We're happy to report that everything is going really well! Sarah has been officially resting for ten days, and is so far only a *little* stir crazy. She's been keeping herself busy with books, movies, and craft projects - the latest of which is making sock monkeys for the baby. She's also spent a lot of time researching baby "stuff" online. For those of you who have asked, we have taken advantage of Sarah's free time to finish our registry, and included a link in the left-hand column of the blog page. What a process... who knew that there were so many baby items out there? We've decided on a monkey theme and a color scheme of baby blue and walnut. Even though we're months away, it seems as though July is fast approaching. There are so many preparations to make before the little man arrives, and we are loving every minute of it!
If we learn anything new at our next doctor's appointment on Monday we'll post another update. We don't expect to get any real news until our 30-week ultrasound on May 13th. We'll probably be given the date of our scheduled C-section shortly after that appointment, which will help everyone who wants to make travel plans!
Mommy Update:
- Always game for any good book or movie recommendations, as she has a ton of time on her hands to fill now!
- Slowly slipping into Ryan's nocturnal schedule since she doesn't need to wake up early, but still far from going to bed at 6am!
- Is lucky to have such a great family and group of friends that are visiting, emailing, calling, and sending goodies her way!
- Will be tackling a knitting project next, hopefully ending up with a hat and booties set for when we bring the baby home!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Look at that Belly Grow!
Our month five preggie photo shoot revealed an even BIGGER belly than last time... not sure why it's so shocking to see the expansion every month, but it is! Here are the shots from months three, four, and five, composited together so you can compare how much has changed!
We had a doctor's appointment yesterday to review the results of our 20-week ultrasound. The baby looks AMAZING and is growing perfectly in every way! Unfortunately, there's a bit of a complication for Sarah, called placenta previa. Due to the risks associated with this condition, the doctor ordered her to immediate bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy - working, traveling, and even taking the dog for a walk around the block are all off limits. It's certainly not the original plan that we had in mind, but if this is what we need to do to give our baby boy the best chance of a healthy delivery, so be it! The doctor said that he runs into this condition every two or three years, and in each of his cases if the mothers held to the recommendations of significantly limited activity, everything ended up as a happily ever after! We'll keep everyone posted as we learn more.
Mommy Update:
- Feeling a bit nervous about the placenta previa, but following the doctor's orders to the letter with the support of her incredible husband!
- Can't help but be uplifted every time she feels her strong little boy kicking... he even woke her up the other morning with all of his movement!
- Excited that Aunt Mary will be coming out for a visit in May, and can't wait to see everyone else and share in this experience with them!
- So grateful for all of the support, encouragement, and optimism from everyone... it really does a gal good when she is surrounded by such positive, caring people!
We had a doctor's appointment yesterday to review the results of our 20-week ultrasound. The baby looks AMAZING and is growing perfectly in every way! Unfortunately, there's a bit of a complication for Sarah, called placenta previa. Due to the risks associated with this condition, the doctor ordered her to immediate bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy - working, traveling, and even taking the dog for a walk around the block are all off limits. It's certainly not the original plan that we had in mind, but if this is what we need to do to give our baby boy the best chance of a healthy delivery, so be it! The doctor said that he runs into this condition every two or three years, and in each of his cases if the mothers held to the recommendations of significantly limited activity, everything ended up as a happily ever after! We'll keep everyone posted as we learn more.
Mommy Update:
- Feeling a bit nervous about the placenta previa, but following the doctor's orders to the letter with the support of her incredible husband!
- Can't help but be uplifted every time she feels her strong little boy kicking... he even woke her up the other morning with all of his movement!
- Excited that Aunt Mary will be coming out for a visit in May, and can't wait to see everyone else and share in this experience with them!
- So grateful for all of the support, encouragement, and optimism from everyone... it really does a gal good when she is surrounded by such positive, caring people!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Latest Pics of Baby Boy!
As promised, here are the latest ultrasound pictures! The appointment took a long time, as the doctor measured everything from the ventricles of his heart to the bones in his arm. One of our favorite pictures is this one, where the little man gave us the "thumbs up" sign:
He was moving around a lot, and as mentioned in the last post not interested in posing for pictures! While it's not as clear as the last round, here's the best of the profile shots:
The latest round of belly pictures will be shot tonight and added in the next few days. We also wanted to thank everyone for joining us on this journey - we can't tell you how much all of your excitement and enthusiasm means. Our son will be born into a world full of people that love him, and we are forever grateful to all of you for that!
He was moving around a lot, and as mentioned in the last post not interested in posing for pictures! While it's not as clear as the last round, here's the best of the profile shots:
The latest round of belly pictures will be shot tonight and added in the next few days. We also wanted to thank everyone for joining us on this journey - we can't tell you how much all of your excitement and enthusiasm means. Our son will be born into a world full of people that love him, and we are forever grateful to all of you for that!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
It's a BOY!!!
Very exciting news today - we learned that we will welcome a baby boy in July! The doctor's visit went really well, and our little man looks fantastic! We learned that he is camera shy, though... every time the doctor attempted to get a good profile shot he would turn his head away. Ryan will break him of that habit soon enough after he is born! He was also positioned in such a way that most of his body fell in a shadow, so the ultrasound pictures aren't great this time. We'll be sure to post the best of the bunch within the next few days!
Mommy Update:
- Getting bigger every day, feeling well, and enjoying the second trimester much more than the first!
- Excited to add one more male to her house full of boys (she's already outnumbered by Ryan and Max)!
- Feeling lots of kicks and movement lately, and looking forward to when Ryan will be able to feel them, too!
- Finding that those famous San Francisco hills are getting harder and harder to climb!
Mommy Update:
- Getting bigger every day, feeling well, and enjoying the second trimester much more than the first!
- Excited to add one more male to her house full of boys (she's already outnumbered by Ryan and Max)!
- Feeling lots of kicks and movement lately, and looking forward to when Ryan will be able to feel them, too!
- Finding that those famous San Francisco hills are getting harder and harder to climb!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
A Mover and a Shaker!
Just a quick post to let everyone know the latest exciting news - Sarah felt the baby move for the first time yesterday! She has been on heightened "flutter alert," and even had a few false alarms, but it is now absolutely unmistakable baby activity! It's very exciting to have intermittent reminders throughout the day that the baby is growing and changing, and though it is still difficult to wrap her head around the miracle of what is happening in her body, it feels a bit more "real" now. Ryan is excited for when he will be able to feel (and see, so we hear!) the baby's movement, once the flutters turn into full-blown kicks!
Thought we'd include a photo from one of Ryan's most recent photo shoots - Sarah is still able to pose for him if the shots are from the waist-up! :)
Mommy Update:
- Counting the days until March 5th, and wondering if she'll be able to sleep the night of the 4th!
- Speaking of sleep, invested in a body pillow to help make the evenings a bit less restless and a lot more comfortable!
- Hopelessly conflicted on the "necessity" of certain baby items, and relying heavily on her mommy friends for guidance!
- Can't help but laugh when Max finds it difficult to curl up in her lap and seems to stare, puzzled, at the bump that's in his way!
Thought we'd include a photo from one of Ryan's most recent photo shoots - Sarah is still able to pose for him if the shots are from the waist-up! :)
Mommy Update:
- Counting the days until March 5th, and wondering if she'll be able to sleep the night of the 4th!
- Speaking of sleep, invested in a body pillow to help make the evenings a bit less restless and a lot more comfortable!
- Hopelessly conflicted on the "necessity" of certain baby items, and relying heavily on her mommy friends for guidance!
- Can't help but laugh when Max finds it difficult to curl up in her lap and seems to stare, puzzled, at the bump that's in his way!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Boy or Girl?
No, we don't know yet... but March 5th is just around the corner! Our next post will probably be the big gender reveal! Until then, we are happily taking predictions, but refusing to speculate ourselves. We had another fantastic report from our doctor today - the heartbeat sounds great, weight gain is right on track, and belly measurements look good. We took round two of the belly portraits last night - it was kind of shocking to see the amount of growth that has taken place in just a few short weeks!
Sarah at four months - and she thought she was big last month!
Yeah, we're probably going to have to buy new jeans for next month's photo shoot...
Mommy Update:
- Getting used to being told, "You're big for four months!" right after she hears, "You're small for four months!" from someone else... everyone's an expert!
- Feeling GREAT! No more morning sickness, and all of the current symptoms are sooooo minor compared to that!
- Can't wait to feel the little one kick and stretch - also super excited about finding out the gender in a few weeks!
- Has picked up a new habit in preparation for her upcoming role as a mother: she cooks real, microwave-free meals on a regular basis now!
Sarah at four months - and she thought she was big last month!
Yeah, we're probably going to have to buy new jeans for next month's photo shoot...
Mommy Update:
- Getting used to being told, "You're big for four months!" right after she hears, "You're small for four months!" from someone else... everyone's an expert!
- Feeling GREAT! No more morning sickness, and all of the current symptoms are sooooo minor compared to that!
- Can't wait to feel the little one kick and stretch - also super excited about finding out the gender in a few weeks!
- Has picked up a new habit in preparation for her upcoming role as a mother: she cooks real, microwave-free meals on a regular basis now!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Yes, Sir, That's Our Baby!
Fantastic news!!! Our test results came back, and the baby is in the lowest risk category (1 in 10,000) for genetic defects! We are so happy and relieved!
Everything is on track and progressing nicely! As promised, here's the latest ultrasound picture - doesn't the baby look like an actual baby now?
You can see the baby's profile, with the little fist balled up next to the mouth. It's already trying to suck its thumb! The legs fade back into the darkness, but we verified - they're there! During the ultrasound, the little one was super active, and kept flipping around the wrong way. A few gentle taps on Mommy's belly guided it to flip back over - we were shocked that it was responding to touch! It also kept opening and closing its mouth, kicking its feet, and moving its arms. The skin is so translucent at this point that we could see the full spinal cord. It's still small, measuring at about 3.5 inches from crown to rump (not head to toes, as I originally thought - they don't even attempt to measure those active little legs!). It was incredible to learn that all major components of the body have been formed already! From now on, the baby's development will consist primarily of organ maturity, growth, and body refinement.
We find out the gender on March 5th. Those who are willing to put their guess on the table are generally saying boy... which means it has as much, if not more of a chance of being a girl! :) Our next appointment is on February 11th, which will be about the same time as round two of the belly pics. That's also about when we may first be able to feel the baby moving! So exciting!
Mommy Update:
- Happy to have the all clear from the doctor to use the foot massager Grandpa and Grandma Emerson sent for Christmas!
- Excited about the baby presents from Aunt Kelly, especially the dog sound desensitization CD to get Max used to hearing baby cries!
- Wondering if she should load the sound desensitization CD into her iPod so that she can get used to hearing baby cries!
- Has gained only 3 to 5 pounds (depending on the day she steps on the scale), and wonders how that is possible with her new body shape!
Everything is on track and progressing nicely! As promised, here's the latest ultrasound picture - doesn't the baby look like an actual baby now?
You can see the baby's profile, with the little fist balled up next to the mouth. It's already trying to suck its thumb! The legs fade back into the darkness, but we verified - they're there! During the ultrasound, the little one was super active, and kept flipping around the wrong way. A few gentle taps on Mommy's belly guided it to flip back over - we were shocked that it was responding to touch! It also kept opening and closing its mouth, kicking its feet, and moving its arms. The skin is so translucent at this point that we could see the full spinal cord. It's still small, measuring at about 3.5 inches from crown to rump (not head to toes, as I originally thought - they don't even attempt to measure those active little legs!). It was incredible to learn that all major components of the body have been formed already! From now on, the baby's development will consist primarily of organ maturity, growth, and body refinement.
We find out the gender on March 5th. Those who are willing to put their guess on the table are generally saying boy... which means it has as much, if not more of a chance of being a girl! :) Our next appointment is on February 11th, which will be about the same time as round two of the belly pics. That's also about when we may first be able to feel the baby moving! So exciting!
Mommy Update:
- Happy to have the all clear from the doctor to use the foot massager Grandpa and Grandma Emerson sent for Christmas!
- Excited about the baby presents from Aunt Kelly, especially the dog sound desensitization CD to get Max used to hearing baby cries!
- Wondering if she should load the sound desensitization CD into her iPod so that she can get used to hearing baby cries!
- Has gained only 3 to 5 pounds (depending on the day she steps on the scale), and wonders how that is possible with her new body shape!
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