Archive for March, 2008

i can honestly say that i had been looking forward to this time with mom (grammy) for sooooooo long…… and it was WONDERFUL!!!! we planned a trip where she came down for a few days to help me wrap up nesting and prepare for the little man’s arrival. i had my “mom list” ready to go, and she arrived here wednesday, ready to get to work. she just left yesterday (saturday) and i am missing her already, but so very grateful for the special time that we had together before the baby is here.
i have felt more and more “ready” during these last few weeks, but having my mom here to confirm that feeling in me was so very comforting. hearing her say “9s (her nickname for me) you’re ready for him,” made me feel like i really was. mom helped in every possible way from simply keeping me company, to cooking casseroles for freezing, to an unbelievable amount of baby laundry (complete with cutting tags that seemed to never end), to a final babies r us trip to make sure that all of the “must haves” from our registry had been purchased. having mom here to nest with me was heaven (and i know red agrees with me). i mentioned in an earlier post that i feel as though mom’s visit was really a great kick off to these final few weeks, and it truly was. she even came with me to my doctor’s appointment on friday and met the infamous dr. thomas, who she completely fell in love with. mom was able to see her gigantic grandson (who is now over 7 lbs) on the sonogram machine, which was great too. there are no words to express how incredibly grateful i am to have had her nest with me for 3 full days.
and so as far as the little man is concerned…. yes, he is over 7 lbs now (we’re basing that on the specialists telling us that he will gain between 1/2 of a lb to a full lb per week from now on). given that his estimated fetal weight came in at 6 lb 10 oz, we’re thinking he’s now about 7 lb 2 oz (unless he gains more than the average baby which is quite possible too… ha!) anyway, the big bruiser is doing well, though hardly letting me sleep these days. between the insane hot flashes that hit me in the middle of the night, having to pee constantly, and ninja baby kicks 24 hours a day, i am finding myself to be used and abused. the dr apt that mom went to with me was great. i have put on a total of 22 lbs and i am starting to “peter out” with the weight gain according to my favorite nurse…. once i saw that i had only gained 1.5 lbs since my last check up, i asked her if that was bad and she said “nope, you peaked and now you’ll peter out.” it’s really hard to see the little man on the sonogram machine because he is so big now. dr. thomas helped us get a good face shot that showed his enormously cute baby cheeks and full lips. it’s precious!!! the neatest part about it is that my mother-in-law sent
me a photo of paul when he came home from the hospital and it looks JUST LIKE HIM…. cheeks, lips, squished face, and a little smirk. i love it!!!! i cannot wait to see this little fellow and learn all about him. it won’t be long now…… 3 weeks and counting….
enjoy the attached pictures of our nesting time together. i am also posting pics of the glider and ottoman that paul and i picked up today. our baby’s room is now complete!!! WE LOVE OUR LITTLE NEST!!!!

well given that tonight was a full moon, and i am very full of baby… can’t say i’m too surprised to be up at this hour. ~ the little man has been absolutely bananas all night! combining that with paul’s snoring landed me out on the couch a little over an hour ago. at least one of us should be getting good sleep, right?

i suppose this would be the perfect opportunity to tell everyone that my c-section has been scheduled, and the little man will be arriving exactly ONE MONTH FROM TODAY, on april 22nd. i am stoked!!! paul and i check in to the hospital that tuesday morning at 6 AM for an 8 o’clock surgery. it’s unbelievable to think that in just 4 weeks we will have our little bundle.

ok, ok, so this is how it all came about…. my doctor made it known to both paul and i from the very start that she typically draws the line between a regular delivery and a c-section at 9 lbs. this being said, she also told us that she is willing to work with us one way or the other… for example, if i were totally geared up for a regular delivery and the baby was just over 9 lbs then she would go with my wishes (assuming everything was safe and the baby was progressing just fine)…. however…. after learning that the little man is 6 lb 10 oz right now (which puts him in the 95th percentile), my doctor called me at home the other night and immediately after i answered the phone, i heard giggles at the other end and then my doctor’s voice asking me “are you growing a linebacker in there?” basically over the next 4 weeks, the little man will be gaining between 1/2 a lb to a full lb per week. it’s much safer for both me and the baby that he be a c-section (duh!) and we’ve known that this was a great possibility from the very beginning. so there ya have it.

APRIL 22nd is the big birthday!!!

in other news, mom is coming down on wednesday to help me finish up “nesting” and i am so excited. we’re going to do all kinds of fun stuff like baby laundry, getting meals ready to freeze, finishing touches in the baby’s room, etc… hahaha! i know, it sounds totally boring when i actually write it out, but i can’t wait. to me, it feels like this visit of “grammy’s” will be the kick off to the little man’s arrival. i’m sure we’ll be taking all sorts of pictures this week, so i will be sure to post those (especially since we’re finishing up the baby’s room).

i also start my once-a-week dr. appointments thursday, so i will keep everyone up-to-date on that info too. i’m assuming i will get a ton of info regarding c-sections and what to expect at this next appointment. oh, and mom gets to meet my doctor this week since she’ll be in town too.

alrighty, i guess i should try to lay back down and get some rest. it’s getting harder and harder to sleep with each passing day. i’ve got the little man’s limbs practically growing right out of my sides!!!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!! ENJOY THE WEEKEND!!!

well, paul and i have been referring to the baby as “the little man” this entire time so that we don’t slip up and say his name. i learned today that he is definitely not so little. mr. magoo weighed in today at 6 lbs 10 oz and is gaining weight at 1/2 lb per week. so that would put him at gaining about 3 more lbs (if not more) by my due date. not only that, but the size of his head alone is in the 90th percentile and his tummy is in the 80th percentile (do we have a little chubs on our hands?) needless to say, this is going to be a BIG baby. helloooooo c-section.

i left a message with our doctor to make her aware of the baby’s weight (since i had to go to a specialist to get this particular ultrasound done). i’ll be anxious to hear her reaction, though we’ve known all along that he would probably be a larger baby. my next appointment with my doctor is a week from tomorrow, so i’m assuming we’ll get into the nitty-gritty of c-section stuff then.

a funny measurement that they took today at the specialist was of the baby’s leg bone that goes from his hip to his knee. that measurement was “extremely long” according to the ultrasound tech, which made me giggle. i figured that he would have long legs, given how tall paul and i both are, however, i couldn’t help but remember back to when paul was in primary and getting measured to see if he could fit into planes. that same measurement they took on the baby today was one of the measurements that was really long on paul and almost classified him as being too big in the cockpit of a plane. ~ hahaha! like father, like son.

so dear friends, that’s the latest from baby land. surprise surprise, the whites make big babies! i’ll be sure to keep you all posted in the upcoming weeks, especially since we’ll probably be scheduling a c-section. get your calendars out! we will know his birthday soon!

hello there!!! gosh i have a lot of things to blog about. first thing first though… PAUL IS HOME!!!! he got in last wednesday evening, had thursday to recoop from jetlag, and then we headed to atlanta for the weekend for a baby shower. we have been busy busy!!! words cannot express how great it is to have him home…. everything is better with paul around. the little man is definitely happy to have his dad’s big hands on the belly again.

the pictures that are attached are from the shower that mom and janice hosted over the weekend. it was the perfect nicole friendly shower!!!! all of their lady-friends who have known paul and i for years were invited, they brought their gifts unwrapped for display, and we all had yummy treats and enjoyed time visiting with each other. the best surprise was when janice’s sister, marie, showed up at the door. marie traveled all the way from vermont (on standby flights no less) to come and see me while i am pregnant. it was such a great surprise and definitely my favorite gift!!! the weekend went by very quickly since there was so much going on, but it was wonderful spending time with our families and celebrating the baby.

speaking of the baby…. the little man is doing very well and has a room full of goodies to enjoy when he is born. at 34 weeks, i am feeling VERY big, and had not realized how big i have gotten until i saw these shower pictures of myself. good grief!!! the basketball has turned into a beach ball. paul and i head to the doctor this afternoon for a check up. dr. thomas will be doing a fetal weight check to see just how big this bruiser baby really is. i’ll add another post this week to let everyone know.

while the baby seems to be growing like a weed, i think he’s getting pretty crammed in there and he certainly makes me aware of that. i’m having more and more trouble sleeping… well, mostly just getting comfortable and situated enough to fall asleep. last night i was laying on my side and paul reached over to feel the baby. i lifted my belly into his hand and said “here, hold this.” he responded by saying “geez, that really is heavy!!!”

the latest cravings have been for ice cream!!! i had a couple of nights last week that resulted in me driving to baskin robbins for their mint chocolate chip ice cream IN MY PAJAMAS. it was totally worth it.

anyway, enjoy the pictures!!! i will post about today’s appointment later this week.