Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Time in the Burg with the Newton Fam

Madeline
Madeline Faye - born April 6, 2011

A few weeks ago I got to see one of my best friends deliver her little girl and it was AWESOME! A few days later I went back down to Roseburg to help out and get some baby cuddles in. It was a great way to spend a few days and get a sneak peek of what our life will be like in a few months! 



Madeline

Janelle and baby girl

Madeline

on a walk - can you believe she had just given BIRTH??



Madeline

knitting with a baby on my belly? YES PLEASE! I was encouraging Maddie to tell her friend, Baby Simmons, to be a champion nurser, sleeper, and non-crier like she is! Did you listen Baby S??

I had SO much fun with the Newtons and can't wait to go back and see them all again! It will be even more fun when the babes can play together!

Monday, April 25, 2011

20 Weeks!


Officially half way! I'm hoping that baby comes a bit early so I'm already MORE than halfway! Still getting bigger everyday with a monstrous appetite, but I did much better this week with planning meals and snacks to keep up with it. I was a champ and ran three times last week on the waterfront with Olive. It felt SO good! One of my metatarsals started bothering me after my run on Thursday so I took it easy this weekend. Grant and I logged major miles walking around downtown both Saturday and Sunday morning though. I'm hoping to try another run tomorrow. I can't think of much else to report. I've been feeling awesome overall. 

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Belly is getting bigger everyday, but I've been doing pretty good in the maternity clothes department. I have been making due with just one pair of maternity jeans and since I hate my bella band I basically wear them everyday. I've considered getting another pair, but I'm hoping once summer hits I'll live in dresses and skirts so it feels useless to buy more now. My uniform lately has been a simple tank or tee from target with a cardigan and those jeans. I like the way non-maternity tops fit me best - I've just been getting them in a size or two up from normal. I feel frumpy if stuff isn't tight so this way things hug the bump more than drape it.
Cloth Dipes!

As you all know, I get weirdly excited about the thought of cloth diapering. IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY! Once we decided we wanted to do the BumGenius all-in-ones in XS for the newborn phase, I figured we should get them sooner than later because they are being discontinued. I searched around online and found the best deal at Jillian's Drawers. If you got 12 or more each was $1 off. We decided to get 20 which was about $230. I anxiously awaited their arrival all week! They got here Thursday and I LOVE THEM. Of course, being the freak that I am, I've spend the rest of the weekend worried about if I am happy with the quantity of each color I picked. I got... 2 dark green (ribbit), 2 dark blue (moonbeam), 2 white, 3 light green (grasshopper), 3 light blue (twilight), 4 orange (clementine), and 4 yellow (butternut). I like all the colors, but I'm not in love with the light green or the light blue so I'm trying to decide if I should exchange those for more of the other colors. But if this babe is a girl those colors might be cuter than some of the more saturated ones. Do you see how much I over-think this stuff? Ridiculous!


Babe's getting even bigger - a CANTALOUPE! for real? I just saw baby on Friday and I still can't make the comparison. I'm big enough to figure the comparison can be made, though. Baby is working on swallowing and digesting amniotic fluid and can now taste differences in what I'm eating. Its also working to build up meconium to dirty those cute cloth dipes up there. I'm still feeling baby move, but not as firmly as I'd like. Only one time was I able to put my hand on my belly and feel a good kick from the outside. Most of the time they are more like soft nudges or flicks. I really want Grant to feel it! 

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Anatomy Scan

19 week Ultrasound

We had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound on Friday and it went well. We think. They told us we'll hear from them if something is wrong, but they weren't sure that the radiologist would look at the scan that day. We do know that the heart has four chambers and its still pumping away, we know that my placenta is greater than 5 cm from the internal os of my cervix, the baby has two kidneys, no cleft lip, and four limbs. Unfortunately, they wanted me to drink 40 ounces of water in the hour leading up to the appointment and for some reason my body didn't like that. I was SO sick to my stomach. It made it really hard to enjoy the chance to see baby. Luckily, the sickness passed as soon as I was able to get all the water out of my system. Despite my preoccupation with how awful I felt, my mom enjoyed the whole appointment with tears in her eyes!

Baby was head down for the whole appointment and you can see in the above picture that my placenta is  on the anterior wall of my uterus. This may be why it is harder for me to feel it kick hard. I've only once been able to feel it kick really hard. Most of the time it feels like little flickers or like a fish is moving around. 
19 Week Ultrasound

We were able to stay strong and not find out baby's sex. We told the tech as soon as we got there that we didn't want to know. He turned off the monitor when he was checking baby's femur length and again later when he tried to look specifically for the genitals. Baby doesn't want anyone to know though - the legs were crossed so tight the ultrasonographer said he couldn't see one way or the other anyway. He probably would have tried harder if we wanted to know, but I'm happy to know that its still a surprise for everyone! 

19 week Ultrasound

I'm still convinced baby is a boy and that it is going to look JUST like Grant. I don't know why, but all these profiles look like a mini Grant to me. It still blows my mind that THIS baby is INSIDE OF ME. Will it ever feel real? 

19 week Ultrasound

This is my favorite picture from the appointment. I just really like it for some reason! I can't WAIT to put my baby legs on those tiny things!

19 week Ultrasound

This is of the arm - you can see the elbow is to the right and the forearm extends to the left. the fist is facing us with fingers and thumb clenched in. 

19 week Ultrasound

this is of the other arm. Don't you think these limbs look long? Maybe its just the scale is all off. Shoulder is to the right, elbow is bent in the middle and hand off to the left. 

Monday, April 18, 2011

19 Weeks!

19 weeks

Getting REALLY close the halfway point! Which is, actually, a bit disappointing...20 MORE weeks sounds like such a long time. I'm sure it will go by quickly, especially as we enter the busier, more fun, summer months. I continue to get bigger everyday - its kind of fun to wake up and see how my body has changed over night. I'm still feeling pretty great. I get sleepy in the afternoons and sometimes take really long naps, but the most annoying side effect of this pregnancy is my OUTRAGEOUS hunger. It is insatiable and has actually brought me to tears trying to satisfy it. I made a huge list of snacks and meals last night and spent a small fortune on groceries this morning to see if I can get it under control, but it has been killing me. If you have any amazing snack/meal ideas pass them my way! Especially ones high in protein!

In other news...we found a midwife. YAY! It feels really good to have that one figured out. I went in for my appointment on Thursday and loved it. I felt well taken care of and at ease. We are happy that she works at a birth center so we have the option of going there or having them come to us for a home birth depending on where we end up living. In other news, I got to hear baby's heartbeat for a full minute while there - it was dreamy. I haven't heard it loud and clear since our 12 week ultrasound - it was strong at 156 BPM. My ligaments are starting to loosen up - I'm noticing that my shoes are too narrow all of a sudden. My feet aren't swollen just wider, its kind of annoying, but I used G's Nike hookup to score a few new pairs of shoes at discount. The midwife did mention that I need to gain more weight - I've gained 12lbs so far and she'd rather me be closer to 20. She likes her patients to gain 40lbs total so I have some work to do in the eating department. I am also deficient in my protein intake so I'm trying to up that to 80 grams/day, which is no small feat. All in all...this kid is demanding! 

Also I scheduled our mid pregnancy ultrasound for this friday. I'm SOOO excited. I'm a bit disappointed because G can't come, but my mom is going to join me. Keeping our fingers crossed for a healthy report. I also really hope they give us DVD images so that G can see everything really well. We still aren't finding out the sex and have been starting talks on names. We like Maren for a girl and August for a boy, but we are still thinking it over. I'd like to have a few solid choices for each sex so we can be sure the name matches the babe when its here. Naming is more stressful than I thought it would be...I like things that are a little different, but not too out there. 

Ok, on to baby. This munchkin is still kickin away, but sometimes goes long periods where I get worried. I noticed that he gets REALLY busy after a bowl of ice cream so that is kind of fun. This week baby is working on building up vernix so he doesn't get all wrinkly in there. And also building on the sensory parts of his brain. And the cutest part of the week...growing hair on his head! I hope our baby has hair - they are so cute with hair as newborns! Baby will also be happy to know we made an official decision about what its bum will be covered in for the first few years. Lindsey and I spent Saturday afternoon at the Cottonbabies store in Vancouver taking a Cloth Diapering 101 class and registering for our faves. I bought a few so Grant could see them all and we decided on BumGenius all-in-ones for the newborn phase (6-12lbs)...though they are being discontinued so we need to snatch 'em up fast and then onto the BumGenius Elemental all-in-ones that babe can be in from 12lbs until potty training. These are basically the most expensive cloth diapering option, but we will still save TONS compared to disposables, especially when considering using them on multiple babes. That makes us feel totally okay with spending more up front. I can't tell you how ridiculously happy these tiny little poop catchers make me. SO HAPPY! I play and look at the ones we have daily...

Whew! Long post...off to make dinner

Monday, April 11, 2011

18 Weeks!

18 weeks

Getting closer and closer to half way there! I've been continuing to feel great and don't have too much new to report. I'm starting to have to pee more again and my heartburn is officially associated with orange juice consumption. I did have my first stranger ask me when my baby was due so I must be looking more pregnant and less beer-gutish. I had the awesome experience of being there when Janelle & Joe's baby, Madeline, was born this past week. SO COOL to see a birth while pregnant, especially when it is a family you are so close to. It makes me wonder more and more what our birth is going to be like and how our baby will be those first weeks at home. And wonder what the sex is! I'm getting so curious! 

We are still on the hunt for a midwife, but I'm trying not to stress to much about it. We will find someone and that person will be the one who is meant to be there for us. I am due for a prenatal visit this week so I made an interview/appointment with a midwife I have high hopes for. I'm excited to hear the baby's heartbeat and to get a referral to schedule our 20 week ultrasound. 

Baby's comparison isn't so cute this week... a sweet potato..hmmm... The other email I get compares the baby to the size of a green pepper, which I like much better. Anyway, Baby is able to hear more this week and is working out all his or her movements THAT I CAN FEEL NOW. I think. I am 99.9% sure.  No, I can't imagine what else it could be so it must be the baby, but they aren't that strong yet. I'm hoping this whole pregnancy will seem more real and I will be more connected as I feel the babe move more? It is very surreal still. I am also looking forward to us finding a place to live so we can work on a nursery, which I know will also help me prepare and feel connected. 


Saturday, April 9, 2011

Waterfront Walk

Waterfront Walk

Waterfront Walk

Waterfront Walk

Waterfront Walk

Waterfront Walk

Waterfront Walk

Waterfront Walk

Olive and I have been going on long walks along the waterfront in the morning. The past two mornings were perfect for it - cool, but the sun was out. It takes us about an hour to walk from our apartment to the Hawthorne Bridge and back. We like to watch all the bikers on their morning commute. My toe is getting better so maybe in the next few days we'll be going on waterfront runs! 

Monday, April 4, 2011

17 Weeks!

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Wow. That week went by fast didn't it? Grant is back to being a working stiff so he wasn't around in the daylight hours to take my weekly picture. You should be proud...I went so far as to balance a chair on the coffee table to hold the camera! And when that wasn't enough (see first picture with no head) I added the recipe box topped by the napkin holder to finally get all of me!

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Nothing too exciting to report this week. We are still on the hunt for a midwife that we are comfortable with. I have two appointments tomorrow so I have my fingers crossed! I have officially had to retire a few pairs of jeans that can no longer fit over my ass, even when completely unzipped. The Bella Band is not useful if you can't get the jeans up to begin with. I hope I don't end up with a huge ass when this thing is all said and done. That'd be just awkward. Yesterday I went with my mom to see if we could find me another pair of maternity jeans. I settled on these, because they were on sale and didn't have a full belly band. I thought I'd like not having a full belly band, but man my ass hasn't gotten big enough to accommodate for having no waist because these fell down ALL DAY LONG. They will be returned tomorrow. I can't deal with that. I also got these leggings - I'm hoping that not having a full belly band will be okay because they are tight all over? We'll see...I can't wear them until we get a little sun in these parts or at least a day where I can venture outside without waterproof shoes.


Baby continues to grow and I THINK, maybe I'm feeling him or her kicking. I have to be pretty focused and even then I sometimes question. But a few times I've been certain its the baby. I've been begging him to kick hard so I can feel it. Baby officially has fingerprints these days - thats pretty cool, huh? He is also working hard to turn his skeleton from cartilage to real bone! Oh and he is starting to lay down brown fat to get nice and cuddly. 

Saturday, April 2, 2011

30 things

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As I mentioned, for Grant's 30th Birthday I got him 30 things. It was kind of a fun way to celebrate such a milestone birthday. I tried to get him a mix of fun and needed things.

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Olive was enthused...can't you tell?

Here is the full list of what he got...


1. I carry your heart card - this poem was read at our wedding
2. sunglasses
3. homemade coupon for an Oregonian subscription
4. new soap dispenser for kitchen - ours was driving him crazy
7. Backgammon board game
8. homemade coupon for a weekend in our beloved Eugene
9. basketball shorts
10. cute wine cork
11. bread knife - we SO needed a new one
12. NPR Map - served us well on our cross country trek
13. this one's a secret
14. a framed ultrasound picture
15. homemade coupon for an ice cream cake 
16. Totally Awesome 80s CD - listened to many times on our drive
17. deviled egg platter - he loves deviled eggs and we needed something to put them on!
18. new job kit (got the idea here)
19. novel
20. another secret
22. Flat Branch pint glass
23. A second Flat Branch pint glass
24. the last secret
26. whiskey
27. watch 
29. chocolate covered pretzels
30. Small handmade book with 30 things I love about him  

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