The Studer Baker

Moving the story to thestuders.blogspot,com

2011-05-17T10:54:00.001-07:00

Kaylynn's arrival marks the end of this blog for now. Follow the story on our family blog as we embark on this adventure of being a family of four.

My Birth Story

2011-05-16T03:55:00.001-07:00

On May 9, 2011 I was scheduled to check in to the family birth center at Southwest Washington Medical Center at 6:30 pm. If my cervix was favorable they would induce and if it wasn’t they would perform a repeat cesarean. It felt so strange walking in not in labor and knowing I would be walking out with my baby.

My OB doctor, Tricia Wright, was working that night and it was comforting to have that familiarity as we made our decision. My cervix was one centimeter, and though I was having contractions, I couldn’t feel them. Dr. Wright was willing to let me try labor, but there was only a slight chance they could get me to progress into labor and according to their calculations if I did go into labor there was a greater than 50% chance it would end in a cesarean anyway. We opted for the repeat cesarean and by 8:00 pm I was getting prepped.

Everything was calm and I was at peace with our decision as the surgery began. It was such a different experience than the rush and fear I felt about Desmond’s cesarean. I was still really nervous about being cut open, and getting a spinal instead of being on the epidural was sure different. That thing works fast! I felt better once Davin was allowed into the operating room.

At 8:41 pm Kaylynn Hope Eliana Studer entered the world and we heard her first gurgling cry. They lifted her over the screen so I could see her and I could tell right away that she was smaller than Desmond was. She checked in at 8 lbs 4.5 oz and was 20.5 inches long. I loved the fact that she never left the operating room until I did. Last time Davin left with Desmond shortly after birth to get him cleaned and checked out in another room. I had to stay and get sewed up which felt like it took forever! This time she got checked out right there and then Davin held her next to me while the doctors finished putting me back together.

My parents were there to congratulate us once we were settled in our room. Can you tell Mom is excited? They also got to witness her first bath in our room sink. Kaylynn loved it and didn’t cry at all until they took her out of the water to dry her off.

Kaylynn reminds me so much of Desmond! She has the same cute “Davin” mouth and chin. She might have my eyes and she definitely has my ears which I noticed right away because Desmond has Davin’s ears so hers looked really different to me. She has dark brown hair and it’s a bit longer than Desmond’s was at birth. I have a feeling she’ll turn blond later especially because she has lighter eyebrows and eyelashes. One fun feature is her long feet and toes! She has long fingers too.

I felt so different after Kaylynn’s birth than I did after Desmond’s. I was refreshed and ready to go rather than absolutely wiped out. In our first family picture with Desmond I look as bad as I felt, in my opinion. This time I was determined to look good with my hair straightened and some make up on. It’s vain, I know, but I enjoy showing off this picture a little more.

Acupuncture and a Hospital Bracelet

2011-05-07T18:49:00.001-07:00

I had my first ever acupuncture experience today to try to induce labor. It was kind of weird. I don't like needles, but who does? I had to sit up since I can't lay down on my tummy so it was harder to relax. I was surprised at how thin and flexible the needles were, but some of them still hurt going in. The ones that bugged me the most were the ones in my hands and tops of my feet. Those ones ached. The ones in my lower back were fine once they were in, but when she was stimulating them I nearly passed out once even though it wasn't causing any pain. The low back ones also created a noticeable warming sensation so it was doing something. I also had some in my right ear.

The acupuncturist said normally they poke the needles in and leave you for half an hour to relax. For me she did a "more intense" session to try and get things moving. She kept going around to all the needles wiggling them in turn which didn't always feel good depending on which needle it was.

I was glad when it was over and the needles were out. It wasn't too bad, but I wouldn't call it a pleasant experience. The baby was somewhat quiet this morning, but she's been moving around quite a bit more during and since the acupuncture. I hope contractions start! Nothing yet.

This morning I did my pre-op check in at the hospital, filled out paperwork, met with the anesthetist, got a rundown of what would happen, blood work done, and my hospital bracelet put on. I'm officially pre-admitted for Monday evening. My bracelet is just big enough I could squeeze out of it so I don't have to sport it for Mother's Day looking like an escaped patient and can put it back on when we're heading to the hospital.

I wish my cesarean was scheduled in the morning rather than the evening. I can't eat or drink for half of the day and if I am favorable for induction that means starting hungry and laboring through the night. Oh well. She will be born soon and that's all that matters!

Big Enough

2011-05-06T09:53:00.001-07:00

Here I am in all my lovely full term pregnancy-ness. My belly is constantly hanging out of the bottom of even my longest maternity shirts. Very annoying. But there are only a matter of days left until she’s out!!!

Today I am 40 weeks, 4 days. I thought for sure she’d come this week. I was right on with when I thought Desmond would be born, but I was wrong with this one. She’s late!

I’m feeling anxious about my scheduled cesarean on Monday evening. Would I go into labor on my own if we waited two more days? Of course, there’s no way to answer that question. Every passing day means she’s growing bigger, and from a medical perspective my chances of a successful vaginal birth are shrinking. I think I’ll feel like I failed if I don’t go into labor on my own and just get wheeled into an operating room. That also means committing to all future deliveries via cesarean so it impacts more than just this birth.

I’ve heard acupuncture can be effective in starting labor. Last time after coming close to being two weeks overdue with Desmond I had a session scheduled, but I ended up cancelling it because I went into labor the day before. I just scheduled an acupuncture session for tomorrow afternoon to see if we can get things started. I don’t like needles, but if it works that would be great! I want to give myself the best chance of at least trying a vaginal birth.

It's My Due Date, I Can Cry if I Want To

2011-05-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

Here it is. The long awaited day of May 2, and nothing is happening. The doctor checked my cervix today and said I was maybe 1 cm. Yeah, yeah. I don't have early babies. I think 5 of a recent 6 deliveries I've heard about have been early so I guess I get to be the late one.

I did lab work again today and if my liver is still improving they'll let me go until next Monday. At that point if my cervix is favorable they'll induce, and if it's not favorable they'll do a cesarean. If the labs show that my liver is noticeably worse, I'll be going in this Wednesday to deliver. I could trump all that by going into labor on my own which I hope is the case. I think I'll have Davin give me a foot massage tonight and try to find the supposed labor inducing pressure points.

I feel really uncomfortable. Nothing in my maternity wardrobe seems to fit anymore, and the few things that do make me look like a blimp. I can barely hold Desmond on my lap. I've given up carrying him all together plus the Ergo can no longer buckle around my growing midsection. I can't seem to sleep through the night anymore and get to enjoy baby aerobics around 3 am every morning. I've managed to stay fairly active going on walks and stuff, but now there are moments I just don't want to haul this baby anywhere but to the couch.

Okay, enough lamenting the passing of my due date. I get to enjoy my little family of three for one more day. We're making mini pizzas for dinner.

It's May!

2011-05-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad the calendar says "May" today! I was thinking our daughter could come in April, but alas, she is not an early bird. I like the sound of a May birthday, though. Sounds a little more sunny than rainy April. Davin's hoping for the fourth so he can say, "May the fourth be with you." (Go figure!) It's also his mom's birthday.

I've been trying to keep busy and active. Last week included a three hour walk around the zoo and an hour and a half swim with Desmond. Friday I got the car all cleaned out and the car seat in. Now we can't fit anything else in the back seat of our small Honda.

Yesterday I went to the huge kids consignment sale at the Expo Center which meant a lot of walking especially since I don't want to pay the $8 for parking so I take the MAX from the next closest park and ride and walk over. I didn't go crazy at the sale which is hard to do, but got a sling, some swaddlers, a nursing stool, summer hats, swim diapers, and some toys for Desmond since he came with me. Then we went to Davin's Hwa Rang Do tournament for the rest of the day.

I have another check up tomorrow so we'll see if anything is happening yet with my cervix. I'm really hoping she comes this week. My main concern right now is that I don't want her to get TOO big. Here's hoping for some big news to share in a couple days!

Rambling Thoughts

2011-04-27T16:49:00.001-07:00

I'm hoping that today's non-stress test was my final one. Perhaps by next Wednesday I'll have the baby! She passed with flying colors again although she was sleeping at first. They have to have elevated heart rates brought about by movement so they use a vibrator. It scared her good and woke her up fast. She's still a good mover which I enjoy.

One of my labs from this morning came back already and it's normal. The other one is the notoriously high one so here's hoping it's normal too. If so, they'll let me go a little longer past my due date.

I think she has dropped in the last day. All of a sudden I really can't bend over hardly at all and even sitting requires that my legs are far to the sides to accommodate the bulging belly. Desmond and I went to the zoo today so I'm hoping three hours of walking will also help get things going. As of yesterday I was 0/0 on the cervix. Surprisingly I felt just fine after all that walking.

I can't wait to see what she looks like! The last week is the hardest on my patience. I'm definitely in the "Maybe it will be today!" mode. If she's anything like Desmond, though, I'll have a good two days from the time contractions start until she is born. I'm ready, little one. I even have my birth plan done and we finalized her name last night. I have a feeling it will be next week sometime though I wish it was this week.

Hospital Tour

2011-04-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we toured Southwest Washington Medical Center to see what the Family Birthing Center was like. It seems more real seeing where she'll be born. I kept thinking, "I'll be back here next week to actually give birth!" I got my admission paperwork all filled out so we're ready to go.

The main difference from Kaiser Sunnyside is that at Southwest you stay in the same room the whole time. The facility is smaller overall, though I think the individual rooms are bigger, and the waiting areas are off the same hallways as the rooms. At Sunnyside the waiting area, delivery rooms, and recovery rooms are all separate. I like that all the rooms at Southwest overlook a garden or green area, too. It feels a little more homey.

I need to write up a birth plan and Davin and I need to officially finalize her name, but other than that everything is ready. I even finished up some more dinners for the freezer today. I'm hoping she'll come in the next six days so I don't have to deal with more cesarean conversations. We'll see!

Some Improvement

2011-04-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

Wednesday I had another non-stress test and lab work done. For the first time in a month one of my liver function results came back in the normal range and the other was still high but lower than before. Yeay! Also I don't think I've had a headache the last two days. Okay I did notice a very slight one last night while I was grocery shopping but in comparison it's like not having one at all.

I stopped taking my asprin on Monday because the doctor has told me this is the worst of my medications for breastfeeding and it takes about two weeks to get out of my system completely. I've been on it to reduce my stroke risk which was really low when I was in a-fib and my heart has been beating normally so I don't think the tiny (if any) benefit is worth breastfeeding it to my baby. I can't help but wonder if going off of that has helped my overworked liver.

It's so strange to think that in a matter of days we'll have a daughter! I still can't wrap my mind around it. I feel like I'll just go on being pregnant, and it's strange answering inquisitive strangers that I'm due in a week. I've been having a few intense dreams this week about my water breaking, contractions and heading to the hospital. Then I wake up disappointed that labor hasn't started yet. I remember having these kinds of dreams earlier with Desmond.

Monday we have a hospital tour at Southwest Washington Medical Center. We'll get my admission paperwork done and see how things run here. I wonder what labor and delivery will be like? I'm not set on any particular series of events and feel much more ready to go with the flow. I'm not the one in control anyway!

38 Weeks and Waiting

2011-04-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

Today Dr. Wright and I discussed where I'm at and the plan for the next few weeks. My second urine collection turned out okay, and last week's blood work showed my liver function high, but holding steady. My daily headaches have been a bit better the last few days. I've stopped taking Tylenol and the headaches follow the same pattern so might as well cut out what medication I can. With everything kind of holding steady we're just going to wait it out. The doctor did say if my weekly labs show an upward trend in high liver functions or I have any other worsening symptoms they'd get me in for a cesarean.

So far my cervix is not favorable for an induction. Nothing is happening yet - understandably so. It's only the beginning of week 38. (It's strange to me that the doctor could reach in there and just barely feel the baby's head - the first one to touch the baby - sort of.) They don't want me to go past week 40, and there will be a lower threshold for fast forwarding me to a cesarean even if I do go into labor on my own. I'm starting to feel that's the way it's going to end up. I imagine next week we'll schedule something for the 40th week just in case I don't go into labor by then.

Tomorrow is the final ultrasound. I'm curious how big they estimate the baby is. That's another factor in leaning toward a cesarean or not. I'm guessing I'm just one that "cooks 'em big and cooks 'em long" as Davin said. The next 14 days will tell.

Two weeks will go by fast, I'm sure... I hope! I'm feeling impatient. I want to keep the house in order, and I need to stock up on some food for both us and the family guests that will be coming in. After the baby is here everyone's going to be on their own for awhile. I'm a Martha so I'm trying to remind myself of that. Family is coming to help, not be looked after.

Side note: We went on a one mile family walk yesterday evening and I'm sore today! Wow, I have a lot of work to do this summer. Then again, I am carrying around a full term baby.

Full Term!

2011-04-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

This is my 37th week and I'm now considered "full term." Hurray! I feel ready for this baby to come. I'm tired of being pregnant though really it's not all bad. I know from experience the new challenges that come with a newborn. Still I'm feeling impatient, and I hope to be off my heart medication with delivery. Also I'm hoping my daily recurring headaches go away. Yesterday's five hour headache wore me out and made me really cranky, but thankfully I was able to nap through most of today's.

I had another non-stress test today and baby passed with flying colors. My blood pressure was still really good and my pulse was a low 64 which is unusual for pregnancy, but thanks to my medication it keeps things low. A perinatologist was reviewing my chart during my test so I was able to hear his input. Basically they think the high liver function could be due to my medication, but they want to test my blood weekly now and may look at different medications for me. I don't really want to switch to something new with just over two weeks to go. The perinatologist also doesn't want me going over 40 weeks so they'll be on my case if this baby is looking late.

I'm going to do my second 24-hr urine collection this week. Fun, fun! They're looking for protein which could point to preeclampsia, and I guess last week's collection scored a 279 (300 is too high) so they want to check it again. Just know that orange jug in the fridge isn't juice!

Today's Check Up

2011-04-05T10:07:00.001-07:00

I had my 36 week check up today. Baby still looks great. Dr. Wright talked to me about my chances for a successful VBAC and according to the calculator they use, I have about a 48% chance of a successful VBAC. Hmm. She said that's right on the edge of whether or not they suggest trying for one, but at this point it's still a go for a vaginal birth. Generous estimates put the baby at about 9 lbs 3 oz at birth. Another big baby! She said if I don't follow the normal "labor curve" though, they'd suggest a cesarean earlier on in labor. We'll just have to wait and see. At least I feel emotionally and mentally prepared for another cesarean if it turns out that way.

We talked again about my headaches and liver tests. Dr. Wright doesn't think I have preeclampsia because I only have elevated liver function, but my blood pressure and platelet counts are normal and if I had preeclampsia they wouldn't be. Still they took more blood today to run the tests again. Also she said the headaches associated with preeclampsia are not helped by Tylenol and mine ease up with it so that's a good thing.

36 Weeks Then and Now

2011-04-04T13:32:00.001-07:00

It’s fun to compare my belly now with how it was with Desmond. It almost looks like my belly was bigger then, but maybe it’s how I’m standing. That reminds me – the other day at my 34 week check up I lost 2 pounds from the previous check up. I know I have to keep growing, but it made me feel good to weigh less. It’s hard to get out of the mindset of losing weight = good. I’m curious to see how much I weigh at tomorrow’s check up.

Today I’m 36 weeks exactly. I have another headache for the 12th day in a row. Yes, it’s getting old! It comes on fast like clockwork around 10am and it takes the Tylenol about an hour to ease the pain. I’m really curious to find out what the doctor says tomorrow. I’m feeling a little paranoid about everything being okay. I keep checking for her movement and when I don’t feel anything for awhile I try to wake her up. Every time I do kick counts, though, I always make it to 10 well before an hour is up so everything must be fine.

We have a busy week this week: tomorrow is my 36 week check up, Wednesday I have another non-stress test, Thursday is MOMS Group, and Friday all of Davin’s parents are arriving to attend his black belt ceremony on Saturday. Everyone will be staying at our house through Sunday which will be fun, but that means I have a lot of cleaning to do this week. I’m looking forward to Desmond getting some grandparent time and having some fresh energy to play with. Hopefully the grandparents are ready for that!

Preeclampsia?

2011-04-02T14:21:00.001-07:00

I’ve had a bad headache for the last ten days. I thought it was just due to being sick, but I’m finally getting better now and the headache is still persisting. I tend to write this kind of stuff off, but I’m starting to wonder if something could be wrong. I’ve never had a headache like this before. Usually I feel okay first thing in the morning (as long as I slept well) but then a few hours later I feel it starting and within about half an hour I’m dying. All I can think about is my head and I have to take three Tylenol (two doesn’t really do anything) and lay down until it kicks in. It doesn’t always get rid of the headache completely, but it makes it manageable.

I also got back my liver test results in the mail. My OB doctor told me some of the results were elevated, but it really hit me to see the high numbers on paper. Some of them were about twice as high as the upper limit should have been. They tested me on the 23rd and again on the 25th. Dr. Wright said Wednesday at my non-stress test that the second round was still elevated but not as much so she thinks things are headed down back to normal. Still they’ll probably test me again this week to see what’s happening now.

Liver problems along with a persistent headache can be signs of preeclampsia. There’s usually high blood pressure too but my heart medication is keeping my blood pressure down. Preeclampsia can be dangerous for the mother (affecting major organs) and baby (affecting the placenta) and the only way to “cure” preeclampsia is to deliver the baby.

There’s no point in worrying about all the what-ifs because we’ll just have to wait and see. Part of me would like to have her here early, but I know it’s better for her to grow inside for another four weeks. All the non-stress tests show that she is still doing great so far. If she does need to come early at least we’re at 36 weeks in a couple days.

My next check up is on Tuesday so we’ll see what the doctor is saying then.

Lilac Nursery

2011-04-02T13:40:00.001-07:00

My parents came up last weekend and helped me paint the nursery. It only took us about three hours. Amazing what extra hands can do! The name of the paint is “Sassy Lilac” and it turned out really pretty. I also sewed the curtains yesterday. They’re purple with butterflies on them.

It’s been fun pulling out all the baby stuff. The dresser is stocked with diapers, burp clothes, crib sheets, and tiny pink clothes. I like opening the drawers and just looking at them. Desmond has enjoyed helping me unpack and set up the baby stuff. It brings back so many memories of bringing him home. The other day we put together the swing, and Desmond loves all the different music settings. I wonder how much of this he really understands. Life is about to change! It feels much more real having a girly nursery all ready and waiting.

More Tests

2011-03-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I got very itchy all of a sudden. The worst of it lasted about two days and kept me awake at night, but it's basically gone now. Still my doctor decided to test my liver to make sure it was functioning properly since itching can be a symptom of liver problems. One of the results came back normal and I guess the other was a bit elevated. Today I got a call to come in for more blood work to rule out preeclampsia. I don't think I have that, but I do have a killer headache that Tylenol won't touch which can be a symptom. I just chalk up this headache to sinus pressure and lack of sleep last night because Desmond wasn't adjusting to his new room very well. Anyway, I'm going to stop by the lab on the way back from picking up Davin from work so they can take more blood. Maybe I'll get used to needles soon. And I sure hope I don't have preeclampsia!

39 Days

2011-03-24T19:56:00.001-07:00

This week I have had my 34 week prenatal check up, an ultrasound, and a non-stress test. Everything is checking out fine, but if she so much as hiccups funny, we’ll know! She’s still growing well and is in the 70th percentile at 4lbs 14oz.

My main struggle right now is being sick! I got sick the day before my birthday with congestion and a 3-day fever. We have yet to reschedule my birthday dinner out. I’m still coughing a lot and have a sinus headache. The cough is hard enough that I can’t have much in my bladder or it’s a problem. I’m finally sleeping a bit better so I’m on the upswing. I have projects I want to get done before the baby comes, but this has kind of wiped me out for the last two weeks. I hope next week is better.

Thirty-some days doesn’t sound very long! Wow. She’s going to be here before you know it!

49 Days

2011-03-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

I have approximately 49 days to go! That doesn't sound like too many. Sometimes I feel like she's trying to kick her way out of my tummy. There are moments where I have to apply counter pressure to her pushing because it hurts! Davin jokes that I'm just helping to make her stronger by providing resistance. It's not just a quick kick but she stretches out her leg and holds it there. Desmond moved and kicked but it never hurt me so this is something new.

I'm sick today. Just general congestion, achiness, headache, and cough. I also had a hard time sleeping last night so I'm pretty tired. A few days last week I had lots of energy so hopefully I'll get more of those days to finish up baby and house projects. In the mean time today is for resting.

Baby Shower

2011-03-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

It's not common to have a baby shower with the second baby, but my friends from Baby Boot Camp days decided to have one for me anyway. (This was February 24 but I forgot to blog about it.) We went to Olive Garden and unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera but my friends Jamie, Kim, Tonya, Kara, and Lisa were there and we had a good time laughing and talking. It was strange to realize that out of all of us we had 12 births but only one was a vaginal birth. That's a lot of cesareans! I really enjoyed opening up my little girl gifts - so many cute outfits and I loved the diaper cake! The next day we also had a play date/baby shower for Kerry who has since had her second baby. I feel very blessed by these women, and it's fun to get excited about my girl with other moms. I appreciate the effort they make to stay connected even though I live in Vancouver now, and we no longer have our Baby Boot Camp exercise.

I also like to glean advice from moms with multiple kids. One mom said to stay in the hospital an extra day if I can because although I'll want to get back to Desmond as soon as possible, it's really hard going home. Best to use the help from the hospital staff while you can. Plus my labor and delivery will be free since I met my out-of-pocket maximum, so might as well. The other thing I've heard a lot is that the physical side of having a second child is one thing, but the hardest part is the emotional side. You can no longer focus all your attention and affection on one child. Learning to balance that will be hard. Desmond's my little guy and we are both used to spending all day, every day together. Maybe I should plan a few more special things to do with him in the next seven weeks.

First Non-Stress Test

2011-03-09T08:25:00.001-08:00

Here come the doctor's visits! I have 13 appointments scheduled for the next seven weeks: a non-stress test every week, a check up every two weeks, and an ultrasound every four weeks. This baby will be well checked. I don't like having the non-stress tests so much because any little thing might cause them to send me to the hospital or want to do an induction or whatever. So I'm praying that she'll check out perfectly every time. Also I have to find someone to watch Desmond for these 45 minute tests because I have to lay still the whole time.

Monday was my first non-stress test (NST). The fluid measured just right but it looked like she was sleeping at first which isn't ideal. Toward the end we got in the heart rate variation and extended acceleration they require for a "pass." The quick ultrasound also showed that she is head down. I thought she had flipped because my pelvis has really been hurting - as in it hurts to walk most of the time - so I figured her head was resting down there. Also my bladder has been spared and all the kicking has been on the top lately.

I also had my 32 week check up right after the NST. Dr. Wright talked to me about labor stuff. They want me to check in to the hospital early once labor starts rather than laboring for awhile at home, and they also want me on the epidural early rather than waiting until closer to transition. All this is to monitor me closely due to the VBAC situation and to keep the stress low on my body due to the heart stuff. This basically goes against what I had planned to do. I felt I was at the hospital too early last time, and I want to do more early labor at home. I also want to wait as long as possible to get the epidural so we don't start intervening too early and possibly slow down the natural process. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how I'm feeling when the ball starts to roll.

Dr. Wright also told me she won't let me go too much past my due date since they don't want the baby to get too big and they can't use all the intervention they might otherwise use to induce since this is a VBAC and they have to be more gentle with my uterus. I hope our dating is correct and she shows up on time! Everything just needs to go perfectly to make this a VBAC. They'll assess me at 38 weeks with another ultrasound to see how big baby is, positioning, and all that to come up with a probability for a successful VBAC. A certain number of risk factors will cause them to suggest a repeat cesarean. I'd really rather not have another cesarean, but I feel much more prepared for it if that's what happens. It won't take away the joy of having our daughter! And how nice it would be to walk into the hospital and a few hours later be holding our baby!

I'm getting the nesting urge this week. I cleaned a lot yesterday and I feel like continuing today. I just have to get it done quickly before my back is screaming at me. Maybe today I'll finally start her curtains.

Ultrasounds

2011-02-21T13:01:00.001-08:00

I had another ultrasound today at exactly 30 weeks to check baby’s growth. I was supposed to have one in January but cancelled it due to finances. These things cost almost $400! Since I was in the hospital recently I’ve nearly met my out of pocket maximum and at the most I’ll only have to pay 20% now. The cardiologist really wants me to continue checking up on her via ultrasounds and I am glad to see her again anyway.

Everything checked out fine. She’s growing well and is in the 83rd percentile which is excellent. She weighs about 3.5 pounds now and we could see her practicing her breathing. The above pictures show her face straight on and from the side (the top of her head is on the left). It looks like she has chubby little cheeks. The technician could also see hair on her head.

The new thing I learned is that she’s currently in the breech position. It’s still okay since she has time to turn, but I’d feel better if she were already head down. As she gets bigger it will be harder to turn, and I don’t know that I want to attempt a breech VBAC. She was head down for my December ultrasound sitting so low they had a hard time seeing her face. She tends to move a lot so maybe she’s been flipping back and forth. Currently her back is on my left side and I feel all the action from those arms and legs on the right.

Here are her earlier ultrasounds:

Sept. 17, 2010 – 8 weeks Oct. 21, 2010 – 12 weeks

Dec. 3, 2010 – 19 weeks

Tiny Baby Clothes and Shrinking Maternity Clothes

2011-02-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

I made quite a haul at the consignment clearance sale last Saturday. I got there about twenty minutes early and waited in line with about thirty other people to get in when they opened. I've already gone through Desmond's old clothes so I knew what sizes I still needed. I grabbed anything cute I saw and ended up with one bag full of 56 items all for only $15. I saved $147 off of the original consignment prices. By the time I left the clearance racks were just about empty so I'm glad I got there when I did. I feel good about what I got and it's nice to know she'll have some pink girly things to wear, too. I probably won't do any more clothes shopping for her unless I find I need something else after she's born.

In other news I'm just feeling huge these days! I updated my picture on the right sidebar today. I don't just get the little belly like some of the other pregnant gals I see at church who are due before me and are about half my size. Nope. Everything gets huge on me and I'm now solidly in the 200s. I know it's bad when Desmond starts lifting my shirt in the back and poking my back fat and laughing. Yeah. I chose to laugh with him, but I feel like I could cry. Some of my maternity clothes are starting to not fit, and I'm wearing a fake ring now since my fingers even get fat. Blah. And I have three more months to expand! I'm going to be right back where I started when this is done with about two years of weight loss in front of me. Maybe I can speed it up and do it in one year but that's probably not entirely realistic.

Normal Discomforts

2011-01-19T08:27:00.001-08:00

I’m definitely feeling pregnant. I’ve entered the uncomfortable stage though it’s still mild at this point. Sleep has still been fine so that’s nice.

Normal discomforts at this stage:

Pelvic pain – feels like my pelvis is bruised
Back pain – should wear my brace more but that brings it’s own discomfort
Constipation
Getting my bladder kicked – talk about sudden urge to pee!
Gotta do a plié squat to bend over
The kitchen counter hits my belly – I can still manage to lift my tummy to rest it on top, but not for much longer
Feeling the effects of being almost 40 pounds heavier – I feel out of shape because I am

I still love the fact that I feel her move so much. Yesterday the doctor said she’s measuring big from what she can feel so that’s good. I still have over three months to carry her so the discomforts will intensify, but it’s all worth it. I can’t wait to hold her!

I also just got back my glucose screening results and I do not have gestational diabetes. Hurray for one less thing to worry about!

Cheap Clothes!

2011-01-18T14:51:00.001-08:00

I always have my eye out for good prices on kid’s clothes because every time I turn around Desmond needs a new wardrobe. By “good” I mean $2 or so. Yes, I am cheap. Every now and then I go into my favorite consignment shop Once Upon a Child and now is the time for their winter clearance. They have a huge bag sale twice a year where you can get all the clearance clothes you can stuff in a bag for $15, but it’s a crazy busy event and you have to go in with lots of patience to wrestle the crowd, plus last time I didn’t find any worthwhile 3T stuff. This sale is better for infant clothes where you can make quite a haul.

Before this huge sale they mark down all their clearance to $1 so that’s when I like to shop. I went the other day to look for shirts for Desmond. Almost all his 3T stuff is getting too short in the torso and arms. I found a few things for him, but there’s just not much clearance in his size. Then I moved on to peruse the baby girl clothes and they have tons of it! I was especially excited about a cute embroidered jacket and a red velvet dress I got for only a dollar each! I had to limit myself to only the really cute things because I can always go back and get lots of girl stuff at the bag sale on February 5th. I ended up leaving with a bag full of clothes for both Desmond and baby and I saved $50 off the regular consignment prices which are considerably lower than retail to begin with. Hurray for good deals!

New Medications and Complications

2011-01-16T13:22:00.001-08:00

Last week I was hospitalized from Tuesday afternoon through Friday morning. My heart went back into atrial fibrillation. You can read the full story on our family blog. I was worried about it because no matter what I did I felt like it was going to negatively impact my baby. Even if I did nothing I was putting her at risk because I could have a stroke and she might not be getting the blood flow she needed. At least she’s a mover and I could feel her kicking and squirming around which comforted me.

Finally after 54 hours my heart returned to a normal rhythm on its own. I think the new medication helped and now it’s a daily regimen at least until the baby is delivered. I just hope she grows big enough and doesn’t have any heart defects because of my medication. At least her heart is already formed and has been pumping for awhile.

I guess I’m a high risk pregnancy now. I’ll have to ask my OB. I was borderline before but now that I’ve demonstrated that I can go back into a-fib and I’m on blood thinners and other meds, they’re going to watch me even more closely. I also wonder if they’ll just want to do a cesarean to prevent any labor complications and stress on my heart.

My pregnancy with Desmond was easy, but the delivery was complicated and not what I expected. This time the pregnancy has been complicated so I’m hoping the delivery will be easy. It’s only fair, right?

Tuesday I get to see my OB doctor Tricia Wright again. I really like her and she even stopped in to see me at the hospital which was a big relief to me. I cried when I was talking with her. I also get to do my glucose test for gestational diabetes at this appointment so I’m hoping I’ll pass that with flying colors so I don’t have to worry about anything new.

I had a growth check ultrasound scheduled for this coming Friday, but I cancelled it because it was going to cost $400. I figured she’s probably fine and even if she was a bit small, what could we do about it? Anyway, we have to pay for everything again until we meet the deductible and then we have to pay 20% until we meet the out-of-pocket maximum. With this hospitalization we may have met both. We were hoping to wait until delivery to shell out lots of cash on my medical stuff since we’re still trying to recover from the new roof, but we’ll be getting a huge bill soon. I might reschedule the ultrasound since I know we’ve at least met the deductible. It takes awhile to get in though. Hopefully labor and delivery will be free now.

I’m not too happy about all my weight gain. The beds in the hospital can weigh you (weird, huh) and according to that I’ve just entered the 200s. That’s about right considering my last prenatal appointment weight. I indulged a bit too much during the holidays and I still haven’t picked up a work out routine. Now I kind of use my heart issues as an excuse not to push myself. I can’t have chocolate any more because of the caffeine and we’re still sticking to no ice cream or frozen treats since that’s usually what I’ve been eating when the a-fib started in the past so maybe those restrictions will help a bit.

First Outfit

2010-12-27T08:23:00.001-08:00

My mom gave me our first little girl outfit for Christmas along with some pink ruffled socks. My sister-in-law, Aurora, also gave me some pink booties. It’s our first pink stuff!

I try to imagine having her on the outside and it still seems so foreign to me. There’s only one Studer baby and that’s Desmond. Okay, so he’s not a baby anymore, but I can’t wrap my mind around having two children yet.

I know we’ll figure out life with two kids as it comes, but I still can’t help but wonder if I’ll love her and be attached to her just as much as I am with Desmond. I know the answer is yes, but it’s hard to imagine. I also wonder if Desmond will feel left out, replaced, or loved less. He won’t have my undivided attention nearly as often and I know I’ll have to be intentional to give him quality one-on-one time during naps and stuff and involve him in taking care of little sister.

I’ve also been thinking about nursing and how hard it was the first time. I’m anticipating that it could be just as hard this time around – I don’t have any grand notions that it will somehow all go beautifully. But this time I have Desmond’s needs to tend to as well so I can’t focus my entire day on nursing, bottle feeding, pumping, and repeating. If I do need to pump I don’t know that I’ll be able to keep it up very long. Only time will tell.

Today is 22 weeks! I’m feeling so big already. I love feeling her move and I think she’s more active than Desmond was, but maybe I just don’t remember. The other night when I was trying to go to sleep she had the hiccups and it made me smile.

Thinking of Our Little Girl

2010-12-24T13:19:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I had fun doing some things for our little girl. Desmond “helped“ me look through all his 0-12 month clothes to pull out everything yellow and green that little sister can wear. I have more neutral stuff than I thought, but it will be nice to add some pink and purple to that pile! Desmond also oo-ed and ahh-ed over the baby toys that I’ve long since retired from his toy box. A couple of them are back in the toy box.

I also started a Target baby registry since I know I have at least one little shower in the works. Unfortunately most of Target’s stuff online isn’t in stores so I really need to go in to a store to make my list. I’m not sure I want to do that with Desmond’s help so who knows when that will happen.

I wish I could start setting up the nursery stuff and paint the walls violet, but we need to put in Desmond’s carpet first before we can move him out of the nursery. And before that we need to pay for the roof so it’s kind of a chain reaction waiting to happen, but in time we’ll get done what we can.

Today’s the Half-Way Marker

2010-12-13T13:43:00.001-08:00

Looking familiar! I’m getting bigger, but in comparison it looks about the same as I did at 20 weeks with Desmond. I’m enjoying feeling her move around all the time. It’s a daily thing now, and I wonder if she’ll be more of a mover than Desmond was. Yesterday I had the first big kick that made me go, “Whoa!” and probably could have been seen on the outside if I was looking.

I feel more relaxed this time around. I’m not pouring over What to Expect When You’re Expecting or worrying about every twinge I feel. We’re not signed up for a birthing class though we’ll probably take a one day refresher course through the hospital at some point. I want to be prepared for a VBAC or cesarean if I need one again.

The one book I have been reading is the name book. I want to put together a short list for Davin and I to look over together. Last time we read through the whole section of boys names on date nights at coffee shops and the airport, but we don’t have as much time together these days.

I’ve been knitting a blanket since shortly after I found out I was pregnant, but it’s taking me a lot longer than it took me to make Desmond’s blanket. I’m only about half way so far. I also bought another quilt kit just like Desmond’s beloved blanket except in pinks and purples. That will be fun to put together!

It feels great to be half way through as of today! Davin and I were just discussing how it still feels like it’s taking a long time even though they say the second one just flies by. I bet it will feel a bit shorter at the end when I still have a long list of things I never got done before my due date. We have more planning to do this time, too, because we’ll have to find someone who can take Desmond for a few days at a moment’s notice and make sure he’s packed for that as well as us being packed for the hospital. It’s going to be interesting!

It's a...

2010-12-04T22:32:00.001-08:00

Girl!

It's official. We had the ultrasound yesterday and it felt like Christmas morning getting to finally peak inside the present. I felt like I was carrying a girl. I never had a feeling one way or another with Desmond but this time was just different. If I had been wrong it would have taken some time to adjust to the idea of a boy, but still I think it would have been great for Desmond to have a brother close to his age. He'll be great with a sister, too. He's already talking about how he'll help me with the baby. I grew up with three brothers and have a son so this will be new territory raising a girl. Bring on the pink!

Thoughts on Life

2010-12-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

I had MOMS group today which I've been attending since February. The speaker talked about the godly legacy his wife left for him and his kids after she unexpectedly died last year. Then in our small group sharing there were stories of miscarriages and such. A word to the wise. Never say the word "fat" to a pregnant woman and don't tell horror stories of babies dying or nearly dying no matter how interesting you think it is. Anyway, it made for a rather emotional morning. I'm left thinking about death: both my miscarriage and the fact that if I were to die Desmond wouldn't remember me. All things out of my control so I guess there's no point in worrying about it. My second baby was due December 28th... just about 3 weeks away. Ah, how nice it would be to only have to wait another few weeks rather than 5 months! I'm feeling the baby move more and more which is comforting. Davin's even felt it. Tomorrow we get to peak inside and find out the gender. Hurray!

Nearly 18 Weeks

2010-11-25T20:44:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since an update mostly because things are just cooking along and there's not much new to report. I still forget I'm pregnant sometimes. Yeah, my belly is a good size and I feel small movements now and then, but my days are mostly focused on Desmond and housework and I don't think about it much. I'm excited for December 3rd when we get to find out the gender. I want to move ahead with nursery planning and looking at names but we'll wait on that until we know boy or girl.

I had a checkup on Tuesday this week. Desmond kept talking about putting Jell-o on the baby because he remembered the gel they use with the Doppler from last time. He was telling the nurse and the doctor all about it. He pulled his chair up to the exam table so he could "help." It's fun to see him get into conversations and things to help with the baby already.

Monday will be 18 weeks. Wow, almost half way! I've gained about 20 pounds already which I'm not thrilled about, but maybe I can keep to just another 20 which would put me ahead of last time. I've been thinking about joining 24 Hour Fitness down the road so I can do some water aerobics and other workouts while Desmond is in childcare, but it's hard to fork out the moo-la so we'll see.

Week 14

2010-11-01T07:58:00.000-07:00

Ah, I've finally made it to the second trimester! Only 182 days to go. Back in September when I was feeling nauseous all day, every day, November seemed like a long way off. There hasn't been a magical switch from feeling icky to feeling great, but I have gradually felt better... except for my back. It's been feeling worse and the doctor referred me to physical therapy so maybe that will help.

It's still strange to think that soon there will be two! I'm still feeling a bit nervous about that. Desmond wants me to play with him pretty much non-stop all day and that will have to change with a newborn around. I'm also nervous about delivering the baby and breastfeeding - neither of which went how I wanted them last time. At least I feel more prepared for how hard it can really be.

Perinatology and a Peak Inside

2010-10-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

Today I had my first perinatology appointment. The fun part of this was that they did another ultrasound. Wow, how the baby has changed and grown! He/she looks so perfectly formed whereas just four weeks ago you could barely make out general head and body blobs. I could see the arms and legs, the cute little head and beautiful beating heart. The baby was quite active and moved all over the place. He/she was face up most of the time but also ended up on his/her tummy and stood straight up at one point. Davin and Desmond were both there and it was fun to show Desmond the baby in my tummy rather than just say it's there. I also think it's starting to sink in a little more for Davin that we have another child who will be keeping us up at night very soon.

I learned last time that my uterus is tilted to the back and it made it a little hard to get measurements today. We measured from lots of different angles and the consensus was that this baby is due sooner than the first ultrasound showed. The first ultrasound showed that I was due May 7th. Based on my last period I'm due May 2nd. Today the baby measured older still with a due date at the end of April. I'm very happy to see that baby has grown so much in the last four weeks! The heart medication I'm on can hinder growth, but so far this baby's trucking right along. The doctor decided to stick with the May 2nd date which works for me. I don't want to expect this baby too soon and have everyone (including myself) freak out when I go past my due date. But I also want to have a vaginal birth so baby, don't get too big!

The conclusion from today's visit was that baby and I are both healthy and should have a normal pregnancy. I won't have to see the perinatologist again unless something happens, but I do need to keep taking my heart medication. During labor the doctor also recommends that I get an epidural to help keep the stress on my body and heart lower. I'm not too bummed about that because I know from experience what heavenly pain relief there is in an epidural. Thankfully I'm not considered "high risk" although I'm on the edge and they want to keep an eye on the baby's growth. I'll probably have an ultrasound every six weeks or so to check up on things. The next ultrasound will probably be the big gender reveal. Boy or girl?

It's fun to compare pictures from last time to this time.

First Hello

2010-10-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

The other day I was laying on the couch talking about the baby and Desmond comes over unprompted, leans over my tummy and in a cute little voice says, "Hello." I got a little choked up hearing Desmond talk to the baby for the first time. He's going to be a good big brother!

Today I'm pretty sure I felt the baby for the first time. Two nights ago I thought I was feeling a few flutters, but I wasn't sure. As I was driving back from the zoo today I definitely felt a rolling sensation. I know the baby's only about an inch and a half long or so, but they say second time moms can recognize the movements sooner. Still it's really early and Davin's doubtful I could feel it yet, but I like to think that this period of feeling my baby is starting sooner.

My lower back is hurting today. It's been painful getting up and down off the floor playing with Desmond. I have some lower back issues now and then and when I was pregnant last time it got pretty bad at the end as my ligaments loosened up. Not too happy about the pain starting so soon.

Turning a Corner

2010-10-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

Into week nine and I'm starting to feel better. I've tried ginger tea and ginger chews for my nausea but I think the B6 is what's really helping. Either that or my hormones are leveling out and this is when I'd start feeling better anyway. Let's just say I'm glad to have those four weeks behind me! I'm looking forward to feeling the baby move. Right now I don't "feel" pregnant other than a slightly bigger tummy, and it's comforting when you can feel the little kicks and hiccups and stuff.

I already have a little baby bump and I've made the switch from trying to hide it to trying to show it off. I gained five pounds rather quickly but I've been maintaining that weight for several weeks now which makes me feel better. I should start exercising again. It's so easy to put it off, and now I have a cold which is making me feel all achy.

I'm realizing my one-on-one time with Desmond is limited. What a sweet time these two years have been! I want to maximize our time for the remaining seven months and make some fun playdates and outings with him. I also want to find some good kid's books on welcoming a new sibling to the family and start reading those with him.

A Rebirth

2010-09-21T13:10:00.001-07:00

Here we go again! I am nearly eight weeks pregnant so it's time to resurrect the blog. My first pregnancy was fairly uneventful but baby #2 is spicing things up in more than one way. First off, I miscarried in May 2010 so this is really my third baby. Other than that huge difference here are some others:

I'm sick! Morning sickness struck two weeks ago and is still going strong. It ebbs and flows all day and though I haven't actually thrown up, I can't seem to find anything to really shake it. Ginger tea helps a little.
Can I really be showing already? My less than firm belly is already pooching out, and I'm trying to hold off on pulling out those maternity pants. I was ecstatic when I started showing with Desmond. This time it brings tears.
This little bean is measuring smaller than where I think I'm at whereas Desmond measured big the whole way. At least this way I might actually give birth before it's 12 days past my due date.
I'm seeing a perinatologist and a cardiologist next month and may actually be considered high risk since I went into atrial fibrillation last week and spent two days in the hospital. I'm also on heart medication that can lead to a low birth weight baby, but since Desmond was 9lbs, 6oz I'm hopeful that I may have a little wiggle room on that.
Chasing around a toddler brings all new challenges. Desmond has started to say his tummy is sick because I'm saying that all the time. I feel bad when I just can't find the energy to play chase. We're watching too much TV, but I hope the second trimester will bring fresh energy. I have a long list of things I want to accomplish before this baby arrives.

For the first time ever the fleeting thought has crossed my mind that I may not want to do this a third time. Of course, time will tell and you can't make that kind of decision on a bad day. God is gracious in providing our family with this new life, and I know he will provide for all my physical and emotional needs.

End of the Pregnancy Blog

2008-07-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

The bun is out of the oven! For all our current family news and updates, check out our blog http://thestuders.blogspot.com/.

Our Birth Story

2008-07-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

It has taken awhile to get this posted because it is rare that I have two hands free these days. Here are all the details about how Desmond arrived.

It Starts
Sunday night (July 20th) before we went to bed, I noticed that my last few contractions were 20 minutes apart and actually felt a little bit uncomfortable. At 12:30 a contraction woke me up and I kept trying to go back to sleep, but they were waking me up almost every 5 minutes. Davin woke up at 2:30 and officially starting timing them. By 5 am we decided to get up and start getting ready because they'd stayed around 5 minutes apart the whole morning. We called labor and delivery at 7 am to see if we should come in or wait it out a bit. They said to wait especially since we wanted to go all natural. All throughout the day we waited for contractions to get more intense. Sometimes I'd have to pause what I was doing to have a contraction. We even walked around campus a bit to encourage things along. Of course, everyone who sees me still pregnant is like, "When is that baby coming?" This time we could say it would definitely be soon. We also took a nap that afternoon to get as much rest as possible. It was a bit hard for me to rest since every contraction was impossible to ignore.

Going to the Hospital
We went in for my nonstress test at 3:45. During one contraction baby's heart rate went down a bit so they sent me to labor and delivery to have extended monitoring. My midwife, Tom Lloyd was just ending his shift so he came in to talk to me. He said since I was so overdue anything like this is probably signaling that it's really time to get the baby out. He wanted to induce me. I was happy to tell him that I was already in early labor, and so off we went to get checked in around 6pm. Here we go! We called family and a few friends to spread the news. Gina came over and brought us dinner. They checked to see where I was at and I was 3 cm and 100% effaced. Great! Only 7 cm to go. (The longest little distance ever!)

Laboring Away
So things continued to intensify throughout the night and early morning. At 6 am on Tuesday morning they checked me and I had only progressed to 3.5 cm so they broke my water... which is a very weird feeling by the way. They found a little meconium staining. I told him not to poop before he was out, but he didn't listen to me. An hour later I was up to 5 cm. Whoohoo! Things are moving along. Contractions were getting very, very intense. I definitely couldn't move or talk when one came. At first I could relax with deep breathing, but by this point I was having to make a lot of noise to make it through. I'd focus intensely on just relaxing my forehead, hands, and feet (my tense areas) and moaning with as low tones as possible. If we were up walking around I'd lean on Davin. He and Gina were amazing at helping me through. I couldn't have done it without them.

Throwing the Birth Plan out the Window
At 2 pm they checked me again and I was only 6 cm. What? Hours of intense contractions and only 1 cm to show for it? They said my contractions probably weren't strong enough so they wanted to start pitocin. I nearly lost it at this point because I was really struggling through each contraction. They were definitely hard! I knew I couldn't take anything more intense so I'd need an epidural if we were going to do pitocin. So the all natural birth plan went out the window and they got me hooked up with an epidural. Wow. Why didn't I get that earlier? What sweet relief to not feel pain for the first time in a day and a half! I was able to sleep for 2 hours. At one point I kinda freaked out because all these people rushed into the room and they put an oxygen mask on me, had me flip to my other side, and they turned off the pitocin. Baby's heart rate had dropped from the 130's down to 80. With only 6 ccs of pitocin I had had 8 contractions one on top of the other and he was being deprived of oxygen. They got his heart rate stabilized quickly and we eventually started up pitocin again. An hour or so later I was finally to 7 cm. At 8:30 pm they checked me again and I was actually back down to a 6. My cervix was swelling shut. Our baby was going to be born by cesarean. Once I knew they were going to cut me open, I started shaking uncontrollably. They prepped me quickly and got Davin into scrubs. I was wheeled away to the operating room under all the bright lights surrounded by masked doctors and nurses. I was freaking out, but trying very hard to calm down. After some more prep they tested my feeling in my abdomen. Ouch! I could feel it! That's what I was worried about. After two more tries I was anesthetized enough for the process to begin. Davin was right by my face encouraging me all the while.

Our Son is Born
Soon I could feel the pressure of some strong tugging and I knew he was coming out. I couldn't see because of the screen they put up, but then at 9:44 pm I heard the sweetest cry ever. There was my baby boy! At that moment he was so real to me, and I couldn't help but cry tears of joy. They checked him out and wiped him down a bit and then handed him to Davin. Once he was next to me my shaking stopped, and I couldn't stop staring at him and saying, "He's amazing!" Davin went with Desmond to the recovery room and after they stitched me up (which felt like it took forever) I followed. We were finally checked into our postpartum room and showing off our boy to our parents and Gina around midnight. On July 22nd after a 48 hour journey, Desmond Eadric Danger Studer had made his entrance into the world. (9 lbs 6.1 oz, 21 inches long)

Nonstress Test

2008-07-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

Baby missed our anniversary! Whew! We were worried that we might have to share our day with his birthday for the rest of our lives. Normally we take an overnight trip somewhere for our anniversary, but this year we celebrated by staying close to home and going to Claim Jumper. Here's to four wonderful years!

I had my first non-stress test yesterday afternoon. They monitored baby's heart rate for 20-30 minutes and he passed with flying colors. Then they did an ultrasound to check the amniotic fluid levels and again, everything looked good. It was fun seeing him for the first time since February. He's much bigger now, and you could see him doing his fetal breathing and he was even sucking his thumb! He looked very content in there. The nurse confirmed that he was a boy. Funny how we start to wonder if they could have possibly made a mistake, but it was quite obvious... at least to the nurse. (It's hard to decipher those blobs.) If you use your imagination you might be able to make out his thumb sucking picture.
They took my blood pressure at the very end and for some reason it was a bit high. The nurse got the doctor to come in and talk to me. They were concerned because I'm 41 weeks and this is my first high blood pressure which they think could be a sign of preeclampsia although my urine was fine. I felt like once again I had to talk them out of rushing into an induction and explained why I'm really not due until this weekend. Man, if I hadn't been charting my cycle so that I knew I ovulated late, they'd be stressing me out right now. The doctor finally agreed that my due date is iffy so she told me to take it easy this weekend and call right away if I have any other warning signs that something's wrong. Good grief! I'm fine. They told the lady right before me that she had to go straight to labor and delivery because her baby's heart rate was dropping with contractions. Scary! (I actually had a dream last night that that happened to me.)

I hope he really does come this weekend. Too many more doctor's visits and they'll have me convinced I need induced!

New Due Date

2008-07-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

My midwife, Tom, was surprised to see me today. I just had to smile. I showed him my October chart again to remind him why I think baby really isn't due quite yet. We talked it over and he agreed that we could be pushing it if we tried inducing in the next few days. He said if we induce before it's really time, my chances of needing a c-section are greatly increased. Precisely why I don't want to be induced! He said we could try an induction and if nothing is happening they could send me home to wait some more. Yeah, I'd rather just wait. He checked me to see how far along my cervix was. I'm now about 1.5 cm dilated... whoohoo! A whole .5 cm more! I was also effaced some, and he was trying to give it a percentage, but somehow the subject changed, and we never got back to how much effacement he thinks there is. Oh well. Basically, the point is that stuff is happening, but it's not time yet. We could keep the scheduled induction if I wanted to, and Tom even said I could come in tomorrow morning if I just couldn't wait. Wow. Tempting, but I've told myself all along that impatience isn't a good enough reason to rush the baby before he's ready. As much as I don't like it, I'll go ahead and wait. Now I need to have non-stress tests twice a week until he comes just to make sure everything's okay. That makes me feel better too. I'm pretty sure baby and I are both fine and normal, but at least we'll be checked to make sure waiting isn't a bad thing.

So, based on my calculations. Baby is due on Sunday, July 20th. I should have told everyone that due date all along so I wouldn't feel like such an oddity every time I show up somewhere still pregnant. Now... I really hope he's not late past that! Although first time babies usually are a week overdue. Ack! I don't want to think about it.

Gotta be Getting Closer

2008-07-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

So I'm now 5 days past the doctor's due date. I told them he wasn't really due on the 10th! But they preferred to go with the ultrasound measurements over my 12 months of charting my cycle. Go figure. I just hope he shows up before they freak out that he's too overdue according to their date. I lost some of my mucus plug this morning. (Sorry if that's TMI, but you are reading a pregnancy blog.) :) Hopefully that means I'm dilating more. In some cases that can mean labor is just around the corner, although some women loose it weeks before. As with all things related to the female body, nothing is a clear science. However, I can't be too far off now. I also noticed an increase in Braxton Hicks yesterday. Some of them were even slightly uncomfortable. I'm pretty sure we'll have a baby within a week.

Due Date +1

2008-07-11T16:53:00.001-07:00

Even though I've been thinking all along that he'd be later than the doctors thought, I am a bit disappointed to see the due date come and go. Oh well. We're still ready and waiting. Any day now!

Encouraging Baby to Come

2008-07-09T08:21:00.001-07:00

I had another appointment yesterday afternoon. Davin was able to come this time because it was late in the day and because I made him. I saw Vicky for the second time and she tried stripping my membranes again. I was pretty nervous because I remembered the pain from last time. I almost told her to skip it, because who knows if this really does anything, you know? But it really helped to have Davin there. It also seemed easier to reach because she got it this time, and the pain was hard but wasn't unbearable. Okay, I can do this.

Vicky guesses that baby is around 8.5 lbs right now. That matches up with the 8 lb guess last week since babies gain about .5 lbs every week at the end. Of course, they can be way off in their guesses. One thing I found interesting is that baby has twisted around so his back is on my right side instead of my left. He's been facing the other way the whole time so that really surprised me. I did feel his feet on the left side later in the day which felt weird. They've always been on the right. Whatcha doin'? Maybe his twisting his way down further.

We got the induction pushed back. It's now scheduled for Saturday night, July 19th. Well, I guess it would kind of be Sunday morning since we'd go in at midnight. Weird time. What about sleeping? At least we're not planning to have him on our anniversary unless he picks that day. They'll do a nonstress test on the 17th just to check and make sure he's okay. I like that idea better. If everything looks really good, maybe I'll have them push back the induction further. We'll see. So next week something's happening every other day: Tuesday - check up with Tom Lloyd, Thursday - nonstress test, Saturday - induction (maybe).

We're doing what we can to encourage him to come. Even eating spicy food at Baiyok's, a Thai restaurant, down the street. Tara's water broke a few hours after eating there. No such luck with me... yet. We're also talking to him and telling him how great it is outside, but I don't know if he's listening. :)

T Minus 3 Days

2008-07-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

I'm ready to get the ball rolling on having this baby!!! Patience has never been a strong virtue for me. It's hard when every thought and every conversation is about when he'll come. Even total strangers have become more vocal about my imminent delivery. I know I've been saying all along that he'll probably be late, and he probably will, but I'm hoping more and more that he'll be a little early. I've been having frequent and fairly regular Braxton Hicks for the last several days. (On Saturday I counted 9 in one hour.) I'm also getting some cramping now and then. But as ready as I might be, this baby will come when he's ready, and obviously it's not time yet. *Sigh*

Finished Glider

2008-07-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished glider project. Doesn't it look much nicer? I had to remake the back several times... long story... but I'm happy with the end result. It was defnitely easier than the love seat (in the back ground). I like to sit and rock the baby, although more times than not, I end up rocking myself to sleep, so I have to be careful when I sit in it. Once baby comes, we'll take it upstairs to the nursery for those late night feedings... or maybe we'll leave it downstairs for a bit for all the daytime feedings... we'll see.

Trying not to Freak Out

2008-07-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am at 38 weeks 6 days. Baby's due next week. We're definitely getting closer, and the reality of everything is starting to set in. We're all packed for the hospital and ready to go. Now it's just a waiting game.

I had my weekly appointment this morning with Tom Lloyd. I think this is the last one I'll go to by myself, because now we're starting to get into stuff like stripping my membranes and scheduling inductions, and I realized today that I need some extra support to not freak out too much.

Tom tried to strip my membranes to help produce the hormone that ripens the cervix so we can avoid an induction later on. Boy, that hurt. I wasn't quite prepared for how it would feel, and there I am all alone trying to RELAX! I need my coach! I hope I can handle labor. I did a little better the second time he went in, but he still couldn't quite get far enough to really strip the membranes well even though he was sure pushing hard and reaching far. It will help when baby's head is a bit lower so I guess we'll try again next week. This may help things along so hopefully we won't go too far past our due date. I really don't want to be induced. I'm not even due yet, and I'm already worried about induction. I just need to relax and take it one day at a time. This baby will come! Tom assured me I wouldn't be his first mom to not give birth. :)

Baby is just under 8 lbs as far as Tom could tell. (We had to wait for a contraction to pass before he could get a good feel of the baby.) I'm still only about 1 cm dilated and my cervix is soft although Tom said he wouldn't say it's really effaced yet. I think the baby's just chillin'. Just don't chill too long. Tom scheduled an induction for a week past our due date, July 17th. Yeah, that would be our anniversary. I might try to get them to bump it back just a couple days so we can give baby a little more time and so it's not scheduled on our anniversary. Hopefully we won't even go that far so we won't have to worry about it!

Beta Strep Positive

2008-06-24T09:47:00.000-07:00

I had my weekly check up this morning and found out that I tested positive for beta strep which isn't a horrible thing, but it means they'll need to put me on antibiotics during labor which also means they'll want me to come in to the hospital a little sooner rather than later. My plan is to labor as much as possible at home. The earlier you go in to the hospital usually the earlier they want to speed things along and intervene with the natural process. It's impossible to know exactly how everything will go, so I'm trying to remind myself to be flexible with the little unexpected bumps in the road.

I saw a different midwife today, Vicky Cohen, because Tom wasn't available. Baby is still doing really well. His heart rate was 142 which is nice and strong and she couldn't move his head which means it has dropped into the pelvis. He's getting ready! I didn't have her check dilation or effacement today. It's probably better not to overanalyze those numbers since they don't really mean anything anyway as far as telling how much longer it will be.

The OBGYN department moved to new offices, and today was their first day in them so it was a little unorganized, but not too bad, considering. Now all the pregnant ladies won't have to walk upstairs. I'm looking forward to seeing Tom Lloyd, my regular midwife, for the rest of my check ups.

One more update: I was feeling contractions for the first time last night. Just before I went swimming, I noticed that my tummy felt a little strange and uncomfortable. During class I had to pause a few times because I felt it again. Walking to the car afterwards I noticed that my tummy was really tight all over. Contractions? I couldn't tell exactly when a contraction would start or stop, but I'm pretty sure that's what that was. I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever feel them. Good to know everything's getting ready!

My Weekly Check-Up with the Doctor

2008-06-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

Tom cancelled all his appointments so I had to see someone else for my weekly check-up today. Kaiser's schedule has been very tight so it's hard to get the appointments you need. I was kind of thinking we could just skip this week, but I'm supposed to be seen every week now so they found a way to squeeze me in with a nurse practitioner. After haggling with the check in lady about some insurance stuff (why can't they get it right?) I found out they were running behind and I'd have to wait an extra 45 minutes. Grrr. It was lunch time, too, and silly me forgot to bring a snack. Double grrr. Thankfully I had Enchanted on my iPod to keep me entertained until I was finally seen.

The news for today: I will get the results of my beta strep test back next week to see if I'll need to be on antibiotics during labor (please, no). Baby's heartbeat is nice and strong and he is dropping down a little. I didn't gain any weight this week and the doctor kept reminding me to keep eating. Oh, I do! I'm just eating better and exercising. I also had my first internal exam, and she said I am about 1 cm dilated and 30-40% effaced. She said that's right on track for being about 3 weeks away. Cool! So stuff is happening.

36 Weeks

2008-06-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

I had another prenatal appointment yesterday. I had Gina come with me (since Davin's stuck at work during the day) so that was nice not being by myself like usual and kind of added to the excitement of the coming birth. We had a good talk with the midwife. I really like Tom Lloyd! He shows a genuine interest in my birth and helping me achieve my goals. He felt the baby again and confirmed that baby's back is facing my left side. I thought so. I feel his little feet and knees on my right side all the time, and I like to pat his butt. Tom says baby is around the 6.5 lb range and in the 75 percentile. He wants me to keep watching what I eat so baby doesn't gain too much weight, and I've only gained 2 lbs in the last 5 weeks so I think we're doing pretty good.

I told Tom that a lot of my pregnant friends talk about Braxton Hicks contractions, but I didn't think I was having any. He said I definitely was. I just can't feel them, which may end up being a good thing. I know I'll definitely feel real contractions, but Tom suggested I may have a higher pain tolerance and that's why I don't feel the practice ones. We'll see. I've kinda been feeling a bit anxious about labor. This is going to hurt!

I'll be going in for a check-up every week from now on, which makes me excited. Yay! I like hearing his heartbeat and finding out that everything's going well.

My co-worker who is 10 days ahead of me (due June 30) had her baby yesterday! Wow. I guess her water broke about 30 minutes after I visited with her on Wednesday afternoon. Davin and I are now like, "Are we ready just in case we go a few weeks early, too?" Weird thought. I still think baby Studer is going to be late if anything. He is starting to drop, though. I'm a few inches lower and can't fit over the kitchen counters as well as I used to.

Baby Things Everywhere!

2008-06-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

We had our final baby shower at CB last Saturday. It was a really nice shower, and I felt so blessed by the words of encouragement and the gifts! Now that showers are over, we went out to buy the last of the things we want to have when baby arrives. Baby stuff is starting to take over our house! We've had fun playing with the video baby monitor and putting together the pack & play. I'm ready to wash a few loads of baby clothes and linens, and we even got the car seat in the car. Last night we bought a glider rocking chair and ottoman off of craigslist. The final nursery piece! I'm going to reupholster the cushions, which will be a piece of cake compared to the love seat. (Almost forgot to take a picture before I had it all ripped apart.) It's all coming together!!!

35 Weeks Today

2008-06-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

Today makes 35 weeks. Only 5 to go! ...give or take 2. It's still hard for me to believe that he's actually going to come out not too long from now. I feel like he's just going to stay inside forever. He's still quite active, and recently he's been getting the hiccups a lot. He actually has them right now. I think it's cute except for when it's keeping me awake at night.

I had a prenatal check up last week and found out that he's had a growth spurt. At 34 weeks, I was measuring 36 weeks along. It's still within normal parameters, but he's just on the big side for his age. I've felt all along that he won't be a tiny baby. Hopefully, he won't be too big, though. I've also been trying to watch my eating a little better. Not that I never have dessert because I totally do, but I'm trying to have more protein when I'm hungry. That will help keep my (and the baby's) weight in check. I weighed exactly the same last week as I did three weeks ago. With the baby's growth spurt does that mean he gained and I actually lost a little? I'm feeling pretty good about that. Baby Boot Camp is helping, too, although I'm having to slow down a bit because of my increasing size.

I'm getting so excited to meet him!

Hospital Tour

2008-05-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Last night at 6pm we had our hospital tour. I've never been a patient in a hospital before so this will be weird. I've been looking forward to seeing where all the action's going to take place! And, of course, this was the evening the MAX decided to break down so Davin was frantically trying to find a way home. I ended up putting dinner back in the fridge, driving downtown to get him and then going directly to Sunnyside all on an empty tank of gas. (Thankfully, empty isn't really empty!) We made it right on time. Whew! This also gave us a good scenario to talk through for the big day.

The new labor, delivery, recovery rooms are nice! I really like Kaisers birth philosophy. They seem very supportive of natural births, staying out of bed as much as possible, and moving around a lot. I definitely don't want to be tied to the bed! Also, the baby stays with you all the time. I'm already feeling very protective of my time and nearness to the baby as I imagine him being on the outside. Wow... this is really going to happen!

Mother's Day

2008-05-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my first Mother's Day this year! I got cards and gifts from Davin and the family. It felt weird, but I really am a mom. I'm sure next year will feel a little more real. My job is just fairly easy right now... well, for the most part. I do have all this extra weight I'm carrying around. Whenever I drop something I pause and kinda look at it and then tell myself this is a great opportunity to practice a good squat! Rolling over in bed also takes a surprising amount of grunting and effort. The day before Mother's Day I was thinking... only about 8 more Saturdays to sleep in! I'd better stay in bed! People have asked me lately if I'm just dying to be done being pregnant. No, not really. I mean, I'm super excited to hold my baby on the outside, but pregnancy has been fairly easy for me, and I'm enjoying it.

First Baby Shower and Nesting

2008-05-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

We had our first baby shower on Saturday. Gina and Beka did an amazing job putting it on. One guest said it was the nicest shower she's ever been to. It was so much fun seeing old college friends from out of town that I haven't hung out with in awhile. Fun times! I loved opening up all the cute baby things and thinking that we'll be using them in a few months. I tucked all the clothes away in the dresser according to size, and now I like to go into the nursery and look in all the drawers.

I can tell I'm nesting. I made myself a nice long list of house and business things that need done, and I've made some good progress. Our car is in the shop today getting the A/C recharged among other (more expensive) things they found to fix. Our house oil tank is all full for next winter and I'm very happy to see our conservation efforts worked! We only used half of what we used last winter. I have a dentist appointment scheduled. It's been about 2 years so I guess it's time for another cleaning. And we have our hospital tour set up at Sunnyside. Can't wait to see more of what our birthing experience will be like. I hear Sunnyside has nice facilities.

3rd Trimester is Here!

2008-04-18T10:51:00.001-07:00

So, I've officially reached the 3rd trimester mark. That's exciting! I wonder how much bigger my belly's going to get? So far, this whole pregnancy has gone by pretty fast, but I imagine as the time gets closer and I get more excited and more uncomfortable, time will creep by... especially once we hit July. We shall see. I still feel like we have a lot of stuff to do before we're ready, the most basic being picking a name and getting a car seat. There's still time, though.

I've had a miserable cold all this week that seemed to come out of the blue. I'm still dealing with way too much snot and an annoying cough. That makes the second time I've been sick this pregnancy, although I much prefer this cold over the flu or whatever it was I had last time. I was also realizing earlier this week when I was stretched out on the couch in my pjs and robe that this is the last time I'll be sick on my own. (Hopefully I can stay well for at least a few months.) Next time I'll have a little baby depending on me no matter how crummy I feel. Oh, boy!

Monthly Checkup

2008-04-10T14:28:00.001-07:00

I had another doctor's appointment yesterday. They checked my glucose levels and thankfully, they're fine. Our midwife, Tom Lloyd, says the baby seems to be happy since a moving baby is a happy baby. He was moving so much yesterday! Of course that could have been from the sugar blast I got for my glucose test. Tom says the baby is around the 3 lb range from what he could tell, and his head is still down like I thought. It's weird to think he's riding around upside down all the time, but he must be planning ahead like his mom does.

I was surprised at how much weight I've gained so far. No wonder I feel so heavy! I am heavy! I've gained almost 40 lbs already, and pictures always surprise me, too. I guess I don't feel as big as I look... or more accurately, I feel big, but I don't think I should. I eyeball a space between chairs in the cafeteria, and then I don't fit through like I used to, and I can't suck it in. Tom said not to worry as long as I'm staying active and making good eating choices. I'll just gain whatever I need to gain. It's just weird to adjust to a changing body. At least I'll have a great "before" picture to compare with my weight loss after baby comes.

Foot Foto

2008-04-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

I saw this picture on the web and had a dream about it last night. I could feel the baby kicking really hard, and it was kind of hurting. Then I looked down and there was the unmistakable form of his foot poking out under my skin just like this photo only more so. I quickly called Davin to come look. The baby kept pushing his foot out, and I remember trying to measure how big it was.

Our One and Only Stroller

2008-04-05T10:27:00.000-07:00

We have our stroller! It's a Phil & Teds that we first heard about from the Lees. It's an amazing stroller with so many configurations, it will work well for multiple kids for years to come. This stroller is pretty expensive, but we got the doule seat for free so that saved almost $100, and we won't have to buy another stroller when the second baby comes along. I can also take it to Baby Boot Camp and jog with it since the front wheel can lock, yet it's super maneuverable when it swivels so it will be perfect in stores, too. The double seat comes off and can be turned into a bouncer. The stroller seat also reclines flat for a newborn which is something most other strollers can't do. This is the most versatile and convertible stroller I've seen, and it's durable, too. We absolutely love it!

Baby Boot Camp

2008-04-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

Gina just started a Baby Boot Camp class at Happy Valley Park on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, so I've decided to join in and support her. I definitely wanted to do something like Baby Boot Camp after the baby's born so I can get back to my pre-baby body (actually, I'm aiming to be better than my pre-baby body), but with her launching her business now, I thought, why not? It will be better for me and the baby to start now. It's great to be in a class with other moms, plus, I get to hang out with Gina and Addison which is always fun. Yesterday was a gorgeous day for the launch, and there was a pretty good turn out with the mayor and a ribbon cutting ceremony and everything. I'm a little sore today, but not too bad. We'll see what it's like doing it again tomorrow! Gina can kick my booty in a workout!

Hey, I just noticed at the top of my page that I have less than 100 days until my due date!

Last Night's Dream

2008-03-21T09:25:00.001-07:00

I had a fairly detailed dream about the baby last night. Actually, in my dream I had triplets and was confused as to how the doctors couldn't see more than one baby in the previous ultrasounds. Labor went really quickly and painlessly, and I think we were at home. The first baby was the boy we are expecting, the next one was a girl, and the last one was another boy, but I had to search for him in a large pool of water and he wasn't breathing. After I resuscitate him, I held him for awhile and nursed him. He had a little trouble at first, but finally latched on. After he was settled down I went out to see my other two babies, and Davin had them sleeping in a box with a foam liner under them and on top of them. I freaked out that they were suffocating, but Davin gave me that "I'm not stupid" look and assured me they were fine. And they were. At that point I was worried about getting them all mixed up with each other, but Davin already had bracelets on them with their names. I was really upset that he named them without me and that none of them had any of the names we talked about. But it was already done and these were their official names: Adono, Speek (this was the girl), and Harbor. Ack! Where did he come up with those!

Stretching...

2008-03-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

On my birthday noticed for the first time that I'm getting the infamous stretch marks! I can't see them unless I look in a mirror since they're all on the bottom curve of my belly which has long since been out of my view. Gina gave me cocoa butter cream for my increasingly stretching skin on the same day... perfect timing! I've been using it ever since. I'm still going to have stretch marks, but hopefully it helps.

Nursery Furniture

2008-03-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

We have baby furniture! The Lee's gave us Addison's old set (thanks, Gina & LeRoy!) which they got from some friends. Even though it's been through multiple kids, it's still a good, solid set... and free is great! We'll be able to put furniture money toward something else. I absolutely love having furniture in the nursery. Every time I'm upstairs I poke my head in and look, imagining our boy sleeping in the crib. You can also see the curtains and lamp shade I made out of fun star material. I have some Disney pics and an IKEA star lamp for the walls. I'm sure I'll get those up soon.

Bradley Method

2008-03-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my second Bradley class and Davin's first (he was sick last week). We're planning on having our baby as naturally as possible, and we've had several friends take this class with good results. I've always wanted to have a natural birth without drugs ever since Mom told me about her four birth experiences, and how the all natural birth was by far the best. It helps to be informed about what choices we have in the birthing process, what to expect, and how to best prepare. This week I've been working on nutrition and exercise. The healthier I am the easier it will be for me and the baby. Dessert is still my weakness, though! Last night we talked more about the role of the coach. Davin is my birth coach, and I know he will do a great job supporting and encouraging me during labor although he's a bit leery about the messiness of it all. It's weird to think that day is coming. Sometimes I still wonder if this is all for real.

Growing Stronger

2008-03-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Just this week I've noticed an increase in Baby Studer's movement. I could feel him moving around before and jabbing me every once in awhile, but I could only feel it on the inside. He's growing stronger now, and yesterday there were several times where I could rest my hand on my belly and feel him kicking from the outside. I haven't been successful at timing things so Davin could feel him, but the day will come when he's moving enough for Daddy to get in on the action, too.

Target Baby

2008-03-03T14:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a free day, so when discussing what fun things we could do the first thing we decided on was a nap. Ah, a nice 2 hour nap on the couch was perfect! Funny how kids hate naps, but when you grow up it's the first thing on your free time to do list. After that we went to Target and finished up our Target baby registry. It's really fun creating a huge wish list for our baby, but it's hard to try to think of everything we might possibly need or want. Also there are tons of various styles, colors, and what have you, so we spent a lot of time discussing which things to add... especially the big ticket items. Realistically, we'll probably be buying most of this stuff ourselves, but that's okay. We're getting that economy booster check soon, right?

The Name Game

2008-03-02T09:30:00.001-08:00

When you're pregnant the first question you always get asked by friends and strangers alike... "Do you know if you're having a boy or a girl?" Once you do know the answer to that the question changes to... "Do you have a name picked out?" No, we don't have a name yet. Even when we do, I'm not sure if we're going to share it until baby's here. You know, keep something a surprise. Then, too, we won't have to deal with negative comments about our name choice that inevitably someone will share. Davin has teased about using the middle name "Danger" so our son can say, "Danger is my middle name." I told him the funny thing was that I'm not so sure he's teasing. So, welcome the new poll. I don't know if our son would get teased or revered for a middle name like that. Also, I've thought of another repercussion of the name. I'd say, "Don't do that. It's dangerous." To which our son would reply, "Well, Danger is my middle name." ...Um... yeah. But I haven't ruled out the name yet. It might be really cool. What do you think?

Valentine's Day

2008-02-15T14:28:00.001-08:00

Davin cooked me an absolutely amazing meal for Valentine's Day. We had battered coconut shrimp with an orange dipping sauce and a roasted veggie pasta with fresh herbs and spices. For dessert he made chocolate dipped strawberries. It was delicious! I have the best husband in the world!

After dinner I had Davin take a few more pregnancy pics of me for the new baby scrapbook I've started. I love being pregnant!

It's a...

2008-02-12T13:16:00.000-08:00

BOY!!! We're super excited to find out that our baby is a boy! It's so nice to say "he" instead of "it." Our appointment went really well, and everything checked out fine. We got to see him moving around a lot which was a relief to me because I still can't feel him consistently. The lady had to practically tip me on my head to try and get his head out of my pelvis. I guess he likes to ride low. It was funny to watch him be uncooperative by keeping both arms in front of his face when she was trying to get a picture of his nose and lips (checking for cleft palate). Here are a few more pics from our appointment today. Isn't he beautiful?

Down with a Stomach Bug

2008-02-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday night I started feeling pretty woozie. I wasn't sure if the baby or my stomach was the one doing somersaults. I woke up at midnight and after sitting in the bathroom for an hour my stomach confirmed that it wasn't the baby. I'm still not sure if I had the flu or food poisoning, but it wasn't pleasant. (Man, am I glad I got to skip morning sickness! This was awful!) I only got sick twice, but I felt pretty bad all Wednesday and part of Thursday and ran a low fever. I called the doctor to make sure the baby and I were okay, and they told me what to look out for. After lots of rest, I am feeling much better today. I was glad to be able to eat my first full meal for dinner last night.

Baby Dreams

2008-01-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

I've had my first few dreams about the baby this week. In the first one I was going into labor so we went to the hospital. (I wonder if contractions really feel like that?) After we got there, everything stopped, and two days later I was thinking we checked in too soon. In the second dream I was supposed to be nursing the baby for the first time, but I was feeding it with a spoon and it was more like baby food. Dreams are weird, but it felt great to be holding my baby!

Two weeks until we know if baby is a boy or a girl!

Belly Button Kicks

2008-01-26T10:49:00.000-08:00

I've noticed that my belly button is changing shape. I've always had a tight belly button where the sides touched making more of a vertical line. (It's kind of hard to describe.) Anyway, now my belly has stretched enough to where I have a nice open round belly button. I can actually stick my finger in it for the first time ever! (Addison would love it.) I'm thinking I might get an outtie before this is over.

I think I feel a kick every now and then. It's a quick, sharp jabbing sensation that's definitely not a cramp. Movement still isn't consistent yet, and it is usually subtle or quick enough that I wonder if it's really the baby.

Gender?

2008-01-15T09:49:00.000-08:00

We have our second ultrasound in February to find out how baby's doing and answer the big question... boy or girl? So, what do you think it will be? Vote on the left sidebar.

Looks like the girls are definitely winning!

Pregnancy Fitness

2008-01-15T09:43:00.001-08:00

I've joined a pregnancy water aerobics class at the Dishman Community Center. It meets twice a week and yesterday was my second visit. It's fun working out with other pregnant ladies. I decided I needed to do something to help stay in shape. Tae Soo Do is going to take a break for now. I don't want to worry about over exerting myself or falling and hurting the baby. I'm advanced enough that I'd have to modify just about everything I'm doing which would frustrate me, I think. So it's good-bye to jump spin heals and hello to big-bellied synchronized swimming!

New Baby Pictures

2008-01-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

Look at our baby! We were excited to get to see baby today at our ultrasound appointment. It was even more cool than I thought it would be. Last time the baby was just a little line, but now as Davin said, "It's definitely human." While the lady was doing the ultrasound we could even see baby moving it's arms and body. Wow! The white marks just to the right of the mouth is the fingers and thumb of the hand up by baby's face. The heartbeat was 150/minute, and based on the measurements our due date is back to July 10th. Hmmm. I think it will be a bit later than that, but then again, this isn't an exact science so anytime in July is fair game. So the baby really is there! I could stare at these pictures forever.

This is our baby as a scary pirate. You can see the skull pretty good. Argh!

New Clothes

2008-01-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

Gina has given me another batch of maternity clothes. What a huge blessing! While I was looking through a box of things, Addison came up and tried on a dress. She wore it around like a cape while Davin played chase with her. Cute!

First Maternity Clothes

2007-12-24T14:41:00.001-08:00

I currently only have 2 pairs of jeans that are comfortable to wear. Most of my shirts are ok although some are short enough that my belly peaks out. Last night Gina gave me several bags of maternity clothes from her and her sister. Finally, I'll have some more clothing options! It would be so expensive to buy a whole new wardrobe, so I am very excited about hand-me-downs. I still want to do a little bit of shopping, though.

Connecting with Tenants

2007-12-19T09:39:00.000-08:00

I'm finding that being pregnant is another great way I can connect to my residents in Student Rental Housing. Our population is continually growing as babies are born. We have at least 75 kids in housing, and I've heard that there have been about 8-10 new babies this year. Wow! I told my tenants I was pregnant in this month's newsletter, so I've had many congratulations and people who are interested in how I'm feeling. It's great being able to relate to one another on a new level. There are many wives who are going through or have gone through the same thing as me.

Getting Bigger

2007-12-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

After Davin took my new profile shot he asked, "Are you pooching out your tummy?" Nope. Actually, I find myself subconsciously sucking it in all the time because I can tell it's bigger. I've noticed my jeans are fitting a bit tighter these days, and I've had those first fleeting moments of... I feel fat! I measured my waist and I think I've already gained about 2 inches. I know my size increase is not much baby since it's still super tiny at this stage, but this must be all the other padding and stuff showing up. It will be very strange to have a huge belly. Some women barely look pregnant even at 9 months. I imagine I'll be quite noticeably pregnant since I'm starting to show already.

Eating like a Hobbit

2007-12-07T09:50:00.000-08:00

I realized I'm eating a hobbit's diet... breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper. I never thought I'd actually say, "I'm tired of eating!" At first I was happy to have a good excuse to eat little snacks all day long, but nothing much sounds good anymore, and I'm tired of my tummy complaining about needing food all the time. Still, I'm thankful my symptoms are fairly mild. Let's see... 4 more weeks and I'll hopefully be out of this stage. Ugh! Four more weeks!

Sleep and Food

2007-12-03T16:37:00.001-08:00

It seems like all I'm about these days is sleep and food! Watch out if I don't have one or the other. So, the first couple weeks I thought this first trimester thing would be a breeze... Well, it's catching up to me. If I've been up for 4 hours straight, I'm ready for a nap. And if I haven't had a snack in the last 2 hours my tummy starts complaining. Clara told me to suck on lemon drops to help with the nausea. I don't know if it's psychological or what, but it seems to help. I'm so lucky to have a job that flexes to accommodate sleep and food, but I'm trying to be careful to save most of my sick and vacation time for the summer.

First Prenatal Visit

2007-11-27T20:51:00.000-08:00

We had our first prenatal visit this morning! I saw a nurse practitioner, Kim, and she was really nice and took time to explain things to us and answer our questions. She even gave me my first ultrasound and we got to see our little baby! You could actually see heart beating as a little flash of light, so it's definitely there and it's alive. Now we have one of those pictures where the expectant parents can see the baby, but everyone else only sees some blobs. Everyone can probably see the little circle next to the baby which is the yoke sac. It's providing nutrients until the placenta can fully take over. Amazing, isn't it? The ultrasound confirmed that conception happened a bit later in my cycle like I thought, so I'm actually only around 6 weeks along. The new tentative due date is July 17... uh, that would be our anniversary. I guess going on that cruise for our 4th is out of the question.

Thanksgiving News

2007-11-23T13:16:00.000-08:00

We told the family yesterday. I had butterflies all during lunch because this is such big news! After the meal was winding down (no one caught the baby corn, baby carrots, baby shrimp clues), we brought out our fortune cookies and had everyone take one. It was kinda weird, but everyone went along with it and started reading out their fortunes. Finally Marcia said, "I think I notice a theme," and Mom said she did too and started tearing up. Some people were still like, "What?" until Mom said, "I'm going to be a grandma!" We then passed out the shirts we special ordered for everyone. I think Mom's going to to have the family wear them to church on Sunday. It's strange to annouce such big news, but it was so much fun surprising everyone. They're all so excited! I am thankful for families.

A Miracle

2007-11-21T09:14:00.001-08:00

This is probably close to what our baby looks like right now at about 7 weeks. (Which is really only 5 weeks because they start counting 2 weeks before conception.) I think the baby is about the size of a lima bean. It's so amazing to read about how the baby develops and to see pictures like this one. From one cell to this in just a few short weeks! This truly is a miracle.

Davin's parents arrive tonight from Spokane! We're spilling the beans tomorrow!

My Last HPT

2007-11-20T14:20:00.000-08:00

I had one more pregnancy test so I went ahead and took it this morning just for fun. I think I'm starting to feel some of the effects of being pregnant. When I'm hungry I have to eat, like, NOW, and my stomach feels a little blah sometimes especially when it's empty. Also I've been a bit tired, so it's nice to have a good excuse to take a nap in the middle of the day. Still, it's fun to confirm the baby is really there with a test. If you thought the first tests looked iffy... this one is definitely positive! The dark vertical line appeared instantly. We only have to keep the secret two more days! I can't wait!

A Strange Thanksgiving Menu

2007-11-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

We went shopping for Thanksgiving food this weekend and got a smoking deal on the turkey! WinCo was having a special if you spent $50, so a 19.7 lb turkey only cost us $3.55. We've had fun planning out a somewhat strange menu to help the announcement. We're going to have baby shrimp for an appetizer. It will be kinda hard to dip such tiny shrimp, but that's the point. We're going to fix steamed baby carrots, and we're also making a salad with baby greens and baby corn. We may throw in something else, but we may just leave it weird with only baby corn in it.
I found a recipe for a Baby Ruth Layer Cake which takes 14 Baby Ruth candy bars! I'm also baking individual mini pumpkin pies instead of a couple large ones. If no one gets it, we'll finish with homemade fortune cookies with hints like, "A hidden surprise is near you," "A big secret will soon be revealed," "Summertime will bring new experiences," and "You will soon receive a new title of honor." If that doesn't work, we'll just have to be out with it. We'll see who's sharp and willing to ask the question.

Dr's Tests Results

2007-11-16T13:47:00.001-08:00

The test for HPV came back negative today. The more reading I did the less worried I was because there's no way I could have an STD without Davin having it and vice versa. I don't think the doctor believed me when I said neither of us had sex before marriage. I'm supposed to go back in for another PAP in 6 months. Well, at that point I'll be about 6 weeks away from delivering the baby, so we'll see. I'm guessing this whole thing was a fluke. Just something to cause unneeded tears of a pregnant woman.

But I Don't Feel Pregnant

2007-11-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

It's still very strange to realize I'm pregnant. I don't really feel any different yet, and it seems like we're just pretending. My tummy is the same size as always, I don't have morning sickness, I haven't been to the doctor yet, and my emotions have been fairly stable (...well, I guess you'd have to ask Davin about that). Now and then I think I feel a different sensation in my lower abdomen, but then I think it's probably either my imagination or gas. I guess the biggest sign I have is that my period should be over by now, but it hasn't even started. Also, I'm not talking to anyone about it except Davin. I think sharing the news will make it seem more real. Next week we're telling the family!

The Big Secret

2007-11-11T09:59:00.000-08:00

We've decided that parents should be the first to know, so we're not telling anyone else right now. It's been really tough not to say anything! We've decided to host Thanksgiving at our house, and we're trying really hard to get Davin's mom and dad to both come. We're going to reveal the new addition to our family then.

Here's some situations that have come up where it was really hard not to say anything yet:

Gina has been helping me stay on track with eating and exercise. We are working together to loose a little weight. We kind of both got off track last week and Gina gave me a gentle reprimand. She's been sick, but then said to me, "So, what's your excuse?" I said, "I don't have one. Thanks for getting me back on track." (What I didn't say... Well, I've been distracted because... I'm pregnant! And now I'm supposed to increase my calorie intake by 300 a day, so while I'm still going to eat healthy, trying to loose weight is now out of the question!)

On Friday, I had lunch with Kerrin who knows I've really been struggling with trying to conceive for a long time. She asked me how it was going, and sympathized with me that this is really hard! So trying to not sound too chipper I told her, "Yeah, but I know it's all in God's time, and I'm actually doing okay with the waiting right now." (What I didn't say... Because God's time is now! I'm pregnant!)

When I called Mom to switch Thanksgiving to our place I asked if it would be okay that we weren't at their house to help decorate for Christmas the day after. Mom said that was fine because she's thinking of doing it smaller this year and doesn't want to do the whole big Christmas decorating until grandkids come along. Then she'll deck the house all out again. (What I didn't say... Well, then you better do it smaller this year because it's your last Christmas without grandkids!)

One and a half weeks and the word will be out. (It is kind of weird posting to a blog that no one's reading yet.)

Dr's Tests

2007-11-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

The doctor called me today with the results from my PAP. She ordered further testing because apparently the results were "a bit abnormal." She told me not to worry because having abnormal results is somewhat common, but their going to test for HPV which can lead to cervical cancer. I can't help but worry because this is how the road starts to someone finding out they have cancer, right? My main worry, of course, is the health of my new little baby.

Davin was a great comfort today and even took me to Barnes & Noble so we could by a baby names book and What to Expect When You're Expecting. He can't tell me to hold off anymore by using the excuse, "when we're pregnant we'll have a whole 9 months to get baby stuff." The time is here, the time is now, and I'm going for it!

I am also in the process of knitting the first blanket for our baby. It's yellow and super soft. It reminds me of cheery sunshine... the feeling I get when I think about our baby.

It Only Took 371 Days

2007-11-06T10:34:00.000-08:00

We've been trying to get pregnant for 371 days. Everyone around us seemed to be getting pregnant and popping out babies, no problem. I was to the point of looking into infertility testing and had actually gone in for a PAP on October 17th just to get started with something. I've been charting my BBT and noticed that this was going to be a longer than average cycle. Still, I managed to wait until about 12 days after ovulation before taking a pregnancy test. I took it first thing in the morning and thought I could just make out a faint line. I waited longer and when Davin got out of the shower he verified that yes, there was in fact, a line indicating I was pregnant. I didn't want to believe it just in case it was a fluke, so later this morning I took another test of a different brand. It came back with a more obvious positive. No way! Really? Finally! Oh my, our lives are going to change forever!
I called Kaiser to set up my first prenatal appointment for November 30th. Currently, my estimated due date is July 11, 2008. That's not the best time for my job, but that's ok. We'll figure it out.

It was very strange going to lunch in the cafeteria knowing I was pregnant, but not telling anybody. We want our parents to be the first to know. Tonight I called Mom and managed to get Thanksgiving switched to our house so we can plan out how to surprise everyone with the news.