3mo holding hands
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
107 days (give or take)
Wow - that sounds like a crazy short amount of time! And yet - it feels so far away.
It's been a bazaar couple of weeks around here. Lots of heartache. Last Tuesday we lost a very dear friend. A man who stood up with us at our wedding. A man who can't possibly be replaced. It reminds us how fragile life is. It reminds me of the intense amount of heartache that I won't be able to stop throughout the rest of my life - simply because I will be a mother. Even if this little guy has only the best of a long healthy life, there will be heartache as his mother. I hope I'm strong enough for it all. I'm blessed to have an amazing man by my side to share life with and to hold me and comfort me when life seems to crumble a bit. I hope I'm able to comfort him as much as he does me.
We saw the doctor on Friday. Baby M is doing well. Good strong heartbeat. He's kicking and punching me all over the place. Rather than get too annoyed with it I choose to see it as reassurance that he's growing and getting stronger every day. He has great aim for my bladder & other organs! My belly is measuring a couple of centimeters bigger than average, but doctor said that is okay - it takes a couple of visits with larger than average measurements to bring up any red flags. The last appointment I was right on track, so it could have been that growth spurt I felt last week that caused the extra centimeters. Before my next visit I'll have my glucose test to check for gestational diabetes, and to check my blood again for the RhoGAM shot. Per the first blood tests I will require the shot - they are just double checking before they administer it.
We've made some progress on the nursery. Last Monday night we moved everything out and painted. It looks very fresh in there - I'm eager to start setting it all up! As I mentioned a few weeks ago we got our dresser already, and I bought a curtain. Our rocker has been purchased for a while now, but it will be delivered this weekend. We were hoping to have the queen sized bed out of that room by now, but we are still looking for a place to store it for a while. Before Saturday it will be taking up our only remaining guest room. Hopefully we can find a safe home for it for the next couple years soon! We'll order the crib in the next month or so, and finally the room will start coming together. I had an image of a mobile in my head - and it's inspiration was an unbelievably ridiculous price ($400 for a non-motorized, non-musical mobile anyone!? No thank you). So, I decided to recreate my own. I think it's finally done, and I can't wait to decide where to hang it in the nursery. I can't decide if it would be better over the crib, or over the changing table/dresser. I'll just have to see the room put together before I can make that decision. For now it's hanging in the closet!
Right now I'm 24 weeks. Baby is about 14" long and weighs about 2 lbs. Of course every different site gives a different size & weight, but since I'm measuring large, I'm going with the largest estimate I find! His lungs are now secreting surfactant, which is a surface-activated fat that helps his little lungs inflate with air when he's born. He's practicing breathing now. His ears are finished forming and moving to their correct location on his head (and if he has any Pestinger in him, they are already sticking out - just like Funkle Dustin's! ;) love you Funk!). His fingernails are finished developing, and his testicles are decending.
It's been a bazaar couple of weeks around here. Lots of heartache. Last Tuesday we lost a very dear friend. A man who stood up with us at our wedding. A man who can't possibly be replaced. It reminds us how fragile life is. It reminds me of the intense amount of heartache that I won't be able to stop throughout the rest of my life - simply because I will be a mother. Even if this little guy has only the best of a long healthy life, there will be heartache as his mother. I hope I'm strong enough for it all. I'm blessed to have an amazing man by my side to share life with and to hold me and comfort me when life seems to crumble a bit. I hope I'm able to comfort him as much as he does me.
We saw the doctor on Friday. Baby M is doing well. Good strong heartbeat. He's kicking and punching me all over the place. Rather than get too annoyed with it I choose to see it as reassurance that he's growing and getting stronger every day. He has great aim for my bladder & other organs! My belly is measuring a couple of centimeters bigger than average, but doctor said that is okay - it takes a couple of visits with larger than average measurements to bring up any red flags. The last appointment I was right on track, so it could have been that growth spurt I felt last week that caused the extra centimeters. Before my next visit I'll have my glucose test to check for gestational diabetes, and to check my blood again for the RhoGAM shot. Per the first blood tests I will require the shot - they are just double checking before they administer it.
We've made some progress on the nursery. Last Monday night we moved everything out and painted. It looks very fresh in there - I'm eager to start setting it all up! As I mentioned a few weeks ago we got our dresser already, and I bought a curtain. Our rocker has been purchased for a while now, but it will be delivered this weekend. We were hoping to have the queen sized bed out of that room by now, but we are still looking for a place to store it for a while. Before Saturday it will be taking up our only remaining guest room. Hopefully we can find a safe home for it for the next couple years soon! We'll order the crib in the next month or so, and finally the room will start coming together. I had an image of a mobile in my head - and it's inspiration was an unbelievably ridiculous price ($400 for a non-motorized, non-musical mobile anyone!? No thank you). So, I decided to recreate my own. I think it's finally done, and I can't wait to decide where to hang it in the nursery. I can't decide if it would be better over the crib, or over the changing table/dresser. I'll just have to see the room put together before I can make that decision. For now it's hanging in the closet!
Right now I'm 24 weeks. Baby is about 14" long and weighs about 2 lbs. Of course every different site gives a different size & weight, but since I'm measuring large, I'm going with the largest estimate I find! His lungs are now secreting surfactant, which is a surface-activated fat that helps his little lungs inflate with air when he's born. He's practicing breathing now. His ears are finished forming and moving to their correct location on his head (and if he has any Pestinger in him, they are already sticking out - just like Funkle Dustin's! ;) love you Funk!). His fingernails are finished developing, and his testicles are decending.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Life's Delicate Balance
I know it's been a while since we posted anything. It's just been a busy couple of weeks!
I'm now 23 weeks along, only 17 more to go (give or take)! The lil' guy is just kicking away in there I'm fairly certain I felt my shirt move this morning he kicked so hard - Brian will be able to feel him in no time.
We went into Pottery Barn Kids last week to ask about the shipping time for their nursery furniture. They told us that the dresser that we were planning on getting was about to get marked down 10% for the floor model. It was in great condition - only a little surface dirt that will easily wash off. We got another 10% off for having it on our registry. We saved a pretty penny on it and took it home that day! Since we still have a queen sized bed in our nursery-to-be we are looking for somewhere to store that for a few years (or someone to lend it to for a few years) before we get all of the furniture in there. We need to find somewhere soon - our glider/recliner will be delivered in 2 weeks! Once we get the queen bed out of there we can tarp up the dresser & chair and paint (we've narrowed it down to 2 nearly-the-same shades of gray). Once we've painted we can order the crib and start getting the whole room together.
I decided to exercise my creative side and make a mobile instead of buy one. We already have an ipod dock that my ipod will live on for his room, so he'll have music available at all times - so the mobile being neither motorized nor musical won't be too big of an issue. Brian has been getting lots of nursery & lullibye music read to put on my ipod for him. I have all the parts and pieces that I should need for the mobile - I just need to start putting them all together. ...we'll see what I come up with and whether it's trash or treasure! (lets hope for treasure!)
I also decided to have a custom quilt made for his room instead of buying a bedding set. I booked many hours looking at fabric collections and quilt patterns and finally decided on one of each. Of course the fabric was discontinued, so it was troublesome finding it, but we finally did and a very dear family friend agreed to quilt it for us, so it's all been shipped over to her for the making of the grand masterpiece! I can't wait to see what she creates!
Brian and I have had a whirlwind of emotion the last couple of weeks.
First, a friend of mine delivered a baby who is very sick. Abigail has already outlived her projected lifespan, but everyday is unknown for them. The family is so strong and looking at the bright side with it all - they've been an inspiration to me. I feel a sense of strength keeping up with her story. I pray that I can be as strong if I ever face such a battle.
Then last weekend a very dear friend of ours suffered a heat stroke while running a warrior dash (google for more info). He's been in a desperate fight for life since then. He was rushed to the hospital with 108* body temp and has had multi-organ failure and they are doing all they can to get his organs back up in working order again. Infection, swelling of the brain, and other factors/side effects have added to the severity of his condition. Tuesday he made some progress, Wednesday was not as good, but most of the day he remained stable. Today he's made a bit more progress so far. We've visited him a couple of times and it's very hard seeing our friend like that but I know that our voices, words & presence give him strength and courage to push on to a healthy future. We are begging for any and all prayers that anyone can send up for him. Thank you for those you've sent up and continue to send any you can. My mom reminded me today to pray for his doctors and their families as well. That the doctors may do their best work and that the families may know what wonderful work their fathers/brothers/husbands are doing for the patients & their families even though the doctors families may sacrifice their time for it. So, I'm adding all of them to my prayer list as well.
These events have reminded me of how fragile life is - and how we should cherish every minute we get. I'm reminded of the wonder of the human body - and how we need to take care of it for it to be able to take care of us. I'm reminded of how much I take for granted and put off because I feel confident I can always do it later. I choose to only have a positive outlook on these situations - and to only let myself be bettered by them. My negativity or pessimism would not help or change anything. I can't do a whole lot to change the situation for either of these people/families (other than pray), but I can have a renewed respect for life and it's delicate balance and make a continuous effort to live more in the moment. Don't put off to tomorrow what you can accomplish today. I always thought of this as a work-based quote, but now I see it as a life based quote. Spend time with the ones you love now - friend & family are so often taken for granted. Pick your battles - is it worth making your time with your loved ones negative and tense when you could let it slide and just enjoy their presence in your life? I know my life is a work in progress - and this is something I will work even harder on now.
I know many of you have heard/read this before, but any prayers you can offer up for the sake of these two families/patients would be much appreciated. They need every drop of God's miracle that they can get.
I'm 23 weeks along now. Baby M can hear my voice and the things going on around him - he's growing accustomed to the music I listen to, the voices I am surrounded with, and the dogs barking (Blue talks to him a LOT)! They say he'd become accustomed to the sound of the vacuum too, but I think I'd have to get the vacuum out for him to get used to that sound. LOL! He is getting a sense of motion and can tell when I'm walking, running (ha), dancing, etc. He is just over a foot long from head to tiny toes and weighs just over a pound. He's very active - kicking and punching all of the time. Getting stronger every day. I've started having some pregnancy related carpal tunnel syndrom. My chiropractor adjusts my wrists every two weeks and it's immediate relief, although it doesn't last the full 2 weeks. He assures me that it will go away once I deliver this lil guy - I hope he's right! But it's a small price to pay for the chance to have this baby. With the extreme heat in KC lately I've had my fair share of swollen feet. Doctor said the heat contributes a lot to it and that it's not something to worry about. I'm rarely uncomfortable, so I accept it also as just a temporary inconvenience.
In case I haven't told you lately - I love you - and I cherish your presence in my life.
I'm now 23 weeks along, only 17 more to go (give or take)! The lil' guy is just kicking away in there I'm fairly certain I felt my shirt move this morning he kicked so hard - Brian will be able to feel him in no time.
We went into Pottery Barn Kids last week to ask about the shipping time for their nursery furniture. They told us that the dresser that we were planning on getting was about to get marked down 10% for the floor model. It was in great condition - only a little surface dirt that will easily wash off. We got another 10% off for having it on our registry. We saved a pretty penny on it and took it home that day! Since we still have a queen sized bed in our nursery-to-be we are looking for somewhere to store that for a few years (or someone to lend it to for a few years) before we get all of the furniture in there. We need to find somewhere soon - our glider/recliner will be delivered in 2 weeks! Once we get the queen bed out of there we can tarp up the dresser & chair and paint (we've narrowed it down to 2 nearly-the-same shades of gray). Once we've painted we can order the crib and start getting the whole room together.
I decided to exercise my creative side and make a mobile instead of buy one. We already have an ipod dock that my ipod will live on for his room, so he'll have music available at all times - so the mobile being neither motorized nor musical won't be too big of an issue. Brian has been getting lots of nursery & lullibye music read to put on my ipod for him. I have all the parts and pieces that I should need for the mobile - I just need to start putting them all together. ...we'll see what I come up with and whether it's trash or treasure! (lets hope for treasure!)
I also decided to have a custom quilt made for his room instead of buying a bedding set. I booked many hours looking at fabric collections and quilt patterns and finally decided on one of each. Of course the fabric was discontinued, so it was troublesome finding it, but we finally did and a very dear family friend agreed to quilt it for us, so it's all been shipped over to her for the making of the grand masterpiece! I can't wait to see what she creates!
Brian and I have had a whirlwind of emotion the last couple of weeks.
First, a friend of mine delivered a baby who is very sick. Abigail has already outlived her projected lifespan, but everyday is unknown for them. The family is so strong and looking at the bright side with it all - they've been an inspiration to me. I feel a sense of strength keeping up with her story. I pray that I can be as strong if I ever face such a battle.
Then last weekend a very dear friend of ours suffered a heat stroke while running a warrior dash (google for more info). He's been in a desperate fight for life since then. He was rushed to the hospital with 108* body temp and has had multi-organ failure and they are doing all they can to get his organs back up in working order again. Infection, swelling of the brain, and other factors/side effects have added to the severity of his condition. Tuesday he made some progress, Wednesday was not as good, but most of the day he remained stable. Today he's made a bit more progress so far. We've visited him a couple of times and it's very hard seeing our friend like that but I know that our voices, words & presence give him strength and courage to push on to a healthy future. We are begging for any and all prayers that anyone can send up for him. Thank you for those you've sent up and continue to send any you can. My mom reminded me today to pray for his doctors and their families as well. That the doctors may do their best work and that the families may know what wonderful work their fathers/brothers/husbands are doing for the patients & their families even though the doctors families may sacrifice their time for it. So, I'm adding all of them to my prayer list as well.
These events have reminded me of how fragile life is - and how we should cherish every minute we get. I'm reminded of the wonder of the human body - and how we need to take care of it for it to be able to take care of us. I'm reminded of how much I take for granted and put off because I feel confident I can always do it later. I choose to only have a positive outlook on these situations - and to only let myself be bettered by them. My negativity or pessimism would not help or change anything. I can't do a whole lot to change the situation for either of these people/families (other than pray), but I can have a renewed respect for life and it's delicate balance and make a continuous effort to live more in the moment. Don't put off to tomorrow what you can accomplish today. I always thought of this as a work-based quote, but now I see it as a life based quote. Spend time with the ones you love now - friend & family are so often taken for granted. Pick your battles - is it worth making your time with your loved ones negative and tense when you could let it slide and just enjoy their presence in your life? I know my life is a work in progress - and this is something I will work even harder on now.
I know many of you have heard/read this before, but any prayers you can offer up for the sake of these two families/patients would be much appreciated. They need every drop of God's miracle that they can get.
I'm 23 weeks along now. Baby M can hear my voice and the things going on around him - he's growing accustomed to the music I listen to, the voices I am surrounded with, and the dogs barking (Blue talks to him a LOT)! They say he'd become accustomed to the sound of the vacuum too, but I think I'd have to get the vacuum out for him to get used to that sound. LOL! He is getting a sense of motion and can tell when I'm walking, running (ha), dancing, etc. He is just over a foot long from head to tiny toes and weighs just over a pound. He's very active - kicking and punching all of the time. Getting stronger every day. I've started having some pregnancy related carpal tunnel syndrom. My chiropractor adjusts my wrists every two weeks and it's immediate relief, although it doesn't last the full 2 weeks. He assures me that it will go away once I deliver this lil guy - I hope he's right! But it's a small price to pay for the chance to have this baby. With the extreme heat in KC lately I've had my fair share of swollen feet. Doctor said the heat contributes a lot to it and that it's not something to worry about. I'm rarely uncomfortable, so I accept it also as just a temporary inconvenience.
In case I haven't told you lately - I love you - and I cherish your presence in my life.
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