Dance dance, Baby!

Baby Behr and I have been visiting family in Wisconsin this week.  We’ve spent some time in Kiel, WI visiting my mom and brother, listening to the crickets chirp, and enjoying the sound of the house creaking and the chimes in the wind.  It is so peaceful out here and SO green.  It’s nice to be home for a visit since I'm not sure when we’ll be able to come back.  While I’ve been at home in Kiel, I haven’t had the chance to keep up on the blog - internet here is fleeting and I’m lucky if I can find a signal for more than a few minutes at a time.  Cell phone service is completely non-existent if you are an AT&T customer.  So, it can be challenging or relaxing, depending on which way you look at it. 

Late last week, we drove to Green Lake, WI.  Green Lake is one of my favorite places in the world and we enjoyed a long weekend on the water.  It’s been tough not to be able to wakeboard or water ski while there, but of course, that wouldn't be safe for the baby.  While staying at the lake cottage, my mom and sister co-hosted a baby shower for me.  The setting was absolutely beautiful and everything I could have wanted.  I promise to write a post detailing the party because it was so special, it deserves it’s own entry.  

We’re at 23 and 1/2 weeks.  This week, I watched my stomach grow before my eyes, felt the baby move much more frequently and even saw the baby kicking!  It’s such an unbelievable feeling and I can’t even describe how amazing it has been to watch all that progress in just a short period of time!  Movements have gone from feeling like a goldfish swimming in a plastic bag to knocking me off balance when I wasn’t prepared.  I’ve felt our peanut’s little heels pushing out through my stomach and his or her head in my lower abdomen.  I’m not sure which body part I watched raking across my belly the other night, but that was the most startling.  How someone can say they never knew they were pregnant until they gave birth, I just don’t get.  It’s sad actually, because the opportunity to enjoy and experience the pregnancy has been such a gift.  I know the real gift of bringing a child into the world comes later, but what a blessing this has been so far! 
Baby is approximately 1 pound and measures 11 inches in length.  Sounds are even more influential to baby's ears this week and begin to become familiar.  I’ve noticed that Cubbie Behr seems to really enjoy dance music as I’ve been flipping through stations on our long drives.  Maybe Baby will take after one of his or her grandfathers and be a great dancer! 

Week 22 - KICKIN!

After many weeks of trying to feel baby kicks that Adriana has been telling me about,
(see dialogue below)
Adriana: Did you feel that one?
David: Nope
Adriana: How about that one?
David: Nope
Adriana: You had to feel that one?
David: Nuh uh

It finally happened. I felt my baby's first kick and it was a big one, WOW! The realization has just kicked in, I'm gonna be a daddy.
After I got over the shock and surprise of what just happened, I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. Game on, this is for real and I couldn't be more ready.

As far as growth, the baby is 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound. This is the week that my baby's eyelids and eyebrows start to become more distinct. If he or she takes after daddy, the eyebrows have already gone from little cocoons to caterpillars by now. (inside joke for all of you who have ever made fun of my bushy eyebrows-aka my caterpillars)

Adriana just left for Kiel and Green Lake for the next two weeks to spend some quality time with her family and friends. She has only been gone a few hours and I already miss her. I will be holding down the fort in Minneapolis during the week and am looking forward to catching up with her and our cubby behr over the weekend.

The Kickin' Carrot

 We are all doing great!  Our little peanut is growing and kicking a lot now.  It's pretty amazing that the "flutters" and "bubbles" have quickly turned into more realistic sensations and have even become obvious to the eye.  Last night, baby was VERY active.  I've been feeling badly that David hasn't been able to feel any movement yet.  So, I put his hand on my belly where I had been getting a steady stream of punches and David felt his first one!  His eyes got big and he jumped.  He said it had scared him, it was so powerful.  It was pretty amusing, and at the same time, I got tears in my eyes watching the realization on his face.
Well, all of that activity requires energy - and that translates into an increased appetite for mama.  I'm enjoying the extra food - it's a lot more fun to eat now than it was.  I feel like I can see my belly growing by the day!  Baby weighs 12 ounces and is about 10.5 inches long, or about the length of a carrot! 

Baby Bump-  21 and a half weeks!

Thank you to all of you who responded to my last post about childbirth methods.  We are hoping to do this as naturally and easily as we can - which I'm sure is the aim of most parents-to-be.  We've settled on the Conscious Birthing Method, which is a very comprehensive view of labor and birth as a rite of passage, teaching techniques to be calm and aware, minimizing fear and pain, during the experience.  We'll start in October when we're in Austin. http://consciousbirthingaustin.com/classes/complete-childbirth-class/

What's Next?

• We're getting ready to wrap up our summer in Minneapolis.  David has a jam-packed schedule each day for the next 2 weeks.  Poor guy's going to be exhausted. 
• My sister Cristina and her husband Mark will be visiting this weekend.  Looking forward to seeing Cristina's baby bump.  She's just 3 weeks behind me!
• Next week, I'm driving back to WI to see my Mom and share some vacation time with her at Green Lake.  I cannot wait to have some lake time!  Before I go, I need to work on packing up some of our things.  I'm thinking that I can probably ship a box or two of items that we didn't use back to Denver, which will make our move even easier. 
• Seattle!  When I return from Green Lake, we'll only have a day or two to pack the cars before we fly to Seattle for our visit with David's parents.  We've got some fun planned with the grandparents-to-be!
• Sept 16th: Minneapolis Seminar and onward to Austin!

I'm so excited about all the activities we have planned in the upcoming weeks!  Next week, expect a new point-of-view.  I've finally convinced David it's his turn to blog!  

1/2 Way to Birth Day!

Whooo hooo!  We are at 20 weeks and 4 days - it's downhill from here! 
Our little one is now being measured from head to toe, instead of crown to rump.  Cubbie Behr (another cute new nickname courtesy of my friend Sarah) is now 10 inches long, the length of a banana, and weighs approximately 10.5 ounces.  Baby is starting to swallow more amniotic fluid, which will help to mature digestion. 

In the meantime, I've adopted a coccyx cushion.  My tailbone is painfully sore and it seems that some days I can't handle sitting unless I use my airline pillow as a make-shift donut pillow.  It takes a little of the pressure off.  My OB assures me this is common and is due to my pelvis expanding in preparation for a growing baby and labor. 
Speaking of labor, it's time to start thinking about childbirth classes.  It's all a little overwhelming.  How do you choose what type of class to take?  Lamaze, Bradley, Alexander, Hypnobirthing, Conscious Birthing...the options are endless and it's quite a commitment when classes meet weekly, some up to 12 weeks in length! 
What makes this even more challenging is that I need to find a class in Austin, TX since we'll be there next.  Hopefully, whichever class I choose is approved by the hospital or OB we use in San Antonio.  I'm hearing that some hospitals require that you take classes through their organization while others don't care if you do or don't get educated.  Hopefully, our next OB (whoever that turns out to be) will approve our choice because I'm on a bit of a time crunch with our impending move to Texas and what will be a commute between Austin and our hospital in San Antonio, which is our final destination before baby is born.  Ahh.  "To whom much is given, much is required".

Dear Followers: Does anyone have any childbirth class recommendations?  What did you like or dislike about your method when you finally went into labor?  Did you use what you learned?  Please send your comments by using the comment section below.  THANK YOU!!

Don't be so NOSY!

Today we are 19 weeks and 2 days, confirmed yesterday via ultrasound.  We had our 18-20 week OB visit with anatomy scan - the long-anticipated view of baby, where many couples choose to peek at the goods.  As you know, we are choosing the "Surprise! It's a ____!" at delivery.  Nonetheless, we got some great views of baby, to hold us over until it's time to meet our sweet pea.

Baby looks fantastic!  All the important parts are there and baby weighs in at 7-9 ounces and approximately 6 inches total length, the size of a mango.  It was so fun to watch baby moving and sleeping.  Poor little peanut just wanted to rest and Miss Diane, our tech, was not having it.  She was poking and prodding, trying to get baby to turn for a facial profile, in order to check out the nasal bone.  She had me up doing toe touches and reclining in Trendelenberg position.  I couldn't help laughing.  Baby had his or her head down, chin to chest, and fists right over the face so she couldn't get a peek.  David says our baby has his determination and my bashfulness.  That's a combination!  I'm hoping it's sheer will and not shyness.  Baby seemed to be saying, "Leave me alone, lady!  I'm trying to sleep!"
Either way, we're so happy that our baby seems to be growing well.  I'm sure there's a nose under there somewhere...will it be a German one or an Italian one? 

Bump shot - 19 weeks

Baby's face with fist in front of left cheek.  "Why, I oughta..."

Lumberjack Days - Week 18

Right on Target!

So, either last Thursday or last Sunday marked the beginning of Week 18.  Because of the difference between my charting,  the obstetrician's charting, and the size of baby on early ultrasound, we have very different dates.  Anyway, it's easier for me to remember Sundays as the start of the week, so we'll go with that. 

Head to little baby butt, our baby is about 5 1/2 inches long and he or she weighs almost 7 ounces. This is roughly the size of a bell pepper.  Baby Center tells us that baby is busy flexing and stretching arms and legs and these movements will get more noticeable.  I definitely think I'm feeling some stirrings now, though it hasn't really been that obvious unless I stop to focus on it.  Last night, however, I woke up at 1am wondering if baby was doing calisthenics in there!  Myelin, a protective sheath, is forming around the nerves, a process that will continue until baby celebrates his or her first birthday.  Blood vessels are visible through baby's thin, translucent skin.  Also, the skeletal system is beginning to harden from cartilage to bone.
I've been feeling great!  My sister-in-law, Julie, tells me she can't stand happy pregnant people (she had two rough pregnancies), so sorry Julie, for rubbing it in.  The weather has been a little more bearable - down from the triple-digit heat indexes and back into the high 80s and low 90s.  David and I are staying pretty busy around here with work, visiting with friends, and crossing "places to visit" off our list.  Here's one more:

Last weekend, we visited Stillwater, MN for their annual Lumberjack Days Festival.  The town is quite cute with a variety of shops and restaurants and good small-town charm.  Lumberjack Days celebrates their forestry heritage and features several related events and wares.  You get your typical vendors and food tents, though since we were just across the St. Croix River from Wisconsin, there was an unusually large selection of fried cheese curds.  In addition, they had several lumberjack exhibitions and some special events for contest: chainsaw wood carving, log rolling, axe-throwing, log-chopping, tree climbing, and tree sawing events.  It was interesting to me that men and women compete around the world for these titles.  None of it looked easy.  In fact, I don't think any of the events looked like something I'd want to try, for fear of losing a limb or having to remove a very, very, very long splinter (has anyone seen the splinters that come off those spurs they use for climbing)?!  Yikes!

The Misery Blade

Chopping

Log Rolling

 

 

 

 

                                                           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All You Need is Love

And we wonder why Americans are so materialistic?  Materialism is modeled to infants!
Today I received a newsletter from one of those websites marketed to pregnant women.  I've only subscribed to two online pregnancy resources, but it seems I'm constantly getting these emails, both repetitive and contradictory.  Anyway, these weekly newsletters inform you of baby's growth, your pregnancy timeline, unique baby names to consider, exercise tips, etc for the duration of your pregnancy.
This week happens to mark Week 17 for us and the website's newsletter recommends I start a baby registry.  I was somewhat shocked that it's time for that already, but perhaps that further demonstrates my point.  It then goes on to list what they call "baby's essentials."  As I stated early on, we'll be traveling across several states to a new city with baby approximately every 3 months, so we'll need to be savvy and efficient with our baby gear.  I'm looking for the bare minimum in baby "essentials" to keep things simple and make moving fast and easy.  Besides a few basics, what in the world does a baby really need, right? 
Now, don't get me wrong, I know this is a huge industry, right up there with wedding planning.  And, if we were staying in our home (well, maybe not our city loft as we'd have to squeeze baby into the hallway somewhere between the bookshelves) and planning a nursery, I'm know it would be so easy to get caught up in the newest and the greatest and the cutest in baby accoutrements.  I've seen some really adorable nurseries created by my very talented friends.  I also happen to LOVE baby showers - even more than bridal showers.  It's just so much fun to buy cute pint-sized clothing and the softest bedding and the newest gadgets for mommies and the most colorful and creative toys.  All I'm saying is...pulling a U-haul behind our vehicle just for our baby's supplies is not really an option in my mind.   That being said, I'd be willing to downsize my already abbreviated closet and the subsequent trunk space needed in order to make sure we can get baby's essentials in tow.  I just want to make sure baby has what he or she needs, and at the same time, with this new-found responsibility to keep things simple, that we do a good job of modeling what we want to teach our child.  Happy balance.  Now, to figure out just exactly what an "essential" baby essential means.   

Dog Days of Summer

This week, David asked if I was interested in getting a dog...out of nowhere.  He knows that I’ve been ready for a dog for years! But with trying to sell our condo, this hasn’t been a possibility for us or else I would have been begging, trust me.  I believe we can thank our friends, the Falters, for putting this this sudden idea in David’s head.  They have the coolest Boston Terrier, Otis, who has won both of our hearts.   So, in this spirit, I’ve been out asking questions of dog owners and pet goods store owners whether now (only 5 or so months before baby is here) is a good time to get a dog. 
Responses are mixed, but what I’ve put together is this:  we can do it before baby comes if a) breed has a history of being good with children; and b) dog is of right age to accept new things or has the right personality.
Until I met Otis, I’ve had my heart set on a Golden Retriever, which is such a happy-go-lucky, loving breed, and is the kind of dog I grew up with.  I also think Labs, German Shorthair Pointers, and Australian Shepherd mixes are great dogs.  David found a Boylan Spaniel the other day and was really interested in it.  All of these breeds are medium to large dogs who are smart and playful and usually great with children. 

So, I’ve been looking online and am now considering a fostering opportunity for the remainder of the summer, to see if we can make it work or if we should wait until after baby is here and getting older.  The other major element of this is: we move every 10-12 weeks to a new city.  The dog would have to be good with new environments and I know not all dogs are.  I only know of one couple who goes through this with a dog - they travel all over the world - and have the sweetest, most well-mannered dog I know, Rocky.  Not sure that is an easy dog to find. 

Any thoughts on fostering or perspectives from the doggy owners out there?

16 Weeks and Growing!

Our little sweet pea is approximately 4 1/2 inches from crown-to-rump this week.  He or she weighs 3 1/2 ounces, about the size of an avocado.  Lanugo (fine hair) now covers baby’s head and hair patterning has started on the scalp, though hair is not recognizable yet.  Nails are well-formed on the fingers and toes.  Legs are longer than arms and both the arms and legs are moving.  Beginning at this point and moving forward, we should start to feel baby moving, though I hear some first-time moms don’t feel anything until 20 weeks.  I’ve been focusing very hard, trying to feel any movement - sitting, laying, standing.  I think I’ve felt some flutters a few times, though it's hard to tell with pulsating blood vessels and a slower GI tract in there.  When baby and I get better at this, I’m sure I’ll realize the feeling has been there for a while.

I’m growing too!  I’ve noticed my waistbands are uncomfortably tight and I have to walk around unbuttoned.  I've got a Be Band that I use regularly now.  Despite what I think is an obvious change, I still get asked if I realize that I’m shopping the maternity section.  I just found a few pregnancy clothes online that I’m looking forward to getting in the mail, especially the running shorts from Athleta.  I’m feeling a little swollen in my running shorts and fitted tops - it’ll be nice to be able to hide the extra and not feel the pressure on my belly when I’m out running the lake trails.
News Flash: David has been running with me!  I am so excited about this! 

Week 16 is also another turning point - no more lying flat on my back while resting or sleeping or exercising.  This position can put extra pressure on the aorta and inferior vena cava, reducing blood flow to the baby.  I’ve been aware of this and practicing side-sleeping for several weeks now.  Even with an extra pillow, I wake up to David telling me to turn over.  It is a weird feeling once I realize I'm doing it.  Kind of like I'm breathing shallow breaths and it panics me when I realize I've been sleeping that way for who knows how long.  Because of this, I’m considering one of the insanely over-priced pregnancy pillows I’ve seen online which promise to keep you comfortable in the side-lying position.  I hate to spend that money on a stinking pillow though.  However, many of them now come in a shape that can be used for nursing once the baby is born, which to me makes the price a bit more bearable.  Being my mother’s daughter, I’m sure I can find some discounts or coupons or something to help.  My mom just shared with me that she bought my baby crib using green stamps - something I have never heard of, but apparently was a point system back in the 70s and 80s for rental cars and hotels in order to earn rewards.  You had to paste the stamps on the postage card and mail it in to redeem your points for a bike...or a crib, for instance.  Kind of like modern-day credit card rewards, which fortunately keep track of themselves.

This was actually taken in week 17, so we bought an extra large avocado!

Week 16 - Side belly shot

In other news, the 2011 Girls Weekend is booked and organized.  I just need to find my airfare.  Girls Weekend is a get-together with my favorite girls from my alma mater - St. Norbert College.  There are nine of us total and we've been doing this since 2003.  Now that we live in different parts of the country, the locales get more interesting.  This year is a Fall Wine Tasting weekend in the Shenandoah Valley.  It will be beautiful!  And no, I won't be tasting.  My girls are lucky that they will have a dedicated designed driver at their disposal.  I've just been reminded that I'll be 34 weeks at that point.  Keeping my fingers crossed that baby and I stay healthy enough to travel.  I haven't missed one yet!

apple d'amour

 

Our growing baby should now measure about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weigh about 2 1/2 ounces, which is about the size of an apple. Baby is bringing in amniotic fluid through his or her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the air sacs in the lungs begin to develop. Baby’s legs are growing longer than his or her arms now, and he or she can move all joints and limbs. Although eyelids are still fused shut, baby can sense light.  Baby Center tells us that if I were to shine a flashlight at my tummy, the baby would likely turn away from  or move in response too the light. Baby is also forming taste buds this week.

We spent 1/2 of this week at Green Lake, Wisconsin, for our annual Nigrelli family get-together over the 4th of July weekend.  Green Lake is one of my absolute favorite places in the entire world.  This year, we didn’t have access to our old cottage, which we’ve stayed in every summer for the last 18 years!  So, we rented a different “cottage” which was located near Lawsonia Golf Club.  This place actually had fewer bedrooms than our 800-square-foot cottage from our childhood, but easily kept all 11 of us within its walls, whereas our old cottage would only sleep 8 if you were lucky and didn’t mind sleeping behind canvas shades or pleated doors.  With the weather at a balmy 86 and heat index over 100 degrees, it was quite nice to have real air conditioning instead of all windows and doors open and the fans blowing.  That said, there really is no substitute for “our cottage”. 
Still, we enjoyed all of our Lake favorites: two (!) rounds of golf this year, lots of boating and swimming, great meals, ice cream parlor by boat, the annual Bocce Ball Tourney, and fireworks on the water. 
Congrats to Dominic and Mary, this year’s Bocce Team winners, though, if it weren’t for the vicious mosquitos that made it impossible to shoot without swatting and jumping, I’m pretty sure David and I would have had that one in the bag! 
Also, a special thank you to Hallie, who created two baby announcement puzzles for the family to put together!  You did a great job, Hallie!  Thank you for helping Cristina and your Dad and David and I share our news!