Week 36

Big news!!! Junebug has lightened (aka dropped into the pelvis in preparation for birth; however, no need get ready to pop the champagne quite yet - apparently this can happen 2-6 weeks before the actual birth). You may be able to tell by comparing the picture from last week to this week...my belly is a bit more tilted forward.

Kevan and I had a fabulous "babymoon" this past weekend- it was very fun and relaxing! We had a beautiful day on Saturday at the winery (Chandler Hill in Augusta...hey you locals, be sure to put this on your list of things to do this summer!) on our way out to the Bed & Breakfast. We stayed at The Inn at Cinagro Farms (anyone from St. Louis...we would HIGHLY recommend this - see picture attached) and had a leisurely 2.5 hour dinner at a wonderful restaurant in Washington (again, anyone from St. Louis...check out The American Bounty).

Things are coming together for Junebug's arrival and I have finally completed my psycho house cleaning frenzy. We have our last ultrasound tomorrow at 1pm and I'm starting my weekly visits with my OB as well as another non-stress test - a long day at the hospital. We're excited to see how things are progressing (and my mom is anxious to buy her plane ticket in hopes of timing things to be here for the actual birth). We're getting the car seat installed tomorrow morning so that things are ready to roll when the time comes since I have a sneaky suspicion that we're going to deliver early (ok, call it a consuming fear). This suspicion also has me packing my hospital bag sometime this week too! Can't believe that June 22nd is less than a month away...stay tuned!

Week 35

What??? 34 days to go??? This has gone WAY TOO fast! We're hoping to get the nursery in order this week and then we're heading out for our "babymoon" this weekend. That's the term for a couple's last getaway before the baby comes. We're heading to a bed and breakfast in a little town about an hour away with a bunch of wineries and antique shops - should be fun! No worries...nothing but sparkling grape juice for us! We're supposed to have a gorgeous weekend - sunny and in the 80's!

I'm in full "nesting" mode - I was vacuuming our silk flower arrangement and dusting lightbulbs this past week...things are getting quite crazy at the Krestel household these days. But, Kevan has been a great sport about everything!

I have another non-stress test tomorrow so I'm looking forward to hearing Junebug's heartbeat for an hour or so! We have our last ultrasound coming up next Tuesday so be on the lookout for an update next week - we're anxious to see how much Junebug is weighing and how long he/she is measuring. Until then...Happy Memorial Day...which happens to be on Kevan's birthday this year (it's the big 35!!!) - Happy Birthday my love!

Week 34

Ok, if you're like Kevan you are freaking out about how big my belly is - he said he can't believe how much it's sticking out! I, on the other hand, think it's pure beauty! Junebug is still kicking like crazy - this is one active little gymnast, let me tell you! I have an appointment with my OB tomorrow and another non-stress test; I'm looking so forward to getting back in that lazy boy and listening to Junebug's heartbeat for an hour or so! We have finally narrowed down our names - we've got 2 boys and 2 girls but we're keeping them secret, so stay tuned! However, I could probably be bribed with a McDonalds #1 Big Mac meal and a large milk shake!

Week 33

Torpedo belly extraordinaire! Yes, I continue to grow by leaps and bounds but I still feel wonderful! I'm still sleeping well (thanks again Carrie for lending me your body pillow). We're hoping to get the nursery in decent order this weekend and cleaning the rest of the house...can you say nesting!?!?!

Kevan's co-workers threw us a fabulous baby shower last Friday and we were overwhelmed by their joy and generosity! I've got another non-stress test tomorrow so I'm looking forward to getting comfy in that lazy boy and listening to Junebug's heartbeat! Other than that, not much news on our end - just playing the waiting game! Happy Mommy's day to all of you moms and moms-to-be!

Week 32 Ultrasound

Here's Junebug's Week 32 ultrasound! Just to explain what you're looking at, it's Junebug's face - the right side of the picture is the top of Junebug's head (it looks like a tuft of dark hair but apparently it's not). You can see Junebug's left hand curled up and kind of hanging over his/her left eye (which looks like a black eye). You can see pretty clearly Junebug's nose then mouth (I call him/her my little clown because it looks like Junebug has a big red clown mouth painted on) and then you can see Junebug's chin towards the left side of the picture. We can't wait to see him or her in person!

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!

Week 28

I figured since I was gaining belly I should lose some hair! Actually, I didn't think the two tone look did much for me (my natural "dark blonde" on the top half with my hairdresser enhanced light blonde on my bottom half). Guess I'm now a brunette like my brother (come on J, if I can admit it, you should should be able to also!). Aside from the excitement of a hair chop (and looking in the mirror and wondering who the girl with the dark hair is looking back at me) we had our first childbirth class tonight. We're taking a 4 week course - every Monday for 2 hours - and it was great tonight. I got to see my first birth video (yikes!), learned all about the stages of labor and learned my first breathing technique. We had an ultrasound on Friday and Junebug looks great! I'll tell you, I would love to buy one of those machines and just sit at home all day watching Junebug in my womb! We're having some issues with our scanner but hopefully we'll get the pictures posted sometime this week. Right when the ultrasound tech brought up Junebug he/she was looking right at us - it was a great picture of Junebug's face and then Junebug gave a wave hello - it was so COOL!!!!!!!! We also got to see Junebug opening and closing his/her mouth which was amazing! Junebug is weighing in at a whopping 2lbs 3 oz! Keep your eyes peeled for the ultrasound pics!

Week 27

Happy week 27! Attached is a picture of a Build A Bear that Kevan and I made for Junebug on Monday night. We have a recording of Junebug's heartbeat that we put in the bear's right hand so we can hear Junebug's miraculous heartbeat anytime we want! The bear (yet to be named and given a birth certificate) is sitting on a beautiful blanket that my friend Terri's daughter, Melissa, made for Junebug. Baxter was a little freaked out by this whole ordeal and kept sniffing the bear - just imagine how freaked out he'll be by Junebug!

Kevan mentioned this morning that my belly looks like a torpedo and I have to agree with him! My belly button is sticking so far out I'm afraid it may poke a small child in the eye if they get too close. Junebug has been SUPER active lately and we've been seeing some movement through my stomach more often (it's amazing, beautiful, cool and kind of freaky all at the same time). I keep having visions of the movie Aliens running through my mind and I'm just waiting for Junebug to punch a hole in my belly and come right out.

We have an ultrasound appointment this Friday along with my gestational diabetes testing (the nurse promised me that the liquid I have to drink isn't as nasty as everyone says). We're super excited to get to see Junebug again and we're hoping for the 3-D ultrasound machine. Be waiting for some pictures of our sweet precious little baby!

Week 26

Happy 26th week! Quite a bit has happened over this past week. While I was attending my first Christian mom's conference, Hearts at Home, in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois, with some girlfriends, Kevan painted the nursery! It's called Lemon Butter and we've attached a picture so you can see the color. It looks really pretty and we're both very happy with it. Another exciting note is that this past week whenever Kevan talks to Junebug (he puts his face right up to my belly and talks) Junebug gives some kicks. I think it's Junebug's way of saying "Hi Daddy! I love you and can't wait to meet you!!!" And some more exciting news...I had my very first baby shower!!! Headed up by my friend Shannon it was a surprise shower and it blew my socks off. The guests were fellow Bible Study Fellowship leaders, including lots of children's leaders, and half of my class. It was so special and I was absolutely overwhelmed by the ladies' love and generosity. Junebug is so loved it just warms my heart. God is so good - that's all I've been repeating to myself since last night. Lastly, we just got word yesterday that all of our nursery furniture is in and we will be scheduling delivery and set up over the next few weeks (we need to steam the carpets first). As soon as we get it all set up we'll be sure to post pictures. Until then...

Week 25

Whoa! Look at that belly - isn't it beautiful!?!?!? Some exciting news for this week - we were sitting on the couch with our hands on my belly and we felt Junebug moving...then, we lifted my shirt and we SAW Junebug moving. It was so wild - an absolute miracle to see another life moving within my own body. PRAISE GOD for His gift of this little life! We picked out nursery paint this weekend - it's called Lemon Butter by Valspar - a nice pale yellow that will go with either our girl or boy bedding. We also got set up with Junebug's pediatrician today...Dr. Finn of Blue Fish Pediatrics (how funny is that!) We've heard raving reviews about this doctor and we're thrilled that he's taking new patients! I'm heading off to Hearts at Home - a Christian mom's conference - this weekend with some girlfriends. They've been going for years and I'm so happy that I am finally able to join them as a mom-to-be. Kevan will be taking this opportunity to paint the nursery and catch up on some manly movies while I'm gone. Until next week...