Getting Closer!

I'm passed 37 weeks = Full Term!!

I'm getting so excited, it seems baby stuff is all my brain can handle these days :)
This passed Monday, we had another ultrasound - things looked pretty much the same with our little girl: she measured small, and my amniotic fluid was still very low. She did have a very full bladder though, so if she would have squirted that out, the scores would have been a little better perhaps :) This passed Friday Dr. Klingler measured me again with a tape, and my belly measures 34 cm, so 3 weeks behind. We also had another non-stress test, and our little girl is still performing great, praise God! Monday I go back for yet another ultrasound, and Dr. Klingler will then most likely set a date for an induction - probably in my 38th week.
... !!! ...
That is in less than 1.5 weeks!!! :)
I wish there was a way in that I could "send" all the nutrients I eat directly to my baby, so that she will plump up a little bit more before then! I didn't realize a few months ago that I someday might not enjoy hearing "oh you look so small" all the time. :( Yesterday I had to pick up a car seat base at Walmart, and the ladies behind the counter said: "Stocking up on baby items already huh?" - I was a little surprised by this, and responded - "well yeah, she might be here in two weeks!" They thought I was barely 6 months along - pretty untrained eye if you ask me ;)

Anyway - here some belly shots:

Full frontal 37 weeks, 2 days

Side view 37 weeks, 2 days

And the globe from Ben's perspective :)

Besides taking it easy, I of course still keep busy nesting. Things are coming together pretty nicely: the necessary baby items are stocked, I've sewed 7 more burp cloths, and I've found that shopping online is the best thing on the planet for someone in my condition :)

The nursery is now almost done - newest item on the block? Friday night, Ben came home with the changing station that he and his dad built!! I'm so excited about it - it is absolutely beautiful!!! Home made, from a cherry tree! It has the prettiest colors and details!

Tada!

LVC Babyshower

Last thursday evening I had my church babyshower - it was so much Fun! There were about 21 ladies (and a few kids) there I think! After I shared my testimony and Mom Marilyn did a beautiful devotional we all had some snacks, and then it was time for presents! I received so many great things, everyone was so generous! - hooded towels, washcloths, pacifiers, mirrors for in the car and in the crib, car seat cover, crib toys, hair/head bows (no they in fact are NOT pink garders ... duh, :) don't know what I was thinking there?!), little shoes, little pink cowgirl boots!, sleepers, great books, a blanket, cute little dresses and other clothes, socks, a nursing cover, gift cards, diapers, whipes, and more I'm sure!

Thanks, Erin, for organizing it, and thanks Kristen, Stephannie and Jo for bringing the treats!

Cozy fireplace and early decorations.

The pretty and yummy cherry cake that Kristen made!

Lots of snacks and punch :)

Wohoo! Loot!

Little Ava was a big help with opening and handing the presents to me :)

Some of the ladies there: (l.t.r.) Sheila, Jaime, Debbie, Kristen, Stephannie with Brooke, Dawn, Margo and Jo!

And - (l.t.r) Autumn, Tuesday, Peggy and Kristi.

From Hannah and Kristi a cute little pink tutu!

Yay! Jaime made us a Wyoming Cowboys carseat cover!

San Diego Babymoon!

Here some pictures of our San Diego babymoon! Ben posted a bunch more on facebook as well.
We had such a great time! We walked the beach, watched sunsets, ate great sea food, went to Sea World and saw Shamu, saw Old Town San Diego, down town San Diego and sea port village, visited the USS Midway air craft carrier museum, rented padel boats, snoozed by the pool, and just had a lot of fun together :)


Watching the sunset together


Bump in the sunset


A little bit of paradise

Birdie

Ahh ... beach sand between my toes + sunshine in my face + sound of waves crashing in the background + Ben by my side = perfect nap

Our hotel!

Beach bums :)

Playing pilot on the USS Midway aircraft carrier

Ben having fun

Hmmm Fish and Chips

Watching the baby take over my belly :)

Watching some fishies at Sea World!

Cutie beluga whale

Aquarium silhouette

San Diego Skyline

Modified bed rest - growing that baby!

Yesterday I had my 35 week appointment at the clinic. I have been feeling great, my blood pressure (110/65) and weight gain (22 lbs) are great, but apparently I measured a little small again (at about 33 weeks). Dr. Klingler therefore did another ultrasound, which showed the cutest, very chubby cheeked baby face I have ever seen :) However, it also indicated that her torso measured a little small for her gestational age (also at about 33 weeks) and that my amniotic fluid is also quite on the low side (7 on a scale of 5-24). :(
He also told me that these measurements are not very precise - he could come up with completely different numbers at a second measurement. However, because things are not without concern, I had a non-stress test after that, that (praise God!) she passed with flying colors - she's still a little kicker! Either way though - this little one is very important to me, so he suggested modified bed rest at least until I go in for another non-stress test this thurday, and another ultrasound coming monday. Ben and I have faith that God is looking after our little one, and that she will be OK, but would still appreciate your prayers.
Meanwhile, I have set up 'office' on our coffee table in the living room, propped up with 4 pillows, laying on my left side on the couch - very determined to grow this belly and little girl inside! :)

Bed rest though is interesting to me - I am always such a busy bee! For instance, from my new point of view of our living room, I have already noticed several little chores: a spot on the wall here, dog hair in the corner there, and I saw that one of the light bulbs in our ceiling fixture is out (who knows how long its been like that!) and that there are 3 dead flies in there - gross.
But - none important enough that they can't wait, and there is always Ben, who has been very sweet, and makes an excellent butler :)

I will also post pictures of our babymoon soon! Ben and I had such a fantastic time in San Diego! We took walks along the beach, watched ocean sunsets, went to sea world, ate great sea food and luxury breakfasts every day, toured the city, and came back with a tanned face and beach sand between our toes :) It was like a second honeymoon, so much fun together, and most definately worth every penny :)
We probably over exerted ourselves (especially me apparently) a little bit though, walking around playing tourist so much, so it is good that I have doctor's orders to sit on my butt for a while!

Babyshower and Beschuit met Muisjes

Visiting with cousin, and new mom, Jen and Christine.
Also makes a good bump picture I guess :) - 34 weeks.


A high chair!


Getting some more practice with Jen and Dan's little Henry!


SO many great presents!


Oohing and Aahing over little clothes is a must :)


My mom sent me a huge box with these - "Beschuit met muisjes" (Biscuits with little mice). The little mice are anise seeds with a sugar coating, served on the biscuits with butter. It is the traditional food served to celebrate the birth of a baby in the Netherlands. Blue muisjes for a boy, pink muisjes for a girl. Sure, she's not born yet, but in Holland there is no such thing as a babyshower before a birth.


I looked it up on wikipedia, and here is some more of it's history:

"The tradition of celebrating a birth with beschuit met muisjes goes back to the 17th century. At that time the muisjes were white for a boy. Later this changed to blue. It was thought that the anise was good for the mother’s milk, that it would ease the contractions in the womb, and that it would drive away evil spirits. The name ‘muisjes’ was derived from their resemblance to the shape of a mouse, with the stem of the anise seed resembling a tail, as well as the fact that the mouse was seen as a fertility symbol. Beschuit met muisjes was originally eaten only by the upper class. The lower classes would celebrate a birth by eating white bread with sugar on top."



Of course I have plenty left for my church babyshower coming up, and for after little one makes her arrival :)

More babystuff ....

I had my first babyshower on Saturday! It was so much fun - family, great food, and lots of goodies! - a high chair, baby monitor, bumbo seat, some books, clothes, grooming items, and lots of other great things. No pictures yet, but hopefully soon I will get someone to email me a couple and then I will post...
On Sunday, Ben and I went to babiesrus in FtCollins to buy more of the larger items on our registry - laundry bin, diaper pail, breast pump, bedding, etc. I was really starting to get pretty overwhelmed with how much stuff you "need" to get, even more so by the fact that that babystore has at least 10 different kinds of every item!! WOAAAH! Well, I know you technically don't need every item, but still!! Crazy.
Either way - after some deep breaths on our car ride home, I spent the rest of our sunday putting everything away - the nursery is really coming together now! I'm eagerly waiting on the changing table/dresser that Ben and Tom are working on still (it's really coming together beautifully, so I've heard!), and I cannot wait to get it all set up and stocked. So yes, go ahead, make fun of my nesting. :)

No new belly pics yet, but more are to come after the weekend, as Ben and I are taking off for our babymoon on wednesday night! Wohoo!

Meanwhile, some good ones from baby-gaga.com: :)

33 weeks

Now that the belly is actually becoming a little more worthwhile to take pictures of, I figured I post another weekly update - 33 weeks and 3 days:

Today I had another appointment with Dr. Glode - things are still looking great! My belly measured right on track this time, my weight gain is exactly according to the standards, and the baby's heartbeat sounded strong. I asked her this time if she could tell me how the baby is positioned inside - I try to feel for myself all the time, but was never sure (what's the head, what's the butt?). Turns out I was right - she is head down, with her back curled to the left, legs to the right, and butt up :) Of course she still wiggles around a lot, so it'll change, but I like the head down part!

Also exciting:

I) Ben is taking me away on a babymoon next weekend! We are so excited! That's valentines weekend too, so a double hitter :) He got a great deal on a flight and 4 nights in a hotel in San Diego, so we're off! We'll be staying at the Dana Hotel, on Mission Bay (http://thedana2-px.rtrk.com/) - warmer weather, swimming pool, walks along the marina and beach, and good food! (Ben got us the breakfast package, so we can feast on a luxury breakfast every morning!) We are also right next to Sea World, and we found out that we can get in for free now that Ben is in the military! Score!

II) A friend (Kristen) and I went over to Once upon a Child in Cheyenne on saturday, as they had their twice annual sale - stuff a bag for only 10$. We got there at 9:20 am, and there was already a huge line in front of the store. At 9:30 am they opened the doors, and all moms and moms-to-be elbowed their way in, got their bag, and started rummaging through all the racks to find clothes that had a red tag, the ones that were up for sale. We were both a little nervous going in, as crowds are NOT our thing, but both VERY proud that we did - I ended up with 95$ worth of beautiful, second hand little girl clothes for only 10$! Saved 85$ wohoo!

However, I now think I have enough 0-3 month clothes to help triplets through their first months of life haha.

Which brings me to the following - My first babyshower is coming up this saturday! It's with Ben's side of the family in Denver! Can't wait!

We are registered at http://www.walmart.com/ and at http://www.babiesrus.com/ - lots of stuff there still! As for clothes, we would like items for 6 months and up.