Drs Appointment Update

I saw the doctor today and everything looks good. The little man has moved head down into my pelvis and seems ready to make his exit! My cervix is thinning but not dialating and the doctor has said that I have some scar tissue on my cervix that may necessitate them "helping" it to open. This means that they will pop my cervix open manually so I can start dialating on my own...a procedure that does not feel too good from what I understand. But the way I see it, that procedure will immediately precede me pushing out an 8 pounder so how uncomfortable can it really be relatively speaking?

My doctor also said that if I have not started labor by the 22nd of February that we can always decide to break my water to set things in motion. She won't let me go any later than the 29th for delivery so I figure if he hasn't shown any signs of emerging by the 22nd, I will probably opt to break my water and get the show on the road!

We will now be going to the doctor every week so stay tuned for updates. 4 1/2 weeks and counting!

35 weeks

So lil' Evan is now the size of a honeydew according to the all-knowing (of foods and babies, apparently) babycenter.

5 weeks to go and we are getting closer to being semi-prepared. The nursery is almost done. We are now waiting on the lamps and the valance to arrive and we need to have the chandelier hung. The daybed came this morning and it is beautiful and so comfy. It is just wide enough for Brian and me to fit on it facing each other so it will be perfect for us to sit on while I'm nursing the little man (and Brian can rub my feet...the real reason we got the daybed ;) Of course, as soon as I sat on the daybed to try it out, Pearl jumped right on up. Every soft surface in the house is a potential bed for the princess!

We got most of our "gear" at our MN showers and it has been living in boxes in our hallway. Brian put together the stroller last weekend and based on that experience, today I decided that I would alleviate Brian of his "manly" responsibility and start putting the other stuff together. I know it is the last thing he wants to do after work or on the weekends and come to find out, I am actually pretty handy with a screwdriver (the tool and the alcoholic beverage). So, below is all our gear, all put together and waiting for Evan.

Pearl is not quite sure about all this mess but she was willing to pose for a picture!

We have another couples' shower tomorrow thrown by Aunt Lindsay and her sister Meghan. I am sure that the nursery closet will be even more full after...so exciting!

34 + weeks

Sorry for the late post, we have had lots of workers in the house so internet and computer access has been sporadic for the last week. Ok, on to the good stuff...

We are soon going to have to start calling the lil' man the BIG man! He is certainly growing and even Brian is shocked sometimes at how big my belly has gotten. Along with everything else, I might add...I feel like my head has even gotten bigger seeing as how my hats are all tight! My trainer measured my rear yesterday which has provided some good laughs around our house. Despite eating well and exercising maniacally, the junk in my trunk has somehow managed to expand almost 5 inches since carrying this little bundle of joy. It has given new meaning to my threat of sitting on Brian!

According to babycenter (he is compared to a cantaloupe this week for anyone keeping up with the foods), babies born pre-maturely between 34 and 37 weeks are usually just fine and go on to be as healthy as full term babies. Not that I am expecting him anytime soon, but it is nice to know that if anything were to happen, he is pretty much cooked at this point!

I am still feeling good aside from the back pain I get if I am on my feet too much. With all this weight, you can imagine that my poor back is strained ;)

We have another doctor's appointment on Monday and then we start going every week. That should make for more frequent posts!

33 Week Ultrasound

Here is the "official" view of what Lil' Evan looks like now....

And here is his actual chubby little face!

Hopefully everyone can see him...he is sideways facing out with his eyes closed. His forehead is to the right and chin to the left. There is no missing those cheeks though!

These will be harder to decipher but since the bottom shot is of his hair, I thought we had to put it up here. Our kid has hair!! The top shot is of his big foot.

Everything looks great right now. He is measuring right at 33 weeks which means that he is a perfect size, not too big, and can be expected around the 22nd as predicted. Good news since I think we are having another baby shower the weekend before!

He weighs 4 lbs 11 oz right now so I don't think there is anyway that he is going to cook for another 7 weeks and weigh any less than 8 lbs. As long as we aren't over 10 lbs I think I will be ok ;) His heart rate, his extremities, the amniotic fluid, the placenta, etc. all look great. The ultrasound tech said I was carrying perfectly, he is head down with his feet jabbing right into my ribs on the right side. The tech also said he was really cute. I am sure she doesn't say that to everyone!!

I managed to avoid a weigh in today but I go back Monday to see the NP so I only have the weekend to will off all those Christmas cookies I ate in MN. I will update after that appointment - but not with my current weight!!

Have a good weekend!

32 + weeks

We are back to the wacky foods. Little Evan is now roughly the size of a jicama...??

If you will recall, a few weeks ago he was compared to a rutabaga and we actually had some for dinner on Christmas Eve so that particular food mystery has been solved. I am still in the dark on the English cucumbers.

I am still feeling good. I am experiencing more shortness of breath (usually after talking too much or a stair climb) and occasional heartburn (which is a first for me).

We are still in MN and will be celebrating New Year's Eve tonight with Aunt Sara and Uncle Jim. Sara has 3 girlfriends who are expecting so they are hosting a Wii/Preggers New Year's get together. The boys will be busy battling it out on the Wii with Guitar Hero and Link Crossbow Training and I am sure the girls will be eating and watching. And eating. It should be a wild one!

We are heading back to AZ on Wednesday early morning. We have had two baby showers in MN so I know we will be coming home to lots of packages on the door step. My plans this week will include getting gifts & thank you notes squared away, putting away Christmas decorations and washing all our new baby clothes!

Pearl came down with an ear infection in MN so her vacation is going to be extended until Saturday so she can be fully recovered before flying. Lucky for her that she gets to stay at Grandma & Grandpa's an extra few days but bad for us since Brian and I will be lonely without her at home!

We have our last ultrasound on Friday so I will be sure to post after that. I am anxious to see if they will move my due date up any based on his size. Since he has been measuring big, I am wondering if maybe he will arrive a week or so earlier. Brian is convinced that I have gotten bigger in the 10 days we have been in MN which is true but I am attributing that to the Christmas cookies more than anything ;)

Have a happy and safe New Year!

31 + weeks

We are in the home stretch and as you can see, this little turkey is getting big! According to babycenter (sorry, no food reference this week) he is going into another growth spurt soon. As I mentioned last time, he is sitting very low and by the end of the day, my tail bone is killing me! I can only imagine that my waddle is about to get significantly worse...


We got to MN Friday night and it was surprisingly pleasant weather-wise. Lots of snow on the ground but temperatures were in the 30's. Saturday morning was spent decorating the Peterson Christmas tree and looking through Sara & Jim's wedding pictures (LOTS of them!).

Brian had mentioned that we may need to go meet with a client of his sometime early afternoon for a "meet and greet" to which I responded with many exaggerated eye rolls and heavy sighs. I thought to myself, "Who wants to meet with their investment guy the Saturday before Christmas?" I was looking forward to spending the day in my sweats and now I had to take a shower, put on real clothes AND put on makeup so as to not completely embarass Brian in front of a colleague. So after much whining on my part, Brian and I loaded up in the car and headed over to a coffee shop right by Ross's office to meet "Dan & Katherine". Right before we left, Ross had called and said he left a writing tablet at home and needed us to drop it off to him so we planned to swing by his office before our "date". When we got up to Ross's office, he was chatting with his acquaintance Steve, a guy who runs a jewelry business from home and helped Brian find the cushion cut diamond for my engagement ring. Brian introduced me to Steve and then things got really confusing because Brian turned to me and said (in his cheesiet voice), "Since you are going to deliver our son with sparkles in his eyes, you deserve something new and sparkly for your ears." Then all the guys were laughing and smiling at me and I was completely confused because we still had to go meet "Dan & Katherine" at the coffee shop! The joke was obviously on me because there were no clients, just some gorgeous diamonds to pick through for my new earrings! Needless to say, I felt like a total spoiled brat for all my whining and complaining that morning about having to leave the house!!

Saturday night we had "front row" seats to the Paper Airplane show (Uncle Andrew's band) which we have been so excited to get back for. In addition to the normal Peterson/May groupies, we had Brian's partner in crime Ryan along for the ride. I knew it would be an interesting night since I was was going to remain on the same level of awareness while most people around me were not...and Brian and Ryan together are always giddy and goofy. Paper Airplane rocked the house and Brian got to rock out on the cow bell for a song...

Brian is envious of Andrew's natural musical abilities and he has been hoping that lil' Evan will be blessed with those same musical talents. I think these pictures demonstrate that the musical ability isn't necessarily limited to Andrew...

I personally prefer a man who is handy on the calculator and knows his way around a spreadsheet ;)

It was a great night and lil' Evan enjoyed all the drum beats which he jumped around to for a couple hours. Once we hit about midnight, he and I both turned into pumpkins.

FYI, if anyone happens to be in Hopkins, MN on any given Thursday, we recommend stopping by Decoys to participate in the Meat Raffle and also enjoy the special of the day, the Hot Beef Sundae.

30 + weeks

We are a little past 30 weeks but I had a doctor's appointment this morning so I decided to do a lump blog.Everything went well at the doctor's appointment. I had some blood tests last time and my iron came back great (which means I am eating very well) and my glucosamine came back low. This is good because it means I am very low risk to ever develop diabetes but the doctor said low glucosamine sometimes means the baby's growth is restricted by the uterus during the last few weeks of pregnancy. But after measuring my fundal height and seeing that he is still big for his "age", she doesn't anticipate that he will have any trouble growing as much as he needs to for the next 9 1/2 weeks! Her exact words were "you are all baby". I have gained 31 pounds so far which means I am approaching Brian in the weight category. It is a sad yet interesting time...weighing almost as much as your husband is depressing but him knowing that you could PUMMEL him during a hormone induced mood swing has some perks ;)

The little man is head down, just like the picture above except that we think his back is facing out and to the right a little bit. I have more movement on the right side of my belly which we think is his little rear poking out as he moves. The doctor also said he is positioned low so I am hoping that means that when the time comes, he will just drop right down and slide right out the chute. Optimism is important during labor, right??

We have our last ultrasound on January 4th and I think it will just be a standard one instead of the hi-tech 3D ultrasounds we had for so long. This one will just make sure he is all developed and positioned correctly.

We leave for MN on Friday which will be nice to be away for 12 days. Not that I have anything to get away from but it will be nice to have Brian away from the office for so long. Plus, Gail always has lots of Christmas cookies on hand so that will be nice ;)

In other baby news, my friend Sam and his wife Amber welcomed their baby boy, Jackson Burton Correll, last Monday. Everyone is doing great in Dallas and the Corrells have a special Christmas present this year!

Happy Holidays!

29 Weeks

Yay! We are finally a normal food. According to babycenter.com, our little man is now the size of a butternut squash. A large one if I had to guess. He is over 15" long now and his head is getting bigger to accomodate his growing brain (which I will have to squeeze out in 11 weeks - yikes!). He also needs more calcium now for his bones which is interesting because I have been craving milk the last week or so. Funny how your body knows exactly what to do when you are growing a person!

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday and everything still looks good: no gestational diabetes, the fetal fiber nectin was negative (which means there is a 99.9% chance I won't go into labor in the next 2 weeks) and my cervix is still nice and closed. The little man is still measuring big which I figured out means that at 29 weeks, he is measuring 30 cm so he is only 1 cm big (phew). The doctor was feeling around my belly trying to determine if he has moved head down (we think so) and she hit a ligament on my left side that about made me jump off the table. It was VERY painful. I have been feeling a little ligament strain if I move too fast while lying down (I use the term "fast" very loosely...nothing about this body is currently fast) so I guess that means that he is still growing.

We also had our first birthing class Monday night which was way more enjoyable than the "Growing Your Baby" class that we bailed on halfway through! The teacher for this class has a fun personality and we feel like we will actually learn some stuff in this one. We watched a birthing video which was nice since I have somehow made it 29 years without ever seeing "The Miracle of Birth". What I learned from the video was, #1 We will not be asking to see the placenta and #2 I will be getting very familiar with my razor in the days before labor. It is surprising how many hairy women allow their births to be videotaped up close and personal for educational purposes! We have 2 more birthing classes so we will keep you posted on all of our new birthing knowledge.

On Wednesday we had our hospital tour so we know where to go to check in, where I will be laboring and delivering, recovering, etc. Everyone has told us how nice the hospital birthing suites are so Brian was a little disappointed when he saw the it wasn't actually the Four Seasons. Neither of us has much experience with hospitals (thank goodness) so we didn't know what to expect but it is very nice for a hospital! The nicest part is that I will labor and deliver in the same room and the baby will stay with us in that room for his exam, etc. The nurse was very excited with all the technology they offer in the suites (dvd players, room service ordering via tv remote, movie ordering, cd players) but as we all know, Brian is a bit of a technology snob so the only thing that would have impressed him was surround sound and a 50" plasma. They did have this cool remote that controls two spot lights in the ceiling so when you are delivering, the doctor just holds the remote where she needs the lights to go and brrrrrp spot light on your you-know-what! I must say the scariest part was when the nurse pulled out the leg stirrups on the bed. Holy moly. If you thought the stirrups in the gyno's office were intimidating...these are some serious stirrups! A couple hours after delivery, we will all move to a post partum room and Evan will be in a bassinet in the room with us the whole time which will be nice. We also have the option of putting him in a nursery for a couple hours if I need to sleep but I figure if I need to sleep then his dad will be taking care of him!

We have another doctor's appointment on the 17th and then we are off to MN for two weeks for X-mas. Time is flying and I can hardly believe that by the time we get back in January, we will be less than 8 weeks from being parents!!