20 week ultrasound

We had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday. It was the most amazing experience I've ever had. We originally was going to be Matt, my Mom & me. Then Kiara wanted to go, not a problem. Yesterday morning Kiara called to see if Jake could go. I thought that was getting to be a crowd so I called to make sure they would let us all go, and they said it was fine. Then my Mom called to see if Cameron could come. I said he could, but I didn't know if he could be in the room. Well, I was in the waiting room and here comes Matt with my Mom, then in walked Cameron, and behind him was Dylan (My Mom's boyfriends 14 year old grandson). Mom had to pick Cameron and Dylan up at the mall on the way so they all came. When they called my name the whole waiting room cleared out, but it made it special.

I drank a bottle of iced tea on the way to the office to make sure the baby was awake and moving so we could see it. It definitely worked!! The baby was moving everywhere. It was so cool to see how much the baby moves compared to how little I feel. We saw the baby snuggling into my back (see pic above) and then flipping around and crossing it's ankles. We saw the baby yawn, put it's hand in front of it's face, and we could see the tongue move when it swallowed. The baby measured 10 inches long and 13 oz. Yes, we already have a big baby :) Absolutely amazing.

Things that come from the mouth of Jake:

Little Jake sat in the front row by Matt and his first response to seeing the baby on the monitor was "Look it's trying to climb out". He didn't belive us when we said the baby was going to stay put for a while and repeated that the baby was climbing out quite a few times. A while later we were all concentrated on the monitor watching the baby and Jake says, "We're penis lookers, huh Mom?" On the way to the ultrasound Kiara had told him that they were going to be looking for a penis to tell if it was a boy, but it was pretty funny the way it came out.

After the ultrasound, Matt and I had our Childbirth Choices class at the birthing center. This is a class just to give you information about the birthing center, the services offered, and the options they have for delivery at the birthing center or at the hospital. We also got a tour of the birthing center. It was really cool too! The midwife who led the session is the mid-wife who will be leading our centering classes each month and I really liked her. She discussed the mid-wife philosophy that pregnancy is not an illness and should not be treated as such. That a woman's body is built to birth babies and that they use the least amount of intervention as possible. We then watched a video of a midwife in Mexico deliver her own baby in her bathtub. It was kinda cool, but got a little creepy in the end. Her husband was in the tub with her when she delivered, and then her two older kids jumped in after the baby was born. I'm hoping to try a water birth, but no one else will be swimming in that tub with me. On the tour we saw the 3 rooms in the birthing center. The southwest room is the largest and most coveted room. All rooms have queen size beds so Mom, Dad & baby can all cuddle together from the very beginning, they also have doors leading to their own patios. The southwest room has a jacuzzi tub in the corner of the room and a private bathroom with a smaller tub that is also big enough to deliver in. The other two rooms have a joined bathroom with a birthing tub as well. The birthing center has an average of 40 births a month, half at the center and half at the hospital. With those odds I'm pretty confident the southwest room will be open for us.

Our first kids

Our 20 week ultrasound is tomorrow. We also have our childbirth choices class at the birthcenter tomorrow. We are SOOOOO excited!!! Or at least I am, Matt is not very emotional but you can tell the reality of the pregnancy is setting in. He now will come up and touch my belly and give me a kiss for no reason. We have also bought some Berts bees Mama Bee Belly Butter to keep from getting stretch marks. Matt gets to rub the belly butter on each day and that is his time to talk to the baby. I talk to the baby all day long, I think it's important that Matt gets a little conversation in there too. Matt is fine with it and I think that it will allow the baby to get to know his voice in a soothing matter and not just his conversastion voice that he uses around the house.

I will update with the new ultrasound picture and a new belly picture on Tuesday. For now I want to update on the other 2 members of our house. I was told our title should be "And baby Makes Five...", which it should. Avery and Isabella are very important, and very spoiled, members of our family. Our move to Arizona has been as happy for the dogs as it has for us. We were a little worried about Avery in the heat since she would hide from the Wisconsin sun, but she loves it here. She spends a lot of time laying in the sun on the patio. It is great when we are able to have the doors open (every season but summer) so the dogs are able to come in and out as they please. It's a little difficult in the summer because the dogs don't realize they are dogs and have to go outside when they are offered. Avery is ok, but Bella is more concerned about playing they going outside to do her business. Our dogs have been treated like our kids and they are very unhappy when they are treated like dogs. If we shut them outside, even when we leave the house, Isabella sits and cries a high pitch howl for hours. The dogs have also figured out how to open the door from the outside so they let themselves in when we try to shut them out, even when we are outside. It's only a problem when the A/C is on since they do not close the door after themselves.

Along with the yard and sun, the dogs have made some very good friends. Our friend Ennen moved here 5 months after us with his doberman Emma. Our neighbor, Cherie, also has a dalmation who is part of our extended family. With Cherie and Doja (the dog) living next door, we have pretty much begun co-habitating at both houses. All 4 dogs join in all celebrations, which can get pretty loud with the dogs all barking. We also live close to a dog park that we go to often. Avery is pretty independant and doesn't really play with the other dogs, but Bella is a social butterfly. She is the life of the party the minute she enters the yard and is so tired by the time we leave she is out for hours when we get home (she is asleep on the tile right now).

Some people are worried about bringing babies around their pets, we have absolutely no fears. We have had many kids in our home and the dogs love them. We have also had 5 month twins overnight before. The twins were not used to our house and didn't sleep much so they spent a good portion of the night in our bed with the dogs. The dogs got a little irritated with the boys crawling on them and playing with their tales, but they didn't growl or snap. They just gave me puppy dog eyes and let the boys do as they please. The dogs have also been part of putting the baby's room together and smelling everything. I'm sure it will take a while for the dogs to get used to having the baby here all the time, and the loss of attention they will recieve. However, Matt likes dogs better than people and he will probably prefer to take care of the dogs than the baby :)

Well, it's getting late and I have a big day tomorrow. Let's hope we have a modest baby that will not give us peep show tomorrow so we can keep the sex a secret.

Hope you have a wonderful week!!

Week 19 (Almost 1/2 way there)!!!

We are almost 1/2 way there and I love being pregnant. Luckily, I am having a really easy pregnancy so I can enjoy it. Some updates from the past couple of weeks. The mid-wife didn't really believe me when I said I felt the baby kick, but my neighbor Cherie was able to feel the baby move on the outside of my belly too!! Matt still hasn't felt it, but he says he is sure that there will be plenty of time later. The baby is starting to move more and not just the kicks and thumps I was feeling. I can feel the baby actually swimming around. I can feel movement higher in my belly too :). I am sitting on my patio enjoying a rare cup of Decaf and the little guy must like it as much as I do because he is starting his gymnastics practice today. It is so cool to be able to feel the baby! If you've noticed I've used the pronoun "he" in this blog. I'm starting to think it's a boy. I've had two dreams about a boy, I have the dark line on my belly from breast bone to pelvic bone, I feel that my hair and skin are both healthier than pre-pregnancy, and the last heartbeat was down to 140 bpm. I think those are all signs of a boy. We have our next ultrasound on July 28th, but I'm hoping the baby is modest enough and won't give away the secret !!

Family & Friends Update:

Some fun things going on down here. Tyson and his girlfriend Brandi just moved into a new house yesterday. They had been living on 4 acres way out in the desert north of Tucson. Their new house is still a little north of Tucson, in Marana, but much easier to get to. I haven't been out there yet, but Tyson did call me to try to get me to help clean before he moved in.

Austin is going to be 13 years old next week!!!! I can't believe how old these kids are getting. He and Cameron are going to spend the night at my house next Friday and spend the night eating pizza and playing rock band. If they are still awake, Matt is going to take them to see a midnight movie at a theatre down here.

Speaking of Cameron, he called me last night to see if I would mind if he named his pregnant fish after me. I thought that was pretty funny so I let him.

My neighbor and one of my best friends Cherie, found out she is pregnant and due at the end of February. Our Thursday routine last year included cardio-kickboxing, then home to make frozen daquiri's while watching the rain and then a couple of hours of So You Think You Can Dance. Things have definitley changed this year, but we've adjusted with aqua-fit, mocktails substituting the real rum for rum extract and apple juice concentrate (pictured above), and we still got our Dance Dance Dance. As happy as I am for her to be pregnant, I am a little sad. Her lease is up at the end of August and she will be moving out of the neigborhood, and maybe even out of the state. I know she has to do what is best for her new family, but I will miss her terribly if she leaves.

And last but not least, Hubby....

Hubby's boss got a new job and his last day will be on Friday July 25th. Matt has a wonderfuly working relationship with Jason so he is sad to see him go. Matt would be a shoe-in for Jason's job if we lived in Phoenix, but we don't. There really isn't anyone within the company who has the knowledge and skills to fill the position, except Matt. Matt has spent the past 2 days in Pheonix learning the parts of Jason's job he is not familiar with, and will spend all next week up there to shadow Jason so that he will be the interim manager. Hopefully the company will see how well Matt can handle the job and work out some type of compromise to allow him to keep Jason's job while still working out of Tucson. It will be horrible if Matt has to train his new boss.

Well, we have a busy day ahead of us... We are having a Christmas in July part tonight and have to get the house and yard ready. I hope everyone has a great weekend.. Love and miss you all!!!

Correction

I guess I had the story about the rocking chair wrong. My Grandpa Lowell bought the rocking chair for my Mom when she was pregnant with me, not Kiara. My Mom said she was working a night shift at the time and would get off of work at 1a.m. and come home and rock in the rocking chair watching Dick Van Dyke. Funny enough I did love that show when I was little :) Here are some pics of the rocking chair and proof that it was a gift from "Mom & Dad". You don't see that very often in my family :)

About the Midwives

We had our first appointment with the mid-wife at the birthing center. We decided to try the birthing center because it seems to be in line with our plan on how we picture our birth. More all natural, a little tree-huggerish, very open to our (my) plans. I have a pretty good picture in my my how I want the birth to go (cross your fingers no complications). Matt has read the few pages on pregnancy in his daddy's book, but he hasn't really read any birth stories or birth options. I have done my research and I really think that a drug-free waterbirth is what I want. Matt is ok with it as long as he doesn't have to get in the tub, he thinks it's kinda gross. We had kept our next appointment with the ob incase we didn't like the birthing center, but we decided to stay with the birthcenter. Feel free to check out the website if you feel like it, http://www.tucsonbirthcenter.com/. One aspect of the birth center that Matt really liked was the group prenatal classes. Instead of having a 1 on 1 appointment with the ob every 4 weeks you meet with a group of couples who are all due the same month as you for group appointments. The groups meets in the evenings every 4 weeks. The mid-wife leads the group and incorporates childbirth education with pre-natal appts. Each woman spends time with the mid-wife for a talk or exam. This works well for us: The classes are in the evenings so we don't have to take off of work, the childbirth education classes are normally 5 weeks so we will save 5 trips across town to the birthing center, and we will meet others who are due around the same time as us. The birth center also offers mommy and me classes for after the baby is born so that we can meet after the births as well. So here are the new stats based on the mid-wife appt: New Week 17 Stats: My Weight: 155 1/2 (guess I need a new scale) My weight gain: 8 1/2 lbs Baby's hearbeat: 140 bpm New due date... The due date from my ob/gyn's little spinny thing said December 16th, the due date from the first ultrasound was December 13th. Now... the due date from the mid-wife's little spinny thing is December 18th. To make it even more confusing when the mid-wife did the belly exam she said that it felt like I was 18 or 19 weeks. So who knows when the little bugger is going to be here. The official due date listed on the paperwork is December 18th. The center only allows you to go 1 week over due before inducing so we listed the latest date to give us the greatest chance of going into labor on our own. In other news, my Mom threw a birthday party for me yesterday. We had the whole family including Aunts, Uncles, cousins, sister, brother & newphews. Lots of fun. The suprising part was a joint gift from my Mom and Dad. They bought me an old fashioned wooden rocking chair. My Grandpa Lowell, Dad's Dad, bought my parents a rocking chair when my Mom was pregnant with Kiara and my parents wanted to do the same. It is a beautiful "sweetheart" rocking chair. I have already practiced rocking Avery, but she was not very cooperative. Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

Baby's first Kick

Week 17 Stats:

Baby Weight: 3 1/2 oz

Baby Length:

4 1/2 inches

My weight:

151

Well, we took some time off for the holiday weekend and went camping in Santa Fe, NM. Matt's parents flew in to Albuquerque on Thursday July 3rd, and we drove and met them on Thursday night. We brought the dogs with us so they could visit the grandparents too. We stayed in a hotel in ABQ on Thursday and then drove to Santa Fe on Friday. We rented a couple of camping cabins north of Santa Fe for the weekend. It was beautiful. The weather was great, the sceanery was beautiful, overall a great weekend. Friday night we followed the locals to an Albertson's parking lot to watch the fireworks and eat ice cream. This was the first time I've seen fireworks in a long time so it was pretty fun. We did some sight seeing in Santa Fe on Saturday and Sunday. We saw some fun buildings, 3 churches, and the Georgia O'Keefe museum. After a wonderful weekend, Jim and Sandy flew home and we made the trek back to Tucson. This was a trip for the recordbooks.... a road trip through New Mexico with no car problems.

On to the baby news...

Week 17 brings some exciting things. First, my belly has definitely grown. It is very fun for me to be able to see my bump, and also for others to see it as well. I can still fit in my own clothes, but most non-stretchy clothes get a little uncomfortable by the end of the day. Most maternity clothes are still to big so I wear a lot of dresses. Second, our kid is a kicker. The baby moved for the first time at the dentist office on 6/25, the second time was on Saturday night (7/5), again on Sunday, and last night the baby wasn't happy just moving and began kicking. I know it's early, but it is not a fluttering like the books say you feel. It is a definite thunk. This morning the baby was kicking for a couple of hours. I LOVE IT!!!! Matt thinks it's just air bubbles, but no... it's our kid. Matt isn't as excited as I am, but he says he will be more excited when he can feel the baby move too. Lastly, we have decided to switch doctors. There is a free standing birth center in Tucson with certified nurse midwives. We have decided that we will be happier and more comfortable with midwives who are with you throughout the whole pregnancy as well as birth. We are going to try for an all natural delivery, probably a hypnobirth, and maybe even a water birth. With our current ob office, I have seen a nurse practioner twice, an x-ray tech once, an a doctor that is not my doctor once. I love my doctor, but I haven't seen her since I've been pregnant and I'm not quite comfortable with that. We have our first appointment with the midwives on Thursday, should they not meet our expectations we still have an appt with the ob on Friday, but I'm pretty sure I'll stick with the midwives.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend!!!