36 weeks.....

I didn't realize it had been several weeks since my last blog post. That just shows how quickly time goes by or just how busy we've been I guess. A lot has happened in the last few weeks!

An update on Lydia- she is getting so big! She weighs about 6 lbs and is about 18.5" long now. Larger than a honeydew melon :) At the check-up we had on Wednesday, her heartbeat was 158 and sounds so strong. She is still positioned head down and her back/butt is on my left side and her legs (although feel like they are running in there) are on my right side. Lately it feels like she is poking out her rear because I have a bulge on my left side. It is pretty funny! Her moves are so strong and it is funny to see my belly move when she moves. It is hard to avoid at this point I think since she is so big. My weight is now 157 lbs (more than Brent, haha) which is a 27 pound gain. My belly is measuring 41".

At the check-up our doctor also went ahead and did an exam to see if I had started to dilate at all or anything. She said not to be disappointed if we hadn't. Lydia is still comfortable and not ready to come out yet. I am happy about this! I'm ready for her to come but also have a few weddings coming up that I really need to get through before she makes her arrival :)

Below are some pictures from 34 weeks.

Here is a picture from 36 weeks after our doctor's appointment. We went downtown to eat dinner and took this picture then.

I haven't really had any cravings while being pregnant. I know everyone is probably really surprised that my mexican addiction has completely consumed me, but honestly I haven't "craved" it at all. I am really just open to anything most of the time. I have really enjoyed eating sweets, but I loved those before I was pregnant. This last month or two I have had cravings for seafood. Mostly just blackened fish. The restaurant downtown, Bearfoot Tavern, has a blackened tilapia wrap with a spicy sauce that is SOOOOO good. That is what I had for dinner and right now my mouth is watering thinking about it.. haha. I don't think Brent really cares for the place but is sweet to let us eat there so I can get this wrap! It is so delicious! (and really cheap)

We have been busy with getting the nursery ready and are now able to say we are pretty much ready for her to come. We have a few things that we want to add to the walls but haven't completely decided on those yet so are just holding off. Here are some pictures of her room:

My mom made her bedding for us with fabric we ordered. She did such a GREAT job! We love it!

I tried to be crafty and covered this canvas with fabric left over from her bedding. 

On this bookshelf are the bookends Catherine made for us. Some of these things may be shifted around later, we will see.

A cute chair a friend got us!

We had a few baby showers over the last few weeks also! It was so nice to be able to see everyone and how sweet everyone is being to us and all the great things we got. A few pictures are below from the showers.

 

 

 



 

 

One thing I have always heard about pregnant women is that they go through a "nesting" period getting ready for the baby. Well, I have for sure been going through that! I have cleaned and organized mostly everything in our house. I think Brent thinks I'm nuts because I will come home from work, tired but can't relax because my mind is going 100 mph with things to do... it's really funny... Luckily mostly everything is done now so I can relax for the last few weeks... which is great because I am starting to get more tired more often now. Reminds me of the first trimester when I was so tired all the time. Overall I feel pretty good still but am starting to feel a little uncomfortable at times during the day.

I will plan to post another update in the next week or so! I am going to the doctor once a week now so when I have more news I will share. We are also having maternity pictures this weekend so I may have a few of those to post soon!

~Vanessa & Brent



WOW- 30 weeks!!!!

I was thinking it had been a while since I've updated the blog... didn't realize it had been a month! Oh my goodness.... time is going by so quickly.. I am so ready for her to be here but also don't want the pregnancy to end... I really like it :)

We had our 30 week check up yesterday and everything went great. Baby is head down, which is good! (Except for the pain I get in my ribs... but I can deal with it for her) I am weighing 150 lbs, which is a 20 lb gain so far, which they say that is great and I should be gaining 1 lb per week now.... My waist is measuring 38.5", which is a total of 8.5" growth since the beginning. The baby weighs about 3 lbs up to this point and is about 16 or 17 inches long in total length... She is now at the point where she will start putting on baby fat- they say about .5 lbs per week until she delivers. It is so hard to believe that we are "close" to delivery.... I just think that at 36 weeks you can really go into labor at anytime and that is not far away at all!

My pictures from this week are below: ignore the silly grin on my face in the last one- Brent was making me laugh... but you can see how round my belly looks.

I am still participating in my workout class once a week and trying to walk a few other days with my Mom. I am the girl in the back of the class that is doing my best to keep up and do the low intensity option that the instructor is so sweet to do with me sometimes :) But it really feels good to be active still, while I can.

I am looking forward to next week, I have my first baby shower! It is going to be at work, hosted by one of the faculty members I work with. My friend Kim is having brunch for me next weekend also which I know is going to be fun!

I am sure most of you know this already, but we have decided that her name is going to be:

Lydia Averly Svensson

Brent and I have always liked the name Lydia and then we had a few options for the middle name and Brent came up with Averly... which we love! (combination of Avery and Everly)

Last weekend we participated in a childbirth class that is offered at the Medical Center, which is where we are going to be delivering. The class was very informative and although it was long (7 hours, but we got an hour for lunch) it was really great. I feel more comfortable now with the whole process.... we got a tour of the hospital so we know exactly where to go when the time comes. There is one room for having the baby and then another room for recovery. They both seem nice and spacious, which I am sure will seem way smaller once we are all in there... We did practice a few breathing techniques and a few things to do for comfort once the contractions start... We learned more about an epidural and pain medicines that are available during labor for patients and how all of that works. There was a video they showed us of a natural childbirth so that we could see from start the finish the ENTIRE thing.. which I thought was interesting and it scared me... but Brent kept his head down most of the time.. lol. :) I think mostly it just scares me because I have never done this before and don't know what to expect... it made it seem more real that day because we are getting very close and I know what I am going to have to do.... but I am sure it will all be fine!

I haven't had any real weird pregnancy cravings or anything- Brent says I had one when he ordered mexican and I didn't want anything- not even cheese dip or salsa.... which I guess that is kinda odd for me.. I do crave sweets a lot- like chocolate! Brent bought me a bag of dove chocolates for Valentine's Day... :) he is so sweet!

I will send more updates soon and hope to have pictures of the nursery soon too since we are close to getting it complete :) Until then... have a great weekend!

26 weeks & 4 days

We had our 26 week check-up appointment yesterday and I wanted to wait until after that to write this update. We are now starting our bi-weekly appointments! Time is just flying by... this is the last week of my 2nd trimester. The baby is doing great. She is very active! I mostly feel her in the evenings when we lay in bed. I can feel her getting bigger (not only by looking at me) but also by her movements. She kicks on all sides of my belly now- and sometimes all at the same time. I joke that she is going to have her Daddy's dancing skills because sometimes it feels like she is breaking it down in there.... :)

My weekly book says she is about 14 inches long from head to toe and weighs about 2 pounds now. After our appointment yesterday, she may be slightly bigger than that. The doctor said I'm measuring about 27 to 28 weeks so she may be here a little sooner than we expect! He said typically we wouldn't have another ultrasound but since she may be bigger than we think, just to remind them and we can fit another one in closer to the due date. That can be the reason we do one :) Her heartbeat was in the 150 range and of course we love to hear that each time we go!

My belly is still measuring 36", which is the same as my measurement at 24 weeks. I feel larger and  guess it is just moving outward more... I did gain a little weight since my last appointment. I'm up to 147 pounds which is a total of 17 pounds gained. I have noticed that it is harder to bend over to do things, like put on socks/shoes. Getting up off the couch is taking more effort than ever before too. Luckily, Brent usually just pulls me up! My next appointment is my glucose tolerance test. Hopefully that won't be as bad as some people make it out to be...

Below are the pictures we took at 26 weeks. It was after a workout class so I may look a little sweaty.....

I am so excited about tonight! Brent and I are going to put together the crib and dresser for the nursery. We had the carpet replaced on Monday and have been cleaning/organizing things to their new places. Her room is so clean and ready for furniture! Our guest bedroom is now that and our office, and Brent's music room. It may be a little more crowded than normal but we will make it work! 

We have also signed up for a childbirth class in February. It is offered either during the week or on a weekend. They have it one weekend a month so I'm glad we went ahead and signed up for this! We also made an appointment to go meet with a Pediatrician next week. After talking to a lot of people and researching providers online, I really want to use Primary Pediatrics and their Doctor Lance Slade. Not only does he have an impressive resume, but he and his family seem very involved in the community and helping children. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend :)

24 weeks along...

I know it has been a few weeks since I have updated this blog. I hope everyone had a great New Year. Today is my first day back at work and I'm not feeling great. I have a sore throat and just feel "sick"... I am hoping to go home and go to bed once I get off. But, on to better news- we have a growing little girl on our hands. She is now up to 12" long (from head to toe) and a little over a pound in weight. The brain, taste buds and lungs are starting to grow quickly now. The lungs will continue to develop until the very end. They are starting to produce surfactant, which is a substance that helps the air sacs inflate once she is born. She is now the size of an ear of corn.

She is very active because I feel her move pretty often. Sometimes I feel her on both sides of my belly at the same time which is just showing how long she is :) My waist is now measuring 35" around and I'm weighing 145 lbs, which is a 15 lb gain so far. Below are the 24 week photos. I can really notice that my belly is getting round and can see it coming off of my ribs a lot when I look into the mirror. I do have a feeling that my belly button will be popping out at some point because it is pretty flat right now :)

We have started to get ready for the baby by getting the nursery together. Our office will now be sharing the room with our guest bedroom so the nursery will be our old office room, which is the smaller of the two. We ordered new carpet to get everything all clean before she arrives. Brent pulled up the old carpet and is going to paint the room this week. We are doing the room in grey and yellow with elephants and giraffes. The walls are mostly white with the top half a soft yellow. The furniture we ordered is black and we have the bed and dresser ready to be put together once the room is ready. We got some really cute nursery items for Christmas. Catherine made us book ends that are grey and yellow elephants. She is very creative! Our baby bed was a gift also from my parents for Christmas. I can't wait to put it together and get everything up :)

We will also have a baby name to share soon! :) 

Update to Week 20!

I am a few weeks behind in getting the blog updated- but we've had a lot going on the past few weeks. As I am sure most of you know, we found out on the day before Thanksgiving that we are having a baby girl!! Our Mom's went with us to the visit so we could all find out together. We are so excited and can't wait for her to be here.... well we can actually, 20 weeks to be exact. (or less) It was so amazing to be able to see the ultrasound and her moving around so much. It looked like she was doing the backstroke in there.... so busy moving. She was being a little stubborn at first because they tried for at least 20 minutes to see between her legs and she wasn't having it! I had to go see the Doctor for my check up, drink a soda and then come back for her to try again. That is when we saw it! She was weighing 8 oz. then and looking great I must say... a picture of her is below. You can see her face to the left and top of her belly with her fist in the top right.....

She (it's nice to say that now instead of "it") is measuring about 6 1/2" long now from crown to rump which is about the size of a large tomato. Her brain is designating areas for all of her senses this week and she is able to hear my voice, and of course the people around me. I have been feeling her move more now. Last Sunday I felt her moving for about 5 minutes or so. It was so great :) I am looking forward to Brent being able to feel her... I am surprised I don't feel her more after what she was doing during the ultrasound.

For week 18, I was weighing about 137 lbs, which is an overall 7 pound gain and my waist was 34", which is 4" larger than before. This looks very different from before- you can see my belly below! This is the 19 week picture because I forgot about doing it at 18 weeks, I was too excited about the baby :) I need to catch up on my 20 week measurements and picture.

I am having some trouble sleeping, or at least getting comfortable. I have a body pillow which helps, but my back and hips hurt when I am trying to sleep on my side. Besides not getting comfortable, I have to get up and use the restroom at least two or three times a night. But, this is not me complaining :) I think that lack of sleep in pregnancy is just preparing you for when the baby arrives.

Since I am a few weeks behind on pictures and measurements, I will try to get those updated soon! We are going to start on the nursery soon and register! I'm very excited about getting everything all set up! See you back in a few weeks....

Weeks 15 & 16

The baby is growing big now! Most of the features are already formed and organs are starting to work. For week 15, the baby is about 4 inches long (head to rear) and weighs about 2.5 ounces. This doesn't seem like much, but I was eating a Reese's cup this morning (after my breakfast!) and it weighs .75 ounces, so it's about 3.5 Reese cups :) Which actually has some weight to it... I know not much but it is nice to have something to compare it to. 

The baby is moving around a lot now and he or she's legs are growing longer than the arms and all of the joints are able to move now. The taste buds and lungs are starting to develop also. I read that the baby can sense light, even though the eyelids are still fused shut, and if you shine a flashlight on your belly the baby will move away from the light inside.. isn't that cool? Brent thinks it is cruel so we haven't done it... I have been craving a lot of spicy foods- of course if you didn't guess already cheese dip with jalapenos. I am so happy that I don't hate it during pregnancy. I was a little scared at first when I wasn't feeling well- but we are all clear now! :) 

The weather got really chilly this week and I came down with a cold. It wasn't terrible, but I did rest a lot and try to take it easy. I didn't go to work on Friday and slept most of the morning which was needed and I think helped a lot. Saturday was our 5 year wedding anniversary! It's hard to believe that we've been married for 5 years, but they have been wonderful. 

Here is a picture we took during week 15. (I'm sorry we forgot to close the toilet seat, ha)

This Tuesday was the mark of week 16! Which if you go by the first week of pregnancy, this means that I am in the middle of being 4 months pregnant- gosh that seems weird. (the calendar I saw uses some months as 4 weeks and some as 5, but I am sure there are lots of different ones out there) I have read and heard that this week may be the beginning of starting to feel the baby move- maybe not for a few more weeks, but there is a possibility. I haven't felt anything yet and if I have I surely didn't know what it was. I am really looking forward to that moment... I find myself going back to listen to the heartbeat we recorded from our 14 week appointment on my phone and just grinning while it plays- it makes me so happy! 

The baby this week is 4 1/2" long and about 3.5 ounces- which if we use the Reese's cup weight again, that is almost 5 Reese cups! He/she is growing so much now each week. The baby is compared to the size of an avocado. There are a few external things going on this week- the legs are growing longer, the body is developing tiny hairs all over, the scalp is starting to pattern, the eyes and ears are moving towards their final position, the head is sitting more up on the neck and the heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day! As the baby grows the blood volume will grow too. The doctor said that I would start gaining more weight now too which I noticed I have! My weight is up to 135.5 pounds, which is a total 5.5 pound gain. My waist is also measuring 33" which is a total of 3" in growth. I can tell and feel that my waist is lost now and more straight than before. Most of my clothes are still fitting, just my pants aren't buttoning or even being able to zip any longer. Thank goodness for the belly band that covers them being open and holds them up! What a great invention. I have a few maternity clothes that I am starting to wear but not enough for every day of the week yet. 

The doctor told me at our last visit that I could start to jog again if I wanted to. I've been walking but have really missed being able to run. This week my Mom and I ran (and walked) about 2 miles two different times and it felt great. I am out of breath a lot quicker now but being able to walk when needed is perfect. I am being very careful to take it easy and not overdo it. I am just glad to be able to move around! Although, I must say running is VERY different while pregnant. Not only do I feel slightly heavier, but it is weird having something new in your body and feeling your belly move around since it hasn't before. The doctor has assured us that the baby can't feel a thing and it won't hurt anything to run. I have felt fine since doing this and plan to continue a few times a week- as long as it isn't freezing outside! 

Below is the picture from week 16. 

I will have more photos to post on my next entry at week 18- that is when we go back for a sonogram and get to see our baby again and to find out the gender-- so if anyone has any guesses I would love to hear them :) See you in a few weeks...

Week 14

It is hard to believe are at week 14 already. Well, actually today is 14 weeks and 3 days. Time really is going by pretty fast considering we are in our 2nd trimester already. I feel like we just found out we were pregnant a few days ago. But, it is feeling very real now and as my body keeps changing, it is more noticeable too. Most of my clothes are still fitting pretty good. My pants won't button but to be honest it is more comfortable that way anyways! I think Brent is starting to really "feel" like we are pregnant too as my belly grows. He stopped in the kitchen the other day and just looked at it with a smile and rubbed it... :)

 This week the baby is the size of a lemon, about 4" long and weighs about 1 1/2 ounces. Its head is now sitting more up on its neck and the body is growing faster than the head now. It can squint, move its mouth, urinate, and even could be sucking its thumb- if it is anything like me! The liver has started making bile this week and the spleen is helping in produce lots of red blood cells. I read in my book that if you feel right about your pelvis you can feel your uterus, a round shape. One night we were on the couch and I was laying back and feeling around, pushing around lightly, trying to find this shape in my body and Brent looks over at me and says "STOP IT" and I started laughing immediately because I knew exactly why he said that. He then said "STOP, that isn't good for the baby, you don't want to hurt it". :) so sweet (and funny)

We had our check up yesterday at the Doctor's office. We were seeing a different doctor this time, Dr. Durso. They say they like for you to see all the delivery doctors in the office just in case one of them is the one to deliver you if Jeri (our doctor) isn't there. He was very nice and I really liked him because he told Brent I could have as much ice cream as I wanted because it was a good source of calcium! So now he is my best friend. :)

This appointment was just a check-up. He went over my medical history, told me I was in good shape and could start running again and it was completely safe for the baby to do so, told me to get the FLU shot, and that I should start gaining more weight now. I weighed in at 133 lbs, 3 lbs total gain, and my waist is measuring 32 1/4" this week (1/4" larger than 2 weeks ago). I feel like I am getting larger outwards instead of wide. My mom said she thought my hips were about the same (filling in some of course) but that I was moving outwards. We have been measuring Brent too and he has stayed pretty consistent with his weight and measurements- let's see if that changes! We also got to hear the baby's heartbeat, which is the best sound in the world. It didn't take him anytime to find it... he just put the Doppler on my lower abdomen and there it was....We recorded it also so now I can listen to it whenever I want- which can be comforting waiting for the next appointment... the baby's heartbeat was 155 bpm. Below is the recording if you want to listen. (It is actually a video that shows the ceiling in the exam room- LOL)

We also took the 14 week pictures that are below.

Some say that you can feel your baby move around 16 weeks or so. That is so exciting to think I may be able to feel that soon. We have decided that we want to find out the sex of the baby- I thought I liked the idea of a surprise but I am just having a fit to go buy something and get the nursery started and that is VERY hard without knowing the sex.

We set our next appointment for 18 weeks and that is when they will do another sonogram and tell us the sex. We haven't had a sonogram since week 6 so things are going to look very different. The appointment is set for November 21st, right before Thanksgiving! We hope to share that great news with everyone shortly after! So, until next time- :)