Christmas with AJ - 8 months old

So AJ had a wonderful first Christmas - and a very long celebration!  It started Thanksgiving weekend with a celebration with my family, and ended on the 26th with Pete's family.  She definitely didn't need anything before Christmas, and now the only thing we need is more space to accomodate all the new things she has! 

She's still a peanut at 8 months old - 17 lbs and 24 7/8 inches.  She continues to grow and chance so much.  Although I can't remember what is new since my last post she now does
 - pulls to standing
 - little bit of "cruising" (taking steps while holding on to furniture)
 - bounces like a crazy person when there is music on....bounces more if you cheer "dance, dance, dance!"
 - claps her hands (The BEST thing yet!)
 - sort-of waves bye-bye, on occasion
 - eats people food in small doses!  so far she has had pita bread, cantelope, sausage, chicken, turkey, chicken nuggets, french fries (oops!), cheese, yogurt, cheerios....the girl ahs not met a food she doesnt like yet!

Life with a baby is busy, so the posts have become rather infrequent, but here are some great xmas pics!

I will post pictures later - or check out facebook!

6.5 months

So alot has happened since the last posting
 -sleeps through the night consistently 9-12 hours a night
 - sits up forever....or at least a really long time...without tipping over

 - crawls pretty fast and far!  This video is of the first time EVER that she crawled - she was so serious about it
 - reaches for things she wants
 - has a clear preference for me (ha! yes!) and will reach for me when others are holding her

and i think thats it for updates....she still has a toothless grin, no sign of teeth yet!

I havent uploaded pictures to this computer in a while, so I owe some updates, but will do so soon!  We just did a professional photo session at a local place and tons of great pictures - cant wait to share!

Creeping up to the 6 month mark!

I cannot believe that almost 6 months has gone by!  AJ will turn 6 months on October 23rd.  I think after these many months, I can finally say we are all adjusted and have figured things out as best we will for a while!  She had her 5 month checkup last week and she continues to stay on the 25% trajectory for height and 50% for weight.  Her head measurements are all over the board - ranging from 25% to 75%, so I think it has to do more with normal user error, than actual variance, but regardless of her head size (ha!) she is pretty cute.  So she is 24.75" and weighed 14lb 10.5oz.

Other magical moments in her existance include her ability to consistently and strongly roll front to back, and back to front.  She also uses this ability to scoot around - she looks ready to crawl but not quite there yet, so she gets around by rolling back and forth to move towards things she wants.  We put her down in the crib "normal" and by the time we get her in the morning, she is usually on her belly and head in the opposite direction.

Speaking of crib, sleep is getting better, we have had 1 or 2 nights of 10 hour stretches.  A handful of nights where she wakes up once for a pacifier or some soothing, and then of course some other nights where there are multiple wakeups - but we have come a LONG way from where we started!

She giggles and smiles constantly, she has eaten green beans, green peas, carrotts, pears, and rice cereal. 

So thats her story.....

Me and Pete are doing well as parents.  Although I have regained 99% of my emotional sanity (as I was a little roller coaster for a while), at times  (not always!) i find myself developed into that hovering, control freak mom.  So being a control freak is somewhat in my nature, so I am trying to let go a little bit, but all in good intentions at least.  AJ thinks Pete is hilarious (watch out everyone - he might come up with new jokes as a result), and she seems to share his love for music and TV!

The dog and AJ get along pretty well - we have to be careful with her little pincher graspers though, as one time she really got a tight hold of Athena's ears, and she yelped like the wounded puppy she was.  AJ thinks the dog is great, and loves (ick!) face licks.

So thats all for now - she is going to be a cow for halloween - the costume is amazing!

This website changed how to upload pictures and doesnt seem compatible with my computer, so until I figure it out, links to the albums that I also have on facebook

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2280317&id=14306913&l=cbc35eda6e

 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2277175&id=14306913&l=6283c12768

 

 

Keep Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

AJ hit the 4 month mark on August 23rd, and weighed in at 13 lbs and was 24 inches long.  So she doubled her birth weight in a mere 4 months, rather than the average of 6 months!  She did come into this world as a little peanut, so it was nice to see her grow so fast!  She is 50% on height and weight, and even on head - i only mention that because my side of the family (myself included) is known for our large noggins.  So far she is faring well in that regard

Lots of milestones have happened
 - Rolled from back to front on Aug 12th - she looked quite surprised and didnt attempt again for about a week, but she proved she could do it!
 - Rolled from front to back Sept 2nd - she was on the brink of rolling for several days, so it provided some much needed entertainment for me and Pete
 - Ate cereal (rice cereal looks like fish flakes) - August 30th


She has developed into a very happy, delightful baby!  She is not quite sleeping through the night but we are very close.  She goes throughout the night (8p-5a) without a feeding, and is waking up once or twice but falls back to sleep easily with a pat on the head or a pacifier.  We were sort of doing ferber method sleep training, but since she is falling asleep pretty quickly it hasnt been too painful (knock on wood!)

Aj is also quite the traveller - with several of our friends getting married this year, she has been all over the place.  She has already been to 6 of the 50 states - quite impressive!
 - Illinois
 - Wisconsin
 - Minnesota
 - Massachusetts
 - New Hampshire
 - Missouri (coming soon on Sept 20th)

So thats the quick update - for anyone who is curious, we are NOT planning another for a little while - despite being a delightful little thing, we are still so tired and definitly have our hands full!!

Smiley girl at daycare

So I went back to work about 2.5 weeks ago and the transition has gone really well.  It felt good to be back into a "normal" routine of getting up in the morning, showering, dressed, mentally stimulating conversation.  Of course I miss her so my new schedule is so far so good - i talked my boss into trialing a 7-4 schedule, which means i leave quite a bit earlier than most of my coworkers, so I worried there would be a perception issue, but seems to be good.

So went to her 3 month check-up and she was 11 lb 6oz....so she is 50% weight, 50% head size, and 25% height....nothing of note, which is always good at the doctor!

So life is busy with work, weddings, and baby.....a link to some pictures to see the little munchkin!!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2247930&id=14306913&l=998b005426

Going back to work....

So I go back to work tomorrow and it amazes me at how fast the past 12 weeks went by!  If you had asked me at week 6 when we had a cranky baby with undiagnosed acid reflux who cried all day, I was totally ready to head back then and there!  Since then, I have found out that I have a really good baby who LOVES to smile at me, and that just totally brightens up my day!  So although I am excited to go back to work and I look forward to the mental and intellectual stimulation that goes along with having a career, I am very sad to leave Ashley behind. 

Since the last post we did a visit to Mishicot to hang out with pete's dad and had some visitors from Arlington (Naomi, Mezzi and Allie).  We had a great visit with them, although it was VERY hot out.  They volunteered to hang out with Ashley from the 10p-6a hour so me and Pete could catch some zzzzz's!!!

2 months - almost doubled her size!

So her 2 month check-up was actually 2 weeks ago, but we've been busy!  Ashley's been doing planes, trains and automobiles....traveling from Boston to downtown Chicago to rural Green Bay.  Her 2 mo check-up went well - she has gained a ton of weight (which is good since she started out so tiny!).  At 2 months she was 10 lb 9 oz, which puts her about 50% for weight, and her height is still about 25%....she was near the 10% mark at birth, so she is catching up fast.  She got all her vaccine shots - so 3 needles and 1 oral.  Immediately after the shot she screamed (of course!) but then seemed fine.  However, hours later, she had mild fever and swelling in her leg, so we had a cranky baby that couldn't really sleep for about 3 days!

Speaking of sleeping, we are still not through the night, but are pretty much at 10p, 2a, 5a....and for the next two weeks until i go back to work, me and AJ nap together from about 7a-9a.  In 2 weeks I go back to work - I think I am ready for it, but I am sure I will be nervous about having her in daycare ALL DAY once the day rolls around.  We are really happy with the place we picked, but still, from friends I have heard its hard!

So we have been all over - just got back from Boston where AJ got to meet alot of her family and friends, and we had ANOTHER baby shower.  So if we didnt have everything we need before now we definitely do!  She did great on the plane, her ears didnt seem to bother her at all.  She didnt really sleep on the plane which was fine, but required constant entertainment to keep her happy.  As long as she wasn't wailing I didn't mind!  Now we are up in Green Bay for the holiday weekend, and AJ will meet some of Pete's friends so he is very excited.  She also met alot of Pete's extended family in a little get together earlier in the month. And in other news, we got her ears pierced!  The doctor said it was fine to do after her 2-month vaccines but the policy at the mall i 3 month old baby -not that we want to make a habit of ling here, but we were 2 weeks shy of it, so we just stretched the truth a little!  She cried for maybe a minute, got a bottle, then seemingly forgot.  The redness went away after just a few minutes.  It looks adorable!

Some pictures....

ears pierced (hard to see cause of the resolution)

cubs brewers game in milwaukee

the collins ladies

 c

cutie pie

Surviving and thriving....and the myths of parenting

THRIVING:  Ashley, or AJ as she's also known, is thriving.  She has caught up a little with her weight, weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs even at 6 weeks, and is a big fan of eating.  If you take too long burping her mid-feed she lets you know with a scream louder than when she first let you know she was hungry.....so she is a fiesty young lady, and rather impatient!  Shes holding her head up pretty well and smiling ALOT - so that is a pretty accomplished 7-week old

SURVIVING:  Me and Pete are doing well, although it often feels alot more like surviving.  The lack of sleep was really grinding on us, and I was starting to think she was colicky.  So on her 6 week birthday, after about 9 hours of crying intermittently throughout the day, I called the doctor.  They told me to give her gas drops hold her more (more?!? is that possible) since that seems to soothe her.  They did say I could call back on saturday if I really wanted to have her seen still.  So saturday rolls around, and my devil baby is still crying alot, no fever, and seemingly mad both before, during and after feedings...so to the doctor we go.  Of course at the doctor she is acting rather angelic.  They said she might just be a fussy baby, or she might have acid reflux, so sent me away with some tactics on managing the situation - involving feeding her upright, keeping her upright for at least 30 min after feeds, holding her MORE, etc.  And that if it didnt resolve to call back in a week and we could try out acid reflux meds.....So a week goes by, I call for a prescription and although she still is a spitfire, its like we have a different baby!!!  She is taking axid, which is a liquid antacid, something i will also call a miracle worker.  After 24 hours on this stuff, she went from waking up every 1.5 hours at night, to going to bed at 930p, and sleeping for almost 4 hours, a quick feed, then another 3-4 hour stretch....which brings me to my next topic - the myths of parenting

SLEEP WHEN THE BABY SLEEPS - this expression was made up by a group of nink-um-poops, or by people who havent hung out with a newborn in a while, or possibly by people who just want yougn adults to continue pro-creating so they tell you this to reassure you it will all be OK.  Because although at night, I agree you should sleep when the baby sleeps, if its 11a on a tuesday, you havent showered since sunday night and you have no clean nipples for the bottles what should you do???  In theory you should sleep, but in reality you need to shower, or at least brush your teeth and pull together a ponytail and some deoderant, half-heartedly clean the bottles, maybe get yourself a bite to eat...and then you can put your head on the pillow just in time for AJs nap to be over

SO IS SHE SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT YET?  OK folks, so if my baby was sleeping through the night, believe me you would know.  We would have a party, post it on facebook, maybe even make time for a personal phone call to each of you.  But, she is not sleeping through the night....although getting better....so unless you hear otherwise from us, no need to inquire....or to share stories about how your neighbor's kid or your niece started sleeping though the night at 4 weeks....nor do i want to hear about how your kids didnt sleep through the night til they were 4 years old - either way, i might cry!

DO YOU HAVE HER ON A SCHEDULE YET?  This is another expression made up by silly people who either have one of those angel babies who also sleep through the night, or who have never met my child.  If you believe it is possible to get us on a schedule, i invite you for a weeklong stay at the Soens Resort in Palatine, IL (known as our home), all expenses paid to do it....if you fail, you owe us our money back and 2 extra nights where you do nightfeedings and we sleep and dream of a scheduled lifestyle....the kind meghan relishes in, where the blackberry buzzes so gently in her pocket when its time for the next activity

OK well more next time....we have her 2 month checkup coming up soon!

1 month checkup....7lb 15 oz!!

So today was Ashley’s 1 month check-up and she weighed in at a hefty 7 lb 15 oz….for those non-metric folks, that’s 1 oz shy of 8 lbs! So although she came out tiny, and by many definitions sure she is still tiny, she is not wasting much time in trying to catch up her weight to the “large baby” the OB told me I was having during my pregnancy.


She checked out healthy, although created quite a debauchee during the appointment, and I probably appeared quite incompetent. It started by us arriving to the Dr appt hungry….but with a plan. I got there 25 min early and anticipated the Dr running late, figuring I had time to feed her. Well everyone was being overly efficient and they took us right away. So as they measured, weighed her and other things, she was screaming bloody murder for food. So after taking off her diaper t be weighed, I put it back on real haphazardly, knowing I would have to put a new one on after the Doctor exam. (you can see where this story is going…). So while waiting for the Doctor I began feeding her, and as the Dr entered she proceeded to poop – which escaped out of the haphazard diaper and got all over my jeans. So the doctor took over feeding her while I got myself cleaned up. When she finished 2oz the doctor tried to get the exam started and again, AJ screamed for more food. The Dr said I could feed her while she examined her so I did, but it was a rushed feeding with not a lot of burping (again, you can see where this story is going….) So after she finished the rest of her food (4.5 oz) she proceeded to throw half of it up all over herself and me….and screaming ensued yet again. Meanwhile I tried to explain to the doctor that she is normally a good eater and sleeper and doesn’t cry a lot. So I looked like a crazy frazzled parent, but handled it in good spirits.

So that’s the 1-month check-up story….

Month 1 as a parent

So we are just a few days shy of having a 4-week old baby and it has been quite a crazy, yet rewarding ride.  So Ashley came into the world on 04/23, and we went home on 04/25. 

BACK IN THE HOSPITAL
After the 2-day checkup on 04/27, we were sent to the hospital for a bilirubin test since she looked rather yellow and was a little lethargic - and to think, we just thought we had a good sleeper!  And although all newborns lose weight, she had gone down to 5lb 8 oz, which was over 12% loss in 2 days.  They typically expect babies to lose up to 10% of their weight in 7 days, so that was also not good. Her bili level turned out to be 22.5 mg/dL which was rather alarming, because levels above 25 can cause brain damage and other developmental delays, and levels below 5 are normal.  http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/common/jaundice.html#
They said if it was below 15, they would just monitor and not treat, 15-18 we would have done phototherapy in our house, and 18-22 we would have to go to the hospital.  So not only were we for sure going to the hospital, but we were very scared because the 22.5 was so close to 25, and higher than the threshold the dr had prepared us for.  So she ended up needing an IV for dehydration, and triple phototherapy to bring the jaundice down.  Within 16 hours, her bili levels were considered acceptable high (12.5), but they kept us in the hospital an additional 2 days to make sure she (and we) knew how to feed properly.  So we were told we needed to supplement with formula out of medical necesity, and while we were in the hospital, we had to feed her in the incubator.  So we did that, and had a long stressful stay in the hospital - with visits from lactation consultants, constant monitoring of her eating, my milk, and her weight.  So with all the scrutiny, combined with post-partum hormones, I was an emotional wreck!

FIGURING OUT OUR ROUTINE AT HOME
We were back home (again....) on the night of 04/30.  We were doing alot of tracking of time of feedings, amount of pumped milk, and amount of supplemented formula. My sister left for her graduation on the morning of the 4th, and my mom went back to boston on the 5th.  Pete ended up staying home and working from home on the 6th and 7th, as I was quite overwhelmed!  We were going back to the pediatrician every other day for weight checks, as they wanted to make sure her weight gain was back on track....so at her 2-week birthday (May 7), she finally reached her birth weight again.  On top of getting things settled with Ashley, I also ended up getting this sort of rare rash caused by pregnancy, it affects 1 in 240 pregnancies, and 6 in 1000 post-partum.  I went to a dermatologist and ended up needing to go on oral and topical steriods.  It was itchy like crazy and spread to my torso and legs.
http://www.google.com/images?q=puppps&rls=com.microsoft:*&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7ADFA_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=--XyS8vRHYu4NpOPzL8H&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CDYQsAQwAw

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pruritic_urticarial_papules_and_plaques_of_pregnancy


 Her schedule is a little off, seemingly only sleeps 2 hours at night, but during the day she will go 4 hour stretches, so we are both tired to say the least.  Pete is obviously back at work, so he is tired from restless sleep and helping with night feedings, and I am tired because the days are busy with taking care of Ashley.  So as of Friday my maternity leave will be 33% over - and it is going by too fast!  I FINALLY have some more confidence in being able to take care of AJ and ventured downtown on Friday to bring her to Pete's work, and last night took her to Pete's softball game.  So I feel good enough to be leaving the house on my own. 


CUTEST BABY EVER

So thats the story to date - we have her 4-week check-up on Friday coming up, although based on her little pot belly, I am guessing she is now about 7.5 lbs so we'll see.  She is a really good baby - only really cries when she is hungry, so that is good news!!

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Ashley's coming home today

Ashley decided to make an early arrival.  On Thursday night  (04.22) I finished up my water aerobics class at 7p and something felt a little off.  After showering and getting dressed, my water broke (!!) on my way out of the locker room!  I was sort of in denial, like maybe I peed my pants....but as I continued to walk to my car and more kept coming I knew it was time.  Despite being across the street from the hospital, I drove home to take a "real" shower, get my stuff and most importantly tell Pete!  We called the doctor who told us to make our way to the hospital, so we got there about 8:45p.

We got up to the unit by about 9p and I was 3cm dilated.  The nurse said "How much pain would you like to feel during labor?" I said not really any!!!  So I still foolishly tried to wait it out, and then when I asked for my epidural I was having short painful contractions every 2 minutes.  The epidural hurt alot going in, more than I was prepared for but once it was all set the Epidural was amazing...not quite sure why someone would pass up that opportunity!  At that point I was 5 cm so they opted not to start pitocin and I slept from about 11:30p - 3:30a.  At 3:30 the nurse came in to check on things because the heart rate was dipping a little with each contraction, although not dramatically so.  By then I was 8 cm, so decided it was time to wake up and start paying attention!  By 4a-430 I was 10 cm, so they called the Dr who was making her way to the hospital.  It was Dr Goldin who was a very sweet doctor, and we were relieved because there were 2 doctors we really didnt like.  When she got there we did some "practice pushes" and basically realized I couldnt feel contractions....i thought this was a great thing, but the monitor wasnt picking up my contractions so they said we had to turn down the epidural and start some pitocin (which causes contractions).  So there was a few more practice pushes, but mostly fussing around and waiting, then the real pushing began at about 6a.  That lasted til 7:21a when Ashley was born!!  So epidural helped alot still but definitly hard work....and whoever thinks there is a difference between pressure and pain is kidding themselves!

So since then things have been pretty mellow - Ashley seems like a pretty good baby so far (knock on wood!).  We had Dee and Sara visit, and of course Caitlin, but other than that just me and Pete - which is nice because I get pretty tired.  So we are heading home today, just waiting for the pediatrician to come around and discharge Ashley.

We are probably going to do most of our photo sharing so if your not already our friend, find us! But if you dont have facebook, here is the link to the album for now

And so much for the big baby they were telling us we were having, even though she was 3 weeks early, she still couldnt have got that big - she is 6 lbs 4 oz

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2230367&id=14306913&l=c03b0488b2

25 days to go - guess the weight/due date

So the countdown is officially on - less than a month to go, can now even be counted in days!  Since the last posting we had 2 (!!) baby showers - one hosted by Dee + Sara, and had a theme "Sweet Addition" with lots of treats and sweets, and another on Wednesday was a surprise one hosted by work.  Going into the shower I thought we had everything we could possibly need, so now we have all that and more!  We literally have a closet full of outfits - I am pretty certain Ashley is not going to wear the same outfit twice - insane! It continues to amaze me how generous people are with the baby!!!

So between the 2 showers and all the cakes and cookies at them, the fact I skipped my water aerobics twice this week (bad head cold), and I am totally retaining fluid (cankles do not even begin to explain - cankles mean your ankles blend in wth your calves - well my feet and ankles are BIGGER than my calves!) I have officialy hit 50 lbs.....yikes!  From all my celebrity gossip magazines most of them gain about 40 lbs, so 10lbs more than a celebrity isnt so bad, plus the water weight in my cankles has got to count for something

36.5 weeks (+50 lbs)            34.5 weeks (+43.1 lbs)

So below I added the app to guess the weight and due date.  Next Saturday I am having another ultrasound because they say the baby looked big (91%) at her 30 week ultrasound, so thats the only hint...apparently ultrasounds can be off as much as 20% though.  So guess now, because after the ultrasound we may know too many details to make it fun.....and only vote once!  Some people (ahem ahem my dad) voted multiple times on the gender poll to skew the results towards what he thought it would be!!

Less than 5 weeks to go....

In the last 2.5 weeks not too much new has happened. We did finish our final birthing class - where we watched 3 filmed births and 1 c-section. And it’s a little late for us but I strongly encourage anyone looking for a good birth-control method to watch those scary videos….I am sure my birth experience will be much better, cleaner and easier than they made it look on the video ;-) We also have pretty much finished the nursery, with the exception of hanging a few pictures on the wall – but since the baby will be in them, hanging empty frames seems a little silly! I included pictures of that below. Other excitement includes my mom visiting this weekend, as well as Caitlin arriving for a month long stay. She is going to be interning at Loyola for her final month of undergrad, so that will be fun. Also this weekend, Dee and Sara are throwing a little shower for my Chicago friends – a mix of people I have come to know via Baxter and Kellogg – so that will be fun and nice!


I am trudging along physically, starting to get more uncomfortable but nothing unbearable. I am slow. I waddle. My hips, back and inner thigh ache. I guess that about sums up what late-stage pregnancy is for most people though.

So this last appointment I was up 2.3 lbs – so now 43.1. With 5 weeks to go my new goal is to keep it under 45 – haha – I have sort have had to adjust my goals on the fly. My original goal of staying under 25 lbs is looong gone.  Some peopel are saying it looks like my stomach has dropped...i think it looks like its in the same position, just bigger!


Week 34.5 (+43.1 lbs)                        Week 32 (+40.8 lbs)
 

And here are some more nursery pictures

 

And finally a picture of Pete, practicing being a good dad with the Baby Bjorn

7.5 weeks til due date....

Since the last post we went to another birthing class, took the hospital tour, and I started prenatal water aerobics.  Also, pete did some finishing touches to the nursery and steam cleaned the carpets, so that was a fun surprise!....and unrelated to the baby, finished my MBA!!!  So that is why the baby probably has a big head - it is going to be smart!!  So i am done with classes and graduation is June 19th, so I have a very cute outfit in Kellogg colors for Ashley to wear to graduation -how fun!

The doctor's appt was re-assuring, I gained no weight (!!) and in fact even lost 0.2 lbs - so that made my day.  Also, the last appt with the big baby news on the ultrasound left me a little freaked out, but the doctor just said we'll talk after the 37 week ultrasound to come up with a plan that everyone - namely me and pete - agree with.  If its still tracking really big, then we'll make some decisions, otherwise they let lots of big babies progress naturally.

So i am still feeling pretty good, although I have downgraded from "great."  Most of the time I feel perfectly fine, but going from sitting to standing and walking alot is really bothersome because I have round ligament pain and it basically feels like a pulled groin muscle, so even with stretching, nothing other than giving birth really makes it go away.

So thats it for this week....pics are below.  I do look bigger but weigh the same as two weeks ago!

Week 32 (+40.8 lbs)                Week 30 (+41 lbs)

Week 30

So another month has gone by and we are now 9.5 weeks until go time.  Lots of fun has happened in the last month - ultrasound today, started birthing class, and Pete's family threw us a really fun baby shower.

Starting with this mornings Dr appt - the baby looks VERY healthy, and is already head down.  By very healthy I mean the 30-week little cherub has a noggin that is measuring at 32 weeks, and a belly that is measuring at 33 weeks.....so that is what they call a Big Baby - macrosomia if you want to be all technical about it.  But I guess I was 9lb9oz and have quite the noggin size myself, so not sure why I expected differently.  Speaking of big things, I gained an eye-opening amount of weight in these past 4 weeks....15 lbs in 30 days....no that is not a typo, that means on any given day I gained a half a pound.  I didnt know it was possible either, so although at first I laughed ALOT, and then I did shed a few tears in panic for about 5 minutes...so be careful with the jokes (to my face at least!) because i might laugh or cry!  So other than being a large lady with a large baby, everything is still going really well - great blood pressure, good pee testing.  I have started some nagging sciatic pain that runs from my right butt check through my inner thigh.  And some really odd tingling sensations from time to time, I guess that Ashley has nestled into an inconvenient position every now and again

so now weight gain is at a whopping 41 lbs and 9.5 weeks to go....so good thing I start prenatal water arobics next week

    Week 26 (+26 lbs)         Week 30 (+41 lbs)

We started birthing class this week. To be honest I was sort of disappointed - from having read books and such, I didnt learn anything in the first week I didnt already know.  And then at the end the breathing techniques and the relaxation stuff I dont think is for me.  We could not stop giggling while we were supposed to be rubbing my belly and in through the nose out through the mouth....then imaginging a really calm waterfall...i mean this stuff is for the birds in my opinion....but at least I learned it, maybe Ill change my mind when I am in labor...or maybe ill find the class more useful when they start talking epidurals

The shower was thrown by the Sonnenberg side of the family (Pete's mom's side) at his aunt Linda's house, who normally hosts the big summer get together.  Nearly all pete's aunts and uncles came, and his aunt Nancy even flew in special for it all the way from Washington DC!  Dee and Sara also made the trip to Milwuakee.  As with every Sonnenberg gathering there was way too much food so that alone may explain the poundage gain!!  And everybody was incredibly generous and we literally left with a car full of things....lucky for Sara there was still room for her in the back seat, otherwise the roof racks would have made for a rough ride ;-) Other than the showers, we have also got some really cute stuff from other friends and family which has been a fun surprise - I think my favorite so far is a little outfit that says "diva in diapers" across the front of it - haha!  that is thanks to my mom's talented friend sharon!  I included a few pictures from the Sonnenberg shower

  Oh, and also made alot of progress on the nursery, so a few pics from that for your viewing pleasure.  We just need to hang a few pictures, and put down baseboard

So thats that, I think cause my belly is growing so fast now, maybe I'll start doing postings every other week, so more to look forward too...and my next dr appt is in 2 weeks from today, so hopefully my weight gain slows down!!

This is ashley with her eyes closed - you can already see chubby cheeks

This is her with her eyes open, pretty freaky/cool....we actually saw her blinking on the ultrasound

And these are her little feet

Week 26: Welcome to the third trimester

So I didn't do a post in a while, have been super busy with work and school so a whole month has gone by since my last one.  I had a Dr appt this morning and everything still is going great.  I had to do the Glucose test where you drink that syrupy stuff.....as a testament to my love for sugar, I didnt think it was so bad to drink!

Other than that, still feel good, although starting to sleep a little lighter and wake up when Petes alarm goes off at 4:30am  - yikes!  I dont usually get up to 7:30a, but since that is the worst of my complaints I guess not so bad.  Other questions I get....I dont have a "linea negra" which is the dark line that goes up some preggo peoples bellies, and I am to the point where people are starting to ask when my due date is and when I say 14 weeks to go I get alot of wide eyed "REALLLLY?" so I guess I am starting to look really pregnant.  But I dont waddle when I walk, so that is a good thing.

We put the crib together - pete did most of it, and the rocker recliner was delivered.  Other than that, havent done too much with the room - still need baseboards and closet shelving and rods, but we have plenty of time so not worried about it.

And one other fun update, Pete felt the baby for the first time last Sunday, so he was pretty pumped.  I feel it all day, and easier to notice in the morning drive to work and on my drive home.

I was very hungry this past month, so I was relieved to find out I only gained 4.5 lbs in 4 weeks!! So a grand total of 26.5 lbs gained  Here I am:  The one on the left (short sleeves) is from this morning and the other is from a month ago.  My face looks a little more tired in this one, but it was taken at 7a on a Saturday....

Week 26 (+26.5 lbs)                                      Week 22 (+22 lbs)

This other pic is from when my parents visited a month ago, so its older, but what i look like with clothes on :-)

Week 22 update

So I am half way through week 22 and quite a bit of fun stuff has happened since the last post.  Well first off there was christmas which we did with Pete's family since we did Turkey day with mine, and we had lots of fun and ate way too much. And Pete and I also indluged on buying presents for Ashley even though she isnt here yet - it was hard to resist buying all sorts of cute baby clothes and hats! And as part of an early celebration for my pending graduation from Kellogg (done in March, graduation ceremony in June), as well as the concept of "babymoon" we took a NYE trip to Marco Island FL. So although it was chilly there like the rest of the country, we still had a blast and got tons of relaxing time in.

Pics below: "Ashley with some of her presents, Me, Pete and Ashley ringing in the New Year

I painted the nursery and we had a cieling light installed with a dimmer - see the before and after pics below.  We just need to finish the room by putting in baseboards and putting shelves and rods in the closet.  The closet is staying without a door since it will serve as part dresser/part closet since the room is so tiny (8.5'x9.5') so we painted it in a contrasting color to give the room a little pizzaz.  I definitly wanted to do a green, and we had already picked the bedding and the curtains, so Dee helped me pick out some great matching paint colors!
 
 

My parents were in town this weekend and they generously purchased us the crib and changing table. They were going to get us a coordinating dresser, but with the size of the room, we thought the open closet concept would be better. We havent put it together, but Pete and my dad brought the heavy box up the stairs - so assembly with be next weekend's project. This is what it will look like.  We also have a LaZBoy recliner on its way, which was a present from Pete's dad, which has a rocking feature. so the nursery furniture is near complete!




I had my monthly Dr appt yesterday and everything continues to look and sound good.  Despite my recent "growth spurt" which had me panicky about weight gain, the doctor said between weeks 20-28 it is very normal to have rapid weight gain.  So I am apparently still on track to stay within the recomended weight gain of 25-35 lbs, although I will obviously be closer to 35 lbs.  Also, they are not counting the first 6 lbs I gained since it was so early in the 1st trimester, so everything I show here (today = 22 lbs) is 6 lbs more than the doctor is counting.  So bottom line, Ill probably be up 40 lbs by the end - yikes!  On a good note, my stomach is measuring spot on for the dating, which is good, and also makes me feel less bad about poundage.

Some comparison photos

Week 12 before I popped                  

     Week 22.5 (+22 lbs)                                                  Week 19
  


















So those are the updates for now - Pete is trying to nap in our bedroom, which has now become the bedroom/office, and so far not so good since he is complaining about the noise of the typing while he is trying to sleep!  But we had to move everything to make room for baby and he is trying to protect the square footage in his beloved baseball room!!