31 weeks

Saturday was 31 weeks....about 9 more to go!! I really am starting to think more about labor and delivery. It is a little frightening, just thinking about when he'll decide to come, where (hopefully I will be at home and not at work or somewhere like that), and how much pain I will go through. We will learn more in our child birth classes and through talking with my doctor, but I do know I am NOT against pain management. My hope is that I can get a good epidural so I can still feel when to push and be aware to enjoy the experience, but still have my pain managed. I know myself and if I am in too much pain, I won't enjoy it as much. I DON'T want to take drugs that will make me too groggy and out of it where I won't even know what's going on. So, hopefully this will be the case!

I'm still feeling really great and feel so lucky to continue to feel this way. I'm getting bigger and bigger and my belly button is almost popped, but not quite. He still is really active and likes to dance on my bladder at least once a day and occasionally decides to push up on my ribs, which is really fun. I get up every 2 hours at night to pee, change sides, and usually feel him move around a couple of those times. I'm really used to it now, so it seems to be on schedule: midnight, 2am, 4am, 6am. My feet/ankles are swelling more, due to the heat, I think, so that will probably continue. It's not unbearable, though, especially because I only wear flip flops/sandals now anyway.

Here is what babycenter has to say:

How your baby's growing: This week, your baby measures about 16 inches long. He weighs a little over 3 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

How your life's changing: Have you noticed the muscles in your uterus tightening now and then? Many women feel these random contractions — called Braxton Hicks contractions — in the second half of pregnancy. Often lasting about 30 seconds, they're irregular, and at this point, they should be infrequent and painless. Frequent contractions, on the other hand — even those that don't hurt — may be a sign of preterm labor. Call your practitioner immediately if you have more than four contractions in an hour or any other signs of preterm labor: an increase in vaginal discharge or a change in the type of discharge (if it becomes watery, mucus-like, or bloody — even if it's pink or just tinged with blood); abdominal pain or menstrual-like cramping; an increase in pressure in the pelvic area; or low back pain, especially if you didn't have it before.

You may have noticed some leaking of colostrum, or "premilk," from your breasts lately. If so, try tucking some nursing pads into your bra to protect your clothes. (And if not, it's certainly nothing to worry about; your breasts are making colostrum all the same, even if you don't see any.) If your current bra is too snug, you might also want to pick up a nursing bra. Choose a nursing bra at least one cup size bigger than you need now. When your milk comes in you'll be grateful for that extra room!

If you're having a boy, you and your partner will want to take some time to think about whether or not to have your baby circumcised. Find out the pros and cons, and what the procedure involves."

I think I have had some Braxton Hicks contractions, but not many. Mostly, Eli likes to move around and press his head, butt, back, whatever against my tummy and you can see one side sticking out more than the other and it is hard as a rock! Circumcision is a topic Eric & I have discussed. Haven't come to a final decision, but we probably will end up doing it. I think I'll leave it up to Eric since he would know more than me!! It's kinda a hard decision!!

31 week baby pic:

Have a great week!!

Father's Day Weekend

Another great weekend-I'm having so many I'm going to expect them every weekend!! Friday night my dad came down and then Saturday my sisters and their significant others also came. Saturday we had a little dent in the weekend when my car overheated and we had to wait about an hour and a half for the tow truck and my grandpa got lost trying to find us. But, I'm glad it happened when I was with Eric & my dad as it would have been really bad on my way to work!!! We found out the radiator is bad and the thermostat needs replacing. We had just had it in for the 90,000 check up so they somehow missed it and are giving us a deal of some sort. We'll find out Monday what that really means....

Anyway, Saturday we all went to the Royals game to celebrate Father's Day. My brother-in-law's parents and my in-laws met us at the game so all together there were 12 of us. We sat in the shade on the top level and it was really fun! I was sure to drink a lot of water and get up and walk around several times, so it was just fine. The Royals lost, but what can you do!! Elijah's first baseball game was at 31 weeks in utero! I think he especially liked the bomber flyer overs and fireworks!!

Today we all went to Mom & Dad Clarkson's for a wonderful lunch: beef stroganoff, green bean casserole, and salad. Oh, and banana pudding for dessert. My brother-in-law and niece also attended, so it was great to have everyone together. We gave each grandpa a onesie to keep at their house that said "My Grandpa digs me", and the Royals game tickets from the day before. I bought Eric a gift set of Royals attire for little Eli, a rattle in the shape of a baseball, and a picture frame that says "Daddy's little sport" that he can put on his desk at work. It was just a baseball weekend!! After lunch my dad left and then we all decided it was time to swim. This was the first time being in a pool while pregnant and it was really great. I'm sure I'll want to spend more time in the pool over the next couple of months!! Mom & Dad Clarkson and Uncle Blake bought us a charcoal grill with all the accessories for Father's/Mother's-day-belated Day!! We were really surprised and thankful. Now we can grill out!!! Also, my dad bought us our travel system from Babies R Us, so that was fun. Thanks grandma and grandpas!! Elijah is very lucky!!

Here are a few pictures of the weekend but I am waiting for my sisters to email me more. For some reason, we aren't too good at taking "people" pictures, mostly landscape (Eric's specialty), so I'll post more when I get them.

Holly showing off her ticket (her hubby Chris on the left and his dad on the right, Jim)

Our view

The Bidney/Clarkson/Hettinger clan: (top) Holly, Philo-Holly's mother-in-law, Mom & Dad (Grandma & Grandpa) Clarkson, (bottom) top of my dad's head ;), Jim-Holly's father-in-law, & Chris (hiding behind Jim)

Love the lemon ice!!

Holly & Chris

Holly & Phil (her mother-in-law)

Sarah & Stephanie

It was Military Appreciation Day so they had military equipment such as this helicopter, it was HUGE !!

Beautiful fountains at the K!

Enjoying the pool!

Pool volleyball

Another great weekend-thank you to all for coming down and making it a fun weekend!! Love you all!!

Eli's first baby shower

On Saturday, Holly (my sister), Mom Clarkson and Vadsana (my good friend), threw me a baby shower! It was a lot of fun and I didn't know who RSVP'd so it was a surprise each time someone came in the door! Thanks again to the hostesses, it was really appreciated! I know Eli will enjoy all the wonderful gifts, as will his parents.

The theme was a jungle theme, like our nursery, and the cake was too cute with little jungle animals on it. We played several games and opened gifts, which seemed to take an hour just for the gifts!! The games were cute: match the jungle animal to it's family name and baby item scrabble. Sammie (my niece) had everyone guess how many M & M's were in a baby bottle and guess what, I won!! It was from my years to doing guessing with my kids as a teacher. Mom Clarkson made adorable favors for everyone to take home: miniature baby bottles with M & M's and a sack with "smell good" stuff in it to put in your drawer. It was all very fun and it was great to see everyone! Below are some pictures:

Look at the cute table!!

Mom Clarkson putting on my "Mom to be-it's a boy" ribbon


Almost ready to play some games!

Social work buddies Aundrea & Cheryl- hadn't seen them in a year!!

Vadsana & Kerri (& Rowan)

My mom & sister Holly during gift opening

Gift opening

And more....

And more...

And more....

And more!!

Elijah thanks everyone for all of his gifts and for coming to support his mommy!!

30 weeks!

Yesterday was 30 weeks, amazingly only 10 to go (or about ;). I will post info about 30 weeks and my belly pic and then later this evening, or tomorrow (see how tired I am), I'll post about my awesome shower I had on Saturday!! It was definitely an Eli weekend!!

30 week belly pic:


Here is what babycenter has to say:

How your baby's growing: Your baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and fills out your uterus. Her eyes open and close, she's able to distinguish between light and dark, and she can even follow a light source back and forth. Once she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have a visual acuity of only 20/400 — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. ("Normal" vision in adults is 20/20.)

How your life's changing: You may be feeling a little tired these days, especially if you're having any trouble sleeping. You might also feel clumsy, which is perfectly understandable. Not only are you heavier, your balance is off and your joints are loosened, thanks to pregnancy hormones. Those loose joints can actually cause your feet to grow a shoe size --permanently.

Remember those mood swings you had earlier in pregnancy? The combination of uncomfortable symptoms and your hormones may result in a revisit of those ups and downs you felt in the first few months. It's normal to worry about what your labor will be like or whether you'll be a good parent, but if you can't shake the blues or feel increasingly anxious or irritable, talk to your doctor or midwife. You may be among the 10 percent of expectant women who battle mild to moderate depression during their pregnancies.

And if you think you might like some kind of pain relief for labor and delivery, now's a good time to look into your options."

When I start to see my new doctor this week, I plan to talk to her about labor/delivery. We start our childbirth classes in July so that should be helpful. Still feeling great and continue to love it all!!

3D Sonogram!

Hello all! I am going to do a couple different posts because SO much has gone on this weekend! First of all, we had our 3D sonogram today, which was truly amazing!! We have about 40 or so pictures, so I won't post them all, just some favorites. He looks great and everything looks normal!

Here he is with his hand covering his face AND his eyes open!

This is how he was almost the entire time: feet to face!

Here he is puffing his checks out!

And here he is, pointing out for all to see his boy parts!! This was too hilarious!

Front view with a great view of his hands.

Close up of his face and his perfect lips, as the sonogram tech said.

Tongue out!!

Yawning, he was bored for sure!

This was really great as family was able to attend and view on a big screen t.v. and we got tons of pictures! VERY glad we did it! I recommend it to all!

And he shall be called.... (drum roll, please)

His full name is Elijah Lee Clarkson. Lee is a family name as it is my dad's middle name and Eric's mom's middle name. Elijah really has no significance, other than we really like it! We will call him Eli for short. Here are more nursery pictures, we are almost done!

We hope to fill his bookcase with many, many books!

We will put a baby picture of Eric & I on one of the ledges and then the other will be for Eli.

Mocha likes the diaper stacker!!

My mom is bringing a small monkey rug to put in front of the crib that should be really cute. As much as I love being pregnant (which I really do, it's so fun and I've been very lucky!!), we cannot wait to introduce little Eli to his nursery!

I see my OBGYN for the last time tomorrow morning. Then I start to see my new OBGYN the following week. She was highly recommended so I am happy about being able to start seeing her. She is out of the Centerpoint hospital, where we are delivering, so that will be nice.

My shower is on Saturday and I am really excited!! Thanks again, Holly, Vadsana and Mom Clarkson for all your planning and prep for the shower!! Hopefully I'll see everyone on Saturday!

29 weeks

29 weeks today and only about 11 to go!! Wow!! Not too much to update since Thursday, other than Eric & I got to feel him hiccup last night. It was really funny because it seemed just like he was kicking but it became very rhythmic and lasted about 45 seconds or so. We just happened to be watching the "In the Womb" documentary (which is really cool, by the way) at the same time that had discussed hiccups!

Here is what babycenter has to say:

"How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (our little guy weighs 3 1/2 pounds!!) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to accommodate his brain — which is busy developing billions of neurons. With this rapid growth, it's no surprise that your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester. To keep yourself and him well nourished, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamin C, folic acid, iron, and calcium. (About 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby's skeleton — which is now hardening — every day.)

How your life's changing: You should be able to feel your baby's movements strongly now. Pay attention to the kicks and nudges, and let your practitioner know if you ever notice a decrease in activity. She may ask you to do fetal kick counts to make sure everything's okay.

Some old friends — heartburn and constipation — may take center stage again. The pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout your body, including your gastrointestinal tract. This relaxation, coupled with the crowding in your abdomen, slows your digestive process, which can cause gas, especially after a big meal. Another problem you can credit to your growing uterus (and constipation) is hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids — which are simply swollen blood vessels in your rectal area — are very common during pregnancy and usually clear up soon after delivery. If they're itchy or painful, try soaking in a sitz bath and applying a hot pad or cold compresses medicated with a little witch hazel to the affected area. Also avoid sitting or standing for long stretches. Talk with your practitioner before using any over-the counter remedies during pregnancy, and let her know if you have any rectal bleeding. To prevent constipation, eat a high-fiber diet, drink plenty of water, and get some regular exercise.

A small number of women get something called "supine hypotensive syndrome" during pregnancy. When they lie on their backs, they get a change in heart rate and blood pressure that makes them feel dizzy until they change position. You might note that you get dizzy if you stand up too quickly, too. To avoid getting the spins, move slowly as you go from lying down to sitting and then standing."

I've had some heartburn but thankfully no hemorrhoids! Don't worry, if I do I won't announce it on here for all to know ;)

29 week baby pic:

In one week is our 3D sonogram-very exciting! Eric, my sister Holly, my mom, and Eric's parents will be there so that should be really fun. My shower is that afternoon so I will bring the pictures to show off our cute little man!!

P.S. As soon as we finish painting the letters, we are going to hang our little boy's name in his nursery and then post a picture here to officially announce his name-keep checking us out!!