Ultrasound

Baby's legs.  Knees together to the right, little tootsies on the left.

Baby's face.  His/Her mouth is open and you can just see the tongue.  Baby is using our placenta like a pillow.  I assume the nose won't look like that in person.

Looking pretty darn good for 329 weeks pregnant.

Twenty-Seven Week Tummy

It's a blurry picture, but look at how much we have grown! Especially compared to the last picture... My next appointment with the midwife is this Friday, so I'll definitely update after that!

God bless!

Quick Pregnancy Update

We had a nice visit with the midwife today. Baby has really had a growth spurt, which almost explains why Mama gained about five pounds this month. ;-) We are easily able to feel little hands, feet, elbows, and knees in there... the fun part is trying to guess what knobby bump is what. At 23 weeks and 4 days I'm measuring 26 weeks, but measuring ahead is pretty normal for me. Baby is definitely head down, and his-or-her heart rate was around 140. My blood pressure was 112/70 which is really good for me; usually during pregnancy my bp is at the high end of normal. She said that can probably be attributed to the fact that I'm continuing to exercise. I think my fluid intake (about a gallon a day, almost all water) helps a lot, too. It is about time to get another picture; I'll try to remember to do that this weekend.

That's all I can think of. I'm feeling good, eating and resting well and getting through the day with just enough energy. Really, I can't ask for more than that! Every day I thank God for this precious little soul He has entrusted to us, and I ask that Baby will be safe and healthy.

God bless!

Half-Baked Baby

This weekend, Baby and I reached the half-way point. Here's the latest picture of us:

My visit with the midwife on Saturday went well. One of the lovely things about her... she comes to me, even on weekends. :-) My blood pressure is staying nice and low, fundus is measuring 23 cm, and I've gained about 13 pounds so far. We couldn't get a good listen to Baby's heartbeat because s/he was rolling around too much. We're talking a lot about whether we think Baby is a boy or girl, and discussing names. I think we've decided a girl's name, and I'm 99% positive we've decided a boy's name. But, since it is always subject to change, we're not telling until it is official. ;-)

That's all the update for now, Happy St. Valentine's Day! God bless!

Here We Grow

It occurred to me that through all my pregnancies, I have exactly three "belly shots". This time around I plan to take pictures regularly, every few weeks at least. This first picture is Baby 'n me three weeks ago, at about 15 weeks...



Next picture is this weekend, at about 18 weeks (not quite 4 months).

The pictures look a little odd because I'm twisting to photograph myself in the mirror. Still, as you can see, I'm carrying quite high so far. I can't remember if that means a boy or girl, according to the old wives. ;-) The e-mails I receive say that at this point Baby is about the length of a bell pepper (5 1/2 inches) and weighing somewhere around 5 ounces. I first felt movement about a week and a half ago, and by now I'm feeling Baby saying "hi" a couple of times a day. I just love being pregnant! (Well, now that I'm over the first trimester I can say I love it!)

Everybody has been doing well... Chuck did end up getting sick on the night of his birthday and into the next day, but that was the end of it. God bless!

Check-Up

I had my first prenatal appointment for this pregnancy today. It went well! We are still a little confused as to my exact due date. According to the little wheel like the OB's use, I could be due either June 26 or July 16. So we are going to settle for my calculation of July 4th. We can be pretty sure that baby will be born sometime between mid-June and the end of July. ;-) We decided to use the doppler to pick up Baby's heartbeat so the kids could hear it, too. Wow, there really is a little person in there! She said it isn't too early to use the fetoscope; I never have any luck finding the heartbeat with ours, but Chuck has had more success.

I am so thankful to God for His gift of new life, and for allowing me to play a part in His creation. Thanks for all the prayers for us, everyone... keep them up. It's a long time until summer.

God bless!

January Thaw

If the weather forecast hold true, we're going to get a lot of snow today and then tomorrow- January thaw! We could get as warm as 36 degrees (F) on Wednesday! The January thaw (we also usually get one in Feb. or March) is a great opportunity for those chores that are a real drag when it is cold, like cleaning out the car or tidying up the garage and mud room. We've had about 130" of snow this season, which is just a bit below normal for this time of year.

As of yesterday, our newest Babe is 15 weeks old. According to an e-mail I get s/he is now about 4 inches crown-to-rump and weighs around two ounces. Mostly I'm feeling pretty good these days. We had to reschedule with the midwife again, but I'm supposed to be seeing her this Thursday afternoon. I'm keeping up with my exercise better than I was before; that makes a big difference in how I feel. I finished a little sewing project this weekend. I turned a pair of regular jeans into maternity jeans. I had a pair of maternity jeans that I had turned into swimming cut-offs when I was pregnant with Mary. I cut the tummy panel off of them, and sorta just patched them onto a pair of jeans I already owned. They fit a little funky in the front, because I really haven't started showing that much yet, but it is wonderful to finally own a pair of maternity pants that are long enough. It is hard enough finding normal jeans with a 36" (or longer) inseam... maternity pants that long just don't exist in my world. ;-)

That's all the news from here for now. The children are all healthy, being good and keeping busy. Now that the festivities of Christmas are officially over, it's back to normal routines for us. I hope all of you have a blessed week. Love you all!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year's. Rather than going to a friend's for the evening, we stayed home; the snow was coming down pretty thick that evening. Driving in white-out conditions can be scary enough during the day, and even worse at night. It turned out just as well that we stayed home, because my body had apparently only two things on its agenda- food and sleep! We had a late supper and I started dozing off on the couch almost immediately after we ate. I woke up about 12:02. The kids were already in bed; we were quick to follow. That was our big New Year's party. ;-)

Compared to the last two weeks, this week will be a breeze. Raechel and Joseph will both celebrate birthdays, and I will have my first prenatal appointment with my midwife. I am 14 weeks along as of today (or three months tomorrow), and I'm feeling so much better than I was a few weeks ago. I'm always so thankful to make it to the 2nd trimester!

God bless you all, have a blessed week!

I exercised today!

I've had to take a long break from exercising, thanks to feeling almost constantly sick the last several weeks. I did a 3-mile walk today, with some yoga stretching to cool off. I enjoy exercising so much- if I had it my way I'd probably workout three times a day. :-) I just figured my exercise minutes for the year as of today- 8,425! To reach my goal of 9,002 minutes for the year, I'm going to need another 577 minutes of exercise in the next 13 days. If I get 45 minutes or more every day for the rest of the year, I'll make it.

I'm feeling somewhat better most of the time these days. I'm still feeling nauseous (funny how I always need spell-check for that word...) most evenings, but I'm having more energy during my good part of the day. Last night in the middle of the night it occured to me that I might have miscalulated my due date. So this morning I grabbed my last chart and visited a few websites. Sure enough, I was off by about a week. I had thought I was due June 27, but according to the due date calculators I tried I'm actually due around July 4th or 5th. I'm not convinced it makes much difference, since Baby doesn't use a calendar but will instead prefer to come when he or she is ready. I should be having a preliminary appointment with a new midwife soon, so we'll see what she thinks.

Everybody has been healthy and staying busy. Winter has officially arrived to the UP! Today we are having a brilliantly sunny day with temps in the lower 20's. It's so beautiful.

That's all the update for now. Only 7 praying days until Christmas! Love you all, God bless!

I can't believe it!

My eyes may have been playing tricks on me, but I swear I saw a tiny bit of very wet snow mixed with the drizzle of rain we got this afternoon. Actually, it's been raining off and on all day. Where was all this rain a few months ago when it might have done some good!?

The forecast for Houghton calls for temps down to 29* tonight. But by Sunday we should be back up around 70*. I just love this time of year!

Baby still shows no sign of making an appearance any time soon. Thomas was so early (nearly a full two weeks before his due date) that I had myself convinced this baby would be the same way. I should know by now that they are individuals, right from the beginning, and that nothing about motherhood is predictable. So, I've resigned myself to my fate, and figured I might as well try to enjoy these last few days (please, not "weeks") before our organized Life As We Know It dissolves into Life With A Newborn.

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend. God bless!

Praying for Patience

"Lord, give me patience.... RIGHT NOW!" I can't remember where I first heard or read that, but it describes pretty well how I'm feeling right now. Amanda visited yesterday, and nothing has really changed except I'm having fewer contractions than I was the week before but Baby is even lower. As much as I enjoy being pregnant and as good as I feel (most of the time, anyway) I am hoping Baby will decide to be born sooner rather than later. But, all I can do is be patient. And ask for prayers. *grin*

God bless!

Progress Report

We've had a very busy week. Chuck has been home since Saturday, and he plans to stay home until after Baby's arrival. I've been having contractions at night that are regular for a few hours and then go away. They are much stronger and feel different from braxton-hicks, but don't quite have that edge to them. My midwife visited today. Everything is looking very good; Baby is lower than before and I am measuring 3 cm smaller than last week. She said "any time now". Oh, it is so hard to be patient and not anxious!

In the meantime we've been trying to guess when Baby will be born, how much Baby will weigh, and whether or not Baby will have black hair. (Chuck had a dream about a dark-haired baby.) It is a lot of fun to speculate. And, of course, we are still discussing names, especially potential boys' names. Around dinner the other evening we were brainstorming with the children. "How about Michael?" somebody would suggest. "But Michael is Thomas' middle name!" "So? Michael is a good name!" "Yes it is; that's why we've used it." More discussion, then somebody says, "How about Steven". "Um, Steven is Daniel's middle name." "Oh, yeah." I'm just hoping that if this baby is a boy we will know his name when we see him.

God bless!

Almost there!

I had a very nice visit with the midwife yesterday. Everything is looking good. I'm feeling great, and apparently Baby had quite a growth spurt! I've gotten the diapers and baby clothes washed, and the children gushed over each little shirt, gown, and sock as I folded them. I will be officially full term at the end of this week. I know there are many, many people praying for us, and I am so thankful. We are almost there!

The children had their picture in the newspaper today. That was very exciting! Unfortunately, Chuck has given me a different scanner/printer, and I don't know how to use it! The group picture is really poor quality, but Raechel, Joseph, and the other prize winners had their pictures taken seperately, and that one turned out pretty well. I'll make copies of it (I know how to do that!) to send to grandparents.

God bless!

August is nearly over...

... and that means fall is beginning here in the UP. Chuck has been sent back to Texas for the week, and I really enjoyed the drive to the airport today. Believe it or not, quite a few trees are already turning colors. I've noticed this over the last week or so, but refused to believe my eyes. It's still summer for goodness' sake! Isn't it? The days are getting shorter, and nights are getting cooler, but while nature hints at fall my calendar still says summer!

We are going to be very busy this week. I think I'm entering the "nesting" phase of pregnancy! I'm planning on keeping the kids (and myself) so busy that this week will fly by. But don't worry, I promised I would NOT "pop" while Chuck is gone so I won't overdo it! And I have lots of helpers. Many hands do indeed make light, and pleasant, work.

God bless!

Less than a month now!

We are now within a month of Baby's due date! The midwife visited on Tuesday; she said baby is definitely head down and engaged, although still somewhat high, the heartrate was 164, and I am looking good. Baby continues to be very active, although I don't know how s/he finds the room for all these acrobatics!

We are heading out soon for a party at the library. It is the close of their summer reading program, and the kids have been looking forward to it ever since I marked the event on our calendar. I hope everyone is having a good day!

God bless!

Less than 50 days now!

It seems just a short time ago that I posted pointing out that my ticker box (upper right side) had less than 100 days to go until Baby's due date. Well, now we have less than 50 days!


I've heard comments over the years to the effect that expecting your sixth, seventh, etc. can't possibly be as exciting as expecting your first or second. I can't speak for every mom of many, but I can say in my case that is certainly not true! If anything, the anticipation is sweeter because I have fewer questions and (for the most part) less anxiety. I'm not worried about whether or not every little twinge or discomfort is "normal". I can savor these last weeks without fear of whether or not I am prepared to take care of a newborn. In fact, although this pregnancy has been physcially demanding, I think I am enjoying it more than I have enjoyed any of the others.

I am more aware than ever of just how precious this time is. My pregnancy with Hope flew by in a whirlwind of life changes. I don't remember taking much time to talk to her or feel her position within me or smile at her hiccups. And then she was gone, just like that. I think four healthy and uneventful pregnancies made me complacent. Our daughter's short life taught me many lessons. One of those is that I must learn to cherish every moment; even the difficult and painful times are a gift that, once spent, can never be returned.

I am sure that in a few more weeks I will reach a point of wanting this pregnancy to be OVER. It happens every time! But for now, I am feeling well, enjoying "the glow", and relishing every day that brings us closer to Baby's birth.

God bless!

Had a check-up today

Amanda, who is now my midwife, came for a visit today. She brought her two-month-old baby boy with her. He was just adorable! The kids went ga-ga over him, and everybody insisted on taking a turn at holding him. I am SO GLAD we will soon have a baby in the family, along with all the love and joy a baby can bring!

Everything is going well. Her exact words were "whatever you are doing, keep doing it". She confirmed for me that Baby is head-down and in the classic position, although I am still carrying him/her very high. She guessed that Baby probably weighs between 4 and 4 1/2 pounds already. This is gonna be a big one, especially if I go the whole nine weeks left until my due date! Luckily all the other children have come a week or two before the due date so it is probably safe to say that I am likely to deliver before September 22nd. Maybe. At least, I hope so! Baby's heartrate was 147.

Some folks have asked us about whether or not we have names picked out. Short answer, is no- not officially anyway. We have some possibilities in mind, but we haven't decided for sure. And until then, we aren't giving any hints!

So, all of you who have been sending prayers our way, they are working. Keep them coming! I'm in the "home stretch" now, and it is hard to be patient.

God bless!