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Showing posts from September, 2009

Belly Shot!

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Here's the sweet pea update: Your baby weighs more than a pound and a half right now and sports a crown-to-rump length of about eight and a half inches (standard letter size!). Wondering what (and who) your baby will look like? If you had a baby cam at 24 weeks pregnant, you'd almost be able to tell by now. That beautiful face (though still tiny) is almost fully formed. What's still missing from the picture is the fat that will be piled on under baby's skin. Until those fat deposits are made, that very tender skin is still very transparent, which means a close look would let you see clear through to all the organs, bones, and blood vessels. Fortunately, that see-through look won't last much longer. Babies at this stage of fetal development are gaining about six ounces each week — with much of that gain coming from fat, in addition to growing organs, bones, and muscle. What's been playing on your little rocker's stereo system these days? All kinds of sou

Wrist Pain in Pregnancy?

After cooking all day on Saturday I noticed that my wrist was aching.   I was a bit perplexed by it because my wrist usually doesn't hurt from cooking.   Then, I got this update from What to Expect and it totally seems to explain what was happening.   If you're like many pregnant women (especially those who work at computers), you may have begun to notice an uncomfortable tingling and numbness in your wrists and fingers.   Though it's usually associated with work that requires repetitive motion such as typing, carpal tunnel strikes pregnant women for a different reason (though repetitive motion can definitely contribute).   The swelling that's so common during pregnancy can put pressure on the nerve that runs through your wrist, causing numbness, tingling, pain, or a dull ache in the fingers, hand, or wrist. You might feel yourself wrestling with wrist pain more at night when you are around 24 weeks pregnant. That's because fluids that accumulate in your lower ex

Dinner with Friends

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Saturday night we had our sweet friends the Cullys over for dinner.  I have known them for a long time.  I was their daughter Katherine's nanny when she was a baby, then Katherine and Michael were our flower girl and ring bearer in the wedding.  Here's a picture of me with them at the wedding. We don't get together with them nearly as often as we would like, but have such a good time when we do.  The kids are very sweet and such a joy to be around.  I hope that Sarah Graves will be as polite and well-mannered as they are.  This was their first time to meet Lucy and Lucy fell instantly in love with them.  She was exhausted by the end of the night, but ate up every bit of attention and was sad to see her new friends go.  Aaron snapped this picture of me and the kids and Lucy. They were so sweet and brought us presents!  The kids helped pick them out, which made them oh so special!  For Sarah Graves they chose a puzzle just like the one that they enjoyed playing with when

Daddy can feel movement

It has happened a few times now that she moves with enough force for Aaron to feel it.  Friday night we were watching Grey's and she was moving in the same spot, so I told Aaron to put his hand there.  He could feel her several times in a row!  I love it when she will cooperate so that he gets to enjoy the movement too!  She keeps getting stronger all the time, so there will be more for him to feel in the coming weeks!

Catching Up

I had a vacation day to use up or I would lose it, so I took off on Friday.  You're probably thinking that I had something really exciting planned, right?  Well, it was a pretty low key day.  My goals were simple: work on scrapboking the wedding and catch up on recorded episodes of Oprah.  I set a table up in front of the TV and had a glorious day!  I am embarrassed to say that our wedding was almost 3 years ago and I am still trying to get it all into a scrapbook.  There were some long periods where nothing was worked on and I have been slow because I want it to look good and it's hard for me to decide on a layout.  It was fun spending the day flipping through the pictures and remembering how much fun it was.  I so hope that Sarah Graves wants a traditional wedding and I get to help plan it!  Very far into the future, I know.

Big Girl Stuff

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Jeanne's friend, Nicole, makes these little dresses out of bandanas.  Jeanne' asked her to make one in purple and gold for Sarah Graves.  The gold ribbons at the shoulders tie it closed.  It looks adorable on Nicole's little girl.  Now Sarah Graves has her first dress to wear for LSU events!  Thank you! It's just hard for me to imagine that the little baby who doesn't weigh more than a pound will one day be big enough for this.  I know the time will fly and a couple of years from now she will be running all over in this dress!

Rain, Rain Go Away...

We have had so much rain here lately that even I was longing to see the sunshine!  It finally came out yesterday and I was eager to get outside and enjoy it.  Lucy was getting cabin fever too, so I wanted to get her out for a walk.  Aaron was willing to come with us and we headed off as soon as I got home.  It's still pretty humid outside, but it was good to be out and not looking for cover from the rain! I have definitely noticed that I get winded more quickly than usual.  The route that I like to walk has a lot of hills and I was breathing hard as we went up.  I have read that exercise and the extra blood circulation is good for baby.  Hopefully, she appreciated it!  Lucy was panting hard by the time we made it home, but she was smiling all the way!  (In case you haven't met Lucy, she is one of those dogs that really can smile and it just delights me to see it!) Hopefully the drier conditions will stick around, but I think more rain is in the forecast fo the weekend. 

Belly Shot!

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Here's what's happening for baby girl: At eight inches and slightly over a pound, your baby is the size and shape of a small doll when you are 23 weeks pregnant. (But then, you already knew that you were carrying a living doll, didn't you?) This week marks the beginning of some serious weight gain. Your baby's weight in the next four weeks alone should double (and you may feel as though yours is too). You have probably heard your developing baby's heartbeat through a Doppler a number of times already (though you never get tired of hearing it), but by now you can also hear it through a standard stethoscope. What a heart throb! Your baby's skin is reddish in color now because of the developing blood vessels underneath (remember, the skin is very thin still). It also hangs loosely from his or her little body at this point. That's because the skin grows faster than the fat develops during fetal growth. But don't worry. By the time your baby is born, he o

Consignment Sales

A while back when we were barely pregnant, we received a flyer about a consignment sale at a local church.  I don’t know how, but I hung on to it and remembered it, so we went Friday evening to check it out.  At first it was overwhelming because we walked into this large parish hall and it was nothing but baby and kid stuff from wall to wall.  We quickly got acclimated and began recognizing some of the products that we have been looking at in baby stores.  Some of the things looked worn, but there were some others that appeared barely used.  We picked up an extra car seat base for the infant car seat for Mom’s car for a fraction of what we would pay at a store.  We also found a few toys for her that looked like they were in good condition.  We ran into a friend from church who mentioned that these happen all over during the Fall and Spring so that parents can stock up for the next season.  I got curious for what others were out there, so I googled it and found sites that are dedicated

Decisions, Decisions...

When we started looking at nursery furniture we also started checking out gliders.  First, we were a little surprised how expensive they can be.  Then, we were overwhelmed with all the choices.  We have sat in every glider in every baby store that we have visited.  Dutailier is the brand that is known for their gliders, but there were some others that we liked as well.  We quickly decided that we liked the look of the upholstered ones, but as you would guess, the thing we like is the more costly option.  The baby store where we ordered the furniture had some Dutailier chairs that we liked, but the nearly $1000 price tag was a little hard to accept.  I started checking for other places that might have deals on them.  I found an online site that is offering last year’s model at quite a discount.  I was all ready to order until I figured out that they did not sell a matching ottoman for the chair.  Then, I got worried that the fabric that I saw and thought was tan, was described as gray.

Bowling Momma

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Yesterday we had a team event at work and went bowling.  Home Depot had bowling shirts, so we were each given one and asked to "personalize" it.  It was to say something about you without saying your name.  We only had one evening to complete this task, so not a lot of time for creative reflection.  Here's what mine looked like. I have to mention that this was the smallest shirt they had and it still went around my belly!  I wasn't sure how bowling while pregnant was going to work, but it wasn't a problem.  I bowled about as well as I usually do, which isn't great.  I think the activity got baby girl moving because after a couple of games,, she was moving all over! 

Makes my heart melt

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My parents gave us this frame for Sarah Graves' ultrasound photo.  I keep it in the kitchen because it just makes my heart melt to look at that picture and know that she is real and will eventually be here with us.  The frame is very sweet and says, "I'm an angel...because my grandparents said so."  Well, her parents agree that she is a little angel. 

Sweet Pea's Name

We have had a name picked out for her for a while now, but I don't think that I have actually stated it on here.  Her name is going to be Sarah Graves.  Both names are family names.  Sarah was my great grandmother's first name even though she went by her middle name, Florence.  Graves is my grandmother's maiden name.  I have my great grandmother's maiden name, Trask, as my middle name and Sarah will have her great grandmother's maiden name as her middle name.  I would like to call her Sarah Graves even when she's not in trouble :)  We'll see if that sticks or if we go with Sarah alone.  This is one of the first girl names that we thought of and it just stuck.  I would throw others out there and Aaron would reject them.  Usually because he had known some girl years ago by that name and he wasn't impressed by her.  Fortunately for us, he hasn't met a Sarah that he didn't like.  He's never met a Sarah Graves, but we can't wait now!

Belly Shot!

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Here's the update on sweet pea: Guess what? At 22 weeks pregnant, your baby has finally broken the one-pound mark. How heavy is that? Hold a one-pound box of sugar in your hand the next time you're in the grocery store (and expect people to ask you why you're grinning from ear to ear). Is the box eight inches long? That's about the length your baby is too! This week, your sweetie is making more sense of the world as she develops the sense of touch. In fact, your little one's grip is quite developed by now — and since there's nothing else to grab in utero, she may sometimes hold on tight to that umbilical cord (don't worry — it's tough enough to handle it). The sense of sight is also getting more developed. Your fetus can now perceive light and dark much better than before (even with those fused eyelids). But remember — unless you're shining a flashlight over your belly (which you can do, by the way), it'll be mostly dark for your baby inside

Baby Stuff

The other major activity in our weekend was registering for baby stuff.  It took quite a bit of time to look at the bazillion baby items they have at Babies R Us.  Pretty much every product has a pro and a con that makes it hard to decide which is the best one.  We finally made our choices yesterday afternoon.  We also went to Dillard's and picked out a few sweet clothes for her on a registry there.  I am a little frustrated by Babies R Us because you would think that their prices would be as competitive as any other big box store, but it doesn't seem that way.  Wal-Mart carries a lot of products online that they do not carry in store and their online prices are a good bit less than Babies R Us.  Babies R Us will match a competitor's price, but you have to do all the work to let them know about it.  How about just offering an everyday low price?  You know the way some big home improvement chain that likes the color orange does :)  

Birthday Celebration!

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Saturday was Jeanne's birthday and it just so happens her close friend's birthday is the day before and there were several other birthdays right around them, so there was a party to celebrate.  We had lots of yummy food including a buttery pound cake that quenched sweet pea's sweet tooth.  They also had a DJ setup with lights and speakers in the garage.  We had a great time dancing.  Aaron and I were jitterbugging and that really got baby girl kicking!  It was really a fun evening and we had a chance to play with Jeanne's friend, Nicole's, baby girl, Delaney.  She's a little over a year and a half and quite a talker!  Makes me excited for what lies ahead! Here are some pictures we took: Jeanne' with Delaney Jeanne' and her friends Me and Aaron dancing Me and Dad dancing

Noppies

When I first found out I was pregnant, a friend of Jeanne’s recommended Noppies maternity pants. I looked in several maternity stores around Atlanta and never could find them, so I took a leap of faith and ordered them online. I have been very pleased with them. Most of the maternity pants that I have seen have a stretchy panel sewn to regular pant fabric. This creates a seam that I found uncomfortable. Noppies are not made like that. Noppies do not have a stretchy panel and the entire pant is made of a fabric that has some give to it. The nice thing about these is that the back has a sturdy piece of elastic with button holes throughout and on each side there is a button so that you can use the elastic to help cinch the pants up early on or let it out all the way toward the end. The one thing that I would mention about these pants is that they are meant to be worn all the way up over your belly. If you’re the kind of person who only wants to wear something under your belly,

The Beginnings of the Nursery

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Over the weekend we picked out paint to paint the nursery. The name of the color that we chose is key lime. It's a bright shade of green that will look really cute with all the pink stuff she will have. When we ordered the furniture, they told us it would take 4 - 8 weeks for it to come in. Not even a week later the salesperson called to say that our stuff was in and they were ready to arrange delivery. We were a little stunned, but super-excited to see it and have it set up. The delivery men brought it last night and setup the crib for us! I can't wait to fill her shelves with books! Chicka Chicka and Barnyard Dance are two of my favorite baby books! We are planning to use the top of the dresser as a changing area for her. We can't wait to start getting all of that setup for her! 19 weeks feels like a long time when you're ready to meet baby girl! Stay right where you are sweet pea, we want you to come out fat and healthy! Once we knew the furniture was i

LSU Fan Wear

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I have to show you the front of my T-shirt. I have seen women wearing these at LSU games, but of course had no idea where to go to find one. Well, Mom and Dad brought it back as a present for me from their trip to Baton Rouge! It is going to be a staple for my weekend wear this Fall. In case it's hard to read, it says, "Bouncing Bayou Bengal on da way"!

Belly Shot!

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Here's the update on sweet pea: At about seven inches in length and almost 11 ounces in weight, your baby is about the size of a large banana. By 21 weeks pregnant , your baby swallows at least several ounces of amniotic fluid each day — not only for hydration and nutrition, but also to practice swallowing and digesting — skills your baby will need as soon as he or she arrives in your arms. And keep this in mind: The taste of the amniotic fluid differs from day to day depending on what you've eaten (spicy enchilada one day, sweet carrots another). And that smorgasbord of tastes won't be lost on your baby. That's because your little one has very developed taste buds already. In fact, researchers have noted that babies who were exposed to certain tastes in utero via the amniotic fluid were more eager to eat foods with that same taste after birth. Want your baby to eat his or her broccoli later? Eat yours now! Your developing baby still has a great deal of room in y

Tailgating

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We had a great time tailgating and going to the game with Mr. Dan and Beverly on Saturday. It would have been even better if LA Tech won, but it was fun to hang out with them and the other Tech fans. We went to an alumni tailgate party and hung out and had some really good food before the game. It was a hot day, but everyone made sure that sweet pea and I had plenty of shade and water. During the game sweet pea grew quite hungry, but Aaron came to our rescue with a hot dog and more water. He takes good care of both of us! After the game we grabbed a late (very late) bite to eat before heading back to Atlanta. We were all worn out from the day when we got home at 2 AM. Who knew I could stay up that late anymore! It was so nice to visit with them and we really appreciate them driving a little farther and staying with us. We like to have company, so everyone is always welcome!

Tech Fans

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Lucy and I got up early and took a walk. She had a fabulous time and we ran into her friend Nate, a yellow lab that lives along our route. Lucy became quite the flirt with Nate and was just beaming. I wish that we had more dogs to have over for play dates because she loves to play with others. After our walk, I got her dressed in her LA Tech bandanna so that she can cheer them on today. We are heading over to Auburn with Aaron's Dad and Stepmom a little later to watch LA Tech play their first game. We're looking forward to the start of football season and some tailgating! Here is Lucy splayed out after her walk. Aaron came down dressed for the day, so I caught this picture of the two of them. She rolled over for a belly rub the moment that she saw him. Did we mention that she is a little spoiled?

Music and Movement

Yesterday I was listening to my ipod at work. When I listen at work, I only use one of the earphones to be sure that I can hear the phone ring or someone trying to speak to me. Normally, I just leave the other earphone sitting on my desk, but I decided to put it against my belly so that baby girl might listen too. My maternity pants come up higher than grandpa's leisure suit, so they held the earphone in place nicely. I listened for a while and didn't notice a lot of movement from her. Then, I took it off to get up and I felt a flurry of movements. Not just in one spot, but all over. I'm not sure though if she was enjoying listening and was letting me know that she wanted it back on, or if she was irritated by it and thankful that I took that annoying stimulus away. I guess it will be hard to tell until she's born. I do love to feel her moving around and know that she is there!

Loosening Joints

Here's a part of pregnancy that I have never heard anyone really mention, probably because it's not bothersome, loosening joints. I have joints all over my body that suddenly pop when I move. I have never had joints in my feet make that creaking sound when I get up. Aaron thinks it must be painful, but it's not at all. It's just sort of strange sounding. According to the books, your joints and ligaments begin to relax as your body prepares for birth. Yeah, not quite ready to think about all the loosening and stretching that is going to take place for that.

Around the House

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Although our focus has mostly shifted to baby and all the preparations for her, there are still some things that we are working on around the house. The formal living room has been a work in progress and is almost done. I picked out fabric and a curtain pattern and Mom was generous enough to make them for us. Dad came over on Saturday and used his engineering skills to get them hung. The whole thing was a tedious project for both of them, but they look so beautiful . We are really grateful for all the hard work that went into them! Here are a couple of pictures:

Belly Shot!

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Here's the update on baby girl this week: You've got a heavyweight in your belly at 20 weeks pregnant (well, in baby terms, anyway). Your little champ weighs about ten ounces and has a height, crown to rump, of about six and a half inches. Think small cantaloupe (and probably as sweet too). If it's a girl cantaloupe, her uterus is fully formed this week and her vaginal canal is starting its development (which means that in about twenty-five or thirty-some-odd years, she could be just where you're at, Grandma!). She also has primitive eggs in her tiny little ovaries now, seven million of them — though by the time she's born, that number will be down to two million (still more than she could ever hope to use). And interestingly, your baby girl will be born with all the eggs she'll ever have.