Even More Color

As I mentioned earlier, I'm working on making Baby's room a little less "bleh" by slowly adding more color. And even though this isn't a permanent fixture for just the Baby's room, I  think this quilt from Aunt June gives us a running start at some bright, beautiful fun in there.

June gave Aaron and me this quilt for Christmas and there's a fun story behind it. Believe it or not ... apparently I made the blocks circa 2002-ish, but gifted them to my cousin Meghan because they were "too bright" for the sweet dorm quilt I was making for my extra long twin bed at the time. Well, yesterday's giveaways are today's treasures because now I love them and they will be perfect for an everyday play quilt with Baby! 

It's fun to have a combination of blocks I actually made arranged and quilted by Baby's great aunt who knows far more about the actual hard part of quilting than I do. That of course goes for all my aunts and mom who are domestic geniuses!

June says she hemmed and hawed over what to do with the blocks until she eventually decided to make the quilt "on point" and add in other bright solids to complement them. We absolutely love how it came together and that it's a great size for all kinds of activities down the road with Bergill. 

And even though June told me this "isn't a baby quilt," (and I agree because we're already using it for just lounging around), I still think I'm overall most excited to enjoy this with Baby and be able to set it out on the floor for some play time, wrap up in it to keep us warm, or maybe even use it outside, though at this point I like it too much to be ready for getting it dirty. Perhaps a few rounds of spit-up on it and its sanctity will be a bit less intact. :)

So thank you, June, for turning something familiar from the past into a new treasure for us to enjoy with Baby!

33 Weeks

33 weeks and sporting my snazzy new maternity shirt from Motherhood Maternity. I had thought I could make it to the end with what I had, but, well, some of my "non-maternity but bigger and longer" things just weren't working as well anymore. And Motherhood came out with their spring line ... how's a pregnant lady to resist!? Picture was taken January 25.

At 33 weeks we're definitely in the home stretch and things got even more real last night when we attended our first childbirth class. "Labor and What to Expect" at Sanford was GREAT and we're both really glad we went. The nurse who taught the class was one of those people you just want to take home with you. Nicest lady ever and she seemed genuinely excited for all of us expecting couples. She answered questions we had - and questions we didn't even know we had - which eased both of our minds even more. Class included a video (yikes, but you gotta see it!) and a tour of the labor and childbirth floor. That part was of course great because it was nice to be able to see the rooms and the tools that might come out on D-Day. Prior to the class I think I had visions of some sort of torture chamber with people screaming everywhere. You won't believe it, but that's actually not how it is! Rooms are comfortable, tools aren't scary, and I heard no screaming. Breathing easier every day ...

This week Baby is the size of a durian. (Seriously? What is that?! These comparisons are getting weirder.) Anyway, he or she weighs about 4 pounds (wow!) and measures about 17.2 to 18.7 inches

"Star Pupil"

We had our 32 week appointment today and I puffed with pride as Dr. Dangerfield told me he was going to start calling me his "star pupil." :)

Blood pressure great, measurements great, weight gain perfect (ok, I was the most excited about that one), and oh yeah - head is still down! He said it was unlikely that Baby's position would change at this point  though it's not impossible, so we'll continue to keep our fingers crossed. Heart rate is still in the 130s.

My biggest physical change/feeling is an increased awareness of gravity when I stand up. My pelvis feels every ounce of Baby and uterus when I stand up and while it's not painful ... it's a dull pressure that is growing stronger all the time. It seems it has reached new heights in just the last day or so, so I'm still getting used to it. Like the back pain, I'll likely just be able to ignore it soon enough. It is strongest when I get up in the morning (or the middle of the night) which is presumably because my body goes from completely horizontal to completely vertical and everything is making its biggest shift (seems logical...). This probably explains my aforementioned waddling debut as well. Ahh, pregnancy. Just hanging on tight for where this body will take me. To a cute little baby and it will all be worth it!

32 Weeks

Amidst all the nursery updates and crib hullabaloo, I forgot to mention that, oh yeah, I'm 32 weeks now! Picture was taken January 18, 2013.

Baby is the size of a squash and should be taking up permanent residence in the 'head down' position soon. We have our doctor appointment on Wednesday, January 23, so I'm anxious to hear if Baby is still cooperating. As there becomes less and less room for Baby to move around, now is the time to root for head down so he or she will stay there. While there are some things that appeal to me about a C-section (like perhaps less screaming), natural birth still wins out as my preference. I guess you pick your poison - do you want to suffer for 12 to 24 hours during labor or for 3+ weeks of surgery recovery while caring for a newborn? I say bring on the pain and 'get it over with.'

The most exciting news of 32 weeks is that I'm pretty sure I officially waddled for the first time. I am up more and more regularly in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and as I was halfway there the other night, I distinctly noticed my walking method was quite waddle-ish. I was half asleep and didn't make any efforts to change my approach, but I did roll my eyes to myself and thought, "here we go..."

I also have buckled down to face the inevitable and the unknown by finally reading the "labor and childbirth" chapter of my pregnancy book. Some of my nervousness from the 30 week mark has subsided by taking in the information, so that's good. I guess it's sometimes scarier to be in the dark so finally reading about what to expect eased my mind a little. Not to mention a few wise words from a good friend who reminded me, "We were made to do this." That might have been the most consoling thing I've heard yet - so thanks Emily! :) And really - there are billions of people on this Earth and most even have siblings, so there really is no reason I can't join the ranks as one of the people who brings them here. 2 or 3 that is ... not billions.

Color me Happy

Baby's room finally has a little color, thanks to getting busy with some DIY.

I made the valence out of foam core board, duct tape, staples, fabric and some batting and I am quite pleased with the results.

I can't technically credit Pinterest ... I just found a tutorial online. But I like that it's pretty simple to put together and can be customized to any width of window. Window treatments for this room were tricky since there is a ledge right beneath the window and electric heat below that. So full length curtains were out. In order to keep it safe but still add some color, this valence is perfect!

Aaron always gets the glory in DIY action shots since I am the one who takes them. Well, now I'm the loser who posed for a self-timer picture while cutting the foam core to prove I really did make this myself. Millie is obviously a witness! 

 

But after I got it all stapled together, I flipped it over and ... oops ... the duct tape lines were visible!

So back to JoAnn's Fabric I went and bought some darker orange fabric to add to the mix and keep the tape from showing through.

That did the trick so I finished it up by hot gluing some "D Hooks" to the back in order to hang it.

So there she be! The bonus of this valence is that it hides a few of our "sins" from the blind installation. I'm not even going to mention what they are because now that they're out of sight they are out of mind and I'm going to tell myself they don't even exist!

I'm glad Baby's room finally has a splash of color. Lots more to come as the room evolves!

Blinded by the Light

I couldn't resist the corny title ... we put up blinds and a new light so, well, 'blinded by the light'. That's as exciting as this post is going to get.

Baby's room went from no blinds at all to a roller shade that will block light and slatted blinds that are a little prettier than just a roller shade. This picture sequence is intended to show how the roller shade improves the "blackout" effect which was a very intentional, functional decision. 

Friends wiser than me suggested this approach to accommodate Baby's sleeping, especially during naps and summer bedtimes that happen before it's dark outside. The roller blind makes a huge difference in how dark the room gets so we're hopeful it will help Baby sleep better. We're just trying to be as proactive as possible in increasing our odds of that. It can't hurt, right?

But we don't always want the room to be blackout dark, so in the light department we updated our original-to-the-house brass fixture with a newer, still-boring-but-at-least-not-brass light fixture. I didn't even get a chance to snap a 'before' picture since Aaron jumped right on this after the crib assembly was so easy. Action shots are as close as I got because I wasn't about to stop him to take a silly picture.

I will not rave that installing the blinds or the light fixture was as easy as the crib. Not even close. But they are done now and Baby's room is ready to start accepting some more fun things. Like color for starters! So far it is lots of gray and white  but now that these necessary evils are taken care of, I'm excited to start decorating at least a little. We won't complete the room until Baby arrives and we know if it's a girl's room or a boy's room. But a little color other than gray would be good. My plan is orange for now and add in some pink or blue after Baby is born. But really, any bright colors will be fun at this point!

Crib = Baby's Room

Our crib is assembled and our little baby room actually looks like a baby's room now!

Next to our unborn child, I think I'm in love with this the most.

She is simple, white, sturdy and the perfect height. Here's a trifecta of angles. How bad am I going to be when there's a baby in there if I can't stop taking pictures of an empty crib.??

We assembled it on Sunday (January 13) and I have to thank bad weather (which cancelled some Aaron's basketball games for the weekend) for Aaron having time to tackle it. Here's the disaster we unwrapped. Styrofoam everywhere!

But I'm not complaining because it was really simple to put together. (Even Aaron would vouch for that). Literally five pieces - four sides and a bottom. 

When Aaron saw this assembly kit, he knew it was a good sign. So simple!

10 minutes into the process and we're almost done ...

 

Completed! This changed up the arrangement of the room with the crib now residing where the dresser was before. We are limited in our arrangement options (this stuff fills up a room fast!), but we know the crib's placement is the most crucial for safety and we want it free from any danger zones. So on a big open wall it sits!

We're thankful to Grandma and Grandpa Hill for gifting us this crib ... I think it was the first thing they said they wanted to do for us when we told them we were expecting! Baby Bergill will stay safe and sleepy in this lovely crib for years to come ... not to mention any little brothers or sisters that will use it in the future too. But it's too soon to talk about that...

For now - thank you G & G Hill for Baby's crib! Thank you Aaron for assembling it! And thank you Pottery Barn for making a crib that is classic, quality, and easy to assemble!

31 Weeks

31 weeks! Baby has been moving more and more and Aaron is finally getting to feel and see more of it. We watched a movie on Friday night and while I was lying down, he held steady with his hand in place. Baby is always most active when I'm relaxed and lying down so dad got to feel lots of movements. He also got to see those waves of movement which is always fun for both of us.

Baby is the size of a pineapple and brain development is in high gear. I keep taking my Omega 3s since those are supposed to support brain development. We'll take all the help we can get!

At 31 weeks all 5 senses are in working order - Baby can see, smell, taste, feel and hear. I wonder how exciting it is in there!

30 Week Doctor Appointment

On Wednesday, January 9 I had my 30 week appointment. Again, all is healthy and on track. I complained about my back pain near my kidney, the sharp muscular pains I woke up with a couple weeks ago, and a recent bathroom episode that I'll spare this Blog the details on. The point is that I complained; Dangerfield responded with the scientific reasons why everything was happening. I didn't understand most of his fancy medical lingo but the gist is this - I'm pregnant! And I'm supposed to be uncomfortable sometimes. So he's off my list for who I look to for sympathy. That's what pregnant girlfriends and husbands are for. Doctors? Apparently they just need to know if you're going into labor. If you're not ... buck up and carry on.

The fun thing about the appointment was that Dangerfield was able to tell me what position Baby was in. Bergill was hanging out in kind of an L shape as the head was down, the rump was under my left ribs and the legs/feet were under my right ribs. That's probably changed by today, but that's how Baby decided to spend yesterday morning.

Heart rate was in the 130s which is the lowest it has been so far. I think it started at 178 at 12 weeks so it's fun to see how the heart rate gets lower as the Baby gets bigger.

From here we start appointments every 2 weeks. That is a milestone in itself! I sound like a broken record but time is going to fly. Next appointment is January 23.

Pregnancy Rewind

Since I didn't start this Blog until I was about 14 weeks along, there's a good portion of the pregnancy that went undocumented ... until now!

In an effort to keep us from forgetting all the joy ... and nausea ... that came with the first trimester, here are a few details of what went down early on.

The night before taking a pregnancy test - which wasn't even on my radar at this point - we barbequed on our deck with our neighbors, John and Andrea. They took this picture of us and I'm so glad we happened to get one so close to our lives changing forever. Look at us, so carefree and innocent. I love it! 

The next morning things changed dramatically when I "just for giggles" took a pregnancy test. And yes, I am the girl who took a picture of it. At least I didn't post it on Facebook ... just on this Blog that's super private (sarcasm)!

Surprise, disbelief, excitement and shock all ran through me at once as the little + sign took shape. I really couldn't believe it since Aaron and I were mentally preparing ourselves for a year's worth of trying. Forever the realists who had maturely prepared for all that could go wrong, Aaron's first words to me were, "Don't get too excited." That probably sounds bad, but it was just a word of caution to ourselves because we were excited and we just didn't want to be crushed by a false positive or miscarriage that were both very real possibilities.

We were only 4 weeks pregnant when we took this first test. The following Monday I called to make a doctor's appointment and was disappointed to find out that even calling this early, we still could not get in until 12 weeks. At least the doctor's office was able to tell me a due date which I was otherwise way off on (I thought I was barely pregnant; not 4 weeks already ... this was the day I learned about pregnancy math), so from there I signed up for weekly email updates from Parenting.com. Those were fun to follow (and still are) to start getting an idea of what to expect and how Baby was beginning to develop.

I remember being so eager to start feeling symptoms and start showing ... and to just share our news with family and friends. The emails from Parenting.com read my mind and said ... "just enjoy that you're not feeling symptoms yet. Soon enough you'll be wishing you felt like this." Now that I am 30 weeks along I know why they said that!


The symptoms I was eager to feel started kicking in at about 7 weeks. I will by no means complain that I was horribly sick or nauseous beyond belief. But between weeks 7 and 10 I definitely felt different! The nausea was mild but present pretty consistently. As far as cravings, the early weeks had the opposite effect and I was averted to foods I otherwise thought were tasty. Leftovers were unthinkable ... who knows why. And it seemed I gagged by just looking at my toothbrush. If I was ever too hungry or too full, my body was pretty ticked at me.

But above any other feeling - the strongest one was exhaustion! This is how I felt after work pretty much every day.

  

I have never been much of a napper and mostly feel like naps are a waste of time. But starting around 7 weeks and lasting until 12, naps were a welcomed, regular and necessary occurrence. Millie was my BFF for these and kept me company with plenty of snuggles which I very much appreciated.

I managed to eventually wake up to do a few fun things though.

Paul and Debora were here in July so this picture is at the HoDo after a night at the Redhawks game and pizza at Rhombus Guys. 

Their wedding reception was in Fergus Falls so before getting gussied up for that, Aaron and I took a stroll on the River Walk in Fergus. 

Here's the whole gang at Paul and Debora's reception at Elk's Point on Wall Lake.

And here's the two of us. I'm 7 weeks along here. 

We celebrated our 1 year anniversary at Mezzaluna's in downtown Fargo on July 30. I couldn't have wine, so why not dessert!

After dinner we walked to the HoDo for a drink ... well, lemonade ... on the roof top.

In addition to dinner, we also went to Maplewood State Park for a weekend of camping to celebrate our anniversary. This was perhaps not the greatest decision and I wasn't feeling awesome, but it was still fun. Millie looks terrified, but she got over it...

On Sunday when we got home from this excursion, I think I brought one thing into the house while Aaron unpacked the rest of the car. I laid down on the couch right away around 6:00 for "just a second." When I woke up it was 9:00. Yep, mama was tired! 

Somewhere along the lines Aaron and I put ourselves to work painting the deck. I should have probably played the pregnancy card a little better here ... I think I was 9 weeks along. But it was OK.

Also around 9 weeks was when I finally told my boss I was pregnant. I stayed home from work one day because I wasn't feeling well. My initial story was that I "ate something bad" the night before, but when I went in to work the next day, I fessed up. I simply can't lie! My boss was awesome about it, congratulated me and was full of helpful tips on fighting the nausea. I wish I'd told her sooner because it was so nice to finally have a female to relate to. Aaron did the best he could (bless his heart), but he's limited in what he can understand about how it feels in the first trimester (or any trimester for that matter). Laura (my boss) recommended lemon drops and jolly ranchers for the nausea (the lemon drops helped!), and she also recommended a week by week pregnancy book which I immediately picked up.

Here's another pregnancy test I took along the way. I think I took one per week between weeks 4 and 12. Without being able to see the doctor it kept assuring me that I wasn't dreaming. I eventually realized I could go in for a simple lab pregnancy test (duh) that I didn't need an appointment for. It sounds so dumb, but I felt more legitimate once a medical professional confirmed I was pregnant. As Aaron pointed out though, "I think the vomiting, napping and sore boobs are sign enough, but if you need to hear it from them, go ahead..." :) 

At 10 weeks along we drove to northern Minnesota for one of Aaron's friend's wedding. It was a beautiful setting and a fun weekend, but I admit I was a party pooper and pretty lame for most of the festivities. Aaron was kind enough to join me in my lame-ness by refraining from crazy, rowdy, wedding shenanigans. But it didn't totally matter because of course this particular wedding was one where everyone stays in cabins together at the resort for the whole weekend versus having your own private hotel room. Well, this would normally be fantastic, but when you're 10 weeks pregnant, constantly tired and of course sober, this isn't an ideal arrangement. And wouldn't you know it, the crowd we bunked with was the oh-so-hospitable party crowd who threw the after party in our cabin until 4:00 a.m. the night of the wedding. I was proud of myself for not being a wretched witch who freaked out on them though. In other circumstances I'm sure I would have happily joined the fun. As it was, I stayed sane enough to realize it's not their fault I was 10 weeks preggo and not sharing our news. We all survived. I think I even got some sleep. Maybe this means I'll be really patient for those middle-of-the-night feedings I keep hearing are coming...

And hey. If it wasn't for this trip up north, we wouldn't have snagged this fun picture on our way home which we used to announce our news. If I look tired in the picture, now you know why!

So that was our first trimester. Shortly after taking this picture we had our doctor's appointment, confirmed everything was on track, and started sharing our news. We have 10 weeks to go until Bergill arrives and time is flying. We're hanging on for the ride ahead! 

Look What Arrived Today ...

Our crib! It was back-ordered for a couple months so it's great to finally see it in our house. I'd love to promise that the assembly will happen this weekend but if you remember the dresser assembly, I'm not really the lead assembler so it will depend on when Aaron can dedicate some time to it. With reffing, school and an all-day meeting on Saturday - I'm not holding my breath for this weekend. But regardless - it's here and once it is finally set up, Baby's room is going to look a lot more like a baby's room!!

30 Weeks

30 weeks and it's kind of like turning 30 years old. The fun and games of our 20s are over and it's time to get serious! If I'm being honest, I admit I'm making a little transition from 100% excited to about 50% excited, 50% nervous. Scared. Anxious. Apprehensive. Ok, terrified.

I'm nervous for labor itself and nervous for how different our lives are going to be. Don't get me wrong - we want this and we really can't wait to meet Baby Bergill. It's just all the unknowns that are ahead. In mentioning my apprehension to friends they all just smile and assure me my feelings are perfectly normal. So at least I don't feel like I have to turn in my mom-of-the-year award quite yet. Thank goodness for understanding friends!

Speaking of understanding friends, here's Mindy and me after a day of baby shopping in Fargo. She is due April 2 and she came up on New Year's Eve day to shop for fabric for her nursery and a few other baby things. It was different than our shopping outings of the past in that the products we were looking for included strollers and bouncy chairs, the conversation centered on comparing back pain notes, and the coffee was decaf. But how awesome to get to share it all with a great friend I've had since kindergarten!

Back to how Baby is doing at 30 weeks, he or she is the size of cucumber and moving lots! I think I am going to miss feeling these little baby movements once Baby is here. 

Baby weighs between 2.5 and 3.8 pounds and is strong enough to grasp a finger!

29 Weeks

At 29 weeks Baby and I were on vacation and chillaxing at home. This picture was taken December 28, 2012 and it was during the week our offices were closed so we're rocking sweats and a comfy jacket as opposed to the typical pre-work morning outfits.

Baby is the size of an acorn squash ... whatever that is ... and weighs between 2.5 and 3.8 pounds. 

Baby continues to move lots and I notice he/she is most active when I lay down at night. While the movements are getting stronger, they're not so big yet that they make me uncomfortable and keep me awake. I still get excited to feel Baby move and it's even cooler when I catch a glimpse of it visually. Nighttime is about the only time Aaron gets to get in on the movement since it's pretty much guaranteed that one movement will follow the other. At other points during the day when Baby moves and I let Aaron know, Baby settles down as soon as Aaron's hand is in position. And when his patience quickly wears out and he removes his hand ... Baby moves again. Happens all.the.time. and we think Baby can sense our anticipation and plays tricks on us on purpose. Soon enough Aaron will have his hands full with Baby and the shyness will be gone. That much I'm sure of!