Jan. 29, 2009

Well, nothing major has happened. But, I figured it was time to publish a post about Michael's activity level. I've been feeling fairly strong kicks for a couple of weeks now, definitely more than a flutter. Unfortunately, Thomas hasn't been able to catch one yet :(

He is one active little fellow and I'm still getting used to them, as they are still catching me off guard a lot of the time and will leave me with a surprised expression on my face mid-conversation. It's funny because sometimes, it feels like he's kicking on one side and then punching up a storm on the other side of my stomach - I think he knows Karate! And the other night was the first time I've felt him kick against anything inside, it felt like he was dancing on my bladder.

I've been busy reading my childbirthing books and practicing to be prepared for natural labor. Our first class is this Sunday from 1-5, so we'll see how it goes!

Jan. 13th - Glucose Results

Ok, got the call today that my test results are in. So, went to the website and logged on after saying a little prayer, and.... YES.... results are ok!! Woo-hoo, no gestational diabetes to worry about what I eat for the next 3 1/2 months! Thank goodness!

Jan. 8th - Glucose Test

Today was the nasty glucose test. Please, please, please let it be good news (I don't want to count carbs, etc for the rest of pregnancy!). They have you drink a super sugary drink in less than 5 minutes and then they do bloodwork to test for glucose levels.

It was a 10 oz. orange drink. Started off not tasting too badly for the first few gulps. Then, YUCK! It was so sugary it started to feel like I was swallowing nails. Then, I was so loaded up on sugar, they of course had me wait 45 minutes in a hot, stuffy waiting room. Oh my Goodness!!!!

Then, they of course had trouble getting my vein, it kept popping over to the side. But, after 5+ pricks we finally got it, thank goodness!

Rest of the visit went well. His heartbeat is strong and I'm gaining weight exactly at the rate I should be (3/4 pound a week, even over the holidays!! Go me!). I'm starting to get much bigger now. Next visit will be my last monthly visit, then I'll be going to every other week.

Crib

Here is a picture of Michael's beautiful crib. Thank you Mom Starr! In putting it together, it seemed to be nice, heavy-duty construction and looks beautiful put together.

Saturday Jan. 3, 2009 - Baby Registry!!!

Today was a busy, busy day. But, lots of fun too! I started the day off by going to the hair dresser and getting my hair cut by an actual hair dresser for the first time in over 5 years. I really liked the girl who cut my hair and it's very convenient, so we'll try again next time.

Then, Mom and Berna came by and picked me up for our Baby Registry outing. We went to lunch at PF Chang's and had a wonderful "sampling" lunch together. Ate like pigs, had some laughs, and had a good time.

Babies R Us is right across the street, so next step, baby registry setup (ugghhh). I convinced Mom Starr to come along and help me with this huge task since I'm pretty much an idiot when it comes to what to get. I had spent the week studying the Baby Bargains book (which everyone had recommended), which I found to be very helpful. So, we started off with me using the scanner, and Mom Starr quickly stole it from me because I was taking too long and doing too much "bargain shopping." Surprise, surprise. "It's a registry," she said, "let people get you what you like!" I just can't help it I guess.

We also picked out our crib (which we will bring home tomorrow), and picked out some adorable bedding to go with it. Very boyish with courderoy and sports.

So, we completed the headache of a task in about an hour and I can honestly say that by the time we were done, I had NO IDEA what we had registered for!

We spent the rest of the evening stopping at Queen of Hearts Antiques, Dover Saddlery, and finished up at Tractor Supply Co. (where we found a great wagon with sun shade). By the time we got back home it was 8:00! Whewww! What a day.

Thanks Mom and Berna for making it a bearable trip!

Dec. 25, 2008 - Christmas

Well, we had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner over at the Starrs, as well as a nice Christmas Eve service at church next door last night. We did however have a bit of excitement when the motor on the wiper blades went out on the way home during torrential rain! Good thing we were almost home, we couldn't see a darn thing. 

Woke up Christmas morning and had Christmas together at home. Thomas got me the sweetest surprise too. I was almost done unwrapping all of my gifts and there was a blue box back behind the tree that Thomas insisted he knew nothing about. When I looked at the label, it was a custom label that said "to Michael, From his Mommy." I opened it to find Twilight Turtle ( a really cool turtle that projects the constellations onto the ceiling in different colors that I had wanted for the nursery). Thomas finally owned up to putting it together for me... He also got me a Sony Cybershot camera so I can take tons of picture of Michael when he gets here!

Spent the rest of the morning/afternoon over at the Starrs again for brunch, presents, and played with Gavin with his new castle toy from Gigi.

Here is a picture Thomas took of me the day after Christmas in front of the tree. Hard to show how much bigger my stomach has actually gotten!

Dec. 11, 2008 - It's a BOY! (continued)

Dec. 11, 2008 - It's a BOY!

We had our ultrasound appointment today. It's a BOY! He measured in at 13 oz and at the 71 percentile. They commented on the big hands and feet (oh boy...). 45 minutes in the ultrasound. He was moving so much that they had a difficult time taking all of the measurements, etc. It was funny because he was "talking" the whole time too. So amazing to see how much he already responds to outside stimulus. She would poke at my stomach to get him to move where she needed him and it was like he would try to hit back. Just too amazing though to see all the fingers, toes, eyes, ears, chin, mouth, etc already! And everything looks good with his heart, which is a blessing. 

Of course, when they weighed me in, 12 pound gain (whew!). Boy, that seems like a lot but they said I'm right on track.

He'll be named after his grandpa - Michael Thomas Starr