37w1d

So here it is, the "officially full-term" post. Knowing that things could happen at any given moment is a bit exciting and scary at the same time. The good news is that we are seemingly prepared on our end, for at least the known elements. The unknowns are what we are more worried about and I have a feeling those will be dealt with on an as-needed basis. The nursery is completely ready, clothes are washed, all baby items are effectively assembled. Now all we need is the baby!

C-section is in 12 days. That is the official "eviction" date - August 3, 2010. Of course things could happen sooner, but as of right now, we have 12 more days to plan for the future.

30 Week Update!

30 week Update

How far along: 30 weeks

Symptoms: Still have back pain and lots of kicking by the little girl. More recently, reflux - fun times

Total weight gain: around 12-13 lbs since the IVF cycle
o
Maternity clothes: Oh yeah :) and the occasional t-shirt, although they are becoming more like tank tops

Stretch marks: A few, they've tapered off

Sleep: Almost *always* wake up 1-2 times a night to go to the bathroom

Best moment last week: Waking up on Saturday night to Kaitlin doing what I am imagining are yoga poses in-utero

Movement: Lots and lots of kicking - especially after I eat something sweet

Food cravings: No cravings really. Still not a huge appetite but I do like brownies and anything sweet. I knew that sweet tooth would come back!

Belly Button in or out:i It's still an innie. I don't think it's going to pop out.

What I miss: Being able to walk, sit or stand for extended periods of time without my back hurting.

What I am looking forward to: My 2 maternity photo shoots this month. Also, my DC area friends baby shower this Saturday. We also have our baby care class on Sunday. After this month (June) there is NOTHING else to look forward to until the "big" day!

Milestones: Passing my Gestational Diabetes test. Also, getting my scheduled C-Section date of August 3, 2010. AND, now I'm on to the every 2 weeks OB appointments.

How is daddy? He's doing great! We're both getting very excited!

Baby Shower revisited

Here is a link to the photos taken at the Alabama Baby Shower on March 13th, 2010

Alabama Baby Shower

22w2d Update

How far along: 22 weeks 2 days

Symptoms: Back pain and lots of kicking by the little girl

Total weight gain: 7 lbs since the IVF cycle

Maternity clothes: Pretty much only wearing Maternity clothing now because it's sooo comfy.

Stretch marks: unfortunately yes. I was hoping to avoid these but they've appeared on my chest and thighs.

Sleep: Difficult. I wake up about 3-4 times a night to pee and to get comfortable.

Best moment last week: Going in for my check up and listening to the baby kick the fetal doppler.

Movement: Lots of dancing around and quite a bit if kicking! So amazing! Matt finally felt her kick yesterday for the first time.

Food cravings: Still fruits and veggies for the most part.

Belly Button in or out: In still thankfully.

What I miss: Fully loaded Starbucks and WINE! It's finally warming up outside and I'd love to sit at the local bistro wine bar and do wine tastings.

What I am looking forward to: Getting the nursery furniture in. We ordered it back in January and it should have been here by now. I'm expecting it sometime by the end of the month.

Milestones: Feeling the baby kick for the first time.

How is daddy? He's doing great! He's busy priming the nursery walls and hopefully we can get the darn thing painted this weekend. It's been on our "to-do" list for the past month.

We Stand Corrected

Introducing .......

Apparently our last ultrasound was incorrect -we are actually having a GIRL! It was quite the surprise but we're rolling along as planned. Her name is Kaitlin and we haven't picked a middle name just yet.

All is going well with the pregnancy. About 2 weeks ago I started to finally feel Kaitlin kicking which was very cool. Overall I'm feeling good. At my 21w1d checkup yesterday I was "only" up a total of 7lbs since the beginning of my pregnancy. I did loose quite a bit of weight after my IVF cycle and overall I'm 3 lbs heavier than my Pre-IVF weight so I think I'm doing pretty good. The only ache I'm having is my back which is starting to bother me more and more.

We managed to buy the bedding for the nursery this week. Here is a picture:

It's manufactured by BananaFish and the name is BubbleGum. Matt picked it out and he's very proud of his choice :) Painting on the nursery will begin this weekend ... either Pink or Yellow, I haven't decided yet. We did manage to get the room all cleared out and so it's totally ready to go.

The C-Section date hasn't been scheduled yet. Hopefully in the next 5-7 weeks. I was told that it's tentatively August 5th but that will depend on the hospital.

Our hospital tour is this coming Tuesday, April 6th. We're looking forward to getting the lay of the land and scope out potential wi-fi spots to send back pictures. The hospital is pretty far from our home. It's about 60 miles from our home and over 2 hrs. with traffic, so Matt won't be able to come home frequently during the stay.

Overall all is going well! Thanks for checking in!

We Have a Team!

Mavis is no longer Mavis as of today! We learned this morning at our 16w3d ultrasound that Mavis is a boy! A boy who we will name Brandon Matthew!

Both the Mr. and I are over the moon excited :) A boy?!?!?! I'm going to be outnumbered in this household with the Mr. and 2 male doggies!

Our Journey in Pictures

Roll your mouse over the photos to see captions.