Wednesday, February 29, 2012

33 Weeks!

33 Weeks



How big the baby is: This week the baby weighs over 4 pounds (the size of a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark.
Pregnancy Symptoms: Aches and pains in my lower back. I have pain in my sides throughout the day. I have experiences a few Braxton Hicks contractions, mostly when I am walking uphill at a fast pace. Another special symptom for me is my blood sugar is starting to increase because my body is becoming more resistant to insulin as the baby grows. I have to increase my insulin intact way more than I imagined I would. The doctors are completely un-phased by this and have been warning me this would happen from the beginning but it is still so strange to me. I started out taking 10 units at bedtime and now I am up to 25! That number will probably even get higher over the next few weeks. My doctor also told me as soon as the baby is delivered I can completely quit taking insulin that day! That is how much the baby effects the insulin requirements when you are pregnant.  
Maternity clothes: I keep rotating the same tops with different sweaters/covers and find that I have the right amount. Not too many maternity clothes to feel like I spent too much money. Just enough!
Stretch marks: Still no stretch marks yet.
Sleep: My nightly visits to the bathroom have returned! Usually just once but sometimes twice. Luckily I am usually so exhausted that I can go back to sleep. I have had a few nights this week where I will wake up and start thinking about the upcoming arrival and can’t get back to sleep. Those make for rough work days!
Best moment of the week: I played some baroque music on my belly the other day to encourage her to move head down and she was dancing it up in there! As soon as the song would stop she would immediately settle down. It is pretty amazing to feel!
Movement: She loves to move. Maybe she will be a dancer. That would be a trait she would pick up from Rawley! The less space she has in there, the more she stretches the limits. Literally! I have been feeling her little feet all the way over to my side and down into my hips. She has even put on a tap dancing show a few times on my bladder which is always fun.  The big thing she has been doing more frequently throughout the last few weeks and hiccupping. She gets hiccups nearly every day, sometimes several times a day. They can go on for several minutes and be extremely strong. It’s pretty cute!
Food cravings: Frozen yogurt! Love it J I can’t get enough.
Food aversions: None
Labor signs: None
Belly button: It still hasn’t completely popped yet!
What I miss: Mostly just sleep and free time with Rawley. We have both been so busy with work and things around the house.
What I am looking forward to: I am just so excited to have this little girl! I can’t believe we are just 7 weeks away from her due date. Less if she comes early. It feels like this pregnancy has really flown by which is fine with me. I would be just fine if a stork literally delivered the baby to us. As “beautiful” and fascinating the process is, I am ready for it to be over and to hold our baby in my arms. It also brings tears to my eyes whenever I think of Rawley holding her and giving her kisses. He is going to be such a great dad.
On the to-do list: Lots of visits with the chiropractor and acupuncturist to help this little girl flip over and prepare her for delivery. We are still hoping she is just taking her time and will move out of breech position soon.
Milestones: She is keeping her eyes open while awake. She’s also starting to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. Her bones are hardening. And she is going through (more) major brain development.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

32 weeks

32 Weeks


How big is baby: Our baby is about 3.8 pounds and almost 17 inches long. That is about the size of a jicama. You may be thinking what Rawley said earlier today, “Jicama, what the hell is that??”
Pregnancy Symptoms: Nothing new just added weight. I’m beginning to get more uncomfortable as she grows bigger.
Stretch marks: Still none, I have been keeping my fingers crossed!
Sleep: Another fun pregnancy symptom is hot flashes which I seem to experience the most when I am in bed.
Best moment of the week: Folding new baby clothes and organizing the nursery.  
Movement: I have been feeling hiccups several times a day. Sometimes they feel so strong and last for several minutes. I guess it is a good sign that she is practicing using her lungs!
Food cravings: Frozen yogurt! YUM J
Food aversions: None
Labor signs: None
Belly button: Still not completely an outie but it looks really funny!
What I miss: I miss my energy!
What I am looking forward to: Meeting our baby. I just can’t wait!
On the to-do list: Purchasing a few more things we need for the arrival of our daughter.
Milestones: You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.
Something funny/memorable from work: My advanced treble choir threw me a surprise baby shower! It was so fun. They brought cupcakes and had games prepared. They even bought the baby a few outfits. It was so sweet and thoughtful! I am going to miss those kiddos when I go on maternity leave. J


Friday, February 17, 2012

Baby Pictures

We asked our parents to collect some photos of us at different times during our first year. We have been comparing them to ultrasound photos to see if there are similarities. You be the judge!



Newborn

Julia

Rawley



Julia 2 Months


Julia 5 Months




Rawley 6 Months



Julia 9 Months



Rawley 10 Months

Julia 1 year


Wednesday, February 15, 2012

31 Weeks (Time is flying!)

31 Weeks

How big baby is: Our baby measures over 16 inches long this week and weighs about 3.3 pounds. She is the size of a pineapple!
Pregnancy Symptoms: I’m exhausted! It is becoming more difficult to breath.
Maternity clothes: Got a new pair of maternity jeans from the Gap this week! Love them!
Stretch marks: Still no sign of them
Sleep: It just seems like I can never get enough sleep. I love my daily naps and I am cranky if I can’t fit one in!
Best moment of the week: I have two this week! My baby shower! It was so great to see all my friends and family. Jenelle did such a wonderful job organizing the shower.  My second favorite thing was the big nursery reveal! Check out the nursery post on the blog. It is more amazing that I imagined it would be. I love just sitting in there and daydreaming.
Movement: She is so active! I love feeling her move around especially when it is in response to my touch on the belly.
Food cravings: Nothing new
Food aversions: Nothing new but my sense of smell has definitely heightened in the last few days so this could get interesting.
Labor signs: None
Belly button: Still halfsie!
What I miss: My energy! I miss my normal amount of energy. The day to day, getting out of bed and working with my students for 5 hours is starting to feel very draining.
What I am looking forward to: Organizing the nursery with all of her adorable things that our friends and family gave us at the shower.
On the to-do list: We have got to get this baby moving out of breech position. There is still plenty of fluid around her based on what the doctors said this week so there is time but I am still getting nervous.
Milestones: Baby's going through major brain and nerve development these days. His irises now react to light, and all five senses are in working order. (He won't pick up anything from his nose until after birth, though -- smell is transferred through air, not amniotic fluid.)

Monday, February 13, 2012

Nursery Reveal!!!

Misty and her mom Teresa came over this weekend and put the nursery together! It was so exciting. They wanted to surprise me with the results so the closed the doors for a few hours and got to work. What a beautiful and amazing gift from these two very talented women! I felt like I was on one of those reality home shows anxiously waiting to see the final results. I was just in awe when I walked into the room for the big reveal. We absolutely love how it turned out and can't wait to stock it with all the cute baby clothes.

BEFORE PICTURES (click on link for panoramic)

Panoramic before image:
http://www.dermandar.com/p/cGxyxE

Second Panoramic before image:
http://www.dermandar.com/p/bGANnx




AFTER PICTURES (click on link for panoramic)

Panoramic after picture:
http://www.dermandar.com/p/cVVKNK

Second Panoramic
http://www.dermandar.com/p/afIrQf



This last picture is of the actual window frame art that Teresa made by hand. You really have to see it in person. It is so beautiful and unique!

Thank you to these two wonderful ladies, Misty and Teresa. We LOVE the nursery and both of you! We also want to thank Rawley's mom Jan for making the absolutely perfect valance and curtains for the nursery. You are amazing and we are so thankful!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

30 Weeks

30 Weeks


How big is baby: She is roughly 15.7 inches long and weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage).
Pregnancy Symptoms: All the same complaints! My belly is increasing much more rapidly these days!
Stretch marks: Still none!
Sleep: Lots of flipping sides throughout the night. I asked Rawley not to ask me anymore in the morning how I slept the night before because it just reminds me how awful sleep has become! I’m also having some pretty crazy dreams. A few nights ago I dreamt I was living at home with my parents and I put the baby down for a nap. When I went to get her up for her nap I couldn’t remember where I put her down. I searched all over the house frantically. Then, I woke up to switch sides! J
Best moment of the week: We had an ultrasound on Friday last week and it was so amazing to see the baby! I love checking in on her. J
Movement: My favorite part of the day, every day!
Food cravings: The last few days has been ice cream. These are the moments it sucks to be diabetic and pregnant.
Food aversions: Everything still sounds good to me!
Labor signs: None
Belly button: Still half in, trying to creep its way out. I don’t think it will be much longer considering how quickly I’m growing now.
What I miss: WINE, again.
What I am looking forward to: The baby shower is this weekend! I’m so excited to see all my friends and family. I’m also looking forward to learning more about the stages of labor and pain management from our birthing classes.
On the to-do list: We are finishing the nursery this weekend which is very exciting! Rawley is also working really hard on finishing the remodel on our guest bathroom.
Milestones: As baby's skin smooths out, her brain just keeps getting more wrinkled. All those grooves and indentations increase surface area, meaning more room for that oh-so-essential brain tissue. She's also adding some brawn -- her grip is now strong enough to grasp a finger.



Friday, February 3, 2012

New Ultrasound- 29 Weeks

She is looking great! We saw a few big yawns and hiccups which were super cute. She is in frank breech position which means her bottom is down near my bladder and her head is up above my belly button with both of her legs up toward her head. This is what it looks like:


She is a flexible baby! She is already showing off her yoga moves. Hopefully in the next few weeks she will flip around so her head is down. Due to her positioning with both hands and feet so close to her head, we were unable to get a good look at her face on the 3D ultrasound. This is the best they could do after several attempts.






Here is a funny looking video! You get a quick glimpse at her face.


Wednesday, February 1, 2012

29 Weeks

29 Weeks


How big is baby: The baby weighs about the same as a butternut squash, 2 ½ lbs. She is a bit over 15 inches long from head to heel.
Pregnancy Symptoms: Heartburn is starting to creep in the more I can feel her move up towards my chest.
Maternity clothes: Time to shop for a baby shower outfit!
Stretch marks: None
Sleep: Hip pain wakes me up a few times a night so I have to rotate sides. My rotation has really slowed down because the weight of the baby is starting to affect me.
Best moment of the week: Every night before I go to sleep I listen to the baby’s heartbeat through the fetal stethoscope. It is a nice way to end my day and connect with the baby. She likes to kick at the stethoscope when I put it on my skin.  
Movement: I can really feel her shifting around and moving her body slowly. I still get this occasional kick but mostly just her changing positions.
Food cravings: I am really enjoying my yogurt and granola snacks. I had a pretty intense desire for chocolate peanut butter ice cream a few days ago but I had those before I was pregnant too!
Food aversions: None
Labor signs: None
Belly button: Halfsie!
What I miss: A beautiful LARGE glass of wine…
What I am looking forward to: Learning more about labor in our Bradley Method classes. We also have an ultrasound this Friday to check on the growth of the baby. I'm very excited to see how our little girl is doing. I will post pictures this weekend!
On the to-do list: Finishing the nursery next weekend. Pictures will be up soon!  
Milestones: Baby's energy is surging, thanks to white fat depositing beneath his skin. And since he's growing so fast (weight will triple by birth), things are getting kind of cramped in the womb
Something funny/memorable from work: I was giving a lesson and demonstation on breathing with my choir students today. We had one hand on our bellies and one on our chests. I felt my belly button really starting to “say hello” and made a comment about it. One of the kids said “Mrs V! Your turkey timer has already popped?!”