32 weeks update

Well, we had a big few days for the baby. We officially have a pediatrician, and had our 32 week appointment. Everything is still fine, strong heartbeat. Brandon and I are getting excited, knowing that we are so close. I am having Braxton Hicks contractions, but the doctor says they are normal. Winter break has started, which is very relaxing. We have a big family reunion next week for Grandma’s 80th birthday. That should be fun. Movements are getting more violent. But, all is well. Getting ready to be a mommy. Starting to get a little antsy and a little nervous, but still mostly excited.

32 weeks picture

Boating at Downtown Disney.

Baby Pool

This is just something fun that Brandon and I are doing...if anyone is interested, go to http://www.expectnet.com/games/Diamondbaby and enter a guess of when you think the baby will be born!

30 week checkup

Had a checkup yesterday, everything is still very healthy. The heartbeat was 146, which is right in the middle of normal, and I am growing at a good rate. I am still feeing good most of the time, and am really getting ready now. Our hospital bag was packed last weekend, and we have preregistered for the hospital. We are getting everything set up. I don't think it has hit me yet that we are actually going to have a baby soon. It still seems like this thing that is going to happen way in the future, but our due date is coming up fast. We are both really excited. Brandon said that it hit him when he took really teeny socks out of the dryer. Just excited about life and all of the wonderful upcoming things that we will be doing throughout the next few months.

29 weeks belly pictures

28 weeks

Wow! I haven't written in a while. Things are pretty great. I am having minor pregnancy issues, and my main "pregnancy emotion" is elation. I am really happy most of the time. We are getting really excited for the baby. We had a celebration during Thanksgiving, and got so many useful and cute things. It is so awesome that we have baby clothes in our house. I will start to try to write more. My belly is getting bigger, but I am carrying well. It just looks like a bump in the front. The nursery is painted, and it looks so beautiful. We started childbirth classes. We are really starting to get ready. The week of during Thanksgiving was greatly needed, I got to just focus on myself, my family, and relax a bunch. Life is pretty good. I will add a belly picture soon. Kermit kicks and moves all of the time now. He doesn't like to kick his father, but he loved to kick his Grandma (Bonnie, he was calm for Adela).

Election Night - 25 weeks

He we are, taking pictures with our son and Mickey Mouse. We are heading to Disney again when I am really pregnant, so we can take pictures with my growing belly. He is definitely kicking. Mom felt him. Things are going to start happening soon, we have an appointment with the pediatrician (to interview), our childbirth classes start soon, and some of our friends are coming to paint and assemble furniture for our nursery.
We have been working on the meet the baby party. We have such a list! It is going to be so much fun, and this baby will be so loved.
Bris is also tentatively arranged. We have chosen the Mohel.
The stress level is high tonight, watching the election. Trying to stay calm. Just saw someone beam (hologram) onto CNN. Our baby is being born into such a technologically advanced society.

New Belly Pics

I am about 23 weeks in the purple, closer to 24 weeks in the pink. I apologize for my very funny face in the purple pic.

23 weeks and getting excited!

Things are going rather well. The baby is kicking, and just started kicking strong enough for Brandon to feel him. I love it. I find it so fascinating. My belly still looks small, but since the doctor said that everything is ok, I am going to trust him. Brandon was away this weekend at USY convention, and I missed him terribly. I felt so silly, but it’s true. Indy was also very jumpy, and barked at any chance she got at the empty door. I am afraid of putting money into the economy right now. Our financial adviser recommends a Roth in the name of the child, as opposed to a 529, so he would not be penalized if we decided the money was going towards something that is not education (say-he gets a full scholarship or something, and we saved more than he needs). So, as much as I love the freshmanfund.com idea, I am not sure we are going to go through with that. The more I listen to the news, the more I think we may just put the money into a new savings account for a few years, or under the mattress.

I am feeling pretty good physically. Last week, I was elated for two full days. I was so happy I was probably scary to be around. This week, I am calmer, but still content. I am extremely excited about all of the upcoming stuff…Thanksgiving, nursery building, and February. I am greatly looking forward to being a mom. I know that my life will change drastically, but I think I am going to love it. I think I am going to get closer with my husband, and I think he is going to be a great daddy. This child will be very loved by many people, and it is a beautiful thing.

Perfect!

We just had a doctor's appointment today, and he said that everything looks perfect. What a great word! I gained a couple of pounds, and he was not concerned about my weight. He said that the baby is the right height and weight (was 11 ounces 2 weeks ago for the ultrasound). He could not easily see the spine, so we are having another ultrasound to see the spine, when the baby is positioned differently. His heartbeat was 162, which is also perfect. Yay!

20 weeks, 5 days Belly Pictures

20 weeks update

Hello! I have a few things to update everyone on. First, I am definitely feeling the baby. He has started kicking, and was really active for the first time during the vice-presidential debate. It is an awesome feeling. I am feeling pretty good. Brandon and I have been working on a name, now that the baby is definitely a boy. Brandon has become really excited. I think that when he saw our son moving during the ultrasound, everything clicked for him. He has shown the ultrasound picture to the entire world, he is so proud. I am so glad that he is enjoying the process as well.

I had the weirdest reaction to the ultrasound. As soon as I heard the sex of the baby, it hit me that this was real, and I got really overwhelmed and emotional. Now, a couple of days later, I am thrilled and calm again and happy, but it was a very weird response for me. Brandon took me to Babies’R’Us to help me get excited, and to look specifically at boys clothes. When I saw the Superman pajamas, my heart melted.

The bris is going to be interesting. Now that Brandon is Principal of our Religious School, and we have gotten to know people at two schools, synagogue, and still have our family and Cooper City family, this may be a very large bris. What a blessing, that we and this baby are so loved, that this is an exciting time for so many people.

In regards to the ultrasound, everything is completely healthy. In regards to how I am feeling, I am completely textbook. So, we are moving right along. I am getting really excited. We are going to work on the nursery around Thanksgiving. We have a couple of friends (Lauren, Steve, Chad, and Kat) that are going to drive up and help us paint and assemble (well, Steve will assemble, and we will just all be in awe at him making a crib). I am looking forward to the rest of the process, because I think the next few months are the exciting ones for a pregnancy. That is, until February, when we actually have our end result and have a baby!

20 weeks ultrasound pictures

It's a boy!!!!

18 weeks, 4 days Belly Picture

Brandon was not home, so I just took the picture in the mirror. Great advise from my friend Rachael.

I am definitely starting to pop. Belly hurts, but it feels like it is getting bigger by the minute. I may start updating the picture more often, because it seems to be changing so fast. It is very exciting.

We ordered our crib today! Ahh, the adventure of the crib. But, we got the one we wanted in the color we wanted. Thanks, Grandma!

8 days until we find out the sex of the baby. People at work are speculating, they think it is a girl based on the way I am carrying. We shall see!

No cravings yet, but I am still enjoying cheese, as well as apple juice.

Oh, and I apologize if I offend anyone, but pre-third trimester & pre-breastfeeding, I am officially (yes, I was measured by a professional) a DDDD, which is equivalent to a G. The letter G, as in Gorilla. I wonder if I am going to get to the middle of the alphabet. My goodness.

Still have a cold, but am better than last week. Just to give major props to myself, I am handling school, Youth Groups, Religious School, being pregnant, researching and preparing for the baby, a cold (which my ears are still so clogged my equalibrium is off), emotions about my Grandpa Mike, and making sure my family is ok, and I am still cool, calm, and collected. I am not really stressing out. I am just making sure I am doing what I can, but not too much that I stress myself out. I guess I have figured out what is really important.
Brandon has also found relaxation this week in the new "Star Wars-Unleashed" Video game for the Wii. I am so glad that he found a way to de-stress, I don't think he has taken an hour off in a month and a half. If the baby can hear already, we are already prepping Kermit to be a nerd, he/she is listing to Star Wars music within weeks after their ears developed.

18.5 Weeks

I had a pretty rough week, I had a really bad cold. I was extremely miserable, but am feeling a lot better. I still have a lot of food aversions, but feel like I am getting more protein into my diet and am doing pretty good with my eating habits, especially with all of my food challenges.


We started getting some of our stuff delivered from Amazon.com this week. We have gotten the $250 worth of diapers, and now actually have a couple of baby things in our house. So exciting!


Also, there is a newish website, www.freshmanfund.com, which we are now really excited about. It is basically a 529 college program registry. This way, instead of people feeling forced to buy baby toys, they have the option of donating towards our child's education. We are still working out the details, but I believe that you can even use your credit card and directly put money into the 529, in any amount. I believe that is Awesome! We are going to be looking into which 529 we would like to open in the next couple of weeks, and then will register for the www.freshmanfund.com to link it directly to the 529. I will keep you all updated.


Last but definitely not least, I am feeling some funky stuff going on in my belly today. I am trying not to get too excited, it could just be gas (he he) but I am hopeful that this is the first evidence of me feeling the baby. As far as I have been told, a couple of weeks after I can feel the baby, Brandon can feel the baby. Cool, huh?

18 weeks tomorrow

I have not written in a while, so let me give you all of the updates. I am lying to myself and saying that I feel well all of the time. My goal is to remember this miracle of an experience fondly. So, I keep pretending to myself and the world that I am feeling great. The truth? I still have food aversions, nausea, being outside is difficult for me, and my stomach is stretching and often extremely painful. I had no idea a baby so small could have already found my sciatic nerve. I sneeze a lot, and my entire stomach contracts and hurts. The “girls” are amazingly inconvenient. It is like they are everywhere, and I am sure that is going to get worse before, because I am planning on breastfeeding. I have an extremely hard time sleeping. But, I am trying my best to just stay positive, and convince myself and everyone else that I am doing just swell. I am finding a balance between not being lazy, but pacing myself to make sure that I am taking care of myself.

A big call out to having cool and awesome Grandmas! My grandma is setting us up furniture-wise, and Brandon’s Grandma, Nana, bought us our stroller, Boppy, and car seat. Rock on! This is really happening.

We had a doctor’s appointment today. We heard a heartbeat (150 beats per minute) and my belly is the correct size. Everything looks good. We have our 4D ultrasound in two weeks, and should find out the sex at that time. Woo Hoo!

Brandon and I signed up for a childbirth class. I have no idea on whether I will be beneficial or not, but I am at least hoping we may meet some new mommies-to-be. I have also started to find girlfriends up here in Orlando. It is very exciting.

Brandon and I are working on our options for next year. Assuming that Brandon continues with the Religious School principal position next year, we are considering me “Job-Sharing” for next year. Job-Sharing is an opportunity by Osceola County Schools in which two teachers share a contract, and each are part time. I would work 2.75 hours a day (2 periods). It is a big decision, but we are working on our options.