The Pile O' Pillows

You can't see it, but the big body pillow is buried back in front of the mirror

This is how many pillows I am now using to sleep with (okay, 2 of them are Chris's but I wouldn't hesitate to steal them if I needed them). The pregnancy wedges are a serious genius invention. They have allowed me to sleep through the night for the last 4 nights since my belly is not pulling so hard down; even with the pillows, my tummy pulled and these wedges? Genius. Thank you to whatever brilliant mommypreneur thought of them. They are a life/belly saver.

Growing, Every. Single. Week.

Growing, growing, growing

I hate to think how wide I'll look if he doesn't turn... 

Growth Ultrasound - Progress Report + Photos

We had our "Is the Baby growing properly" ultrasound today. It was especially important to us because with our blood clotting disorder, it's a possibility to develop micro-tears in the placenta, depriving our little boy of nutrients. The daily blood thinners I'm on are designed to prevent the micro-tears and clotting so both Chris and I weren't worried but of course, we're relieved with our perfectly normal growth report.

See look! He's normal!

The good news is that the baby is perfectly average; by one measurement, he is in the 48% percentile of growth and by another measurement, he's in the 51% percentile. Either way, he's growing and is right on track for growth at 3 pounds, 6 ounces.

Hey! I'm comfy! This is like a hammock!

It turns out that the baby also has a bit of a stubborn streak. He's not quite head down but as someone (eh hem!) pointed out, my hips are large and the baby is quite comfortable sideways. We're going in again in 2 weeks to look at growth (again) and then in 4 weeks for a quick ultrasound to check his position. In the meantime, I'm doing every "get baby turned around" exercise in the book, including the oh-so-glamorous "a** in air for 20 minutes" pose.

Our doctor is meeting with her brain trust this Friday to discuss the best options for us since manually turning the baby, with me being on blood thinners, isn't ideal (increase risk of placental abruption or just boring bruising). It's early to be worrying - the baby has a good 2 months to turn on its own - so we're planning on our son cooperating and turning downwards. If he doesn't, we feel comfortable with the plans our Docs have talked through with us.

Oh and the most fun news? HE HAS HAIR! We could see his hair in the ultrasound!!!! I sort of pictured him bald so this is a whole new dimension to picturing him. HAIR! Our baby has HAIR! =))

His head, looking down. 

I think that's a spine ...

Not a whole lot of recognizable parts here. He's too big! 

More Presents

Norman, Bramble Berry's COO, MADE this chair for us!

Won't this chair be perfect out on the deck, watching the little one this summer?

How ADORABLE are these? Thank you Jeff & Jessica!

 

Baby Renoud Needs His Movement

On the Reformer in Pilates; 7 months, 2 weeks, 5 days along  

You can't tell but I'm doing lunges with weights (see those dinky things in my hand?)

While it would appear that these photos were on the same day what's actually going on is that I have exactly one workout outfit that fits me. So, I strategically try not to sweat too much so I can wear the gear more than one day in a row. My routine generally consists of Pilates on Monday and Friday, Yoga on Tuesday and some Sundays and Cardio on Wednesday or Thursday. Supposedly I can keep this up for about another month before the watermelon in my belly becomes so large that I am reduced to merely trying to stay upright most of the time. 

30 Weeks

Spring is close at hand - and look at that belly popping out!

37 1/2 inches around; baby boy Renoud is growing!

Happy Valentine's Day!

My handmade Valentine's Day card for Chris

We celebrated our last child-free Valentine's Day at home (exactly where we wanted to be) making dinner and watching the latest episode of Glee (thank you Hulu.com). We also enjoyed watching my belly move with the little baby punching, kicking and doing acrobatics in my belly. For dinner, we made the most yummy pasta dish - absolutely delish! We also spent a fair amount of talking about how next year's Valentine's Day will probably look significantly different than this year!

I pulled the recipe from this site. It is absolutely to-die-for! And it's so yummy healthy too. It's like the icing on the cake.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized ripe Avocado, pitted
1/2 lemon, juiced + lemon zest to garnish
2-3 garlic cloves, to taste (I used 3 and it was quite garlicky, but if you are not a big fan of garlic use 1 clove)
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
~1/4 cup Fresh Basil, (probably optional)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 servings/6 oz of your choice of pasta (I used 3oz of spelt and 3 oz of Kamut spaghetti)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste


Directions:

1. Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add in your pasta, reduce heat to medium, and cook until Al Dente, about 8-10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Now add in the pitted avocado, basil, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.

3. When pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse in a strainer and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined. Garnish with lemon zest and black pepper. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.

Please note: This dish does not reheat well due to the avocado in the sauce. Please serve immediately.

7 1/2 months along!

I've grown a whole inch and a half this month! I'm at 37" at my widest point in my belly (no, I'm still not measuring my hips) and last month, on the 16th, I was 35 1/2"! Our little baby boy is growing and apparently, growing quickly. 

He weighs at least 3 pounds (think large head of a cabbage) and is supposedly around 16 to 18 inches. I can definitely tell he's growing by the fun love taps he delivers with increasing vigor. The latest thing I am loving about pregnancy is watching my belly move. It is so cool to know there's a fully formed little human being in there! And, clearly, he's wanting a bit more space (sorry little guy!).

Where We Learn Swaddling

Behold, learning one of the "5 S's" for 'The Happiest Baby on the Block' - Swaddling. And here is the video proof that we both can (in theory) wrap up a perfectly still, not-wailing child, up like a little burrito.





PS - Happy Valentine's Day. We're spending it at home because we don't love the 'Rookie Night' at restaurants. But not to worry, Chris is being suitably romantic by paying up on his Superbowl bet that he made with me - it was either $10 or a back rub. You can guess which option I chose!

Baby's Heartbeat!

Our 7 month check up went swimmingly. Baby had a perfect heartbeat (see video above) and other than the fact that he's draining me of iron like a happy little vampire (making me mildly anemic), we're on track for everything. Gestational diabetes was a negative. I've put on 20 pounds of weight and the Doc is quite pleased with that (though I would prefer a wee bit less).

Our next Dr's visit is in a week for our Growth Check Sonogram. Since my friend, Leiden Factor, may cause minor tears in my placenta (which would slow or stop baby's growth), we get at least one extra sonogram (if not two).

And the Collection Is Complete

The mobile baby will stare at for hours!

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Renoud for getting us the final piece of our little Kids Line Baby Room Theme - the adorable mobile! We can't wait to put it up.

I had a really fun day - I went a friend's baby shower. She's having a little girl. Watching her unwrap presents became progressively more and more like gateway drugs. I needed a new fix - bring on the little shoes, bring on the tiny dresses, bring on the adorable baby bags - bring all the cute teensy baby goodies! 

As if that wasn't enough estrogen jolting, I headed to prenatal yoga class to see 20ish women in varying states of belly growth and pregnancy. It really is fun to look at the less-far-along-gals and smirk "Ha! Yes, I thought that was a tummy too! Just you wait little princess, just you wait." I'm sure the knowing-superiority-trait is somewhere on the 'Sisterhood of Women' continuum. 

Another Belly Shot!

It's amazing to see the growth from week to week now

Look at that little melon in my belly! Only he kicks! He stomps! He pounds! Nice little melon. Nice little melon.  

Terrifying

We went to a Superbowl Party on Sunday night (thanks Bob and Audra!) at a beautiful home overlooking Bellingham. This beautiful home comes complete with a viewing movie screen room (with the seats that vibrate with the throbbing of gunfire and explosions). The viewing room is also fully carpeted for half way up the walls.

Chris and I were sitting in the back row, watching the Superbowl when some new guests came. They had two young boys - one was maybe 4 years old. And the 4 year old took one look at the padded room and (I kid you not), starting running back and forth in between the carpeted walls, slamming into the wall, and running to the other one. Bang. Pause. Run.  Bang. Pause. Run. Bang. Pause. Run. Bang. Pause. Run.

Back and forth, we watched this adorable little blond haired boy running back and forth. For THIRTY minutes. He never tired. He only stopped when his Daddy cajoled him to stop and gave him something better (a huge exercise ball to drag around and knock things off tables with).

I covered my womb with both of my hands, and with fear in my heart, whispered, "Don't look little baby, don't look. That is a bad influence. Don't look."

My son, in case it is not entirely clear, is going to love reading books and sitting quietly when faced with the glory that is multiple padded walls. He will be happy to sit quietly and read, perhaps glancing up to share something interesting from his book, in the form of complete sentences of course. And never interrupting. Never.

I wonder what sort of Faustian deal I need to make with God to achieve this ....?

Sweet Hubby

Goofing around with one of Baby Bump's new jackets! (Thank you Grandma Kelly!) 

Now, I see why some women have 18

Hurray for the 3rd trimester!

When I first got pregnant, women would say to me, "Oh, I loved being pregnant. Enjoy every minute of it Just enjoy it while it lasts. It's the BEST."

I would smile and nod politely while my inner dialogue was going something like this:

"Are you on crack? This is the dumbest thing I've ever done. If they told you the truth in school about pregnancy, no one would get pregnant!"

If it wasn't for the peeing 16 times a night, the insomnia, the morning sickness that went all day, the lowered immune system, the perpetual tightening of the waistband, the new and exciting addition of wet mucus membranes everywhere (knowing glance), the slowly horrifying descent into "can't. ever. take. a. full. breath. the. damn. baby. is. impeding. my. diaphragm.,  the lack of drinking really capped off the joy that these women were telling me was pregnancy.

"Oh, I loved every moment of pregnancy." I would mimic to myself as I found myself once again puking a bit in my mouth because my sweet husband had dared to have garlic at lunch and garlic and I weren't getting along for that trimester.

When one of my friends told me that he and his wife only had one child because pregnancy was so hard on his wife, I nodded vigorously. I completely understood. That made total sense to me. Maybe we would be a one child family too, despite my lifelong plans to have two children.

I was assured that the second trimester would be awesome. I would LOVE the second trimester. "That's when women feel their best!" all the baby books assured me. Ah yes, yes, the baby books. I was still reading them all diligently. And, to be fair, I was (and remain) fascinated by the science experiment going on in my body. Even if my body was revolting and being dragged, kicking and screaming, into every next phase, I was still fascinated. "Oh, he's developing ears this week! No swearing in front of the baby."

The second-trimester-lovers totally lied though. The second trimester did bring about the cessation of the all-day-sickies and my eating habits got back to normal (protein shakes, healthy food, veggies, fruit). Little Bramble Bump was finally getting the 7 fruits and veggies per day that he deserved. That, in and of itself, was cause for jubilation. But with the ending of the constant carsickness came new and exciting pregnancy side effects; I could no longer get up from a seated position without trying to put my hips back into place. If I tried to walk without my hip joints locked firmly back into place, calamity would ensue and I would stumble into the nearest door frame. This became such a frequent occurrence that my husband quit looking up when I got out of bed in the evenings. It wasn't that he didn't care if I hurt myself; it was just that it was so routine that he didn't notice the thumps anymore.

My feet started hurting all the time. "Oh, it's the relaxin. That's just your feet spreading so you won't be able to wear any your super cute shoes after you're done being pregnant. What's that honey? No one told you that? Oh...."

The most subtle change was in my fashion sense. I realized I had completely lost any and all desire to look presentable when I looked into my closet and thought, "I wonder why I have a tent hanging up in there?" And then, with no real emotion finished the thought, "Oh, right, that's my new shirt dress." Fit and clothing don't matter. I would never have a waist again. Who cares what the latest fashions are? They will never be my life again.

I started walking like a pregnant woman with my hands on my low back all the time. Now I realize why pregnant womens' hands are always on their low backs. A) hip joints out of place (see above) and B) Aching. Horrifying. Back. Pain. "Oh, that's just because the baby is pushing on everything and your body is just trying to adjust. Have you tried yoga yet?" Yes. But what I haven't tried is stabbing you in the thigh with this fork. I bet I'd feel some pain relief then!

We've finally hit the third trimester. My back still hurts. But I don't notice it as much, sort of like the friend that stayed for an extended period of time and is now woven into the fabric of your life. I'm wearing the same 3 pairs of shoes all the time (all new since the cruel relaxin hormone came in). I wear tents daily. I've quit reading fashion magazines (really, what's the point?). And I've got my stumbling out of bed routine down pat. I barely dent the door jam now when I fall into it.

The only new thing? Our little baby has turned into the most adorable acrobat in my belly. He twists and turns, kicks, hiccups and spasms with alarming frequency (I only say  "alarming" because I'm hoping he's an easy-going calm baby and the more he does his little spastic jerks, the more I worry that I've pegged him wrong and I am instead going to give birth to a fully formed little rhinoceros who will make mincemeat out of any working motherhood plans I had, not to mention, the house).

I can now sit and watch my belly move and change shape as our son tries to get comfortable, or express his extreme displeasure at the 'Yellow Norsk Goat Cheese' I've just eaten (he's not a fan ... but he has no choice right now so I keep eating it). It is the best feeling in the entire world (no, not to know that I've started forcing my son to eat food he hates early in life; but to feel this fully formed little life inside of me. It is awe-inspiring).

I can see his little shape turning in there. I can feel his hard frame coming to rest and trace his little bottom, or his hard head. It's like watching a mysterious sea monster rippling, just below the surface. Only, unlike the movies, it's not menacing. It's sweet. It's fascinating. And it feels ... right.

God help me, I could do this again.

And this is why I'm glad we're having a boy

This makes me even more excited to have a little boy; that and the book I'm reading right now called: "How to Tuck in a Superhero." Awwww ...

Monitoring Kick Times

I've been monitoring kick times for our little Baby Renoud every night for about a week. For those who are freakish about details and like to do everything "perfect", this works out. No one else in our two prenatal classes was doing this but I like it because there's some thought that if the baby is in distress, over a period of days, I might catch it early through kick counting. And so, I count. And laugh and giggle as he punches me hard or gets the hiccups. Chris is getting tired of my constant play-by-play of what's going on inside my belly but it's so fascinating, I can't help but share.

Baby Room

We're so excited that the baby room is coming together nicely! Grandma and Grandpa Renoud purchased the bedding for Baby Bump's room and we love it! The room is coming together nicely and now all it needs is the changing table and all the diapers! Oh, and the baby ...

It's a farm theme!

Hopefully we're organized to keep this stocked in diapers

Moooooooo! Baby's on the farm!

Thank you Grandma & Grandpa Renoud for lending us this beautiful crib!

Week 19 to 27 in a film strip