Busy baby!

The last few weeks Matilda has been a busy little lady. Two weekends ago we went to Maryland to visit Eddie's family and last weekend we went to Montauk to introduce her to the rest of Eddie's family. She did so well in the car both times- it was great. Both drives were between 3-4 hours and she slept most of the way there and back on both trips...what a pleasure she is to travel with, hope it stays that way. :)

Here are some cute pics of our little bean the past couple of weeks- she has grown SO much- well over 10 lbs now.

Sleeping on Daddy's lap in her outfit from Aunt D:

 At home on Mommy's lap- excited about her Montauk onesie from Aunt Tracy E:

 In Maryland at Dede's in the bouncy seat:

  Sleeping on Daddy's lap with her new puppy Daddy bought her:

 In her little tie dye outfit that cousins Julian and Morgan made for her:

 Happy baby looking at Uncle Bjorn's black and white pic of Kauai on our wall- she loves it!:

 First Bath:

 Sleeping on the couch at home:

  With Daddy at Uncle Chucks pool:

 Laying out at Uncle Chucks pool:

 Laying out at Uncle Chucks pool:

 With her cousins Chas and Caitlyn in Montauk:

 Beach in Montauk with Daddy:



Mattie's first family outing :)

Over the weekend, I finally felt good enough to venture out of the house, so Eddie, Aunt D and I took the little lady on her first real adventure!

First, we (of course) stopped at Epsteins to say hi to Shane and Sean, then we picked up sandwiches and headed to the East River park. It was a bit tough on me (about two miles round trip), but Matilda did great! It felt so good to be out of the house and in the fresh air...I was getting stir crazy.

Then, after we went home and rested for a bit, we took Mattie out to dinner with the 3 of us. Pala was packed, so we went to Mole, which was so fun. It was quite loud in the restaurant, but Mattie was in her car seat and slept through the whole dinner. :) She was a total little angel!

It was so fun getting out and about with her. I can't wait until I am more mobile and can take her out on my own during the week. Right now I can't lift anything heavier than the baby, so the stroller and car seat are off limits. Three more weeks and I'll be taking her everywhere. Can't wait!

Doctors, doctors and more doctors!

Matilda has done so well the last (almost) three weeks and Eddie and I are getting used to less sleep and lots of diapers!

Since we left the hospital 2 weeks ago we have had lots of visits to doctors for the new little Berrang girl. First, two days after we left the hospital, we had to take Mattie in to be checked for jaundice. She was borderline when we went home, so we needed to be sure she wasn't having any issues. It was July 4 weekend, so the doc at the hospital said we'd likely have to take her to the ER to be checked, but we were so excited when our new pediatrician offered to come in on a Sunday of a holiday weekend to check her. So we took her out when she was 5 days old, in a thunderstorm, to be checked for jaundice...she was totally fine of course. :)

Then, on her one week birthday, we had her first newborn visit. They weighed her and were amazed that she had already gained 6.5 oz. Most babies lose a bit of weight after birth, but not our little porker! She was 7 lb. 12.5 oz one week after birth.

During this doctors visit we also asked about the bump above Mattie's right eye. It was there when she was born and we weren't sure if she bumped it or if it was an issue. The doctor said it is a dermoid cyst and not anything to worry about. She referred us to a dermatologist to confirm her suspicion and decide on what should be done for it.

So, at two weeks old, we took Mattie to the dermatologist. He was really great- confirmed it is a cyst and told us the three possibilities: the cyst will go away on it's own, as she grows, it will be so small that nothing will need to be done, or it will need to be removed when she is a bit older. He assured us that it's very common and nothing to be concerned about, which made us feel much better! So we're just waiting to see how things pan out with that. He did recommend that we take her to a pediatric eye doc to be sure it's not impeding her vision at all, so we're going to do that soon.

We are so thrilled that she is happy, healthy and growing like a weed!! We are very lucky and remind ourselves of that every day....

Happy Birthday Matilda Rae Berrang!

Well the day finally arrived, though not at all as we expected! It was a typical night of Chinese food, TV and contractions with not much pain (story of my life the last 2 wks), when all of a sudden I thought my water broke! I very excitedly went to the bathroom only to find it was lots of blood rather than lots of water, so I called the doctor to see what he thought. Everything I read online said that you can have a "bloody show" (what a name, right?) as heavy as a period, so I thought maybe that's all we were dealing with. But, when I called the doc, he wanted me to go to the hospital immediately...apparently what I described was not as common as the world wide web led me to believe.

I still thought that we would likely get to the hospital and they would send us home to finish our lo mein and wait for our doc appt the next day. I thought this so surely that we almost didn't bring our bags for the hospital, but at the last minute we decided to play it safe. We grabbed a cab and loaded up and headed to NY Downtown. Of course, there was construction on Bowery, so it took a bit to arrive...

Once we arrived, everyone was very helpful. They took my into triage and put on the monitors and examined me. The good news was the baby was totally fine- great heart beat and fluid levels...everything with her looked great. The bad news was that the sonogram showed that my placenta looked to be blocking the way out and they would have to do an emergency C-section.

Now I had prepared myself for many scenarios with having this baby, but this was not one I had considered. I had skipped this section in all the books and basically not considered it as an option at all. Now I was told that I was being prepped for surgery and the baby would be out within the hour- not exactly part of my birth plan!

I didn't have much time to fret though, Eddie was in scrubs and we were in the OR within the hour.

The surgery itself was pretty scary. I had seen C-sections on TV, but nothing prepares you for that being YOUR body and you being fully awake. Also, it took what felt like forever...come to find out the surgery was complicated even more because they had to cut through the placenta to get to the baby...not the norm. So the exit wasn't totally blocked like they'd assumed, but the placenta was pulling away from the wall of the uterus, which caused the bleeding and could be dangerous for me and the baby. Thankfully my doc was cautious enough to get her out quickly and safely.

Eddie was next to my head the whole time and we got to hear her little cry for the first time as soon as she was born- 2am on the dot. She weighed in at 7 lb 6 oz and was 20 in long! Tall and skinny like her daddy :)

Eddie got to go with her to the nursery while I was stitched up- another long process. Then they wheeled me into recovery and brought little Mattie Rae in to hang out while they set up our room.

Once we made it to our room it was about 430 AM and we were exhausted. Mattie nursed for the first time and was instantly a pro at it- we were thrilled. The pediatrician and doctors start rounds at 5, so we did not sleep at all. So Tuesday was really rough for me...I really was not prepared for major surgery at all.

Tuesday night the doc recommended that Mattie sleep in the nursery because my blood pressure was really low and I needed to rest, but apparently Mattie didn't like that idea- they brought her back at 130 because she was upset and wanted mom and dad. But Wednesday and Thursday night she cooperated and slept in the nursery from 12-430 so that mom and dad could sleep a little. It totally changed things for me and I really felt better after sleeping a few hours. I felt so bad sending her, but knew I did the right thing when Eddie and I could both function on Thursday! It had literally been almost 72 hours since we'd slept at that point.

On Thursday I finally felt well enough to shower, so Aunt Tink (aka Wendy) stayed in the room with Matilda while Eddie helped me shower. Felt great to be clean! It's tough doing normal tasks with the incision pain, but I'm trying. Eddie was great and did all the diaper changing and lifting.

We finally got to come home on Friday. Wendy and Mom came to the hospital to help while Eddie went and got a Zipcar to bring us all home. Eddie had also decorated our apartment building with balloons-so sweet!

Here are some great pics from the hospital and homecoming:

things are happening!

It has been quite an eventful couple of weeks! Mom arrived last Tuesday and has been able to come with us to our last two doctors appts. The first one (6/15), there was nothing happening yet, still no dilation or any of that fun stuff, but my belly did grow and I did gain weight, so that was a good thing.

But our appt yesterday (6/21) was much more exciting. After having contractions about every 20-30 minutes starting at 3:00 or so on 6/20, I was almost 1 cm dilated on 6/21!! The doc said he thinks I will have this baby before our next appt, which Eddie and I were so excited to hear. The contractions are not at all painful- they feel like Braxton Hicks, but apparently they are doing a little something, which I am thrilled about. Mom and I walked all the way home from the doc, a couple of miles, and I had nachos with extra hot sauce for lunch. I am on a mission! :) Every time I woke up to use the bathroom last night I was having a contraction too, so it seems like they are occurring throughout the night as well...so things are happening!

Mom moved into her sublet last night and Wendy arrived from Jacksonville to stay with her...so excited to have family here, makes it feel so real, she will be here so soon, ahhhh!

So we'll keep you updated on progress...hoping for a little girl sometime this week. Trying not to get my hopes up too much, but can't really help it at this point...so so excited. :)

"this little girl already has us running all over the city..."

Eddie and I had another minor worry yesterday with this little lady residing in my tummy. We went to the doctor for our weekly visit and I had lost a pound and my tummy was still measuring on the small side. To be safe, our doc sent us in for another ultrasound to be sure the little one is still growing as she should be. In true Bean fashion, she was growing just fine (6 lbs 5 oz now!) and was by all accounts totally healthy and still a big baby.

Eddie and I were VERY relieved to hear that, of course...especially since the doc had warned us that if she was not growing normally that he'd have induced me that night!!

Like Eddie said- this little girl already has us running all over the city for her and she is not even born yet! Just imagine what we are in store for... :)

So, all is well again. She is head down and in the perfect position for delivery. She has also dropped significantly, which is likely why my stomach looks like it's stopped growing, even though she is still growing like a weed. No dilation yet, but the doc said that is normal for a first baby. We'll see how things look next Wednesday...so excited that Mom will be here for our next visit- she arrives on Tuesday for her month-long stay.

Professional Shelf Installer For Hire

Details on skills and availability: Many projects will require multiple trips to the hardware store. There will definitely be several unneeded holes in the wall. Timing expectations are 3-4 months from original request - longer during playoff season. All projects will need to judged before, during and after process. Disclaimers: Shelfs installed will likely not hold anything over 2 lbs, who really uses a level, nothing is forever in life, not available for next 18 years, all houses need some character, all work will be done with care and love.

nothing has started just yet...

We went to our first of the weekly doctor's appointments on Wednesday and it went very well. It was my first internal exam in a while and he let us know that nothing has started happening yet, which was good since I was not quite 36 weeks on appointment day. He also did the group B strep test, which I had not heard of before. Apparently it's quite common for women to have group B strep and not know it. If you do have it, they give you antibiotics during labor so that it's not transferred to the baby. We'll find out the results of that this Wednesday.

The doctor also walked us through what to do if we think I'm in labor. It was all very similar to the childbirth classes we went to, so we felt like old pros. :) Our doctor reccommended going to the hospital around 411, rather than 311, but said that somewhere in between the two is fine. I also told him about my family history of very fast labors, which he said he is not worried about with my first baby, but that I should keep that in mind with subsequent children. We talked to him about C-sections and I told him I want to aviod that at all costs. It made me feel good that he agreed and said that he will let me labor just as long as I'm progressing...some doctors are not so patient, so I'm thirilled that he is.

The doctor also said that the results from the ultrasound showed that the baby is plenty big, so no worries there, though he said I am still measuring small tummy wise. I have officially hit the 150 mark according to his scale though, so weight gain is not a problem (I'm right at 30 lbs up!), I'm just carrying small apparently. I guess that's a blessing, since I still haven't seen any dreaded stretch marks at this point...praying I make it through the next few weeks without them!!

Eddie and I also put some finishing touches on the nursery this weekend. We put up the curtains and tie backs and put a lightbulb in the adorable lamp, which makes it so soothing in there now. We had also set up the rocking chair last week, which made me feel like an official Mom as soon as I sat in it- so comfy too. We are both very impressed with our amature decorating skills and how great the room came out. We have definitely pieced it together bit by bit, but it turned out so lovely- I'll post some pics soon. 

We also did a ton of walking this weekend! On Saturday we went up to Buy Buy Baby on 28th and 7th to grab a few things and ended up walking all the way home. It was a couple of miles and it felt great to get some exercise. I was excited that I am officially 9 months pregnant and still able to walk a few miles. I think being pregnant in NYC has been really good in that way- I have walked every day of my pregnancy. On Sunday we walked to Soho for brunch and walked around there for a couple of hours as well. I was wiped out when I got home, but it was great to excercise all weekend long.

Next post I promise to put up some pictures of her room. We'll also have an update from the doctor since we go again on Wednesday of this week. Just counting down the days now...officially 24 days until our official due date!

Showered with so much love!

Wanted to share some really cute pics from the amazing baby showers and parties that my family and friends in Florida and Maryland threw over the past few weeks. Yes, I wore the same dress to both showers...shhhh. :) Thanks to my boss Trish for the loaner maternity gear!

Here are a few cute ones from the FL shower:

With my goddaughter, Anna Jane

Such a beautiful day in the Florida sun!

Yes, they made me hit a pinata blindfolded...lol.

After FL shower hang out with the girls: Me, Morgan (niece), Wendy (sis) Meg (sis), Mom and Julie (sis)

And here are some fun ones from the MD shower:

Me and my little nieces Nora and Abagail helping open gifts. Their dresses were SO cute!

Julie, Mom and Laura in front of the super cutely decorated fire place.

After MD shower relaxing with the hub

Also here are a few shots of Eddie and me from Jul and G's engagement party in FL:

I had to give a toast, but couldn't drink the champagne :( This one is with lots of FL friends...fun fun!

Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who helped with the showers. They were so much fun and we got so many great gifts for the Bean! Eddie and I could not feel more loved by all our friends and fam...you guys are the best!

Childbirth Classes.

Last weekend Eddie and I set out on the adventure of Childbirth Education (dun dun dun). From 1030-5 on Saturday and Sunday we sat in a little room at a pediatrician's office on 26th and 8th and learned how to have a baby- haha.

The first day was a little dry, but lots of information that we needed to know. We did learn that we should go to the hospital at "311" or when the contractions are about 3 min apart, 1 min long and last for 1 hour. It's not like in the movies where your water breaks and you go- in fact, 85% of women have their water break during labor, not before. So lots of laboring is done at home, which I hadn't planned on, but it makes total sense- you are more comfortable there than in the hospital, so it tends to make labor move faster.

The second day was much more interesting and they had us do some positioning for pain relief during labor and massage techniques. Any day that I can get massaged is a good day and Eddie learned some great massage tricks to use during labor. Something to look forward to during that painful time I guess!

We also learned the best time to have an epidural (if I decide I want one) is after 5 cm dilated- that is when it's shown that it no longer slows down labor. I would love to have this baby naturally, but I'm not opposed to an epidural if the pain is just too much or labor drags out for a long time. Maybe I'll have babies like my Mom and she'll be out in an hour and a half- that's what I'm hoping, but I have to plan for the alternative...especially after seeing the birth videos, ouch!

So overall it was a good two days. Eddie was a great sport and made everyone in the class laugh of course. It was just nice to be around other pregnant couples to hear that we are not the only ones who have crazy questions and thoughts...I'm glad we went and I'm glad it's over! It was a long 2 days of sitting...with her foot in my rib, of course! :)

Next doctor's appt is on Wednesday 6/1 and we go every week after that...getting so so close!

forgot to mention...

In my last post I forgot to say that we had the ultrasound tech re-re-re-confirm and....she is still a girl. Hahaha. So, I can stop with the nightmares about redoing the whole room when she comes out and is a boy. Yes, I have had several of those dreams...

Also, she said that this little girl has a full head of hair! I know that usually the hair all falls out that's there when they are born, but I'm excited to see if it's blond or brown to start. :)

Will give an update on our weekend long childbirth class extravaganza soon...it was interesting to say the least.

fat baby!

This week was quite interesting on the baby front. We had a doc appt on Tuesday and had our first bit of worry about this little girl. The doctor said that my stomach was not measuring quite big enough based on his handy dandy measuring tape, so he sent us for an ultrasound to check on the Bean's growth. He said the heartbeat was great, so nothing urgent, just wanted to be sure she was still on track size wise.

So, on Thursday, Eddie and I went in for an ultrasound. It had been so long since we had gotten to see the little girl that we were really excited to get a glimpse...even if we were a bit worried about the lack of tummy expansion.

As soon as the ultrasound tech started the scan, so said "ohhh, you have a fat baby!" It was so great, she eased our fears about her being to small right off the bat. She said that this little girl has fat little cheeks, which I was thrilled about- nothing cuter than a chunky little newborn! She also told us that this little girl is quite big for 34 weeks- 5 lbs. 6 oz already, so no worries about her size at all. She said I was just carrying small, which I won't complain about one bit.

These were some of the great shots we got of the Bean this visit. It is really hard to see her at this point since there is no room in there, so everything we could see is in 3D. The first shot is of her little fat squished face...I think she has my nose and Eddie's lips :) She also has her hands right by her face like she always does. She was opening and closing her eyes and mouth as well, which was so cool to see!

The next cute one we got was of her feet all curled up. The tech reiterated how big and strong her feet are. I told her I know them well and can feel them in my ribs every day!

The next two of her feet you can see that she has the signature long second toe- so prevalent on my side of the family. The first shot is from the top/side and the second shot is the bottom of her foot. In both you can tell that her second toe is just a tad bigger than the big toe. So cute...

So, all in all a great week 34. A little scary for a couple of days not knowing about her size, but once I heard the words FAT BABY I felt way better...

We have childbirth classes all weekend this weekend, so we'll update you on those soon...I have a feeling Eddie will be the class clown- no idea why I'd think that. ;)

little hiccups

Sometimes work just has to wait. And one of those times is now, when my 33 week tummy is bouncing every few seconds with a hiccup. It just might be the cutest thing ever...and it makes her that much more...real? That much more human. I mean, I know she is real...and human, but when i see the actual outline of a foot, or feel a hiccup, it makes her being here feel so close- I really cannot wait! She is over 4 lbs now and about the size of a pineapple...unreal.

Eddie and I went to Jax this past weekend for Jul and G's engagement party, a baby shower for me AND mine and Eddie's two year wedding anniversary. It was such an amazing time and absolutely perfect weather. We spent a lot of time at the beach and pool- the Bean got to go for her first swim and it felt great. Here is a pic of my beach belly at 32 weeks. You can really see the line in this one!

The baby shower was so much fun and we got lots of cute stuff for the Bean. She is going to be one stylish little girl. There was so much great vegan food, even vegan cupcakes- who knew they made those in Jax...I was impressed (thanks to all who came!).

The plane ride home was really tough...siting straight up is when her foot in my rib hurts the most. I was glad that will be my last flight while I'm pregnant...we're really in the home stretch now.

Jul and Greg get to NYC today and are coming with us to MD on Saturday for another baby shower- I'm so excited! Can't wait to see Tracy and her belly too...so fun that we are having babies just a couple of months apart.

Our next doc appt is on 5/17. During our last appt he told us that after 36 weeks, the baby can come anytime. I am 36 wks on June 2- could she really be here that soon?! Wow...we have a lot left to do. I still think she is going to come in mid-June, but we shall see. I hope June16, but had a dream it was June 18 and Eddie thinks June 20. I wonder when she will decide it's time...hmmmm.

no relief for my ribs

This little girl is going to be a soccer player. She constantly kicks me in my right rib...like incessantly, all day everyday. Makes it a bit hard to sit at work all day. I find myself standing up and walking around just to have a few minutes pain free.

Eddie and I went to the doc today and got more good news- my glucose test was totally normal. Also, the growth looks great per my tummy measurement and my weight is still right on track- though 150 is inching toward me quickly and it is freaking me out a bit! :)

We also got some not so awesome news- there is nothing that can be done for the sharp pain in my right rib- "other than delivering the baby." Hahah. So, I will be mushing on her little foot for the next 6 weeks or so to try to get a fleeting moment of relief...

The doctor said that after my 36 week visit, she can come at any time. I'm almost 32 weeks now...that is feeling REALLY close. Eddie and I could not be more excited...just can't wait to meet this little nameless girl. :) We now start going every 2 weeks to the doc, so next visit is 5/17. Getting close!!

the big 3-0

Kind of fun to be 30 years old and 30 weeks pregnant. I guess 30 should be my lucky number from now on! My Mom sent me a picture of her, about the same age as me and 8 months pregnant with me. We look so much alike, it's amazing. I know who to thank for still having a relatively small belly at 30 weeks... :)

Danielle's Mom and Grandmother came in town this weekend and we had such a great time. We went and saw Jersey Boys, which was awesome. I swear the Bean was dancing to all the songs....resulting in a foot in my rib the entire show- hahah.

Eddie and I have been working on getting things done around the apartment getting ready for the arrival of this little girl. We're getting there, slowly but surely. Eddie said he heard she'll wait until we were totally ready to come anyway. ;)

I should get my glucose test results next week, so more to come on that soon...

i am a human pin cushion

I had the joyous pleasure of going through a 3 hour glucose tolerance test yesterday...ugh. Thank goodness Aunt PH was there with me to do crosswords on her iPad and help me not puke.

I arrived at the lab at 9 AM and they drew the first batch of blood. Then, I had to drink the most awful drink- like flat sprite, but thick- in under 5 minutes. Then at 10, 11 and 12 I had to have more blood drawn. I have tiny little non-existent veins, so needless to say I had lots of extra pokes beyond the 4 they had to do. It was not at all fun.

I had to do the 3 hour test since there is a history of diabities in my family (thanks Papa!), otherwise it would have just been a one shot draw of blood and I would have been done. Oh well...such is life.

We should have the results back on Thursday and, for the next few weeks, I will be in long sleeves to avoid the "she must be a pregnant heroin addict" stares...hahah. Won't be too hard since it's still cold in NYC...blahhh.

Otherwise, I am doing really well. The bean has positioned her foot in my right rib most all the time now, which is not so comfy, especially when I'm sitting. I feel good otherwise, though. :)

It's hard to believe I am 30 weeks tomorrow. I have a feeling this little soccer player is going to come a bit early, so I am starting to feel the crunch to get things in order before her arrival, which could be less than 2 months away! Eddie and I have a huge list that we have to get going on, so our weekends the rest of April are nice and full before we travel to Jax and MD in May. Should help time go by faster at least.

It's been so nice having D in town. She always makes me smile and laugh- I cannot wait until we live in the same city again one day...it WILL happen.  I don't know when, but it will...

sun on my belly :)

So I went down to Jacksonville this past weekend to escape the cold and see my fam. The trip was exactly what I needed...family time and tons of sun! It made me wonder if the bean can tell that we are in a different environment. Does she hear the waves and the reggae music playing at the beach? What is that like for her when she is used to traffic and horns honking? Hmmm...

Aunt Jul and Uncle Greggie were amazed by my food consumption...hahah. I still order the same things, but there is never a bite left on my plate, that's for sure! I got to see my Dad at lunch on Saturday and ate half his chips too, which thrilled him to no end. I am up 20 lbs now, which the doc says is ritght on track, so I'll just keep doing what I'm doing!

We all talked about the great name debate at lunch, but I am convinced this child will not have a name until I meet her...I just CANNOT decide.

The beach days were amazing- 85 and sunny all the time. Wendy, my photographer extraordinaire sister, insisted on taking some belly shots at the beach, so here are a few in all my bikini clad glory...ha! I was 28 weeks in these...

I have the line down my tummy now, which you can really see in the black and whites. Also, my boobs are obnoxious, but I guess that comes with the territory, ugh.  I have to say, it's really strange seeing myself like this, but I don't mind it at all. There is a BABY in there- so cool to think! I saw a lot of old friends on the beach, some who didn't know until now that I am pregnant, so that was fun to tell/show them. :)

On Sunday, I also got to see Katherine, one of my oldest and best friends, and her daughter (my god daughter) Anna. She is the cutest little thing in the world and made me even more excited for our little girl to get here. Anna will be 3 in August and talks like she is going on 15...here is one of my fav shots of her:

It was very hard to leave my family and the great weather, but I was so happy to get home to Eddie. It's hard being away from him now...he really does take such good care of me and I miss that when I'm away.

Tomorrow I will be 29 weeks and we have our next doctors visit as well, so more updates to come soon!

Scout, QUICK! get your jacket and boots! Bus is here!

The Wall Street Journal decided it was time to alarm me about certain NYC facts http://on.wsj.com/hyCSQM. (Summary: Kindergarten Wait List Grows by 42%) SHIT! Wondering about asking patrons of Epstein's if they have any connections to local school boards probably isn't our best approach... we are now looking to see if Harvard has a day car or nursery school program in the City. Autumn continues to exceed expectations with how well she is handling everything. We recently went down and hung with our favorite little niece Nora for her second birthday bash. Little baby factory happening around Grandma Dede's house. Little Scout seems to really enjoy waking Autumn up around 5am every morning with sucker punches to the kidneys and lower ribs. March was a serious month of weather in NYC for momma Berrang and little Scout. It is March 31st, snow predicted for this weekend. Every time I come home Autumn somehow has found a way to get more clothes for her... and thank you to everyone who is helping to turn her room into Maria Carey's closet. It is nice to watch Autumn smile and see her face and how excited she gets showing me the outfits. Get on the bus Scouty! We don't want to be late!

a new cousin for the bean!

VERY exciting news- Eddie and I just heard that Tracy and Sam's little one is going to be a boy!! Congrats to them and future big sis Nora (whose birthday happens to be today). We could not be more excited to have a little boy cousin who will be the same age as the bean- he's due in August. How amazing and exciting...big hugs to the Emara family.

"and now we start with the measuring tape..."

Last week was wonderful. My Mom came in town on Wednesday night to spend the weekend with us. She got to see the bean's cute little room and all the sweet little dresses we have bought for her...so much fun! She also got to come to the doc with us on Thursday and meet Dr. Young for the first time.

The appointment went very well. I am still on the high end of normal weight gain at 18 lbs, but Dr. Young is happy with that since I was fairly thin to start with. My BP and and that jazz were great. The bean's little heart rate was perfect too- so much fun to hear. :) We asked the doc about the need to test me for whatever toxin cats can sometimes carry (our vet suggested it), but he felt confident that since they are inside cats, I should be fine (unless I wanted another needle- no thanks!). Also asked him about my little heart murmur. I have always had it, but I notice the skipped and double beats more now that I am pregnant- he said that is totally normal. In fact, some women who have never had that issue develop it during pregnancy and it's nothing to worry about. Oh, and apparently I am "now at the stage where we have to measure my tummy with measuring tape." So that's interesting. The doc said it's to check the bean's growth, and so far, she is growing like crazy!

We went to an early birthday dinner for Meg on Saturday night and she got to feel the bean kick for the first time! She was so so excited...it makes it so real when you actually feel it. MC also got to feel her kick the other night at the apartment. She said it felt like little tiny feet- to me, they feel HUGE!

I am still feeling remarkably good. Not too achy or exhausted, which I thought I might be by 25 weeks. Mom and I walked all over creation while she was here and it felt great! I do want to work out more, though. I walk a ton, but I need to get back in the gym and yoga and do some light weights and stretching...one day I'll get around to it....haha.

Also got everything squared away at work as far as maternity leave goes. The policy here is not the best, but my bosses are great and working with me to maximize my time at home with the bean. I'll be totally off in July and August on short term disability (we only get a week of paid official maternity leave...insane). And then I'll be working PT from home in September and October. I plan on working three days/wk and taking two days of vacation/sick time over those 8 weeks. So, overall, not too bad, even though part of it is only partial pay...it's worth it to be home while she is tiny. After that, Eddie and I are going to look for someone to take care of her at home...we really don't want her in daycare that young, but we'll see how it all works out.

Our next appt is 4/14 and, after that, we start going every 3 weeks instead of 4. Getting closer!!

peace and quiet

Eddie and I went to Montauk over the weekend to see the fam and get away from the city for a bit. I have had some trouble sleeping lately, but I think a trip to Montauk revealed why....Manhattan noise! It was so quiet in Montauk and I was able to sleep peacefully almost the whole night, rather than waking up ten times. I guess I'm not as used to the sirens, jackhammers and yelling as I thought I was after almost 5 years in the city.

The good thing is (according to my Babycenter emails) the baby will be used to the noise since she has been hearing it since she was a little gummy bear in my belly. So, even though I may be very unrested, the little lady will be sleeping soundly through the Coned construction and Saturday night 4 AM yelling breakups.

Also on the topic of sleep, I am not supposed to lay on my back anymore according to the doctor and everything I read, but, even when I fall asleep on my side, I wake up on my back! Never fails. Last night I surrounded myself with pillows and it seemed to help. Maternity pillow under my head and front and full body pillow down my back. It actually seemed to work. It didn't stop the wake ups due to sirens and such, but at least I was listening to the sirens from my left side where I belong...it's a start.

In other news, my wonderful Katherine sent me a fetal heart monitor!! Now we can listen to the bean's heartbeat anytime we want, rather than just at the doctor's office. I had no idea how much I'd want to hear that sound until I got pregnant and now I can anytime I feel like it- so so excited.

Mom gets in town on Wednesday and we have a doctor's appt on Thursday, so more updates then. :)

SIX MONTHS?!

I really do learn something new every day I'm pregnant. Today, I found out that I am 6 months pregnant, not 5 like I have been telling everyone! The weeks to months conversion thing is always confusing. The doctors talk in weeks and everyone else in the world asks "how many months are you?" Well, world, I have been answering you wrong all along!

I found this chart online, so now I will never accidentally lie about how far along I am again...

So, I'm SIX MONTHS PREGNANT people! Whew, I hope every month goes by that fast... ;)

finally, a belly pic!

I know, I know, I should have done this months ago, but I have finally taken a picture of my ever-expanding midsection.

Thanks to MC's iPhone, we can now see that:

1. I really did finally go to a prenatal yoga class (hence the attire)
2. I reallllly needed to wash my hair after yoga
3. I finally look pregnant (when I push out my tummy to take a pic)! :)

You can also see a bit of the bean's room in this shot- that's her crib (no mattress yet) and a daybed that we got that we are re-covering (so pay no attention to the obnoxious orange color!). You can also see the light green walls that turned out so very cute...we really love the color. Oh, and Eddie's surfboard on the floor...we'll find a new home for that soon.

I promise we will get our camera charger situation figured out soon so that we can take pics when I look half way decent and not sweaty! Until then, at least it's a tummy shot so you all know I'm not making this whole thing up...hahah.

SOHO, Staten Island, Upper East Side

Cooking challenges have been going down almost nightly in apartment 4C. I keep waiting for a call out to throw a steak in the mix but so far Autumn has held true to being a vegan momma. Translation: She looks amazing and is healthy, happy. Scout's room is not quite there but paint and cleaning have been applied. I am working with the architects to understand best position for zip wire into slip-n-slide. We have figured out that one piece of furniture must come from every region of New York City. So far we have picked things from SOHO, Staten Island and Upper East Side. Now if we can nail down the Rasta color rocking chair from Queens we'll be set. Autumn keeps taking me to Counter for biscuits and gravy - the recent favorite. We have also had the opportunity to visit a few baby stores and pick up an item or two for her. Here is a picture of the essential items I have picked out that will get her through - I will let her name them with the hopes this encourages her speaking in the first few days.

drunken sailor: "is tat'n island?" name orgin for staten island - Uncle Wo

muscle mama

We got to see the bean again today at our 20 week sonogram appointment. The little miss was very irritated and was not at all cooperating! I was so glad that my Mom came last appointment rather than this one since she barely showed her face and she kicked me the whole time! The sonogram tech again told us what big feet she has- she is her Daddy's little girl. :)

She also told us that she is a BIG bean. She weighs 14 oz now and is over 11 in long- quite large for 20 weeks (normal is 10-11 oz and 10 in long apparently). She also said that she is very muscular- her arms and legs look like an athlete, so funny. She did ease my mind that the weight is not in her head (normal size) or body width- it's all muscle and length. Whew!

There were not many good shots from this session, but these two are my favorite. In this one, you can see her 3-D profile fairly well. The tech says that she has Mommy's nose...and it looks like she is smiling:



We also got a great 3-D one of her muscular little legs and bottom! This is why I can feel her kicking me all the time. Also, you can see her very large feet- hahah:

Also got another bit of good news- last time we went they said that my placenta was blocking my cervix, which can be an issue if it stays that way later in pregnancy. It has moved out of the way, so we are in the clear for a normal natural birth with no pesky placenta blocking the way.

So all good news this appointment- other than our stubborn little lady not wanting to be bothered with the ultrasound...a preview of what's to come I am quite sure!!