24 Week Ultrasound!

New pictures of our little girl! She is getting cuter but Rawley did say during our appointment "She looks like the Geico gecko!"  I'm starting to see a Rawley nose on her. You be the judge!

24 Weeks

24 Weeks

How big is baby: She is almost a foot long, picture an ear of corn and weighs just over a pound.

Pregnancy Symptoms: I am developing more soreness around my belly which is probably due to the ligaments and skin stretching to accommodate our growing baby.

Maternity clothes: Definitely picked up a few items as Christmas gifts. I’m excited to go shopping with some of these gift cards! Thanks everyone!

Stretch marks: None  

Sleep: I consider myself pretty lucky that at least I don’t have to get out of bed to use the restroom yet. I just need to roll over a few times a night!

Best moment of the week: Sharing Christmas with our family and thinking about how different next year will be when she is with us.

Movement: Lots of movement. I think I can feel her stretching sometimes rather than just kicks and fist pumps.

Food cravings: No new cravings but I am enjoying satisfying the old ones!

Food aversions: None

Labor signs: None      

Belly button: Still in but it looks like it is creeping its way out.

What I miss: Life before insulin shots. I feel like a pin cushion.

What I am looking forward to: Seeing our baby at Friday’s ultrasound appointment. I’m also excited to start our Bradley Method classes in a few weeks.

On the to-do list: Rawley and I put the crib and dresser together this week so now it is on to decorating. We have lots of fun ideas we just need to get started now. We also need to find a doula for labor and delivery. We are a bit behind on that.

Milestones: Baby's skin is becoming more opaque as the fat starts to pack on. And, thanks to the formation of small capillaries, her newly thick skin is taking on a fresh pink glow.

Something funny/memorable from this week: Several family members and friends got to feel our baby kick during the Christmas festivities!  



Merry Christmas!

As we do every year, we take a minute to reflect on all the blessings in our life. This year we spent our last Christmas as just spouses and thought about how different next year will be.
We are so blessed to have found eachother and share such a special relationship and marriage.
We are thankful for our incredible parents and their endless support and love. They will truly be amazing grandparents to our little girl. I'm sure it will take some years of maturity for her to realize how lucky she is to have these wonderful grandparents but Rawley and I will know it everytime we see them play together and snuggle.
We are blessed to have great siblings and have such a wonderful relationship with them and their spouses. It doesn't get much better than being able to call your sibling and their spouse also your friends.
We are blessed to have such wonderful aunts, uncles and cousins who are cheering us on and giving their love.
Although my grandparents have passed away, I am blessed and grateful to have a great relationship with Rawley's grandparents. It is wonderful to be a part of his family.
We are thankful for our friends who are encouraging and patient with our journey into parenthood. It is so wonderful thinking about the many friends and family members who have been surrounding our marriage with their love and support and will be doing the same with our baby girl.
We want to thank God for the opportunity to be parents and giving for giving us this miracle that I get to feel kicking away inside every day.

We are truly blessed and thankful for all of these wonderful "presents" in our lives. We can't wait for our daughter to be a part of this wonderful family and part of our close friendships. Merry Christmas to all!

23 Weeks

23 Weeks!

How big is baby: SHE (I love saying that now!) is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. That is about size of a papaya. Yum!

Pregnancy Symptoms: The headaches continue and the skin on my stomach is really starting to stretch. I am also enjoying the occasional hot flash!

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Same old story. Love the pillows but the more weight I put on in my stomach area, the more aches and pains I wake up.

Best moment of the week: Finding out we are having a girl!

Check out the video on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1_F_8Ip-ag&feature=youtu.be

Movement: Sometimes she is sleepy just like me and other days it feels like she is doing Zumba! It almost seems like she is beginning to respond to touch. Sometimes when I rest my hand on my belly she really starts to move right in that spot.

Food cravings: I have really started to have some cravings this week. First it was a milkshake, then Cajun fries from McMenamins, then oreo cookies, then oreo cookies dipped in chocolate. Finally by the end of the week I wanted Spaghetti Factory. Now it is all I can think about!

Food aversions: I wish!

Labor signs: none

Belly button: Still in

What I miss: I don’t really miss anything. I am just so excited that we are expecting our daughter in just a matter of months!

What I am looking forward to: I can’t wait to see her again on our next ultrasound!

On the to-do list: My friend Misty’s mom is amazing a decorating and is coming into town to help me plan out the nursery! She has some wonderful ideas and I can’t wait to see how things turn out. I can tell you there will definitely be some owls in this little girl’s bedroom and pink! Rawley is voting for purple but Mom's favorite color is pink!

Milestones: Her little face is fully formed but now she needs to put on the baby fat. Momma is sure helping her out with that!

Something funny/memorable from work: I took a poll on the last day of school before Winter Break and over 70% of my students thought that it was going to be a boy. Now they are fighting over what part in choir she will sing!

It's a Girl!!!

It is official! We are having a baby girl! We couldn't be more happy and excited! Video of the cake cutting on youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1_F_8Ip-ag&feature=youtu.be

22 Weeks

22 Weeks

How big is baby: Baby is 11 inches, about the length of a spaghetti squash and almost 1 pound!

Pregnancy Symptoms: I am starting to run out of breath more quickly and I have noticed it is harder to take deep breaths when I am singing at work. The skin on my belly and lower back is very itchy.

Stretch marks: Still none and using my special cream every day.

Sleep: Sometimes the baby keeps me awake. It seems like the baby’s schedule is already preparing me for being active at night. LOTS of kicks when I lay down to go to bed.

Best moment of the week: We finished painting the nursery and are going to finish putting up the chair rail around the room. It is really starting to look cute! Pictures on the way. J

Movement: Lots of movement especially when I am sitting and playing piano.

Food cravings: My trusty old friend macaroni and cheese.

Food aversions: None

Labor signs: None

Belly button: In

What I miss: Sleeping through the night and waking up without any hip and back pain.

What I am looking forward to: We are finding out this Sunday if we are having a boy or girl. I can’t wait!!

On the to-do list: Interview and select a doula. Any suggestions would be wonderful!

Milestones: Baby is looking more like a newborn everyday with the eyelids, lips and eyebrows becoming more distinct. Baby is also sleeping in cycles- about 12-14 hours per day.

Something memorable from work: We had our huge Holiday Concert last night and we have an annual tradition of singing “O Holy Night” with all the choirs combined and we invite alumni to come up and sing with us. With all 160-175 singers right in front of me, I can only imagine what the baby was probably experiencing hearing all that beautiful singing.



21 Weeks!

21 Weeks

How big is baby: Baby is about 10 ½ inches long, the length of a carrot and weighs three-quarters of a pound.

Pregnancy Symptoms: Still having headaches and acne worse than my adolescent students. I’ve never felt more beautiful…  My belly itches too.

Maternity clothes: I’m starting to fill out my maternity tops!

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: What’s that?

Best moment of the week: I had my first appointment with a chiropractor who doubles as a midwife. The baby was doing somersaults in there! I was lying on my back while she was working on my neck and she said the baby was kicking so hard toward my stomach that the drawstring of my pants was bouncing up.  

Movement: TONS! So exciting. Rawley has felt a few more kicks and I think that has really started to make him even more excited.

Food cravings: Same…and wine is still on my mind.

Food aversions: None

What I miss: Feeling self-sufficient. Rawley won’t even let me carry a gallon of milk at the store.  

What I am looking forward to: Painting the nursery this week.

On the to-do list: Finish painting the nursery and adding the trim. Hopefully ordering furniture!

Milestones:  The baby’s eyelids and eyebrows are fully formed this week.

Something funny/memorable from work: Santa Claus gave me TWO candy canes at a caroling event I took my choir to. One for me and one for my on-board passenger!

Great News!

It's seems like Christmas has come a bit early this year! This is an answer to one of my biggest prayers during this pregnancy. Rawley and I are ecstatic and feel so blessed that this is happening right now for my birthing experience! Thank you to our midwife who has been advocating for us since we met her in August!

Received this morning from our midwife at OHSU:

Dear Julia:
Just wanted to let you know that the hospital has re-visited the policy of not allowing women in labor to get in a tub of water when they are receiving medication through an infusion pump device. That policy will be revised so that use of the jacuzzi or water tub is permissible in conjunction with wireless telemetry monitoring (when indicated).

So, one big hurdle to achieving your birth plan is out of the way. I also wanted to tell you we are in the process of revising the water tub program to make it more accessible to more women. More info on that as we proceed.

20 Weeks! 20 more to go!

20 Weeks

How big is baby: Believe it or not, baby is the length of a banana from head to toe. That is about 10 inches long! Baby weighs about 10 ½ ounces this week. Getting closer to a full pound every day!

Pregnancy Symptoms: My belly itches! Lots of stretching going on over the last few weeks. There are some other wonderful “changes” happening but they are too icky to blog about! J

Maternity clothes: I’m still working on my maternity collection. These clothes are expensive and add up quick! I am keeping my eye of the sales rack and trying to stay in my pre-pregnancy clothes as long as possible.

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: I have a new fuzzy body pillow and we are starting to get familiar with each other. I have been having some pretty interesting dreams! In a few of them the baby was a boy so we will see! The big reveal is scheduled for December 18^th!

Best moment of the week: Rawley finally felt the baby move!

Movement: Tons of movement. Mostly when I am at work in the morning.

Food cravings: I will eat anything and everything!

Food aversions: Again, I will eat anything!

Belly button: In

What I miss: There is no looking back this week!

What I am looking forward to: Snuggling with our baby and hearing baby laughs! I spent a few hours with Savannah and April today and it reminded me just how special being a mom is! I can’t wait to experience all of those things.

On the to-do list: Baby nursery and nursery furniture!

Milestones: Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

Belly Pics Weeks 16-19

16 Weeks

17 Weeks

18 Weeks

19 Weeks



19 Weeks

19 Weeks

How big is baby: Baby is the size of a mango this week! 6 in, 8.5 ounces. Baby’s arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of the body now.  

Pregnancy Symptoms: Aches and pains in my belly, same as last week but add in the legs and back now. Weird how quickly things change! I have also noticed a big increase in my appetite in the last week.

Maternity clothes: Almost time for new bras! YA! J

Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Preparing myself for a newborn by sleeping an hour to two hours at a time. I’m trying to adjust to the new body pillow.

Best moment of the week: Feeling those special baby movements especially when there is music playing or singing. I hope this is a sign the baby likes it! Also, our 18 week ultrasound was absolutely amazing. It is so great to check-in and see the baby and how it is growing.

Movement: Some days I have a ton of movement and other days not very much.

Food cravings: Same cravings as usual but adding in the growing craving for turkey and gravy. Hmmmm, wonder why…

Food aversions: None but I have a smell aversion to the deodorant they put in kitty litter. I randomly will smell it even when I am nowhere near the litter.

Labor signs: None

Belly button: Still in  

What I miss: The energy for Zumba! I can’t wait to work out for real after the baby comes.

What I am looking forward to: Turkey dinner!

On the to-do list: Painting the baby room and planning our big boy/girl reveal near Christmas!

Milestones: The baby is growing hair! Also, the baby’s sensory development is exploding! The brain is designing specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision and touch.

Something funny/memorable from work: We had a guest from UofO school of music come to sing for the choir and promote the program. She sang a few opera arias and every time she started to sing, the baby would start moving around a ton! In between songs I felt nothing but as soon as she started to sing again, baby started moving around. Either the baby loves the singing, hates the singing, or is a true Beaver fan!



New Ultrasound pictures and video!

18 Week Ultrasound

Everything looked great! Baby was a bit stubborn and didn't want to make it easy for the ultrasound tech to see all the parts that needed to be checked out. It took about 45 minutes of poking and prodding to get all the pics. Doc said all the organs look great and was really happy with the progress. Doc made several attempts to see what sex the baby was. I said "Come on baby! Show em what you're workin' with!" Rawley said, "As long as it's not a Pat." haha!  They were finally able to determine if it is a boy or girl and wrote that down for us, sealed in an envelope. That will be our BIG Christmas present! Hope you enjoy the pics and the video of baby moving around. :)

18 Weeks

18 Weeks

How big is baby: Baby is the size of a sweet potato this week! Baby Voorhies is about 5.6 inches in length from head to toe and weighs about 6.7 ounces.

Pregnancy Symptoms: The unbearable headaches continue. It has been 5 weeks now since they hit. Caffeine is the only thing that works.  Tylenol does nothing for these suckers. I also am notice what they characterize as “ligament pain”. Minor aches and pains in my stomach region and pubic bone.

Maternity clothes: I’m very close to boxing up the rest of my pre-pregnancy clothes. The last two weeks I have really poped!

Stretch marks: None  

Sleep: Same. Some nights are great and others are lousy.

Best moment of the week: I have been feeling the baby move! Absolutely amazing. I only feel it when I am sitting down and things are quiet. For instance, right now as I am writing this blog. I felt the first “for sure” movement on Friday last week. Something I definitely couldn’t characterize as gas. The feeling is just like they say in the books. It’s like popcorn popping or little bubbles bursting. I feel so much more connected to the pregnancy now that I can feel the baby!

Food cravings: Pretty much anything sounds good right now. When people start talking about good food they ate recently, I can’t get that particular food or restaurant out of my mind. Thanks to Rawley’s work lunch yesterday, now I want fajitas from Casa de Matador!

Food aversions: I wish I had some aversions rather than wanting everything!

Labor signs: None

Belly button: In

What I miss: Life without a daily headache.

What I am looking forward to: Seeing the baby tomorrow in our 18 week ultrasound! I am so excited to see how much our little bean has grown.

On the to-do list: Designing the nursery. We pretty much took care of the baby registry over the weekend and I have to admit, I felt a little silly being only 18 weeks pregnant and doing a registry. Then I saw all the 8 months pregnant women waddeling around the store doing their registry and felt relieved that we did it now while I have the energy and no back pain!

We also need to decide on nursery furniture. I heard from my cousin that it takes a few months to get those things shipped in so we need to make those decisions now.

Milestones: Baby is busy flexing their arms and legs — estremely mobile now! Blood vessels are visible through their thin skin, and their ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from the head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around their nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he or she born. If we are having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If we are having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

We recently decided to find out the sex of the baby. Tomorrow, the ultrasound tech may be able to tell if we are having a girl or boy. We plan on having the tech write this down and seal it in an envelope to announce to our family as one big surprise for Christmas!

Something funny/memorable from work: I was talking with a few girls in my womens choir around the piano this week and they mentioned how much more noticeable my belly was. I jokingly said that I woke up that morning and noticed a big change in size too, not just my belly but my other “bumps”. Oh, how I love having a girls group with no boys! Funny stuff! I told them I was excited for Thanksgiving because I can get away with a little extra “holiday weight”. I said “Tis the season!” and one of the girls said “Tis the season or tits the season?” I laughed for a long time over that one! I had to write it down to make sure I remembered it for the blog!

17 Weeks

17 Weeks

How big is baby: Baby is five inches head to toe and 5 ounces in weight. About the size of an onion.

Pregnancy Symptoms: Not a new symptom by any means but acne. The bad kind. Covering my entire face like a pubescent middle school kid.

Maternity clothes: I can still fit in many of my old shirts but not pants. Pretty soon the shirts are going to have to be packed up because I don’t want to stretch them out. I’m going to need those when I get back to my “normal” size!

Stretch marks: None so far. Still praying they never make an entrance.

Sleep: Every night is a surprise. I have been waking up on my back which I read is totally fine. I am trying to stay of my side but it doesn’t always work.

Best moment of the week: We met with our midwife for our first hour long appointment. She is wonderful! She is completely supportive of our birth plan and has put in a TON of leg work getting the research and information we need to negotiate with the hospital. We are hoping for a non-medicated water birth. The hospital has procedures they like to follow with their diabetic patients that requires you to be on an insulin and glucose pump. However, if they allow us to use a battery operated pump, we may be able to use the birthing tub. This has never been permitted at OHSU before. Our midwife thinks we have a chance of changing this protocol. Pretty great lady!

Movement: Still no movement. Our ultrasound tech let us know that the placenta is currently located in such a way that is provides an extra cushion between myself and the baby. She said it may take me longer to feel movement than other expectant moms. Bummer L but I am hopeful to feel our little baby kicking around very soon!

Food cravings: Popsicles, macaroni and cheese, cheese in general actually!

Food aversions: Nothing new.

Labor signs: none

Belly button: Still in.

What I miss: Wine! Not just a sip but a whole bottle! J There are still those days after work that it would be nice to unwind with a glass of wine. Now I get to take bubble baths which is nice but not the same!

What I am looking forward to: Finding out if we are going to be welcoming a son or daughter.

On the to-do list: Starting the baby registry and getting the crew to come in and re-texture the walls in the nursery so we can paint.

Milestones: Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. His umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes now feature one-of-a-kind prints.

Something funny/memorable from work: My students are obviously noticing the changing size of my belly. The baby has really had a growth spurt in the last week so my baby bump is becoming more like a real bump rather than a food baby. One of my girls asked permission to touch my stomach. I thought this was sweet and a good sign that my students will learn not invade my personal space. I have heard there are not many things more tempting that reaching out and touching someone’s baby bump!



16 Weeks

16 Weeks

How big is baby: The baby is the size of an avocado today! 4 1/2 inches long and 3 1/2 ounces in weight. In the next few weeks the baby will double in weight and add inches of length. Huge growth spurt!

Maternity clothes: Still shopping! :) Rawley loves that I'm sure!
Pregnancy symptoms: I am experiencing the most painful headaches on a daily basis. Water and Tylenol don't seem to help. Coffee helps a bit.

Stretch Marks: Just received the special cream today.  No marks so far.

Food cravings: Macaroni and Cheese!

Food aversions: Nothing new so far.

Labor signs: None

What I miss: Not feeling guilty about eating "bad".

On the to-do list: Schedule our next ultrasound, decide if we want to know the gender of the baby and begin the design for the nursery.

What I am looking forward to: Holding our baby and seeing Rawley be a dad.

Belly button in or out: Still in 

Movement: I'm still unsure if what I am feeling is movement. Hopefully any day now I will know.

Best moment this week:  The box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese that I indulged in for dinner! Best ever! Oh, and Rawley cleaning out the office so we can begin to design the nursery!

Sleep: Sleep is getting better. I don't need to get up as often in the night for the bathroom. I try to stop drinking liquids after 6pm and that seems to be working for me.



Milestones:  This is so exciting! Tiny bones are forming the the baby's ears so they can now hear the sound of my voice. I sing about 4 - 5 hours a day not to mention the amplified sounds of the choir singing around me. This baby is sure going to be hearing A LOT of music!

Something funny/memorable that happened at work:  A graduated student came back to visit me. She saw I was wearing maternity jeans when I bent down for something. She hadn't heard the news of the pregnancy. I also don't think she knew that my class already knew about the baby. She probably thought she was in on some HUGE secret. We had a good laugh about it later when I brought it up nonchalantly. She was very excited!