Friday, January 29, 2010

Week 28 Update

We are officially in the 28th week/seventh month/third trimester! It feels like we just found out I was pregnant and we're already two thirds of the way to a newborn. I hope these next couple months go by as fast as the rest have.

I know I said I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment this week, and we were, but we had to move it to next Friday, February 5th. Unfortunately I don't think I can avoid the glucose test any longer than that. But I would like to get it done and make sure all is well with me and the baby.

We would also like to do another ultrasound in the next couple weeks to see if we can identify gender. It is driving us both crazy. Ok, it is mostly driving Eric crazy. But I would like to know as well.

I've been feeling good lately. A little tired as I'm getting up at least once a night to use the bathroom and the Niesling has taken to waking me up at 5am with his/her movements and then I usually don't get back to sleep. Everyone says this is good preparation for having a newborn in the house, and I'm sure they're right, I just wish I could get in all the sleep I can these last three months. I've also been a bit emotional; either I can cry at the drop of a hat or I'm depressed and can't perk myself up. Luckily Eric has been great in helping me cope and do what he can to cheer me up.

I've been very lax in the picture posting arena lately, so below are weeks 22-28. You can definitely tell I am pregnant now. The maternity clothes and sweats are all I can fit in, but I don't need much else. Also, please excuse my hair and facial expressions. We usually take the photos after I get home from yoga when I want nothing more than to sit down and have something to eat. Now that I'm aware of it though, I will try to look happier from now on!

Week 22


Week 23

Week 24


Week 25


Week 26


Week 27


Week 28


Sunday, January 24, 2010

Baby Gear to Get

Like I mentioned before, I really have no idea what a baby needs. So thanks to the advice of friends and family and this great blog (and others), I have some ideas now. Below are the items that Eric and I are looking into getting or what we would love to get if someone wants to give a gift to the Niesling.

Boppy Pillow (& Slipcover or Slipcover)- According to the majority of blogs I have read, this is a great pillow to have. It really helps to position the baby for breastfeeding and also helps the baby with tummy time. I love that you can buy the pillow and multiple fun patterned covers.

Bumpo - Apparently this seat is amazing for helping babies learn to see and keeping them in one spot for a least a little while. It was recommended we get one with a tray.

Activity Gym
- Once again, great for tummy time and most babies love them.

Pack 'n Play - Highly recommended. Eric and I are going to buy this one and use it instead of a crib for the first couple months so we don't have to get a crib while we're moving from trailer to house or wherever we may be when the Niesling is born.

Infant Bathtub - I know you can bathe a baby in the kitchen sink or the bathtub, but this tub comes highly recommended and seems safer than letting my baby just sit in the kitchen sink.

Baby Monitor
- I don't think the new versions that monitor baby movements (for SIDS) or even with video are strictly necessary, but it would be nice to have a simple audio monitor system to keep track of if the Niesling is crying.

Bjorn Bib - The Niesling won't need this for a while, but we have friends who use these bibs and they are amazing. Their little boy simply eats out of his bib.

Crib - This is the style we like, but want it in a light color or unvarnished so that we could finish it in the color we want. We also would like the changing table and dresser to be in the same color/finish.

Changing Table - I'm not sure how terribly necessary a changing table even is. But it would be nice to have one.

Dresser - We have to have someplace to store all the cute clothes and diapers!

Carrier - I don't think I'm a sling kind of girl, but a carrier would be nice to have so I can keep the Niesling with me while I do household chores and such.

Snuzzler - I'm worried about our baby being too small for the car seat after first being born, but this Snuzzler looks like the perfect way to adjust for that. It was appears that this will help support the baby's head and neck even after he/she could fit in the car seat themselves.

Below are a few other pieces that we want but are not as specific as above.

Clothes - Who can resist cute baby clothes? Especially those shoes!
Blankets/Swaddling Blankets
Books
Pacifiers (apparently there is way more controversy over pacifiers than I ever thought possible)
Toiletries
Diapers
Humidifier - I don't know if this will be needed, but I want to keep it in mind just in case.

And of course, anything Packers or Cardinals. But please, no Vikings or Yankees gear.

I do plan to breastfeed so I also want to look into nursing covers and possibly a breast pump. It's probably not a bad idea to have bottles on hand too, just in case.

Any further suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

In Memory

We all know someone who has lost a baby. This was something I was not very aware of before becoming pregnant, but is much more common than I ever thought. Not that it makes it any easier to deal with when it happens. We have friends and family who have lost children both during pregnancy and after birth. No matter the circumstances, it is a tragedy and hurts my heart to think about. It also makes us even more thankful for the Niesling and my relatively easy pregnancy.

I just wanted to take a moment to say that we love you all and you and your babies in heaven are in our thoughts and prayers.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Blue vs Pink or Eric vs Michelle

One of the privileges of being Eric's wife is occasionally being right and getting to tell him "I told you so". (I know, not a great marriage practice, but that's a separate blog.) Frankly I don't get the opportunity to do it much. But we may have come upon the greatest "I told you so" of our lives.

The gender of our unborn child.

That's right, we're back to square one as far as knowing whether we'll have a little Eli or Maggie. As you may recall, at our December appointment the ultrasound tech said she thought she saw scrotum. Eric confirms that he saw what she was talking about. I, however, saw no such thing and was not fully convinced. (I will not be fully convinced until I see a penis.)

Today, thanks to Eric being on the board and the wonderful people who work there, we were able to have another ultrasound at the Bella Pregnancy Resource Center. Jodie, the nurse manager, was kind enough to do the ultrasound for us. It was amazing to see our baby on that screen again. We were lucky enough to see the Niesling sucking on toes, hands, and the umbilical cord. Eric's parents, who had never seen an ultrasound, were also there experiencing it with us. Roxie, Bella's executive director, was there as well. It was amazing for all of us.

We explained our gender conundrum to Jodie (Eric believing wholeheartedly that it is a boy while I remain somewhat skeptical) and she attempted to discover the sex herself. Unfortunately, our baby has a sense of modesty and kept his/her legs together, preventing any peeks into our boy vs girl problem. Eric flat out asked Jodie, if he put a gun to her head what would she say, and her reply was that she had no idea. It is completely 50/50 in her mind.

So while Eric still says it's a boy, I am back to telling people that we're not sure. We're hoping to have another ultrasound in a couple weeks to help determine who is right and who is wrong. The winner of this argument will be talking about it for the rest of our lives. Let's just hope it's me. :)

Monday, January 18, 2010

Baby Accessories We Have

As Eric and I are both first time parents, we have been asking plenty of friends and family for advice. They have all been open and wonderful answering our questions and giving us suggestions that work for them. Of course, every baby is different, but it's nice to hear everyone's point of view. Since I have this blog anyway, I thought I would do posts on baby needs and accessories that we already have and are still looking at getting. This way we can keep track of what we still need to get for him and others can see what we already have if they want to buy the Niesling something. I might still do a registry, but I think this will work out just as well.

We have already started receiving gifts for the Niesling, especially since we just had Christmas. Since we found out it's a boy, a majority of the clothes we have received have been specifically for that gender. These include some cute sporty slogans and lots of blue! We also received a beautiful Winnie-the-Pooh fleece blanket from some friends. Eric's brother Jared and his wife also sent some wonderful Christian baby books. We also got a sippy cup from Eric's aunt and uncle that his cousin Cole used. This cup was made by another of Eric's aunt and uncles. The family hopes to start a new tradition of passing it to each new baby!

Thanks to my sweet mother-in-law and her love of garage sales, we also have bigger baby pieces. These she got right after we found out I was pregnant and they have been sitting in our shed since late August/early September. The funny thing is Eric and I recently decided that we wanted to do animals (jungle/African) for our nursery and when I went to check to see exactly what his mom had bought, nearly all of it was animals! It is safe to say that will be what we go with since we already have some pieces and it's gender neutral for our next baby.

The Niesling already has:

1. Evenflo Embrace Car Seat and Base: I pulled it out today to make sure that it is a current model as apparently car seats have expiration dates (which I did not know before). It is the kind that has a base you leave in the car and you can snap and unsnap the carrier. The fabric is adorable with zebras, elephants, alligators, hippos, giraffes, and turtles.

Athena testing out the car seat for the Niesling

2. Instep Jogging Stroller: I wasn't sure about this at first, but I'm looking forward to using it now. Not that I was ever a jogger or runner, but it looks like a good quality stroller that we will be able to use for a long time.

3. Fold Up Stroller: This is a nice little extra stroller that folds up easier and faster than the jogging one. I'm guessing this will be used for Wal-Mart and other store trips when the Niesling gets a little older.

4. Exersaucer: Everyone I've talked to and all the blogs I've read have said they could not live without this. Kris found one that has a circus theme, so it has the animals we are looking at incorporating into the nursery. I'm so glad to have this!

5. High Chair: I'm not sure when most babies start sitting in a high chair, but we have it whenever he's ready! It has adjustable heights not only for the tray, but also for the legs.

6. Bouncy Seat: Another favorite of many moms, I'm hoping our baby loves it as much as others do. Plus it's got cute little animals on it too as well as a removable activity bar with hanging animals.

7. Swing: Another must have. The one Kris found is basic, but what more do you need?

8. Fisher Price Rainforest Mobile: This is so adorable we couldn't resist taking it out and trying it the first time we saw it. Unfortunately, the buttons are marked wrong. Pressing the button for Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart plays the incorrect music. (Not that I would have ever noticed, but Eric the classical music man could tell.) I'm sure we will relabel them so they are correct.

We are so thankful for the amazing friends and family that are giving us gifts for the Niesling. We greatly appreciate it and hope they know how much we love them!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Don't Worry, I'm Still Here!

It has been forever since I last updated the blog and I have gotten a couple gentle nudges this week from friends to update. So here I am. There won't be any pictures of me for this post as Eric is not here and I'm not sure how to upload them from the camera. I will learn though, so I can post pictures whenever!

Since I won't show you photographic evidence, I will tell you that I finally have the obvious pregnant belly. Last week Eric and I trekked to Rapid City and bought some more maternity clothes for me. I was pleasantly surprised how well everything fit and the selection of cute shirts to choose from! It has now reached the point that I cannot wear any of my old pants except sweats and lounge pants. Most of my shirts could stretch to accommodate the baby bump, but they're not long enough. So it was a good thing we expanded my closet.

I have had two doctor appointments since the last post. At the December check up, we spent 3/4ths of the time doing an ultrasound. It was amazing to see our baby on the screen! Here are a few of the ultrasound pictures.






We asked about the gender before the ultrasound tech was done and she said she thought she had seen scrotal skin. She showed us what she was talking about and Eric apparently saw it. I, on the other hand, could not tell head from tail so I'm not positive. However, we are telling everyone it's a boy! (Eric says I'm still denying it because I want a girl so bad.) I am hoping we can get another ultrasound and the baby will be in a better position to verify gender. Either way both Eric and I are super excited!

The rest of the December appointment and our January appointment were talking with the doctor. We didn't have any questions and she had no worries so they were relatively quick visits. I've gained 14 pounds since I first saw Dr. B at the beginning of October. Seven of those pounds were put on between the December and January visits. Needless to say, I'm no longer worried about putting on enough weight! Especially since I seem to be eating every 2 hours. (The ladies at work like to give me grief about my snack drawer. I can't help that I'm growing another human and need to nourish him!) (And the pancake craving seems to have faded away as well, to be replaced by eating any and everything.)

The next doctor appointment is January 27th. I will be doing my glucose and anemia tests that day. I have to say I'm not looking forward to the orange sugar drink, but I am anxious to make sure my sugar and iron levels are okay. My pregnancy has seemed so smooth that I'm worried something will happen to make up for all the easy parts.

Oh yes, and baby is constantly moving now. He seems most active when I'm sitting or laying down, but I can feel him moving at anytime. He enjoys jumping on my bladder at 2 in the morning, which can be a pain, but it is a wonderful feeling nonetheless. Eric can feel him moving everyday now, but whenever I'm around others I can never catch him moving long enough for anyone else to feel. Which is disappointing for family and friends, but hopefully we can remedy that soon!

In other exciting news, Eric and I are buying 5 acres of land between Spearfish and Belle Fourche and plan to build a house this spring! We had originally hoped to be in before the baby was born, but it is looking like it may be a month or two after. Either way is fine with me. I'm just glad we'll have more room now that our family is expanding.