12 weeks to go...

I'm 28 weeks pregnant! Here's a new picture of the growing belly:

28 weeks pregnant

I can't believe I am due in just 12 weeks. We still have so much to do! Little by little we will get there.


We had our final ultrasound on Friday afternoon. Peanut is getting so big! At 28 weeks babies on average weigh 2lb4oz. Our little guy weighed in at 2lbs13oz! I'll bet he is 3 pounds by now. Time will tell if he ends up with the Monroe Family "tiny" gene (which I obviously got, as did my sister) but I'd say at this point that all signs point to no. The woman doing the ultrasound was rushing through it and didn't take the time to get good pictures. She gave us 3 but none of them are good- just blurry close ups of his head. They aren't even worth posting, to be honest. I may not even put them in his baby book because they are that bad. That was disappointing but I have a lot of good pictures from our previous ultrasounds so we'll just hang on to those.


After the ultrasound I had an appointment with my midwife. While listening to Peanut's heart beat on the doppler we could hear him hiccuping! I also did my mandatory Glucose test last week and passed! My midwife continues to be pleased with how I'm doing. Everything looks really, really good going into this homestretch!


Peanut's lungs are developing more each day and he can now open his eyes in the womb. A week and a half ago Steven and I were on the couch. I had a blanket over me and Peanut was bouncing so much that we could see him through the blanket. I pulled the blanket back and looked at my belly to see what it looked like. Lo and behold, he stopped moving. I put the blanket back and after a few seconds the bouncing began again. We figured out it was because of the light coming in when I took off the blanket! Steven and I sat there and played "peek-a-boo" with him and laughed our heads off at how he would immediately stop moving each time the blanket was off. Sometimes when I feel him moving on one side I'll put one finger on the other side of my belly. I'll feel him scoot over and touch where my finger is. I can't believe he can see that now! It's so cool to play with him already! 


Here is the paint color we picked out for his room:

The middle shade of blue, to match the elephant on his blanket

And here's what his crib bedding looks like. 

We love it! It's like a crazy zoo animal parade in India. If you can come up with a better description for it than that I'm all ears!


That's all for now. Love to you all!

3rd Trimester!

Over the weekend I was talking to my dad and he complained mentioned that I hadn't updated the blog since August 27th. I would like to say a very public HELLO to my dad- hi Dad, love you! 


Today marked the beginning of my third trimester. Time is flying! Tomorrow I will be 27 weeks. Here's a photo of me from a week and a half ago:

25 weeks pregnant

Would you believe I am already bigger than this? This weekend I need to go shopping yet again because I am outgrowing all of my current maternity clothes. I've crossed an important threshold: total strangers now know without a doubt that I'm pregnant and not just full... or a heavy drinker... or pot-bellied. In restaurants, airports & stores strangers ask me "when are you due?" and "is this a boy or a girl?" Peanut has been roaming the world incognito for the past 6 months but now everyone knows he's around! 


On the Saturday before last Steven and I celebrated 5 years of marriage. Talk about time flying! It doesn't feel like our wedding- with the mardi gras beads and the mansion and the gorgeous twinkle light pavilion- happened 5 years ago. 

September 4, 2005

To celebrate every year we take a week and visit the beach for a nice Fall getaway. This year we decided to avoid the oil in the gulf (so Peanut wouldn't come out with 5 heads) and visited St Augustine, FL. We rented a condo on the beach and enjoyed perfect weather, empty beaches and a lot of impressive surfing! A few storms came through just before we arrived so the ocean was a little rough. I spent a lot of time cruising around on a float and trying not to get knocked over. Steven got to go windsurfing one afternoon (a new favorite activity since Hawaii) and we spent several nights strolling around the old city and enjoying the sights. St Augustine is an awesome little town with a lot of young people and things to see. It was a great trip and a perfect way to spend our anniversary!


We are making some progress on the baby's room! I sold and gave away all of the extra furniture from the room (formerly the guest room). Steven took down the bed-side tables that were attached to the wall and patched up the holes. Tonight we are picking out a paint color. We don't have any of the furniture yet but it is picked out. Despite not having the crib we do have one very important item thanks to my Nana and Papa: a Pack N Play!

Nana and Papa always give such smart and thoughtful gifts. On the top left is a changing table and the top right is a bassinet for a newborn. Once Peanut gets a little bigger we'll take those two pieces off and he'll have an awesome travel crib and play area. These things fold up into a very compact rectangle that is perfect for families who travel (and we definitely do our share!) We are so thankful for this!


We have also been working on several projects around the house. When we bought our house we purposefully bought one that would have enough room for a baby. We'll be fine as Peanut is little but he's going to get big quick so we have decided to do what we can now to get the house ready for when we need to put it on the market. One big project has been our backyard. When we bought the house it had been pretty much destroyed by 2 outdoor dogs who loved to dig and make mud. It looked like this:

Pretty plain, right?

Now it looks like this:

Steven did 99.99999% of the work all by himself. I wished I could have helped more but this summer was unbelievably hot with temperatures usually over 100. I helped spread the mulch but he did every other thing himself. Well, actually, he did have one very obedient and furry helper:

Next on the list is tearing out the carpet in our bedroom and refinishing the hardwood floors. Wish us luck!


That's everything for now. I promise it won't be 3 weeks before the next update. Love to you all.

24 week ultrasound and check up

This morning we returned to Vanderbilt for a 24 week ultrasound. Have a look at this lil cutie:

I don't know if Peanut was feeling camera shy or if he was just tired (he kept me up most of last night by having one of his dance parties) but he burrowed way down low and kept his hands over his face. He was also playing with the umbilical cord- we could clearly see his little hand wrapped around it! The ultrasound technician was very patient and finally managed to get the photo above. I'm going to have to find a baby picture of Steven and post it so you all realize how much Peanut is already looking like his dad! It really is amazing how he's shaping out to look like Steven's "mini-me!" Doesn't he look sweet, though? Like he's dreaming away. We love our baby boy so much.

After the ultrasound we went to our midwife for a check up. Linda is very pleased with Peanut's development. He weighs 1 pound, 7 ounces and is growing perfectly! She's also pleased with how I am coming along. Despite not looking like a typical 5 month pregnant woman I'm still exactly on track with where we should be at 24 weeks. So good reports for everyone! We return for another ultrasound and my mandatory glucose test at the end of September.

Have a great weekend!

Lots of updates!

I have a lot of updates, so let's get right to it. Tomorrow I'll be 24 weeks pregnant! Here’s how I look now:

I never know what to do with my arms in these sideways pictures...

Time is flying by. Steven and I are working hard to be ready for the day Peanut decides to join us here on “the outside.” People like to tell you how expensive babies are. I’ve decided it’s not necessarily the “baby stuff” that costs so much- it’s all the stuff you feel like you “have to do" before the baby gets here! Suddenly we feel the clock ticking when it comes to car repairs, home improvement projects, doctors appointments, etc that we’ve been putting off for one reason or another. It’s hectic but we’re enjoying each step of the way!

Speaking of baby stuff, we are starting to figure out some of the major baby gear we need. We've made two big trips to the Babies R Us in Rivergate to figure this stuff out. We test drove strollers up and down the aisles. We figured out all of the hooks, latches, buttons, wheels and levers. We collapsed strollers and resurrected them again. We flipped handles back and forth on car seats. We shook cribs to see how sturdy they were. We rocked in rockers. We smooshed mattresses. Yes, there is definitely a lot for us to learn. For car seats in particular we consulted my sister, Lindsey, who is a certified child safety seat inspector (seriously, how lucky are we?!). It feels good to be scratching some items off the list!

One of the best parts of being pregnant is that everyone wants to see you! In the past few weeks we’ve had some special people come to visit and we got to go home to Atlanta to spend some quality time with my family.

Three weeks ago my friends Jennifer and Jill came to Nashville for the Hanson show. They brought along a new friend, Dominic, and we had a great time at the show! They didn’t allow cameras in the venue but we managed to snap this one before we went in:

Jenn, me (20 weeks pregnant) and Jill

Jill brought me a great surprise- a whole box full of clothes and baby items her boys have outgrown!

Jack & Aiden's hand-me-downs

Jill and I have the same style when it comes to baby clothes, which basically means we like to dress kids up as bears and puppies! It was so great to have my girl friends here for the show! I hate that we can’t see each other more but I love the times when we are together!

While home in Atlanta we stayed with my mom and got to spend time with Lindsey, Nana and Papa. Lindsey gave us a present: lots of ADORABLE home-decorated baby clothes! My sister has been making costumes for herself and others for several years and has a real gift for crafts and creativity. Peanut is going to be stylin’ in these “Aunt Lindsey Originals!”

Can't wait to see these on him!

Over the weekend we had what we later called "Baby-Palooza!"

On Friday night Steven's cousin Ginny came and met us for dinner. She has two boys- Logan, who is 4 and our new addition, Caden! I have a picture of the boys from that night but for some reason my Outlook won't let me save it- boo!! They are such a sweet family- we love when they come to visit!

On Saturday we babysat for our friends Heather and Kris. They have two girls, Ainsley, who is 20 months and Iris, who is 13 weeks. We've been wanting to get some "practice" in to beef up our confidence in the kiddo department. We had a great morning and afternoon with the girls. Steven got the day's Gold Star Of Excellence for 3 reasons:

1- He changed his first poopy diaper! And it was a cloth diaper, which adds a little different experience to this milestone. When he was done Ainsley said "Good job! Good job, Ee-bin!"

2- When Iris started crying he walked her around the front room and bounced her until she got comfortable and stopped. I was in the living room with Ainsley when I heard him yell "I DID IT!"

3- He showed off his knowledge of the Veggie Tales theme song. Where the heck did he learn that?!

Needless to say, those girls are great and we'd be happy to hang out with them again, any time!

On Sunday we got an unexpected surprise! Our cousin, Brooke, went into labor and delivered Peanut's newest cousin. Introducing: Kennedy Ann Carmen!

Steven got another Gold Star for holding Kennedy like a pro and without hesitation. When Josh and Brooke's older daughter, Kylee, was born two years ago he was afraid to hold her. When she was a week old I plopped her in his lap to take this picture:

He looks more comfortable these days! Good job, Ee-bin- you'll be a pro in no time!

Speaking of Steven, he's not feeling too hot today. Yesterday he became sick and had a fever so he went to the doctor. His strep test came back negative but the doctor still gave him a Z-Pack. He doesn't have the strongest immune system due to a medical allergy and a terrible case of mono 8 years ago. To be safe I am keeping my distance and sleeping in our guest room for the next few nights. We can't run the risk of me catching something while pregnant. I hate not being able to really care for him! It feels strange to sit on the far side of the couch from him and just kind of wave when we go to bed, then walk to separate rooms. I hate when he is sick! Everyone please say a prayer that he gets over this quickly and that no germs spread to me.

Whew! I think that is everything. Much love to you all- thanks for reading this very long post!

OOOHHH we're halfway there...

We're at the halfway mark! 20 weeks down, and 20 left to go. I can't believe this pregnancy is already halfway over! Steven and I thought now would be a good time to show everyone how I'm looking these days.

20 week belly

Sorry I look kind of sweaty. It's the end of July, I'm 4.5 months pregnant and our AC at work decided to break... again. The baby is now the length of a banana. We're running out of fruit!

So my friend Jamie (who, by the way, is Peanut's future mother-in-law since we have decided he will marry her daughter, Shay) asked me which concert the baby liked the best between Bon Jovi, Dierks Bentley, and Paul McCartney. The winner, by a mile, is Paul McCartney! Peanut tapped his foot along to Dierks and jumped to Bon Jovi but seemed to really get into Sir Paul's show. He even kicked in rhythm to "Elenore Rigby"- it was hilarious!

Speaking of the kicking, we were told at 9 weeks that we had a very active child and that seems to still be true. All of the pregnancy websites and books said that at 16 weeks I "could begin to feel light flutters as the baby moves." Flutters? Yeah right. I felt definite kicks at the end of my 16th week and it's continued since then. He jumps and kicks and stretches a lot- usually in the morning and around 10 o'clock at night (and apparently when I'm blogging because he's going at it right now...). I love it! He is such a great kid already.

I'll leave you with these pictures. Steven sent me flowers at work yesterday! He's such a sweetheart. I love, love, love both of my boys so much!

 

It's A...

Peanut is a BOY!!

I have to make this quick because Steven's about to pick me up. We're seeing Paul McCartney tonight! I can't leave without sharing some awesome new pics with all of you!

Sweet little feet and toes

My sister said he looks like James Bond... our midwife said Michael Jackson. Steven says Shooter McGavin from "Happy Gilmore"

We're in love with him already!

Yep. That's pretty definitive evidence right there. Sorry Peanut!!  Haha

The baby is completely healthy- all organs including the heart, brain, kidneys, liver, stomach, etc. look great and the doctor was very pleased! We get to go back in 5 weeks to see our little guy again! We are so happy to be having a son and can't wait to meet him!

...oh, and before you ask, we don't have a name yet. In fact, we're not even close to making a decision but we're working on it!

Off to see Sir Paul!

From Peanut to Pretzel

Every Wednesday Steven and I get an email from BabyCenter.com telling us what to expect in the coming week of pregnancy. The email includes illustrations of what the baby looks like that week as well.

Last week the baby was 18 weeks along, and looked like this:

Peanut

Pretty normal, right? Today we hit 19 weeks and somehow the picture changed to THIS:

Pretzel!

HUH?!?!

What the heck happened??!! As a first time parent, I am concerned. What do I do with a child that can literally plug it's own ears with it's toes when I play too much Lady Gaga? Should I be worried or should I embrace this, and sign up my child for America's Got Talent already? I will be pondering this for the next several weeks. Stay tuned.

We are t-minus 2 days away from the big gender reveal! On Friday we go to our first ultrasound since week 7 and will hopefully get a good look at Peanut's, um, bathing suit area. So far the votes have been split down the middle- or in thirds, I suppose, since so many of you seem to believe I will be giving birth to an actual peanut! We'll see who gets bragging rights very shortly.

Now that we are in week 19 the baby's hearing is coming along to where it can begin to hear voices, music and Steven's guitar playing. This major development comes at a perfect time! After our ultrasound on Friday we're off to the Hullabalou music festival where we'll see our good friend Dierks Bentley (who is also expecting in December), as well as Bon Jovi! This will be Peanut's THIRD Bon Jovi concert, if you can believe it. That's what you refer to as an "occupational hazard." On Monday we're going to see the one and only PAUL MCCARTNEY and a few days later.... it's baby's first Hanson show! Peanut is getting a great musical education- it's diverse and chalk full of some of Mom and Dad's absolute favorites!

I'll be back Friday, hopefully, with news on whether we'll be expecting a son or a daughter! Until then I'll leave you with this cute picture our tour photographer just sent me. It's from Bon Jovi's Atlanta show in April. It was my pleasure to take my mom and sister backstage that night! I found out I was pregnant a few days before and am 5 weeks along here: