30 weeks!

The countdown has begun as we have 10 more weeks (+/-) until we finally get to meet our sweet baby!  Today we had our baby check-up and everything looks good.  I passed my glucose test, the iron supplement I have been taking has brought my iron levels up so I am no longer anemic and the baby's heart rate and activity levels look good.  All around a good bill of health!

30 weeks- August 8, 2011

Catch-Up

I can't believe it has been a month since I have written about what is going on in our world!  A lot has happened over the last several weeks.

We had another sonogram to check the baby's bladder and the choroid plexus cyst, both were unchanged which is a good thing so we will go back August 25th for another follow-up to check them both again.  Unfortunately we do not have any pictures from last months sonogram because our little one was head down and backwards facing... and not at all interested in turning for the camera!  That's okay with me though, I would be happy if he/she stays in that position at this point since we are inching ever closer to delivery day!!!

At our regular doctor visit last month everything checked out great.  Our next appointment is August 9th which is just next week... then we start going every two weeks and then every week!  I can not believe I will be 30 weeks into this pregnancy next week... time has certainly flown by.

In other news, our last birthing class is this Sunday so we are feeling well prepared for the birth of our baby at this point.  We feel positive and empowered to have the natural birth we desire, but also understand the need to be flexible... Now we just need to come up with some names before this little one arrives! :)

Over the past few weeks we have been working on the baby registry too... my goodness I had no idea how overwhelming that was going to be!  My friends Paula and Seanna are hosting a baby shower here in Austin on September 3rd and I would love to have all of our family and friends gather for the occasion!

Our 4-legged baby Molly has had an eventful few weeks as well.  Earlier in July she hurt her leg jumping off a chair and we had to keep her from jumping, climbing stairs, etc for a week or so until it healed... that was quite the task!  She recovered from that in time for her birthday on July 28th... she turned 3!  Then a few days later we noticed some strange behavior and took her in to see the vet.  She has calcium crystals in her bladder which have caused a bladder infection and a staff infection on the outside from the irritation.  Poor little girl... she has been traumatized with all the tests, antibiotic sprays, pills and new prescription diet!  Hopefully she will be well again very soon!

That's all for now!  Love to all!

Nursery Update!

Over 4th of July weekend, my mom and Cliff brought down the baby's furniture and my mom painted the nursery.  We did a final bit of touching up this last weekend, installed a ceiling fan and had our friends Daryl and Danielle (from down the street) help us move the furniture upstairs (by us I mean Troy and when I say Daryl and Danielle... I really just mean Daryl.)  My mom is going to be makinig the bedding (our fabric is orange, teal, green, and red) and I can't wait to see the final product!  The only other thing we are waiting for is the glider!

Nursery: Dresser/Crib

Nursery: Crib/Night Stand (and the space for our glider)

Our glider (that we are waiting for)

A few weeks ago we went to pick up our La-Z-Boy rocker/recliner for the living room and we all love it (including little Molly!)



Finally, here is a photo of me at 26 weeks.  At this stage our baby should be approximately 15 inches long and 2 lbs!  Only 14 more weeks :)

PS. In case you are wondering I am regretting the decision to take these weekly photos outside now that we are experiencing 100+ degree heat everyday!  So please pardon my moist appearance :)

22 Weeks & Counting

Last week was week number 22 and it was a busy one.  We secured a place for our baby at a nearby school for the middle of February and selected a pediatrician.  We also selected fabric so that my mom can get started on the baby's bedding!  On Friday we had our monthly baby visit and got a good report from the doctor and we have been attending our weekly birthing classes and practicing what we learn daily.  All of this activity has this Momma feeling drained, but these are definitely exciting times and I wouldn't trade it for anything!!

Our baby is growing leaps and bounds these days and should weigh slightly more than a pound now.  The baby's skin is still translucent and reddish in color but over the next few weeks as the baby developes fat that will change.  This little one is also still very active and his/her kicks and flips can now be felt from outside... meaning Daddy gets to experience the movement now as well!

22 weeks

This week marks the 23rd week and on Sunday we celebrated what a wonderful Daddy Troy is going to be with a movie, wings and our 3rd birthing class.  Not much else going on this week, except for our Hospital tour on Saturday.

Stay tuned for more... xoxoxo!

In other news...

Last week we kept our friend's dog, Maggie while they went on vacation.  The girls had fun playing together and Molly was sad when her friend had to leave.  Paula & Chad brought us back some tasty chocolates and a precious onesie for baby!  Love our friends :)

Our 4-legged baby Molly got a haircut yesterday and she looks adorable... so I have to share a picture of her too!  Troy says it took 10 years off!  :)

Preparing for BABY!

We have also been busy making preparations for our baby's arrival... still tons to do over the next 20 weeks but we have made good progress!  :)

1. We ordered our nursery furniture and will have it delivered 4th of July weekend... for FREE by my mom and Cliff.  Big Thanks to them!

 2. Over Memorial Day weekend we went and ordered a La-Z-boy glider for downstairs... we should have it in about 8 weeks and can't wait.  I may be sleeping in that chair before baby even gets here!

3. Birthing Classes: This Sunday we will go to our first Bradley Method Birthing Class.  The course we are taking is 10 weeks and will go through the first week in August.

In case you are curious--> http://www.bradleybirth.com/

4. We have several appointments to meet pediatricians at different practices around Round Rock over the next few weeks.  Once we have a pediatrician selected we can preregister with the hospital for Labor & Delivery.

5. Starting next week we have some appointments lined up to visit a few daycares.  This will be a tough one, but hopefully we will have a selection by the end of the month.

That's where we are at for now!  :)

Halfway There

Since I haven't posted in a while this is going to be a long one!  The last several weeks have been quite eventful so here is the rundown...

Around the end of the 18th week I started feeling the baby move which was of course extremely exciting.  Since then I have felt the baby wiggling and squirming everyday, particularly early in the morning and in the evening before bedtime.  I can't wait for the baby to get bigger so that Troy can feel it too!

Last week (19 weeks) we had two appointments: our second trimester sonogram to check the baby's growth and make sure everything looks healthy (Monday) and then our regular baby/mama monthly check-up (Wednesday.)  They estimated at the sonogram visit that the baby weighed 11 oz and the technician again commented on how active the baby is.  Here are a few pictures from that visit...

Baby's Profile

Strong legs!

Tiny feet

Following the sonogram on Monday we received a call notifying us that the baby has what is called a Choroid Plexus Cyst (CPC).  Our doctor wanted me to go for a level 2 sonogram to take another look. This was of course very scary for us and made for several very rough days, but we received comforting reassurance at our regular visit last Wednesday that most likely everything was fine, she just wanted to double check that there were no other "abnormalities" in addition to the CPC that would indicate a problem.  Unfortunately the specialist wasn't able to see us until this week so we had a while to wait after the initial news.

This Wednesday we had our follow-up sonogram and met with a high-risk pregnancy doctor.  She told us that they were looking for heart defects, slow/stunted growth, malformed feet/hands, and clinched fists which might indicate a more severe problem.  They did not find any of these things so she feels confident that the baby is fine!  We are feeling much better again as well!  She gave us a bit more information on the CPC as well... apparently it is not even technically a cyst but instead just a dilated blood vessel within the Choroid Plexus (a small area of the brain that produces cerebral spinal fluid).  An isolated CPC is found in about 1% of babies and does not affect brain development, function or memory.  She also said that they always go away on there own, normally by the third trimester. 

During the level 2 sonogram the doctor also noticed a bit of fluid on the kidneys (apparently most babies have some fluid on the kidneys) but she measured slightly more than average.  The average amount is .4 ml or less and she measured .45 ml.  Again, she assured us this is nothing to be alarmed about as the urinary tract muscles are still developing, but she wants to take another look at both the kidneys and CPC in 6 weeks to make sure both are correctly themselves appropriately.  So, it looks like we have another date to see our precious little one again at 26 weeks (Wednesday, July 13th)!

Here is another profile pic from the 20 week sonogram:

This is me this week at the halfway point... 20 weeks!

What is our baby up to this week?  Well, baby is swallowing several ounces of amniotic fluid each day, both for nutrition and hydration, but also to practice swallowing and digesting.  Our baby is also very active in the womb twisting and turning while he/she still has extra room.  At this point our baby is also sleeping approximately 12 to 14 hours a day... now if only I could get a solid 8 :)