End of the Pregnancy Blog

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

Our Birth Story

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nonstress Test

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

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

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

New Due Date

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

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

Gotta be Getting Closer

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

Due Date +1

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

Encouraging Baby to Come

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

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

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

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

T Minus 3 Days

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

Finished Glider

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

Trying not to Freak Out

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

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

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

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

Beta Strep Positive

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

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

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

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

My Weekly Check-Up with the Doctor

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

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

36 Weeks

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

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

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

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

Baby Things Everywhere!

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

35 Weeks Today

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

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

I'm getting so excited to meet him!

Hospital Tour

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

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

Mother's Day

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

First Baby Shower and Nesting

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

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

3rd Trimester is Here!

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

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

Monthly Checkup

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

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

Foot Foto

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

Our One and Only Stroller

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

Baby Boot Camp

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

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

Last Night's Dream

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

Stretching...

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

Nursery Furniture

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

Bradley Method

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

Growing Stronger

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

Target Baby

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

The Name Game

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

Valentine's Day

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

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

It's a...

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

Down with a Stomach Bug

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

Baby Dreams

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

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

Belly Button Kicks

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

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

Gender?

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

Looks like the girls are definitely winning!

Pregnancy Fitness

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

New Baby Pictures

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

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

New Clothes

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