Week 32

Wowsa - look at that belly! I'm happy to announce that it is housing our 3 pound 14.3 ounce Junebug! We had an ultrasound today and got the weight from the measurement of the baby's femur (isn't that amazing!?!?!). We're still on target for a June 22nd due date! I had a very cool experience today...before the ultrasound I had an appointment with my OB/GYN but instead of getting to hear Junebug's heartbeat for a mere 45 seconds as usual they did a non stress test (NST) and I got to lay in a comfy leather recliner and listen to Junebug's heartbeat for 45 minutes!!!!!!!!!!! I had a smile plastered to my face the entire time and just sat there listening to that miraculous sound and praying over Junebug - what a special time! They're going to be doing these NSTs every week from here out but they normally only last 15 minutes; since Junebug wasn't very active this morning they ran the test for 45 minutes but determined the test to be nonactive.

Just in case you're curious what the NST looks for...
The primary goal of the test is to measure the heart rate of the fetus in response to its own movements. Healthy babies will respond with an increased heart rate during times of movement, and the heart rate will decrease at rest. The concept behind a non-stress test is that adequate oxygen is required for fetal activity and heart rate to be within normal ranges. When oxygen levels are low, the fetus may not respond normally. Low oxygen levels can often be caused by problems with the placenta or umbilical cord.

Given that Junebug was sleeping during the test they had the ultrasound tech run a BPP (biophysical property procedure) which measures the baby's breathing function, fist clenching, etc. and they said that everything measured right on target! Praise God!

We're having an issue scanning with our new computer but my in-laws are going to scan the pics for us (thanks Bill and Cathy) and we'll be able to post them later this week! Until then...

Week 31

WOW! Two months from today is our due date!!! I can hardly believe it! This past weekend was my big baby shower - my mom flew in from Philly and helped celebrate. I'm so glad she finally had a chance to see me preggers in person, love on my belly and feel Junebug move around! For those of you who don't know, my mom (Margo) is the one to the left of me in the flowered outfit and my mother-in-law (Cathy) is the one to the right of me in the green. The shower was fabulous and Junebug and I were showered with lots of love and generosity! Thanks to my hostesses and dear friends Carrie and Cari!!!

On Monday night Kevan and I had our last Prepared Childbirth class and then on Tuesday night we had our one and only Natural Approach to Childbirth class. I'm praying that God will honor my desire to experience this birth naturally - with no medications - but I know that He already knows how all of this will turn out and I can find comfort in that!

Big plans for the weekend include a "making room for baby sale" ( aka - yard sale) so hopefully we'll collect some diaper money!

Week 30

Ok, the third and final post of the day (check out ultrasound pics and nursery pics in the two previous blogs). Here's my torpedo belly as we wrap up week 30! I cannot believe that tomorrow we enter into week 31 which means the countdown is into single digits...9 weeks to go! YIPPEE! I still feel fabulous but am getting so anxious to meet Junebug and kiss these feet that have been pounding me. Exciting news for this week - Grandma Pratt is coming in town Friday night for my baby shower on Saturday...I'm so excited for her to finally see me pregnant in person so she can love on my belly! Of course I'm also excited for my baby shower! We had another birthing class tonight and learned about C Sections (I'm praying I don't have to have one) and we learned our last breathing technique for the most intense part of labor. We got to see some more birthing videos and the scariest part was the scene of a woman screaming "somebody help me!" I'm praying that my birthing experience is nothing like that!!!

Nursery Furniture

YAY - Junebug's furniture was delivered today!!! I had forgotten how much I like it and I must say it's bigger than I remember (or else the room is smaller than I realized). Over the next few days we'll need to move all the goodies from my first shower into the room and start getting it ready for Junebug's arrival! By the way, in the first picture you can see Baxter (aka Boo Bear) already guarding Junebug's crib! Also, thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Krestel for the glider they passed on to us from their neighbor who was going to get rid of it - I'll enjoy nursing Junebug in that big comfy chair!

Week 27 Ultrasound Pictures

Hi everyone!

My mom reminded me that I never posted our week 27 ultrasound pictures, so here they are! The first picture is a front view of Junebug - you can see his/her forehead, eyes, nose and ribs pretty well! The second picture is a great side profile of Junebug with a great shot of his/her eyes, nose, mouth and his/her right hand waiving hello (above the nose). The third picture is what we call Big Foot (he/she clearly has daddy's feet)! The last picture is Junebug's right elbow, arm and hand waiving hello. At the time of this ultrasound Junebug was 2lbs. 3 oz and 15 inches long!

Week 29

All dressed up and somewhere to go! Our friend Mariam got married this weekend and I found this fabulous "special occasion" maternity dress to wear to her wedding. I'm so thankful they have cute maternity clothes rather than just moo-moos! As you can see in the 2nd picture Junebug is growing like wildfire. I've had quite a few people tell me that they think I grow more and more overnight. I absolutely love my pregnant belly and am constantly rubbing on it and playing with my super outtie belly button. I'm now visiting my OB every two weeks so I get to hear Junebug's heartbeat again this Friday (now that is something that NEVER gets old!). We had our second Prepared Childbirth class last night and we learned our second breathing technique... "AH-HEE" is how it goes! We also learned all about medication options but we're praying that we won't be using any drugs whatsoever (but of course we're trying to keep our options open as is the mantra of the class). However, I'll fight it tooth and nail and I know Kevan will be a GREAT coach!