It's the day before Christmas Eve and we have lots to be thankful for. This morning Sean and I got to see our little gal through another sonogram and she looked amazing!! She's measuring about 6 pounds now, at 35 weeks and 1 day. They did a biophysical test and we were able to see her practice breathing- babies do this I guess, by "breathing" in amniotic fluid- it helps build their diaphragm and gets them ready to breathe oxygen once they're born and the chord it cut. It really was amazing to see.
We also confirmed that she's "still a girl." So many people have asked me recently if I'm "sure" about the gender that I kinda became paranoid. It's amazing what technology can tell you these days, but I asked for them to look again just because we've already prepared with so much pink. LOL.
My mom and step-dad came up from Texas to be with us for Christmas. We've gathered out in Bethany Beach, Delaware for the weekend. Sean and I are so thankful to be out of the city for a bit and that I felt good enough to travel here (it's only about 3 hours from our house in DC). It's also super special to have family around for the holidays.... we've done Thanksgiving and Christmas alone in the past and it's just not the same.
In other good news, Sean got a call for a job interview on January 5. It would be so amazing for him to be offered something before he graduates. It's with a place that he would really enjoy, so I'm praying that if this is actually where the Lord wants him right now, that things would move quickly.
I have to say that I am starting to get (privately) emotional about meeting my daughter. As she regularly rolls in my belly and kicks me in my right rib, it becomes more real that a little human will soon join us. There are so many things that I hope for her. That will have to be another post though.... too many thoughts are running through my mind at the moment. Including that I would love to get a good night's sleep tonight.... it's been a while.
Humbled and thankful on this eve of Christmas Eve.
23 December 2011
12 December 2011
truth
Feeling a little convicted by this picture about all of the "stuff" I feel like we MUST get for baby girl before she arrives. I hope to always remember this moving forward:
as of late...
The weather is changing. It's getting cold. I love this time of year for many reasons; one in particular is that I like to wear cute hats, gloves, and coats. This year, however, I can't zip up any of my coats. I've been wearing one of Sean's old Marmot puffer jackets (which I love), but it's starting to get a little tight.
Today my office pals hosted a baby shower for us. It was so sweet, thoughtful, and incredibly generous of them. We really came away with a lot of useful and needed items for our little one. I feel so blessed to work in an environment where personal life events can be shared and celebrated during office hours. We played games, had breakfast, opened gifts, and had raffle prizes. I can't begin to say how appreciative I am to everyone there, especially the 3-4 gals who I know had a large part in putting it together. Oh, my sister even made a really special video, wishing us well, which was played for all to see. It was precious.
In other news, Sean and I have officially decided on a name. I say "officially" because we actually ordered a personalized hat for her over the weekend. The plan is to take a picture of her in the hat and text it to our family so that they can finally know it! Up until now, we've decided not to share it. Not for any particular reason other than it's nice to have it be something that only Sean and I know. It's sweetness to my ears when Sean refers to her by her name- he's even settled on a nickname for her by shortening it. I've come up with a few myself.
We're getting the baby "nook" almost complete. Just need a baby. I'll have to post a picture soon, once we finalize the changing table area. It's pretty amazing how cheap you can get stuff at IKEA. Hopefully it'll last us for as long as we need it. Supposedly kiddos outgrow the changing table around 9-12 months- it's not the same length as the standard changing pad, but it certainly works with our space constraints for the time being.
Sorry for this being so random. Just wanted to get my thoughts down again. We're off to the doctor tomorrow for a sonogram, BPP, OB, and then PCP appointment. It'll be a long afternoon. Here's to hoping I can let go of my blood pressure anxiety. Ugh- it's so frustrating having psycho-somatic issues.
Today my office pals hosted a baby shower for us. It was so sweet, thoughtful, and incredibly generous of them. We really came away with a lot of useful and needed items for our little one. I feel so blessed to work in an environment where personal life events can be shared and celebrated during office hours. We played games, had breakfast, opened gifts, and had raffle prizes. I can't begin to say how appreciative I am to everyone there, especially the 3-4 gals who I know had a large part in putting it together. Oh, my sister even made a really special video, wishing us well, which was played for all to see. It was precious.
In other news, Sean and I have officially decided on a name. I say "officially" because we actually ordered a personalized hat for her over the weekend. The plan is to take a picture of her in the hat and text it to our family so that they can finally know it! Up until now, we've decided not to share it. Not for any particular reason other than it's nice to have it be something that only Sean and I know. It's sweetness to my ears when Sean refers to her by her name- he's even settled on a nickname for her by shortening it. I've come up with a few myself.
We're getting the baby "nook" almost complete. Just need a baby. I'll have to post a picture soon, once we finalize the changing table area. It's pretty amazing how cheap you can get stuff at IKEA. Hopefully it'll last us for as long as we need it. Supposedly kiddos outgrow the changing table around 9-12 months- it's not the same length as the standard changing pad, but it certainly works with our space constraints for the time being.
Sorry for this being so random. Just wanted to get my thoughts down again. We're off to the doctor tomorrow for a sonogram, BPP, OB, and then PCP appointment. It'll be a long afternoon. Here's to hoping I can let go of my blood pressure anxiety. Ugh- it's so frustrating having psycho-somatic issues.
21 November 2011
twins?
So, more and more people whom I rarely speak to at work have started to talk to me. About my size. Yeah. It's awesome. It's not that they mean to make me feel uncomfortable, but when you say stuff like: "Do twins run in your family? Are you sure there aren't two in there?," or "Wow, that's gonna be a big baby," I can't help but feel obligated to appease their curiosity and joke about how huge I'm getting. When, in reality, I'm thinking to myself, "I don't actually think she's that big" or more commonly, "Really? Do you hear what you're saying to me?"
Of course, there are an equal amount of people who say encouraging stuff like, "You look amazing; the weight is only in your belly."
But, I guess, with all of these conflicting comments, I have no idea what I actually look like to the outside world. Sean has been great; every time I talk about gaining weight, he says, "you're supposed to gain weight," in this semi-gangster voice to make me laugh.
All complaining aside, it is pretty wild how the body works to help a baby grow. I have really enjoyed being pregnant and have been getting more and more empowered about the birth process through our Lamaze class and a recent child birth education class we took at Georgetown.
I was happy to learn that Georgetown is about to become certified with the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative started by UNICEF and the World Health Organization. What this means basically, is that the hospital has implemented procedures that encourage mother-child bonding. For example, if I am able to have a normal, vaginal birth, baby girl Johnson will never leave my side. All of the tests that they need to do will be done at my bedside. The main initiative though, is to help the mother learn how to breastfeed. During the 48 hours that you are required to stay in the hospital, they provide lactation specialists and education classes via the TV in your room. We will have a private room, which will hopefully help us get on a schedule.
Anyway, I'm feeling excited and looking forward to preparing my body and mind in the weeks ahead. 9 weeks to go!
Of course, there are an equal amount of people who say encouraging stuff like, "You look amazing; the weight is only in your belly."
But, I guess, with all of these conflicting comments, I have no idea what I actually look like to the outside world. Sean has been great; every time I talk about gaining weight, he says, "you're supposed to gain weight," in this semi-gangster voice to make me laugh.
All complaining aside, it is pretty wild how the body works to help a baby grow. I have really enjoyed being pregnant and have been getting more and more empowered about the birth process through our Lamaze class and a recent child birth education class we took at Georgetown.
I was happy to learn that Georgetown is about to become certified with the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative started by UNICEF and the World Health Organization. What this means basically, is that the hospital has implemented procedures that encourage mother-child bonding. For example, if I am able to have a normal, vaginal birth, baby girl Johnson will never leave my side. All of the tests that they need to do will be done at my bedside. The main initiative though, is to help the mother learn how to breastfeed. During the 48 hours that you are required to stay in the hospital, they provide lactation specialists and education classes via the TV in your room. We will have a private room, which will hopefully help us get on a schedule.
Anyway, I'm feeling excited and looking forward to preparing my body and mind in the weeks ahead. 9 weeks to go!
19 November 2011
hide and seek
We got another cool video at our appointment this week. This one is of our little gal hiding her face with her hand. It's only 4 seconds but if you control the playback, you can watch it slowly- technology is so cool!! Based on this video, I think she has Sean's nose and my hands. ;-)
13 November 2011
face time
We got the chance to have our first 3D images at our appointment in October. Check out her cute lips and cheeks!!
29 weeks and 3 days
We've crossed a couple of milestones since my last post. First one being that I DO NOT have gestational diabetes. Thank you, Lord. I realize that I am not in the high risk category for this, but given that I have had to take a BP and Thyroid meds, I was feeling a little anxious that the GD might be next. Thankfully, baby girl likes sugar just as much as I do- so we're compatible. :)
We're headed into week 30 which means I am starting to feel like we need to get things organized. (I have a need to plan and put things in place far before the deadline... weird, I know.)
We went down to Houston the weekend before Halloween and had an amazing time with friends and family. On Saturday, Sean and I made the drive to College Station with a couple great pals to watch the Aggies lose to the Tiger (Mizzou). Even though the game was a bust, we had a fun time driving around BCS and seeing how much it had changed since we were there last (9 years ago!). On Sunday, my dad and stepmom hosted an amazing luncheon/baby shower at Perry's Steakhouse. The food was incredible and it was so nice to have a celebration with old friends. Sunday night, my mom and stepdad had a smaller gathering at her house for some family and neighbors. My stepdad, Greg (who hails from New Orleans), made an amazing Cajun dinner.
After that, I stayed in Houston to work for the week. It was nice to not have to fly home right away and to have my last major work trip before baby arrives be to my hometown.
This weekend, Sean and I have been really productive around the house. We, well, he mostly, finished two major projects. The first was a little something that we thought up given our limited space.... we turned our bedroom bookshelf into a baby armoire:
We were blessed with tons of hand-me-down and new clothes while we were in Houston, so it's nice to be able to hang them up and see our little one's first closet! Sean said that she'll probably start taking over his closet pretty soon- he might be right...
Next, we finished painting, sanding, and assembling the IKEA changing table that we bought last month. It was a lot of work and did not encourage us to get started on the crib right away (we still have a couple of coats of paint to go on that thing...).
Baby girl has been moving A LOT over the last couple of weeks. It's been really cool to have Sean actually see and feel my belly move so frequently. One morning, after I woke up on my left side, I turned over and she was all squished on my right side. My belly looked so strange all piled up on the right side. She evened out once I stood up, but it sure did make us laugh at how alien-like this process really seems.
We started Lamaze class last week, which is another huge milestone. I hope we'll be able to meet some people through the class- there are about 8 other couples. The class is only 4 weeks long, so hopefully it'll be a quick bonding experience. We're attending class around the corner from our house at this cute bookstore called The Potter's House. It's funded by a group of churches who focus on social justice issues- which I think is really cool.
Last thing- kind of random- while at Target on Saturday morning, I started to feel lightheaded. So much so that after sitting for a while, I still felt like I needed to lie down. So.... I did. Right there in the middle of the DC USA Target cafeteria. It was really embarrassing because I was totally coherent and knew that doing so would cause a lot of attention. All that mattered to me in the moment was that I knew if I got horizontal the feeling would pass. Poor Sean had no idea what to do, especially since I was talking and acting normal. The Target police staff and a couple of nice employees came over to offer assistance, but at that point I felt good enough to stand up and walk to the car. After coming home and lying down, we took my BP and it was pretty low for me... not sure if that was the cause or not. We'll be going to the doctor this week, so I'll be sure to let them know. Thankfully, I never passed out. I also googled "lightheadedness" and found out that it can be a common symptom while pregnant. Whether or not it's common, it sure was scary.
Whew! That's it for now. Lots more memories to be made as we count the final 10 weeks down!
After that, I stayed in Houston to work for the week. It was nice to not have to fly home right away and to have my last major work trip before baby arrives be to my hometown.
This weekend, Sean and I have been really productive around the house. We, well, he mostly, finished two major projects. The first was a little something that we thought up given our limited space.... we turned our bedroom bookshelf into a baby armoire:
We were blessed with tons of hand-me-down and new clothes while we were in Houston, so it's nice to be able to hang them up and see our little one's first closet! Sean said that she'll probably start taking over his closet pretty soon- he might be right...
Next, we finished painting, sanding, and assembling the IKEA changing table that we bought last month. It was a lot of work and did not encourage us to get started on the crib right away (we still have a couple of coats of paint to go on that thing...).
Baby girl has been moving A LOT over the last couple of weeks. It's been really cool to have Sean actually see and feel my belly move so frequently. One morning, after I woke up on my left side, I turned over and she was all squished on my right side. My belly looked so strange all piled up on the right side. She evened out once I stood up, but it sure did make us laugh at how alien-like this process really seems.
We started Lamaze class last week, which is another huge milestone. I hope we'll be able to meet some people through the class- there are about 8 other couples. The class is only 4 weeks long, so hopefully it'll be a quick bonding experience. We're attending class around the corner from our house at this cute bookstore called The Potter's House. It's funded by a group of churches who focus on social justice issues- which I think is really cool.
Last thing- kind of random- while at Target on Saturday morning, I started to feel lightheaded. So much so that after sitting for a while, I still felt like I needed to lie down. So.... I did. Right there in the middle of the DC USA Target cafeteria. It was really embarrassing because I was totally coherent and knew that doing so would cause a lot of attention. All that mattered to me in the moment was that I knew if I got horizontal the feeling would pass. Poor Sean had no idea what to do, especially since I was talking and acting normal. The Target police staff and a couple of nice employees came over to offer assistance, but at that point I felt good enough to stand up and walk to the car. After coming home and lying down, we took my BP and it was pretty low for me... not sure if that was the cause or not. We'll be going to the doctor this week, so I'll be sure to let them know. Thankfully, I never passed out. I also googled "lightheadedness" and found out that it can be a common symptom while pregnant. Whether or not it's common, it sure was scary.
Whew! That's it for now. Lots more memories to be made as we count the final 10 weeks down!
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