Week 38: Not long now!

This week we met with our Faith Group from church which includes 4 other married couples who have become dear friends to us. It was great to see them especially because one of the couples has a baby almost 8 months old and another couple is expecting their first baby just over a month after Tom and I. It's been really great to share and swap stories with them and just have someone else who "gets it" and knows what you're going through. The group also gave us a really sweet gift including a child's Bible. We look forward to many nights reading from it!

Also this week Baby G is approaching 7 pounds and 20 inches long! He's producing more of something called surfactant which is a substance that prevents air sacs in his lungs from sticking to one another when he starts to breathe-I like the sound of that :)

This week the nesting instinct continues as we have been stocking up on items like shampoo, paper towels, etc. so we won't have to go shopping for those things for awhile.

At our weekly doctor appointment the nurse practitioner we see alternately with my doctor gave us great reassurance that Baby G is still dropping lower in my stomach even though I'm not dilated at all. I'm not anticipating him coming early, but I won't lie in saying that it sure would be nice if he did! I'm ever more uncomfortable walking around and sleeping is more and more difficult as my hips pretty much ache constantly while I sleep. But complaining aside, it's so nice to know we're almost to the end of the pregnancy road and can start enjoying our next road as parents!

We also celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary this week! It kind of snuck up on us this year as we've been so preoccupied getting things ready for the baby. But regardless of that we went out for a lovely dinner and celebrated 4 wonderful years. I know I am definitely blessed with the best husband I could ever ask for :)

Here's the baby bump pic from week 38:

Week 37: He's Full Term!

It's hard to believe but this week Baby G is considered full term. It definitely feels like a milestone to have gotten this far. We had a doctor appointment again this week and my doctor said she thinks it'll still be a couple weeks still until he makes his appearance. She did guesstimate by measuring and feeling my stomach that the baby is about 6 pounds this week so if he continues to gain the average 1/2 pound a week he'll be about 7 1/2 pounds at birth. This makes me happy because I certainly don't want to have to push out a 10 pound baby! He's also dropped lower in my belly which I'm definitely feeling, but happy he's moving in the right direction. He remains head down which is also great news.

This week Tom also left for his last work trip before Baby G arrives. He's gone 3 nights to Los Angelas and I felt a lot better about it after having this doctor appointment, because I was slightly worried that I'd go into labor without him here. But luckily we seem to be in the clear for that.

My parents have come over a couple times as well to help us with some house projects and mowed our lawn for us since Tom is still recuperating from surgery and it's been much too hot for me to broach the task of mowing the lawn. That has been a huge help! It's also nice because I notice that I get wiped out and exhausted very easily lately and have to make sure to take breaks periodically or I pay for it later with back and foot pain. Tom is great at reminding me to slow it down because I typically like to be a busy body on the move a lot. This week we also put the finishing touches on our nursery (which is completely done now!) by putting together our glider and ottoman.

It's hard to believe the countdown to the end is getting so close but I think Tom and I are both ready and definitely excited for the next phase in the adventure: parenthood!

Week 36: Feeling hot hot hot!

Well here in Minnesota we're having a HEAT WAVE! No I'm not kidding, it is possible in this normally chilly state. All week long it's been in the 90's with heat indexes near 100. Needless to say, this extremely pregnant lady is feeling the effects of the heat. I basically feel like a big puffy ball with how swollen the heat is making my feet, hands, face, etc. The good news, though, is air conditioning! We have been cranking ours and thank goodness for it. Because of the heat intolerance I've found with pregnancy, I really don't feel like I've been able to enjoy summer as much as I normally do. Ordinarily, I LOVE the heat and am really tolerant of it, even going for runs on days like this. But lately I've been doing a lot of hibernating so I'm looking forward to Fall, which will be doubly fun as we'll have a baby and cooler weather!

This week for Baby Boy G he's about SIX POUNDS-wow! And 20 inches in length. His bones and cartilage are still soft to help make his exit into the world a smoother one. Today we started our now weekly prenatal doctor visits and this was an eventful one. First, they did a Strep B test which is routine for all pregnant ladies as if you do have Strep B you have to get antibiotics during labor to prevent passing it to baby. I'll find out next visit the results of this. Second, they do an exam to see how things are progressing. What they found was that I'm not dilated at all but Baby G is falling lower in my pelvis than he has been. We also had another ultrasound to make sure he's head down and hooray, he is! We were told that it's unlikely he would turn now as it's getting pretty tight in there for him. And they said that if he did move, I would almost positively notice it because it would be quite the disruption in my stomach if he flipped that much. But he does continue to kick like crazy and I can often see my belly move when he kicks.

This week Tom and I also took a CPR class. We figured it wouldn't hurt to get certified as it's obviously something you want to know if you need it but hope you never need it. So we both feel good now, knowing not only how to do CPR and help someone who's choking on adults but also on infants.

Last weekend while Tom continued to recuperate after his gallbladder surgery, I did a little bit of shopping for some of the final things we still wanted for our nursery. So we got a diaper genie (a very nice to have item I've heard) and a glider and ottoman for what will inevitably be many nights up rocking Baby G to sleep. Tom and I have a little diapering station set up in the nursery and one night this week we decided to do a "run through" so we diapered an elephant stuffed animal to practice how it'll work with a real baby :)

Here are also a couple of sneak peaks at the photos from our pregnancy photo shoot and a look at our ultrasound to check Baby G's positioning. Thanks Alison Geier for your great work!

And here's our actual week 36 baby belly pic:

Week 35: A Roller Coaster Week

Well week 35 was a mixed bag for our household. Starting the week off we had a pregnancy photo shoot with photographer, Alison Geier. Check out her blog at http://www.alisonleaphotography.com/blog/, she's very talented! We got some really fun photos both outside and inside her studio and are excited to see how the photos turned out.

So that was the high point of the week and come this previous Sunday it went downhill pretty quickly. Tom got very ill and ended up needing emergency gallbladder surgery on Tuesday, August 3rd. Click on this link as Tom made a little video about the whole process. Luckily he's on the mend now and in significantly less pain which makes for a significantly less worried wife! Here's a pic of Tom's war wounds and really nice get well gifts he got while in the hospital:

On the brighter side, Baby G is now 5 1/2 pounds and about 20 inches long. I'm guessing that he's easing into the head down position because I feel almost all of his movement and kicks up by my ribs. I've also had a couple people comment that my belly is looking lower so hopefully he's getting into position and ready to come out in a couple weeks! It's pretty amazing to now be able to say that next month we'll have a baby!

Here's week 35's belly pic:

Week 34: Five Pounder!

Yay for Baby G packing on the pounds. This week he's supposed to be about 5 pounds and 20 inches long! Another interesting tidbit is that his fingernails have reached the ends of his fingertips and may need a trimming at birth. Neato! Kind of gross sounding is that the "vernix" or white coating that protects Baby G's skin is thickening. At least he'll be nice and warm and insulated with it.

This week we also took a little "baby moon" to Decorah, Iowa, where Tom and I both went to (and met at) Luther College. It was a great mini-getaway. There was beautiful weather which allowed us to walk around campus and reminisce about when we first met. We also got to attend Nordic Fest and see some friends from college there too. Here are some pics from the trip including a couple pictures from a trip to Dunning Springs and campus. As you can see Marty enjoyed the baby moon too :)

This week my back pain reached peak awful-ness so I treated myself to a pregnancy massage. It was heavenly! I went to Sanctuary Salon Spa in Eden Prairie (a suburb in the Twin Cities for you out-of-towners) and got pampered. It was fabulous because they had a cut-out in the table that allowed me to be able to lay on my stomach for part of the massage and for the massage therapist to really work over my back. I felt so much better afterwards so I'm really glad I got it done.

We also finished our 3 week child birth class series this week. Tom and I were really impressed with the classes and how informative they were. This final class discussed a lot about more "unexpected" birth options, including c-sections and the many potential reasons for one. I will admit that leaving these classes has filled me with quite a bit of anxiety as I can only anticipate the level of pain I'm about to go through in the next few weeks. I've told friends that the part I struggle with the most is just not having any similar experience to compare the level of pain too. I've run a marathon and could do my training long runs to get a flavor of the level of pain and mental exhaustion I'd experience during the marathon itself. But childbirth isn't quite the same since I've never felt a contraction and have no frame of reference for that type of pain. But like many things with pregnancy, I'll just have to wait and see what it'll be like. I'm lucky to have a great supportive spouse who will help me through it!

Here is also week 34's belly pic:

Week 33: Becoming More Immune

Week 33 brought 2 more showers for Baby G! We are feeling very lucky to have so many people "shower" us (ha ha :) ) with celebration and gifts for the baby. First, Tom's parents threw us a shower in Wisconsin where many of his relatives and friends from the church he grew up in were able to come to. My parents also came for it so that was fun to have all four of the grandparents-to-be together! Tom's favorite gift from that shower had to be the Packers onesie and matching Packers stocking cap we got. I'm sure Baby G will get lots of use wearing it this football season! Here's a photo of the Denisons and Getchius's at the shower:

Then in the middle of the week Tom's coworkers threw a shower for the both of us. It was very sweet that they invited me along too. We played a game there where we had to guess the costs for a bunch of typical baby items--diapers, bottles, nooks, formula, etc. We're still newbies at buying for most baby items so it was a good reality check to get an idea of how much each of them cost. For some we overbid, others we under bid, so it was educational. Tom's boss's wife knit a blanket for us, so we've definitely gotten lots of really thoughtful gifts from these showers! With the three showers in a row the nursery has really come together. Really the only other things we need are a rocking chair and a changing pad to change his diapers on, then the room will basically be complete. Yay!

This week we also had a prenatal appointment with our nurse practitioner. Baby G is measuring right on target. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but up to week 36 they measure the height of your uterus in your stomach and for every week it measures 1 centimeter. So this week it's 33 centimeters high. I guess after week 36 a lot of babies start to drop lower so it's less accurate after that. But regardless, I think it's pretty neat that the measurements work like that. We also learned this week that at my doctor's office the latest they let women go overdue is 1 full week overdue. So it's nice to know that the longest I'll be pregnant is a full 41 weeks-whew!

As for baby, this week he has maxed out the amount of amniotic fluid that there will be till his due date. With this, his kicks and punches feel a bit more pronounced--and that's true! Also pretty neat: I'm passing antibodies to him to help build his immune system.

This week I was hit with significantly worsening back pain. This is really frustrating for many reasons as I really like to be active and it's been difficult not feeling up to moving around as much. Tom has been a trooper giving me extra back rubs and our heating pad has been getting a lot of use too. I've also been doing more of my workouts in the pool at the gym we go to which helps to take some of the pressure off. An old coworker of mine recommended a place for pregnancy massages that I'm going to check out next week. They evidentally have tables that allow you to be able to lay on your stomach so I'm really looking forward to that.

Finally, here's week 33's baby bump:

Week 32: 4 Pounds!

Baby G has now (most likely based on averages) crossed into the 4 pound mark and is approximately 19 inches long! As more fat collects Baby G is looking less transparent and more opaque. That's good, because a see-through baby might be a little alarming :) It's crazy to think he's approaching actual full term baby size. It makes it seem all the more real and makes me all the more excited for his arrival!

This week was a fabulous week. We had our first baby shower thrown by my wonderful girlfriends. We call each other the WOWZAs which stands for Women of Wild Zany Adventures. We get a kick out of referring to ourselves using this acronym and we even refer to the husbands of the WOWZA women as the MANZAs. Our group started with friends from college and has grown to expand some additional friends we've met and gotten close to since college. We get together as much as we can since we all live spread out over the midwest, but manage to be able to make time for get-togethers every couple of months. I love them each dearly and they did one heck of a job on throwing a fabulous shower. The shower included craft time where we all decorated one-sies with iron on sayings and pictures. They turned out just darling. Then we played a baby shower themed version of the game Cranium which was also a riot. I was overwhelmed by the amazing gifts Baby G got at the shower and I must say I'm feeling much more prepared now for his arrival. We got tons of adorable baby outfits, blankets, bath items, items for his car rides, you name it! Thank you to each of you who came, it meant a lot to me! Here are some pictures from the shower:

First, me and the grandmothers-to-be:
Me with the WOWZAs!
All of the lovely women at the shower (minus Sue, Kate, and Katy)
The super fun one-sie craft!
Showing off the name tag they made for the baby entitled, "Baby G fetus":
Also this week we began our first child birth class. It's a 3 week series put on by the same organization that we went to for our Breastfeeding class a couple weeks ago. The class is really informative and it's just really nice to be around couples who are all due around when we are. It's also nice to learn more about when to go to the hospital. Everyone in the class is delivering at Methodist Hospital and they taught us the 5-1-1 guideline. Basically when my contractions are every 5 minutes apart, last for 1 minute, and this pattern lasts for 1 hour is when we should go to the hospital. There are obviously other reasons why you'd want to go to the hospital but this is the main guideline they have us follow. For some reason I always felt like you went to the hospital the second contractions start, but I was obviously wrong!

Last but not least is week 32's baby belly pic:

Week 31: Big Brain Growth!

Week 31 brings some important growth: more growth with regards to the connections in little Baby G's brain! He's now able to use all 5 of his senses, including being able to track light and process information he hears from the outside of the womb. He's also having longer stretches of sleep (hopefully learning this technique quickly to help us after his birth!!) and I have noticed there are more defined patterns of his movement and his resting periods. In terms of his size, he is a little over 18 inches long and over 3 pounds, with a projected 3-5 more pounds to gain till his B-day (birth day :) ).

As for the mom-to-be, I'm noticing things getting a bit more cramped as far as room in the belly goes. When I work out I notice that there's less space to take real deep breaths but I will say I've been dedicated to working out regularly which has really helped me feel like my muscles are staying loose. The other not so fun symptom lately has been major leg cramps, though. For some reason they always strike in the middle of the night and cause stabbing pain in my calves and hamstrings. Poor Tom must think I'm being attacked since I wake up a little less than quiet from the pain!

I'm feeling both a mixture of great anticipation and excitement to meet our little guy and also a big amount of anxiety about not feeling ready yet. I can't wait to see if he has hair on his head, what his personality and temperament is like, and of course lots of cuddling to do. But I haven't packed my hospital bag, we have no diapers, we have no car seat, etc. So luckily nothing thus far has shown any indication that he's going to come early so that gives us plenty of time to "nest" and prepare for his arrival! I know it'll all get done but anyone who knows me knows that I love to prepare things WAY in advance, so I'm working on balancing that with reality.

Below you'll see the last 3 weeks belly pics. Thanks for following along with the blog everyone!

Week 30--that's right the 30's!

I can't believe we're in the home stretch already. Baby Boy G is over 3 pounds in weight and will gain approximately half a pound a week for the next 7 weeks when his weight will taper off. Two other big changes this week....One, his brain is getting all sorts of grooves and wrinkles in preparation for being a smarty pants :) Two, now that he can regulate his own body temperature he's shedding the lanugo (the downy fuzzyness) that's been covering his body.

Also this week we took a hospital tour at Methodist Hospital where I'll be delivering. It was really great to have a "dress rehearsal" and be able to visualize the space that it'll all take place. It's nice because everything the baby may need is all in the same wing on the same floor of the hospital...the triage area, the labor and delivery rooms, the post-partum rooms, the nursery, and the NICU. It's also nice that there are no visiting hours in the birthing center so we can have visitors come meet Baby G whenever he arrives!

Right after our hospital tour we also had a Breastfeeding and Child Care Basics class where we met another couple due on our exact due date who is also having a boy. That sure was neat to meet someone right at the same stage we are and perhaps we'll see them again at the hospital! The class itself was super informative and gave great education about lots of things, including diapering, bathing, temperature taking, and swaddling.

Again, we'll have to wait to add pictures till a bit later. This week Tom, Marty, and I are staying at my parents' house. We're getting hardwood floors installed in our kitchen to match the rest of the white oak floors in the rest of our house. Because of the fumes from the poly they use it's not safe to stay there while they're working, so we've had to pack up everything for the week. I'm glad we're having the floors done before the baby comes because packing up a baby would be a whole lot more work!

Thanks to all who have been following our blog!

Week 29: 75% of the way there!

This week Baby Boy G is 17 inches long and 3 pounds!! Though he won't get much longer he will pack on the pounds in the coming weeks.

We also had a prenatal doctor appointment this week which Tom and I always enjoy. It's so great to get to hear baby's heartbeat and like literally every other time we've heard his heart beat it's running in the 140's. He is consistent! He's also measuring right on target which is great as well. We talked to my doctor about the fact that Tom has a work trip just over 2 weeks before my due date and we're planning a doctor appointment right before he leaves so my doctor can check my progress at that point. If it looks like it's nearing then Tom won't go. But what we did learn was that statistically first born boys typically are born the furthest after their due date compared with other births. So with that, the likelihood is that Tom will get the green light to go on his trip. I'll just be crossing my fingers that he doesn't miss the big show!

This week I felt the biggest kick yet while at work. I was sitting at my desk and looked down at my belly and saw it move and a HUGE kick. It felt like he did a somersault right in my belly. I have enjoyed feeling all the little kicks which are getting stronger and stronger.

We'll be adding pictures later so stay tuned!

Week 28 - last week of month 7

This week our post is written by Tom. I’ve seen lots of amazing developments in Jackie and in Baby G this week. Our last visit to the OB office provided us with yet another opportunity to listen to his heartbeat. He’s been quite consistent and been over 140 beats per minute. I guess the tales of a high heartbeat indicating that it’s a girl are just that—tales. I’ve also seen, and felt, that Jackie’s stomach is quite hard. We try and sing to Baby G a few nights each week before bed. I’ve actually made smooth sweeping motions over her belly for legato (smooth) phrases, and short and detached pokes for staccato phrases. Baby G responds almost always with a kick or two, or three. And, the kicks like lightning, never striking the same spot twice.

Jackie and I took advantage of some of the good weather this past weekend and ventured out into the wilderness and camped, with Marty! We drove down to Lanesboro, MN, and camped at Eagle Cliff Campground, IN A TENT! I'd highly recommend the campground. It was very clean, had hot water, port-a-potty's, shared indoor plumbing, and quite reasonably priced. If you know me, you know that my idea of a wilderness experience is staying at the Super 8. However, we made the best of the weekend and schlepped out my Christmas presents, a new tent and queen size air mattress. It was a tight squeeze in the tent, leaving only a 3'x1' space for Marty. He stretched like I've never seen him stretch when I took him out to go to the bathroom in the morning. Jackie also stretched too, in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Overall, we had a successful, enjoyable, and mostly dry weekend.

Please enjoy some of our pictures below. We had a great time with our friends Matt and Bethany from college.

Marty spent a majority of the time camped out on the grass

Jackie and I taking in the scenery

Marty posing for his portrait

Left to right (Tom, Jackie, Bethany, Matt)

Looking beautiful as ever in week 28

Finally, we can't let you go without spoonfeeding you some physical developments of Baby G in week 28. What to Expect When You're Expecting says that Baby G is roughly the size of a head of cauliflower. I'm also going out on a limb and guessing He's white :) Baby G is starting to dream. If we were to measure his brain wave activity, it would show his sleep cycles including rapid eye movement (when dreams occur). Other talents include better breathing and blinking. Maybe this week we'll shine the flashlight on Baby G. Although, given that I have poor eyes, I don't want him to be blinded in the womb.

Have a wonderful week!

Week 27: 15 inches!

One big change for this week is how baby is measured. Previously baby's been measured "crown to rump" but now he's measured head to toe. This week he's at a whole 15 inches! That's huge! And he's over 2 pounds now as well. Since the average new born is 18 to 22 inches in length that seems so close to full term! Obviously his weight has a ways to go, though.

This week I also did a bit of a crafty project. With our baby bedding set we only got 1 window valence. Since we have 2 windows in the nursery and I wasn't able to order another window valence without ordering a whole second bedding set, I decided to make some window valences on my own. And I think they turned out really cute. They're polka dotted in blue, green, and brown, which matches the bedding perfectly. Take a look below!






Not much else is going on this week so we'll make it short and end with this week's belly pic :)

Oh and I couldn't resist putting Marty's "caught in the act" moment that Tom captured...hilarious! :

Week 26: Eyes Wide Open!

That's right, this week Baby Boy G is opening his eyes! What this means is that if there's a bright light near my belly there will be an increase in his fetal activity. We haven't tried shining a flashlight on my belly yet but we probably will. He also weighs 2 whole pounds and is over 9 inches in length. Growing, growing, growing! Speaking of growing, my uterus is now bigger than a basketball (sorry if that's too much information), but that's why it looks like I'm carrying a basketball :)

I'm also one of the women it seems who commonly have some problems with sleeping through the night at about this point in pregnancy. My heartburn and back pain has been increasing but my lovely husband has been gracious enough to have been giving me more back rubs so that helps! We also moved our bed to our finished basement where the temperature is about 10 degrees cooler in the summer which has been helping with sleeping since lately I've been a sauna. And for anyone who knows me, knows how normally I am always freezing so this has been quite a change!

Thanks to Tom's parents who gave us a baby mattress, the baby crib is now complete! I must admit I sometimes stand next to the crib now and just imagine what it'll be like with a baby in it. I can't wait!

This week I also had a day where I was feeling TONS of baby kicks, the most I've ever felt. At one point I could even see my belly move which was so funny. He seems to be a little elusive, though, because whenever I feel kicks and try to get Tom to feel them, he immediately stops kicking as soon as Tom tries to feel them.

Lastly here's this week's belly pic:

Week 25

This week bring some important developments in baby growth land. He's now 9 inches in length and has surpassed the pound and a half mark! He has capillaries forming beneath his skin and air sacs in his lungs developing. Also his nostrils which have been plugged up until this point, are starting to open. And last but not least, his vocal chords are developing in preparation for lovely crying.

This week also marked my 27th birthday! I got some baby items for gifts which thrilled me! Below you'll see our cute diaper bag and my parents got us a pack 'n play which will definitely come in handy. The pack 'n play even comes with a changing table and infant napper so we plan to keep that handy in our basement for when we're hanging out watching TV downstairs and don't want to go upstairs to change him. And it'll also come in handy when we bring him to our parents' homes.

We've also been in process of planning our first vacation as a family of three. Tom has an annual work meeting every year and in April 2011 it so happens to be in Hawaii! Well you can believe I wasn't going to let an opportunity for a vacation there pass me up. So we're using frequent flier miles (one of the perks of Tom traveling a lot) and "purchased" 2 tickets for me and Baby G to fly there for a week's vacation after Tom's work trip is over. It's a great deal because it only cost us $10 to book the tickets using frequent flier miles and Tom's tickets are paid for my his company. So low cost Hawaiian adventure here we come! The long trip in a plane will definitely be a challenge with a baby, but it'll be really fun to have baby's first trip to Hawaii!

This week we also had another prenatal appointment. They drew blood to check my glucose level to see if I've developed gestational diabetes and if I'm anemic (routine tests at this point in pregnancy) so I'll soon find out the results of those tests. I've been really fatigued lately so my doctor did advise me to up my iron-intake since they suspect I may be slightly anemic. We also scheduled the rest of our prenatal appointments right up through the day before our due date. That was crazy to do because it makes it feel like it's coming so soon! But at the same time these days it also feels a long way away. As I get bigger normal easy things become more challenging, so I know there will be many days I hope the due date comes quicker. But in the mean time it gives us a lot of time to prepare everything we'll want ready before he comes!

Week 24 and 25's belly pics:

Week 24: A White Haired Baby

That's right, it might sound weird, but Baby G's hair is white at this point because there's no pigment in the hair yet. On a less odd note, he's 8 1/2 inches long and a pound and a half in weight (approximately). He's now growing 6 ounces per week and that weight includes baby fat, organs, bones, and muscle. His facial features are also developing into what I know will be an adorable face...not that I'm biased or anything :) For the past 2 weeks I've been enjoying one of the most exciting parts of pregnancy....feeling the baby kick! I hadn't felt it for a long time which didn't surprise my doctor for a few reasons. One, with first pregnancies it can take awhile to feel the kicks. And two, the placenta has grown in front of the baby so acts as a cushion to his kicks which makes them less noticeable. But I sure do notice them now, especially when I'm sitting still. Tom has tried to feel them and they don't seem to be strong enough yet for him to feel them, but I'm sure that won't last long. I'll be adding the baby bump picture tomorrow probably but wanted to post an update in the meantime. Enjoy!