Baby's First Photoshoot

This past Sunday we met up with my girlfriend Becky, who calls herself a novice photographer, to get some pictures of our growing family. Though Becky is just beginning to branch out into the world of professional photography - the pictures came out wonderfully and she did an excellent job. The day was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky. Which, if you're familiar with photography at all, is most definitely not the easiest of scenarios in terms of lighting. Here are some favorites from our afternoon.



So much love for our baby boy! 

Baby was kicking - this is Pat saying "he's right...there".

This is Lake Pinneo in Quechee, where we were married.

Thank you to Becky for a fun afternoon and some great pictures! 

Name Game

Many people have been asking - have you named him yet and what what WHO will he be??!


The answer is yes, we have thought of names, we have a whole list. However, we have decided to bring our list with us to the hospital and name him when we meet him. We are aware that babies don't look much more that red and squishy when they are first born, but we feel like it is a very personal decision that should be left up to the two of us - AND, since we found out the sex of our little one, why not have just a little mystery until he's born? ;)

Officially Summertime

We're coming up on 30 weeks this Thursday, which means that in six short weeks, this little guy will be full-term (my due date is September 8 - 40 weeks, but 36 weeks is considered full-term). Right now, baby is about the size of a green head of cabbage, weighs a little over three pounds and is over 15.5" long. May and June have been busy months thus far, so busy in fact, that I can't even remember what has happened. Below is a picture from 29 weeks.

The nursery is almost complete (hopefully I will have pictures up in the next couple of weeks). I'm having fun toying with decor ideas - but it's hard to visualize when it's not quite complete. Pat's doing a great job though, and has been lucky enough to have both of our dads to help.

 He's got to be bigger than that, right?

In very exciting news, I retrieved Avery from Connecticut last Saturday, and in less than one week, my Mom and Scott should be back in New Hampshire at last!

We had a great 28-week midwife appointment in which I had to drink 5 oz of a repulsive orange glucose drink then have blood work done to test for gestational diabetes. Thankfully, it came out negative - so no worries there. We also got another peek at baby E. It always takes my breath away to see him on camera. He has been very active and the ultrasound tech reported that he is still a BOY and is a very long baby...surprise, surprise. We got some great pictures, and if you ask me, I think he's got chubby cheeks like me and big lips like his Dad! The picture itself is a little creepy looking, but the "live" version of the ultrasound was incredible.

Babyface at 28 weeks.

The reason we have gotten to have so many looks at our little guy is that around the time of my board exams, my blood pressure was slightly elevated (shocking!). So, because elevated blood pressure can cause decreased blood flow to the placenta and baby, they like to check growth and development more frequently - though our baby is growing very well. This past visit, the midwife said that baby E appears to be in the 84th percentile for height and weight and his heart sounded great. My blood pressure has been back to normal and i'm feeling really good- so at this point, we're just feeling lucky to get so many pictures of our little man.

I have been working at a health center in Newbury, Vermont for the physician that I worked with on the public health project. The health center is unique in that there are several practitioners in the center that work cooperatively. A family physician, physical therapist, massage therapist, family and substance abuse councelor, and she'd like to expand even more by hiring a dental hygienist. I have always thought that dental health should be integrated into overall health and medical care and love this idea of incorporating the two fields. Currently, i'm working up a proposal, but it's all up in the air, so we'll see. It would be a great opportunity, especially because I could bring our baby boy to work early on, since he'll be relying on me to eat. It's been great so far, lots of babies to cuddle and I even got an on-the-job prenatal massage the other day - fabulous!

26 weeks - baby's first kayak

27 weeks in front of the Intrepid

Baby E does NYC

Family photo - soon, i'll have a baby in my arms, too.

Beautiful Days

Yesterday marks 23 weeks. We can't believe our little man will be here in four short months! He is still extremely active, weighs over one pound and measures at more than 11 inches long. I'm also staying active (trying my best, at least) in case I can't be so active toward the end - August could be a long, hot month. I've even begun having Braxton Hicks contractions. These contractions are sporadic uterine contractions and are not alarming, my belly gets as solid as a rock for a few minutes and then they go away. It can be annoying though - they most frequently occur while i'm walking or exercising. The experts also call them "practice contractions", because they 'prepare' you for the real thing. Ha, I'm no fool.

This is about what our little nugget looks like in my belly.



I just found out that I passed all of my board exams - very exciting. Now, I have three more licensing exams and i'll be set to practice. I just started my first job as a dental hygienist in a public health program for schools in Vermont and New Hampshire. Though it is only 4 days (in total, not per week), it should be a great experience. I don't have much of a plan in terms of finding a full-time job before baby is here, but I will certainly perfect my resume this summer and i've been doing some babysitting for some pretty adorable kiddos. It's been so nice to be able to breathe and finally have some free time - last night, when Pat got home from work, we took Tonka for a long walk then had dinner on the patio at a cafe we've been wanting to try for years..it was so nice and relaxing. Loving finally being able to enjoy each other's company without me having to think about and/or run off to study for several hours every night. We're also working on spring cleaning - a purge of all unwanted things - we have never gone to this extreme before and it feels sooo good.

In other news, we (as in Pat and Dean) have begun demolition of baby's nursery - I'll post some before and after pics later. My dad and Alison are coming for a visit this week and we're hoping to have the nursery finished by the time they leave (at least four walls, windows and a floor;) Below are some belly shots of the last few weeks. Getting plump-er by the day.

                                                                                      20 weeks                                                           21 weeks

                                 

23 weeks

Halfway

I can't believe it... at 20 weeks, we are halfway through this pregnancy already. I have to say, I have nothing to complain about. I am feeling great - other than the fact that i've been busy staying indoors studying for my upcoming board exams rather than enjoying the beautiful spring weather (oh well, by the time April ends--and my board exams are over with--mud season should be over, too!). Pat says he can't wait to "have me back" (possibly referring to the growing pile of laundry??). Anyway, I can't wait to have me back, too. And with graduation comes the job search...

This picture was from last week - 19 weeks - still growing!

According to babycenter.com, this week baby E is the length of a banana (about 10 inches) head to toe  and weighs around 10 1/2 ounces. I am so lucky to have felt him moving so early - truly the most amazing part of pregnancy thus far. Some women, especially first-time mommies, are just barely feeling movement at 20 weeks. He is very active - and totally has a routine. We are now able to even SEE kicks through my belly. Very exciting. Oh, and the most exciting thing this month: free dessert. It turns out pregnancy really does have its perks and a bulging belly can get enough sympathy out of a restaurant manager to say "dessert's on me tonight!" (side note: EVERYONE should experience the Common Man's apple pie--delicious!)

baby foot



The month of May looks like it will be a busy one. My graduation is May 20 and we will be welcoming my dad and Alison to New Hampshire for a visit. While they are here, we plan on putting the finishing touches on our living room and with any luck, finishing up our baby boy's bedroom! We are also in the process of registering for a birthing class through the Women's Health Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, which should be exciting.

Happy Easter!

Kick, Kick, Kick

We have an update from the last post two days ago. Daddy has finally felt his first kicks! Last night, baby was kicking up a storm - Pat was in the other room and was hesitant to even come in and try to feel, saying something like, "I'm not going to feel him yet, so why do you keep trying?" I nicely insisted, and delighted he was when his baby boy gave two, three, four big powerful kicks for his dad! I'm pretty sure he'll either be a soccer superstar or a football fieldgoal kicker.


Also, I forgot to add this picture on our last post. This was a few days ago - I came into the living room after a shower and this is what I laid my eyes upon; I couldn't help but snap a photo. Daddy is practicing - though I think he's had his share of practice with his neices, Harper and Paisley, in the last few years. Tonka really is a big baby, and we're confident that he will be a very good dog for our baby to grow with.



Oh, BOY!

Today marks 18 weeks, and with another look at our baby... BOY! The majority of people guessed right - and we're so happy to finally be able to call him "him", and not "it" anymore. He was a little stubborn, like his mom, and didn't stay still for long, like his dad. We had a wonderful ultrasound tech. She first asked if we were interested in finding out the sex of our baby; after taking preliminary measurements of the placenta, umbillical cord etc. she began concentrating more on baby. As soon as she focused in on his "parts" - I knew and my eyes welled up with tears. Then she wrote "MALE" - Pat looked at me, squeezed my hand and had a huge grin, ear-to-ear for the remainder of the appointment - and day. Our baby boy measures at 18 cm (7.1 inches, a long baby) and weighs in at about 8 oz (equivalent to two sticks of butter). As far as they can tell, we have a healthy baby boy. We would have been thrilled whether boy or girl, but we could not be happier to be welcoming a baby boy in just five short months.

Sweet baby boy

Skeletor-face

I've been feeling great and my belly is still popping. I began feeling movement about two-and-a-half weeks ago, and now feel distinct, regular kicks. Pat has finally been able to feel movement in the last couple of days, though my girlfriend Jamie is the only one that has gotten a kick so far. Tonka is taking notice, too. He often comes to 'snuggle'. Below is a picture of me at 18 weeks and T cuddling with his baby brother.

18 weeks



Love already