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Showing posts from March, 2012

Over Dinner

Here's. A conversation I had with SG over dinner last night. SG: pointing to my tummy, Baby Me: Yes, we're going to have a baby. What should we call him? SG: while giggling, Chubby Baby! She cracks me up because she knows she is saying something funny! We'll see if Chubby Baby is a name that sticks. I do like fat babies! He may already have his nickname in life.

Bath Fun!

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Gramma sent SG an Easter prize!  She was delighted to use these new bath crayons and color on her body!  She was so excited for the color to show up.  She keeps saying it shows up!

Belly Shot!

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Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana . (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.) He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery). Congratulations! You've hit the halfway mark in your pregnancy. The top of your uterus is about level with your belly button, and you've likely gained around 10 pounds. Expect to gain another pound or so each week from now on. (If you start

It's a BOY!

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We went for our 20 weeks ultrasound and found out that Sarah Graves is getting a brother!  My feeling from the very start was that this was a boy and I only doubted it when I had a dream a couple of weeks ago and we were looking at an ultrasound of a chubby girl!  It turns out my first instinct was right!  Aaron is really excited and SG only cares that it's a baby!  This a picture of the little dumpling's profile.  This is a picture of his feet.  I just thought they looked so sweet! They checked all of his measurements and organs and all looked healthy.  They estimate this little dumpling weighs about 10 ounces right now, but we know he will grow a lot in the coming weeks!  They did a detailed look at his heart and that all looks right on track.  Same for the brain, spinal cord, kidneys, bladder, umbilical cord, lips, and nose!  My cervix looks long and closed, which is exactly what we want right now.  The only pause for concern is the placement of the placenta.  It is clos

My Weekend

I spent most of my weekend doing something for me and this baby.  It is rare that I choose to do something away from Sarah Graves on the weekend, but I took the plunge.  I have been carrying around a ot of concerns about the complications that happened in Sarah Graves' birth and how they may impact this birth.  Although her birth turned out healthy and all was well, there was something missing from it that I couldn't put my finger on.  The class I did this weekend was called Fear to Freedom and it focuses on empowering women (and sometimes caregivers) to have the birth they desire by addressing their fears.  Let me say that this class was outside my comfort zone.  I loved it, but I had to stretch a bit.  The class not only talks about birth, but identifying your centers of power.  It incorporates dance, yoga, meditation, writing, and acting all as ways of identifying what may be keeping you from the birth you want and empowering you to change it.  I have only ever attended o

Four Generations

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Last night we had an impromptu dinner out and took this picture of all four generations together.  Such fun times.

Bathing Beauty

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This little bathing beauty has been hit hard by allergy season. She coughs and coughs, so we tried some vapor bath before bed last night. I don't know if it helped her sleep easier, but she certainly enjoyed it! The vapor bath made bubbles and turning on the jets in our tub really made a lot of bubbles! At times I wasn't sure if we would be able to find her for all the bubbles! I think she will be asking to do that again!

Belly Shot!

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Here's what's going on with our little dumpling this week: Six inches long this week and about eight ounces in weight, your baby is the size of a large mango. Your little action figure is able to choreograph Matrix-like moves at 19 weeks pregnant . Arms and legs are finally in proportion, neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles, and cartilage throughout the body is turning to bone. All these upgrades combine to give your baby more control over limb movements. Which explains all that kicking, stretching, and bodysurfing (or rather bellysurfing) you've possibly started feeling by now. Something else going on this week: Your baby is getting a cheesy varnish. Say what? Yup — a protective substance called vernix caseosa (vernix is the Latin word for varnish; caseosa is cheese) now covers your baby's skin. It's greasy and white and is made up of lanugo (that downy hair), oil from your baby's glands, and dead skin cells. This waxy "cheese&q

Maw Maw is Here!

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My Maw Maw Yvonne is visiting and Sarah Graves is just smitten with her! She asks about her when she gets up and talks about her before she goes to sleep. Here they are watching Sesame Street together.

Visit with the Easter Bunny

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Saturday we went to see the Easter bunny!  Sarah Graves was very nervous to get on his lap and although she didn't cry, she wasn't her happy self. 

Zoo Trip

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Sunday we made a trip to the zoo.  Although we did look at the animals, her favorite parts are definitely the playground and the train!  She was excited to watch the panda eating bamboo and watched the tiger for a bit.  She was so excited to ride the train!  She could hear it and would start saying, "choo choo!"  She sat so still and so serious the whole ride just looking and taking it all in.  Toward the end she was getting tired and let Daddy carry her.  He was pleased to oblige.

Belly Shot!

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Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long ( about the length of a bell pepper ) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound. See what your baby looks like this week.

Funny Girl

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This funny girl has started to enjoy wearing hats and insisted on wearing her hat and jacket the other night!  When I first asked her to let me get a picture, this is the look that I received, her usual look.  When I asked her for a smile, this is the look I received, her Daddy's expression! Finally, she gave me this sweet look. 

Check-Up

Baby and I had a check-up yesterday and all looks good.  My blood pressure is 90 over 64, measurements look on track, and baby's heart rate was 156.  I was so thankful when she found the heartbeat without a lot of difficulty!  We are almost to the halfway point.  I must say that this pregnancy feels like it is going by fast!

Educating the Parents

We recently completed a 5 week parenting series taught by Pam Roe, our doula and the classes really opened our eyes.  i thought i would give a synopsis of what we covered. The series is focused on parenting children in a way that is drastically different than what most people in America grew up with.  The series focused heavily on the work of Alfie Kohn and Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish .  Pam also incorporated some of the work of Dr. Haim Guinott and Barbara Coloroso as well. Aaron and I agreed up front that we did not want to spank.  We figured that we would probably do time-out or some other popular form of discipline that didn't involve hitting.  Then, we took the class that Pam teaches on parenting a big baby that touches a bit on the works of the above mentioned people and had our eyes opened a bit to a different way of talking to and interacting with children.  That class however was literally just a tiny taste and we now have a much bigger perspective on what others ar

Crafting

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This has to be one of Sarah Graves' favorite things to do - making collage/mosaic art.  She loves to use a glue stick and this craft gives her lots of opportunity.  I realized her love for the glue stick when she used one to make an Elmo face at her birthday party.  After that, she would beg for the glue stick, so I started cutting up craft paper for her to glue down.  We did some at Valentine's where I drew a heart on the page and tried to get her to glue the paper inside the heart.  This one was just cut up pieces of paper glued all over the sheet to her heart's content.  Sometimes her hands get so full of glue that she just directs me in where to put the paper! 

Pregnancy Update

Overall, I have been feeling pretty good.  I am still really tired, which I don't remember being before.  I'm almost 18 weeks pregnant and really want 8 or 9 hours sleep every night.  That is a far contrast to the insomnia I had when pregnant with Sarah Graves! The feelings of nausea and the bother with smells is pretty much all gone.  If anything, I have noticed that my appetite is back this week!  I actually had a desire for chocolate chip cookies last weekend and that is a little scary because I count on pregnancy to keep my sweet tooth at bay and my weight gain in check! The most exciting thing has been feeling those first flutters of movement.  For about 2 weeks I have felt subtle little movements, but the other night while watching TV, I'm pretty sure that he or she was practicing kick turns!  I am so grateful for those movements as affirmation that this little miracle really is getting bigger and stronger all the time.  One of the parts about pregnancy that I f

Puzzle Girl

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Sarah Graves has turned into a puzzle fanatic.  She is in love with the tozzle app on iPad!  She can work them so fast that I am looking for more apps like it.  She recently discovered this bear puzzle set that Gramma gave her for her birthday.  It is sort of like paper dolls, but a momma, daddy, and baby bear. She dresses them up in all sorts of funny outfits and gives them different expressions on their faces. She just loves it!

Maternity Wear

When I was pregnant with Sarah Graves I heard about Noppies maternity pants.  They were expensive, but I quickly realized they are worth it.  There is no seam going across the belly to make them uncomfortable when you are really big and the elastic going through the top has buttons so you can adjust the fit for early, late, and after pregnancy.  These are the Bengalin Seidel pants by Noppies.  Don't ask me where the names come from, I believe they are a Belgain brand.  With Sarah Graves I only had two pairs, but decided this time I could use a couple more.  I ordered a khaki color like the ones I had before and also tried a pair of black in a style called Lely.  The Lely ones are absolutely the most comfortable things you could imagine.  They are made of a soft knit type fabric and have a very stretch band that pulls over the belly.  I feel like I have on my pajamas when I wear these!  I won't waste my money on less expensive pants that have a big seam across the middle thi

Outside!

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Sarah Graves is really interested in playing outside now, so we have been getting out more.   She loves to ride on her Barbie ATV.  She doesn't understand about steering, but she goes full throttle all the way! For a while she had no patience for her swing, but suddenly she likes to get in and swing really high.  She stares up at the sky and watches the clouds. 

Belly Shot!

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How big is your baby at 17 weeks pregnant ? About five inches long and more than three and a half ounces — the size of your open hand. (Open the other one too and imagine your baby cradled in both your arms right after delivery!) Body fat (baby's, that is) is beginning to form and will continue to accumulate through the end of your pregnancy. By the time your baby is born, body fat will make up about two-thirds of his or her weight (and will make all those chubby parts especially yummy). Your baby is almost certainly listening up by now. In fact, loud noises — the dog barking, the doorbell ringing — will actually startle your baby (and also get him or her used to such noises; for instance, fetuses who regularly hear a dog barking will become babies who sleep right through Fido's outbursts). Your baby's eyes (which have fortunately finished their migration to the front of his or her head) are making small side-to-side movements and can even perceive some light, thoug

Lunchbox

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What to pack in a picky two-year-old's lunch has been a major debate for me.  She has to bring something that she can feed herself and it has to be something that doesn't make a huge mess.  I tried things like almond butter sandwiches, but they were returned mostly uneaten.  So this is what she usually has - a selection of snacks.  She brings almonds, craisins, goldfish crackers, another cracker made with flax seeds and craisins, and some dried apple slices.  I would love to know what other moms are putting in their kids' lunchboxes. 

More Outside!

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The weather this winter has just surprised me, but I am so glad for time to go outside!  We went out for a few minutes last night after dinner and she was a happy girl.  She and daddy had fun climbing on the rope ladder.  She was so funny on the swings.  She was sitting in the swing and trying to use her arms and pump her legs.  Pumping her legs looked more like frantic kicking!  She was delighted with herself and giggling all the way.  Swinging superman style is also popular!

Little Ghost

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I don't know what gave her the idea, but she pulled her shirt over her face and walked around like a ghost for a quite a while last night!  She was hysterical walking around with her arms out trying not to bump into things.  She was giggling and thought it was funny too!

Ash Wednesday

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Better late than never, right?  Lovie and Pops came to church with us on Ash Wednesday and this little girl was thrilled!  She just adores them and any time she can have Pops' attention, she is delighted.  There wasn't a nursery for the service, so Pops took care of SG and would take her out during the really quiet parts and he would also tell her all about what we were doing.  She was hanging on his every word!