We are sure getting excited for our little girl! Yesterday we picked out fabrics for a quilt Monta (McKay's mom) is making for us. We also decided what we want the blessing dress to look like and Monta is going to get cranking on that too. We got our first official baby gift from McKay's Mom's cousin - complicated, I know, but she's like an aunt to us. She's also a quilter and made us a really cute baby quilt. It's fun putting stuff in the nursery!! All we need now is a little dresser and I think we'll have the nursery covered . . . minus bedding . . . and paint . . . okay so just the furniture will be taken care of. It's a good start . . .

100 day countdown

As I write this, I am approximately six minutes away from the stroke of 12 . . . and the official 100th day until my due date! It seems like I should do something momentous to begin the countdown. A paper chain? Seems long. Spend $100 on clothes? fun, but probably not realistic. Make a list of 100 things to do before she's born? seems like a recipe for disappointment . . .

Something I would like to do before the baby comes is polish up a really cool piano piece I worked on back in high school but never really finished. I dusted it off this evening and remembered what a great piece it is. For those of you who are musically inclined, the piece is Variations Seriuses by Mendelssohn.

Check out a great old performance by Sviatoslav Richter:



Anyone have any fun countdown commemoration ideas?

pictures . . . finally!

Sue me . . . I've become a hit-and-miss blogger. Hopefully this is just a phase!

Okay, I'm 25 1/2 weeks and have 23 week and 25 week pictures to share.

23 weeks

25 weeks

blog slacker

guilty as charged.

Turns out the past two weeks have flown by without a blog post! Yikes. Sorry about that.

I'm 23 weeks (and 2 days) today! Our little squiggly is 8 1/2 inches long - as in standard letter size! I think an envelope is much easier to visualize than an ear of corn - which is this week's vegetable of description. Why random veggies, I wonder?

Anyway, she also weighs around a pound and a half - though I wouldn't be surprised if she's a bit ahead of schedule- it seems like there's a rock in my belly! And I've got 4 months and 6 or 7 more pounds of baby before she's here . . . wish me luck.

In other good news, I finally hit the jackpot with maternity clothes! Remember those jeans I wrote about a couple weeks ago? Well, they were good but only medium good. I just figured they were as good as I was going to get. But thanks to Ross (dress for less!) I found a pair of real, honest to goodness, perfect fit skinny jeans for just $13.99!! That's right - a fraction of the price of the other jeans (which I will be returning this afternoon). I got a few cute tops as well, for about 8 or 9 bucks each. What a relief! Affordable clothes that can help me out of this frump slump I've been in!

Now that we know she's a she the name game is back in full swing. And we're struggling. We go back and forth on names all the time. Whatever name you've heard as "the latest favorite" is probably out-dated and off our list (at least temporarily) by now. We have a current favorite but maybe I'll let it simmer for a few days before publicly adding it to our very volatile "list". Maybe we should do a prize giveaway or something for the person with the winning name suggestion! At least we have a few months to figure that out . . .

Pictures forthcoming!! Happy Friday

first videos

A fun new feature of my iPhone is the HD video camera and editing capabilities! I decided to try out this feature with a few videos for my baby blog.

I learned some valuable lessons. Number 1? Always turn your camera to landscape mode before shooting the video. Rather than re-record, I just decided to let that lesson live on in this first video where you'll get a little tour of the baby's room (in its current state). Feel free to go full screen and enjoy it in hi-def!

I also had fun learning how to use iMovie and its various editing abilities. So, enjoy a couple of minutes of footage, which represent basically my whole afternoon of tinkering!

21 weeks

Hooray! I now have fewer weeks to wait than I have been pregnant. Woooohoooo!

Baby stats for 21 weeks:

Our little girl is the size of (and I quote) a "spaghetti squash". Well that doesn't really help me at all. Maybe I'm just not a gourmet cook, but it doesn't seem like that is the kind of vegetable that I interact with on a regular basis. For those who are equally confused, that equals about 8 inches. And she weighs about one pound this week! We've graduated from ounces to pounds, alright!

She is refining her sense of touch this week, and because there is nothing to play with in there, she will likely grab the umbilical cord from time to time to practice her grabbing skills!

She is also able to perceive light more behind those sealed eyelids, so if I shine a flashlight on my belly she should be able to perceive it! Cool.

Her hair has no pigment yet, so if we could see her she'd be sporting bright white hair!

And, she's doubtless getting cuter by the week!

Mommy stats for 21 weeks:

I'm starting to get uncomfortable . . . already. I'm noticing my belly just being in the way and annoying! I can't lie on my back anymore without being pretty uncomfortable. When I get too full I instantly become immobile and want to lie down for a day or two. Also, I better get exercising asap cause I'm getting to be pretty weak sauce. I get winded walking up the stairs/small hills. Yikes. Gotta get swimming, walking, yoga-ing or something!

Fortunately, I'm still feeling really good. I've been blessed with a mild pregnancy, and aside from some emo days and mood swings, I'm typically feeling great. I will admit, I still love to take naps whenever possible, but they aren't essential to my quality of life.

Picture of the week - and I know it looks way yellow! My attempts at doctoring it up failed - better luck next time, huh?

it's a . . .

This morning we had our ultrasound - which was an amazing experience! It was so fun to see our baby's cute little profile and pumping heart and toes and legs and . . . parts.

Here's a little video highlighting the event


We are so excited!

HALFWAY!!

I'm officially at my halfway point! And tomorrow is the ultrasound - so exciting! I think the baby is really excited for tomorrow's video debut, because there has been lots of jumping and wiggling around today.

20 week stats have the baby at the size of a large banana this week - 7 inches from crown to rump and 11 ounces heavy! The baby is swallowing nutritious amniotic fluid and practicing eating for when he/she arrives in November. Also, there's about 12-14 hours of sleeping going on right now . . . from the baby, that is. I'm getting my fair share as well.

Now, for the 20 week pictures:

if you look closely you can see some of the road rash on my

nose from my little episode on Monday

LAST CHANCE TO CAST YOUR GENDER VOTE!!

Tune in tomorrow night for the big announcement!

faceplant

Ah, Monday. A fresh new week, piano lessons from my home, no driving all over Utah county to teach students. All in all, a good day.

This morning I woke up from a good night's sleep, got ready, had some breakfast and greeted my first three piano students at 10:00am.

With just about five minutes left of my first lesson, I started feeling a bit thirsty. And hot. My students didn't think it was too hot in our upstairs piano room, but I decided I should probably take a 30 second break and grab a drink between my first student and his sisters.

With only a couple minutes left, I just had to check his theory assignment and I'd be off to get a refreshing drink. Then I started feeling weirder. Heavy and hot and woozy.

"Whoa, guys. I'm feeling really lightheaded, just give me a second." I said as I closed my eyes. "Is my face white?" I asked, to which I received affirmative nods from the 16-year-old twins. Ugh. I put my head down between my knees to recover normal blood flow.

Then, BAM! The next thing I knew I was very confused, with a throbbing nose, and hearing strange voices . . . "Did she pass out?!" "Go get her husband!"

Moments after I had put my head down I blacked out and fell sideways off my chair, crashing into the little end table which proudly displays my diploma and a pencil cup. My head hit something on the way down and left a nice little goose egg on the back, my glasses got all screwed up and my nose got some serious road rash. I slowly sat up, dazed, my head collecting little beads of sweat. My concerned little students returned with a cup of ice water and McKay, looking up pregnancy stats on his iPhone - apparently your blood pressure is the lowest when you are halfway through your pregnancy (which would be right about now for me).

I apologetically canceled my remaining lessons and made my way to my bed. I realized that my neck got the brunt of the injury - it was stiff and sore. I spent the day sleeping, snacking, drinking, and playing scrabble with McKay via iPhone. Oh yes, and a bath while I watched The Office from my laptop on the counter.

It was a rough start to the day, but McKay just got groceries - and an iceberg milkshake for me - so things are looking up! By the way, have you seen the size of iceberg's small shakes?? They are HUGE! Way more than is healthy for one person. Maybe I'll just eat half . . .

friday

This is the last Friday that we won't know the gender of our baby! Let the countdown begin!!

Ever since we found out we were pregnant McKay and I have both felt - confidently - that it's a girl. I've been having lots of pink and frilly thoughts and have been racking my brains for girls names. But, now as it gets closer we wonder if we'll be surprised with a boy instead! We've all of a sudden lost that 99% confidence we had at six weeks.

Boy or girl?!?! We're not even sure what we think anymore!

One more week to collect those votes - and boy has it gotten close. Girl has had a firm lead for a couple months, but now the votes are within one. Who will win??

Tune in next Friday to find out!

nineteen weeks!

I'm nineteen weeks today and if I do a bit of rounding, we only have a week until our ultrasound!!

I'm too lazy for a picture right now - I'm in my sweats and you just got one a few days ago so I'll surprise you all with one later this week!

Feeling the baby movements a bit more. My little mango has grown to about 6 1/2 inches and 10 ounces this week. My "What to expect when you're expecting" app on my phone gives me a bunch of fun new details about each week. This week's topic? My baby's developing genitalia. I'll spare you the details (but ask McKay how he liked being forced to read it out loud to me on our drive this morning!).

Well I'm starting to notice my belly a bit more. One thing I have a bad habit of doing is eating for two - literally - at mealtime. I'm always hungry so I sometimes forget to STOP eating dinner. The other night I went crazy on bagel pizzas and felt like I was carrying a rock the rest of the evening! Fortunately today I have eaten a much lighter fare with lots of cold cereal to fill in the gaps!

I might be going to get a snack right now though . . .

catch up!

Well I'm way past due for my 18-week post, but my teaching schedule changed this week and the time I usually blog (in the mornings) is now being spent teaching! This weekend was our first anniversary so we were too busy playing to blog!

So here it is - two days before my 19 week mark - my 18-week post!

Pictures first

giving the self-portrait-in-the-bathroom-mirror tactic a try.

My belly is definitely growing, and I'm feeling that little mango move around a bit!

This week the baby weighs half a pound and is six inches long!

The arms and legs are proportional to the body now, brain neurons are connected between the muscles and brain and cartilage is turning to bone. Also this week is the famous "cheese varnish" (a literal translation from the latin vernix caseosa - that's for you, Rae) that will keep the baby from looking like he/she has been in a bathtub for nine months when he/she is born. Made from oils on the baby's skin and that soft fuzzy baby hair (lanugo), it's a self-made anti-wrinkle cream!

We are counting down the days until the ultrasound! Less than 2 weeks until we get a peek at our little girl or boy. We're pretty excited :)

I've been doing research on baby products this week and have decided that there are far too many products and far too many options to sort through!! Which diaper? which wipe? which breast pump? rear-facing or convertible car seat? which stroller? which baby bath tub? where to register? boppy/bumbo? baby sling? baby Einstein? Nam, nuk, soothies? Blah blah blah.

Someone just equip me and bill me later.

But seriously, I'm excited to get buying/receiving baby stuff. But it sure is a lot!

In other baby news, my newest nephew, Neil was born this weekend - on our anniversary!! It was so fun visiting that tiny newborn knowing that in a few months I'll be holding my own little one. I was much more interested in observing the nurse check out his diaper and take his temperature than ever before! Neil came 10 days early (just like his oldest brother, Mark) and my sister-in-law had a pretty short labor (which is what I'm interested in!). I guess by her fifth birth she deserves an easy one!

He's a great-looking baby, take a look: (and click here to visit Ken and Julie's family blog).

Neil Ross

I'll wrap it up with that sweet little face!

movement

I think I've been feeling the baby move for the past couple days. It's hard to tell for sure, but I've been feeling the same little tiny bubbly feelings since Wednesday-ish and I'm pretty sure that's what it is!!

stretch

Alright ladies, this post needs your comments. I need the skinny on stretch marks. I've heard of everything from olive oil, to body butters and creams. So far so good for me, but I'm wondering if I should start using something to keep my skin from getting crazy. So if you would, here's your chance to give solicited advice to a soon-to-be-mom.

Did you get them?

What did you use?

What worked?

What failed?

When did you start your prevention tactic?

What else??