No midwifery for me. I've officially been diagnosed with Gestational Hypertension, which means my blood pressure is too high to ignore anymore. During labor, a mother's BP increases by 10-15 mm Hg and since I'm already in the high range, labor will most definitely put me over the wall. Having high blood pressure during labor increases my chances of seizures and inter cerebral hemorrhaging. The Midwifery is not equipped with the tools needed if something like that were to happen to me. I have to have the birth in the hospital. I'm a little disappointed because I wanted a completely unmedicated, natural birth with the freedom to move as I please and make my own decisions. I can still make a lot of my own decisions at the hospital but I'll be a little restricted with IVs.
Snowflake is doing very well and will probably not need any assistance after birth (if we were to deliver right now). As long as I'm doing okay, I'll be able to hold him/her as long as I want and they can do a bedside exam instead of immediately carting them off to the nursery.
Tomorrow, I have an appointment with the OB I've been seeing. I was told "bring your husband and pack a bag". We'll see what happens. Part of me doesn't believe we'd deliver tomorrow, but I guess it's a possibility. Who knows? We're done trying to plan anything and just letting God do the rest. We pretty much have everything we need to bring a baby home, for now. The past couple weeks and all it's drama has prepared us mentally for the possibility of a spontaneous delivery. I'm looking forward to putting all this behind me.
Thanks for all your prayers and well wishes!!!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Quick Update.
Here's a brief update since last week.
I had a follow-up appointment on Friday with Dr. Hall (the OB). My BP was 122/88 and I had lost 5 pounds of fluid since Wednesday. He was still concerned about the Diastolic number being 88 and told me to come back in the next Wednesday (yesterday) for a check-up and urine sample. We stopped by the Midwifery to pick up some herbs and let them in on our visit with Dr. Hall. They weren't overly concerned about the BP and thought my progress was good.
On Monday, I had an appointment with the Midwifery and my BP was down to 125/68. Snowflake is measuring perfectly and my swelling is way down from increasing my water intake. The Midwife we met with (Cassie) still sounded optimistic about me getting through this pregnancy without developing any further complications but stressed that she's seen mommas go downhill very quickly and unexpectedly. We're not in the clear until this baby is out and my BP is steady.
Yesterday, we were back at Dr. Hall's office and my BP went up to 160/95. They took it again and it was 140/85. Then they took it again while laying on my side and it was 130/93 (or something). Well, they didn't like the Diastolic number so high so they sent me back to the hospital for more bloodwork and monitoring. As soon as they hooked me up to the BP monitor, everything went back to normal. My BP never left the 130s/70s range (which is awesome!). It kinda makes me wonder if they even know what they're doing at Dr. Hall's office. I mean... can my BP really be that off in a matter of 25 minutes? Labs came back normal. They went ahead and tested me for GBS (Group B Strep). Normally, this test is done at around 37 weeks, but since I "may" not make it that far, they thought they'd better do it now. If my test is positive for GBS it just means I have to have antibiotics during labor so that I don't transfer it to the baby during delivery. The Midwifery has the same procedure. If I hadn't had the test done and I were to deliver early, they'd have to give me antibiotics no matter what.
It's so frustrating! One minute I'm up, the next I'm down. I have to go back in to Dr. Hall's office on Friday for a BP check. I hope it stays down. This is starting to get annoying and ridiculous.
As far as how I'm feeling, I'm great! No weird symptoms. Not even contractions! I mean, I guess I'm starting to get achy when I stay in one position for too long, but who doesn't? Snowflake is moving a lot. It's starting to get cramped in there but that doesn't stop Snowflake from stretching. The good thing about all this drama is that we know we're ready for anything. We've prepared ourselves mentally and are okay with the idea of bringing a baby home sooner than expected. Todd asked me two weeks ago (before all this craziness) if I would be okay if something should happen and I had a mini panic attack. I didn't think I'd feel ready until after Thanksgiving. Now, I'm totally open to sharing Thanksgiving with a Little One.
Thanks for all your prayers! They've played a big part in calming our hearts and mentally preparing us. We know that God has got this, whatever the outcome may be.
I had a follow-up appointment on Friday with Dr. Hall (the OB). My BP was 122/88 and I had lost 5 pounds of fluid since Wednesday. He was still concerned about the Diastolic number being 88 and told me to come back in the next Wednesday (yesterday) for a check-up and urine sample. We stopped by the Midwifery to pick up some herbs and let them in on our visit with Dr. Hall. They weren't overly concerned about the BP and thought my progress was good.
On Monday, I had an appointment with the Midwifery and my BP was down to 125/68. Snowflake is measuring perfectly and my swelling is way down from increasing my water intake. The Midwife we met with (Cassie) still sounded optimistic about me getting through this pregnancy without developing any further complications but stressed that she's seen mommas go downhill very quickly and unexpectedly. We're not in the clear until this baby is out and my BP is steady.
Yesterday, we were back at Dr. Hall's office and my BP went up to 160/95. They took it again and it was 140/85. Then they took it again while laying on my side and it was 130/93 (or something). Well, they didn't like the Diastolic number so high so they sent me back to the hospital for more bloodwork and monitoring. As soon as they hooked me up to the BP monitor, everything went back to normal. My BP never left the 130s/70s range (which is awesome!). It kinda makes me wonder if they even know what they're doing at Dr. Hall's office. I mean... can my BP really be that off in a matter of 25 minutes? Labs came back normal. They went ahead and tested me for GBS (Group B Strep). Normally, this test is done at around 37 weeks, but since I "may" not make it that far, they thought they'd better do it now. If my test is positive for GBS it just means I have to have antibiotics during labor so that I don't transfer it to the baby during delivery. The Midwifery has the same procedure. If I hadn't had the test done and I were to deliver early, they'd have to give me antibiotics no matter what.
It's so frustrating! One minute I'm up, the next I'm down. I have to go back in to Dr. Hall's office on Friday for a BP check. I hope it stays down. This is starting to get annoying and ridiculous.
As far as how I'm feeling, I'm great! No weird symptoms. Not even contractions! I mean, I guess I'm starting to get achy when I stay in one position for too long, but who doesn't? Snowflake is moving a lot. It's starting to get cramped in there but that doesn't stop Snowflake from stretching. The good thing about all this drama is that we know we're ready for anything. We've prepared ourselves mentally and are okay with the idea of bringing a baby home sooner than expected. Todd asked me two weeks ago (before all this craziness) if I would be okay if something should happen and I had a mini panic attack. I didn't think I'd feel ready until after Thanksgiving. Now, I'm totally open to sharing Thanksgiving with a Little One.
Thanks for all your prayers! They've played a big part in calming our hearts and mentally preparing us. We know that God has got this, whatever the outcome may be.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
So what's next.....?
Hi friends. I have a long update, so bear with me for a bit.
If you recall the last post, I shared about a little problem we had last week with my Blood Pressure. Urine and blood work was completely normal. This week (yesterday) we had a follow-up appointment at the Midwifery and my BP was high again, not to mention, I had somehow gained SEVEN pound since the last appointment. Even though my labs were normal last week, the midwives thought it would be best to send me over to the hospital to have more labs done and be monitored. The reason being that although I'm not high risk just yet, I still have 6 weeks of pregnancy left and anything can happen in an instant. At the very least, I'd be able to meet the midwifery's OB team and start talking about a birth plan with them should I have to transfer later.
I was a wreck as soon as we left the birth center. I hadn't planned on the possibility of a transfer of care and I was freaking out. Todd was awesome at keeping me grounded and reminding me that ultimately, the goal is to make sure Snowflake is healthy and gets out just fine, even if that means he/she has to arrive early.
When we arrived at Labor and Delivery (around 9:30am) they showed me to a room and made me change clothes, lay on a bed, and hooked me up to a BP monitor along with a baby heart rate monitor. I hadn't really expected that. I just thought I was going to meet the OB and get some labs done. So I freaked out a little more before settling in. Once the baby's heart rate was clear and audible I relaxed a bit. I just let myself settle into the rhythm of Snowflake's perfect little heartbeat. It was so cool to hear the heart beat and it was a really helpful reminder of why we were there. We just want a healthy baby.
At first the BP monitor was set to take my BP every 5 minutes. It was in the upper 120's-Low 130's/80-90. Not tooo bad, but I can understand how this could turn into a serious condition at some point. They took my blood and urine and sent it off to the labs. Then the nurse set the monitor to go off every 30 minutes and went away.
So, there we sat, twiddling our thumbs and wondering what in the heck was supposed to go on. Todd started snooping because he can't sit still. He found lots of fun stuff, like amnio hooks and infant electro wires and fun buttons to press! After about an hour the nurse came back in and told us she was still waiting on a couple more labs and would be calling the doctor soon and discussing how to proceed. That was around 11:15 or so. Bleh! This was taking forever!
I was trying really hard to drink as much water as possible but it made me pee every hour. And, of course, I had to call a nurse in every time to help me detach from the machines confining me to the bed. Annoying, but every nurse that came in always commented on how great the baby sounds! It was great to have so much affirmation regarding Snowflake.
Around 12 a midwife from the birth center stopped by our room. She was visiting a new mother down the hall who had to transfer last night while in labor. Finally! We could talk to someone and figure things out. She had already looked over my labs (which were normal) and spent some time answering our questions and possible outcomes. The biggest concern to her at the moment was the higher than average BP combined with excessive weight gain and swelling. Now, since my labs are perfect, there's no indication of pre-eclampsia. However, the next step down from pre-eclampsia is gestational hypertension, which can become pre-eclampsia at some point. Argh. At this point, I don't have GH. It's usually diagnosed near the end of pregnancy, but since I'm showing tendencies for it at 34 weeks they're concerned it could rapidly change. So, I'm not kicked out of the Midwifery just yet. They just want to get a doctor behind them if I need to leave.
We finally met the doctor around 12:45. He seems pretty nice. Apparently, the midwifery loves him because he's so patient and cooperative with women seeking a natural birth. His C-section rates are very low and he is known to deliver breech babies vaginally (which is a VERY uncommon practice in the US today). He addressed his concerns with us just as the midwife did. He also commented on how great the baby seems to be doing on the monitor but he explained that, with mothers who have Gestational Hypertension, there can be a risk to the baby being low birth weight due to restricted blood flow to the placenta. He told us he wanted to get an ultrasound and make sure the baby and it's surroundings look good.
Now, we haven't had an ultrasound since Snowflake was 8 weeks old and was still just a blob. Believe me when I say it was the best part of the day to hear we were going to get a peek at Snowflake! I was so excited! A nurse came in to give me a menu to order some food and told us it could be awhile before we get in to have the ultrasound done. I guess there was a woman in line before us. But then she came in 15 minutes later and said we we'd be bumped up because this other woman had lots of issues and they had to put off her ultrasound for a bit. Yay!
Snowflake is so cute!..... I think. The ultrasound machine that was used was brand new and there was another woman from the machine's company there to train the tech in how to use it. We told both of them we didn't know the sex of the baby and the tech did a really good job at telling us when to close our eyes and not let the gender slip. We got to see the heart and diaphragm and even a renal artery. She even got a great shot of Snowflake's face at one point. It was only a quick glimpse but I think I may have seen my sister's nose and Todd's lips. I wish we had asked her to freeze that shot and print a picture. Snowflake is resting happily head down with one foot by it's face and an arm behind it's head. The other arm and foot are up above my belly button. My mom thinks we have a climber, for sure! After she was done taking measurements she left and went to estimate Snowflake's size. While she was away, the trainer asked if she could take a look with the 3D imagery. While she was trying to get a shot of Snowflake's face she slipped a gender specific pronoun and then quickly tried to cover herself by saying she refers to all babies as a "____". (I don't want to say the pronoun in case she's lying.) Oh well. The original tech came back and said she estimates that Snowflake is about 5 pounds and that was perfect. So, again, perfect "test" results. There's still nothing sealing the notion that I may have a serious condition. But that's okay. I wouldn't want something negative to show up with the baby.
By the way... We did get a couple pictures to take home. Here's a sneak peek at Snowflake.
The top image is a 3D scan and the bottom is 2D. It's hard to really see anything in either image. They both look like every other baby I've ever seen..... Except for that nose. It's Mary's.
Sorry Mary.... This was the best pic I could find that showed your nose at a similar profile. :-)
After the ultrasound, things moved pretty quickly for us. They hooked me up to the BP monitor one last time and said I could go home but that I should set up a follow-up appointment with Dr. Hall for Friday.
So here we stand. I've been chugging water like crazy, hoping to reduce some swelling. The swelling is staying the same but I'm down 4 pounds since yesterday morning. Baby steps. I really hope I have a good check-up tomorrow and my BP stays down. Please keep us in your prayers. I wanna let Snowflake cook a little longer before we need to take drastic measures.
If you recall the last post, I shared about a little problem we had last week with my Blood Pressure. Urine and blood work was completely normal. This week (yesterday) we had a follow-up appointment at the Midwifery and my BP was high again, not to mention, I had somehow gained SEVEN pound since the last appointment. Even though my labs were normal last week, the midwives thought it would be best to send me over to the hospital to have more labs done and be monitored. The reason being that although I'm not high risk just yet, I still have 6 weeks of pregnancy left and anything can happen in an instant. At the very least, I'd be able to meet the midwifery's OB team and start talking about a birth plan with them should I have to transfer later.
I was a wreck as soon as we left the birth center. I hadn't planned on the possibility of a transfer of care and I was freaking out. Todd was awesome at keeping me grounded and reminding me that ultimately, the goal is to make sure Snowflake is healthy and gets out just fine, even if that means he/she has to arrive early.
When we arrived at Labor and Delivery (around 9:30am) they showed me to a room and made me change clothes, lay on a bed, and hooked me up to a BP monitor along with a baby heart rate monitor. I hadn't really expected that. I just thought I was going to meet the OB and get some labs done. So I freaked out a little more before settling in. Once the baby's heart rate was clear and audible I relaxed a bit. I just let myself settle into the rhythm of Snowflake's perfect little heartbeat. It was so cool to hear the heart beat and it was a really helpful reminder of why we were there. We just want a healthy baby.
At first the BP monitor was set to take my BP every 5 minutes. It was in the upper 120's-Low 130's/80-90. Not tooo bad, but I can understand how this could turn into a serious condition at some point. They took my blood and urine and sent it off to the labs. Then the nurse set the monitor to go off every 30 minutes and went away.
So, there we sat, twiddling our thumbs and wondering what in the heck was supposed to go on. Todd started snooping because he can't sit still. He found lots of fun stuff, like amnio hooks and infant electro wires and fun buttons to press! After about an hour the nurse came back in and told us she was still waiting on a couple more labs and would be calling the doctor soon and discussing how to proceed. That was around 11:15 or so. Bleh! This was taking forever!
I was trying really hard to drink as much water as possible but it made me pee every hour. And, of course, I had to call a nurse in every time to help me detach from the machines confining me to the bed. Annoying, but every nurse that came in always commented on how great the baby sounds! It was great to have so much affirmation regarding Snowflake.
Around 12 a midwife from the birth center stopped by our room. She was visiting a new mother down the hall who had to transfer last night while in labor. Finally! We could talk to someone and figure things out. She had already looked over my labs (which were normal) and spent some time answering our questions and possible outcomes. The biggest concern to her at the moment was the higher than average BP combined with excessive weight gain and swelling. Now, since my labs are perfect, there's no indication of pre-eclampsia. However, the next step down from pre-eclampsia is gestational hypertension, which can become pre-eclampsia at some point. Argh. At this point, I don't have GH. It's usually diagnosed near the end of pregnancy, but since I'm showing tendencies for it at 34 weeks they're concerned it could rapidly change. So, I'm not kicked out of the Midwifery just yet. They just want to get a doctor behind them if I need to leave.
We finally met the doctor around 12:45. He seems pretty nice. Apparently, the midwifery loves him because he's so patient and cooperative with women seeking a natural birth. His C-section rates are very low and he is known to deliver breech babies vaginally (which is a VERY uncommon practice in the US today). He addressed his concerns with us just as the midwife did. He also commented on how great the baby seems to be doing on the monitor but he explained that, with mothers who have Gestational Hypertension, there can be a risk to the baby being low birth weight due to restricted blood flow to the placenta. He told us he wanted to get an ultrasound and make sure the baby and it's surroundings look good.
Now, we haven't had an ultrasound since Snowflake was 8 weeks old and was still just a blob. Believe me when I say it was the best part of the day to hear we were going to get a peek at Snowflake! I was so excited! A nurse came in to give me a menu to order some food and told us it could be awhile before we get in to have the ultrasound done. I guess there was a woman in line before us. But then she came in 15 minutes later and said we we'd be bumped up because this other woman had lots of issues and they had to put off her ultrasound for a bit. Yay!
Snowflake is so cute!..... I think. The ultrasound machine that was used was brand new and there was another woman from the machine's company there to train the tech in how to use it. We told both of them we didn't know the sex of the baby and the tech did a really good job at telling us when to close our eyes and not let the gender slip. We got to see the heart and diaphragm and even a renal artery. She even got a great shot of Snowflake's face at one point. It was only a quick glimpse but I think I may have seen my sister's nose and Todd's lips. I wish we had asked her to freeze that shot and print a picture. Snowflake is resting happily head down with one foot by it's face and an arm behind it's head. The other arm and foot are up above my belly button. My mom thinks we have a climber, for sure! After she was done taking measurements she left and went to estimate Snowflake's size. While she was away, the trainer asked if she could take a look with the 3D imagery. While she was trying to get a shot of Snowflake's face she slipped a gender specific pronoun and then quickly tried to cover herself by saying she refers to all babies as a "____". (I don't want to say the pronoun in case she's lying.) Oh well. The original tech came back and said she estimates that Snowflake is about 5 pounds and that was perfect. So, again, perfect "test" results. There's still nothing sealing the notion that I may have a serious condition. But that's okay. I wouldn't want something negative to show up with the baby.
By the way... We did get a couple pictures to take home. Here's a sneak peek at Snowflake.
The top image is a 3D scan and the bottom is 2D. It's hard to really see anything in either image. They both look like every other baby I've ever seen..... Except for that nose. It's Mary's.
Sorry Mary.... This was the best pic I could find that showed your nose at a similar profile. :-)
After the ultrasound, things moved pretty quickly for us. They hooked me up to the BP monitor one last time and said I could go home but that I should set up a follow-up appointment with Dr. Hall for Friday.
So here we stand. I've been chugging water like crazy, hoping to reduce some swelling. The swelling is staying the same but I'm down 4 pounds since yesterday morning. Baby steps. I really hope I have a good check-up tomorrow and my BP stays down. Please keep us in your prayers. I wanna let Snowflake cook a little longer before we need to take drastic measures.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Last check-up
Last week we had our 32 week checkup. Actually, I was technically 32w5d. So it was pretty much 33 weeks. Anyway, when I got there the nurse (Kate) took my blood pressure and it read as 159/100! What?! So she took it again and it read close to the same. I started to get a little worried. My systolic reading has NEVER been above 130. So Kate went to speak with the midwife about what they should do and came back to draw my blood. I also had to leave a urine sample.
Some of you might be wondering why is it such a big deal to have high blood pressure. Well, high blood pressure can be a sign of a serious condition called preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a condition that can develop in pregnant women after 20 weeks gestation that increases blood pressure and protein in the urine. The only way to cure preeclampsia is to deliver the baby. If the disease is not treated it is highly likely the mother and baby will not survive. Preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal and infant death worldwide. The good news is if you're far enough along in your pregnancy, preeclampsia is perfectly treatable and a healthy baby can be delivered. The bad news, for me, is that I would no longer be able to deliver in the birth center and I'd have to be transferred to a hospital immediately. Now, I was planning on having a baby in December, not in the next couple weeks. I still have stuff to do! I can't have a baby now! It freaked me out to think about the possibility of having a baby so soon.
Anyway, back to our appointment. The midwife (Nancy) came in and discussed our case with us. They were going to send my bloodwork and urine to the lab and would know within 4 hours. Since I had absolutely no other symptoms to point to preeclampsia they didn't seem very worried. Nancy then decided she would take my BP using a different armband. She explained that thinner armbands can sometimes produce inaccurate results, which is what the nurse had used. She had me lay on my left side. It read 128/72! Phew! That was a relief! But she still wanted to send in my samples, just to be safe.
Then Nancy checked Snowflake. She pushed Snowflake all around trying to guesstimate it's current position (head down, butt up, back on my left side. Very good). This excited Snowflake and he/she started dancing and kicking and moving all around. My stomach looked like there was a litter of puppies inside. Nancy then used the doppler to listen to Snowflake's heartbeat. At first, it was 170 bpm! But then it settled down to 155 bpm. (Normal range for a heartbeat is 110-180.) Todd can hear the heartbeat if he puts his ear on my stomach and it seems to sit at 155 even when Snowflake is sleeping. I'm measuring right on track and other then the BP it was a pretty good checkup.
I got my results back later that day and it turns out my labwork is completely normal. I'm nowhere near in any risk for preeclampsia, or even hypertension. I still have to come back in this week for a follow-up, but that's okay. I'm thankful for how thorough the Midwifery Center is. I'd rather have them be too cautious than too relaxed. I know I'm in good hands there.
Long post..... I'm tired now.
Some of you might be wondering why is it such a big deal to have high blood pressure. Well, high blood pressure can be a sign of a serious condition called preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a condition that can develop in pregnant women after 20 weeks gestation that increases blood pressure and protein in the urine. The only way to cure preeclampsia is to deliver the baby. If the disease is not treated it is highly likely the mother and baby will not survive. Preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal and infant death worldwide. The good news is if you're far enough along in your pregnancy, preeclampsia is perfectly treatable and a healthy baby can be delivered. The bad news, for me, is that I would no longer be able to deliver in the birth center and I'd have to be transferred to a hospital immediately. Now, I was planning on having a baby in December, not in the next couple weeks. I still have stuff to do! I can't have a baby now! It freaked me out to think about the possibility of having a baby so soon.
Anyway, back to our appointment. The midwife (Nancy) came in and discussed our case with us. They were going to send my bloodwork and urine to the lab and would know within 4 hours. Since I had absolutely no other symptoms to point to preeclampsia they didn't seem very worried. Nancy then decided she would take my BP using a different armband. She explained that thinner armbands can sometimes produce inaccurate results, which is what the nurse had used. She had me lay on my left side. It read 128/72! Phew! That was a relief! But she still wanted to send in my samples, just to be safe.
Then Nancy checked Snowflake. She pushed Snowflake all around trying to guesstimate it's current position (head down, butt up, back on my left side. Very good). This excited Snowflake and he/she started dancing and kicking and moving all around. My stomach looked like there was a litter of puppies inside. Nancy then used the doppler to listen to Snowflake's heartbeat. At first, it was 170 bpm! But then it settled down to 155 bpm. (Normal range for a heartbeat is 110-180.) Todd can hear the heartbeat if he puts his ear on my stomach and it seems to sit at 155 even when Snowflake is sleeping. I'm measuring right on track and other then the BP it was a pretty good checkup.
I got my results back later that day and it turns out my labwork is completely normal. I'm nowhere near in any risk for preeclampsia, or even hypertension. I still have to come back in this week for a follow-up, but that's okay. I'm thankful for how thorough the Midwifery Center is. I'd rather have them be too cautious than too relaxed. I know I'm in good hands there.
Long post..... I'm tired now.
I know......
I'm not very good at this blogging thing. I've never been one to keep a diary. Even in school (grade school through college) when I was required to keep a journal in certain classes, I failed to turn them in on time. It has always seemed silly to recount the day by writing it down. It's so much easier to "think" about everything than document it. But, I will say, being the nostalgic person that I am, I LOVE when I come across something that I have written in the past. It immediately takes me on a trip down memory lane and I can feel everything again just as if I was writing it now. It triggers smells, sounds, and emotions that I have long forgotten. You'd think that would be motivation enough to keep up on this. I'll just have to try harder, I guess. If not for me, or for you, then at least for Snowflake. I bet he/she will love to see what I was thinking and feeling.
Monday, October 4, 2010
A load off our backs.
Hello Friends! Last week my parents came for a visit and, boy, did we get a lot done! They helped us accomplish so much! I just hope I can keep everything in order so I won't have to do anything until Snowflake arrives.
We finished the flooring in the office, nursery, and hallway. Todd still has to add the baseboards in the hallway and office, but that's a pretty quick job since everything is already measured out. The nursery is coming along great! While my parents were here I painted and attached picket fence posts around the perimeter of the room. The theme of the nursery is a sort of garden theme, with birdhouses and flowers. Attaching the posts to the wall was fun! I got to use an air nail gun. Power tools are the best!
Here are a few pictures of the room. I still have a lot of accessories to add (wall art, window coverings, mobile......) but I think its coming together nicely. I designed the bedding myself with my mother's help in sewing. I think it turned out great!
Let's see...... In addition to the projects above, my mom helped me organize a few spaces. It's amazing how much room I have in this house that I didn't realize I had. With a little planning, we were able to tuck nick-nacks and items here and there and really open up some floorspace. She also cleaned my kitchen from the top down. Even the microwave and toaster oven! She's coming back Dec 1st. Just in time time to help us stock up our freezer with meals for a couple months so we can focus on learning how to be parents.
Baby is doing a great job growing big and strong! It's getting a little cramped in there and every now and then I get kicked in a sweet spot that stops me in my tracks. Sometimes I get a big blow in the car and it takes my breath away. It always startles Todd because he thinks I'm seeing a road hazard or something.
Recently, we located the approximate area that Snowflake's head is in using a flashlight. I held the light up against my stomach and moved it around until I got a reaction. Now that Todd knows where Snowflake's head is he speaks to it in that area. Snowflake must like the sound of Daddy's voice because it creates quite the reaction and I can feel lots of kicks!
Here's the latest belly picture:
Finally, I'll leave you with some pictures of our house. Even though we moved in 11 months ago, many of you still haven't seen what our house looks like. Sorry we've been so lazy. It still needs lots of work to get it where I want it to be. I need more art and accessories!
We finished the flooring in the office, nursery, and hallway. Todd still has to add the baseboards in the hallway and office, but that's a pretty quick job since everything is already measured out. The nursery is coming along great! While my parents were here I painted and attached picket fence posts around the perimeter of the room. The theme of the nursery is a sort of garden theme, with birdhouses and flowers. Attaching the posts to the wall was fun! I got to use an air nail gun. Power tools are the best!
Here are a few pictures of the room. I still have a lot of accessories to add (wall art, window coverings, mobile......) but I think its coming together nicely. I designed the bedding myself with my mother's help in sewing. I think it turned out great!
Let's see...... In addition to the projects above, my mom helped me organize a few spaces. It's amazing how much room I have in this house that I didn't realize I had. With a little planning, we were able to tuck nick-nacks and items here and there and really open up some floorspace. She also cleaned my kitchen from the top down. Even the microwave and toaster oven! She's coming back Dec 1st. Just in time time to help us stock up our freezer with meals for a couple months so we can focus on learning how to be parents.
Baby is doing a great job growing big and strong! It's getting a little cramped in there and every now and then I get kicked in a sweet spot that stops me in my tracks. Sometimes I get a big blow in the car and it takes my breath away. It always startles Todd because he thinks I'm seeing a road hazard or something.
Recently, we located the approximate area that Snowflake's head is in using a flashlight. I held the light up against my stomach and moved it around until I got a reaction. Now that Todd knows where Snowflake's head is he speaks to it in that area. Snowflake must like the sound of Daddy's voice because it creates quite the reaction and I can feel lots of kicks!
Here's the latest belly picture:
Finally, I'll leave you with some pictures of our house. Even though we moved in 11 months ago, many of you still haven't seen what our house looks like. Sorry we've been so lazy. It still needs lots of work to get it where I want it to be. I need more art and accessories!
This is the main Living Room
Here's the Living Room from another angle
This is the Office (in progress). The sofa is a sleeper and will be perfect for having guests over.
This is a Family Room. It kinda looks like a cave right now but we're planning on removing the stone around the fireplace next summer and building a full wall bookcase in it's place. It will really help give us more storage for books and toys!
Front Exterior
Ferocious guard dog
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
10 weeks to go!!
Seeing as there are only ten weeks left before Snowflake's arrival, I thought I'd start a blog to keep all of our loved ones informed. It's hard to keep in touch with everyone, especially those of you that are not in Colorado. Hopefully this will keep you up-to-date on how the pregnancy is going, how we're doing in our preparations, keep you informed on when Snowflake arrives, and provide pictures.
So far, things are going well. The baby is growing steadily and is quite the mover! I know he/she is awake when the flash dancing starts, and I can tell when he/she is sleeping when the hiccups begin. There's no down time which leads me to believe Snowflake is a bit hyper. My midwives refer to Snowflake as "busy", but Todd and I can tell that's just code for "spaz". I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It IS a combination of both of us. Maybe he/she got a double dose of ADHD.... Or maybe my uterus is a Martial Arts Academy. Either way, we're so thankful for the constant movement. It's so cool to watch a knee move from one side of my belly to the other. And, when Todd reads to Snowflake, that's when the kicking really begins! It's amazing that such a small being can recognize voices.
Our preparations are coming along slowly, but surely. We're putting in wood flooring on our top level. The carpet that came with the house was disgusting and we didn't like the idea of a child crawling around in who-knows-what. Todd is doing a great job laying in the wood. It gets frustrating making all the right cuts, especially around the vents, but it sure looks great in the end! I'm hoping we can be completely done and ready with the nursery by the end of October. We have the crib and the changing table in the garage just waiting to be assembled. We're looking forward to a visit from my parents this weekend. They're bringing a sofa bed for the office and bedding for Snowflake's room with them. It will be great to have their help.
I'm hoping I can be disciplined enough to give weekly updates. Tune in next week for more.
So far, things are going well. The baby is growing steadily and is quite the mover! I know he/she is awake when the flash dancing starts, and I can tell when he/she is sleeping when the hiccups begin. There's no down time which leads me to believe Snowflake is a bit hyper. My midwives refer to Snowflake as "busy", but Todd and I can tell that's just code for "spaz". I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It IS a combination of both of us. Maybe he/she got a double dose of ADHD.... Or maybe my uterus is a Martial Arts Academy. Either way, we're so thankful for the constant movement. It's so cool to watch a knee move from one side of my belly to the other. And, when Todd reads to Snowflake, that's when the kicking really begins! It's amazing that such a small being can recognize voices.
Our preparations are coming along slowly, but surely. We're putting in wood flooring on our top level. The carpet that came with the house was disgusting and we didn't like the idea of a child crawling around in who-knows-what. Todd is doing a great job laying in the wood. It gets frustrating making all the right cuts, especially around the vents, but it sure looks great in the end! I'm hoping we can be completely done and ready with the nursery by the end of October. We have the crib and the changing table in the garage just waiting to be assembled. We're looking forward to a visit from my parents this weekend. They're bringing a sofa bed for the office and bedding for Snowflake's room with them. It will be great to have their help.
I'm hoping I can be disciplined enough to give weekly updates. Tune in next week for more.
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