Eventful Weeks

Dad's cousin Barbara threw us a wonderful baby shower last week in her home. She served quiche and salad and brunch goodies and we had a lot fun catching up with the DiJulio/Delaney/Rao clans. Baby scored all kinds of soft fluffy gear, the highlight being Aunt Susan's homemade blankets, hats and booties. Here's a picture from that day:

From Chris and Sunny's Kid

In bummer news, the next morning I was laid off from my job after seven years. It was an unexpected hit and we were really rocked by the drop, but I'm on the hunt for a temporary job to carry me to term and I'll take some time off with the baby and see where we are. I'm trying to enjoy all this new free time and really let that nesting instinct take over. :P The last time I was laid off from my job I found a much better one three weeks later in an economy where my field was hit a lot harder, so I hope that history will repeat itself. I'm sure this is a blessing in disguise. Luckily I'll be insured through July, which is a HUGE RELIEF.

Days ago my friend Colleen came over and we took some belly pictures and we had such a great time. She's still going through the bajillion shots we got, here are some of the first batch:





You can see more here.

I have OB checkups every other week now, and my next is Friday! The guy is just killing my back and I'm having a hard time staying comfortable if I sit or lay down for very long, so I've been stretching and walking around a lot. The chiropractor is doing all she can, but I think at this point I just have to tough it out. 10 weeks to go!

I got a package from my uncle Ted today with this picture printed on the address label:


Who could that be!

Here's another shot from Montana (I think?):


Here is the youngest photo of Chris we have:



I love seeing how genes play out across families, Baby what do you look like???!

Tomorrow morning I have my glucose test to make sure the baby is steering clear of gestational diabetes. I think we'll be okay, but let's hope I'm right so I can keep up my steady diet of ice cream and nachos. ;)

Hi!
27 weeks along now, starting my last trimester on Monday. I had my first of two chiro appointments this week and am feeling better already, who knew? I had grand plans to get a picture of Chris and all three cats in one picture with a photoshopped baby ultrasound picture in there somewhere, but we were so busy we didn't even manage to get the tree up. I snapped a quick picture on Christmas Eve and that's about as Christmas greeting-y as we could manage. We're just being green this year, huh. ;)

From Chris and Sunny's Kid

OB Appointment

Monthly OB appointment was totally uneventful, me and babe are totally healthy and chugging along and doing fine. My heart rate was high normal but I had to rush out of work in the middle of a hectic project for this appointment, and I think that is to blame. It's normally really low.

I've only gained two pounds this month, thank god. I haven't put on more than a pound a week, but I was hoping to see it slow down before I hit Week 40. :P My appetite seems to have scaled back to normal again, and I've been craving a lot of dairy (and water, as always).

I've started seeing a chiropractor for my achin' back, baby and all his extra weight is pushing my sacroiliac joint out of whack. It's only uncomfortable right now and I'm trying to nip it in the bud, I've had problems with it before I was pregnant and it can get kind of painful and annoying. The chiro said I was really flexible for being a giant pregosaur, and I say all right! I'll take all the help my body can give me.

In general I'm starting to get winded easily and I think I painted my toes for the last time last night. I've never had a pedicure before, I think it's time to give one a try.

I never thought I'd see it, but I can see the bottom of my belly button. Yikes.

Next appointment is the glucose test, let's hope it goes just as well as everything else has.

Checking in...

...Still cooking along, LOTS of movement, I actually saw a kick at work the other day. I'm starting to feel uncomfortable, getting tired and nauseous again, and I'm seeing a chiropractor this week if efforts of de-crinkling my sacrum. Done being pregnant now! Haw. Here are some photos:

17 weeks:

23 weeks:

Latest Ultrasound...

Lots of news this last week! The baby's movements have gotten more pronounced and Wednesday night Chris was finally able to feel a little ripple on the outside of my tummy.



Friday I had my 20-week ultrasound and WE'RE HAVING A BOY!!! !!! !



We are so excited!



From the moment I found out I was pregnant I thought I was having a boy. My only doubt set in when the OB said the heartrate sounded like it could be a girl. The nurse at the OB's office mentioned that most of the women that think they know their baby's gender, are correct. Pretty cool! We would have been happy either way, but on a completely selfish note: no princess stuff! Yesss!



The little dude is 13 ounces, about 11 inches long, and is one day ahead of schedule in his development. All his organs and parts are right where they're supposed to be, and all of the numbers for all of my tests have been smack in the middle of normal. Both of our heart rates are nice and low.



This ultrasound was about an hour long and the lil' guy was wiggling through the entire thing, which made getting a good look at everything pretty easy. Even afterward when the nurse was getting his heartbeat, he kept moving and she had to chase him all over my belly.

It was so cool to associate the movement I was feeling with what he was actually doing onscreen. Now I can feel the difference between a jerk or a kick and a twist or a shoulder roll. So far, this is the coolest, strangest thing my body has ever gone through.



My belly is plopped right out now and I look obviously pregnant, but my weight gain has been pretty minimal, thank goodness. Unfortunately with all this new weight up front, I've started to develop a waddle. :\ It'll get worse before it gets better, but at least it's temporary!



I'm at the end of my 20th week and have passed the half way mark, can you believe it??

Check up Friday...

...pretty uneventful. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat which was really exciting, and my OB is guessing that it's a girl based on that. My friend Julie sent me a link to some Chinese astronumerology whatsit that says I'm having a girl also. OB says I look like the kind of lady who would have a girl, because I look so girly...and I'm just going to tell myself that she meant that I am extra pretty (since we all know my facial features look great on boys too, huh Dad). Everyone but Chris and I want a girl, but we'll happily take whatever we can get. Even if it's a boy with a girly heartbeat (and my feet, please please please my feet).

Anyway, we find out the gender of the baby we're brewing on November 14, and get a new set of ultrasound pictures. By then we'll be at the halfway point. Weird!

In other news, I was singing and bouncing in the car the other day with the stereo and the baby was kicking like mad, I wonder if it was marveling at my singing voice or telling me to stop. Last night it did a really big flip while I was laying in bed that I was able to feel outside my belly, but I was so stunned and it went by so fast that Chris missed it. I'm sure there will be more.