29 Weeks

Okay, now we are really moving!  Only 11 weeks left, that's 77 days!  I went in for my last monthly OB appointment today and everything is still going good.  Now I'm onto appointments every two weeks until 36 weeks, which will then turn to weekly appointments. 

Just by feel, the doctor guessed that baby girl is laying length-wise inside my abdomen.  And that sounds about right to me based on the location of all the kicking going on. She now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. I also did the Glucose Tolerance Test today.  I had a couple of friends tell me that they liked the orange flavored drink so I was glad I chose that one at my last appointment.  I put it in the freezer for a bit right before my appt and it ended up tasting like an Otter Pop!  Perfect on a hot, sunny day  =)

Here is a short video of some belly action.  It was just from my phone but you'll probably be able to see the little monster shifting around.

I think the remainder of the pregnancy is going to fly by.  The month of August is extremely busy.  We start off with my Dad coming for a visit.  The following weekend we take maternity pictures then David will be running the Falmouth Road Race.  A few days later our friends from Arizona come in for a visit.  Then two days later Dave's Aunt Betsy comes to town to finish out the month....whoa!  Thankfully we've scheduled our New Baby class already and have picked and scheduled a tour of our Pediatrician's office. 

But for now, I'm just going try to relax and enjoy another 3-day weekend with the hubby while we still can!  Hope everyone has a great weekend too!!!

Third Trimester!!

28 weeks

I am officially heading into the home stretch at 28 weeks!  And my body is definitely starting to feel the effects of all the changes.  I'm beginning to feel tired at the end of the work day and notice that it's hard for me to just pop out of bed in the mornings like I use to. In addition to that, I've noticed it takes more effort to walk up and down the stairs.  But luckily, I'm still sleeping fairly comfortably and haven't had an recent leg cramps. 

Ellie is still sitting very low but is slowly filling out her cozy space and moving upwards. I think she's going to have strong legs like her daddy Dave because I've felt a couple of good kicks that have taken my breath away for a second!  Hopefully that doesn't mean she's gonna be a thrasher as she gets older!!!

One thing I am worried about is how Niko is going to behave once Ellie arrives.  After all, he's been our only "kid" for the last 7 years.  I am always saying her name and talking about Ellie's "things" in hopes that when she is finally here he will remember the name and associate the two together.  He's definitely been curious about her nursery, the strolller/car seat, and even her new blanket that we got in the mail yesterday from our friends in Maine.  I had to snap this picture of him checking it out.  If anyone has advice on this...Please let us know!!!

This weekend was our 7 yr anniversary.  So to celebrate we had dinner at this place called 28 Atlantic in the Wequassett Resort.  The service and setting were absolutely amazing and perfect for a hot Cape Cod evening. They even gave us a gift to remember our "Special Occasion" with them.  It was two glasses with star fish etched into them.  I couldn't believe how thoughtful they were with their service! 

This was a sign designating a group of cottages on the property of the resort. It is the nickname I have for all little babies and kids, and the name I've been calling Ellie :)

Dinner views

27 Weeks!

27 Weeks- Almost to the 3rd Trimester!!!

27 weeks and counting!  This last week we had our 3D ultrasound.  It was incredible!  We loved seeing our little girl moving around.  She was very active during the 1 hour appt. blinking, smiling, and moving her arms and legs.  We even got one shot where Ellie gave us the finger!  Ha ha!  I will have to scan the pictures soon, but the video is what I love to watch since we can actually see her moving around in her cozy little space. 

Baby Stats:
Weighs 2 lbs
14.5 inches long
She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers.


In preparation for her arrival, we are continuing to get her room ready.  Here are a couple of pictures of her nursery so far.  We have things we still need to put on the wall and need the crib bedding, but you get the idea.  The wall is actually more of a lavendar gray color but it doesn't come out too well in the pictures. 

We've also received a few more gifts in the mail, which you'll see Dave modeling in one of the pictures ;)

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing, going to the local Greek Festival, and watching USA Soccer...wish the ending to that were different!  It was so nice not having to rush around or having a lot of plans.

There are so many friends having babies this year, it's so exciting to hear about their pregnancy stories and to see their bellies growing too!  This really is the best time of our lives!!!

26 weeks!

Man, time is really starting to fly!!!   I feel like I still have so much to do but so little time.  As of today, I have 95 days left...woo hoo!

26 weeks!

This weekend was supposed to be laid back but with so many things that needed to be done I was given the title of "Slave Driver"!  Hey, that's how I get things done =)  We had another Open House today so we spent Saturday re-staining our front and back decks, putting out potted flowers, and doing some touch up paint around the house.  We then put together Ellie's crib (finally) and have everything in it's place. Now we just need to finish with the decorations and wait for the bedding that my mom is making. 

Today, while the Open House was going on, we went to the beach with some friends.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous.  The water is getting warmer so I'm thinking I need to bring a raft with me next time and just float around on the water to stay cool. 



This is what we do in New England:  Cooking up some lobsters.





Dinner is served!



Nice Palm, Palmer!  Our friends brough a little bit of the tropics to Cape Cod.

Babywise:
Baby girl is inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.

4th of July- 25 weeks

Week 25 started off with a great OB appt.  I was able to hear the baby's strong heartbeat again and am proud to say that I've gained a healthy 14.5 lbs.  I know the last trimester brings on the most weight gain but I'm hoping it's not too extensive!  I'm happy with the growth at this rate: not too big, not too small =)  We have a 3D/4D ultrasound next week.  I absolutely can't wait to go to that to see what our little girl looks like now that all the features are there. 


At this point she is a little over a foot long and about 1.5 lbs.  Her movements in my belly are becoming way more noticeable from the outside.  I wish I knew what parts of her were bulging out my stomach!

We had a great weekend full of 4th of July festivities.  On Saturday we went to the local farmer's market with a friend and her baby boy Dylan, then had a BBQ at our house with some friends.  Sunday we took it easy.  We just lounged and watched movies.  Then on Monday we went up to Marina Bay in Boston for a fun day on the boat. 

Niko scavenging for treats at the BBQ



Kimmie, Matt, Jess, Nikki, and Dave







Pieroways





Lobstah!  Can you believe we had this left over?!  So much food!!!

Fireworks weren't the only things sparkling that day....so was Jess's ring!!!!  Our friends Matt and Jess got engaged and we couldn't be happier for them!  We've known Matt since he and Dave were stationed together in Alaska.  And since we've been in MA, he and his family have taken us in like family.  We LOVE you guys and are so lucky to have you all in our lives.





Dave toasting Matt and Jess



 

Now it's back to work for a short week.  The weather continues to be sunny and warm so hopefully we'll get to the beach a lot this weekend.  Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!!!