The Latest

Hi Friends,
I didnt realize the blog hasnt been updated in nearly a month until it was subtly brought to my attention by my wife and a few faithful readers! Very sorry about that! As you can imagine life has been kinda crazy in these last months getting ready for the baby. Jackie was in two weddings in June, and we also put a fence in our back yard over the last couple of weeks. We also attended our birthing class, and had a baby shower as well. So yeah, June was a busy month!

The fence was a real challenge to put in. If you ever do one, I highly recommend getting a person involved that has already done work like that before. But not me, I am not for hire! It took us two weeks, putting it up in one to two hour time frames nearly every day, but we got it! Here is a picture of the finished product.

This can legitimately be shared on the baby blog because the baby was really half of the reason we decided to do this (the other half being our dogs). We thought it would be nice to have a backyard where he can run around and we dont have to worry about him falling off of the humongous hill next to the house, or go running after a little creature into the woods!  The posts still need evened off, but it serves its function of containing what's inside, and that works for us!

Birthing Class

We decided because of my schedule to do our birthing class in one eight hour sitting on a Saturday. By the sentence alone it sounds pretty grueling, but actually we both really enjoyed it. I dont think Jackie made too many friends by telling that she experienced zero sickness and zero problems with her pregnancy thus far (!). A lot of women in there seemed to have a lot of problems, which was a bit of an eye opener for us, since Jackie has been blessed with almost no problems whatsoever during the pregnancy. Some of the things you heard were kind of crazy, but also made us very thankful that we have been so fortunate through this time.

We both learned a lot in the class, and Im glad we went. They talked a lot about what to look for during the pregnancy that could be problematic, how to prepare to go to the hospital, what to expect when you come home, these kinds of things. We also spent a period of time talking about things that babies commonly get during the first few months of life, as well as how to prepare for labor, how to get through labor, all the things that go with going through labor! It really was very helpful and informative. We even got to practice giving a baby (doll) a bath, and swaddling it. A skill I clearly had yet to acquire! We also got to tour a birthing suite at the hospital and even see a baby that was born that morning. All very exciting things! A lot of people told us it would be a long day and we would dread it, but overall I think we both took a lot away from it and are glad we went.

Shower

Our shower in Mount Vernon was last month as well. Jackie had three co-workers that really are the sweetest ladies you could meet that offered to throw us this shower. We were so thankful for their generosity of doing this. It was a very fun time! Lots of fun sweets to eat, and we were literally showered with many amazing gifts from all of our friends. There was plenty of Indians gear, a Diaper Cake (non-edible version), and a hand painted picture just to name a few of the unique gifts. We really were thankful to all who came, especially the folks who came from out of town (Allie/Doug and Dustin/Emily in particular!). Here are a few pictures from the day 

The Diaper Cake

The Cake you could actually eat!

Cutting the cake

It's a tough life being a Cleveland fan!

Some very cool block from Doug & Allie that you use the age progression photos.

At this point Jackie is doing well. She is consistently measuring three weeks ahead of schedule which means we may not have to wait until July 31st to meet this guy. The doctor has told us that if she doesnt start labor on her own by 7/31, he will induce her. He said he would like her to go full term if the baby will wait that long. But honestly, I think he is running out of room in there! Its funny because with all the medical technologies in the world and how advanced our society is, this whole event is still in the hands of a human who hasnt breathed a breath of of air on his own yet! So we wait, with great anticipation, until he arrives. I think Jackie looks FANTASTIC by the way! Its so funny because if you were walking behind her, you couldnt tell she is pregnant, she looks that good! She is literally all belly. Her weight gain has been right within the range of a normal pregnancy, so there isnt anything odd about that, but I just am so impressed with her figure every day. I could talk on and on about it, and how beautiful she is pregnant, but I wont bore you :)

Thanks for being faithful to our site during the pregnancy, we will try and make the updates more frequent in the last weeks here. I will leave you with a picture that confirms how fantastic she looks. Enjoy!

34 Weeks.

Ultrasound

Hooray for more baby pics today! :)

We got to see our little guy for the last time (maybe) before we meet him in person. It was an amazing experience as usual and it makes the anticipation for him to arrive all the worse! The lab tech was wonderful and answered our many questions, which we typically have. One of my questions was whether or not we could see if he had hair, and sure enough she found it and pointed it out for us :) It was like a fun game to see what we could find and explore. She was a good sport and so was the little man. It was amazing to even see how he has grown since the last ultrasound. He is so filled out, and looking at his face really looked like we were seeing him, not always that creepy alien looking form.

According to the computer, calculating all of his measurements puts him at about 5 1/2 pounds this 32nd week of pregnancy. Either we are going to have a porker on our hands, or he is coming early. We start to see the doctor bi-weekly now and we will be sure to be discussing this! If baby keeps growing at this rate, I will not look forward to delivering an 11 or 12 pound baby!

What a wonderful time in our lives to experience this wonderful miracle. I have heard time and time again that I am going to miss this when it's gone, and I know for sure that I will. But we are definitely ready to meet him and we find ourselves thinking of the time often. There just aren't words to describe the wonderful and special miracle of growing and nurturing a human life that you created. When he comes out, he will have all the necessary skills and abilities to survive and it's because of my body and care for him over these past months of development. Crazy! I hope to just be able to nurture and support him in his life after birth, giving him a positive, loving, and safe world to grow in. Can't wait to be a mom and dad along with Russ. He's going to be amazing and I can't wait to see him realize his talents and abilities too! Love it!

What's Been Going On!

Hi Folks!
Its been a while-and an even longer while since you've heard from me! I feel like not a lot, and a whole bunch has been going on all at the same time in getting prepared for the arrival of this baby. Not a lot in the department of doctor's visits (missed my first one-bummed out by that) have all been concluded with the same thing: "keep up the good work". While the Doctor is super laid back, even for him this is uneventful. It's a little unnerving, but then again a very big blessing that there is nothing wrong. The baby is growing and growing though! Jackie entered her third tri-mester this week, which is absolutely crazy! More behind us than ahead!! We both have enjoyed this journey thus far, Jackie I'm sure more so with all the unique experiences she has had. But to think that in a little less than three months, our baby will finally be here is absolutely mind-blowing!

A lot has been going on in preparation for his arrival. The biggest event is that we turned our home office into his room. We took advantage of Jackie's spring break time and assembled all the furniture, painted the room, and put up the chair rail molding also. Here are some pictures, even though they dont give you the full experience!

Before and after  (its just one corner, but it gives you an idea)

We had a ton of fun doing that. The best part was also learning some things along the way about home improvement (cutting that molding with a couple of crooked corners was no walk in the park!). But the most rewarding part was that we did it ourselves. Its silly, but it means more to us this way.  And while I know I am flirting with the possibility that I have put every single piece of clothing we have bought so far up here, there is one more I cannot resist!

Just to be clear, that is a peanut! Thanks to Jackie's sister Alyssa for this one-of-a-kind purchase! It couldn't be more perfect! 

The last picture to share is a fun one! In our weekly readings, via emails and our book, when we found out that he could finally hear things through the belly, my mind went immediately to music. Some of you may or may not know that I am preparing to go back to finish my music ed degree this fall. So to say music is an important part of my life is quite an understatement! So naturally one evening, with Fred Waring on the brain (google it if you dont know!) I gave him his first taste of choral majesty

And while I'll never know for sure how much he liked it, Jackie did say he was quite active when I took the headphones off, which, naturally, could only mean he was upset the music was over! 

Next month is a busy month-we have our Mount Vernon shower here in town, Jackie is in two weddings (you're welcome for the cash flow, alterations lady!), and our birthing classes as well! So I fear June will fly by. July is full of significant dates as well-Cleveland shower, our five year anniversary, my parents anniversary, and my dad's birthday. Which to me really equates to August is literally around the corner, which means this baby is also literally around the corner! And to be honest, I couldn't be more excited about that! When we first found out Jackie was pregnant, I wrestled with the fact that I wasn't completely in love with the kid from day one. My excitement was sometimes overtaken by fear,anxiety, nervousness, or even sometimes fright. But in these last two to three weeks things have changed. I feel an attachment beginning to form, the foundation of a bond being created. Its a wonderful feeling, and I literally cannot wait to hold our baby in my arms!

Thanks for being faithful readers. Sorry we haven't been daily or even weekly updaters, but we appreciate your faithfulness and hope you enjoy our random rants, and crazy pictures!

24 Weeks and Growing!

20 Weeks

Time is a flyin!!

I can't believe that we are at 24 weeks already! In the beginning, nine months seems like such a long time, but turns out...it's not. So much has been done to get ready for baby in the last few weeks. I was on spring break, so we got to work on the nursery :) We got the painting done, crib and dresser set up, and moved the dogs out of "their room" to a new "spot" in the house, quite a confusing experience for them. We are one construction task away from having the room done, then comes sprucing up the room with decor, curtains, re-covering the rocker, and a rug. I'm trying to get back into the mode of taking pictures all of the time, in prep for when the peanutt is here!
Last doc appt. marked the beginning of measuring my belly with a tape measure. Rest assured, I will have plenty new questions for the doc at our next visit. It's been easy for awhile, not much to comment on. Since he made a note on my chart that I like to ask questions, I may as well live up to it ;)
We completed our registries at Burlington's Baby Depot and Babies R Us. We split it into two days, but it was still an exhausting experience! I intend on going back and looking over the registries to refresh my mind at what we chose. So much to look at and think about! **note to dad...don't go lookin at the registries or you will know the gender!** And with the registries we have set dates for our showers. Very much looking forward to celebrating with family and friends!
Baby has been moving like no other!! I LOVE IT! I got to see my stomach move with his/her movements for the first time...so neat. And the kicks and movements are getting stronger. I certainly don't feel alone anymore when Russ is at work knowing that he/she is very much alive inside. It's hard not to be in love with him/her already :) Russ got to feel the kicks and movement very clearly for the first time in the last few weeks and my sister got to have a wonderful experience of going along to the doctor with us and feeling the baby. I'm sure it weirded her out.
Well, for now, that's the update of prepping for little peanutt and as soon as the room is finished we will post our exciting changes!

A Whole Lotta Change Goin On!

Well...we are just a few days from being half way to the finish and it is so hard to believe that the time has come! I have been very blessed to have a healthy, feelin-good pregnancy and have been able to enjoy every second of it. There have been so many moments of emotion that I cannot put into words.
I have definitely been popping out in the last few weeks. As my mother so lovingly put it last week, "I'm big". Not that I feel I need to justify a prego belly, but I was not blessed with a long torso, therefore, this pregnancy is bound to be nothing but boobs and belly. Just the plight of my life ;)
Little baby began moving about 3 weeks ago and it is a feeling that I want to have all of the time! The feeling is amazing, precious, unbelievable, special, surreal, fun, and so many other things that I dont' have words for. I would always imagine baby in there moving around, how it was positioned, what was kicking/poking, punching me. And at our last ultrasound, I got to watch baby move and feel it at the same time. So precious! (Just and FYI...if you're wondering why I refer to the baby as "baby" instead of "he" or "she", it is because my dad has decided that he does not want to know the gender and we are humoring it for however long it lasts. So in order for him to keep updated, peanutt will be "baby". * love you dad :)) Just the other day, I felt a kick from the outside! Hopefully Russ is close to feeling our little one moving around...can't wait! Needless to say we are still in awe and amazed again and again at the events taking place. Tomorrow is bound to be a super splurge to purchase baby items and spoil our 19 week in the womb baby :) Time's a flyin!