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ALMOST!!!!

We have less than 2 weeks to go until our official Due Date....But....next Monday 9/13/10 we will find out officially when we will be meeting Baby Conner. Because Peyten was so big, the Doctor wants to make sure Conner isn't following in her footsteps.  I'm only measuring a little bit bigger than I should so that's not too bad.  Doctor said he will have us going in 7-10 days early for an induction so that puts us delivering next week!!!  I am very excited but nervous at the same time. I'm hoping that things go better than they did with Peyten and the only way to keep positive is to think positive!  Peyten is asking every day if Baby Brother is coming she is SO excited and Dad is just anxious to finally meet him.

Peyten's Newest Masterpiece

Can you tell what it is???

The Home Stretch

Only 4 weeks to go now!!!!!  We went to our appointment this Thursday and was surprised that we were going to get an exam...my guess is because we were so close to 36 weeks.  To our surprise, she told us we were 80% effaced and at 1cm dilation!  We were so surprised to be at that point this early.  With Peyten we were at 70% and 1cm for the whole last month so we are hoping and crossing our fingers that this time things will progress on there own and we will see Baby Conner a little early.  I have been feeling quite a few Braxton Hicks Contractions (non-painful contractions) the last few days so I'm hoping those are helping because I'm staying hydrated enough for them to not have happen.  All last night I dreamt about going into labor, delivery and having Conner in our lives...and it felt SO real...so I think I'm about ready!  

I think we are all getting a little anxious but excited at the same time to finally meet Little Mr. Conner!!!

Baby Conner's Room

We are so close to finishing up Conner's room!  It makes things seem so much more real.  The only thing we need to do to finish off his room is getting wall decals and hanging things on the wall.

Tick...Tick...Tick...

Not too much longer until we will FINALLY get to meet Baby Conner!!!  We are all so very excited to meet him...especially Peyten!  She talks to him every day and gives him hugs and kisses as much as she can.  She goes off and on with wanting to feel him move but when she does....boy does she get excited!  I don't think Conner could ask for a better Big Sister than what he's getting!

Last week we had our 2 week check up and found out that, as we have been predicting, Little Conner may not be too little.  We are now in our 8th month and were at 33 weeks at our appointment. Usually the uterus/fetus measures the same in centimeters.  Well.....we measured at 35cm putting us a whole 1.5cm bigger than we should!  There are so many factors involved so it could change, but as of right now, to put it in the Doctor's words, this equals "Big Baby"! So I was told once again to watch what I eat and to cut back on my Carb intake, which I am already doing.  The big accomplishment I can brag about is that it's NOT because I'm gaining too much weight because my weight has been well maintained and is very average for a baby brewing....Yahhh Me!!!  So...that means we are at 34 1/2 weeks with around 5 1/2 to go, but if we are lucky we will get to meet him in about 3 1/2 or 4 weeks.  I'm crossing my fingers because this little guy is really loosing space and getting very annoyed by that fact.... and really starting to hurt this Mom!  I've had a feeling for quite some time that he will be showing up early but you never know.

Cory and Peyten have been working on painting Conner's room this last weekend and should have it finished by the end of the week. Peyten was so excited to be a part of the painting and helping in any way she can.  We don't really have a theme for his room other the Quicksilver Bedding that I converted from a twin set to the crib set, and then some sort of X-Games for decoration.  I can't wait to have it finished and ready to bring Baby Conner home in a few short weeks!!!!

 

Meet Baby Conner...

Cory, Peyten and I all went in to get a sneak peak of what our New Little member of the Family is going to look like. At 28 weeks we had our 4D of Peyten done when I was pregnant with her, so we wanted to so in at the same time to compare Little Brother to Big Sister.  To our surprise, they are very similar with their nose and chin which takes after Mom; and his lips look a lot like Dad. The only big difference that was noticed are the cheeks...he doesn't seem to have the massive cheeks that Peyten did.  It was so nice to finally put a face to all the HARD kicks and punches I get on a regular basis. With us now into our 3rd Trimester, we are getting close to the home stretch!!!

Little Miss Show Off!!!

What an AMAZING performance Peyten put on!!! She was such a big girl up on stage showing off everything she had learned this year and what a great job she did. She had so much personality on stage that people pointed her out afterward or stopped her to tell her what a great job she did in her show.  She really enjoyed herself and made us SO very PROUD!!!

 

Our Little Shining Star...

Isn't she just the CUTEST Little Dancer you have ever seen!!!  Peyten's been dancing for about a year now and is finally participating in her very first, real Dance Recital this weekend.  She has been looking forward to this for several months now and can't wait to get up on stage and tap her little heart out for everyone.  We are SO very proud of her and can't wait to see her perform!!!

Just shy of our 3rd Trimester...

I can't believe we are almost two-thirds of the way done!  I went this week to do my Glucose 1 hour long test and just got word that I am 4 point high so now I have to go back and take a 3 hour test to make sure I don't have Gestational Diabetes...uggg. This was one of my worst fears since I am such a Sugar freak!  I"m crossing my fingers everything ends up turning out okay because if not, I'm going to have a MAJOR lifestyle adjustment to make and I'm not looking forward to that!  Other than that...Baby and Mommy are doing great!  I've been feeling tired but that's for sure not out of the ordinary.

On a good note, we are going to be heading in to have our 4D Ultrasound done next week. We are so excited to see what this Little Man looks like and to compare the images of Peyten with her Baby Brother.

6 Months and counting...

Wow...how time flies! It seems like yesterday that I was telling Cory we were expecting and that we were moving.  

Since our last ultrasound, both baby and I have been doing really well. All my measurements and tests, and Baby's heart beat have checked out great. During one of our appts., Peyten got the chance to help the Doctor out by checking the heart beat. It was so neat to see her reaction and to see her involved with the appt. We have also gotten our second ultrasound done to check my Placenta and the Baby's heart. They were concerned about Placenta Previa with me, which meant that the Placenta was blocking the birthing passage, but after the ultrasound everything is free and clear with no worries. At the same time they did a Fetal Echo on the Baby to make sure his heart was working properly since Peyten was born with Pulmonary Stinosis and everything checked out with him as well. They also checked every other inch of him to check for other birth defects and everything checked out normal and strong. It was so nice to see every inch of him and know that he was healthy! Oh....and just in case anyone is unsure, we will definitely be having a Little Man running around! 

The big question seems to be his name.  As of right now, we have not decided on one. It seems to be so much harder to come up with a name this time weather it be because it's the second baby, a boy or that there are so many more kids that we know running around.  Hopefully we will have one soon! I want him to call him by a really name.

It's a.....

BOY!!!

 

 Today was FINALLY the day and we were so nervous to find out!  Going into the ultrasound we had the Cabbage wise-tale, the string test and Peyten insisting she's having a Brother so you would have almost guaranteed that we were having a boy, but we really had no idea what was going to happen of course. The technician was going through all the views of the baby and we could not believe how clear we could see him.  As soon as she got to his legs, she said they were crossed and I instantly saw that "It" was now a "BOY". I said it out loud before the tech did.  I was over joyed with emotion this time! I don't know if it's because growing up I always wanted a Brother  and now Peyten will get the Brother she has been asking for  since before we got pregnant; or, if it was because I knew how much Cory really wanted to have a Son! Maybe...it was a little of both.  Cory, my Mom and I were just so excited and shocked that were were finally going to have a Boy in the family...Peyten, well...she didn't really get it at the time but boy was she so excited once she understood what we were so excited about.  I think for her it was more exciting to see Mommy having pictures done on her belly like she did on her heart.

  We now know that we will also be having a few more  ultrasounds to check on a few different things going on with me and the baby.  During today's ultrasound, the technician couldn't get a good picture of the baby's heart because his back was facing her so we are going to end up having another one to check and make sure everything is okay...especially since Peyten had her Pulmonary Stinosis.  So because of this, we may just end up having a Fetal Echo instead of another regular one like today's.  We will know for sure once we see our Primary OB next month.  The other concern she found was with me. She notices a couple small white spots/lines on the lining of my uterus. She said they may be vessels but they could also just be tissue.  She said not to even worry about it yet because until I get a special color ultrasound, there is no reason to worry because it could be nothing.  If it does end up being a vessel, that means the placenta is blocking the baby from coming out and I would have to have a C-Section...not exactly what I wanted to hear but as long as Baby is healthy that's all I care about! The only other time (hopefully) we will be having an ultrasound would be to check the babies weight closer to delivery to make sure I don't have another humongous baby!  All in all...the baby looks very health and I couldn't be any happier to have some extra attention coming my way to make sure he is extra healthy!!!

So now...we get to go SHOPPING and get new baby gear and clothes! Can you see the smile on my face?!?! We just had our garage sale last weekend and now we have plenty to have another one...and that means $$$$. 

I can't wait to see my new Little Man's face on the 3D Ultrasound next!

Wise Tales

Well...almost everyone who gets pregnant wants to try and figure out if they are having a Boy or a Girl before they go into their Ultrasound appointment and we are no exception. When we first found out, I really wasn't in any hurry to find out and was more than happy to wait for my appointment, but the closer our appointment gets the more anxious I'm getting. I've continued to go back and forth on what I think or feel like we're having, but tomorrow all our feelings and hopes will be answered....we'll finally get to find out!!!

The closer we've gotten to finding out...the more people have asked what we're having. Today, while we were watching Peyten at her dance class, one of the mom's told us to do the String test. Cory and I were very skeptical of the whole idea, especially Cory, but we figured why not try it out and see what happens. This is how it works...You tie some string to your wedding ring, lay down and have someone (AKA...Cory) dangle it over your belly. If it swings back and forth...it's a Boy.  If it swings in a circle...it's a Girl.  Well....ours swung Back and Forth....BOY!!!  We couldn't believe how it was really swinging! Cory would dangle it over the ground and it would not move and then as soon as he put it over my belly it would start moving...so weird.  This woman swears by this old Wise-tale and said that it has never been wrong with all the mom's she's done it on.  It will be interesting to see if she's right!

Another little funny story...my Mom and Grandma just got back from taking a trip to Holland last week and my Mom had a very interesting story to tell. They had gone to a Vegetable Auction, which I guess is very common there, and my Mom without realizing had bid on a cabbage. Well, I guess in Holland there is an old Wise Tale that goes all the way back to the Vikings. I guess the Farmers would flood their farm fields and people would pick their cabbages from there. They believed that within the cabbage there would be a baby.  Strange I know!  Well...after my Mom made the highest bid, the woman came over with her prize vegetable and said to my Mom, "Congratulations on you New Baby Boy!".  She could not believe her ears! My family is very adamant that we ONLY produce Girls! This was the first time she had considered that maybe a "Boy" might be on the way. Considering the timing for this to happen...pretty weird coincidence!

Now, I know that these are just old Wise Tales, but I'm now starting to sway a little more towards Boy between these and a few other things. Either way, we will all be very happy, but it is definitely going to be an interesting morning tomorrow!!!

Prediction???

This morning we all went to my monthly Doctor's appointment, but this wasn't any traditional experience seeing the Doctor. Instead of seeing our Primary OB, we saw the Practitioner instead.  Peyten as usual wanted to be heard and was talking the Doctor's ear off and in the conversation the Doctor offered Peyten the chance to help with checking the baby's heart beat. When it was time, she got a stool for her to stand on and then let Peyten squeeze the jelly on my tummy and then actually let her hold the wand to hear the heartbeat!  Peyten was happy as happy could be helping out!  

As great as it was to have Peyten helping in the appointment, I also has a moment of real concern for the baby.  I started to get really worried after about a minute or so because she wasn't picking up the heartbeat and usually it's heard almost right away. It actually took a couple minutes to finally find it, but those minutes felt like 20. It was the first time I really had a real concern that something was wrong and started tearing up.  I think Cory started feeling it too because he came closer and held my leg to give me a little comfort to let me know he was right there.  The only thing that kept me from freaking out was how much she said the baby was moving. Most likely she had a hard time because the baby was moving so much...it kept hitting the wand when she was moving it around.  Hopefully that never happens again!!! 

Since we have our Gender Ultrasound next week at 17 1/2 weeks, we wanted to get the Fetal Heart Rate to try and guess weather we were having a Boy or Girl based on how fast the heart rate was. The myth is that if the baby has a heart rate of 140+ BPM it's a Girl and under 140 BPM it's a Boy. Well...this baby is at 144 BPM.  Since it's right about in the middle,  we are more confused than ever as to what we think.  Cory is not thinking that he may be out numbered and I was back on the Boy side, but now I'm not sure.  So... we want to take a pole this time around and get everyone's prediction...Boy or Girl???  Just remember, this is not scientific fact it's just  an old fashion way of predicting the gender so give it your best shot!

Baby Makes 4

After almost 2 1/2 years, we can FINALLY say that 

Peyten is going to be a BIG SISTER!!! 

I think everyone who knows us has known that we have been trying to have another baby for quite some time now.  We were actually in the process of finishing up our testing to get our referral to see a Fertility Specialist when we found out...much to our surprise. I don't think it could have come at a more difficult time in our lives, but it has actually been a blessing in disguise to have it happen to us in the time it did.

Baby #2 ... Due September 25, 2010

I have had a little bit of a rough go around since becoming pregnant. A few weeks before I found out I was pregnant I injured my knee playing soccer which is resulting in having to have surgery for a Medial Meniscal Tear of my Left Knee. Obviously I can't have the surgery while I'm pregnant, so I have to wait at least 2-3 months after the baby is born to have the surgery. It's for sure making things a lot more difficult for me and will most likely get a little harder as I get more of a belly.  A couple weeks after , we then sold our house, packed it up and then moved and I pretty much couldn't do ANYTHING. It was horrible feeling so helpless, but thanks to many family and friends we were able to get everything done on time. Right after we moved, I got food poisoning for the first time in my life and I thought I was going to die. I think it was worse than an flu I've ever had and with a bum knee that doesn't bend and being pregnant...I was miserable.

Other than so much going on in life, I have been doing okay. I haven't really been enjoying food, especially meat, and I have my off and on days with feeling good, but no morning sickness luckily.  It's been a different experience than when I was carrying Peyten, but I'm not taking that as expecting a Boy yet.  We go in for our Ultrasound on the 22nd of this month to find out the sex of the baby and we are all very anxious to find out. Peyten has been saying she's havign a baby Brother since before we were pregnant and has not swayed from that opinion. Dad is hoping for a Boy as well so he doesn't end up out numbered with 3 hormonal females in the house and I am happy either way.

The pictures I attached are of Peyten and I telling Cory that we were Pregnant. I had made a "Big Sister" shirt for Peyten that day and when I picked her up from school I had her put it on. My plan was for Peyten to walk in and talk to Dad  in the living room while I got the camera, but Dad ended up greeting us at the door. I while he was asking about how her day went I picked up the camera and said I wanted to get a few pics of them. Peyten forgot about telling Dad about her new shirt so I had to prompt her and this is what happened...