Baby looks good

We saw the perinatologist today and found out there's nothing wrong with the baby. I figured this was the case, but it's always nice to hear it. He will probably just be big. Oh, and I don't have to do anymore stress tests either. The overall weight estimate based on the ultrasound was about 3lbs 14oz, so this almost 4 pounder (at 30 weeks) may grow to be quite big over the next two months! Hopefully I can handle it. That's what the drugs are for, right??? Relief! I think they will do another ultrasound closer to my due date to estimate weight again and to be prepared for what may come during labor. It will all unfold here in a matter of weeks now. My due date is Nov. 24th, but my guess(or my hope) is that he will come closer to the middle of the month. I definitely don't want to be eating my Thanksgiving Feast in the hospital! Anyone else wanna take a guess?

Baby update....four weeks later....

Baby update.....

Had the 3rd ultrasound to check the baby's growth patterns over the last month, and nothing had really changed. Leg still measuring a little small, and head/abdomen both measuring pretty large around 98-99th percentile. So what does it mean?? Doc is sending us to a perinatologist (sp?) to do an in depth scan of the baby to make sure there is nothing wrong with the head specifically. We were reassured that the last two ultrasounds didn't present anything, but because of the baby's size the doc want's to check it out further. He said he didn't think it was anything except just a large baby, but they need to do the extra scan to rule out the very slight possibility of any rare disorders that might be present. He also is ordering a baby stress test every week unless the perinatologist says it is not necessary. I will have one on tues and then I will find out at my next scan on Wed whether or not I need to keep doing the stress tests. (They will just hook me up to the baby monitors for about 30 min or so just like they do when in labor to check for signs of stress in the baby).

I really think everything is okay, but I'm glad they are taking precautions. Near the end of my pregnancy with Dane, I remember being sent for a detailed scan for the opposite reason...because he wasn't growing anymore, but everything turned out to be fine and he was born like a week later in good health. I'm just hoping this larger baby means he might want to come a little earlier than expected.....hint hint little one!

So, I will post again next week after my scan on Wed.

Here are a few pics in the mean time...I wanted to do them now because next week will be pretty crazy with all the doc appts.

First, here's a reminder of me at 26 weeks (I wore the same shirt to try to get a good comparison)...


Now, here's 4 weeks later at almost 30 weeks! The front view looks good...just poppin' out forward.......


...But the side view looks SO big to me. Guess it doesn't help to be wearing a super tight shirt!! Check out the next pic for a comparison to my last pregnancy.

This was when I was 7 months pregnant with Dane! Not sure the exact # of weeks but it was probably pretty close to where I am now....but the size is definitely different!

Emma's Birthday

Dane's cousins from Vegas came into town this weekend and we celebrated Emma's 9th birthday at the American Girl Store/Cafe at the Grove in L.A. It was really fun. I have never been there before (I have all boys now), but we sat down to eat and they gave little Waimea a doll to borrow during the lunch (Emma brought hers). They even give the dolls a seat that attaches to the table and a tea cup. The food was pretty good and they gave Emma a cute pink/white birthday cake that they served with peppermint icecream in little garden cups with a fake flower coming out of it. Too cute. Then we let Emma pick out her birthday presents at the store (accessories for her and her doll) and we left after doing a little more shopping at some other stores.

I must say that even though we had a blast with our girls day (plus Dane) at the doll shop/cafe, I am still really glad that I am having another boy. People go all out on that American Girl stuff......and it doesn't come cheap! I can't say that in the future I might wish for a little of that, but for now I am happy with doing all the fun (and cheap) boy stuff that they enjoy. And I don't mind the extra laundry from dirty clothes everyday...I can deal with that!

The effects of the fires

I took this pic yesterday at sunset. You can really see some of the effects of the fire.....makes a beautiful sunset, but you can see how much junk it has been putting into our air. We hear the smoke has blown up to the Salt Lake area and even as far as Denver. Luckily the fire should be contained soon and it is now on the back side of the mountain. Since we live southeast of the area, it hasn't blown the smoke our way (thank heavens), so we just watch it from afar! Crazy, though!

Another Ultrasound????

So, I'm having ANOTHER ultrasound in 4 weeks. After meeting with my doc today, he said baby looked good....organs healthy, etc, but he said the baby's body was measuring differently in different parts. The head/abdomen were measuring a few weeks ahead and the femur was measuring small.......so what does that mean??? Nothing right now except I may be loading up on drugs for this child's big head to come out in a few months!! :) Seriously though...the doc just wants to see if he "evens out" in the next few weeks and then we will go from there! I just think of it as another chance to get a look at my growing boy, so that will be fun.

What a difference 6 weeks makes!

Ok, here we go....this was around 4th of July right before my ultrasound when I was about 20 weeks.......

......and BAM!!! This is 6 weeks later at 26 weeks (or just over 6 months). Crazy how much growth I've had lately. My total weight gain is just about 20 lbs and I still have 14 weeks to go! Last time I grew the most between months 5-8 and didn't really grow much or gain weight in the last month. Let's hope that is the case again....we will see!

The doctor wanted another ultrasound because they couldn't see the kidneys and a few other things last time, so I went in for another one this past week. Thank goodness it was a MUCH BETTER experience than last time and it only lasted about 20 minutes. Since I was a month further along, the pictures of the baby were really clear and it was so fun to look at him. Here are a few of my favorites. This first one is his little (or not so little) foot!

His profile...check out how clearly you can see his brain.....crazy!


Here's his face and abdomen. His hands are crossed up above his head. It was so cute to watch him squirm around!

Just a few fun beach pics from this week!

I just love living near the beach again. Even though it is still a short drive, it is where I belong! There has been beauty in all the places we have lived, but there's just something about being near open water that makes you feel more free. I have loved this summer being able to get out of the heat of Riverside and head to the beach (or a very short drive to grandma's pool). It has made the summer so much fun and less stressfull with all the changes that have been happening and the preparations for the gym and Ike to start school again, etc. Dane and I have had a lot of time to hang out and I think we have become closer....he is such a sweet boy and I'm glad I will have even more time with him now that I'm not going back to work. I can't wait until the beginning of August for our two week beach vacation...it will be so much fun with all the family there. Dane can't wait to spend time with his cousins, too. It's also really nice to have people to go with whenever...Thanks Mandi and little Waimea for always being ready to go!

Dane and cousin, Waimea, having fun in the sand!


Jack is at the top of our name list for baby #2, so we have been trying it out lately.


My #1 boy!