Boring Dr. Appointment

We had a boring doctor appointment today but this is where boring is a good thing. The appointment lasted all of 5 minutes and everything is right on track. So yes - boring it was but we are just fine if not thankful for that.

Actually, wait - there was one exciting thing from today's appointment. I gained no weight between our last appointment and this one! This is exciting because it's possible I may have tipped the scales a tad more than appreciated by the medical professionals at our last appointment, but let's remember that that was the Monday after Thanksgiving. I blame/credit my Aunt Jeanette's delicious homemade wild rice stuffing for that one. Seconds? Yes please. Leftovers? Don't mind if I do. Well Dr. No Fun thought there was perhaps a smidge of sodium in my Thanksgiving menu so he let me off the hook last time as long as I didn't double it for this December appointment. Since I didn't - boring and on track we remain.

So overall everything from heartbeat to belly measurements are right on. Heart rate was strong and in the 140s. We even got the green light to fly to Phoenix on Saturday. Good thing since we already booked the tickets anticipating no issues. But it still feels good to have the doc know what we're up to and be ok with it.

Seeing Movement

I'm delayed in posting this milestone, but at about 25 weeks I started seeing Baby move! As if feeling movement isn't crazy enough, now we can see little ripples flutter across my stomach when Baby gets restless. Unlike the anticipation that lead to feeling movement, I actually did not know this was about to start happening/being possible. (I must be slacking on my pregnancy books!)

It happened while I was sitting at home and Aaron was at class. As I was sitting there I kind of noticed something rustle on my shirt out of the corner (or bottom half?) of my eye. Looking down I started seeing little ripples move across my stomach at the same time I was feeling Baby move. Wow!! What a fun thing to witness. Aaron has seen it now too and he agrees it's pretty cool. It doesn't happen every time Baby moves but I continue to catch it unexpectedly and then get a little bit of a show for a few seconds.

27 Weeks

27 weeks and Baby is the size of rutabaga. I'm thinking I'm going to have to start buying some of these unique fruits/vegetables and cooking them to figure out what the heck they are. I admit I've never cooked (if that's even what you do with it) a rutabaga. Before you judge ... yes, I've bought last week's head of lettuce before. Anyway, the point here is that Baby keeps getting bigger and is starting to crowd my internal organs, namely ... my bladder. Awesome.

In the 27 week info, this week marks the start of brain activity. Perhaps now is the time to start playing some Mozart and Beethoven for Baby! Lucky for him/her I'll spare Baby my personal renditions of any concertos and stick to the real deal. I think it would have a negative effect on intelligence if I busted out my violin from yesteryear.

So every week when Aaron takes the bump picture, he snaps one before I'm ready which he thinks is hilarious and I think is annoying. The standard look for these is me caught hiking up my super sexy maternity pants with an equally attractive facial expression. As such, these are quickly deleted from the camera and banished from any record. But this week I anticipated his trickery and struck a less embarrassing pose. One we think actually turned out kind of cute. Behold...

Maybe I'll start getting sassy like this for more of these. Pregnant women have done crazier things!

26 Weeks

I'm late posting this but rest assured, the picture was taken at exactly 26 weeks (panic attacks were moments away, I'm sure!). The pregnancy is continuing to go well and I'm still feeling great which I'm very thankful for. Baby is the size of a head of lettuce.

 

As these bullet points from thebump.com indicate, Baby is starting to take breaths. Of fluid, not air of course, but it's a cool development piece to see. I think the whole respiratory process of developing babies is fascinating.....I mean it's like we pretty much start as fish and live in fluid. Then once we're born we start breathing in that necessary little thing known as oxygen. I remember Aaron and I asking the nurse practitioner about this at our 12 week appointment, both of us totally dumbfounded by how it works. We still are, and we're not on the verge of considering medical school by any means (this is a good thing for all humankind!), but it's fun to dive into more of what goes on in little Baby Bergill's development and life at this fetus stage.



Christmas Came Early

Thanks to Baby's sweet aunt Tina, Christmas has come early! She recently bid on a "Baby Things Giveaway" for a United Way raffle in Phoenix ... just for Baby Bergill ... and lo and behold she won. Which means we did too!

Check out this loot ...

Everything is still on display because we like looking at it when we pass by Baby's room. But I'm actually equally excited to put it away and now have a few things to occupy Baby's dresser that has been empty up to this point. The one drawer pulled out holds Baby's first drawers (diapers!). They are so tiny and cute. Is it wrong to be excited for them to be stinky and filled with Baby surprises in a few short months?!? Another thought I'm sure I'll laugh at once Baby is finally here.

Here are some close ups of all the goods. Books, booties, bottles, bath toys, burp cloths and more!

Moving down the row, we're smitten with the little bear hat and matching pants with bear booties. Then there are more onesies, a rattle, a receiving blanket and a cute striped onesie (you know how Mama loves me some stripes!).

Not done yet. Here's more burp cloths, bibs, baby powder and a sweet little long sleeve onesie. Love it all!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Tina for thinking of us and sending such fun, cute baby things to keep our collection rolling. We feel like we just had an entire baby shower!!

25 Weeks

25 weeks along and putting the bump out there loud and proud with this floral shirt. If a camera adds 10 pounds, I think this camera also added about 10 more colors and made them 10 shades darker. Whew! Busy shirt. But it was a bargain, so it will work for my growing tummy.

Moving on, Baby is the size of a cauliflower. I'm kind of in awe of that comparison again (like the cantaloupe last week), but I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Baby isn't getting any smaller. I'm including the picture of the Baby drawing again since these are becoming more fun to see. Baby is growing more fat (it's the Holidays after all!) and also hair. So I'm guessing our little hypothesis that the ultrasound was showing hair last week was probably wrong. Oops and oh well!

Also on the size of Baby, it was kind of eye opening during the ultrasound last week to grasp the range of space he/she is already occupying inside me. When the tech was looking at Baby's feet, the wand thing was way down by my right hip. Then to view the Baby's face, she moved the wand waaay up the other side of my body to just under my ribs. I know I'm stating such obvious things, but it was surreal to witness how much Baby has already grown and some days it still just doesn't seem real. But I guess all I have to do is try to button a regular pair of pants and I am quickly reminded of just how real this is!

Ultrasound Reports Healthy Baby

We had our ultrasound today (24 weeks and 3 days)! We've been looking forward to it for quite some time and we're pleased to report that Baby is healthy and on track for where he/she is supposed to be at this point. All limbs are attached (phew!) and the heart rate is strong at 145 beats per minute. On the "smile for the camera" side of things, Baby was a little shy, but we still managed to get a few shots of Bergill's face. My favorite is this "thinker" pose...

We think the shaded part on top of the head might be hair. But we could definitely be wrong! If it is though, there appear a few bald patches that need to fill in.

The ultrasound tech referred to Baby as "stinker" multiple times as Baby wasn't in position to get the images the tech needed. This of course makes both of us put one more tally in the "it's a boy" category as Aaron reminded me that stinker was his nick name as a kid. It still should be some days! :)

Here's another shot of Baby in 3D. The head is a little taken over by shadows or something so it looks rather alien-ish. And not that we saw much better while watching the screen, but it was a little more clear than this. And we didn't get a picture, but Baby was sucking his/her thumb in one shot. That was pretty cute too.

The next picture is Baby's cute little foot. Baby was more than happy to give us strong, clear shots of his/her feet while hiding his/her face most of the time. We'll take what we can get, I guess!

Overall, it was fun to see everything on screen even if we didn't have a clue what we were looking at most of the time. Oh and Baby was in breech position, but that's nothing to worry about yet. Dr. Dangerfield said we/he will start caring/paying attention to the position at 37 weeks. Baby will move in and out of breech a hundred times between now and then.

Next appointment is December 17.

24 Weeks

This picture was taken a couple days after the 24 week mark (Sunday, November 25). We intended to stay on track and take our picture while we were up north for Thanksgiving, but other more exciting activities distracted us from the task at hand. To note Baby's activities on the day he/she turned 24 weeks, Baby was helping me take pictures of dad (and uncle Eric and aunt Monica) jumping into a freezing cold lake. Yes, it was the annual "Banya Day" with Uncle Hoota and the gang on Long Lake outside of Virginia, MN. Mom spared Baby the extreme temperature shocks (hot sauna to cold lake and repeat) and I must say I was not too heartbroken. While I do enjoy the bragging rights that come with the day from other years, I was just fine taking a year off to keep Bergill Baby out of harm's way. The cabin was toasty warm while I waited to run out and take pictures!

Speaking of pictures, here is the cabin where we spent the day (note the fancy format thanks to Brianne's new iPhone).

And here's dad living it up. Rumor has it he jumped in 6 times this year! That has to be some kind of record. I'm all about once for the picture and done.

On to the regular weekly update, Baby is the size of a cantaloupe this week which to me is the first 'big' fruit we've been dealing with. A cantaloupe? Inside me? Oh boy....or girl. :) I'm also including the little picture of the baby (drawing) itself since it's fun to see that everything is developed at this point (at least from a naked eye visual standpoint ... the doctors would tell me he or she is far from done developing).

IKEA Assembly Party

I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago that Baby is the proud owner of a new IKEA dresser. And then we saw it in the Lady to Baby post in two (ridiculously heavy) boxes.

As of Sunday, it looks like this.

I must say I'm quite impressed with this little assembly job and admit it was daunting to unpack those hefty boxes and see all the big and small pieces. But this is where dads shine and moms stand by and I totally have to give Aaron all the credit for this thing 1. getting done 2. standing upright and 3. functioning properly (the drawers even open!!). He has far more patience than me for doing things like sorting pieces, reading instructions, and double checking accuracy. Ugh. Apparently "close enough" is not his approach to this sort of thing ... thank goodness!

These pictures don't do justice to how many pieces there were. But note in both pictures Aaron is reading the instructions. Good thing I had a camera in my hand otherwise I would have been tearing something up with an alan wrench making everything worse than it already was.

 

Here he is getting down to business. Millie is supervising but looks a little depressed for not being able to be more useful.

 

 

Nothing is broken yet since he's been keeping me out of the way!

 



 

Getting there ...

 

Drawer assembly takes place in the living room so he can keep one eye on the Packer game. I feel I actually served a small purpose here (unlike getting the frame of this thing put together). Drawers were manageable once Aaron told me what to do and I just had to repeat it 8 times for all the drawers.

 

 

 

And so, voila! Baby has a dresser that will double as a changing table. We are nerdily excited about the height of this guy. It comes in at a strong 38" so we won't be doubled over in pain trying to wrangle the little munchkin who will presumably wiggle and kick plenty during changing time. I had wanted to find an old dresser on Craigslist to refinish instead of giving in to IKEA, but everything we found was low and just not what we wanted. And...let's be honest. With trim painting just wrapped up, I wasn't doing cartwheels over the idea of  another painting project. The assembly of this was hands on enough.

 

 

 

Feeling Kicks

Mark it! On November 16, 2012 both mom and dad felt Baby kick from the outside! What a cool feeling and I'm so glad Aaron finally got to get in on all the movement Baby makes. We had gone to the movie "Lincoln" on Friday night and then out for a little appetizer nightcap. When we got home I was sitting on the couch and felt Baby move (from the inside). Remembering that we were around the time the docs said feeling external movement would be possible I put my hand on my stomach ... just for kicks (har har). To my amazement, I felt a tiny little punch. Aaron was right there so we added his hand to the mix and within just a few seconds, Baby gave us a high five again! Aaron felt it again on Sunday and hopefully lots more will be coming. The trick of course is having your hand ready and in position  when Baby decides to make his/her move, which I have failed at being there for multiple times since feeling it for the first time. And Aaron is at even more of a disadvantage, but I'm sure as Baby gets bigger the kicks will be harder and harder to miss.

23 Weeks

23 Weeks and Baby is the size of a grapefruit. Sporting another maternity shirt here and not quite filling out all corners of it, but still appreciating its length and room. I'm sure this one will stick with me until the end!

At 23 weeks, Baby's face is fully formed but just needs a little more fat to fill out, according to thebump.com. We're looking forward to seeing that cute, not quite filled out face, in just one week at our ultrasound. Monday the 26th can't come soon enough!

Lady to Baby ... Room

When I bought this house three years ago, one of the rooms I was most excited to have was what I affectionately referred to as "The Lady Room." It was my place for all my DIY projects and crafts. Well, now it will transition into a place for our best DIY Project yet...our baby! While I admit I'll miss the Lady Room, my excitement for the Baby Room overshadows that pretty easily.

Here is my beloved Lady Room before...

And here it begins its slow transition to Baby Room. Starting with, of course, the paint color.

Note the painted trim (the death of me for the months of September and October). Paint color is March Wind by Sherwin Williams. Those boxes contain Baby's IKEA dresser...stay tuned for details on that assembly project!

Here I am hard at work painting the second coat. I painted the weekend of November 10 and 11 while Aaron was reffing in Brainerd. Pay no attention to the fact that that is indeed the house's utility box in the middle of the room ... still brainstorming how we'll cover that from sight later in the process.

I also got the closet shelves figured out this weekend since Baby seems to be acquiring a plentiful assortment of gifts already! Now they have a home in Baby's room ... 

It looks a little like a toy shelf at a children's store.

Grandma Sue found this onesie she hopes we'll dress Baby in every day it fits ... :)

And we love this one from Brianne's boss ...

 

A big shout out and thank you to all the friends and family who are already stocking up Baby's closet. It's so fun to start having baby/kiddo things in the house!  



22 Weeks

22 weeks today! Since it seems I always have to comment on my wardrobe (it's a lot of pressure on picture day!), I believe this is the debut of an actual maternity shirt. I bought it before I was showing and now finally feel like my baby bump is legitimate enough to justify sporting it. I've learned one must transition into maternity pants much earlier than maternity shirts. Well, here we are now in both.

Baby is the size of a papaya and, according to this little write-up below, sprouting nipples! How exciting. Also exciting, he or see can hear and finds gentle music and my voice to be the best. Like the voting note below...I'm sure Baby won't always find my voice the greatest thing ever, so I will enjoy it while it lasts. I'm sure Baby knows dad's voice too since Aaron continues to talk directly to Baby in the belly. We're looking forward to soon being able to feel the kicks from the outside, meaning Aaron can get in on the fun!

We Voted

I don't expect Baby will always agree with me, but for now he/she has no choice. So we voted!

21 Weeks

Here we are at 21 weeks already! This picture was taken November 2, 2012 and Baby is the size of a pomegranate. Still feeling great!

This weekend Aaron and I went on an "Operation Baby" trip to the cities for the sole purpose of shopping slash planning for Baby. As a result, Baby is the proud new owner of his/her very own dresser and car seat, and mom and dad feel somewhat more prepared for what will happen in four short months. Buying the car seat was the more "wow this is real" purchase since dressers aren't too baby-specific. We found the car seat at "Babies 'R' Us" and we're very glad we explored the store. As the name indicates, the whole store is baby-focused ... someone described it me as "the mecca" of baby things and I couldn't agree more. So it was good for both of us to walk through and get an idea of big items that will be needed. Of course the store also provides plenty of opportunities to go overboard, but between help from staff and advice from friends, we feel decent about knowing what's needed and what isn't. Hence the purchase of a car seat ... a very necessary, practical, safety-focused item that we know we will need right away. 

Positive Doctor Appointment

Our 20 week appointment was this morning and all is still well with Baby Hill (or should I say Baby Bergill per the name of this Blog...). The heart rate is 148 which is normal and healthy for this point in the development. I am starting to feel some physical effects of being pregnant, i.e. back pain in various areas, so we talked to Dr. Dangerfield about that today and are assured all is normal and OK. Doesn't make it feel better, but at least it's nothing to be worried about.

Our next appointment is scheduled for November 26 and that will include our ultrasound, which we are very excited about, and also my 'gestational diabetes' screening, which we're less excited about. We've been warned it will be a long appointment, but also heard that having the ultrasound in between will actually help it go faster and give us something to look forward to in between the waiting that comes with the screening.

20 Weeks

Halfway there! We're 20 weeks along and time is starting to fly by. Baby is the size of a banana and I'm feeling lots of movement since last week (even more confident that's what it is now), which is a very cool/surreal feeling. Our doctor appointment was rescheduled a few times lately, but it's now set for Monday, October 29. No ultrasound until the next appointment, though, and we will keep the gender a surprise until arrival. This picture was taken October 26, 2012.

In nesting news, the trim is officially painted downstairs and I'm zeroing in on what color to paint Baby's room. Aaron and I are going to the Cities next weekend for the sole purpose of baby shopping. Ikea and Babies 'r Us - watch out!

Movement!

I mentioned in the last post that I had not yet felt Baby move - today I report that now I have! Err....at least I think that's what it was. I can count 5 distinct times I felt something funny in my stomach and all 5 of those times felt the same. It was like something inside was brushing the inside of my skin. I won't call it "bubbles" or "flutter"... maybe flutter. But to me it just feels like a quick, little swipe along the inside of my stomach. So I am going to continue to tune in to my tummy to see if it keeps happening and be sure it's Baby saying hi. I am 99% sure....but how can you really know, so I still reserve some room for error, but if I'm right - it's the coolest feeling ever. First occurence was Monday, October 22nd sitting at my desk. But I didn't think much of it. Then felt the same feeling twice as I was laying down for bed that night. Again on Tuesday the 23rd I felt it twice in a row sitting on the couch. Awesome!

19 Weeks

Cruising right along to 19 weeks. Notice the crazy change up in outfits - no cardigan. Gasp. I have not felt Baby move yet. The books and docs say that usually happens for the first time between 17 and 24 weeks, so I'm looking forward to that happening soon. We have our doctor appointment next week, but will wait to get the ultrasound at the appointment after that. Picture taken October 19, 2012 and Baby is the size of a mango!

In other news, Brianne is already 'nesting' and finishing up trim painting downstairs. I feel like I have been painting forever - probably because I have. I started the project about 2 weeks ago (on the heels of the upstatirs painting projects) and am hoping to wrap it up this weekend so we can move on to the actual fun part - Baby's room. I am definitely in the "honeymoon trimester" as they call it, and am taking advantage of feeling well and not being too big yet.

18 Weeks

18 weeks and starting to feel large and in charge. I'm sure I will scoff at that comment around, oh....35ish weeks when this will appear small. But definitely showing and hopefully it's obvious to others my swelling belly holds a baby. I've realized I should perhaps change up the outfits from tank top and cardigan in future pictures, as that is the only theme so far. But hey - it works and fits, and you realize quickly how comfort and feeling good are about as important as three meals a day. Oh, and Baby is the size of a sweet potato! Which is fitting since Aaron has started singing "You're my little Potato" (a Rockapella song) to Baby. We sing it to Big Sister Millie too, but I don't think the Baby minds sharing a tune with her. They will obviously be best friends in no time. 

P.S. I'm going to try to start posting these real time now... We've been playing a little catch up in these early weeks. This picture was taken October 12, 2012.