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.