31 weeks

Not a lot of updates or exciting news since the last post.  We do have a doctor's appointment this coming Monday so, I will be able to report any new developments and measurements since two weeks ago.

So far, the only difficulties I have been having is getting up from the couch, floor and bed.  Every once in a while I have to ask Dan for some assistance if I need to make a "quick" move...haha!  Otherwise, I take my sweet time in rolling to my side and then lifting myself up!

The other thing I've noticed is that the Hogie Bun certainly feels like it weighs a bit more, and I am feeling more pressure on my lower/upper back.

Baby Hogan's most active times are between 4-5amish, 7-9am, 1-3pm, 6-7pm...but loves to wiggle his butt and whole body between 9-11pm!  I basically feel him pretty much all day, but these are the times where he has his kickboxing and Tae Kwon Do classes and makes sure either Mom or Dad are focusing all of their attention on him!

Next weekend is the Baby Shower!  I'll post some of those pictures after it takes place!

The Hogie Bun at 31 weeks

Baby Bump Photoshoot

This past weekend was pretty busy.  Saturday, we started with an early Baby-Bump Photoshoot up in Madison, Wisconsin.  One of our college friends did us a great favor and took some pictures of us two/three! We are very grateful that she was able to do this for us in such a short period of time and capture these memories for us.

The weather in Wisconsin has been a little crazy lately.  We had 0 degree weather or lower with negative double digits winds, then afterwards it got warmer, with some snow, and on Saturday when these pictures were taken we had a beautiful day! Sunny, not too windy, snow on the ground, but still cold!  Hope you all enjoy them as much as we do!

All photos taken by Rebecca Ray

30 weeks

Baby & Momma Updates

• Things haven't really changed since my last appointment this past Monday, please reference week 29 for updates!

• I can't believe we are 10 weeks away from the due date.  I realize that it can be sooner or it can be a little later, but just thinking that next week we will be in the single digit weeks has me a little anxious and well just feel like I am sort of falling behind on my TO DO LISTS...!!!

• We did however, called a pediatrician that was highly recommended by one of our friends and who also happen to be recommended by the OBGYN's.  Luckily, this doctor is accepting new patients and the other important part, is that this doctor is in our network insurance.  Needless to say, when I called to ask for information and see if we can become a patient the receptions gave us the option to also set up a quick appointment to meet the doctor and make sure we as parents are comfortable with him, etc...  I thought "why not?".  She said the doctor would call me to see when it would be convenient for the three of us to meet.  Never did I expect to receive a call that same day at 7pm from the doctor to do a briefly introduction by phone and set up a time!  So far, I am happy with his prompt response to get back to us.  I hope that if we do like this pediatrician and something were to come up in the future (hopefully nothing too serious) he is just as responsive!

• On another note, when we went to our 20 week ultrasound, the technician did mentioned that normally if everything is going well and they see no signs of complications, that we will probably not get another ultrasound.  I asked the doctor on Monday if there was one more ultrasound scheduled and she said "no"...... Boooo.... The technician at the ultrasound did mentioned that GE does ultrasounds for free at their Waukesha location so that students can learn and study from them etc...  So I did a little research and found the number and emailed them. I am not sure if they will give me a call back since I am already at 30 weeks, but it's worth the try.. all to see our little IRISH BURRITO again.  I am also very curious to how he is positioned so I can get a better visual in my mind :) !

The Hogie Bun at 30 weeks

Daddy's & Other Updates
Mom C. gave us a juicer for Christmas and we finally used it!  This thing is amazing and the recipes that the book contains although some sound like a weird combination, are actually pretty good!

We are becoming more obsessed with the juicing little by little and adding it to our meals (mostly breakfast thus far).  I of course cannot replace a meal with a juice because I would be starving within 1 hour, but it's a good way to add those vegetables and fruits that one would normally not eat within one day.

This awesome Dad is putting some
hard/easy labor into this concoction!

The end result = Yummy Healthy Fresh Juice!
Carrots, Apples & Celery

Today on the 30th week celebration.... Dad made us some beet, carrot and orange juice! Great way to start your morning!  Now all I have to do is manage to get my butt out the door and get at least a 30 min. walk a day.  It's a little hard when it's 1 degree (or lower) and wind chills of (-15 and -25).

29 weeks

The Hogie Bun at 29 & 5 days

Total Weight Gain: My last doctor's appointment was at week 27.  Surprisingly, since then I've only gained a total of 1 pound.  I thought I was going to see a tremendous increase as the holidays offered quite the goodies and momma over here just couldn't resist the cookies!  So, the big number is at 24 pounds!

Based on where I am at and how things have been developing, we are still within the healthy weight gain range (25-35). I know I still have about 10 weeks+ so we'll see what the final number is.  I am trying not to focus too much on that so long as I keep a balanced nutrition, but let's face it, sometimes I could just eat ice cream all day!

On another note, my blood counts are higher than normal, which she said was a good thing to have and know when it comes to delivery.  I can go into more detail as to why this is good during delivery time, but I won't!  She did however, also mentioned an additional benefit of having a higher blood count, and that is that after delivery I might actually end up having a bit more energy than most women feel after delivery, but of course that's case by case.  For all I know I can just be one of them!

Momma's Update: After enjoying some warm, relaxing weather during our babymoon, I ended up getting a relatively small cold and congestion.  This congestion has been lingering for about a week now (not fun) but I am getting better.

My belly is measuring at 30".  However, I still get some people at work asking me how far along I am, and when I tell some of them, they respond "Oh, wow! I thought you were farther along".. in other words.. "Wow, you look huge!!!!
I am still not quite sure how I should take that. I understand I am pregnant and I am going to get bigger, but then it makes me wonder, do I really look much bigger than I should?

For all you men out there..... I don't think that this is a statement that needs to be said, whether one is expecting or not!  Believe it or not, I am still a bit self-conscious on how I look and it certainly doesn't add any confidence/self-esteem when one knows that they look bigger than normal and that they still have more pounds to gain!  In other words, please just keep it to yourself or simply say "Oh, you look great!"

Baby's Update: Baby is still moving and dancing along with us.  Very active especially in the mornings around 9am, mid-afternoons 1-2pm and sometimes just before going to bed 9ish.  I wonder if these are going to be the times that the baby is going to be the most active once he is out of the "hogie bun"???

I still don't know which way the baby is facing or what part of his body is what's moving etc...  The doctor mentioned that at this time, from what she was able to feel, she thinks that the baby is still head up, on my right side facing my left side, but we won't know for sure.

Discomfort: Sleeping has gotten better.  I still get the occasional hip discomfort but I just end up switching more often from side to side.  Other than that, it's just the normal discomforts of back-ache here and there.  It is now taking me a little longer to bend over or move faster, but I am adjusting.

Also, my T-shirts are no longer fitting AT ALL!!! & Dan's T-shirts are starting to get a bit tighter as well... I am running out of options....  :)

Bellybutton: It has popped, not a ton but you can certainly tell on shirts if I am not wearing a belly band or some sort of a spandex tank-top underneath my shirts.

Looking Forward to: Finalizing all of the baby shower details!  

Babymoon

Los Cabo San Lucas, México

The Office Restaurant
Médano Beach

Overall, the three of us had a wonderful time on our trip to Baja California Sur, Mexico.  As some of you know Dan and I had bid on a live auction trip to Cabo sometime early last year..  We tried to get a few of our friends and family to join us, but in the end that fell through and we figured why not take this time for ourselves before our little Irish Burrito arrives.

What a wonderful idea a babymoon !  As we arrived to Cabo, Dan and I looked like two lost puppies exiting the airport trying to find our transportation to the resort.  This wonderful gentleman pointed us in the "right direction".  The direction of a sales representative.  We had already planned on purchasing some excursions so we took the time to listen and see what her prices were.  After we have selected a few to purchase, she mentioned that in order to receive these prices in addition to some free breakfast, all we would have to do is attend a brief 75 minute presentation.... TIMESHARES!!! GRRR!!!

The price was right $53 for a sunset cruise dinner, whale watching, glass bottom boat tour and $50 worth of gift certificates to a near by restaurant.  We said, ok we'll do it.

Taken from balcony of our suite with iPhone

Next morning, we got our breakfast did the tour and let's just say this pregnant woman started to get pretty impatient with the constant "selling of everything" even after we had already said that we were not interested.  Finally, we got our promised "gifts".  We headed to our resort, changed and headed to the beach for some relaxation time.

That evening we went on the sunset dinner cruise.  It was a very nice time and the sunset was beautiful, like a photo-shopped sunset.  This cruise had some entertainment, music and paparazzi taking some pictures.  One of the pictures that they took as the one I posted under (28 weeks).  I thought it was a very cute picture of the three of us!  Dan was asked to take some tequila shots (which he loves -- NOT! and a bird pooped on the back of his shirt -- priceless! What an evening.  We sealed the night with a walk by the beach and some dessert (Flan & Chocolate Cake) at a near beach restaurant.

My belly started to become the center of random conversations.  Mostly people congratulating us and seem genuinely happy for the two of us.  Then they would follow up with the story of their lives and children.  So there we were having some nice conversations and then all of a sudden a "sales pitch comes out of their mouths".  By this time, Dan and I had discussed that NEVER again would we do another of those timeshare talks.  But here we were the guy was offering us some free breakfast again, 4 nights at this other resort, and some cash.  CASH! we thought...hmmm the guy threw in $150 dollars, I said, $300, then he said $200 cash, so that he can keep the $50 as his commission.  I looked at Dan and Dan agreed.

So here we go again... the sales rep, mentioned "now make sure you don't say you like it, or ask following questions and appear to be interested" this way you get your cash/gifts and I get some of my commission and you should be out in a reasonable time.  So Dan and I agreed, not to make any comments to see if we could just get our money, tour the place and head out to the beach.

The day comes, we eat breakfast, tour the resort and get sat and the sales pitch begins.  The rep got up and said I'll give you a few minutes to discuss and if you are not interested, we will get you your gifts and part ways.  In my husbands defense, this guy was good, in fact using some of the pointers that Dan as a salesperson himself has used in the past. The way Dan began to look at it was in the form of an investment.  Needless to say, the guy gets up, and I look over at Dan thinking "oh good, that wasn't too bad" when Dan begins to ask me questions regarding the offer.  I looked at him and said "Hold on, are you telling me that you are actually contemplating this and are interested".  He said, "I am looking at this as an investment, some of it makes sense" blah, blah, blah....  To make the story short, we kept asking questions and got him to lower it a ton and offer us "his best price/package" knowing that we were not going to purchase anything.  We finally were able to walk away and get our cash and gifts with no purchases - Thank goodness!

The rest of the days, we laid by the beach and enjoyed some refreshments and soaked up some rays.  The nights were a bit chilly (mid 50-60's) but still pretty comfortable.  We woke up to see the sunrise a few days and the rest of the trip was very relaxing.

Dan was able to go on the whale watching tour.  He got some amazing pictures! Unfortunately, I was not able to go due to how far along I was.  I must admit I was a bit sad, as that was one of the major highlights that I had envision doing during this trip, but I convinced Dan to go so that he can take some pictures/video and I can see them.

On our last day, we woke up early and headed to the beach to watch the sunrise and to take some pictures before heading back to the cold weather.

Highlights of our trip: 

• Relaxing by the beach with some alcoholic (Dan) and non-alcoholic beverages (Me)
• Sunset Cruise Dinner
• Whale watching
• Getting $200 cash + all other excursions at a very low price
• Enjoying some authentic mexican shows/dances at different restaurants
• Watching the first quarter (only) of the Packer game in downtown Cabo
• People watching

The list can go-on-and-on.... Overall, it was a wonderful trip that they two of us (3) got to enjoy together before our little bundle of joy meets us face-to-face.  

28 weeks

The Hogie Bun at 28 weeks
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Momma's Update: I spoke to the Doctor last night after emailing her some questions I had.  These past few appointments I have not been able to meet with my original Doctor and so I wanted to make sure things were still on the right path.

Come to know the Doctor had shingles in her head, thankfully she is doing much better.  She answered some of my questions regarding to tests.  I had to re-take the glucose test just to get reassurance and to also test my iron levels.  The test came back negative again for gestational diabetes.  Although it went up from 103 to 123, she mentioned it's a pass or fail and that I shouldn't be concern.  I had mentioned the concerns that my husband had due to my increase in sugar intake over the holidays.  Needless to say, she said that my body must be breaking down the sugar quite well!

As far as my iron levels go, she also mentioned they were great (13.8 hemoglobin  normally she said that 11.7 is the low end of normal, so I am just where I need to be and doesn't foresee me having difficulties for the rest of the pregnancy.

Additionally, as she was giving me the results of our little Irish Burrito, she confirmed that all of the organs are looking great and developing healthy.  Although I think my weight is a bit much for where I am, she said that the weight gain looks great.  She also mentioned that I shouldn't be too alarmed if for some reason I don't fee the baby move too much, as my placenta which is apparently 2" thick is right on front.

She said to go ahead and start the kick counting (starting and ending movement).  Count 10 kicks/movements within 2 hours.  So I have been doing that twice a day, morning and at night.  We have a very active boy in the Hogie Bun so it's easy for me to know that he has way over 10 movements within 2+ hours.

Baby's Update: Doctor mentioned that the baby probably weights over 2 lbs by now.  He has been very active and loves to tickle and poke my belly with (?- don't know leg/elbow/touchy/hand) at different times of the day.

I will say it's very exciting and gives me a piece of mind, but there are times, where it just feels weird and uncontrollable.  I do however, like to look down at my belly to see how it moves.

Discomfort: I know I've mentioned that I haven't had much to complain and my discomforts were to a minimum.  I am still somewhat sticking to this.  With the exception of last night.  I had the hardest time finding a comfortable spot on the bed, I tried all sorts of positions with pillows, etc... and nothing, I tried sitting while sleeping... not very comfortable.  I also keep feeling a constant "stretchy feeling" on the left of my belly, which was uncomfortable to lay on... so after waking up at 2:00 a.m. and tossing and turning until 4:00 a.m., I decided to move tot he couch and see if that would help.

To my surprise, it sort of did.  It wasn't that comfortable but at least I could feel like I was getting some rest.  I am hoping that these next months are not spent sleeping on the couch.  I am actually considering investing in one of those wedges that they sell at Babies"R"Us and see if that helps me sleep better!  Any suggestions?

Bellybutton: Previously, I had mentioned that it looked like it was starting to pop a little.  Now that the Hogie Bun has grown it has begun to take a flat shape.

Looking Forward to: considering this is my first full week back at work since the beginning of December and I am not having a ton of luck sleeping through the night.  I am looking forward to sleeping more comfortably and getting some rest.  I am also looking forward to finalizing some decorations for the baby shower that's coming up pretty soon!

27 weeks

The Hogie Bun at 27 weeks

Total Weight Gain: As of last week I had gained a total of 23 pounds! So I am really not sure how much I've gained since then, probably .5 or so?

Baby's Update: According to the lovely apps that I follow, the baby weighs almost 2 pounds (head of cauliflower) and measures about 14 1/2 inches long with legs extended.  I am thinking this baby of ours weighs more, just because at 20 weeks he weighed 1.1 pounds, but I am not a doctor, nor do I know the rapidness of his growth....

Based on how the last two measurements that the doctor took, it seems like the hogie bun has been growing proportionally with the number of weeks.  So I am guessing that I am measuring at 27cm.  (I can confirm this next week, when I purchase a measuring tape, I don't own one).

Movement: Our Irish Burrito is one active little boy in the hogie bun!  Sometimes he is very calm, but when he is active he makes sure you know his moving! 

Discomfort: I really can't complain of how my pregnancy has gone thus far.  My discomforts have been very minimum and pretty normal.

I complain the most at night, when my body is just tired and my lower/upper back just ache from all of the extra weight that I am carrying that I can't seem to get comfortable in any position.

Sleeping at night didn't used to be a problem, but now I just feel like I can't seem to get quality sleep.  I am constantly turning from one side to the other, in what feels like every 5 minutes.  OH THE JOY OF PREGNANCY!  There has been times where I wake up in the middle of the night and notice that I am more flat on my back, which freaks me out (yes, I exaggerate) but I do worry and wonder if perhaps I was in that position for too long and whether or not my uterus was pressing on the major vein and interfering with the flow of blood and nutrients to the baby.  These things go through my mind in the middle of the night/morning!

On the brighter side, I have noticed the baby move at random hours of the night, so that reassures me that he is doing fine.

Bellybutton: not quite all the way out, but I have noticed the the top of my bellybutton is starting to pop a little.

Looking Forward to: a short work week and then a relaxing week in Los Cabos, Mexico! Excited to spend some time with just my husband in some warm weather before we become a family of 3!

Babymoon - Los Cabos, Mexico