2009 Pregnancy/baby thread

[wolfsoul]

I thought it'd be great, since so many of us PTers are expecting (or have close friends/family members who are expecting) to have a thread to talk about what's going on; what stage we're at, how we're feeling, what we're doing to prepare ourselves, how we're staying physically (and mentally!!!) healthy, and any of the troubles we go through along the way. And of course, for those of us who have our babies this year, to talk about how everything is going with the new baby!

I know I like to talk about it (and it's pretty much all I ever think about) so I will likely frequent this thread. :)

Everything with my pregnancy has been so great. I'm on week 11 now -- so close to my second trimester! My baby bump is just showing now. I've had no morning sickness still, other than the occasional spell of nausea some mornings for weeks 5 and 6, but I haven't thrown up once. Nevertheless I've managed to lose 10 pounds in the last month simply because my metabolism has gone through the roof. I have to eat constantly, atleast evey hour, to keep my blood sugar stable. It's funny to see my baby bump and above it I'm so skinny where I wasn't before. My breasts still don't hurt. I'm waiting for that to happen still. It's almost frightening that they don't seem to be growing alot either and have had minimal changes. I want to breastfeed very badly, so I think that in the back of my mind I worry that maybe they'll never have any big changes and I won't be able to breastfeed. I know it's silly, I'm sure that everyone changes at a different pace.
Weeks 5 and 6 were weeks of fatigue for me, but it sped up to just needing a bit more sleep than before, and now I finally have my energy back. I'm excited to be able to start going to the gym again. I start prenatal yoga at the end of the month too.
My next ultrasound is in May. I'll be 20 weeks so I'm hoping we'll find out what the sex is. I still think it's a girl, even though I'd rather have a boy.
Due to my busy life and home schedule, I'm planning my own baby shower (is anyone else planning their own?). It will be sometime in early July. I'm inviting lots of family and friends, and it should be really nice. The dining room table will have a huge platter on it, and people can mingle to and from the patio into the house (as all of our parties end up). I'll have puppies then, so it will be good socialisation for them. I'm goign to put the big things on the registry, like the crib and change table. My SIL thinks everyone should have their baby shower only when they're 8 months pregnant -- I think it's crazy. I'm not buying many things right now because you usually get SO MUCH from the baby shower. All of the things I don't get, I'll need to eventually go out and buy. If I have to go out, at 8 months pregnant, and buy a crib, change table, rocking chair, etc, not to mention all of the other necessities, and pack it all into my house myself (my husband will be working out of town), I will not be a happy camper -- I'll be huge and tired and greatly annoyed that I decided to wait that long to have my baby shower. Plus, what if I go into labor a month early? So, no way. 6 months is far along enough for me!
I'm eating as healthy as I can, but boy it's hard some times. I have always been a very healthy eater, and avoided cravings. Now the cravings are so much stronger, they can be hard to ignore. So I try to keep busy. Today I'm cleaning the entire house and working on Visa's whelping pen. I already mopped out the entire garage. Now I'm in the kitchen, scrubbing out the cupboards and getting rid of extra dishes we don't need, to make room for baby things.
anyways, I'd better get back at it! Lots of cleaning to do!

[beeniesmom]

I know what you mean when you write: 'I know I like to talk about it (and it's pretty much all I ever think about) so I will likely frequent this thread.'

I feel the same way.
This thread is a good idea. I have been keeping a journal of these months so I can give it to my child when she gets older.

Well, today I am 19 weeks along.
I can't believe I am already almost half way there. So far it's been ok.

I haven't had any morning sickness, just slight nausea in the first few weeks.

I have had back pain for the last 6 weeks more or less and joint pain in one shoulder.

I too am having to eat very well because of a blood sugar issue. Since I am being careful with what I eat, I have only gained about 10 pounds which I guess is good considering many people say they gained 45, 65 and even 80 pounds during thier pregnancies. :eek:

People cannot tell I am expecting unless they already know.

I am very happy and hope the doggies will be ok with the new addition to the family.

[prechrswife]

I am in my 33rd week, and we know we are expecting a boy. This is going to be a new adventure after having 2 girls, although our oldest daughter is as active as any boy I've ever been around. Right now we are doing what we can to prepare for his arrival. The church is planning to add another bedroom onto our parsonage (house), but the work has not begun yet, so at the beginning, he will be in our room. (We would have had him sleeping there at first anyway, but his dresser is also set up in our room right now.) We'll be in really close quarters around here for a little while. Physically, I'm getting to that miserable "Let's just get on with this!" part of the third trimester, while at the same time, I'm not in a huge hurry to reach the end of my pregnancy.

[sabies]

I'm at about week 31 into my 2nd pregnancy and I cannot wait til it's over! I had morning sickness from week 8 to 19 and despite that have gained over 30 lbs and still gaining fast. My metabolism slows to a crawl during pregnancy. Currently I take iron for anemia and sometimes have trouble sleeping which is why I'm posting this in the middle of the night. The doctor says my baby is big for his (a boy) gestational age but we'll see as it gets closer.

Wolfsoul I never had any real noticeable changes in my breasts this time or last time and I breastfed no problem for over a year last time. I guess they are bigger at this point in my pregnancy but hard to tell compared to the massive belly below. The changes happened after my milk came in which was a few days after birth. Then there was fullness from the milk of course.

I think a shower in the 8th month is a bit late. I know for myself I just feel so uncomfortable by that point.

[finn's mom]

I was hoping a thread like this would start up. ;) I've already started a few, so I figured I'd wait to see if anyone started it. :)

I'm in my 18th week, and hoping we find out what we're having on Thursday!

Never threw up, but did have fatigue and nausea for a few weeks (probably around 6-9 weeks, something like that. I've gained about three pounds, but because I'm mostly eating healthy foods, I've lost it pretty much everywhere except the belly. :) I have a very small belly, only those who know what I looked like a month ago can tell that I'm expecting. My boobs aren't really getting any bigger (I'm barely a B, so I wasn't expecting much, hahaha), and I rarely have any tenderness.

We are going to have three showers, of which I'm not planning any. I have never even been to one, so I wouldn't have a clue. We are having one in May in David's hometown (Louisiana), I am flying back home to South Carolina in June for the one my mom and her best friend are having for me and the third one will be here at home in the DFW area (in July, YIKES). Not crazy about it being so late, but at least I won't be traveling for that one. ;)

We're registered now at three places, and we pick up cute outfits when we see ones we really like. My mother is really excited and has already bought a travel system (stroller and car seat), and is buying the nursery furniture. We did order the nursery bedding because we felt like we should get that ASAP so we have the colors to go by for the paint and decor. Can't wait to get it! David went to the store to see it and feel it, and he says he loves it, which is great!

I am still considering the muralist (we're doing a Dr Seuss theme), but will probably have to pass, as I know she will be expensive. But, her email in response to my query was so excited about the chance to do a Dr Seuss room...it sortof sparked my interest in the mural again. :)

[finn's mom]

How's everyone feeling this week? Things are good here, I have a little bit more noticeable of a belly, but some days it just seems like bloat, haha. I have gained about two pounds or so...guess I'm still losing in other parts of my body, and gaining a belly. ;) I'll post a picture in a minute! Does anyone have any belly pictures they wanna share?

[finn's mom]

I love being pregnant so far. This is in our backyard, and that's Finn's butt in the background. ;)

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0826.jpg

[AdoreMyDogs]

Adorable belly, Kari! You are just too cute for words!

I think Vince is the 2nd 2009 PT baby? Here he is at 16 days old.

Got Milk, Daddy? Here's Vince rooting, hoping Daddy will give him milk the same way Mommy gives him milk. It's so cute how breast fed babies do this :)
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j163/AdoreMyDogs/gotmilkdaddy.jpg?t=1238519644

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j163/AdoreMyDogs/mommysminiman.jpg?t=1238519696

Sporting his wrinkle forehead. My dad had a wrinkle forehead, too. Vince looks like my father, who passed away when I was 11 months old. My dad would have been so proud of his grandson who I named Vincent after.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j163/AdoreMyDogs/wrinkleforehead.jpg?t=1238519738

[beeniesmom]

OMG! Vince is so cute!

Kari I love that picture. I have a 20 week picture too but am shy to post it! :o

[finn's mom]

Vince is absolutely adorable. David's going to have a fit when our baby starts rooting for his milk, hahahaha. ;)

Carmen, don't be shy. You can always edit and blur everything but your cute belly. ;) But, all kidding aside, if you don't want to, I totally understand! :love:

[Karen]

Oh, Carmen - I know many moms who wish, in retrospect, they had taken more belly shots to show baby when he or she is grown up! Do take lots of pictures, even if you don't want to post 'em, okay?

[Husky_mom]

oh yes!!.. what Karen said.. I think I have like two pics and in one I´m sitting down :rolleyes:

and as for kids.. I love love love one I took of my kid when he has crying big time... when I took it I told him (like he knew, he was like 5 months ;)) this is for you to see how ugly you looked when you cried..

he didn´t looked ugly... but just so he wouldn´t cry.. hehe.. now I love seeing it and laugh each time I do so... it looks so cute!!!

[beeniesmom]

Hello. I am having my hubby take more pictures of me.

I had a good weekend. My last dr. visit on Friday went well.
They want to see me every 2 weeks, now, instead of once a month just to monitor the baby's growth, because of a health issue I have.

On Sunday I went to a local radio station sponsered baby shower.
Over 1000 of us pregnant gals showed up. I came home with 2 bags full of freebeies. Baby rattles, sippy cups, outlet covers, ointment samples, baby food, wipes.... etc and a lot of other stuff. It was fun and educational. They had several staff members from a local hospital come talk about breastfeeding and various other pregnancy related topics.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Cute pictures of your belly, and cute pictures of Vince! He is such a pretty baby. The big baby shower sounds fun, but very packed with people!

I can't believe the Lyra will be 2 months old on Sunday. I wanted to share a few pictures. I just realized I need to be taking more!!

She is getting better with her hands and can clasp them together and also find her mouth with them. I think it's so cute when she clasps her hands together!
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7502.jpg

An "awake" picture but it's a few weeks old...
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7414.jpg

Lyra has changed so much in the last few weeks and she will be 8 weeks old on Thursday. She is smiling but only rarely- she really has to be looking at someone to grace them with a real smile (though she does it a lot in her sleep). I'm hoping as she gets older she will start smiling more. She is also awake a lot more and more interested in other things besides eating (like being shown around the house).

She is still waking up every 2 hours to eat at night, but luckily I have a great husband who stays up late so I can sleep! I know Lyra has grown a lot and I can't wait to see how much she weighs at her 2 month check up (but unfortunately I have to wait until the 17th so my husband can go since he is off on Fridays...).

It is so amazing that being pregnant led to this. Obviously, I knew I was having a baby but it still seems like such a miraculous event. I think pregnancy is hard (it was for me anyway) but it is so worth it. :love: I'm sure you all can't wait to meet your babies. :)

[AdoreMyDogs]

What a beautiful little girl Lyra is. I love her name, too! She's just so sweet and precious :)

[beeniesmom]

All these baby pictures make me smile!!!! Lyra and Vince are so cute.
Ooooh, I can't wait to meet mine. :love:

[wolfsoul]

Aww these cute babies and cute pregnant bellies. :D

I've been sooo busy I haven't dedicated as much time to this thread as I thought I would LOL. Everything is still good with us. I'm almost 15 weeks. Never had morning sickness. Finally got all of my energy back so I've started going to the gym regularily again, and my taste in food is back to normal. My pee tests have so far been good. Blood pressure is awesome. I lost 17 pounds (due to my metabolism changing so much) but I'm just starting to gain again. I'll have to get pictures of my belly up soon. Tearing down the wallpaper in the nursery is one of my current projects. What a pain. All this baby stuff on my mind, I have a pregnant dog to think about, and I've started my own business so the garage is being turned into a shop...all of this with me working long hours and my husband working out of town 4 hours away...Life has been hectic!! The baby is supposedly 3.5 inches now...Next ultrasound is in May. :D Heard the heartbeat again yesterday, it sounds good! It's a slower heartbeat but I don't believe it means anything about the sex. I sure hope it's a boy though!!

[finn's mom]

I love all the photos! :) I can't wait to be able to add my own to the mix. :)

I'm doing great, overall I've gained a pound or two at this point, but my belly's bigger than even in that photo I posted. I'm definitely looking pregnant (although people are always surprised that I'm as far along as I am). I love the way I look and feel, and have just in the last week, felt the baby really kick for the first time. David saw her kicking and that was really cool. I've felt her moving for the last three weeks or so, but more just waves or pressure, nothing like I felt last week for the first time. She's really a mover, I love it! She's had me doubled over a couple of times a work, so for a little thing, she's strong. :D

Carmen (Beeniesmom) sent me the sweetest little package. Adorable outfits, some pacifiers, a pink rubber ducky, I love everything! So, thank you again, my friend!

Here's a look at one side of the nursery closet (the rest of the closet is still stuff we need to find new homes for in the house). It's gettin' full already! The sizes range from 0 to 9 months, though, so we haven't gone totally crazy, yet. ;) The green packages on the shelf are disposable diapers (several sizes). My mother's already sent several Bumgenius diapers, so we are well on our way to be stocked up!


http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0004-1.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0006.jpg

[beeniesmom]

Heard the heartbeat again yesterday, it sounds good! It's a slower heartbeat but I don't believe it means anything about the sex. I sure hope it's a boy though!!

I was told that a slower heartbeat means it is a boy. :)

[beeniesmom]

Hey Kari! Looks like you're well on your way to getting ready!
I'm going baby clothes shopping tomorrow with my mother in law.
They are having a Carter's sale at the base.
Oh, and the crib was just delivered 15 minutes ago! It's the crib with dresser/changer combo. I can't wait to see it put together.
Hubby will have a project this weekend!!!

Anyone know how many diapers of size one will I go though??

I bought 1 big box of pampers (I think there are 216 in it). Will I need more?

[prechrswife]

I was told that a slower heartbeat means it is a boy. :)

I will say that my boy's heartbeat has been consistently slower than his sister's ever was, and also, I had much less morning sickness with my boy. On the other hand, he kicks like a little soccer player, whereas his sister was more fluttery when she moved.

On the diaper question, if that big box is NB size, you may want to wait before buying more, just to see how long your little one stays in that size. Katherine stayed in them longer than I thought she would have, but a lot of babies don't stay in that size very long at all. You will go through a LOT of diapers, though, more than you would ever think. You can always stock up on size 1 & 2 diapers, though.

On another note, I have a tummy picture and a couple of other pictures I'll share later. I've just got to get them on Photobucket. They are on my blog, but I don't want to post the link on a public message board. (If anyone wants a link to the blog, feel free to PM me, though.)

[beeniesmom]

Awwww! I just recieved this cute puppy rattle from Kari (finnsmom).
It's baby girl's first puppy dog! It's so soft!
Thanks Kari! :)

[prechrswife]

That is just adorable!:D

[finn's mom]

Aw, Carmen, thanks for posting the picture! He's even cuter in person, though. ;) I'm glad you like!

[beeniesmom]

Hey ladies:

I got this in an email.

Free sample of Huggies new organic diapers.
I love freebies and I'm sure you do too.

http://www.huggiespureandnatural.com/FreeSample.aspx

I went crazy shopping with my mother in law today. We really bought too much.
The sale was good.

[prechrswife]

Filled out the free sample thing and it came up with some kind of error. Oh, well...I guess I'll see if it went through in 4-6 weeks, or I'll try again later.

I had my 37 week appointment today. Everything is still looking good.

[beeniesmom]

Filled out the free sample thing and it came up with some kind of error. Oh, well...I guess I'll see if it went through in 4-6 weeks, or I'll try again later.

I had my 37 week appointment today. Everything is still looking good.

Glad everything is looking well for you. It's very close now isn't it. I bet you are excited and can't wait at the same time.
I'd say try again for the sample package. It worked for me.

[beeniesmom]

Oooh! The mailman just brought me a package from Amber (gemini)!
I love :love: them. Thank you thank you!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/IMG_0766.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/IMG_0765.jpg

[finn's mom]

Oh! Cute, Carmen! Amber also sent me a package with an adorable Dr Seuss outfit! I will have to take photos of the things you sent as well as her gift and post them on here.

Thanks, Amber!

[prechrswife]

Those little outfits are great in Florida, too. Katherine wore hers a lot. She had the cherry one and a couple of others. I've picked up some of the little boy versions this time because they are just so handy.

[prechrswife]

Just wanted to post that I'm being admitted to the hospital early tomorrow to be induced. We really expected later this week, but my BP was up a little and I've started dilating, so the doctor said that we would go ahead and do this tomorrow!:eek: Back to getting last-minute things done around the house.

[Karen]

Oh, good luck! We'll be thinking of you!

[beeniesmom]

Oh my goodness! Please keep us updated. :D :D :D

[Moesha]

I hope all goes well! Can't wait for an update and pictures!

[AdoreMyDogs]

You will be in my prayers for a fast delivery and a very healthy little boy to add to your family :) Look forward to pics! Good luck!!!

[finn's mom]

Oh, I can't wait to meet your new little one!

[finn's mom]

Sorry if it offends anyone that I'm grabbing my husband's tush. :) But, I love this photo. We went out the other night, to a dueling piano bar. Tons of fun, I danced and sang and little one didn't budge the entire time. She moves so much more when I'm completely still! Silly thing. Anyway, here's my belly!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/KariAndDavidAtPetesApril17.jpg

[beeniesmom]

Oh Kari! You are so adorable!!! Thanks for posting that picture!
Little girl doesn't move for me either when I am busy.
Either that or I don't notice. She's all squirmy when I sit or lay down!

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Just wanted to post that I'm being admitted to the hospital early tomorrow to be induced. We really expected later this week, but my BP was up a little and I've started dilating, so the doctor said that we would go ahead and do this tomorrow!:eek: Back to getting last-minute things done around the house.


Oh wow!! If I am right, you are delivering your baby RIGHT NOW !! Good luck!!!

[beeniesmom]

Is the baby here yet Dusty? Still thinking about you!

My mil got me the bedding I wanted for little girl:

http://s7d5.scene7.com/s7ondemand/zoom/flasht_zoom.jsp?&company=ToysRUsGSI&config=defaultZoom&zoomwidth=500&zoomheight=558&sku=p4991895

I love it!

[beeniesmom]

Ahhhh! Still thinking of you and baby. Hope everyone is healthy and safe! :)

[Sonia59]

Prechrswife, I hope everything is going well, and that we can soon see pics of your little one! :)

Finn's mom, you are beautiful! I love belly pics! ;)

[finn's mom]

Hope all is well with the new baby and that we get to see soon!

And, thanks, guys for the sweet comments on my belly pic. That was a fun night. :)

[prechrswife]

Hi, everyone! Malcom arrived yesterday (4/21) at 3:21 in the afternoon, 6 lbs., 10 oz, 19 inches long. I will post pics when we are home from the hospital.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Congratulations Dusty! I can't wait to see pictures of baby Malcom. What do the girls think of him? I bet they're completely smitten with him.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Carmen- I LOVE that bedding! The pink and green, the ladybugs, it's so cute.

Kari- you have a beautiful little baby bump. Don't you just love kicking, moving, and hiccuping? It was my favorite part of being pregnant.

[beeniesmom]

Congratulations Dusty and welcome to the world Malcom!
So glad everything went well!

[Husky_mom]

I love Malcom´s name... so cute!!... can´t wait to see him...

[finn's mom]

Welcome, Malcom! Can't wait to see your first photos!

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Woohoo, congrats with your new baby Malcolm, Dusty!!!:love:

[finn's mom]

Carmen, I love the bedding. Ladybugs are so...I don't know, but I've always loved them. :) Even as a kid, I would hold a ladybug. :)

And Kari, yes! I LOVE feeling and seeing her move. They are such unforgettable moments. And, I honestly think they are like that for me because of David, more than because of Baby. His reactions are priceless, and the time we spend watching her, feeling her, and laughing about her are a joy. She really does the most moving immediately after he reads Dr Seuss to her. It's really sweet. :) I love my growing family.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

And Kari, yes! I LOVE feeling and seeing her move. They are such unforgettable moments. And, I honestly think they are like that for me because of David, more than because of Baby. His reactions are priceless, and the time we spend watching her, feeling her, and laughing about her are a joy. She really does the most moving immediately after he reads Dr Seuss to her. It's really sweet. :) I love my growing family.
Enjoy it, every single second of it, even when you wake up in the night and can't get back to sleep because of it. I loved being pregnant so much and when Nathan was born even though I was so happy and excited to have him in my arms I was also sad that the pregnancy was over. My body felt empty and I hated that feeling. Justin was like David, excited over every movement he saw and felt!

[finn's mom]

Enjoy it, every single second of it, even when you wake up in the night and can't get back to sleep because of it. I loved being pregnant so much and when Nathan was born even though I was so happy and excited to have him in my arms I was also sad that the pregnancy was over. My body felt empty and I hated that feeling. Justin was like David, excited over every movement he saw and felt!

Oh, yeah, I know I'm going to miss being pregnant. I can already tell it will be a bittersweet thing, when our girl gets here. 99% sweet, of course. ;) I absolutely love this experience, and am so so happy to blessed with the gift of it. I want to get video of us watching her move. :) I know my mother would love to see that. She'll see me in June, but won't see both of us until just before or just after baby's here.

[Husky_mom]

I still remember those giggles... awww...

one thing I do not like to remember is when almost full term my kid decided to stretch.. I had a foot poking our through my ribs.. LOL....

one thing I dearly liked...(just like you with hubby reaction)... it that he would tap my belly two times and my boy would kick back two times too!!... it kept us in awe....;)

[Karen]

Hi, everyone! Malcom arrived yesterday (4/21) at 3:21 in the afternoon, 6 lbs., 10 oz, 19 inches long. I will post pics when we are home from the hospital.

Welcome to the world, Malcom! One of Lady's Human's best friends shares your name, and he's a big strong guy, and a nurse.

[beeniesmom]

I just got a mailing... actually I've been getting tons of them but this one seems good.
I wonder how they got my name and know I'm expecting....

Anyway, this mailing is from www.diapers.com

They are offering 10 dollars off a first order of diapers plus free shipping if you spend 49 dollars or more.

The code at checkout is: MOM7

If you do order, please use this referral code so I get a discount too when I buy: CARM2343

Thanks!

If anyone of you mommas get good deals or mailings post about them here.

[beeniesmom]

I haven't been feeling well the last couple of days.
It started out Friday with a sore throught.
I now have a low grade fever, aches and a very stuffy head.
I hope it's not the flu.
I'm calling the dr. tomorrow.

[Karen]

Oh, I hope you feel better soon! Being sick is never any fun, but being sick while carrying someone inside you is even less fun!

[finn's mom]

Carmen, take care of you! I have had two viral upper respiratory infections since the start of the year. NO FUN. The second time was worse and I had to take antibiotics. My fever kept hitting 102. Yuk. Just get lots of rest, and do what the doctor says. I keep my fingers crossed that I don't get it again!

My news this time around is that I have worn maternity pants the last two days. I don't plan on buying any maternity pants, but my mother bought a few things she found on clearance, so I wore them. She sent them to me when I was about 8 weeks pregnant, haha. I'll be buying one or two Bella Bands here in the next week, so that I can continue wearing my regular pants.

Gained about five pounds now, and still feeling great. I get hot easily, though, so that won't be fun over the next few months. I told David we have to try to avoid getting pregnant during the holidays if we do this again. ;)

Hope everyone is doing well! Get better, Carmen!

[prechrswife]

Here are a few pictures of Malcom. I finally had time to get on Photobucket and get them re-sized.

One of his First Pictures
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/prechrswife/IMG_1545-1.jpg

Big Sisters Coming to Meet their Brother for the First Time
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/prechrswife/IMG_1561-1.jpg

Sweet Boy
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/prechrswife/IMG_1562-1.jpg

Dressed to Go Home
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/prechrswife/IMG_1566-1.jpg

Malcom at Home
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/prechrswife/IMG_1570-1.jpg

Our Three Angels
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/prechrswife/IMG_1579-1.jpg

[Karen]

Awww, welcome to Pet Talk, Malcom! You've been born into the right place - you'll have two big sisters to help teach you everything you need to know!

[finn's mom]

Oh, Malcom is adorable. What a happy little family!

[beeniesmom]

Oh Dusty, Malcom is absolutely gorgeous! Your little girls are adorable too.
Congratulations! Thanks for posting pictures.

[Taz_Zoee]

Welcome to the world Malcom!! (I don't visit this thread often enough, so I'm just seeing this)
Bruce's godson is named Malcom too. They call him Mac. Your little Malcom is adorable!! :)

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Aw Dusty........ what a beautiful family you have!! That picture with all 3 kids is so sweet:love::)
I love the 2 t-shirts you're daughters are wearing!!

[AdoreMyDogs]

Malcom is so cute, as are the proud big sisters! I bet you've really got your hands full with 3 babies. I hope Malcom is an easy baby hehe. Our little Vincent is proving to be the "problem child" sofar, but hopefully he'll get easier as he gets older.

Hugs!

[sabies]

Welcome Malcolm! What adorable sisters you have :).

[beeniesmom]

Hello!

I can't believe, I will be 6 months pregnant tomorrow.
I am feeling better. Turns out I had/have a sinus infection.
I am still coughing but no fever.

My dr. visit went well.

Baby girl weighs 2 pounds 1 ounce.
I found out that the one spot that I feel is where she is ELBOWING me.
I thought it was a kick!

She is currently in a standing like position looking toward the left.
Her head is a little above my belly button.

The dr. said that the right side of her heart looks good but will have to check again next month because of how she was facing. They need to check the left side but are sure it's fine.

Here is the very short video. The tech was a ditz and didn't know what she was doing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd6WKPTVz2g

[finn's mom]

Carmen, how fun! That is so neat. The whole "X weeks" or "X months" thing throws me off. ;) According to my "What to Expect When You're Expecting", the "sixth month" is "approximately 23 to 27 weeks." I tell people "I'm in my sixth month." Ah, the joys of pregnancy lingo. ;) I'm glad your little girl is doing so well, thanks for sharing the video!

That's so cool that you found out she's elbowing you! I feel our girl in several places at once! I'll feel something below my pant line and above my belly button at the same time, hahaha. I can't wait to see her on the sonogram AND feel her at the same time!

Yay for little girls!

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Dusty, Malcom is so adorable! He resembles Katharine quite a lot. Your girls looks so cute in their T-shirts.

Carmen, I can't believe how fast these months are flying by.

Kari, when you're 5 months pregnant you're in your 6th month. Like the year is 2009, but we're in the 21st century. Or when your baby is born she will be in her first year of life from the day she is born until her first birthday, once she turns 1 she will be in her second year of life. Does that make sense? So when you're in your sixth month, you are between 5 and 6 months pregnant.

[finn's mom]

Kari, when you're 5 months pregnant you're in your 6th month. Like the year is 2009, but we're in the 21st century. Or when your baby is born she will be in her first year of life from the day she is born until her first birthday, once she turns 1 she will be in her second year of life. Does that make sense? So when you're in your sixth month, you are between 5 and 6 months pregnant.

I was figuring that in my head, but no way could I have put it into words! Thank you! :) So, it really is all about the wording. :)

[beeniesmom]

Kari,

The way I understood from my dr. is that at 26 weeks the gestational age (the baby's age), is 6 months (the beginning of the 6th month).
Instead if you calculate from the day of your missed period, you can say you are 6 1/2 months pregnant.

I was very confused at first but kind of understand now.

I have no idea why they say it's 9 months of pregnancy when really it's more like 10.

I just found this tool:

http://www.baby2see.com/weeks_months_convertor.html

I guess that means that I am 5.9 months pregnant????

[prechrswife]

The month thing always confused me, too. I always just used the weeks when someone asked.

[finn's mom]

Well, another "big" change. I took my belly button ring out. It wasn't painful or anything, but just started looking funny. My belly button will certainly be popping up here soon enough to freak David and me both out. It's definitely different already. When I'm laying down on my back, and flex my abs (if you can really call them that right now), my belly button sort of pokes up around the edges, David about came out of his skin when he saw it, it was so funny.

Little Clara/Natalie is doing great, as far as I can feel. :) She still moves a lot, and I can feel her all over the place, sometimes in two or three places at once. What the heck could she be doing in there? Playing Wii? ;)

Anyway, we have our next doctor's appointment on the 14th, and I'll be getting the gestational diabetes test at that one. I'm at a higher risk because my mother is diabetic, but I'm still hoping for the best. Not too terribly concerned either way, though, as I know we will work through it, regardless.

Hope everyone else is doing well, too!

[wolfsoul]

Malcom is so cute, I love his bouncer. :)

I heard my baby's heartbeat again yesterday. It's at 150. My second ultrasound is next Monday and I really hope we can find out the sex!! I had my heart ultrasound and the results came back normal, my murmur is due to the pregnancy and nothign else. Everything has just been great. I heard that 18 weeks is a week of rapid growth -- I wasn't really showing until yesterday. Reminded me of Visa. She wasn't pregnant, and one day she was. Same with me, I looked skinny one day and the next I had a belly. Hard to forget it's there now LOL.
I've been making flashcards and fun CDs for the baby. I'm such a weirdo.

[finn's mom]

I've been making flashcards and fun CDs for the baby. I'm such a weirdo.


Why is that weird? :)

[finn's mom]

I've gained ten inches around my waist! :) It's cool! I can see my veins through my skin on the sides of my belly, but haven't gotten any vericose veins, yet. No other issues, either, except the same ol' going to the bathroom every 30 minutes. David got me a great body pillow for Mother's Day and that seems to help me sleep better.

We have a doctor's appointment on Thursday, I'm not sure if we get a sonogram or not, but I would like to see her. :)

The painter's here painting the nursery. The colors are a lot bolder than I'd thought they would be, and David added red to the trim (baseboards, door frames), so it's going to be a different look, but I think it will still be nice. :)

[beeniesmom]

Aww, it's so cool to hear about your progress!
10 inches huh? Did the drs. measure you or have you been doing that?

My drs. have been measuring from bellybutton to pubic bone.
My bellybutton is just starting to poke a little. No stretch marks yet.
I've been using the palmers lotion religiously.

I know what you mean about peeing all the time. I was so frustrated yesterday. It almost seemed like every 15 minutes or so.
Some days are better than others.

I feel like I'm having a hard time staying hydrated too. I feel thirsty all the time and am drinking lots of water but it doesn't seem like enough. Are you having the same issue?

I hope you sleep better with you pillow. I was having more trouble sleeping a few months ago than now. Wierd... I seem to be sleeping ok. I just wake up with my arms numb from laying on one or the other.

Baby girls nursery is almost complete. Got crib, dresser, bedding and wall hangings. I'm trying to find matching drapes. I think I found some nice ones at Home Depot (of all places). When it's all finished I'll post pictures. It might be a while yet though.

Has anyone had skin issues? I am having some tiny pin prick size pink dots come out on my chest and a pea sized hemangioma pop up on my forehead.... I'm getting the hemangioma removed thursday. My dr. said it's pregnancy related too. FUN!

What about weight? How much are you up?
I'm up about 20 which is too much but you can't really tell....

I hope all you pregnant mommies continue to do well. :)

[finn's mom]

My doctor did measure me from pubic bone to just under my bra line when we were at the last appointment, but he said everything was fine so I didn't even bother to ask about the measurement. I knew my waist size pre-pregnancy, and I don't know why I wasn't measuring my waist monthly/weekly. I just did yesterday for the first time. :) I'm at about 38 inches, which is funny to me, because that's just about what my hip/butt measurement is normally (and it hasn't changed). :)

Honestly, I don't really know for sure that lathering up with lotions really helps prevent stretch marks, but I'm doing it just in case. I know it helps if my tummy gets itchy! I don't have any stretch marks, yet, either. We'll see! My belly button is pretty darn deep anyway, so it hasn't started poking out yet. It's definitely not as deep, but it still has a way to go before it's an outie!

I haven't had any skin issues at this point, my skin's actually better than it ever has been. Not sure how long that will last, but for now, I am grateful. :) I haven't really had any dehydration spells, although I know I'm not drinking enough water. It's a daily struggle for me to drink a lot of water.

I've gained about 8 pounds so far, but I swear my belly gets bigger daily. ;)

[prechrswife]

Skin issues--I do get zits on my face pretty regularly when I'm pregnant. The only time I usually get them is around the time of the month.

[finn's mom]

We spent all day Saturday at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie, TX. It was so much fun! I love shooting the bow and arrow when I go, even though I'm not that great at it. But, anyway, you can see my baby belly! I'm 8 pounds and 10 inches bigger! Loving it so far!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0067.jpg

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Congratulations on baby Malcolm! :) Your family is beautiful!!

I'm glad that everyone's pregnancies are going well. Reading about it makes me almost miss being pregnant!

Lyra had her first laugh today, for her daddy. She is so cheerful, which I love. She is three months old and so I took some pictures today. :)

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7562.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7563.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7564.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7555.jpg

[finn's mom]

Oh my gosh, Lyra is beautiful! Thanks for sharing the photos!

[sabies]

Lyra is adorable. She does look very happy.

I am currently in my 40th week (due May 19) and I am huge, gained almost 50 lbs and over a week ago an US indicated the baby was at 9lbs. So come out already! I thought I'd be done by now but I am not. This waiting drives me crazy and I'm so big it's hard to care for Sam. I'm also trying to figure out how this baby boy will get out! As for stretch marks I had no hope even after being really really good with creams. But I do know from baby #1 that they fade with time and really I'm over it - they are the least of my problems!

Sam seems to know that she has a baby brother in the belly. We'll see how she feels when he's out! http://www.jennmike.com/strat/gallery/pregnancy/images/ms400.jpg

[finn's mom]

That's such a great photo! I'm looking into having someone take my maternity photos. I don't have the equipment for great indoor shots, and I'd like to have some cool indoor "studio" type photos. :)

[beeniesmom]

Oh my! Lyra is 3 months old already! She is super cute! Those items are really neat. Especially the pacifier holder stuffed animals.

Wow, Sabies, you look great. Good luck on a smooth and safe delivery.

About 3 months left for us Kari!!!

[prechrswife]

Lyra is just beautiful. Love all of that pink! What a great smile!

Sabies, you are SO close. Hope to see pictures of your little boy very soon. The picture of you and your daughter is adorable.

[finn's mom]

We had our fourth four week appointment yesterday and everything is great! We weren't due to have a sonogram, but when I said it was David's birthday, our doctor gave us one anyway. He said "aw, i'm a softie, let's go see your baby." I love him! :D She didn't stop moving at all! It was so neat to see and feel her at the same time. She was positioned with her head up and to my right and her feet down and to the left. Of course, he said the position shifts a lot while she is still small, and in about six weeks, that's when we hope she settles into a good HEAD DOWN spot. So, we'll be praying for that! :) Her heartbeat sounded good, and she's definitely a girl!

I took the gestational diabetes/glucose tolerance test and had blood drawn, so next week, we should find out the results. Praying that I don't have gestational diabetes, and although I'm not overweight or sedentary, my mother is diabetic, so I'm at a higher risk for it. If that's the worst that comes my way during this pregnancy, though, I will consider myself fortunate.

We have one more four week appointment scheduled on June 5 (I'm flying to South Carolina on the 13th, so hopefully things continue to go well), and then we start going every two weeks. :)

Loving this, hope everyone else is, too!

[finn's mom]

Boooo...I found out today that I do have gestational diabetes. :( I have to make an appointment to do a more extensive three hour test (drink the glucose solution and then have blood drawn every hour on the hour). I'm going to do some reading up after I post this, but I'm pretty sure I'll be fine with just controlling the sugar that I take in. But, dang it, I was so happy that I was having a healthy pregnancy. Grrr...

[beeniesmom]

I'm sorry Kari. If you have any questions, Lord knows I can help you on this one.

[finn's mom]

I'm sorry Kari. If you have any questions, Lord knows I can help you on this one.


Thanks, Carmen. I'm not going to get too concerned until I take the three hour test. I've talked to several women and most of them said that they failed the one hour and passed the three hour. So, here's hoping! I do need to step up my healthy eating, though, so even if I'm in the clear, this has been a bit of a wake up call. ;)

[prechrswife]

Boooo...I found out today that I do have gestational diabetes. :( I have to make an appointment to do a more extensive three hour test (drink the glucose solution and then have blood drawn every hour on the hour). I'm going to do some reading up after I post this, but I'm pretty sure I'll be fine with just controlling the sugar that I take in. But, dang it, I was so happy that I was having a healthy pregnancy. Grrr...

Just because you failed the one hour doesn't always mean you actually have gestational diabetes. I failed the one hour both pregnancies, but passed the three hour. The first time, I made the mistake of eating breakfast, so this time, I made sure I didn't eat before the one hour and still failed it. I had a cold at the time and had been drinking a lot of orange juice the day before. The nurse that did my 3 hour test said that actually could have caused my sugar to be up for the one hour.

[cassiesmom]

No, I'm NOT pregnant!

I just wanted to say 2 things -- Pembroke Corgi and Sabies, what sweet pictures! and I hope all the 2009 PT moms and babies will be healthy and blessed.

That's all.

[NoahsMommy]

I'm not pregnant either, but was just catching up on this thread and all you're beautiful babies and tummies!! :) :) :)

I've drawn a number of 3HGTTs (sorry, 3-hour glucose tolerance tests) at work and the worst part, as I'm sure you all know, is the waiting while hungry part. I'm pretty sure you have to just sit there and not move (too much) as well, right? I guess that's a good time to get your reading in? ;) Good luck to all you...I can't wait to "meet" your beautiful angels. I'll be praying for healthy, quick, uneventful births AND for happy, healthy babies. :love:

Hugs,
Kelly :)

[finn's mom]

I know I'm not to eat anything after midnight tonight, but does fasting mean no water as well? I'm not going to drink any just in case, but if I can get a definitive answer before bed, I may drink water tomorrow morning. I am going in for the test at 8am. I have to work for about an hour and a half before going in, and then go back to work for a few hours afterwards. Gonna be a fun morning. ;)

[NoahsMommy]

Fasting means nothing by mouth from (usually) midnight on. NOTHING by mouth means not even chewing gum or sucking on a mint. You can only brush your teeth if you DON'T swallow anything.

But, with you being pregnant and with a glucose test, I'm not sure on the water. Usually, I'd say NO WATER, but...pregnancy tends to change the rules. If they were doing a 3HGTT on a non-pregnant person, I'd say no water at all. It can dilute anything you're adding to the body. They want a reading of how your body handles glucose, and I'd imagine that if you drank water, it'd effect that.

You can call a hospital lab and ask. The labs are open 24/7. Or you can talk to an ER nurse - they SHOULD know the answer...but I'd bet you'd get a better answer from the lab.

:D :D :D

[prechrswife]

Water should be fine. They actually let me drink water in between parts of my 3 hour test last time--don't know if that is normal or not.

[beeniesmom]

Let us know how it goes.
Yeah, I don't think water is allowed. When I drink lots of water during the night, my numbers are low in the morning.

[finn's mom]

The lab I went to isn't 24/7, or I'd have definitely called them. Either way, though, I went in and took the test. It was no biggie. The glucose solution is really sweet, but it just tastes like KoolAid to me. Gave blood four times in three hours, that's always fun. :) I read and napped between times and had no issues. I should find out my results within a couple of days. :)

[beeniesmom]

I'M UPSET .... my numbers have been creeping up for the last 10 days.
I faxed them to my dr who called me immediately and increased my meds. :(
Now I have to be careful not to get the shakes from my blood sugar being too low. UGHHHH!
I can't wait until the baby is born and I will be off all the medication.
If I am lucky I won't have issues after the birth.

How are the rest of you mommies doing?

Tonight I get to take the maternity hospital tour and then Thursday I start the breast feeding class.
Last week I took child safety and CPR. Very educational.

[finn's mom]

Carmen, are you on meds for gestational diabetes, then? I didn't remember that you were taking meds for it, although I'm sure you told me. I hope you can get things under control! Be careful! I haven't had much of an issue since I got pregnant, but before, I would get the shakes if I didn't eat. I make sure I always have something on me, now.

I haven't had much of an issue so far with watching my carbs and sugar. I found a drink I like with Sucralose in it, and I've read that it's safe during pregnancy and has no effect on blood sugar. My favorite tortillas are low carb, so that's easy. ;) And, I found a cereal that has lower carbs than most, but the best thing is that nearly half those carbs are dietary fiber, which I've read is a good compromise if you're taking in carbs.

I've gained about nine pounds so far, and still sitting at about 10 inches gained around my waist. :) I'll probably end up losing a pound or two cutting out the carbs and sugar I was eating prior to the testing. I know I was taking in too much sugar (in the form of beverages, mostly)

David and I are scheduled to take all of our classes in July. We're taking the childbirth, safety & CPR, breastfeeding and baby basics classes. Should be fun! :)

[beeniesmom]

Yes, I am/was on meds. My numbers were high from the beginning of the pregnancy. I never had to take the glucose test because they already knew from my initial bloodwork that it was going to be an issue. I am being careful with what I eat. I can eat some things without having any reaction (even cookies) but other things (like white rice) send it to the sky.
They say it's hormonal.

I took the new dose last night for the first time and it was 175 after 2 hours..... crazy high!!! This morning it was down to 89 which is good. I took a greater dose after breakfast and it was 95, also very good. We'll see how this works out. I just hope the meds start working for the evening too. I don't want to take shots. If I can hang on for a few more months it should be fine. They are talking about inducing me early because of it. We'll see.

You've gained only 9 pounds... I am jelous! I've packed on 24 lbs so far. :(
And this is because I am on a restricted diet.... oh well.

I think you will like the classes. So far the ones I took were fun.

The maternity tour last night was very fun.

First they did some baby trivia and you won little prizes (samples and baby toys).

Then they showed us the following Bill Cosby skits on childbirth:

Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFMVeZyhagI

Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w-AG_yF1Uw

We all were laughing so hard we were crying.

Then we did the tour of the facility. I thought the rooms would be a little bigger. I automatically thought that whoever will be with me overnight (mom or hubby) will be very uncomfortable. I will make them go home. I don't want either of them sleeping on the foldout chair...

[prechrswife]

Then we did the tour of the facility. I thought the rooms would be a little bigger. I automatically thought that whoever will be with me overnight (mom or hubby) will be very uncomfortable. I will make them go home. I don't want either of them sleeping on the foldout chair...

I don't know how big the rooms are at your hospital, but my hubby stayed on the foldout chair both times and was fairly comfortable. This time, I made sure to pack him some more comfortable clothes to sleep in--when Katherine was born, he slept in his regular clothes. The nurses brought in extra sheets and blankets for the foldout, too, so it wasn't like he was sleeping right on the chair.

[finn's mom]

Well, I have gestational diabetes. Dang it. My numbers weren't terrible, but they were over. My first draw was good *73* (after fasting), my one hour was good *126, needs to be under 180*, but my third and fourth draws were over (the 2 hour was by 41 points *196 and needs to be under 155*), the 3 hour by 28 points *168 and needs to be under 140*).

I'm scheduled to go in for an educational group class next Wednesday morning. I'd have liked to have an earlier appointment, but that's the only one they have available for this week and next. So, until then, I'll just have to research on my own and keep doing what I've been doing. My doctor thinks I should be able to control it with diet alone, so hopefully his faith in me is justified.

And, don't sweat the weight gain, everyone is different. I've just been trying really hard to eat healthy (obviously not as healthy as I should be eating!) and I've been staying fairly active. The biggest thing I've done consistently is park as far as I can park everywhere I go. I don't use drive throughs at all, and I take the stairs when they're available. It's an easy way to stay active without actually "working out" which I don't really enjoy.

Anyway, I'm off to eat some chicken and veggies. :)

[wolfsoul]

Aw that's too bad you have gestational diabetes! I've known many girls with it though and it's always been manageable. I'm sure you'll do fine. :)

We did the gender determination a couple weeks ago, and it's a girl, just like I knew she was! I felt her once at 19 weeks, and then at 20 weeks she suddenly decided she was going to kick and kick..and kick. There is no "fluttering." I have no idea what this even means. You can SEE her kicking me from the outside. The other day I had my hand on my belly and she must have stretched or something -- her foot stuck out on my belly and slid down my hand -- very weird and cool!

Here are her ultrasound pictures, 19 weeks 2 days.
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v3804/132/2/739065270/n739065270_7049117_2619478.jpg
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v3804/132/2/739065270/n739065270_7049120_1935966.jpg
Creepy front shot
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v3804/132/2/739065270/n739065270_7049119_3054449.jpg
And my belly, 5 months one day. Ignore the dirty mirror!!!
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v3804/132/2/739065270/n739065270_7040569_2283628.jpg

The ultrasound technician said I have a braxton hicks contraction on my uterus. I felt contractions for the first time this morning, very scary because I didn't know what was happening. I was working at the time, just wishing it would stop -- it felt like everything wanted to fall out of me.

Anywhos, that's my little monkey!

[finn's mom]

Aw, how cute! I love the profile and foot shots! I really don't dig the facial shots much, they are a little too skeletal still for me. ;) Your belly is very cute, I remember when mine was the same way and then BLAMMO, I looked pregnant. It's neat to see how differently every woman develops.

And, I absolutely love feeling my girl move! Just wait til you get bigger and can actually see how seriously lopsided you get, haha. Our little lady favors my right side, definitely. ;) It is the neatest thing in the world to see your tummy jump and twitch, and to feel her move around. It was cool to see her move on the sonogram and feel it at the same time. For me, it's nice to know that I'm never alone, that I always have company. I know I am going to miss being pregnant.

I'm not too terribly worried about the gestational diabetes, we'll just do what we have to do to manage it. The only thing that bugs me is that I found out so late, and have to wait a week to learn more about what I need to do. For now, I'm just watching my carbs, sugar and other. I have read that if you are going to have carbs, get as much fiber as you can out of them. So, I have cereal that I found where half the carbs are fiber (14g of fiber per serving, yikes!), and my favorite tortillas are carb balance, and there are 11g of fiber in them, and only 14g of carbs...those numbers aren't exact, I'm going off memory, but they're pretty accurate. I also need to ask about sugar alcohols and stuff like sucralose. From what I read, they're all pregnancy safe and don't affect blood sugar.

[finn's mom]

http://www.babycenter.com/2_inside-pregnancy-weeks-1-to-9_10302602.bc?intcmp=Art_Test_related_fet&pn=Article%20page

[beeniesmom]

Aww Jordan, Nice pictures. It so exciting to see them!
Is anyone here getting a 3 or 4D ultrasound?
I think I will get one next month!!!!

KARI, I feel that baby girl likes one side over another too.
She seems to be more toward my right side too.
One morning I swear I felt lopsided! When I got up, it evened out.

[beeniesmom]

OK, here are some of my belly shots:
At 8 weeks and 28 weeks....

8 weeks:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/PT8weeks.jpg

28 weeks:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/PT28weeks.jpg

[finn's mom]

Yay, Carmen! We're pregnant! I need to post a recent photo. My belly is pink right now, I've been out in the sun since Saturday morning. It's been awesome!

We had our first baby shower. It was a lot of fun. Everyone met at the campsite at the Sabine River. We cooked out and had hamburgers and hot dogs. People fished, played with the dogs, etc. There wasn't any swimming in the river this time, the dam was open and the water was high and fast. But, we've been taking the boat out in Toledo Bend and swimming there. I haven't done any swimming, the water's still too cold for my taste. ;)

After everyone ate, we opened presents and played games. It was a lot of fun! They had a cake decorated with black icing and the Cat in the Hat's red and white hat. It was very cool. We got a bunch of really cute stuff from David's family and friends. The big family gift was the Britax Marathon carseat. It is so nice to know that that item is purchased. It's really the one thing I didn't want to skimp on. And, I'm glad we have it, now. :)

I will be flying to South Carolina in a couple weeks to spend a few days with my family. I wish David could go, too, but it's just not practical right now. :( But, I'm still really excited about seeing my parents. I know they'll be here when baby arrives, but I want them to see me pregnant. :)

And, Carmen, I am always lopsided, whether I'm standing or laying down. :) I have noticed, now, that I can actually feel her shape. It's incredible to feel the length of her leg or the shape of her head or body. It's wonderful! Even my friend Morgan was able to feel it.

Things are going great, can't wait to get educated on gestational diabetes. Hopefully this week!

[finn's mom]

Taken May 23, 2009...David's sash says "Daddy 2 Be" :)

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DavidAndKariInLouisianaMay232009.jpg

[Karen]

Glad to see everyone is doing well! Kari, PM Christian's Mommy - I think I remember she dealt with gestational diabetes, but now has two boys to keep her busy!

[beeniesmom]

Aww Kari, you are both adorable!

[finn's mom]

THanks, Carmen! :D

Well, I took my first of two gestational diabetes classes yesterday. I started my routine today, and so far, so good. I'm actually looking forward to learning the way my body reacts to certain foods, and the finger pricking doesn't bother me at all.

Luckily, my insurance is great. Gotta love something paying $15 for a $115 prescription. :)

[finn's mom]

Well, I had a great day today. My levels weren't great all day, but after lunch, it was the lowest it's been since I've been checking (73). Go me! I think it was because I walked for about an hour and a half around the mall after lunch and before taking my blood. I may just have to quit my job so that I can eat and walk all day, every day. ;) Man, whatever it takes to keep me and my gal healthy!

I'm off to have my last snack of the night (a little later than usual, but that's all right!).

My raise took effect this last paycheck, so I bought myself a diaper bag from Pottery Barn. It's pretty, dark brown and water resistant! It was $70 and I got it for $40. :) Here's a photo (mine's not monogrammed or black!).

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/PotteryBarnDiaperBag.jpg

I also picked up four red square rugs for the nursery. They're designed for a bathroom, with rubber bottoms, but I think they'll look really cute. I plan to put them down in the middle of the room, evenly spaced. I hope it looks good. They were inexpensive, about $4 each, but really cute, kinda that looped/shaggy look.

[finn's mom]

These are from this evening...29 weeks along. I weighed in at 140 yesterday (at least on the home scale), and my "waist" is at 40 inches. :) I love being pregnant. :)

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSCF6050.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSCF6051.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSCF6054.jpg

You can see my belly button ring holes in the last one. :)

[beeniesmom]

Aww, I just saw these. YOU are sooo cute Kari!

I got back from New Orleans Friday. The trip was nice. I got tired very easily with all the walking.

I had my 4D ultrasound today. It was a special Sunday appointment....
It was a bit disappointing though. Baby was hiding her face with her hand and feet. She was even hiding her privates with the other hand. So, I had to reschedule and go back next Sunday. I am a bit worried. The tech suspects I am about 5 days further along then what the drs. office says (something I suspected anyway).
This is according to her thigh bone length. Baby girl wieghs 3 pounds 14 oz. and is 15 1/2 inches tall.
She isn't head down yet, which may be a problem. She needs to move head down within the next 2 weeks or I will seriously have no choice but a c-section. :(
Kari is your baby head down yet?

[finn's mom]

Thanks, Carmen! :)

I'm sorry the ultrasound didn't turn out as well as you'd hoped. She's being shy! I hope it's better next time!

As for our lass's position, it changes every five minutes. She's quite a mover. Doctor said three weeks ago that she needs to be head down in six weeks. So, our next appointment in three weeks, we're hoping she's chosen a spot to settle into (obviously, head down would be best!). I'll keep you posted!

[sabies]

Soon after my last post I was in labor. Despite being baby #2 labor lasted long. I went to the hospital about 20 hours after contractions started and of course once there they broke my water to try to get things moving. I almost went without drugs but at 8cm I needed an epidural! I'm thankful I still had a natural birth - turns out baby boy was 10 lbs 8 oz!! No wonder my belly was so big. I'm feeling much better now, like a great weight has been lifted off my belly, well seriously recovery overall has been good and I'm just building up arm muscles so I can carry my heavy newborn. His name is Stratton, born 5/14.

Good luck to all the other pregnant pettalkers! Have patience in the end - it's not easy wondering day after day if today is it!

http://www.jennmike.com/strat/gallery/hospital/images/0514_6.JPG
http://www.jennmike.com/strat/gallery/hospital/images/0515_1.JPG
http://www.jennmike.com/strat/announcement.jpg

[Karen]

Welcome to the world, Stratton! :)

[caseysmom]

Congratulations Sabies, I think Stratton deserves his own thread!

Good luck to all of you pregnant pettalkers...

Finn's mom...I never looked that cute when I was pregnant.

[finn's mom]

Stratton is gorgeous! Congratulations on your big beautiful baby! :)

And, caseysmom, thank you! But, I'm sure you were a beautiful pregnant woman!

[beeniesmom]

YAY! Another PT baby! Stratton you are a gorgeous boy.
God Bless your mom! You were a big boy!

[prechrswife]

Welcome, Stratton! He is beautful. He is a big boy, too! I don't think Malcom has reached the 10 pound point yet, and he is 7 weeks old. :D

[finn's mom]

Wheee!!!! I'm getting excited. I head home to South Carolina on Saturday! My aunt is coming down from Maine and will be there while I'm there, so that's super cool. The shower she, my mom and my mom's best friend are throwing for me is this Sunday. I'll get to see my family and friends back home, and spend time with everyone that I don't get to see often enough. I'm really excited!

My doctor is pleased with the way things are progressing, and is confident that I won't have to go on meds to manage my gestational diabetes. I had another class/meeting with my educator, and she says I'm doing a great job. I have definitely learned a lot and know what to do to keep my levels right. I can pretty much eat what I want if I exercise enough. :)

We are working on the nursery and I'm really excited about how it's turning out, too. I'll post photos when we're finished painting!

My waist is now at 41 inches! Woo hoo!

[Alysser]

Congratulations! Stratton is adorable :love:

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Congratulations!! Stratton is a very beautiful baby! :)

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Since Lyra is 4 months old today, I thought I would share a few pictures. :)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7700.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7690.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7654.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7656.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7618.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7637.jpg

[beeniesmom]

Oh my goodness! TOO CUTE!!!! LYRA you are absolutely adorable!!!
Gosh, already 4 months. Where does the time go?

[finn's mom]

Aw, Lyra makes me even more excited about the little lady in my tummy! :) She's beautiful!

[Karen]

What a beauty she is already! Her eyes are looking so dark! Do you and/or daddy have dark eyes?

[finn's mom]

I have had a great time so far in South Carolina! It has been so nice seeing my family and a couple of my friends. The baby shower was a lot of fun, and non traditional again. It was originally going to be all girls, but it ended up being for everyone. It was great! I was able to eat a little bit of cake, and my numbers were still good! We got a lot of beautiful and cute things, plus $600 in gift cards and cash. Unbelievable. I am still a little shell shocked. I can't wait to share photos of the dress and blanket my aunt made. They are unreal. She is incredibly gifted in crafts, and the gifts she made for our little girl are exquisite. Even the cake she made was gorgeous! I'll have to post photos of the decorations on the cake, they were great!

Anyway, things are going really well, and I feel great! Still keeping up with my diet and taking my blood sugar levels. I was not sure if I was going to do a good job of it, being out of my element and routine. But, I'm proud of myself!

I am here for a couple more days, and will just enjoy my family. We are planning to go to a couple stores and really look at nursery furniture. My mother is buying it, and will have it shipped directly to us, so this is our chance to shop together and for me to get my hands on the items to see what I really like! :) I'm leaning more towards white furniture as opposed to light wood...but we'll see!

[beeniesmom]

That's great Kari! Wow! Your family is generous! :) You deserve it! It's a special time in our lives. If we don't get spoiled now when will we be!

Well time for a little update:

I have started the biweekly drs. visits. I go in on Tuesday to get fetal monitoring and to check for contractions (if I am having any). On Friday I get ultrasounds to monitor amniotic fluid AND fetal monitoring. It's standard procedure for the hospital I go to if you are diabetic.
I will get to see my little lady every Friday.

The last attempt at 4D wasn't great. She was not wanting to turn and show her face. We could see her profile and the fact that she was munching on the chord.... :o

My blood pressure was up a little on the last two visits and they told me to stay off my feet and avoid too much work. I need to stay off the salty foods.

Other than that, I am feeling pretty good. Just a little heavy and my feet and legs hurt if I am on them too much.

I am working on the nursery a little every day. I finished placing the ladybug decals around her crib yesterday and will put the wall hangings up this week. I purchased drapes yesterday. This weekend hubby will install the rods and we'll hang them up to see how they look. I'll post pictures when it's all done.

I can't believe I will be holding a little baby in more or less 6 weeks.

[k9krazee]

Getting closer! I'm so excited for you guys and make sure I keep up with the updates! :love:

I loved the pictures of Lyra, Stratton and Malcom.

[finn's mom]

Carmen, that's awesome that you'll get to see her every week! We haven't gotten to that point, not sure if we will. I know we have an appointment in a couple weeks, and then we start going every two weeks. My numbers have been good for the most part. Today, they were high after breakfast and lunch (not over 150, though). Just tired and need to get back on track. I did as well as I did in South Carolina because we were out and about a lot, walking. :)

My family really surprised me. Well, my close family didn't really, they are always wonderful. I guess just so many others contributed, it was wonderful. We are going to save the gift cards and cash for after our DFW shower next month and then go on a full blown shopping spree. ;)

We're finishing taping and painting the nursery tonight. We'll be placing the order or buying the nursery furniture within a week, and depending on where we get it from, we may have it before the month is out. :) Once we get the furniture set up, I'll start adding the finishing touches. Part of the furniture (the bookcase and toy chest) won't get here until after our daughter's arrival, because my parents are driving from South Carolina when she arrives and will be bringing those things with her.

David seems to think she's coming in July. He add a dream that she was born at the very end of July! We shall see! As long as she arrives healthy, I don't care when she comes!

[finn's mom]

Just kicking this up...how's everyone doing? Feeling? How are the new babies? How are the babies on their way? :)

We just went to the pool tonight, swimming is great. My gestational diabetes is under control, although I still mess up once in awhile and eat too much or not enough carbs or protein. I still feel awesome, I have no problems getting to and staying asleep at night. I think I've gained about 11 or 12 pounds, my "waist" is about 41 inches. Things are going well. We have our next appointment on Thursday and then we start going every two weeks (the next appointment after Thursday's will include a sonogram, yay!)

We have a baby shower on the first at David's office. The invite ended up being emailed to over 2000 people, hahaha, so we'll see who shows up. ;) It's a huge corporate headquarters, and it wasn't intended for that many people, but someone messed up and sent it out to everyone. Should be interesting.

Our baby shower at the house is on the 11th, and then we'll go shopping with the gift cards to get the things we need that we didn't get from friends and family!

We are putting the finishing touches on the paint in the nursery, and just ordered furniture. Can't wait to get it! The paint looks amazing, and I can't wait to see the crib, glider and dresser in the room. We won't get the bookcase and toy chest until my parents come when baby arrives. David doesn't think the little lass is going to wait until August, he had a dream that we're having a July baby. :)

And, just for the record, I think we're leaning more towards Clara Elizabeth. :)

[beeniesmom]

Glad to hear you are doing well! I'm doing ok too. I've been messing up with the blood sugar too. I'm just getting a little impatient. I just had to have cherry preserves on toast for breakfast yesterday morning and 2 hours later the blood sugar was up past 200. I haven't had a number like that ever. I got scared but just drank a bunch of water and behaved for the rest of the day.
I had a drs. appointment later that morning (yesterday) and was surprised I didn't get yelled at. The dr. just told me not to do that again. So far the NST's I've done are normal. I'm not spilling any protien in my urine. My blood pressure was normal but I was warned that It could be a problem if it crept back up. I went over various things with the OB like the birth plan.
We talked about a possible birthday and she said it was still too early to tell. She talked of a possible c-section at 37 weeks :O if pre-eclampsia became an issue or an induction a few days before the actual Aug. 8th due date. I really did not consider having a July baby being a factor.... but maybe it will be. So Kari, we may just have us some July babies.
Today I am taking it easy and will go swimming again. This year, I've gone swimming about 5 times which is a lot considering that last year I probably never put on a bathing suit. Swimming feels really nice as it makes me feel lighter and takes some of the baby pressure off. Wow, only 12 pounds... I can't say the same.... even though I still have people say that I do not look pregnant.... at 33 1/2 weeks.

[Karen]

Yes, swimming is a good relief for your body - let the water bear some of the weight for now! One of my nieces has an early September, and I think my sister spent as much of that July and August afloat as possible!

I am so glad to hear from both of you, and that things are going well, hey, I was a July baby - we ain't bad!

[finn's mom]

Carmen, sounds like you're doing a pretty good job, though, so don't be too hard on yourself! I wish drinking water helped my blood sugar. When I eat something I shouldn't, I have to exercise. ;)

As for people not realizing you're pregnant, there's a girl like that where I work. She's due a week before me, but you can barely tell she's expecting, even though she's gained twice as much as I have. It's all in the way you carry the weight, I've noticed. I haven't gained any inches anywhere except around my waist. From the back, I look smaller than before I got pregnant! But, wow, as soon as I turn around, it's plain as day that I'm expecting. ;) It's all belly and baby! But, honestly, as long as you feel good and the baby is healthy, who cares how much you gain or what you look like!

July babies, huh? :) I'm cool with that. But, I'm ready whenever she is, but I'd definitely prefer not to go later than August 17th! ;)

[Husky_mom]

July is a great month for a baby... hehe... (tinsy little biased here) ;)

my baby boy was born on August and boy was I hot!!.... LOL.. in the overheated way :p .... babies really are our own personal heating pad... and add that to a hot month.. wow... hope you have a nice not so hot time towards the end....

best of the best to you all...

will expect many pics of the cuties :)

[finn's mom]

Well, we weren't scheduled for a sonogram today, but our doctor was trying out a new machine and asked us if we wanted to be guinea pigs. :) We said SURE! That's our second "freebie" sonogram. Our next appointment is on the ninth, and we are scheduled for a sonogram, so we'll get measurements and baby's weight and everything. He says just from the look and listen, she is doing great!

Only thing is...she's breech. BOOOOO. She's in the "frank breech" position, basically a U shape (think of a curved pipe), butt first. Her head, feet and hands are all at the top! Not ideal, but not the end of the world, either. There's still enough good amniotic fluid between her butt and my bone, and she's not wedged down there, yet...so there's a slight chance she'll turn herself. And, if not, around 37 weeks, they'll look at how things are going and may be able to turn her manually. Eek. ;) If she doesn't turn herself or if the doctor doesn't turn her manually, then we'll have to have a C-section. Which, again, not the end of the world. We can schedule that and let my family know ahead of time. My parents might actually be there for the birth, if that happens. So, it's not all bad. Or at least I'm not looking at it that way. :)

That's my update for the day!

[beeniesmom]

Only thing is...she's breech. BOOOOO. She's in the "frank breech" position, basically a U shape (think of a curved pipe), butt first. Her head, feet and hands are all at the top!

My baby girl is in the same position!!!

[finn's mom]

My baby girl is in the same position!!!

Looks like we both have troublemakers on the way. ;) Hopefully at least one of us will luck out and have baby turn head down!

[beeniesmom]

I am truly convinced .... actually I have been for a few days that there is more than one in there. It sure feels like it. That's for sure!

[sabies]

Lyra is adorable! Stratton is now 6 weeks old - doesn't the time fly once they are born? Pregnancy seems to last forever - especially towards the end. Good luck ladies, enjoy your last days/weeks of pregnancy. I hope all goes well with your deliveries and stay cool til then!

[wolfsoul]

I'm 26 weeks today! I still don't look very pregnant. I went to a party lastnight and everyone was saying how we shouldn't go camping too far from home just incase, and a lady said "you shouldn't have to worry, you're only what, 3 or 4 months?" I was like "actually 6 and a half..." I have a dr appt on Monday. The last appointment they weighed me and I hadn't even gained a single pound since my appointment the month before. I weighed myself yesterday and I'm still below my pre-pregnancy weight -- I weighed 146 when I got pregnant and I'm 137 now.
I'm going for my glucose test on Monday as well. I'll be eating lots of protein tomorrow and the next day -- that test might just kill me, I'll be so hypoglycemic. I'll make sure I have a BIG breakfast of scrambled eggs.
Baby has been kicking away...She is very active. Sometimes she kicks so hard it hurts. I like to watch her kicking and sliding herself across my belly, it's funny. I play Mozart for her all the time and it usually wakes her up and makes her move around.
Work is starting to get a bit too physical for me. I am going to cut my workload down to one dog a day I think. I thought I was cutting it down pretty good before... I'm doing 4 dogs today... but even three is too much sometimes. There is too much half-bending involved, I find it makes my belly feel funny and I don't like that. I booked off the whole month of September but I think I might book off August too. One more month of work sounds nice lol. I only have a few dogs already booked for August so we'll see. I feel bad for my clients but I'm hoping I can get an old co-worker to come rent out my shop for me and coninue grooming my dogs. My husband doesn't care what I do. He's not working right now so he can't talk anyways lol.
I signed up for prenatal classes in August, which I'm very excited for!!
Oh and my stepsister, who is a few weeks behind me, found out she is having a boy. :) So that will be nice.

Anyways, I've got to go feed the puppies and get to work...sigh, I want to SLEEP.

Oh question -- I had my last ultrasound at 19 weeks. When will they schedule my next one? I'm anxious to see baby again but I have a feeling that the next one is pretty late into pregnancy isn't it?

[prechrswife]

Oh question -- I had my last ultrasound at 19 weeks. When will they schedule my next one? I'm anxious to see baby again but I have a feeling that the next one is pretty late into pregnancy isn't it?

I never had one after the one around 18 weeks. Both pregnancies I had one done on the first visit and another later when we found out the gender (20 weeks with Katherine and 18 weeks with Malcom--2 different doctors).

[beeniesmom]

Baby is still breach. The doctor told me to use an ice pack on where her head is more or less to make her uncomfortable and encourage her to move... Never heard of that before.

[finn's mom]

Baby is still breach. The doctor told me to use an ice pack on where her head is more or less to make her uncomfortable and encourage her to move... Never heard of that before.

That's interesting. I figure anything that's not hurting the baby is ok to try! I've also heard that there are some exercises and yoga poses that you can do. And, we both have time, they may both still turn. My mom's coworker's baby turned about three days before birth. So, who knows? It'll all work out in the end!

I swear, sometimes it feels like she's frank breech, and other times it feels like she's transverse (laying completely sideways!). We'll see on the 9th what position she's chosen for that day. ;)

[wolfsoul]

I never had one after the one around 18 weeks. Both pregnancies I had one done on the first visit and another later when we found out the gender (20 weeks with Katherine and 18 weeks with Malcom--2 different doctors).

Darn, I'm not sure when they will do me then. I know they will ultrasound me again eventually because they do with everyone in my family because of our big babies. I'll ask my family and see what was normal for them.

[wolfsoul]

Baby is still breach. The doctor told me to use an ice pack on where her head is more or less to make her uncomfortable and encourage her to move... Never heard of that before.

My friend said that her friend was addicted to iced drinks when she was pregnant, and any time she drank them her baby would kick like crazy. They figured it was because her stomach was so close to the baby and it was cold for her.

[Karen]

How funny, I never thought of that! :) Umm, Carmen, what if Sprout LIKES the cold? Then she'll never move!

[Moesha]

I had a friend give birth last November. Her baby was breach. She'd gone to the acupuncturist one morning for a treatment. She had heard that sometimes those help move the baby. That afternoon she had a doctor's appointment. Her amniotic fluid was low, so they did a C-section that night. There wasn't enough fluid for the doctor to try to turn the baby. I think she was just over 35 weeks at the time. Neither mom nor baby had any complications. Although, it was so funny to see her baby girl next to all the other babies. The rest of them were all nice and straight and then there was her baby with the legs twisted all around. I'll have to find a picture to post. (She is fine now, although she did have some chiropractic visits for awhile.)

This was her normal position for several days. That's how she had been in the womb.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/DSC_0243.jpg

[finn's mom]

I'm so excited, we got our furniture tonight! David put the glider/rocker together (decided against getting the ottoman) and I put the crib together, with his help for some parts. It looks beautiful! I love it way more than I expected, and the white is perfect. The blue of the glider doesn't match, but it doesn't clash, either. And, David's blanket from when he was a baby is over the back of it anyway, so you can't really tell. :) I will post photos in the next couple days. We are going to put the dresser together tomorrow.

I couldn't wait. Check out my nursery thread for more photos. Here's one!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0024.jpg

[beeniesmom]

Oh wow, that baby girl's legs are funny looking. I'm glad she and mom ended up doing fine. Thanks for posting the picture. It's hard to put my head around just how big she might be in there right now! I'll be 35 weeks soon.

Kari, I love the nursery. I'm waiting to post pictures as soon as some of the wall hangings are up. Hopefully by this weekend.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Wow, not much longer and there will be several more PT babies! I hope your babies turn for you soon! I have heard that babies can turn as late as a few days before delivery, and maybe the ice pack trick will work (I haven't heard of that before either, but it makes sense).

Carmen have you had an ultrasound recently? They can usually estimate about how big they are, but I know it can be off. I had to be induced at 36 weeks because my preeclampsia was getting worse, and Lyra was already 6 pounds...but I think she would have come early anyway (when they started the induction they found out I was already 3 cm dilated) and big babies run in the family on both sides.

Kari, the nursery is awesome! I love the Dr. Seuss theme. It looks like it was a lot of fun to put together (well as fun as it can be when you can't breath because your stomach is so in the way- at least that's how I felt!).

Lyra had her 4 month check up last week and she is now 14.5 pounds and 25 1/4 inches! She is also getting really fun now that she is into everything she can reach. I think she's going to be able to sit up on her own pretty soon- right now she can for a few seconds, but then she tips over. Here are a few pictures of her, I can't resist sharing:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7790.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7795.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7799.jpg


What a beauty she is already! Her eyes are looking so dark! Do you and/or daddy have dark eyes?
Thank you. Yes, we both have hazel brown eyes, so we were pretty sure about her eye color even before she was born!

I'd also love to see some new pictures of Vincent and Stratton! :)

[beeniesmom]

BIG SMILES HERE! :D :D :D
Thanks for posting pictures of Lyra. What a doll! She is a beauty!

They've been doing an ultrasound every week but only to check for amniotic fluid levels. The ultrasounds last about 2 minutes and the tech never gives me pictures or shows me the screen. :(
HOWEVER, tomorrow, the dr. said he was going to have her do a full ultrasound and we may get to see how big she is. I hope!

Wow, I didn't remember you were induced at 36 weeks. Yikes!
I'm looking forward to her being born because I am getting really uncomfortable but I don't know about 36 weeks...
I am having blood pressure issues too so it wouldn't be out of the question.
I'd like my mom to be here and ... it would be nice to go to my baby shower before little lady makes her appearance..... so fingers crossed she will come after July 18th hehehe!

[Pembroke_Corgi]

BIG SMILES HERE! :D :D :D
Thanks for posting pictures of Lyra. What a doll! She is a beauty!

They've been doing an ultrasound every week but only to check for amniotic fluid levels. The ultrasounds last about 2 minutes and the tech never gives me pictures or shows me the screen. :(
HOWEVER, tomorrow, the dr. said he was going to have her do a full ultrasound and we may get to see how big she is. I hope!

Wow, I didn't remember you were induced at 36 weeks. Yikes!
I'm looking forward to her being born because I am getting really uncomfortable but I don't know about 36 weeks...
I am having blood pressure issues too so it wouldn't be out of the question.
I'd like my mom to be here and ... it would be nice to go to my baby shower before little lady makes her appearance..... so fingers crossed she will come after July 18th hehehe!

I will keep my fingers crossed for you that your baby doesn't come too early- maybe just a little, like a week or two!

It was pretty scary being told I was getting induced- they were already planning to induce labor at 37 weeks because I was diagnosed with mild pre-e, but then for some reason my blood pressure shot through the roof (I went in because I had a bad headache) and they told me they were keeping me to be induced that same day! As much as I had complained about being tired of pregnancy, I totally wasn't ready to hear that. But it worked out ok and luckily Lyra was completely healthy. My midwife told me that it's not uncommon for babies to develop faster when their mother has pre-eclampsia- I was told developmentally Lyra was more like a 37 week baby. And all I really cared about was her being healthy.

Good luck with your last few weeks- I don't know how you can handle it in Florida, which must be really hot this time of year. Are you having an issue with swelling? I think that was the worst for me. Due to pre-e I was swollen everywhere! I was convinced I would never be normal again, so it's quite a relief to have my own body back (well, sort of anyway! It definitely doesn't look the same :p).

[finn's mom]

Lyra is so beautiful. :) thanks for sharing her prettiness with us. And, thank you for the compliments on the nursery, I love putting it together. We just put the dresser together tonight, and I am really pleased with it. I'll get photos of it soon. We are going to use the top of it as a changing table, but for now it has some of the photo frames and the lamp that will eventually go on the bookcase. :)

I haven't had any swelling, yet, and the heat's not getting to me too badly yet. I mean, it's Texas in July, so it's HOT. But, I don't feel any more uncomfortable than I usually do.

We will see our little girl on the 9th, so I'm really hoping she's in a different position then. That little girl in the photo is precious, but what a position to be in! I know that I read that breech babies can take awhile to get "straight." Our girl will come out eating her toes if she stays the same way she was last week! ;) As long as she eventually straightens out, I don't mind having a U shaped baby for a couple weeks. :love:

[beeniesmom]

Oh my goodness. The ultrasound today was quick but I got a lot of information.... Baby girl is a whopping 6 pounds already! The dr. said she's in the 80th percentile and we are looking at a 9 pounder more or less (if I have her at 39 weeks as they are planning). They do not think she will move head down because she's been in the same position for so long. She still breach but her legs are off to the side. Her head is to the right of my stomach, she's looking toward my left and she is practically 'sitting' on my right hip. The legs are up but not in her face. They are across to the left. Oh boy....

[Karen]

Well, maybe she will still surprise you and turn - you never know! How fun that we get to learn these things nowadays - just think that when many of us were born, ultrasounds were not even in use!

[beeniesmom]

I know! Sometimes I wish I didn't know. It would save me from stressing out!

[finn's mom]

We have our sonogram on Thursday! Can't wait to find out how much she weighs now and if she's moved at all from the brief photos we saw of her a couple weeks ago!

We are getting the house ready for the baby shower on Saturday. We are expecting 20 to 30 people, so it should be a fun day!

I am going to put a couple plants in the nursery, to help with the air quality. Not to mention they're beautiful. I love living things! I got a gorgeous, big ivy plant that I will hang from the ceiling in one of the corners. I'm debating on whether or not to get a second hanging plant (another ivy or maybe a spider plant) or a floor plant, like a bamboo palm. I have one spot that a big floor plant would work. We'll see!

David's sister got us a set of red and white gingham curtains, so I'm going tomorrow to pick up the hardware so we can hang them!

I think we have settled on Clara Elizabeth, but if she comes out looking like a Natalie, we may change our minds. ;)

[beeniesmom]

That's great Kari! I bet Thursday can't come fast enough for you and David.

I had a regular visit yesterday and my doctor was called in an emergency half way through it. I was happy to see her go as if I ever got in a predicament I would have wanted to her to move just as fast.

My baby girl is still breach.

My baby shower is on a Saturday too but on the 18th. I am getting so excited! My mom gets here Monday the 13th! :D

How are you feeling?

I'm doing pretty good. My BP was normal and my wieght is stable, so are the GD numbers. The only problem I have been having the last few days is something called round ligament strain where it hurts where your leg attaches to the body. Everytime I take a step, it feels like someone is stabbing me down there! I was told it's normal and that some people get it as early as 20 weeks!!!

[finn's mom]

Wow, Carmen, that sounds painful! :( I'm glad, even with our small troubles, that we haven't had anything really bad with our pregnancies! We are both blessed so far with all this!

My gestational diabetes is under control, I'm right at about 15 pounds weight gain and no problems at this point (besides the diabetes and breech position). I think she is still breech, but I'd like to see her in a slightly different position than she was last time. That will give me a little hope that she might still move into the ideal delivery spot! I still sleep well and through the night, my 2:30 am pee breaks aren't as consistent as they had gotten there for awhile (I was like clockwork every single night!).

Got our curtains for the nursery and I bought the rod today. I picked out a little blue rubbery/plastic hamper, too. We'll see if I like it. I am looking for a little ottoman/storage cube to put with my glider, but so far, I haven't found the right piece. I'll use a box if I have to before I'll buy something that doesn't fit just right. ;)

We are excited about tomorrow and Saturday! I've been organizing and cleaning the house all week and will continue to do so for the rest of the week. In preparation for the shower and for baby's arrival! I'm just about all packed for the hospital, too. One bag for me, one for Clara! :) It feels nice to be able to say her name!

I can't wait to hear about everyone else's pregnancies and see more baby photos!

[Pembroke_Corgi]

It is amazing how quickly I forgot about being pregnant- I had completely forgotten that I got up about 3-5 times every night to pee towards the end. Then I had trouble getting comfortable enough to fall back asleep afterward. That was no fun!

I hope that your babies turn for you both and the rest of your pregnancies are as easy as they can be! It will be so much fun to see the new cute pt babies. :)

How many babies/pregnancies do we have now I wonder?

[finn's mom]

Clara is over five pounds! She is still butt first, but she did spin! Now her head's on my right side (my point of view, looking down) and looking to the left. In two weeks, we'll make the decision to try to manually turn her if she's still breech. Our doctor says he's successfully able to turn 3 out of every 4 babies, so we'll go with that if she's not head first by the 23rd. We'll schedule the turning for the 37th week and see how that goes. It could lead to an emergency c-section (if it triggers early labor or stresses the baby out too much), which Dr. Rost says he's never had happen, although he's come close before. So, we'll see! I may post a video later, but honestly, the sonograms now aren't nearly as darling, since you can only see parts of her at one time. Look, there's her head! And, there's a fist! And, there's her heart! But she's too big to see all at once like it was before. ;) It's still super cool, though! Her little land was cool!

Other than her position, she is great! I feel great, she's developing well, and if she gains average weight over the next few weeks, we're looking at a 7 to 7.5 pound Clara Elizabeth! ;)

[beeniesmom]

It’s been a hectic week to say the least. I know I did too much in the way of cleaning and going out in general but I don’t think that justified what happened yesterday.

I had my routine Friday appointment. I scheduled it early (8.00 am) since hubby was flying back home from his last work trip. I had to leave the drs. office by 10 am., to be able to pick him up at the airport. So I leave the house really early and I am at the drs. by 7.45 thinking I’d get in early.

The doctors are in a weekly meeting so they have me wait a bit, even though they could have hooked me up to the NST (fetal monitor) in the meantime. It takes 20-40 minutes on that machine anyway. Nope, they had me wait instead. Finally at 8.30 they call me in, take my vitals and of course my blood pressure is a little high (I was already PO'd).

I go in for the ultrasound and everything is normal there. I wait a bit more and finally they put me on the monitor. I stay on the machine for an hour and I’m getting more and more nervous thinking that I’m not going to be able to get hubby at the airport.

What wasn’t helping is that the baby wasn’t moving like they wanted so they had me stay on the machine longer until they were satisfied that she was fine.

After that, they put me in the room to wait to talk to Dr. B. She comes in and everything is ok until she decides to measure my blood pressure again. Oh crap. It was like 155/110. She freaked out a little and told me that she wanted me to go to labor and delivery for preeclampsia testing. I’m thinking: ‘Great… what else can go wrong’, and tried to explain why I thought it was high. (the long drive, nervous to pick up hubby, mom is coming to town monday, sleep deprived, pain in my leg etc..) No dice.

I get out of the office and quickly call my MIL to tell her she has to get hubby because they weren’t letting me leave. I also leave hubby a message on his phone explaining what happened so that when he landed he'd know why I wasn't there.

I then found my way, after getting lost, to the Labor and Delivery place in the hospital thinking I was going to be in and out in about an hour.
Yeah sure! I went in there at about 9.45 and didn’t get to leave until almost 2.00 pm.

I get there and the nurses greet me. They put a name bracelet around my wrist and tell me I’m being admitted for now. Great! I have to pee in a cup and lay on this bed. When I get in the bed, I have an idiot nurse hook me up to the blood pressure machine and she does it wrong. The thing was supposed to go off every 10 minutes instead it wasn’t puffing up. She leaves and I never see her again. Finally another nurse comes in and I tell him. He fiddles with it some but can’t get it to work. Finally he gets it to work and my blood pressure is still really high because I was getting more mad at that point. He then proceeds to try to take blood…. and sticks me THREE times, hurting me in the process, before I start yelling that I’d had enough, if he couldn’t do it to find someone else. The blood pressure cup inflates right as I’m yelling and of course the reading is super high.

He leaves and nurse # 3 comes in. I tell her everything that is going on and she seems to have a little more brains than the first two. First she asks me where my pee is and I told her someone already took it. Then she says that they lost it… then they found it. She fixes the blood pressure machine and stays in the room with me for about 30 minutes to calm me down. As I calmed down the blood pressure would go down too. She tries to take blood and gets it on the first time, without hurting me or freaking me out more. In the meanwhile I tell her that I am nervous and worried that no one knows where I am. She puts me in the computer so that if someone calls they know where I am. About an hour passes and hubby and in-laws get there. Of course they were worried sick. They all thought I was having the baby since they sent me to Labor and Delivery. My husband was convinced that if he'd missed the birth because of his work trip, I would have kicked him out! :D

Anyway… my blood and urine comes back and they establish that it’s not preeclampsia (duh) so they decide to send me home. Dr. B comes in and tells me I need to go on bed rest, no cleaning, no cooking, no taking the dogs out, nothing. She said to stay on the bed to couch, to toilet until next time I see them which is on Tuesday. I guess I won’t be able to go with hubby to pick up my mother. I am really bummed about that.

The whole time that this is going on I'm thinking to myself that I would miss my baby shower next week ... what an airhead huh?!

[finn's mom]

Sheesh, what a fun day that was! Glad it's over! It sounds like your family is understanding, though! Even if you're on bed rest, you can still hang out at your baby shower. ;) Everyone just has to talk to you while you lay around. Sounds like a great day to me! I hope when you go back on Tuesday that they tell you everything's fine and you don't have to stay on bed rest.

We worked on the nursery yesterday, it looks perfect. :) We haven't put anything up on the walls, yet, but we will. The shower's today, though, so I wanted to ready it as much as I could. I am so pleased with everything, and so excited to get the decal for the wall.

Do you get Braxton Hicks contractions, Carmen? I get them pretty frequently. I thought that's what was going on, but my doctor confirmed it on thursday. They're definitely interesting. ;)

Anyway, I'll post photos of my belly and the nursery here in a few minutes. Since I can't get pro photos done, I decided to try to get at least one that is more artistic than what I've been getting. And, I lucked out the other night, it was perfect light from my bedroom window. :)

[finn's mom]

I used my full length mirror and the light from my bedroom window to take these. The first one's not that cool, but it shows my belly! I love the second one, though. It's pretty funky. :) And, it really depicts how I feel about my body right now! Hope you guys like it!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/34WeeksPregnant.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/34WeeksPregnantProfile.jpg

[finn's mom]

It's ready for Clara, but not completely finished. :) Well, the only thing we need to have it ready for her is the changing pad, but everything else we want to add (wall decorations, mostly) is just for us. :)

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0327.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0332.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0335.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0346.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0350.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0351.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0352.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0348.jpg

[finn's mom]

She's going to be very well dressed. Or at least, very often dressed. ;) The top row of hanging clothes is all six months to twelve months, so we won't be wearing any of that for awhile. But, the bottom row and 98% of what's in the little plastic boxes are all newborn up to 3-6 months. And, we still have a baby shower today, not to mention my mother said she's picked up a couple more things. ;) I'm avoiding the baby clothes section at all costs when we go out.


http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0339.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0340.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0342-1.jpg

[beeniesmom]

Wow Kari,

You body shots are fantastic. You look really good and healthy! Not even 1 stretch mark! Fortunately, I haven't gotten any yet either. I don't know how much the Palmers lotion helps but I've been slathering up everyday for months now. Also, the fact that my mom, after 4 of us, never had a stretch mark, is reassuring. It's all in the genes!

Yes, I am getting Braxton Hicks contractions. Some days none, or I don't notice them, and other days even 5 or 6 in a 3-4 hour time frame (like today).

Baby Clara's nursery is looking so great! I love it.

Everything looks perfect. I love the fish mobile. Is it hanging from the ceiling?

That bib is hillarious! Tax deduction! :)

I've got so much to do still for my baby's nursery. I'm waiting for my mom to get here on Monday to get the closet straightened out! I love the bins you have. It's so organized. Where did you get the labels for the bins? ... or did the bins come that way? I still need to purchase some storage baskets and I know a lot of the rest of the nursery accessories I will get next week for the baby shower. My mom will be making croched rectangular doilies to cover the dresser and the bookshelf. So it may still be about a week until I can post pictures. The wall hangings and the drapes are up fortunately and I think I will have the crib bedding set up by tomorrow. :) SOOO exciting. I can't believe we're going to be first time mommies soon! :) Haven't these months passed by in a flash so far?

[Karen]

So exciting - Kari, Carmen, do you both have someone assigned to update Pet Talk when the baby arrives?

[beeniesmom]

So exciting - Kari, Carmen, do you both have someone assigned to update Pet Talk when the baby arrives?

No but I may have hubby do it. I will try to post as soon as I can.

Edit... Karen, maybe you could PM me your phone number and I'll let you know when she arrives.

[finn's mom]

Karen, I will probably have either David or my mother update when Clara arrives! :) I hadn't even thought about it, actually! I need to let them know that I want them to. :)

Carmen, thank you for the compliments! :) The nursery has been a lot of fun, even the drama with the paint, hahaha. The bins in the closet are from Walmart ($1 each) and the labels are just stickers. I think they were $0.99 a pack. I don't know how well I'll keep everything separated and organized like I have them now, but I'm sure gonna try!

I can't wait to see final photos of your nursery! Ours won't be 100% until after Clara arrives, because my parents are bringing the final two pieces of furniture when she comes.

It is all so exciting!

Our baby shower today was great! We had over 40 people in the house, it was so much fun!

[beeniesmom]

I figure I'll post some pix of the nursery so far.
Mom gets here tonight so I may not have time to post more in the next weeks.
We'll be busy shopping for last minute things and cleaning house.
I know I will be so grateful for her help.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/nursery/1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/nursery/2.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/nursery/3.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/nursery/4.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/nursery/5.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/nursery/6.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/nursery/7.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/nursery/8.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/nursery/9.jpg

[finn's mom]

Carmen, it's so pretty! I love the artwork and your rocker! I can't wait to see the finished room! So feminine!

[popcornbird]

Wow! You both did a beautiful job on your nurseries!!! Looks great.

Are you planning on having the baby sleep in her room right from the beginning, or will you co-sleep at the beginning? I'm still undecided on that.

[wolfsoul]

Your nurseries look great! We still have to paint and put carpet in our's..it looks like a disaster right now, some wallpaper still clinging on for dear life, and the carpet and baseboards ripped off so it's just a bare wood floor. I want it DONE!



Are you planning on having the baby sleep in her room right from the beginning, or will you co-sleep at the beginning? I'm still undecided on that.

We plan on having her sleep in her bassinette beside our bed for the first couple of months, and she'll take her naps in her crib. :)

[prechrswife]

Love both of the nurseries--great job! They have finally started on the addition to our parsonage (house), so it looks like Malcom will actually get to move into his nursery while he is still a baby. Almost everything that we have for his actual nursery is in storage right now. He is still camping out in our room.

PCB, with our daughter, we kept her in our room with us for several months and then moved her to her own room. She slept in a pack-n-play bassinet. We waited a little longer to move her because she was sharing a room with her sister, and they are only 21 months apart. Our son has been in our room from the beginning and will be until this house addition is finished.

[finn's mom]

Wow! You both did a beautiful job on your nurseries!!! Looks great.

Are you planning on having the baby sleep in her room right from the beginning, or will you co-sleep at the beginning? I'm still undecided on that.

We will have Clara in our room in a co-sleeper for awhile. I'll just go with the flow, and whatever feels right and works for us. So, I'm not sure how long she'll sleep in the co-sleeper. I figure I'll put her down for naps in her crib once in awhile. :)

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Your nurseries look great! We never painted or anything in Lyra's room (but it was already lilac since we happened to paint it that way when we moved in), but we are beginning to have a sort of snow leopard theme- we bought her a rocking snow-leopard before she was born, and I had one from when I was small, so it's sort of snowballed.

Lyra still sleeps in our room in her cosleeper, but now it's set up like a bassinet because she can roll over. I don't think she will be able to stay in there much longer because pretty soon she will be able to sit up, but I'm not quite ready to move her to her own room. I like having her close!

Lyra is now 5 months old (already!) so I will have to add some more pictures here soon. :)

If my count is right, we are expecting 5 more PT babies soon?

[beeniesmom]

Wow! You both did a beautiful job on your nurseries!!! Looks great.

Are you planning on having the baby sleep in her room right from the beginning, or will you co-sleep at the beginning? I'm still undecided on that.

Thanks! Yes, we will let her sleep in a bassinet in our room for the first few weeks at least.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Just wanted to share a few pictures now that Lyra is 5 months old...ok more than a few! I couldn't decide which ones to share so I included quite a few. I wish I could get more pictures of her smiling but she is strangely suspicious of the camera.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7919.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7914.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7912.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7934.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7928.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7883.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7885.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7893.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c312/pembrokecorgi/Baby/IMG_7819.jpg

[prechrswife]

Here are a few recent Malcom pictures. He will be 3 months on the 21st.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/prechrswife/IMG_2212.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/prechrswife/IMG_2213.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/prechrswife/IMG_2218.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v462/prechrswife/IMG_2221.jpg

[beeniesmom]

So beautiful. I can't believe Lyra is already 5 months old!

Malcom is a doll! Thanks for posting pictures.

[finn's mom]

Malcom and Lyra are both so stinkin' cute! Thank you so much for sharing photos! I know I'll have plenty to share, too, so I like that I'm not going to be the only one! ;)

Pembroke Corgi...how do you guys like the Baby Bjorn? We just went to Target tonight and picked up some things from our registry that we didn't get at the showers (we used some of the gift cards we've received). One of the things we got was the Baby Bjorn Air carrier. I've heard a couple people say it's hard on your back. Have you found that to be the case with yours? I'm probably going to use a sling if I can find one that I like a lot. But, David will use the Baby Bjorn.

[prechrswife]

We don't have the Baby Bjorn, but we have a Snugli that is similar. We love ours and are using it for the third child. We carted Mary Joyce all over China and south Georgia in it and have continued to use it with Katherine, and now Malcom. It is very handy when you are grocery shopping and the baby is too small to sit in the shopping cart. Ours has held up remarkably well.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Malcom is so cute! He's got such big blue eyes!



Pembroke Corgi...how do you guys like the Baby Bjorn? We just went to Target tonight and picked up some things from our registry that we didn't get at the showers (we used some of the gift cards we've received). One of the things we got was the Baby Bjorn Air carrier. I've heard a couple people say it's hard on your back. Have you found that to be the case with yours? I'm probably going to use a sling if I can find one that I like a lot. But, David will use the Baby Bjorn.

I love the baby bjorn. When Lyra was smaller she could face me and fall asleep in an instant, but now she likes to be facing out to see all the action! It's nice because she is able to see things better than she would in a stroller, too, when we go places like the zoo and botanic gardens. I had a basic sling that I used a few times when she was very small, but it hurt my back and I didn't like how it made her neck all scrunched up (though she didn't seem to care). I find the baby bjorn much easier on my back than a sling personally, and it's easy to adjust so Eric and I can both use it (but he could never figure out how to put Lyra in it on his own...). It was hard to put her in by myself at first, but it's easy now, as long as she's not too squirmy. :)

[prechrswife]

We have a sling, too. I tried it once with Katherine, and she hated it. I tried it with Malcom the other day, but I didn't like the way he fit in there. I know some people love them, but I'm not one of them.

[finn's mom]

Malcom is so cute! He's got such big blue eyes!



I love the baby bjorn. When Lyra was smaller she could face me and fall asleep in an instant, but now she likes to be facing out to see all the action! It's nice because she is able to see things better than she would in a stroller, too, when we go places like the zoo and botanic gardens. I had a basic sling that I used a few times when she was very small, but it hurt my back and I didn't like how it made her neck all scrunched up (though she didn't seem to care). I find the baby bjorn much easier on my back than a sling personally, and it's easy to adjust so Eric and I can both use it (but he could never figure out how to put Lyra in it on his own...). It was hard to put her in by myself at first, but it's easy now, as long as she's not too squirmy. :)


Thanks for that information! We will try it out and see how it fits and feels! I know I don't like the way most slings fit, even without baby, but I have found one that I want to try out. The girl I was talking to still uses it for her one year old. I like that it's hands free and it was easy to put on and distributed the weight really well (at least with a six pound doll!). We'll see how it goes when I don't have a 41 inch waist! ;)

[AdoreMyDogs]

Goodness that Lyra and Malcom are just TOO CUTE!!!! I also love the nurseries, Carmen and Kari. Great, great photos everyone :) I can't wait to see those new babies!

[Cataholic]

I had a big baby (8.6) and found the baby bjorn WAY too small for him after the first month, so, I didn't use it. My girlfriend just had a baby and she and her husband use the sling and seem to really like it. J would like me to use a sling today, I am sure. At 48 pounds...not likely to happen. :)

[popcornbird]

Lyra and Malcom are just sooo cute!!!! All of these baby pictures are making me more and more excited about becoming a mommy. :D

[finn's mom]

YAY! The decals came in and they are perfect! The nursery is really wonderful. It is such a lovely place. I go in there all the time and nap in the glider. :)

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0001-1.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0018-2.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0019-2.jpg

And, I spelled her name out in wooden alphabet blocks on her dresser. :)

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/southcarolinalife/DSC_0006-1.jpg

[prechrswife]

Gliders are comfy for napping. I can't tell you how many times I've fallen asleep in ours during night time feedings.:)

[beeniesmom]

Just to let you guys know:
I have low amniotic fluid. They may do a C-section as early as Monday.
For now they scheduled me for July 29th but everything can change come Monday. Keep me in your thoughts.

[beeniesmom]

I also wanted to add a special to Husky_mom for the wonderful package she sent. Thank you Isabel. That was so very thoughtful! Hubby and I love everything! The pups loved the treats too!

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/Various/IMG_1104.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/Various/IMG_1103.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/beeniesmom/Various/IMG_1102.jpg

[Moesha]

What a nice package of goodies you received! The reason they did a c-section on my friend, the one that had the baby with the crazy legs, was because her fluid was low. She was just shy of 36 weeks and all went very well. I know they were very concerned, just as I am sure you are. We'll certainly be thinking of you and looking forward to news about your new arrival!

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I'll keep you in my thoughts!

[finn's mom]

I wanted to thank Isabel, too! I got a care package in the mail! I haven't taken photos, but the socks and onesie are super cute! Thank you, husky_mom! I loved the personal note!

Carmen, I will keep you in my thoughts. I hope they can wait til your scheduled time. We go in on Thursday to find out Clara's position and if she's breech, we'll see if my fluid is still good and whether we're good candidates for the turning procedure. We both will be fine, along with our little girls!

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Carmen, I hope everything goes ok today. Update us when you can!

[k9krazee]

Carmen, I've been thinking about you all day! Hope everything is okay!

[finn's mom]

I hope all is well, Carmen! I'm thinking about you and your daughter! xoxo

[Husky_mom]

great they arrived!!.. yay!!!..

wishing you all the best... hang in there baby ladies.. maybe we can share a b-day ;)...

[beeniesmom]

No baby today! Yay! I wasn't ready for it anyway.
My fluid has increased a little so no emergency c-section for me.
For now I am scheduled for the 29th of July unless they decide otherwise on Friday. We went to the hospital prepared today with my bag, the baby bag and other stuff we thought we'd need. Even hubby and mom had packed a bag. I'm glad that baby and me are ok. So.... 9 days to go!

[finn's mom]

Oh, Carmen, what a relief! I can't believe your girl will be here in nine days, that's remarkable! Keep us posted! If we have to schedule a turning session, we'll be taking our bags to the hospital, too. I've got mine and Clara's packed already. :) Our doctor says he's never had it happen, but there is a slight risk of the procedure triggering early delivery or the baby's heart rate dropping and staying too low and necessitating an emergency C-section.

[finn's mom]

great they arrived!!.. yay!!!..

wishing you all the best... hang in there baby ladies.. maybe we can share a b-day ;)...

Yes, they did and boy are they cute! Thank you again for the unexpected and appreciated gifts! How cool to get something all the way from Mexico (I LOVED the stamps!).

[prechrswife]

Glad to hear you got a good report, Carmen.:)

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I'm glad you didn't need to have an emergency c-section! I'm sure that's a relief.

[finn's mom]

We go in tomorrow to see if Clara has been a good girl and turned for us. ;) I don't think she has, but we'll see! If not, hopefully I'm still a good candidate for the external version procedure (where our doctor will try to manually turn her). I'll let you know what we find out! :)

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Good luck today, Kari. I hope everything goes well!

[beeniesmom]

Good luck! :)

[finn's mom]

Well, little miss is still frank breech. I still have plenty of good amniotic fluid, though, and with her being butt first, we are good candidates for the manual turning at this point. We have our regular appointment on Thursday and are going to schedule the turning procedure for Friday. Just gotta figure out what time. If she's turned on Thursday, we'll just cancel the Friday appointment. So, there's still a chance. :) Other than her crazy position, she's doing great! I still feel great, and will continue to pray for a healthy baby, whatever way she comes out!

[BitsyNaceyDog]

For the breach babies have you tried rocking on your hands and knees? I have no personal experience with breach babies, but I know people who had breach babies and a couple people had success getting their babies to turn by rocking on their hands and knees. Good luck to both of you!

[finn's mom]

I haven't done the exercises multiple times a day, but I have done a couple yoga poses irregularly to let gravity sortof take over and encourage Clara to go head first instead of breech (which I just looked up and breech literally means buttocks! :D). She'll go where she wants to ultimately, but we can sure try to help out! ;)

[finn's mom]

So, we're picking up the last few things we need for baby's arrival! All I need to choose is a breast pump and I need to buy the sling I want. What are the things you guys have left to get before baby arrives in your home? :) I just ordered a play yard today. It looks pretty cute! We chose a swing, too, about a week ago, but I am exchanging it for a different one this week. The one we're switching it out for can be plugged in, and that sold me!

[beeniesmom]

I still need a playyard too. We've been to both babies r us of the area and both sold out of what I want. :( I will try to go to target today and see if they have the kind I wanted, if not, I'll get a different one.

I need the breast pump as well. We will probably rent it from the hospital on Monday when I go in to do the pre-op stuff.

I am so unusually calm... only 3 days to go.
I've been having a bunch of contractions too.

[finn's mom]

Oh my gosh Carmen. You are going to be a mom in three days! I'm giddy for you! :) You be calm, I'll be a squirmy mess over here. ;) And, then, when Clara's ready or we have to schedule a C-section, we can switch roles. Of course, you'll be too busy with your new girl to be squirmy for ours!

The play yard we originally had on our registry is too expensive. I found one at Walmart (we had gift cards) that is only $80 and the reviews on it are fantastic. It doesn't have as many features as the $180 one we originally chose at Babies R Us, but I am confident that it will be what we need.

I'm pretty sure I'm going with Medela's breast pump that comes in the backpack style bag. There's one above it called a freestyle that is more expensive, but I don't really think I'll need what it offers and the one we're getting is expensive enough! I plan on pumping at least once a day and storing for times when I'm not at home with baby and when she's about four weeks old, David and I want him to be able to feed her once a day. We found some bottles, too, that are pretty cool and offer less nipple confusion than standard ones.

We took our last baby class today! It was the Infant Safety and CPR class, very informative. I feel confident in both our abilities at this point, that if we needed to, we could do the right thing by any baby that was in distress!

Yesterday, after class, David tried on the sling I want to get. And it just so happened that there was a lady in the store with a little boy (maybe a couple months old), so Kay (the instructor/owner) took the baby and put it in the sling! David's never held a baby before! The baby started to cry immediately, and Kay told David to use the "shushing" technique we'd just learned in the baby basics class, and within seconds the baby was asleep! It was awesome and so cool seeing David walk around with the baby in the wrap. I'll definitely buy it! :)

I have three more days of work, and then that's it for me!

[AdoreMyDogs]

Carmen, Kari, I am just completely excited for you two, and all the other moms-to-be out there. How fun!!!!

[finn's mom]

We go in for our regular appointment on Thursday, but the external version is scheduled for 6:45 Friday morning if she hasn't turned herself by then. Keep us in your prayers that morning!

Carmen, I'm thinking of you! I can't wait to hear that your girl has arrived safe and sound on Wednesday!

[beeniesmom]

So nervous.... tomorrow is the day.
Good luck Kari in getting her to turn.
I probably won't be on PT for a few days starting now.

[k9krazee]

Yay! Hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow, Carmen! I can't wait to see your baby girl!

[AdoreMyDogs]

Carmen I'm so excited for you, and I totally feel your nervousness. I remember it like it was yesterday when I went in to be induced with Quinn. You will do great! I'm so, so happy for you! Best of luck, and may God bless you and your precious addition. Hugs!

[finn's mom]

Carmen, I'll be waiting on pins and needles for your first post after your girl arrives! We'll all be thinking of you!

[Karen]

So nervous.... tomorrow is the day.
Good luck Kari in getting her to turn.
I probably won't be on PT for a few days starting now.

It's okay, just check in when you can, and you have my number!

[AdoreMyDogs]

Gosh I'm excited for Carmen. I can't wait to hear updates and see pics of her new little bundle! Hehe, been thinking about her all day!!!

[Karen]

She's here! Beenie and Frankie now have a skin-sibling!!!!!

I got the call from Carmen just now -

Miss Laura Grace was born this morning at 7:55 a.m.
She was 8 pounds, 8 ounces and 21 inches long, so it's probably just as well she was a little early!

Carmen reports she's just perfect, ten fingers, ten toes, and a head full of dark hair! She thinks she may be home on Saturday, and will post pictures when she can!

[Husky_mom]

YAY!!!.. congrats Carmen.. and welcome to the world baby Laura Grace!!..

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Congratulations Carmen! Can't wait to see pictures and hear Little Laura's birth story. (My cousin had a baby yesterday, also an 8 pound, 8 oz little girl.)

[finn's mom]

Look at that! Welcome to your life, Laura Grace! I am so glad to hear that everything went well, and I am sure it will continue to go well. I can't wait to see her, Carmen! Great job, momma! ;)

[cassiesmom]

Yeay, I am so happy for Carmen and her family!!

[Moesha]

Can't wait for pictures. I'm so glad that she is here and is healthy.

[Daisy and Delilah]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! Born on my birthday. This is so cool, Carmen. {{{{{HUGS}}}}} Welcome to the world, Little Miss Laura Grace!!!:) :) :)

[AdoreMyDogs]

Welcome Laura Grace!!! Can't wait to see pics!!!

[Sonia59]

Congratulations! And welcome Laura Grace!:)

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Congratulations to mom and baby!! I can't wait for pictures! Laura Grace is a beautiful name. :)

[finn's mom]

I know it's silly, but I just started my first load of baby stuff. Blankets, since they're easy to put away. ;) Yesterday was my last day of work, so I'm all about preparing for the baby, now! :) Which is nice, because I had started to run out of energy for doing work and home stuff. :)

[K9karen]

Aw, Aw, Aw! Congratulations and lots of love to Carmen and family! Thrilled to pieces all is well with both of you! You know how desperate we get for pictures..hint..hint..

[Pinot's Mom]

Congratulations - welcome Laura Grace - beautiful name!! :love:

http://bestsmileys.com/excited/3.gif

[prechrswife]

Congratulations, Carmen!:D

[finn's mom]

Well, Clara is still breech, but we still have a lot of good amniotic fluid, so we are going to attempt to turn her tomorrow morning. We'll go in at 6:30, and the procedure will start around 7:30. Please keep us in your prayers! Best case scenario, she'll let us turn her, it won't traumatize her too much, I'll carry her to 40 weeks and she'll stay head down. ;) That's what we're praying for! For now, it's on to do more laundry! I didn't realize we'd received so many blankets as gifts! ;)

[Karen]

We'll be thinking of you!

[AdoreMyDogs]

Kari I've been thinking about you. I hope you're doing OK. Let us know how the procedure went. I've heard that manual turning is extremely painful. Hope you made it through OK and little Miss didn't get too upset with you, and the turning was a success.

[Cookiebaker]

Congratulations Carmen! I can't wait to meet your new beautiful girly! :D

And Yikes, Kari! I'm thinking of you, and hope everything went well! I will be watching this thread for an update. :)

[finn's mom]

It was a success! Clara is now head first and we are both just fine. The procedure went as hoped, with minimal stress to either of us. She's a trooper! Her heart rate dropped for just a few seconds and then went back to normal really quickly. Of course, there's still a chance she'll flip back to her possibly preferred position, but as of right now, she's in an ideal position. YAY!

The whole thing was fascinating. :) Dr. Rost is a wonderful man and did everything he said he would do, and nothing he said he wouldn't. For the most part, he'd warned me that it would be uncomfortable, but not really painful. He was right on. There was one spot that made me cringe, but even that wasn't terrible. A grown man's weight all on your midsection will cause some pressure, of course, but it really wasn't bad at all.

I was on an IV the entire time, with some pain meds, and boy did they knock me out. There was also one that made my heart race, so it was an odd feeling being sleepy, with a super fast heart rate. ;) The turning took less than three minutes, and then I was asleep within ten and stayed asleep for three of the four hours of monitoring. :)

He says I'll be sore like I had a good ab workout, but other than that, I can resume normal activities! So, I have some things planned this weekend.

Clara was really cooperative, and now you can all switch your prayers to her staying in the head down position! If you don't mind, of course. ;)

Now, let's all pray that Carmen and Laura are well and that we'll get to see pictures soon! Whee for baby girls!

[Karen]

Good girl Clara! Thanks for being cooperative, now stay that way, okay?

[Cookiebaker]

Yay!!!! Good news, Kari!! Glad I checked in tonight! :D

[Husky_mom]

awesome news!!.. now to wait... ;)