Ian's Antics

Snow Day Cookies

2012-01-12T17:24:00.000-06:00

For most of January, we've seen weather in the 40s and 50s. Not that I've minded, but I've really been looking forward to seeing Ian enjoy snow this winter.
As if to answer my wish, God sent us some beautiful snow! Lots of it too, and I'm quite excited. However, at a mere 19 degrees (Yesterday was 54!) I thought it best to keep my little guy warm inside. This doesn't mean we didn't have fun though.
After his nap today, Ian helped me make Snow Day Cookies!

Of course, above you only see pictures of the finished product, but there was quite a bit of fun in the baking process.

As Mommy was mixing the batter, Ian figured he would contemplate the cookie topping. Sprinkles look pretty good. I rolled out the cookies, and Ian figured he would help me decorate. I won't explain...just watch. :D

After that snafu, we got a batch baked, and Ian could finally eat his cookie. (Can you tell which one was his from the first set of pictures. p.s. - It isn't the really big one). I thought he would shove the whole thing in his mouth like he typically does with cookies. He sure surprised me.

He started picking the sprinkles off the cookie! I guess he really liked those sprinkles! After he got them off, he decided to poke at the cookie. Haha. Silly guy.

Although I've made quite a few cookies in my time, I don't know if I've had this much fun doing so in a long time. When you have a 1 1/2 year old as your assistant, I suppose he will make everything more enjoyable. I think sprinkle face had fun with it too. :D

The Great Battle of the Nap

2012-01-03T14:41:00.000-06:00

I know this video is dark, but let me set the stage for you. Right now, Ian is supposed to be laying down for his nap. You are looking at his door. Hopefully you can hear a little bit of the activity of what's going on inside. This little boy is a trip. Enjoy...

This is probably the 5th time I've caught him out of bed at nap time. Oh, the times of transitioning from a crib to a toddler bed. I tell you what...it's something else. I have to keep reminding myself not to laugh at his antics, thus reinforcing his nap evasion behavior. It is kind of funny though to see what he tries to come up with to fight off sleep.

I will say though, that last night went better than the first night. The first night, between the hours of 4 and 6:30 am, Ian decided he wanted to get out of bed every 10-20 minutes and run into Mommy and Daddy's room. Daddy finally camped out with him, because he wouldn't stay in bed any other way. Last night, we put him down around 9 pm, and didn't hear a peep from his little pitter pattering feet until almost 9:30 this morning!

I'm just hoping nap time today doesn't reflect what tonight is going to look like.

The joys of parenting - even with all these "battles", I wouldn't have it any other way.

Just for Fun

2011-12-31T23:22:00.000-06:00

Ian has mastered a new word...

So far it's mostly cute. Let's just hope he doesn't get all sassy with it. :-)

A Letter from Mommy

2011-12-23T13:19:00.000-06:00

Hi Ian.

It's a couple days before Christmas, and I just wanted to take a moment or two to write you a note and try to tell you just how much I LOVE You!

Christmas is one of my very favorite times of year, Ian. I think you will like it a lot too as you get older. As you know, it's a time when we get to celebrate Jesus' birthday. I hope that Daddy and I will properly convey to you as you grow just how incredible it was that Jesus came as a little baby to live with us - and how awesome it is to be able to celebrate Him!
I also love Christmas for the love that surrounds the season. The time we spend intentionally thinking of others, the time to spend with family (like grandpas, grandmas, aunts, uncles, and of course each other!), the effort put forth to beautify the house by decorating with trees and ornaments, stockings and lights. It's a beautiful time of year.

I know this is your 2nd Christmas, Ian. And from the first day I knew of you, I've always seen you as my gift from God. My boy, you make mommy SO happy, and I love you more than words can describe. I love to watch you grow and to spend time with you. I love what you are learning and love watching you explore your world. You are truly a gift - I think that every single day, even days when you're a stinker. :]
Although I am always see you as a gift, I've been particularly thankful for you in this Christmas season. We've told you a little bit about Adaiah. I know you are too young to understand now, and that's ok. Mommy misses Adaiah, buddy. Even though he/she wouldn't have been with us yet this Christmas even if he/she were alive, I still miss having our little baby around for this holiday. I would have loved to celebrate with Adaiah. Maybe you would get "big brother" things. Maybe you could help us decorate a new nursery for your new little brother/sister. I know you would have had a lot of fun - and I know you will make a GREAT big brother someday.
Ian, even though Mommy misses Adaiah, I am extra thankful for you because of the joy that you bring. I thank God extra for you, because if I didn't have my Ian-gift, I think I would be a great big mess (even more than I already am). I am so thankful that I have you to hold and cuddle, to play with, to sing to, to read to, to go for walks with, to feed, to change diapers, to go on car rides with - to enjoy every moment of the brightness you bring to my life.

I will tell you every single day that I love you. I promise to convey to you every day what an incredible gift from God you are. And I promise to do my very best to help you appreciate the meaning of Christmas - the love that brought Jesus down to be a baby, (just like you were), so that we can know God and enjoy all the incredible gifts He's given to us.

Merry Christmas, Ian!

Love,
Mommy

Halloween Fun

2011-11-01T09:20:00.000-05:00

I realize I'm a little late on this, but we had quite a bit of fun this Halloween season.

Our little pumpkin hit up 2 trunk or treats (yes, I spelled that right) and the city's Safe Halloween. He has more candy than any 17 month old would ever know what to do with!

He loved playing the trunk or treat games. Especially the washer one; he kept going back again and again.

Now the trick is, keeping him from eating way too many treats. I have to find all these new and innovative ways to hide the basket. Ian sniffs it out like a pro!

On a different note - I've been trying to do much better with taking pictures, so hopefully I'll be more consistent with posting Ian's Antics. He's an active little boy, so I won't promise posts every day or anything, but I'm at least aiming for more than once a month. :-)

Young Love

2011-10-10T00:57:00.001-05:00

So, Ian has this adorable little girlfriend.

Ian doesn't look really happy in this photo, but that's only because he was tired. He's a big fan of little H. Too bad we're leaving Janesville. However, with her protective Daddy, maybe it's better for Ian. He snuck a kiss today, as well as laying on the hugs pretty thick. He knows a pretty lady when he sees one. :)

I think it's funny that we "arrange" things like this for our kids. But it's fun and, seriously, I know Ian is the cutest little boy every, and H. is a top contender for cutest little girl ever. I think they'd make a good match. ;-)

Do the Potty Dance!

2011-09-15T21:00:00.001-05:00

Two nights ago, we bought Ian a potty chair. Yes, he's just shy of 16 months, so perhaps it's a little early, but we wanted to give it a try. Yesterday, we started him out just by getting him used to sitting on the chair. Mostly just with clothes on, but a couple times without. He wasn't so sure about the whole experience at first, but then he figured out this potty chair was his chair and he loved it.
Tonight, we set him on the potty for a little bit before he went to bed. It seemed like he was just going to sit there and play around. After a little while, he went to get up (he still needs a little help getting off the potty). As I picked him up, I saw he went pee in the potty! Way to go Ian!!! So we threw him a small little party. High fives, hugs and cheers all around. :)
I know there's still a looong way to go before we reach "potty trained" status, but it's one small step. So exciting.
He's getting so big. Proud of my boy.

Flying Time

2011-07-04T21:51:00.000-05:00

I realize I haven't posted here forever. I blame it on no regular internet connection. So, here is a short post just to catch everyone up.

Ian is now just over 13 months. (I know, crazy, right?!)

Things he can do: Walk, run, babble (he isn't a quiet little guy), put objects into containers (he's working on shape sorting toys), play hide and seek, pick out the object we ask him to find, climb furniture...probably others, but at the moment, that's what I can think of.

He's a big fan of dancing, playing in water, looking at trees (or most anything outside), and making music - mostly with drums, but he has recently discovered the piano. I wouldn't say he's any Mozart or anything, but he sure has fun making sounds. :-)

I have so many pictures it's a little ridiculous. I cannot post them all here, but I do have quite a few on facebook, as does Ryan.

Anyway, I know this is super short and there is much that is missing between this and my last post. I will try to be consistent again. Ian is growing up quite quickly after all.

Conversations with Daddy

2010-10-08T13:21:00.000-05:00

Hey, You with the Face

2010-10-01T12:51:00.024-05:00

Seriously...just look at this kid. Way too cute.

A little worried about what that little black thing is that's being held in front of my face.

I have found my fingers, and I enjoy eating them.

Why yes, I am the coolest baby in town.

Sup?

Really, doesn't this just make you smile? Even on a bad day, it works every time.

So cute at his first baseball game. We went to see the Brewers.

Ian's Book

2010-09-13T10:47:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

The Croup Monster

2010-09-09T12:26:00.032-05:00

I really wish I knew, as a mommy, all the ailments my little boy might face. Sure, we've mastered the sniffles and gassy tummy. However, I was not prepared to be woken in the middle of the night to my baby boy sounding like an old man suffering from emphysema. This is for those new mommies who have never yet fought the croup monster off. Take heart, you can make it through!

I woke up to Ian coughing around 1:30 a.m. It wasn't a typical cough though; it was dry sounding and had almost no power behind it. I went in to pick him up and I was terrified at the way he was breathing. It sounded so horrible, like he was congested, but about 10x worse. It also didn't help any that it seemed he was fighting for every breath. And his cry...oh that sad little cry...he knew something wasn't right with his body. But his cry sounded so weak, I was sure there was something very wrong with my son.
Ryan tried to calm me, but just listening to Ian breath...I had to take him to the E.R. if for no other reason than my peace of mind. Fortunately, the ER doc couldn't tell us what was ailing Ian. He did tell us that he was getting plenty of oxygen though, so we left with that and scheduled an appointment with Dr. Julie in the morning.

Oh Dr. Julie. I love this woman. You can really tell when someone likes their job. If you are in the Janesville area, I highly recommend her. Anyway...I digress.
She looks at Ian for about 30 seconds (no kidding) and says, "Sounds like he's got croup." Well, there you have it. Problem is identified, which means a solution is near at hand. Ian is given some steriods and a breathing treatment from this cool dinosaur breathing mask.

Granted, Ian did not much enjoy the cold vapor coming through the said mask, but it was awfully cute even in a distressing time.

Now the assignment is to get a filter for our humidifier, as I am told that helps a lot. Also steamy rooms, or taking the child out in chilly air. Again, I just want to be helpful for any of you new mamas who might stumble across this monster.

So thankfully, with the help of a cool pediatrician, a little dinosaur mask, and some helpful tips and tricks to try at home, I expect The Croup Monster to be defeated. Whew...

2 Videos

2010-07-22T17:50:00.010-05:00

Just thought I would post a couple videos for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

7/22/2010 - Ian on his first trip on an airplane. Headed for Family Camp in Wisconsin!

7/22/2010 - Ian giving his update after his two month check-up.

2 Month Update

2010-07-22T17:43:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it? Ian will be 2 months old tomorrow! I would save this post for then, but we will be leaving for Texarkana tomorrow for the weekend, and I didn't want to forget to get all this great info up here.

So yes; 2 months! We went in for Ian's well visit today. The little guy did great. There was the typical measurements of weight and length. You won't believe this!

This is Ian's growth chart for his weight. I don't know if you can see the bold, red line, but that's where he is at for 2 months. He shot up from about the 50th percentile at his 2 week visit to about the 95th percentile today! So help me, if one more person makes a comment about me having a starving baby...well, I'll just show them his chart!

These next two are his charts for his head circumference (he's a tad over 50%) and for his length (he's pretty much right at 50%).

What all that breaks down to for those of you who don't understand the percentile thing (don't feel bad, I don't totally get it either) is that Ian now weighs 14 lbs, 4.5 oz.; he is 22 inches long, and his head circumference is now 40 cm (I think it was 40 anyway...). Basically, he's a big boy. It's funny hearing everyones comments about his rolls. He certainly has plenty of them. Good pinch-able cheeks too. :D

This has been a big month for Ian though. Ian experienced his first major holiday (July 4th). We went to a family friend's house and shot of fireworks. Ian was quite intrigued. Here is a picture of him though beating the heat at the July 4th church picnic.

The biggest thing probably is that we went on our first family vacation to Sky Lodge Christian Camp in Montello, WI. That's a long way from Albuquerque, so we got to fly. Yes, Ian has his wings.

He did so well! From Albuquerque to Wisconsin, he pretty much slept through both flights. On the way back, he was awake for most of the trip, but he just looked around like the curious little guy he is. Mommy and Daddy were proud of their little man.

Family Camp was a ton of fun, and Ian got to meet (and be held by) lots of great people; friends we love and miss dearly. He got to see Grandpa Doug and Uncle Kevin again too. We think he enjoyed the whole experience.

If you want to see our pictures from that week, you can check out Ryan's facebook page.

First family photo taken at Sky Lodge Christian Camp. We hope to have more taken in the future!

I think that's about all for my update right now. I do try to post more pictures on my facebook page, so if you're getting antsy to see pictures, or if you want to see the wider collection of them, please check in there often.

As always, thanks for checking in with us. 'Til next time!

Growin' On Up

2010-06-28T21:32:00.000-05:00

Ian is 5 weeks and 1 day old now. I can't believe it! Time certainly flies.

Here's a picture of our little guy at 1 month.

At 1 month old, Ian was 11.8 pounds and 22 inches long. He's definitely getting bigger, and giving me a workout whenever I hold him. :) He's getting stronger though too. He's holding up his head so well. You can see it in the picture.

He's starting to grasp things too. The other day, Ryan was changing his diaper, and Ian reached out and picked up the bottle of hand sanitizer that was on the changing table. He usually gets a pretty good grasp on our shirt collars too when we're trying to put him in bed. It's like he doesn't want to go to sleep or something...

Speaking of sleep, things are going pretty well most nights. He's gotten to the point when he will sleep for about 4 hours at a time. On Father's Day, we started putting him in the nursery for the night instead of in our room. It was kind of a rough adjustment for me at first, but I'm getting used to it. I think it helps both him and Ryan & I sleep better. And I now know that I can definitely trust our monitor. Actually, I have learned that I can trust Ryan to hear Ian on the monitor, go to the nursery to get him and bring him in to our room so I can feed him. :) It's a pretty good system.

We're having lots of fun as he grows up though. He sat in his Bumbo chair for the first time today. He did so well! See for yourself...

Hopefully I will be better about posting on here. With family here and just getting adjusted to having a baby, I haven't wanted to spend a whole lot of time on the computer, so I haven't. But now with a new video camera (thanks again, Dad) hopefully we'll have some fun videos to post. And of course there will be lots of pictures.

We created a site on Shutterfly that I can upload all my pictures and videos of Ian to. If you want the website, please leave a comment or contact me and I will give you the site and the password.

Oh, and the nursery is done now. Dad helped get Ian's name on the wall. (I had them painted a few weeks ago, just never hung them up.) I will do my best to get pictures of that up soon.

So there you have it. Our boy is growing away. I keep telling him to slow down, but he doesn't listen. :) It's ok, we still love him. And actually, we are really enjoying watching him grow, but it really is going by fast.

A Birth Story

2010-05-30T22:43:00.000-05:00

Now that Ian is one week old, I suppose it's about time that I update with details about his birth.

I guess things really started Saturday night. Ryan, Janet and I were playing Scattergories; having a good ol' time. I was having some cramps, but nothing unusual. However, when I stood up to get ready to go to bed, I found I couldn't bend over at all. I finally made it into bed, but it seemed like as soon as I laid down, I started getting contractions. They seemed regular enough, so I had Ryan start timing them. It was just after 11 pm.
We went into the hospital at 1:30 am after contractions were consistently 5-6 minutes apart. Unfortunately, all those contractions weren't really doing anything. After several hours at the hospital, they sent me home until I got into more active labor. So at 5:30 we went home to try to get some sleep. Unfortunately for Ryan, he had to get up to be at church, so he went the rest of this adventure with practically no sleep.

I was able to sleep a couple of hours without waking up from the contractions. Then at 9:30 my water broke, and we knew we were in active labor. This was it. Back to the hospital we went.
Honestly, I can't really give too many details as to what happened the rest of the day. It was pretty much a blur. I got checked in, had lots of contractions, tried to sleep in between them, and the day just sort of went on.
I do remember having lots of back labor because Ian was a little booger and was turned face forward. He finally turned around before making his appearance, but it wasn't until almost the very end of labor. I did ask for some pain medication for my back, but other than that Ian came all naturally.

I have to say though, there was no way I could have done it without Ryan and Janet. Poor Ryan went all day with no sleep, and Janet didn't have much either. But there was never a time when at least one of them wasn't with me. They were both my heroes though and I was so thankful for them for sticking with me through 8 hours of active labor.

But yes, finally, at 5:29 pm, Ian Gabriel was born and I got to hold him for the very first time. It was sweet relief to finally be done, but even sweeter to see my boy.

Now he is a week old, and I have loved every single day we've had with him so far. I really have not minded getting up in the middle of the night several times for feedings or diaper changes. I love being a mom. I love just watching my son. I love to see Ryan with him. I love that this little boy is so loved. He is a miracle and a joy in our lives. We are truly blessed.

I'll leave you with a few pictures. There are much more between Ryan's and my facebook pages. You can also look at the grandma's pages (Becky Traxler and Jayme Barry) for other pictures. Enjoy them!

He's Here!!!

2010-05-26T00:33:00.000-05:00

I don't have pictures at the moment, but they are coming soon. But...

Ian Gabriel Klein is here!
We welcomed him at 5:29 pm on Sunday, May 23rd. He weighed 8 pounds 12 ounces and was 20 inches long.

He's a beautiful little boy and I can't wait to show you all pictures. Be looking for some soon. :-D

Nursery!

2010-05-19T10:33:00.001-05:00

So the nursery is 99% ready, and I have pictures to post!

The only reason I say 99% is that we got the letters in Mooner's real name to hang and put right above the crib, but we can't put those up until he's here, lest we spoil the surprise.

So, without further ado... Mooner's nursery.

View from the doorway

This wall is Ryan's pride and joy. Lots of baseball stuff. :)

Sitting space. The futon also makes this our guest bedroom. (Don't worry though, we have a play pen so our guests won't have to stay up with a crying baby. So please come visit.) :)

The crib. His name will go between those two pieces of wall art, and it's going to be super cute.

If you want to see more pictures, and a few from different angles, you can check out Ryan's facebook page. He's getting pretty excited about having Mooner here too, as you can tell by the fact that he's much better about getting the pictures up than I am.

A quick update on me and Mooner:

All is going well. We're having weekly dr. visits now, and so far everything has been pretty much routine. He's still getting bigger, and though he's not doing the flips in the womb like before, he's still pretty active.

I know he's not due for another couple of weeks, but I keep telling him that especially since I'm done working and the nursery is ready, Mommy and Daddy really wouldn't mind if he came any day now. :) Soon enough, I suppose. We're just really close and I can't wait!

I will try to get at least one more belly bump shot for you all. If not though, be tuned in here because he's coming in the near future. So hopefully soon you'll get to see some photos of Mooner himself. :)

Showered

2010-04-26T14:12:00.001-05:00

Admittedly, I've been pretty bad at updating this lately. So sorry, but hopefully this post will make up for it. There's quite a few pictures to share, and a few exciting things to tell.

Since I haven't posted one for almost a month, here are the most recent belly bump shots.

This is what I see every time I look down. No feet and a growing belly bump. I know it's not the typical profile shot, but I thought at least one from a different perspective would be fun. This was at 34 weeks and 3 days.

Here is your profile shot at 35 weeks. Mooner is getting bigger and bigger all the time. Just so you know, that belly of mine is 11 squares of toilet paper all the way around. (I know because of one of the shower games, to be discussed later)

On to the nursery! It's a work in progress, but I do have pictures of our crib and changing table at least. As we get sheets and things put on, I will post more pictures of what the room as a whole looks like, but for now you can admire the furniture. :)

Fortunately, our birth coach noticed that the mattress we borrowed was not quite big enough for the crib. Honestly, I hadn't taken too much time to look at it closely, so I'm glad she did. We now have a new mattress (with the correct measurements) on the way. We do have sheets to put on the mattress to, but we figured we should wait for the mattress to put them on. Anyway, more nursery stuff will be coming soon, as Mooner is only 5 weeks away from arriving!

Ryan and I have been doing birthing classes for a couple weeks now. We have a great lady from our church helping us out. It's nice that it's a more personalized experience and we can move at our own pace since we're not in one of the hospital classes.

Anyway, I've now got some breathing techniques down (well, I'm practicing anyway) and some other coping mechanisms. It's helped take a little of the edge off as far as me being nervous about this whole labor thing goes.

On a different note, here is the latest update from our midwife. *Fresh off the press, I just got back from the appointment about 20 minutes ago*

Baby is healthy. He is currently in the head down position which is a good thing. We got a really strong heart beat at about 141 beats per minute. I'm measuring well, at 36 cm. I also asked her about a weight estimate, and she is guessing that right now he's just under 5 pounds. He'll probably gain 2 to 2.5 pounds over the next month, so it sounds like he'll be a pretty average size baby (at least from all I've heard).

I had my first baby shower this past Saturday. Although the turnout was somewhat small, we really had a blast. Kelley throws a great shower. Here are a few pictures and tales from that day.

Minus Conee's daughter, Ashlee, here are the people who were in attendance. Kelley (the hostess) is on the far left. I'm the one with the big belly and the "Mom to Be" pin. Beside me are Conee and Kathy.

First game - Memorize the 20 baby items in the tray. Write down as many as you can after looking at them for 1 minute. I did pretty good with 16. Kathy took the prize though, remembering 17. It's harder than it sounds people.

Next was "Baby Ailment Pictionary." Fun game, and also helped create a handy resource book of sorts for my future use. Isn't that clever? (P.S. - I won this game.)

Guess my belly size. (Ok, I already told you above) I came in at 11 t.p. squares around. Not too bad. Especially since I sometimes feel more like double that.

Guess What Baby Ate Game. 6 diapers - 6 different candy bars melted into the diapers. Whoever guesses the most right wins. I may or may not have tasted one of the chocolates in this game trying to get a firm conclusion. However, Ashlee didn't even want to look at the diapers. Between me and her, I'm pretty sure we were all crying from laughing so hard.

End with a bottle chugging contest. 4 ounces through what I'm pretty sure is the smallest nipple in existence. Conee won this one, but I was a close second. However, my lips felt indented by the bottle for the rest of the day. Very weird.

It was a good time though. Probably one of the most fun baby showers I've ever been to. So kudos to Kelley for being awesome and helping us all have a really fun time.

Sorry they're sideways. I couldn't get them to rotate. However, these were the super cute cookies Kelley had made for the shower. Little baby hands and feet. Loved em. And they were really delicious too. So if you want to know where to get good cookies in Albuquerque, go to the ABC Cake Shop.

I think that's it as far as this post goes. I hope the length of it made up for the long time in between posts.

Overall, I'm feeling good. Just a little more uncomfortable than usual, but it's only for a few more weeks. I can't believe how close we are. Unbelievable.

Stay tuned. May is sure to be a whirlwind month, and hopefully we'll still have plenty to post before Mooner arrives.

What to Say?

2010-04-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's been a couple weeks. I feel like we're sort of getting to the point where there isn't much to report. We've been going in for our bi-weekly appointments, and everything is right on track and healthy. Next time I'm going to ask and see if our midwife has a rough weight estimate for us. According to measurements, my uterus is on the large side of normal at 35 cm at 33 weeks.

I feel like Mooner is getting bigger every single day. I see this week, it's entirely possible that he's grown a whole inch! And he's supposedly gaining 1/2 lb each week from here on out.
Unfortunately, I still have no outie to show for any of this growth, but I feel like my stretch marks have stretch marks. I'd rather have a popped belly button, but oh well.

I have to get some pictures taken. Sorry I'm a little behind on that lately. Hopefully the next post will come with and updated belly bump and some nursery pictures. We will at least have the furniture up.
I'm excited because next weekend I get my first baby shower! I'm pretty pumped to start getting stuff to fill Mooner's room.

Personally, I'm getting to the point where I'm ready to be done being pregnant. It's harder to move, sleep, breathe, etc... Don't get me wrong. I have loved this experience, but I'm ready to carry my son in my arms. So, for my sake, please be praying this little one doesn't come late!

31 week update

2010-03-31T10:29:00.000-05:00

As promised, here is the update from our Monday check up. It really was a quick appointment, so there isn't much. But, Mooner is still growing. My uterus is measuring almost 33 cm, so he's on target. We had a heartbeat of 134 bpms, which is slower than it has been, but is also right where it should be. I only have 3 more appointments before we start going every week. That means we're getting super close!

I'm looking forward to getting our crib. We're expecting it sometime next week, so be looking for nursery pictures soon. I'm excited to start getting Mooner's room ready. I know it might seem late on that, but we didn't see much sense in starting before we had the furniture.

That's really all I have for now. We'll be back soon though with more updates, pictures, and things of that sort. See you soon!

Belly Bump - Week 30

2010-03-27T12:16:00.000-05:00

Just a picture for now. We have an appointment on Monday, so I'll update you more then!

Do the Wave!

2010-03-22T13:45:00.000-05:00

I only have 10 weeks left to go! (At least until the due date) I think Mooner is celebrating his soon coming freedom by doing a little dance. Dad would be proud, especially since it's a dance common to sports arenas. Yes everyone, Mooner's practicing the wave.

Look at the right side of my belly around 11-14 seconds and you can see it.

Just some other, only slightly related news. I started a nanny-ing position today. I am watching an 8 week old baby girl. So I guess I get to be warmed up a little to the whole baby thing before Mooner comes. Of course it's different since she isn't my baby. But the practice of consoling a crying baby, diaper changes, and safely strapping her in her car seat will be helpful once we have our own little one.

I'm really excited. I still am in awe how close we are to meeting our baby boy. Can't really believe it at all. There seems like there is still so much that will happen between now and then. Lots of prenatal appointments. A couple baby showers. 8 weeks of nanny-ing. I'm pretty sure it's going to fly by really fast though.

Ready or not, he's coming!

Testing, Testing

2010-03-18T12:36:00.002-05:00

It seems like the biggest things I have to update on are test results. Several of you have asked about them, and I'm sorry I've neglected the blog for so long. Things have been semi-crazy, but in a good way. In any case, it has kept me away from my computer. I don't want to keep you waiting any longer though, so here is what we have found out.

I went in to do my glucose screening a couple weeks ago. At my last appointment on Monday, my midwife said everything came back clear. So, no glucose tolerance test (which is a follow-up to the screening if results are inconclusive) and no gestational diabetes for me. Hooray!
They were also supposed to test my blood for antibodies when I went in, but they ended up checking my liver instead with the blood draw. So, I discovered I have a healthy liver. :) I had to go back in to do another blood draw so they could check my anti-bodies, and I just went in this morning for a my RhoGAM shot. (For those of you who don't know what that is here's the story) I have Rh negative blood (laymen's terms - I have a negative blood type) and it's pretty likely that Mooner's blood could be positive since Ryan has a positive blood type. This could be bad for both Mooner and I if our blood was to mix at all because my antibodies would fight him off. RhoGAM is a shot that I get that will prevent my antibodies from doing that so that we're both safe and healthy.
So anyway, all tests (plus some) are clear. (And mom, because you've asked a few times before, my iron is also very good).

Mooner is healthy too. He's moving around a lot. Here is a video. It's harder to see the movement on here than it is in real life, but I think if you look really closely near the end of the clip (like around 31-33 seconds) you'll be able to see a little bit of movement.

We got to hear his heartbeat again. It's been consistently in the low 140s, which seems like it's pretty normal. He's getting bigger too. I actually lost a pound which was a little weird, but nothing to worry about. My uterus, however, is getting bigger and is now 30 cm. We're getting there! Here's the most recent belly bump.

I was just thinking to myself the other day, "Holy cow, I only have 11 weeks left!" It's hard to believe how fast this time has flown. I remember being only 11 weeks into it. Mooner is going to be here before we know it.

Sometimes I wonder if we're ready. Mostly, will the apartment be ready? Will everything be baby proofed like it needs to be? How much stuff am I going to have to get rid of to make room for this little one? Will I be able to keep up with all the new things that will be required?

There's just a lot to think about. Really though, I couldn't be more excited to have Mooner with us. I know he's got a little while to bake yet, but I'm ready to meet him. I hope you all are too. Just a few more weeks! So keep coming back for the last few "in utero" updates, then it's on to fun stories and pictures of our little boy. Can't wait!!

Taking Care of Business

2010-03-09T18:43:00.000-06:00

I've mentioned previously that I feel a little overwhelmed at the amount of things I have to consider in preparing for life with Mooner. Although that is still true, I also feel a little bit accomplished every time I get to cross something off the list. Today was one of those days.

Ryan and I have been thinking about the "Great Pediatrician Search" lately. We did have a couple doctors recommended to us, so we started there. I went in for a visit to the office today and got to meet one of the doctors. I think I really like them. The 2 doctors are with High Desert Pediatrics.
They have a cute little office that has a bright waiting room, themed exam rooms for the kids, and the friendliest staff I think I've ever encountered in a doctors office. In the time I was there, it seemed like they were getting patients in and out of appointments at a good rate. It certainly wasn't overly busy. I appreciated the small-ness and quite atmosphere. It was pretty cozy.

So anyway, one more task to check off the to-do list. Not that there still isn't lots to do, but hey, it's one step at a time, right?

Things are going well otherwise. I went in for some lab work this weekend. I have yet to hear back about it. But I did drink the flat orange pop stuff to check my glucose tolerance. I think Mooner is a big fan of sugar because he started kicking around like crazy about 10 minutes after I got it in me. As for me, I just got really tired after about 45 minutes. I guess that's what happens when you spike your system with sugar then let it crash.

More updates coming soon. We're officially in trimester 3!

Goodbye Trimester 2

2010-03-03T11:19:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe, but on Monday, I will officially be in my third trimester. Mooner's going to be here so soon!
I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed. It just seems like there is so much to do. I know it will get done, but in the meantime I'm freaking out just a tiny bit. At the same time, I'm so excited to meet my son.

Anyway, to bid farewell to this middle trimester, I have a couple pictures. I'm not sure if I can get much bigger in these last few months. I'm sure I will, but I'm already stretched pretty far as you can see.

Nicely enough though, I don't have any really visible stretch marks. I'm sure they will come, but for now they're not here. Unfortunately, I don't have an outie yet. I'm still holding out hope though. It's funny; sometimes when I'm sitting down I can push the area around my belly button in, and it pops out...at least until I let go. Oh, the things I do to amuse myself. :-)

I also thought I would mention, there is a new poll over on the right hand column. Since we got some pretty clear pictures, I think it's easy enough to venture a guess as to whether Mooner looks more like me or Ryan. I have my own thoughts, but I'm interested to see what you all think.

There isn't much to update really, since I just did a couple days ago. But, we will be having more frequent prenatal appointments, which means more things to talk about here.
Be expecting pictures, maybe some videos...I'm hoping to get some nursery pictures up eventually, at least once we get the furniture. Anyway, stay tuned because I have a feeling these last 3 months are just going to fly, and I know I don't want to miss it! So I'll do my best to make sure you all don't miss much either.

Next Appearance: Mooner's Birthday!

2010-03-01T22:47:00.000-06:00

Our sonogram today was a little bittersweet. Mostly because it will be our last one. But that is a good thing because it means that Mooner is healthy and all is normal. But without any further ado (especially for you anxious readers) here are the pictures of our baby boy.

And here are some of Mooner's stats:
   Weight - 2 lbs. 7 oz. He's a big guy!
   Heart rate - 141 bpm
   Growth measurement puts him anywhere between 27 weeks 3 days and 28 weeks. That puts his growth faster than my progression (since I'm technically only 27 weeks today). He had a growth spurt since last month!

I also want to thank you all for you prayers. Everything the doctors wanted to double check turned out normal. They were able to get all the view of his heart they needed, and it is looking good. The kidneys checked out too, so he got a clean bill of health on that one. And thankfully I got my own bit of good news. *Readers beware, this is a pregnancy semi-weird thing, so if you want to skip it, go to the next paragraph* Last time I had a sonogram, the placenta was down pretty close to the cervix which was a little bothersome. But, it traveled up the uterus, so there isn't any concerns about placenta previa, which means if all goes to accordingly, I will be able to have a natural birth. Praise the Lord!

That's pretty much the update for now. I have to go in for some lab work to make sure my blood work is good and that I don't have gestational diabetes. Just a routine thing, so nothing to worry about.
We're also pretty excited for the great pediatrician search. We had a couple come highly recommended to us, so we are going to tour the office/interview the doctors next week. I'm praying that goes well because it would be great to have this little guy taken care of once he's here.

Oh, and I guess there is one more thing. Keep an eye on the blog, because I want to try and post a video pretty soon. See, Mooner has been kicking and boxing pretty hard lately, even to the point where you can visibly see my stomach move. I haven't caught it on video yet, but I want to try, and I think that might be something fun for y'all to watch. :)

Another belly bump picture will be coming later. I haven't had the chance to get one today, but I promise it's coming soon. And for those of you who have asked, still no outie... Oh well. I'm sticking out far enough anyway. :)
Thanks again for your love and prayers. See you back here soon!

Belly Bump - Week 25

2010-02-15T21:26:00.000-06:00

I feel like I'm getting bigger every single day. Here I am at 25 weeks.

I think Mooner is really going to be quite a huge baby. At this time, I've gained about 18 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. And based on average measurements, he's probably somewhere between 13.5 and 15 inches long. He's getting big! I guess getting bigger is most of what he'll be working on these last few months. I can hardly believe I'm almost to my 3rd trimester. My how this time flies.

Everything is going well though. I've still been feeling really good, and I haven't had any heartburn for about a week now. Praise the Lord! Besides the slight discomfort that can come with getting bigger though (I pretty much have no choice but to wear my maternity pants now) I've felt great. Thanks everyone for all your prayers. We're so thankful that God has given me a smooth pregnancy so far, and we know that your prayers are huge part of that.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you from all 3 of us. :)

Heartburn, anyone?

2010-02-09T18:27:00.001-06:00

So my story for the last 2 or 3 days is horrible indigestion. I've heard that hairy babies cause this. So, if this kid comes out bald, I'm not going to be a happy camper. (Ok, ok. I'm only kind of kidding)
But just so you know it's fair (Mom), I've been getting it no matter what I eat or drink...and yes, that includes water.
Oh the joys of pregnancy. I just have to keep reminding myself of the fantastic little miracle we'll be receiving when I can't sleep at night because my chest is on fire.

On another note, I was reading "What to Expect When You're Expecting" today, specifically the Labor and Delivery section. I have to say, I'm a little bit terrified. In my head I know everything is going to be ok, and millions of women have gone through it. But still... I'm just praying it will go relatively fast.

So these are my pregnancy thoughts for the week (so far). It's really not all bad though. I still love the feeling of Mooner kicking me. I love that my husband puts his hand on my belly from time to time to feel his son. And I really love that God has been so good to us through this gift of a little baby boy. It really makes all the not so fun stuff completely worth it.

Big Baby Bump

2010-02-06T01:00:00.000-06:00

As promised, here is the most recent belly bump picture.

I'm starting to get out there quite a bit. Some days I don't feel as big as I am, and other days I definitely feel bigger. Fortunately I'm not quite waddling yet, but I have a feeling if Mooner keeps growing at this rate, I will be in no time.

Well, there you have the belly bump picture. I hope to make another side by side collage soon so you can track the progress. Until then...

Starting Month 6

2010-02-03T12:34:00.001-06:00

Wow! I cannot believe that I am starting my 6th month. Where has this time gone? Unfortunately for this post, I don't have an updated "bump" picture. I guess that just means I'll have to update again much sooner. :)

In honor of reaching 6 months, I'm just going to do a different and fun format that one of my friends has done with her blog. I won't do it all the time since it is her idea, but I thought it would be fun for a milestone kind of thing. So without further ado, here is the most recent update on Mooner and me.

How far along? 23 weeks, 2 days

Due Date: May 31, 2010

Total weight gain/loss:  12-15 lbs. (I know that's kind of weird, but it really depends on when I weigh myself. At the dr. though, the consensus is 15 lbs)
Maternity clothes?  Some days I wear them, some days I don't. Thanks to Bella Bands that my mom got me for Christmas, I can still get into my jeans if I want to.
Sleep: It's getting harder. I like to lay on my back alot, which isn't really good at this point. I find myself waking up a lot, or tossing and turning. Also, I've been getting some leg pains that make it a little difficult to sleep too.  I've heard this will prepare me for when Mooner is here, and he probably won't be letting us get much sleep then either. ;)

Best moment this week: Hearing Mooner's heartbeat. Still gets me every time. Also, I'm pretty sure we've decided on a name! (But we're not going to tell you yet.)
Movement: Lots of moving. I feel him a lot after meals when I'm just sitting around, and surprisingly, almost always when I wake up. It's like he's kicking me out of bed so I'll go get him some food. :)
Food cravings: I think I had my first real craving (as I had the urge to go get it since it wasn't in the house) Pepsi and bananas. It was only a one time thing though. I haven't had really any strong or lasting cravings.
Food aversions: Again, can't really think of anything. If I didn't like it before, I still don't really like it.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: None so far. Hope it stays that way for at least a couple more months!
Belly Button in or out? I still have my innie. Ryan teases me about it, but I'm really looking forward to the tell tale pregnancy sign of an outie. Maybe this month.
What I miss: Things caffeinated. Mostly chai or sweet tea.
What I am looking forward to: an outie belly button. :) Also, things like baby showers, getting our crib, and getting the nursery all ready for Mooner.
Milestones: 6 months! We're almost 2/3 of the way there. He's just growing a lot now. Oh, and after my next dr. appt, we'll be moving up to appointments every 2 weeks instead of monthly!

Other: I feel like there is a lot to do in preparing for Mooner. We're going to start interviewing pediatricians soon, taking hospital tours. It's kind of dizzying to keep up with everything, so I just hope we're getting it all done.

Also, just in case you haven't yet seen, we're up to papaya week, with Mooner's face fully formed. And I'm pretty sure he's over a foot long now. This little guy is just growing away.

Just a few extra things, then I'll be done. We went in for a check up on Monday. Mooner is healthy. The midwife measured my uterus at 24 cm, which is on the big end of things for this week, but still normal and good. He has a heartbeat of 148 bpms which is also healthy. All is going along smoothly. I've been feeling really well even though sleep and getting bigger slows me down a little.

I do have to say that sometimes it's hard to believe that it's a real little baby growing in me. It's just something really incredible that I've never experienced before. I'm just excited for when I can hold my little baby boy in my arms instead of in utero. :)

It's a Boy!

2010-01-20T21:56:00.001-06:00

Congrats to those of you who guessed boy on the poll. You were right! And just to let you know, that's what Ryan and I were thinking too. For those of you who guessed girl, maybe next time. :)

Mooner was definitely more shy at this appointment, but we finally got him to show us his little self. We probably tried for about 10 minutes. I had to roll over like 3 times, cough... oh man. I was worried this little one was going to keep us guessing. But then he finally moved his hands, rolled over, and let us see him. So exciting. We're having a boy!!

Here is Mooner from the belly shot. The lighting is a little weird, but you can see my face this time. (just for Janet) :) At 21 weeks (banana week this week) it's hard to believe we're over halfway there. Speaking of that, the due date according to the ultrasound ladies is May 31st. It's going to be here faster than I know it. Time has already flown by.

Here are a few more ultrasound pictures for you.

The first one is a nice up close shot of Mooner's face. He's a handsome little thing if you ask me. Maybe I'm biased. The 2nd photo is another face shot. It's not 3D, but it's still pretty clear. The last one is a couple shots of his little feet. So cute!
Everything is healthy. Mooner has been growing really well. We have a good heartbeat at 142 bpms. There are a few very minor things that the ultrasound doc is wanting to check up on again in a few weeks. So we go in again on March 1st for another ultrasound just to make sure all is still going well. I'm just happy to have another chance to see Mooner.

For those of you who may be wondering, Mooner is not going to be the baby's name, but we're leaving it as a nickname for now. You can blame it on me, since I want to keep something secret. So, we will not be revealing the name until Mooner is born. So I guess you'll just have to stay tuned. :)

We did set up registries today at Babies R Us and Target. You can find them online if you want to check them out. I know I mentioned before that we were thinking about doing a safari theme for the nursery. Well, Ryan really liked the idea of a sports theme since we're having a boy. I'm happy to say, we found a perfect compromise.

We found the "Team Safari" theme at Babies R Us and got pretty excited. I get my safari, and Ryan gets his sports. Good deal.

Big day today. I'm glad to have some things done and taken care of. And I'm really glad to know about my baby boy. We're just praying that everything continues to go smoothly. Can't wait to meet him!

Milestone!

2010-01-19T18:29:00.002-06:00

Short post, but it's a fun one.

Last night, Ryan was finally able to feel Mooner move! Woohoo! It was very cool to see the look on his face. He was very excited and pretty much couldn't keep his hands off my belly after that. :)

Fun times.

Mooner's Crib

2010-01-17T21:45:00.000-06:00

Well, we don't have the nursery completely planned, but we did decide on a crib! We're pretty excited about the set.

Introducing Mooner's sleeping quarters - The Davinci Parker 4 in 1 convertible crib

You can't see it with the bed skirt, but there is a little trundle drawer underneath the crib for extra storage. Great for small spaces!
I'm excited to get it and start arranging the nursery. We're thinking of going with a safari theme (because I heart Africa). We get to register on Wednesday after the ultrasound and I'm very excited to actually make definite picks. Times a tickin' so getting some things nailed down will feel good.

3 days! Come back to find out Mooner's gender. And if you haven't already, get a vote in to see if you were right. We'll be back soon.

Movin', Groovin' & Growin'

2010-01-12T16:10:00.001-06:00

Just a quick update so you don't have to wait until next week.
This has been a fun week, as I've felt Mooner moving around quite a bit. Sometimes there's kicks, other times rolls, and a few other things that I'm not totally sure what it is. Unfortunately for Ryan, he has not yet been able to feel anything, but at this rate, I think he will soon.

In other news, this is melon week (a cantaloupe that is). Mooner is about 6 1/2 inches long and about 10 oz if he/she is like the average baby. However, by the beginning of week 21 (which is next week) Mooner will grow 4 inches and gain 2 oz! That's some pretty significant growth. I can hardly believe it! But, being that Mooner will grow that much, we're hoping that means we'll be sure to get a good look at the baby when we go in for our ultrasound next week.

In other fun news, Ryan and I went to our first parent-y thing. Babies R Us had this baby shower event with free give aways and such on Saturday. Ryan was a good sport and decided to go. He even won us a duffel bag by being the fastest person to diaper a stuffed lamb. But I promised him I wouldn't make him change all the diapers just because of his stellar performance. :) And although I didn't win, I did a 4 oz bottle chugging contest and got to keep the bottle. (Chugging from a bottle is much more difficult than it sounds. Sore jaw, anyone?)
Anyway, we had a pretty good time, and walked away with quite a few free and fun things for Mooner.

I finally got to making a side-by-side collage of my belly bump shots so far. It's kind of funny that the 19 week picture looks bigger than the 20 weeks, but I think it's just the shot. I definitely didn't get smaller. Anyway, here you have it

I'm definitely getting bigger. But I have to say, I've never been so excited to gain weight and have a poochy tummy. It's a great reason though.

One week till we find out Mooner's sex! We can't wait, and we're looking forward to sharing the news with you.

Happy Birth Year, Mooner!

2010-01-06T12:12:00.001-06:00

And Happy New Year to all of you readers! We're excited to have 2010 here. I have no doubts this will be a very eventful and exciting year. :)

Ryan and I were out visiting friends in Texas when we brought in the new year. A nice big bonfire, sparklers and fireworks made a good celebration. Although there is much to look forward to this year, I think we are most excited about meeting Mooner and starting life with our new little one. I can't believe it's just a few months away!

If you've not been on the blog for awhile, Mooner has gone from onion size, to sweet potato to now mango size. This little one is just getting bigger by the week! Here is what a mango size baby looks like in utero.

It's not the best shot, but I did take it myself. However, you can tell the belly is getting bigger. I'm going to have to work on a side by side collage so you can see the growth as it's moved along. Maybe it's weird, but I sort of like getting bigger. It's like the more pregnant I look, the more pregnant I feel. It's fun.

Mooner has definitely been moving around too! Yesterday I felt some pretty firm little kicks. It doesn't hurt yet, but it's enough movement that I can tell I have an active baby.
Ryan and I went for an appointment yesterday, and the midwife confirmed everything was healthy. I was glad because at this point I'm getting different sensations and pains that I just kind of worry about, especially since I'm not sure what's normal and what's not. I've never done this before, ya know? But it sounds like all is going well. I'm at an optimal weight, the uterus growth is right where it should be, Mooner still has a strong, healthy heartbeat, and we generally have a good bill of health. Praise the Lord! I'm continually thankful for how smoothly this pregnancy has gone. He has truly blessed us.

In other news, you have just a few more days to submit your votes for boy or girl. We'll go in for our next ultrasound on January 20th. I can't believe it's so close to the time to find out! I'll be over halfway through this pregnancy. It's crazy how fast time flies.

That's about it for this post. Thanks for following along with us. We really are thankful for you and your interest in our growing family. So many of you have been a huge blessing in mine and Ryan's lives, and we really love that you continue to love us by keeping up with us. It really means alot.
We hope you all have had a great start to 2010. I know we have. We'll be back for an update before you know it!

Blessings.

Amused by the Trend

2009-12-23T14:31:00.000-06:00

I have to say, since we've posted the ultrasound pictures, I've noticed a change on our boy or girl poll. If you remember from before, I noticed that is was either always tied, or the girl votes were always up by one or two. Since the pictures have gone up, the boy votes have been pretty consistently higher. I think it was tied one time, but after that, boy has had the lead.

Maybe it was the Mooner picture. Maybe a girl just wouldn't do that? Haha. We're still not sure which we're having, but I just thought I would point out my amusement at the shift. By the way, we should find out in about 3 weeks if Mooner is a boy or girl, so if you haven't cast your vote yet, do it while you still can! You've got a 50/50 chance of being right and the prize is the satisfaction of being a good guesser. :D

Merry Christmas all!

Christmas Time with Mooner

2009-12-21T01:29:00.000-06:00

Well things have been a little crazy, but I figured I should update considering we're in a new week and all. Actually, I think it's been a couple of weeks since I updated. So if you missed week 16, we had an avacado (makes me crave guacamole a little bit). And at week 17 we're onion sized. Mooner's getting big.

I've had quite a few of you calling or writing asking how the baby is doing. And as far as we can tell, Mooner is doing fine. We haven't had an appointment for awhile, so we haven't heard anything new. But, I've been feeling well, taking my vitamins and all that jazz. So I would guess Mooner is doing well also.
It's actually been interesting, there have been a couple nights now that I've been laying on the couch and every once in awhile I'll feel a muted sharp poke in my lower stomach. I know that sounds weird, but it's the best way I can describe it. I'm not sure, but it's possible that little poke could be Mooner moving around letting me know he/she is in there still. :)

I know Mooner won't know anything about Christmas 2009, but it's been kind of fun. He/she has already received a package! What a spoiled kid this one's going to be. Receiving gifts even before birth. In preparing for a short term guest, my mind has been more on cleaning and from there, getting the extra bedroom ready to be transformed into a nursery. It's going to have to double as a nursery/office area, but I think we'll be able to get it worked out so that there will be plenty of room for both. Nesting is kind of fun once it gets going.

Just a few small updates for you all. We'll be traveling to and in Texas from December 26 - Jan 1, so prayer for safe travel would be much appreciated. Once we get home and into a new year, I'll have a check-up on Jan 4. Hopefully on that day, we'll also schedule our 2nd ultrasound, which will be at 20 weeks. This means that, providing that Mooner cooperates, we'll be able to answer the question He or She! We're very excited about that, so we're praying Mooner will be a good little baby and give us a good look. :)

Exciting things coming! It's hard to believe that we're just a few weeks away from halfway through. It's crazy how fast this is flying. Sometimes I feel like I'm behind where I should be, but hopefully that's just me thinking too much.
Updates will be coming soon. Until then, have a very merry Christmas as you celebrate Jesus, the most precious baby born to us. And a blessed new year too!

The Belly Bump

2009-12-11T11:48:00.001-06:00

It's been a little bit since I've updated. You'll notice the fruit of the week is now an orange! Mooner's getting bigger!

I know I've been a little remiss in my posting of tummy pictures. I've had a bit more of a bump for a couple weeks now, so I figured it was probably time to start sharing. I had Ryan take a picture yesterday, and hopefully I will keep remembering so that we'll have a "belly time line." :D

Here is the belly bump at 15 weeks. And that's even before I've eaten anything! It's getting out there.

Also, I realized there might be some confusion between the ticker and the fruit of the week widget. The fruit of the week is probably more accurate than the ticker up top. The widget is set to the updated due date of June 3rd, the countdown is set to the original due date. I might get to changing it soon, but you know, Mooner will come when Mooner is ready.

Ryan and I are enjoying these days. It's a strange thing to know that these few months will be the last that it's ever "just us." But we're excited to add onto the family. I'm excited to see him be a dad though. Already he says hello to Mooner every morning and gives my belly a kiss. I can tell you one thing, this little kid is going to be loved on like no other little kid.

I've been trying to "nest" I guess you would say. We've re-arranged our living room, which might not have much to do with the baby, but we have to start somewhere, and since the living room is the room everyone will see, we figured we'd start there. As far as a nursery, we at least know which room it will be. Now we just have to get it ready to go. Only 6 months to go! (I guess a little less actually)

Well, that's what's new in the life of the Kleins. Keep stopping in for more pictures and updates. Love to you all!

In Love with the Lemon

2009-12-02T19:46:00.001-06:00

Today, Ryan and I had our coolest prenatal appointment ever! It was supposed to be for first trimester screening; basically to test for any chromosomal defects the baby might have. In any case, it meant I got to have an ultrasound done, which meant we got to see Baby!

When we got to see "Mooner" (to be explained later), the ultrasound tech took a measurement and decided the little one was actually too big to be able to be tested. But, she also determined that the most accurate place to put my progression is at 14 weeks and 2 days. This also moves the due date (unofficially) to May 31st. Officially, it is still June 3. It's only a few days difference, and I'm sure Mooner will pick the right time to come anyway. We will just see what happens.

Now, to explain Mooner...
While the ultrasound tech was moving around, she decided to go for a 3D picture, and this is what we got.

She said that was the clearest picture of a baby's backside she has ever seen, and she does lots of ultrasounds! We got a good laugh out of it, and so for now, we're calling the baby, Mooner. :)

This was the only 3D shot we got. Mooner was moving around too much to get many more clear ones, at least in 3D. But she did capture some other pretty fun ones that I'll share with you.

There are a few more on facebook if you want to check them out, but these are the best, I think.

It was so incredible to finally see our little baby. Hearing a heartbeat is one thing, but this is just kind of magical. Unfortunately, I can only show you still shots, but we got to see Mooner kicking the little legs. We got to see the heart beating as we heard it. It was so incredible to watch this precious little one moving around. I could have stayed there all day. As it is, I can barely stop looking at the pictures.

We have another ultrasound appointment in about 6 weeks when we'll get to find out the gender. I just can't wait to see Mooner again! It's seriously like falling in love.

There have been times I still haven't felt like this pregnancy is really real, but I don't think I can ever feel like that again. It's really exciting.

Just a few other things to wrap up. We had a dr. appointment on Monday. Baby is healthy, and growing well. The heart rate has dropped to 140 beats per minute, which is good. It's supposed to get a little slower as Mooner grows. That's about all we found out, but it's good to know things are going smoothly.

Belly pictures will be coming soon, but they won't be nearly as fun as these. Until next time!

Moving Along

2009-11-25T15:57:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe, but I'm just about done with the first trimester. It really seems like it was just a few days ago that we found out we're having a baby. In just 13 weeks, we've already experienced so much. From the 2 pink lines on the pregnancy test, to hearing the heartbeat, to following along with different fruits; man, it's been a pretty incredible ride already.

At peach week (13), it's pretty cool to know that Baby pretty much looks like a human. :) It has vital organs, arms and legs, hands, feet, starting to get teeth, beginnings of bones, and it's head is now only 1/3 the size of its body instead of half of it.

I don't really have a lot to say right now. I hope to have a lot more updates coming up. Second trimester will mean the beginning of the bump, and that is exciting. I'm looking forward to finally having something to show for this little one growing inside me. Maybe that's weird, but I'm excited about the getting big part.

Until later. Oh! And Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

A (Hopefully) Sub-Lime Week

2009-11-13T15:05:00.000-06:00

We've made it to week 11! That means I'm now just over 1/4 of the way through my pregnancy. It's crazy how fast this flies.

You may have noticed that we added a new element to the blog page that follows along with the weekly fruits/veggies. If you haven't, let me point you over to the right hand side of the screen. It's right below Ryan's and my picture. Don't worry, I will still post regularly, but this way you can see it whenever you want.

As you can see, this is lime week. Read below the picture to see what fun and exciting things are going on. I'm pretty excited just for it to be a lime. For one thing, I love limes. And secondly, I think they are much prettier than the previous prune.

I am hoping this week will go nicely though. So far, I've just been really, really tired (more than usual which is hard to believe) and have been fighting some headaches. Nothing really serious though, so I'm doing fine. I'm just trying to make sure I get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids, and those things seem to be helping.
However, I don't think I've ever been so tired of the taste of water. I feel like it's all I drink, day in and day out. I tried to add some flavoring a couple days ago, and that helped some. Because it tasted more like juice, but was still water. So for any of you ladies out there who got tired of water during your pregnancy, if there was anything you did to help you through that, suggestions are much appreciated.

Things are consistently becoming more and more real. I subscribed a while ago to a free baby magazine (American Baby) and just recently got my first issue and "welcome packet." That was pretty fun to look through that stuff. And of course I'm getting books to borrow from ladies at the church. We got a couple more little gifts from the same lady who gave us some clothes earlier. We don't have a nursery yet by any means, but I'm sure by the time this baby gets here, he or she will be set!
I still don't have a big bump, but I think it's starting to get there. I've been able to tell it's not the "just after I ate pooch." It doesn't really go away, so I'm thinking that I'm starting to look like an expecting mommy, at least just a little.

Fun things going on. It just keeps getting more and more exciting. I'll be sure to keep you posted as we find out more.

He or She?

2009-11-11T17:20:00.000-06:00

No, I'm not going to tell you which (at least in this post). Mostly because I don't know. :)

I just stop by here from time to time to check any feedback. I always find it interesting to look at the girl or boy poll. Although it has from time to time been a tie, and almost always very close, it does seem like the girl option is usually ahead. It just gets me to thinking: Do our readers tend to like girls more? Do girls tend to make better first children? I guess mostly I just find it an interesting trend.

Ryan and I both have our thoughts of which it will be, but I won't divulge those until later, so you'll just have to stay tuned.

Also speaking of polls though, I appreciate the input that has been given regarding where to register. I'm still not totally sure when to begin said registry, but I think we have a pretty good idea of where we'll go. So, thanks!

Also just an update. Since going to the doctor, I haven't had any more "heat attacks" as I have come to call them. Besides just being really tired (I feel like I could sleep all day sometimes) I've been doing quite well. So thanks for all of your prayers, and for those of you who have checked up on me. It really means a lot.

New fruit coming soon! So hopefully we'll see you back in a little bit. :) Blessings.

I Don't Normally Like Prunes, but...

2009-11-07T21:04:00.000-06:00

I'm a couple days late, sorry about that. I've actually been having some minor not so fun adventures, but I'll talk about that in a minute.

Anyway, at week 10, we've grown baby to prune size.

We've made it over an inch now. It's hard to believe that just a month and a half ago this little one was just the size of a poppyseed. Cool things happening this week are the development of cartilage and bone, and vital organs are also starting to function. It will be interesting to hear about the development coming up soon, because baby's gonna get growing pretty fast now. I don't want to give away too much, so you'll have to keep coming back. But it should be fun!

Back to the minor adventures...

I don't think that word actually fits it, but I can't think of anything better. Anyway, over the past couple of days, I've had 3 super intense "hot flashes." LIke my whole body feels like I have a fever, my skin is all wet and clammy, and then I feel pretty faint or lightheaded. It's pretty scary. It happened twice today, the second time at the church where I was volunteering at our Saturday night coffee house. I was just feeling too weird and with it happening multiple times, I had Ryan take me to the doctor.

It turns out that they are just hot flashes that go along with pregnancy. I couldn't really believe it. But I guess that about 10% of women get symptoms like that.

With that, we are grateful that I am healthy, which means baby is too. I really thought it might have been something more serious, so it's good to know that it's not. On the other hand, I'm a little disappointed that there is nothing I can really do. These "hot flashes" are pretty scary; there are times I feel like I might pass out. So I guess I would just ask for prayer that these don't stick around very long. Or at the very least that they don't stay this intense. The good part is though, they aren't very long in duration.

So that's my story of pregnancy at 10 weeks. It's one of the not so fun things, but again, we are grateful that things are normal and healthy. God's watching out for all 3 of us. Thanks for all your prayers.

Little Heart Beat

2009-11-02T15:58:00.004-06:00

We had our first official appointment today (besides the confirmation one). And it was awesome. Well, as awesome as a dr. appointment will be.

I'll spare you the details, but basically everything is normal. I'm a healthy momma and it seems like Baby is healthy too. It came time to try to hear the heartbeat. Based on the baby's position, the midwife wasn't sure we would be able to hear it. But, she gave it a try, and sure enough, there it was! She said, "This little baby must have wanted to be heard!" She also said it was a really steady heart beat at 168 beats per minute. It was like a little train.
It was probably one of the coolest moments in my life. Ryan got to be there too. It was just amazing to finally hear from that little life inside me. I can't even totally describe.

So yes, very exciting day today. Heard a little heart, all is normal and healthy...we're havin' a baby! (P.S. - This new midwife moved the due date up a couple days. So, as of right now it's June 3, but it's still just an estimate at this point)

Also, as promised, the first in a series of tummy pictures. It's not really showing, I just sort of have kind of a pouch anyway. But it will surely be growing.

Here's the tummy at 9 and a half weeks

Remember to check back for the next fruit in a few days. Thanks for following, and please keep praying for us and baby.

Olive Baby, You Love Baby

2009-10-29T12:09:00.000-05:00

Whew! This last week has really flown! I was visiting the blog yesterday and I looked down at the ticker and saw I was 1 day shy of 9 weeks. It felt like I just put up the raspberry post. I've been really tired, and I think fighting off a cold this week, so maybe all the sleeping has made it seem faster. Who knows?

Anyway, I'm sure you're just anxious to hear the new fruit/veggie of the week, so without further ado:

We have olive week. Baby Klein is getting close to an inch. If you look at the size from last week, there has been some significant growth in the last 7 days. What we're looking forward to this week is facial features beginning to develop. So, if we were able to actually see our little one, it would look less alien and more human. Pretty exciting. We're also far enough along now that we should definitely be able to hear a heart beat at our next doctor's appointment, which is coming up really soon!

A few things this week that have made the pregnancy more real:

A lady from our church gave us some baby clothes, and said that if we are having a boy, she'll bring LOTS more. It kind of made me laugh.
That lady's daughter told me I was showing. I really am not, I was just wearing an unflattering jacket at the time. It took both me and the mother to convince her I really wasn't. It was kind of funny.
Almost every time I see someone from church, they 1) ask me how I'm feeling or 2) offer help in whatever their area of expertise happens to be.

I'm thankful to be surrounded by such helpful and generous people. I have been a little overwhelmed by it at times. I hope that's normal. But really, I am grateful for it.

Look for another post soon. We have the dr. appointment Monday, so hopefully we'll find out some new, fun, and exciting things while we're there. In addition, I promised my mom that belly pictures would go up after each dr. appointment, so perhaps there will be something to look at besides fruit. (Although don't be disappointed because I'm really not showing yet)

As always, thanks for stopping by and for loving us and Baby Klein.

Rockin' the Raspberry

2009-10-22T15:06:00.000-05:00

Today marks 8 weeks, so that means a new fruit! This week, baby has grown to the size of a raspberry.

It's also fun because that little raspberry is starting to develop and kick around little arms and legs. Fortunately, I won't be able to feel it yet. I'm sure there will be plenty of that later. I'm excited for it, but for now dealing with fatigue, nausea, hot flashes, and headaches is enough for me.

I have thought more often recently how fast this is going already. I know there is still a long way to go, but it's also hard to believe that we're already at 8 weeks! This first trimester is going to be over before I know it. So even with the not so fun stuff like being tired and sick, I'm doing my best to soak it all up. Being able to grow a little life inside me is such an incredible gift. And I feel like it's incredible how much I love this little one already. Even though I don't know much about this life inside, I'm just filled with love for it.

32 more weeks to go, and Ryan and I could not be more excited. It's going to fly, but we're going to relish it. We can't wait to meet our baby and make this a family of 3!

Klein Crib

2009-10-19T18:58:00.001-05:00

It's probably much too soon to look, or maybe not. I'm not really sure because I've never done this before. Anyway, Ryan and I have been looking at cribs. My word, there are SO many things to consider. Things like safety, drop down sides, does it "grow" with the child...all these things.

After a day of searching, we think we found one we would like. I'm a little sad I can't find any reviews on it, but maybe you all can help give your opinion. Here is the crib we are looking at. It's the Sorelle Tuscany 4 in 1 crib.

Don't be alarmed. This picture shows the crib as it converts to the toddler day bed, but as a crib it does have the 2 high side rails.

The features we especially like:

It converts (eventually) into a twin size bed, so it "grows" very well with the child.
The changing table comes with it with fairly decent drawer and shelf space. Also nice, when the bed gets to be the twin size, the changing table detaches and can be a nice little night stand.
And generally, we just really like the way it looks. The cherry finish is very pretty, and the shape just looks curvy (no dangerous edges) and well done.

But, like I said, I have not been able to find any reviews on this product. So, I'm especially looking for opinions from moms (or dads), because you probably have a good idea what to look for. :) I would appreciate your thoughts on this product, or maybe you know of something even better that you might recommend. We've got plenty of time, so we're not in a rush to purchase. In any case though, any help that can be offered is much appreciated. Thanks!

This Just In

2009-10-16T18:00:00.000-05:00

Especially for that family of ours out there who may be concerned, you will be happy to know that Albuquerque is rated in the Top 10 Best Cities to have a baby according to Fit Pregnancy.

Not a long post, just thought you all would be happy to know. (If you want to read more about it, check out the link embedded above.)

Fruit of the Week

2009-10-16T16:19:00.001-05:00

It has been unintentional that both blog titles have had something to do with food. It's kind of funny how that worked out though.

Anyway, I found this really cool thing at thebump.com which helps you keep track of the baby's size week by week by using common fruits and vegetables. I thought I would share the baby's size with you all as things go by. At least until my tummy starts showing. But that will be a little while off.

So, when I first found out I was pregnant, the baby was about the size of a poppyseed. Very tiny. In just three weeks, Baby K has grown to the size of a blueberry!

Maybe this is nothing new to some of you, but as a first time mom, I'm very excited to see how much this little life is growing inside of me. And it is pretty amazing how much I can tell that little one is there already. You couldn't tell it by looking at me, but I can sure feel it!

That's all we've got for now. We'll keep you updated on the new fruit or veggie each week, and just other things in general. There will probably be much more to report on as the time keeps going, so if you haven't already, please click the button below to follow the blog. And thanks to you who already have. It's fun to see other people getting excited about our little one.

Oh, and one more thing. In honor of this being baby's blueberry week, if you see a blueberry, please offer up a prayer for us and the baby. Thanks :)

Spaghetti Sauce

2009-10-14T17:04:00.000-05:00

So, the journey begins. For those of you who don't quite get the spaghetti sauce thing, let me explain.
Prego is a particular brand of spaghetti sauce, and also a common nickname for pregnancy. Thus, spaghetti sauce. Get it? Haha. Ok...anyway.

Ryan and I first discovered on September 30th that we were, in fact, going to be parents. I have to admit we were both a little...surprised? I guess that's what you might say. But, we are very excited, and now that we've known about it for a few weeks, it's become a little more real.

Here is what we know so far. When I visited the midwife on October 10th, she said I was 6 weeks and 1 day along (at least how they calculate things.) What this means is that my due date (for now) is June 5, 2010. It could be changed after they actually get to take a look at the baby and see how it's growing and such, but for now, we're waiting for June. :)

Our next appointment is November 2nd, at which time I guess I'll be around 10 weeks. One very exciting thing about that particular appointment is that we'll probably get a chance to hear a little heart beat! How exciting!

This is just the first of many updates, so please subscribe at the bottom so you can keep track of how things are going with Baby Klein. Feel free to leave comments. You don't have to have an account with Google or anything. Pictures are promised. Really we would love to hear from you all and have you share in our excitement as we prepare for the newest little Klein.

Until next time!