I was writing emails and updates to my friends and family that aren't here in Norfolk. It was a great way to keep them updated, but today I was reading through them and realized, "Hey what a great way for Jack to read about himself prior to life in the real world!"
Here you go...
9 Weeks
As you all know Chris and I have had a really big year so far....new store, new house, and now...NEW BABY!
Yes you read that right...Chris and I are having a baby! We are a little over 9 weeks along, went to our 2nd doctor's visit yesterday and the baby is doing great, very healthy, and growing! =) Our due date is 2/20/2010! We were surprised to say the least, but really happy and looking forward to what's in store for us! Keep us in your thoughts and prayers; we are both extremely excited and very nervous as I'm sure all first time parents are! We can't wait to introduce you all to our new addition in early 2010!
12 Weeks
Chris and I had a doctor’s appointment today! We are officially 12 weeks and 2 days!!! WOOHOO! The baby is the size of a lime and getting reflexes this week! For the first time when I push on my stomach he/she can feel it! =) I've gained a little weight and my boobs are ALREADY a cup size bigger!!! It's crazy...other than that I've felt completely normal. There are times where I don't really believe I have a baby growing inside of me! Then I look at my belly and my boobs and I'm reminded!
The visit was supposed to be a short one today; we were just getting a "tummy check" and hearing the heartbeat on the Doppler! We heard the heartbeat, it was incredible! 160 bpm...sounds so fast, but it’s just because her/his heart is so little it's having to work like crazy to do its job!!!
WELL...
We met with the midwife in our group and she was not busy this morning so she asked us if we wanted pictures!! DUH...so we packed our stuff up and went into the ultrasound room! He/she finally looks like a baby!! The other ultrasounds have made him/her look like a kidney bean. The pictures this week were breathtaking. I have been having days with panic moments where I'm scared to death to become a mom, but today I felt this eerie sense of calmness. Cheesy? Emotional? Maybe, I'm going to blame it on the hormones...but I really felt happy-peaceful today. The little rascal was acting all sorts of crazy in there today! He/She kept jumping around like a little Mexican jumping bean! The midwife said it was because I had just eaten and he/she was happy to be getting nourishment. It was so fun. The best baby doctor visit to date...
16 Weeks
We had our 16 week check up today! =)
Normally at this check up you have blood work done to check for any possible problems. However, because they were a little worried about my cervix they opted to do an ultrasound!! We met with the ultrasound tech, she lubed my stomach up and we were ready to go...We knew there was a possibility we could tell the sex this week. Sex organs are visible starting at 14 weeks, they are just very small! The tech wasn't confident we would be able to see anything. She kept saying that they baby would have to be lying just perfectly to be able to tell ANYTHING. We laid there (ok Chris sat) fingers crossed and hoped she would be able to tell. Apparently we have a future exhibitionist on our hands because he (yes you read that right), was spread eagle and showing all of his goods!!! =) Once I figure out how to scan anything I'll email the little picture of him...you can't miss it even if you don't know what you are looking for!!!
Introducing...Jack Christopher Dial...our little heartbreaker! =) It was incredible! Just the sight of our little boy brought tears to my eyes. I'm sure Christopher was having visions of footballs, baseballs, and any other sport! We cannot wait to meet our little guy in just 5 short months!
On a much more boring note, my cervix looks good. Everything is where it is supposed to be and I'm gaining a little weight. I have only gained a total 3 pounds since finding out we were pregnant, but I'm telling you it feels like much, much more!!
I wanted to send a short email to share our excitement with everyone! We cannot wait to start decorating and buying! It's very very exciting!
20 Weeks
It's officially on...BUMP WATCH 2010!
I'm 20 weeks along! Life is good, I'm feeling great, and literally eating for 2! My only issue right now is my back. Apparently Jack is comfy and laying on my sciatic nerve. My lower back is achy...but anything for your kid right?!? I can feel him moving around! He's not kicking yet, but just casually swimming back and forth!
We went to the doctor this morning and got our last ultrasound for quite some time! Jack is weighing in at a whopping 13 oz! He was lying around feet up, hand behind his head. Really showing mom and dad how rough life is on the inside. On another very cool note, we were taking a look at his face when he yawned! It was so funny, cute, adorable, handsome, and alienish all rolled into one single action! You read that right, I think our baby sort of looks like an alien right now! Especially on an ultrasound picture! The picture only shows his eye areas, mouth area, etc. I know you all understand that when I call my child an alien I mean it in the most loving, endearing way possible! I digress...
I've gained 7 lbs since my last visit (oink oink). That puts me at 10 lbs for my entire pregnancy! There was no lecture about eating more this time...just lots of "good jobs" and "oh you are finally showing"! Chris and I put up the occasional high five, but nothing new, they think we are nuts.
While she was taking a peek at Jack she measured my cervix and I passed with flying colors! After today's visit they are treating my pregnancy as "normal". No more extra ultrasounds or sneak peeks. I'm going to be honest here...although I'm extremely excited be healthy, I'm slightly bummed! I liked seeing Jack every 4 weeks! I can totally see why Tom Cruise bought an ultrasound machine when Katie was preggo. If I was rich I think I would do the same!
24 Weeks
We are officially at 24 weeks and 3 days...but who's counting?
We had our 24 week check up today! It was extremely uneventful. Weight check, blood pressure, and belly check. The doctor sent me on my way! I'm measuring small, which apparently means absolutely nothing at this point. The doctor said I could be carrying a small baby OR because I'm tall I'm "hiding" a big baby well! Like I said at this point means nothing...
The coolest part of the past week has been watching the development of my stomach. Not only is it growing (4 lbs in 4 weeks...ehem), but Jack is finally making it move! Chris and I can stare at my stomach for hours and watch it jump around! It's very strange, but in a cool, incredible, amazing miracle kind of way! Jack is also developing a little pattern. He is very active between 8:30 and 9 pm and again first thing in the morning! Supposedly he will become more patterned as the weeks go on. I cannot wait!
The most difficult and painful part of this entire pregnancy has been the emotional stress I've put on myself about vaccines. I opted to receive the seasonal flu vaccine, but after tons of tons of research, debate, thinking, and prayer I've opted out of the H1N1 vaccine. You should see the disapproving looks I got at the doctor today! I think our file has been blacklisted. I'd like to apologize to Jack in advance if the nurse "accidentally" squeezes him a little hard when I'm delivering, or the doctor "drops" him on the floor (I kid I kid)...but seriously I felt like I was being put in timeout with the looks I received today. Maybe I am being a little dramatic, but after making this decision I was a little sensitive. They still tried to change my mind and I went home with even MORE literature to read. I almost declined the literature (stating that I've killed nearly an entire rainforest in articles I've printed out and filled almost our entire dvr with informative shows), but decided if I wanted to stay somewhat in good terms with the Dr. I would just smile at take it home! =)
Chris and I have done almost all of our registering and picked out a crib, bedding, etc! This part of the process is so overwhelming and EXTREMELY exciting! It makes things 1 step closer to being real.
28 Weeks
Goodbye 2nd trimester...HELLO #3 (and final)!!
We have reached 28 weeks and 3 days to be exact. It has been a very fun adventure and in just 12 short weeks we will be starting a new and bigger one!!
28 weeks feels similar to the other weeks with just a few minor inconveniences differences:
1. I've lost the majority of my stomach muscles I had pre Jack. I can very much see why pregnant women "roll" out of chairs, off couches, etc.
2. I'm housing a future MMA (mixed martial arts) star. No more little flutters or love taps. He's full fledged kicking in there! It's fun to watch!
3. The bathroom. a.k.a. my hangout. Jack must be so comfy sitting right on my bladder because I hang in the bathroom as often as Zach Morris and the gang hung at "The Max" (I know bad joke...)
28 weeks began with a Dr. visit! This is the gestational diabetes testing week. This morning I drank a small bottle of liquid orange tic tacs with my breakfast. The directions say you must drink it all in 5 minutes. The competitive side of me raced the clock and finished it in 2....That drink didn't stand a chance. My awesome chugging skills may or may not have something to do with my 4 years spent at MIZZOU. They then do a finger prick at the Dr. Office. I passed with flying colors! Hooray!! My weight gain these past 4 weeks was 6 lbs. 20 lbs in 28 weeks....Oink oink MOO! Jack is still measuring on the small side of normal. This still doesn't mean a single thing. And hey, I'm not complaining!
The biggest development is our choice in hospital. We believe we've decided on a hospital. Although there are 2 great hospitals with 10 minutes of us our doctor prefers one over the other. Unfortunately, that hospital's anesthesiology department does not work with our insurance group. The other hospital in town does. So we broke the news to the doc today...we are still not interested in the H1N1 vaccine and we this we would like to deliver at the hospital further away from you. (Sorry Jack if we didn't have you dropped on your head with the vaccine, we most certainly do now...but look on the bright side kid at DePaul it's covered by insurance!)
We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! Ours was awesome. Lots of family and really good food. I'm sure the massive weight gain had a little something to do with the massive amounts of food ingested last week....but it's for the baby right?
31 Weeks
Hello week 31! You look pretty similar to the last few! Lots of bathroom breaks, tons of kicking, & and overall feeling of...LARGE!
We started our week with a trip to the doctor. Very uneventful. I have had a 5 lbs weight gain. Now tipping the scales 25 lbs heavier than I was in May. Not loving that stat considering by my calculations I should only gain 30 lbs the whole time. REMINDER: We have 9 weeks left!! But the doctor likes my weight gain and my blood pressure. TRANSLATION: Quit reading the Internet and go to Med school if you want to self diagnose.
I am measuring small again, so next time they are wanting to do an ultrasound! They want to weigh him and make sure he's growing enough. I can't wait for the pictures! She checked my stomach and pushed around for a few minutes to see if there was any explanation to my measurements. Apparently, she thinks he's laying form Left to Right across my stomach and is fairly stretched out. Possibly causing the "lack of bulge". My response, "Trust me doc there is bulge. Tons of bulge. Must I remind you I've gained 25 lbs???"
Nothing too exciting to report, no drastic changes (Have I mentioned 5 lbs?) I hope everyone has an awesome Christmas! We are really excited to celebrate in Mid-MO for a few days! Have a very Merry Christmas! I hope Santa brings everyone what they want!!
34 Weeks
Wanted to send out a quick update email. The Dr. visits are getting closer and closer, but I don't want to overload you all with updates either! We had our 34 week checkup on Friday. Everything was great; my weight gain was 2 lbs (27lbs total)! However, I was measuring very small so they ordered an ultrasound for this morning.
We went in for the ultrasound this morning with hopes that we were/are hiding a big baby very well. But to our surprise we have a very small baby. He's in the lower 10th percentile for weight. This isn't too concerning, they just want to find out why he's so small. We did get to see he has a head full of hair! Obviously can't tell what color, but I'm guessing brown. (Hoping for blonde)
What we did find out was that I'm not producing very much amniotic fluid. Apparently I'm lacking quite a bit. They are a little concerned with this so I have to go back tomorrow for a NST (stress test) on Jack. I'll tell you what he doesn't look the least stressed in there! One hand was on his head and the other hand was resting between his legs. Yes, typical guy. Picture man on couch watching football...that's what the ultrasound looked like! I also am being sent over to Maternal Fetal Medicine for a 4D ultrasound and some extra testing on his blood flow. They want to make sure he's getting enough blood in there! =) For now they've made me promise I will eat anything and everything I want (ice cream & carbs included)and try to drink 4x the water I was already drinking (I'm on bottle 4 for the day). We will be doing biweekly stress tests and ultrasounds for the rest of the pregnancy. Which brings me to the next part...they told me this morning I wouldn't carry him full term. They are going to induce me early. How early? Right now it's just a week early, but they are going to play it by ear. They think even though he is a small baby he might be able to get more nutrients on the outside rather than the inside!
35 Weeks
35 weeks along and Jack is officially a honeydew melon. He is growing like a weed...before I know it I'll have a little pumpkin in my stomach! I've gained 2 more pounds...obviously no trouble eating here! However, according to the DR. Jack's tummy is "tiny". Doc says you can help fix that with a healthy diet of ice cream and carbs (in addition to what I'm already eating!!). Christopher wants to know if that diagnosis applies to husbands. My amniotic fluids are still really low...translation...drink a minimum of 64 oz of water daily...translation...LIVE in the bathroom.
We've been a very busy family since learning I'm low on fluids and not sharing nutrients very well! Jack and I now go 2x a week for Non Stress Tests. These are tests that hook you up to monitors to watch his heart rate and your contraction rate (ahem...boring...ahem) They take anywhere between 40 minutes to an hour and a half. Depends on what Jack's doing! They want to make sure he's not stressed out with the level of fluids in there. We've had 3 already and the results are in...NOT STRESSED YET! In fact at the first one he was sleeping! Seriously how stressful can life be in-utero?
We also had an appointment at Maternal Fetal Medicine. This was a really cool and very informative ultrasound! They spent nearly 1.5 hours testing him, my blood flow, fluid levels, and weighing him. He weighs almost 5 lbs (in the 16th percentile). The blood flow is great, fluid levels are still low. We got to see his heart (all four chambers), his kidneys, bladder, stomach, and lungs. Not to mention all of his fingers, toes, eyes, etc. He's a perfect little (emphasis on little) boy! =)
I have another NST (non stress test) on Friday. Tuesday the 26th we have another ultrasound to check on his fluid levels as well as an NST. We are going to continue with this pattern unless anything changes! Right now they are planning on inducing me 2/15. If they determine it needs to be sooner I'll let you all know! Keep your fingers crossed I get to keep him in there that long! =) I need to work and finish his room!!!
Speaking of his room...it's almost finished!
36 Weeks
Not feeling very creative today. This is going to be a boring update...but an update nonetheless right?
We've made it to 36 weeks! Major changes since last week...can't breathe, can't breathe can't breathe. Jack is currently resting 1 of his oh so cute feet in my rib cage. AWESOME. We've had a few chats about it, but apparently he's comfy in this resting spot so he's not planning on moving any time soon! Lying down is quite possibly one of the only comfy positions to be in. I keep reminding him that selling homes from a reclined position probably wouldn't go over well with my company. And if he wants to eat, be dressed, go to school, etc. he REALLY needs his mom to be able to sell homes right now! =)
We are technically at 36 weeks and 3 days. Jack is weighing in at a whopping 5 lbs 12 ounces! =) This is 12 ounces of growth since 2 weeks ago! The doctors are very happy with this news and quite surprised. They didn't think he would grow this quickly! My fluid levels are still low, but not too dangerous. They have my drinking MASSIVE amounts of water and trying to lie down whenever possible. He has passed his last few stress tests with flying colors (thank goodness)!
The doctors do not want me to carry him full term. They have decided to induce me at 39 weeks. We go into the hospital on 2/14 and should have a little Jack by 2/15! =) The only reason this date would move up is if my fluid levels dropped drastically. No need to count, that's 20 DAYS AWAY...I repeat....20 DAYS AWAY. Yikes! Everyone keeps asking if we're ready. What's really meant by ready? Are you ever really ready? I guess, no we aren't ready, but we are very excited and can't wait to meet him!
In a nutshell, today's doctor visit was a good one! No bad news, nothing scary, and overall he's doing just great!
4 Days Before Jack’s Birthday
Jack is READY READY READY. I noticed in the past day or so that he's moved down in my belly, but I didn't realize how far.
Here are my stats:
I'm 4 cm dialated and completely thinned out. No baby yet, but apparently literally any day now! I'll let you all know once we know more! =)
Very excited to meet little baby Jack!
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