August 4, 2009

Carrie had a doctor appointment today. She is 2-3 cm dilated, 80% effaced, and 0 station. The doctor says the baby is about 7.5 lbs, maybe a bit less, and very low. Doctor does not think Carrie will make it to her appointment in one week.

July 30, 2009

Today at the doctor Carrie found out she is still only 1-2 cm dilated, and although the baby is still low, s/he is now -2 station (a bit higher up). We are hoping the baby does not come until at least next Tuesday, when Carrie's regular doctor gets back from vacation.

July 22, 2009

Today the baby is weighing in at about 6.5 lbs. Carrie is 1-2 cm dilated, 70% effaced, and -1 station.

July 15, 2009

Our due date is now only 4 weeks away! Carrie is 1 cm dilated and the baby is very low. The doctor says she will probably make it another week but not necessarily two weeks.

July 7, 2009

Carrie had her final ultrasound today. She is 35 weeks pregnant. The baby was pretty tightly packed in, but s/he still moves quite a bit. During the ultrasound (Jim and Aaron came along) we got to see the baby practicing breathing, and grabbing its toes with its hand. S/he is head down and at the time was laying on its left side. The heart rate is 158 (down from 160 which it has been for a long time) and weighs 5 pounds, 3 ounces. Now Carrie goes to the doctor every week. Just over 30 days until the due date! Our pre-birth hospital appointment is in 3 days where we will fill out paperwork, read pamphlets, and tour the maternity ward.

June 13, 2009

Jim took Aaron to the U.P for a weekend trip, probably Sat-Mon. This will give Carrie a chance to work on the computer without interruption, pack her hospital bag, perhaps wash some baby clothes, and REST. Aaron is so excited about staying in a motel with daddy.

June 8, 2009

Carrie has been nesting like crazy and is getting anxious to get the nursery set up and move Aaron into his new room (currently the guest bedroom). His room will be decorated in traffic signs, fire alarms, and all of his favorite "stuff". The nursery will have just the basic set-up, and the decor will come after the birth, to be either pink or blue. Carrie and Jim have a girl name picked out but not a boy one, and Carrie is really hoping this baby is a girl because otherwise it will probably be name-less! Exactly 9 weeks to go now! Carrie has a doctor appointment tomorrow.

Aaron is still attending the preschool, but only one day a week. It gives him a chance to be with other kids, since we don't have any where we live.

May 29, 2009

Aaron had his preschool graduation today. We brought a sack lunch to eat with him, and there was cake and punch. He received a diploma and some gifts from the teachers (he loves the Dora book they gave him and read it all right then and there, by himself, only needing help with a couple of words). It was a cute day and all the grandparents were able to attend. PHOTOS

May 20, 2009

Carrie started physical therapy today. The therapist showed her a bunch of exercises she can do at home with Jim and told her to do just what the doctor said, rest as much as possible. She said Carrie's legs and pelvis are very "loose", due to the relaxin pregnancy hormone. This is what makes walking difficult and painful. She will call back next week to see how Carrie is doing and to determine how often she should come in. Carrie also learned something new; apparently breastfeeding can cause this condition to stick around even after the baby is born. This is something Carrie will have to research more and think about.

No word from the doctor about the diabetes test, so it must have come back fine.

Aaron has one day of school left this week and then two more next week (due to Memorial Day). Then he graduates!

Jim will be going to work on his cabin in Big Bay on Fri/Sat/Sun.

May 12, 2009

Carrie had a doctor appointment today. The doctor told her that the baby is currently in a transverse (sideways) position and that the heartbeat is that of a girl. Carrie's blood pressure and weight look great. This was the appointment where she had to drink the awful lemon lime soda and get her blood drawn to determine if she has gestational diabetes. The doctor also told her some unexpected news - she has a hernia. She thinks it is from this pregnancy but Carrie recalls having this "bump" in her stomach area that shows up whenever she does sit ups, for as long as she can remember. It looks like this will have to be taken care of after the baby is born. Carrie's pain is much more intense now, and the doctor thinks physical therapy might help, or at least couldn't hurt. She also wants her on half day bed rest. This will be a challenge, but she thinks that too much walking and movement could cause the SPD to not go away after the baby is born. It has been much more intense with this pregnancy than it was with Aaron, and it started getting bad the last 5 months of the pregnancy instead of the last two months, with Aaron.

May 3, 2009

Aaron is almost done with preschool. We took him a couple of weeks ago to register for kindergarten at Pellston Elementary. He received a T-shirt that says Class of 2022! He is excited about going but mom and dad are a little worried about him being in school from 8 am to 3:15 pm, 5 days a week. He is currently attending preschool M,W,F from 8:45 am to 12:45 pm.

April 28, 2009

Jim and Carrie's 8th anniversary!

March 11, 2009

Carrie had her second ultrasound, the "big" one. We got some great pictures this time! The baby was at first laying on its back with one arm next to its body and the other arm above its head. Its legs were crossed and bent towards its body. Then the baby flipped over and was lying with its knees tucked in underneath its body. At one point we saw him/her open their mouth and then swallow. The due date from the ultrasound was exactly right on, August 11, 2009. PHOTOS

February-March, 2009

We drove down to our home in Orange Beach, Alabama for just over 3 weeks. We attended 3 Mardi Gras parades and had a lot of fun. Carrie's parents were down there for the winter. We were very sorry to have to come back the snow and cold of Michigan.

January 14, 2009

Carrie had her first ultrasound, which was basically to determine the number of babies (only one!), and the age. We did get to see the heart beating. We received two pictures, but they were not very good compared to Aaron's first ultrasound. Still, it was exciting to see the baby and reassuring to know everything was okay. PHOTOS