There's Another Baby on the Way: 20 Week Update

We've made it to the halfway mark and we now know that there is a baby GIRL on the way!  (Even though everyone told me we were having a girl, I was still quite surprised with the news. Brent of course knew it all along.) Sweet Emmy Josephine was healthy and active at our last check up. She's hanging out super low which made getting photos of all her parts a bit difficult, but we got what we needed.

I've gained 8 pounds so far in this pregnancy and, thankfully, I'm starting to feel less of the nausea theses days. I do, however, have my acid reflux kicking in which was very present in my pregnancy with Fisher. Overall, I'm doing great and am loving feeling miss Emmy move and dance in my belly. She's a mover and a shaker for sure. 

Here's what I'm looking like these days:

We had a great time revealing the gender to our family after our appointment. Stay tuned and I'll share all the details of our crafty gender reveal packages. (You'll be surprised how big of a roll Brent played in it all.)

Until next time...

I've Been a Mother for One Week

I'm a mother. Wow...that's weird. 

I'll save the details of the day for another post, but we were blessed with the arrival of Neil Fisher Kee on May 16th at 3:04pm. He was 7 pounds, 9 ounces and 20 inches long. We are a little tired as we learn our new roles as mommy and daddy, but we are completely in love with our new son.

Here are some pictures of our sweet boy:

I'm still amazed that he is here. We couldn't be happier and I can't wait to see what the Lord brings for us in the future. 

Until next time...

Preggers Update: 38 Weeks

We are less than 2 weeks away from our due date. Wow. 

Here's my 38 week belly...and my really pale skin.

We had a doctor's appointment on Friday and got the latest update on our pregnancy. We now know that we will not be allowed to go a full week past our due date (if I don't go into labor prior) like we originally thought. The last ultrasound revealed that my placenta has some calcification which can cause the baby to receive less than the needed amount of nutrients and oxygen required. (Calcification is basically a sign of placental aging.) Once they notice calcification, they recommend weekly ultrasounds to check the status of the baby. 

Because of this information we had a "well-being" check at this visit and Fisher is currently a 10 out of 10 (meaning his fluid, movement, heart rate, etc. is right on track.) We will have another ultrasound and "well-being" check next Friday followed by a growth check ultrasound on Wednesday. As long as things continue to look good, we'll be able to continue to wait for me to go into labor, but if anything changes for the negative, we will be induced. We could potentially go a couple days past our due date, but with the calcification a week past is no longer an option. 

So...we should have a baby boy within 2 weeks or so. (That is so hard to wrap my head around. No amount of preparation or discussion or waiting can make it feel like the time is really here. I can't believe I'm so close to meeting my son. My son...wow.)

We are now entering the waiting game. This is my last week of work before maternity leave, we have the nursery ready, our hospital bags packed, the car seat loaded and everything washed for little Fisher. We just need little Fisher to arrive. We're ready when he is.

Until next time...

Preggers Update: 37 Weeks

It's week 37 and Fisher is officially considered full term!

We had an appointment on Friday where we had an ultrasound to check the little man's size and...

HE IS PERFECT!

He was estimated to already be 6 lbs 7 ounces and in the 45 percentile. For some reason I tend to measure small via my belly checks, but Fisher is right on track. We were very happy to hear it. We are now just waiting for him to arrive which could be any day now.

I'm still not dilated so who knows when it will happen, but we currently only have 19 days left until our due date. My fingers are crossed that he won't be too much later than our due date. If he is, he will be one big baby. Big babies are super cute, but they're cuter when someone else is pushing them out. You know what I mean?

People keep commenting on the fact that Fisher's movements have probably started slowing down at this point since he is filling up all his space, but he is actually as active as ever. I'm thinking it is a sign of the personality to come. I can't wait to meet him!

Here's my week 37 belly...

I lost the ability to wear my rings a couple weeks ago and this week my feet and ankles have started to swell a bit as well. I'm afraid I might be developing cankles so this kid can't come out soon enough. No woman wants to deal with cankles. (Cankles: when the ankle and the calf seem to merge together, blending without an obvious division between the two.) On the positive side, I'm no longer suffering with my sciatic nerve pain which is AMAZING. 

Until next time...

Preggers Update: 36 Weeks

36 weeks and yes, I'm still getting bigger. 

I must admit that I'm a little less than thrilled that I'm at 36 weeks and still got sick out of nowhere tonight. I lost my entire dinner and then some. It's been months since I've done that. What the heck? 


OK, enough complaining. Let's get down to business...

According to babycenter.com.: My baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. By the end of this week, he'll be considered full-term which means if he arrives early, he'll still be in good shape. 

We had a doctor's appointment this past Friday and it was my first cervical check appointment. Here's what I learned: Fisher is head down, but he hasn't dropped yet. My cervix is "softening", but I am not yet dilated. 

My doc did say that Fisher is measuring a little small according to my "belly check" which can mean that he's just a small baby or that something is holding up his growth or that he is just positioned in a manner that is making him seem small. Therefore, next Friday we will be having a ultrasound before our regular visit to check his actual measurements. She didn't seem concerned (otherwise I'm sure she would have set up the ultrasound right away), but it is enough to make us a bit nervous. No one likes to hear that there is something less than normal going on. Hopefully he's just a little guy...I can handle that (especially for the delivery portion.)

We will of course keep you updated on Fisher's status. I'm just thankful that we are at the point in pregnancy where he can arrive at any time and shouldn't be in risk of having to spend extra time in the hospital. 

Oh, and we're 26 days from our due date...

Until next time...

Preggers Update: 35 Weeks

Fisher and I have learned a new trick for week 35. Check it out...no hands!

As you can imagine, this new skill is super handy. I mean, who wants to have to hold their water glass or lean over to pick it up off the side table? No one, right? Exactly. 

Now, on a more serious note, as week 35 continues I am still having lots of sciatic nerve pain. I visited my OB office on Friday and was informed that my pelvis/hips are actually misaligned at this point in time by about 3 cm. In preparation for labor, my body is full of the hormone, relaxin, which does exactly what you would imagine. It relaxes all your joints to help make space for the baby to exit. What it is doing for me in the mean time is putting pressure on my sciatic nerve and causing some intense pain. As a result, my doctor set me up with a physical therapy appointment to see what help I could receive. 

I met with the physical therapist today and sadly, I didn't get much good news. Basically there isn't anything we can do about the misaligned hips until the baby is no longer in my belly. Instead I was taught a few stretches that might help with the pain in the mean time. We'll see how it goes. 

So, what's happening at 35 weeks? Here's the low-down courtesy of babycenter.com: 

Our baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds! His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll just spend the next few weeks putting on weight. Yay!

We are now in the "homestretch" so I am now having weekly doctor's visits (every Friday) to have cervical checks and figure out when this baby might be arriving. I'm ready to meet him!

Until next time...

Preggers Update: 34 Weeks

I'm entering 34 weeks of pregnancy with new pains and I'm not digging it. 

I now have (via self-diagnosis) sciatic nerve pain which is literally a pain in the butt. Every time I take a step with my right leg, bend over, pick up something semi-heavy, sneeze or cough I have an intense shooting pain from my right hip down into my rear and leg. It is awesome. (My husband apparently thinks it is amusing to watch me attempt to walk around these days. What a nice man, huh?)

My baby boy has also obviously increased in size/strength because he is now causing some serious discomfort for me when he moves around. I can't imagine what I'll be feeling in a few weeks. 

On the positive side, I keep getting told that I "look great for being 34 weeks" which is always nice for a pregnant lady to hear. This picture from our family Easter gathering this past weekend shows my updated figure. (I'm pretty sure I just look huge, but that's just me.)

Babycenter.com update for 34 weeks: Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling her out, making his rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. (If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine.)

Our next doctor's appointment is this coming Friday. Hopefully we will continue to get positive news on my health as well as Fisher's. 

Until next time...

Preggers Update: 33 Weeks

I am now 33 weeks pregnant (33 weeks and 2 days to be exact) and I'm feeling less and less comfortable as each day passes. Fisher is definitely filling up the space available to him. He's constantly poking out and making my belly lopsided. 

We had our last doctor's appointment on Friday. I was still at 22 pounds of weight gain which my doc seems to be pleased with. Fisher will be doubling in weight from here on out so I have plenty of room to grow while remaining in the "healthy weight gain" of 25 to 35 pounds. I was happy since for a while there I thought I'd be surpassing the top of that range before all was said and done. 

The appointment was just a quick "belly check" to make sure I'm measuring on track, listening to his heartbeat and checking my weight and blood pressure. Everything is looking great. We'll do the same type appointment in two weeks and then from there we will be seen every Friday until my little man makes his appearance. Once we begin those weekly appointments, I'll start having cervical checks to see how things are progressing. 

According to babycenter.com, our little guy should be weighing a little over 4 lbs at this point. They also warn that I might start waddling at any time now. Awesome.

OK. Here's the official 33 weeks pictures:

Until next time...

Preggers Update: 32 Weeks

It's Week 32! My little sis passed through this weekend so we got a few shots of her with me and the belly. I think she's still a little surprised at the fact that there is a "human growing in my belly."

Here's our weekly update according to babycenter.com: By now, our baby weighs 3.75 pounds and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in my uterus. I'm gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to Fisher. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth. 

This week we begin our Childbirth Education classes. We will have a class every Tuesday now until the end of April. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm hoping it will help us feel a little more prepared for our new adventure.

Alright, two months to go.

Until next time...

Preggers Update: 31 Weeks

We had another doctor's appointment on Friday to check on me and baby Fisher. We are both doing great and he is right on track as far as his growth. Over the next 9 weeks my little man will DOUBLE his weight...oh, yay. He has already caused me to gain 22 pounds and I'll be gaining (at least) another pound per week until he arrives. Every woman's dream, right?

Week 31 has brought on chronic back pain and miserable attempts at sleeping through the night. If I don't need to pee, then Fisher is moving around like crazy. If all is calm, then my back is killing me. If my back is fine, then I have horrible acid reflux. If my throat isn't on fire, then I'm sweating to death...Getting the idea?

Week 31 makes me realize pregnancy is lame. (But it's still pretty awesome. You know, I think I have a love/hate relationship with my pregnancy experience.)

Until next time...

Preggers Update: 30 Weeks

We are at week 30! 

Here's our baby update according to babycenter.com: He's about 15.7 inches long now, and weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage).

Here is what's new with me: I have acid reflux all the time, I'm slightly anemic (now taking  an iron supplement) and I have to rock fuzzy slippers around the house now because my feet hurt when standing on the hard floor surfaces. Oh, and I now want to boycott picking up anything off the floor due to my growing belly bump.

Now, before we check out my current shape, here's a look back at how my baby bump (and hair) has grown over the past weeks.

Here's how I'm looking these days...

Until next time...

P.S. I realized today that my hipbones are no longer able to be found and (just in case you were wondering) my belly button is starting to look weird, like really weird.