36 Weeks

I really thought I would be better at updating this...but here again it's been awhile. Tomorrow I will be 36 weeks pregnant, only 4 weeks to go (give or take a couple weeks since they come at their own rate) until baby Ashlyn Mariah Anderson arrives! We are getting very excited! I had my first baby shower in February and got wonderful gifts from my friends and family. (Pictures below). And for my shower my mom gave me the quilt and other nursery bedding that she made for Ashlyn's room and it turned out perfect. We recently bought a dresser and rocking chair for the nursery and got a changing table from Nick's sister and so the room is really coming along. Mostly we just need to put some wall art up and maybe some shelves and a few other touches and it will be ready. Its been very fun.

We finished our childbirth classes up last night. Our classes were wonderful and so informative. We have done our hospital's birth center tour and are feeling pretty ready. We just need to work on practicing the relaxation skills we learned in our class to use during labor to help deal with the pain

As far as we can tell, baby Ashlyn seems to be doing well and is facing head down. On March 17th I will have another ultrasound to check on the fibrous growth I have on my uterus and make sure it is stable, as well as get a final chance to see the baby on the inside before she makes her appearance in the world. As far as how I am feeling, things are getting pretty uncomfortable, as is expected. The worst part has been some pretty bad back pain that leaves a burning sensation down my back and just achiness in general. The good thing is that the past 3 days or so that has seemed to be better and much more bearable, so I am thankful to God for that. We decided I should quit my job a little earlier than I planned to because of the back pain, which seems to get worse as the day progresses at work. My last day at work will therefore be March 18th, which gives me just 5 more days of work! I am pretty happy to let my body rest more and to be able to feel like the house and the nursery are ready for this baby girl to arrive. And I do not intend to return to work after the baby comes, as I have always desired to stay at home with my children to give them the attention and love they need and train them up. It will be quite the adjustment going from watching many many kids at work to just watching one at home.

Well, that's all for now, except for the pictures for you to look at!

The quilt for the nursery, purple and green bird theme, made by my mom! 

 

 

 

The baby shower cake

me opening gifts

my friend Katy, who did a wonderful job at hosting my shower

My mom, me, and Nick's mom....the two proud grandmas! Both are about to have their first granddaughters!

Some maternity photos taken Feb. 19, at 34 weeks pregnant

The crib look

The mobile I found that matched at Marshalls!

Some wall art I am currently working on framing, made by me with scrapbooking paper!

3rd Trimester Is Here!

Well I didn't realize it but 6 weeks have passed since my last post. I guess time is escaping me. We have been busy planning the baby's room, registering, taking childbirth classes, and getting through the holidays right after moving. The 2nd trimester was a busy one.

I am excited to be 28 weeks pregnant. It is really real how soon this baby will be here! As we get items for the baby into the baby's room it all becomes more real.My mom is working on a quilt, crib skirt, bumpers, and a window valence for the baby!  Our childbirth classes have been wonderful. We are learning the Bradley Method and going to try to do a natural birth with Nick coaching me though it with what we are learning in the class. I am getting a little more nervous about the labor and delivery but feel really glad that I will be prepared for what may happen. 

I am feeling pretty good and enjoying our little girls kicks and punches and feeling her move around. The ultrasounds have been wonderful to see. And the great news is that the fibrous growth on my uterus has remained stable over the last month, thank you God! The belly is getting big and people are noticing it everywhere I go now. I officially don't fit in all my pre-pregnancy shirts.

We may have settled on a name for our baby girl as well. At this point in time, we think we are naming her Ashlyn Mariah. We have liked the name Ashlyn for several years and I have always liked the name Mariah as well, and we think they sound beautiful together.

28 weeks pregnant

 Our plans for the next couple months are just preparing the baby's room, preparing ourselves for parenthood, finding a good pediatrician, touring the birth center, and hopefully getting some relaxing time in. I look forward to staying home with our baby once she is born. Here are a couple pictures from today!

22 weeks and 5 days

Hi again. This Saturday marks the start of my 23rd week of pregnancy. The belly has really started changing now to the point that I have surrendered all of my pre-pregnancy pants and get to wear much more comfortable maternity pants. Our baby is about a pound now and moves around and kicks all the time, well, mostly when I am relaxing.It is such a great feeling!  This part of pregnancy is really fun and the fact that we really are having a baby is "kicking in".

I didn't post after my last appointment (the 20 week) but the baby seemed healthy, heartbeat was good and strong, and things are coming a long. I was told, however, after my ultrasound,  that I have a fibrous growth on my uterus that they want to monitor by ultrasound every 4 weeks. Supposedly this is common and usually doesn't cause any problems, but sometimes it can block the birth canal depending on how large it grows and where exactly on the uterus it is so they need to keep an eye on it. So, I will get to see my baby by ultrasound much more than expected, which is the fun part. I'm praying the growth doesn't cause any issues for the health of the baby or for the delivery.

Since my last post we have been busy...we moved into a bigger apartment that has a 3rd bedroom, so our baby now has a bedroom. Well, right now it is storing some of the stuff we have yet to unpack or find a place for, but it will eventually be her bedroom. My mom and sister got the baby some clothes, books, and toys and my mom gave me a bunch of the dresses that I wore when I was a baby, which is pretty special. They are adorable. It is exciting to be buying and getting stuff for our little girl.  The biggest thing on my mind right now is deciding on a theme for the nursery, as my mom is going to make a quilt for the crib. I believe I found a pattern I like, just have to find fabric. Once I decide I will post a picture.

12/9/2010   at 22 weeks and 5 days

My mom and I at Thanksgiving, about 21 weeks

A picture my mom took of Nick and I at Thanksgiving, about 21 weeks pregnant

Well, that's the update for now, Enjoy the pictures of my growing belly!

It's a GIRL!

Yesterday, November 9th, we found out that we are having a little baby girl! Well, at least they were about 85-90% sure (there's always that margin of error until the baby is born!) . Our ultrasound went well and our girl seemed to be growing healthy and her organs were as they should be. She is the size she should be for my due date of April 9th. Although we were ready for either a boy or a girl, just praying that it was healthy, I am pretty happy that it is a girl, as I feel as though I bond with little girls better and I LOVE shopping for little girls. Early in the pregnancy I could only picture the baby as a girl, in fact, but as time went on, I began to realize it could be a boy too! I guess my initial instincts were right, but I thought it may just be wishful thinking. Although Nick was sorta hoping for a boy, he really is happy and just glad it is healthy. We are so excited and I am really looking forward to picking out girly stuff that's actually for my own baby this time!! Pictures of the sonogram are posted!!

16 weeks

Today I had my 16-week appointment. I met with a different midwife this time (there are 3 where I go) whose name was Megan. I was nervous about meeting her because I am pretty sure she just finished her midwife schooling, but I absolutely loved her. She was personable, open to questions, and knowledgeable. I liked that she explained things to me, which the last midwife didn't do (come to find out that one is leaving in a couple months anyway). As of right now, I am kinda hoping Megan will deliver our baby, but we'll see who is on-call when that happens.

The appointment went well. We heard the baby's heartbeat and Megan said it sounded good. She measured me and everything seems to be going normal. The most exciting thing was that she gave me my referral to go get my big ultrasound where we get to find out the sex of our baby as well as see how his/her body and organs are looking. My appointment is November 9th at 8am. I don't look forward to drinking 24 oz of water in a short amount of time and then holding it in for over an hour...a bit nervous about that since I don't drink a lot at once usually. But I guess I have to! So excited that in 2 1/2 weeks (if baby cooperates) we will know what we are having. Can't wait to pick out baby stuff. And so far, 2nd trimester has been great! I have more energy, don't get sick anymore, and I don't spend Saturdays laying on the couch doing nothing anymore. I know this will change in the 3rd tri so I am enjoying it! I am so thankful to God for this pregnancy.

Heartbeat- 12 weeks

Today we had our 12-week appointment and met another of the midwives at the office. Since they ended up doing an ultrasound at my 10-week, they didn't do one this time, but this time we were finally able to hear the heartbeat. She said it sounded good and healthy and every thing else seemed fine too. We are still so excited that this baby is healthy and it was once again great to just have confirmation that things are going well. I am starting to have more energy now and the nausea is almost gone, with only some slight sensitivity to smells at this point. The last couple weeks I was so tired especially in the evenings that I just laid around and waiting til 9pm so I could go to bed! I had a couple Saturdays where I did nothing all day. It was very unlike me. But now I am doing better, able to clean around the house and get things done and even wanting to go out. I am thankful that the energy is coming back! At least for a few months. My belly is starting to be a bit more obvious to people who know me, so that is fun, and the pants are getting tighter, so I will be coming up with ways to keep wearing my clothes over the next couple months before I really need to buy a new maternity wardrobe. That's the update for now!

First Baby Anderson Sighting 9/10/2010

Baby Anderson, 9/10/2010

Today Nick and I went to our first appointment at the Midwife's office, feeling both excited and nervous. I was mostly nervous that for some reason the baby wouldn't be alive, which really is silly because I FEEL pregnant all the time, but still....the anxiety. The first appointment is a lot of talking about medical history and background, peeing in a cup, and blood samples, and also an attempt to hear the baby's heartbeat. Well, we couldn't hear the baby's heartbeat. I was feeling pretty bummed because I just really wanted confirmation. It turns out one of the midwives had time to do an ultrasound though...so instead of hearing the heartbeat, we got to SEE our little baby's heart beating!!!! And see its adorable tiny feet and hands and body (and large head). It was so exciting and it felt so good to see a little human inside me with a heart beating! The nurse thinks at this point that I am about 10 weeks and 2 days and the estimated due date for now is around April 8th-10th, as we suspected. We are so thankful to God for this little life growing inside me and for the chance to see it today. And, sorry folks, there was ONLY ONE BABY inside me. No twins. :)