Loch Ness Monster vs. The Belly

Hello, all!

It's hard to believe how quickly the last few weeks have flown by...and here I am again, apologizing for not having posted since earlier this month. To say that time moves at a different and surreal pace these days would be an understatement. : )

It's also time again for a new belly shot......here I am, 4 weeks later, at 28 weeks (taken on Monday):


I have LITERALLY been gaining all of my weight (limited as it has been) in my belly. Already, I cannot see my feet, or bend over much at the waist. Very soon, I will also no longer be able to:

* sit in a car without denting in the dashboard (or drive, for that matter)

* hula hoop

* pull my shoes on while standing, without tipping over

* wear 90% of my current wardrobe

I've come to realize, though.....even though this belly has taken over my body and my life, I absolutely LOVE being pregnant. : ) Sprout has been getting more and more active as the weeks progress.....he usually goes a little crazy when he's hungry (ie. before I am due to eat a meal) and late at night (fun times), and will even kick in reaction to certain noises. I've been really into spicy foods the last few months, which also seem to really get him going. : ) He also has a clearly developed stubborn streak....whenever I try to have Jeff feel some of those kicks, suddenly our little boy calms down and stops moving around. What a little stinker. ; )

Jeff and I have made it through the first three weeks of our 8-week Labor & Delivery class, and so far are not TOO traumatized. (I think the one hit-and-run that Jeff had a couple of years ago with the Discovery Health Channel has made him immune to any sort of panic induced by labor and delivery videos, however.) Actually, the classes have been really awesome.....the other couples are so nice (one couple even shares our exact due date!), the instructor has been amazing and helpful, and the material hasn't made us change our minds about wanting to be parents (haha). In this week's class, we discussed pain management options, which has really made me question my earlier thoughts on epidurals. Everyone always says, "GET THE EPIDURAL. It is a GODSEND." But now that I really evaluate this option, I wonder.....do I actually want to be numb from the waist down? I'm sure most mothers will respond with a resounding "YES", but I'm not convinced. Looks like I have a big decision to make!

We also had a tour of the Birthing Center and Postpartum wards at Fairview Southdale Hospital.....even though we'd been there before when Jeff's sister Kris had her babies, we were definitely viewing it through different eyes this time around. The hospital has made some nice renovations and upgrades in the past year, so we are very happy with our choice to deliver there.

We have our next appointment coming up on March 4th, and from this point on we'll be seeing the doctor every two weeks. I can't believe we've already reached that point! Anyway, they will be taking one last ultrasound, so we are excited to be able to see Sprout again. Here's hoping that this third trimester continues to go well!


Lately I have been stressing about not having any control over when, where and HOW Sprout is going to make his appearance into the world. (Yes, it is shocking that a planner like myself would feel compelled to plan even this moment in our lives.) In particular, I worry that I will be at work, in the middle of a meeting in one of our boardrooms, and my water will break. I realize this isn't a very likely outcome, but you never know! I had a dream last night that Jeff and I were hanging out with my family in ND, and everyone suddenly wanted to take off and head to a beach in California, where a sea creature (I think it was a multi-headed Loch Ness Monster) had been sighted swimming along the shoreline. I was the only one who thought it was a bad idea, but I went along anyway. When we arrived, we saw the sea creature bobbing around in the ocean, with swimmers of all ages climbing all over it. The only problem....the multiple heads on this creature kept attacking and killing those daring enough to hop aboard! And yet, they just kept on coming....it was ridiculous. When I woke up this morning, I was still shaking my head. I looked up "sea creatures" in a dream dictionary online to find out what it might signify, and here's what I got:

You are afraid that something or someone will overwhelm you in your real life, or put you in a situation that is out of your control.

Hmmm....point taken. Obviously, this is one pregnant lady that needs to stop worrying about all of the "what-if's" regarding going into labor! No matter where or when it happens, the end result will be a beautiful, healthy (hopefully) baby boy.....and I can't really ask for much better than that. : )

Jeff and I are taking a 2.5 day weekend starting this Friday as a sort of "babymoon".....we are heading to a B&B along the St. Croix River, where we will spend the weekend relaxing, getting pampered and doing a bit of fine dining. We both can't wait....it has been AGES since we've gone anywhere together, and we know this is our last "hurrah" of sorts before Sprout arrives in May. We can't wait to be parents, but we also know that it is important to nurture our relationship as a couple!

We'll be in touch soon....look for new ultrasound photos next week!

Love,

Jeff, Farrah & Sprout

The Nastiest Drink in the Universe

Hello, all!

Jeff and I had our monthly doctor's appointment last Wednesday, and it was the one I had been dreading for some time......the glucose test. You know, the one where you have to drink a high glucose beverage (provided by the clinic) and they test your blood one hour later to see how it processed the extra sugar. For those of you who know me well, you would probably assume the reason I was dreading this test was because of a needle being in the vicinity of my finger/arm/any body part. But no.....this time it was about the contents of that little bottle. I had been warned about the Nastiest Drink in the Universe by many pregnant pals, the one that some health professionals have the nerve to call "juice". When I sat down to have my blood pressure taken, the nurse handed me the bottle filled with neon orange liquid with a sympathetic head tilt, followed by "I'm sorry that you have to drink this....I know it's bad". (Um....great. Sure, go ahead and take my blood pressure now....I'm feeling nice and calm.) The nurse started my five minute timer (the amount of time I was allotted to chug the juice), and I cracked it open.

The best way I can describe the "juice" is this: You know those Popsicles in a plastic tube that you would eat when you were a kid? Well, take 50 of the orange variety, and let them melt to their original syrupy form; pour into a small glass bottle. Add about a cup of sugar, followed by some carbonated soda water. That, my friends, is THE DRINK.

I managed to power through, sip by agonizing sip....even though I am notoriously bad at having to drink anything quickly. Then, since we had to wait one hour until my blood draw, we met with a nurse practitioner (in lieu of our doctor, who was out that day) for my exam. Little Sprout's heartbeat was at 145 bpm...nice and strong! I am still measuring right on track, though the nurse did mention that I hadn't gained much since our last appointment. Looking at my belly, I tend to disagree....but whatever. Speaking of my belly, both Jeff and I laughed later at how enamored the nurse practitioner (and the student who was shadowing her) were about my belly....they just ooohed and aaaahed over it (I think this is mostly due to the fact that I am so far stretch-mark free!). Anyway, everything is looking great so far.....which is always good to hear. : )

What was also great to hear was that I found out at the end of that hour that I passed my glucose test! I was SO thrilled....not only because this meant that I did not have gestational diabetes (or I'm at least not at high risk for it), but I also would not have to go back for the three hour version of that test (which involved a drink with DOUBLE the sugar content of the last one....EW.)! We are so happy that everything seems to be going so well in this pregnancy for our little one. We celebrated the good news by eating a big bowl of ice cream that night. Hey, pregnancy excuses everything (even for the daddy). : ) And I've been eating very healthy during this pregnancy (for the most part), so there.

Our little guy has been pretty active these days.....and based on what seems to be his "schedule", he is most active before I eat meals (when he is obviously hungry himself) and late at night. He is also starting to respond a bit to noise, now that his ears are fully developed......so it will be fun experimenting. Jeff has already started talking to my belly in the evenings, though sometimes when his head is too close he gets a kick from Sprout (haha). I love that the two of them are already developing a bond! As for me, I talk to our little one at various points throughout the day, as well as play classical music for him while I am sitting at my desk. So far, the music seems to soothe him.....and once we purchase a better pair of headphones, it will be fun to try other types of music to see what he reacts to.

Jeff and I are hoping to paint the wall detail in the nursery sometime this week, and Jeff also plans to paint the dresser we purchased off Craig's List to match our crib (which is still on its way). He already did a great job of painting the base coat on the nursery walls, so it will be great to see everything all put together. Also, tonight we start our 8-week Birth Preparation class at Fairview Southdale Hospital......and we are very excited! We meet every Monday night from 6:30-9:00pm, and it should result in some interesting stories. ; )

That's it for us......take care, and look for updates soon!

Love,
Jeff, Farrah and Baby Boy (aka. "Sprout")

Another bump....

Sorry that things have been pretty quiet around here for the last few weeks.....needless to say, Jeff and I have kept ourselves pretty busy. This includes building up our stockpile of essential baby gear. Here is a list of what we have managed to accumulate in the last few weeks:

* Crib bedding

* Crib (thank you, Mom & Dad Wiberg!)

* Graco Pack-n-Play (thank you, Mom & Dad Haase!)

* Stroller

* a handful of clothes, all found on awesome clearance sales! (most of these are winter items, including a winter coat, so they are sized for next year's use)

Ok, even though this list is quite impressive, it makes me realize that we still have a lot to accomplish! Jeff plans to paint the baby room this week, and we'll also start planning out our baby registries so we can get all of that squared away ASAP.

We have really come to realize that our lives are already consumed with all things "baby". And you know, that's not such a bad thing. ; ) It's hard to believe that we are already at the six month mark, and just two weeks away from that infamous third trimester. Here is the latest belly shot, for those of you on "bump watch":

24 weeks, 1 day

And for the very observant, yes.....my timer (aka. belly button) has officially popped. Ding.

Our little Sprout is getting more active every day, which has been awesome yet crazy at the same time. We can't wait for him to keep getting bigger and stronger, though I've been warned that soon my insides will feel like a trampoline (according to our friend Colleen)! Bring it on, I say. : )

Jeff and I are also planning a little weekend get-away for (hopefully) sometime in February, kind of as a last "hurrah" for just us, before Sprout makes his appearance in May. Even though we are limiting ourselves to the tundra of Minnesota for this little trip, it will still be lovely to just relax and unwind together. We are also planning a trip to visit my family in ND sometime in March, before I get too huge and can no longer fit in our car. : )

That's it for us.....take care!

Love,

Farrah & Jeff (and Sprout)

"Drumroll, please......"

Hi, all!



Jeff and I had our big ultrasound on Wednesday afternoon. The whole appointment went so well! It was really cool to see all of baby's different parts, like the four chambers of the heart, the different sections of the brain, etc. Everything looks great (all organs are coming along nicely, no cleft lip, etc.) and baby is measuring perfectly. Baby is currently weighing in at approximately 1 pound, and is about a foot long! I have to go back for one last ultrasound at 28 weeks, because my cervix and the placenta are too close together right now, so they want to monitor it again at that point to make sure they are positioned correctly.

We almost didn't get to find out the "big" news, though.....even though baby was active and kicking (after all of the OJ I ingested in the morning to get baby moving!), baby was FACE DOWN and BUTT DOWN, with legs and feet tucked under! It wasn't until the nurse almost gave up after an hour, and then rolled me onto my side, that we FINALLY got the shot we needed. So.....here is the result:




Can you believe it?? As many of you may recall, Jeff and I had been thinking that we were having a girl....in fact, EVERYONE (except for his dad and my friend Amanda) thought the same thing! I had actually been mentally preparing myself for the last few weeks (I just had a gut feeling that we would all be wrong on this one!) that we were probably having a boy....but even so, we were still floored!!! I must have had some sort of a delayed intuition, though, because whenever I have daydreamed about our baby in the past week, it has been a boy (as in, thinking about boy's names, about him growing up, etc.). And Lord knows we have a lot of experience with boys, with four nephews! But above all else, we are completely thrilled.....we have a healthy baby boy on the way, and he will be the light of our lives!


Jeff videotaped the whole ultrasound, so I can't wait to go back and watch/hear our reactions when the nurse told us the news. Maybe we'll even post a bit of the video in the next few days. : ) Here is a photo of what our nurse referred to as one of the best 'money' shots she has ever seen....seriously, there is NO denying what the gender of our baby is!



He's not a shy one, is he? ; )

Now it's time to start getting serious about baby names, since we were waiting until we received the news to get going on it. This part will be kept a secret from everyone, though....Jeff and I want to have it just be our thing for now. And actually, we plan to narrow our list down to two names....and then decide on which name best suits our baby boy after he arrives. So for now, we are trying to come up with a good nickname for him, so we don't have to keep referring to him as "baby". (haha)



Ok, even though he looks a little bit like an alien baby from this angle, don't you just love that little smile?


That's it for now.....we'll post again soon!



Love, Farrah, Jeff & Baby

21 weeks, 6 days

Bellies Aplenty, Bellies Galore....

Hello, all!

Ok, as promised, here are my series of belly shots, from nearly the beginning:


12 weeks

14 weeks

16 weeks

18 weeks

21 weeks

Man, after looking at all of these in a row, I can't believe how quickly I grew! And it's a good thing that Jeff took over as photographer...those first two shots that I took using the mirror were pretty sad. : ) Look for a belly update about every four weeks! We love you all!

-Farrah, Jeff and Pumpkin

21 weeks, 3 days

"And then there were 3...."

Hello, and welcome! Jeff and I have started this blog to keep all of our loved ones (yes, that means YOU) up to date on our little family. There will be life updates, photos, relatively humorous anecdotes...you name it. Just remember....you asked for this. (haha)

I guess the inspiration for us to start this in the first place was our journey TTC (trying to conceive, in layman's terms) over the past year. After trying for nearly a year, we finally got our wish on September 5th.....when we found out that we were FINALLY expecting our much wished for baby! Though the road felt long to get to that point, we couldn't feel more blessed.

What started as this.....


....Quickly grew into this:
(8 weeks, 3 days)

And then, this:
(11 weeks, 2 days)

Despite battling with a few mysterious bouts of bleeding in the first trimester (which, thankfully, have disappeared), we have made great strides since that last ultrasound. I am now currently 21 weeks along, and well into my second trimester. Every monthly appointment we've had has shown that our little pumpkin is growing at a healthy rate, with a strong heartbeat. It's hard to believe how quickly the time has flown by! And in just a few days (on January 7th, to be exact), we will FINALLY find out if we are on Team Pink or Team Blue (aka. whether we are having a girl or a boy). So far, all voters (except for Jeff's dad) are convinced that we are having a girl......so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Either way, we will be so happy to (hopefully) hear and see that our baby is doing great!

Coming soon.....some lovely belly shots (you know you love it).....

Love,
Farrah & Jeff