Kick Baby Kick

This morning after daddy's first alarm went off I snuggled in to cuddle with him. My bare belly was touching his bare back and you started kicking him!! It was funny and neither of us wanted to get out of bed! We love you sweet boy!

Sonogram - 3/30

We had our weekly sonogram this Tuesday. We were 32w4d at the time of the sono. I had a different tech this time and went to a different sono room. It's amazing how different each "sono" machine is. Technology! And I think this tech was a little more experienced too. She zipped right through the sono. I think the whole thing took 7 minutes from the time I got in the room until I was off with my 3 pictures!! She said everything was looking really great. My Amniotic Fluids were stable - no increase or decrease from the last time they checked. Mason's measurements were right on schedule. The tech said, "Wow, he has some cheeks on him" - that makes me smile/giggle everytime!! I love those cheeks. :) Mason showed to be weighing 4lbs 5oz. I can defintely tell he's getting bigger because the sono pictures are getting harder to see! Not as much of him fits on the screen anymore. Plus, his movements and kicks are getting stronger and stronger everyday! I just love it.

Sono pics - sorry about the quality.

Profile:

(Turn your head to the right) Mason looking at us

And again - look at those cheeks!!

Belly pics!

Can't see my toes anymore :)

Dr Appt - 3/25

Catching up!

My Dr Appt on Thursday went really well. I had another NST test. Not the most comfortable thing in the world...but it's wonderful to get to listen to Mason for over 20 minutes. He was very active and they had to keep chasing him with the monitors. No surprise there! My baby boy is always active. I love it though! Such great reassurance when he's moving around so much. Dr Greve said that he looked good from the test. My belly measured 32cm (right on schedule), I gained 1/2 a pound in 2 weeks, blood pressure was good - 112/68. Mason's heart rate stayed in the 140/150 range during the test.

I do have to go for weekly sonograms though! He wants to monitor my Amniotic fluids weekly. So, I have a sonogram every Tuesday and an appt every Thursday, wow. They scheduled me for the next 5 weeks.

Wk 1

3/30 - Tuesday - 9:00am sonogram

4/1 - Thursday - 8:15am Dr OB appt

Wk2

4/6 - Tuesday - 9:00am sonogram

4/8 - Thursday - 8:00am Dr OB appt

Wk3

4/13 - Tuesday - 8:30am sonogram

4/15 - Thursday - 8:00am Dr OB appt

Wk4

4/20 - Tuesday - 8:30am sonogram

4/22 - Thursday - 8:00am Dr OB appt

Wk5

4/27 - Tuesday - 8:30am sonogram

4/29 - Thursday - 8:15am Dr OB appt

32 weeks

Wow! Can't believe we only have 8 weeks (give or take a couple) to go!!! Time sure is flying by now.

Week 32 of Pregnancy:

This week your baby weighs almost four pounds and could be up to 19 inches long. And though that's a head-to-toe length, your baby is actually back to a curled-up position (you try standing up in those cramped quarters!). At 32 weeks pregnant, you're likely feeling tapping and squirming instead of your baby's signature rocking and rolling. That's because, while comfy, your baby is a bit tight for exercise space right now. Your baby has also probably settled into the head-down, bottoms-up position in your pelvis in prepartion for birth. That's because the fetus's head fits better at the bottom of your inverted, pear-shaped uterus. It also makes it easier during childbirth if your baby comes out head first. Fewer than five percent of babies prefer the bottom-down (or breech) position by full-term. Don't worry if your baby hasn't assumed the head-down position yet. There's still a good chance he or she will flip head-side-down before birth — even in the tight confines of your uterus.

While your baby is still getting nourishment through the umbilical cord, it won't be long before you'll be bringing on the breast milk or formula (and soon after, the mashed carrots and peas). In anticipation of that momentous transition to mouth feeding, your baby's digestive system is all set and ready to go.

And because your baby is accumulating more fat, his or her skin is finally turning opaque (like yours), which means those see-through days are over. Though weeks away from D-day, your baby's looking more and more like a newborn.

And speaking of that big day, hope you're resting up for it — because your bambino certainly is. In preparation for that big first date with you, your baby is sleeping like a baby — with sleep cycles of 20 to 40 minutes long (which would also account for the decrease in movement you're likely feeling these days).

How far along: 32 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 23.5 lbs

Maternity clothes: Oh yeah

Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep:  Can't get enough and it's getting easier and easier to oversleep in the mornings! I have to shower at night because I can't wake up early enough in the mornings!

Best moment this week: Getting to hear Mason's heartbeat for over 20 minutes yesterday at my NST appt.

Movement: Like crazy! I can tell Mason is getting bigger because his kicks and movements are stronger. Grow baby grow!!!

Food cravings: Not really

Food aversions:  Depends on the day!

Gender:  Male

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out:  Pretty much out

What I miss: Not much! I've enjoyed every single day of my pregnancy so far!!!

What I am looking forward to: Sonogram on Tuesday!!

Pictures :)

31w5d - Big ol' polka dots!!

And Today - 32 Weeks

31w5d

Okay, so last night watching 19 kids and counting really put things into perspective for me/us. At 47 days old sweet baby Josie was weighing in at 2lbs 3.5oz. Very tiny! Mason, as of last Thursday was showing to be 3lbs 10oz. He has already surpassed her weight. It's amazing to me that I have a baby growing inside my belly bigger than the one I was watching on TV.

Last week at my appt my sono tech and the dr I saw that day both made a comment that Mason was measuring in a little big for his gestational period. Dr Sarmini also mentioned that I may be a little further along. This morning I was browsing The Bump and saw this:

How big is baby?

Your Baby: Month 7

Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments.

It says here that the average size from 29 to 32 weeks is 2.5 to 3.8lbs. I haven't even reached 32 weeks yet and at 31 weeks Mason measured to be 3lbs 10oz. WOW!!!! Also, I can tell that he's getting bigger because his kicks are getting stronger, and they're getting higher up in my belly. Also, his movements are more profound/strong. It's amazing, that's for sure!!!

I am very interested to see my Dr this Thursday. Thank God he's back in town!

xoxoxoxoxo

4D Sonogram, 31w1d

Saturday Nathan and I went for our 4D sonogram. I know, I know - everyone kept asking us why we were paying for a sonogram when we get one every other week from my doctor. We wanted to see his features/details, plain and simple as that :) All of our doctor sonograms are black and white and all for medical reasons. We can see the structure of his face, body, but no details. So, we thought it would be nice to have a "fun" sonogram where we weren't worrying about all the medical stuff. And it was just that - awesome and fun! We went back to Storkvision as that is the place we went when we found out Mason was a boy (December 18th, 2009). We were only 18 weeks then, but they were able to show us some of the sonogram in 3/4d. We thought it was really neat and that's when we decided we would go back for a 4d sono!! Storkvision is such a nice and relaxing place. We love it there.

For the first 10-15 minutes of the sonogram Mason had his hands in front of his face and it was hard to get a clear picture. We couldn't get anything with me laying on my back, except his face with two arms in front of it. So the tech had me lay on my right side to get him to move. Finally he started moving his hands out of his face and we were able to see his face! He's sooooooooooooooooo adorable!!! And he looks just like his DADDY! Like a total replica of him. He has his exact nose and mouth! It's cute and crazy at the same time. The sono tech even kept saying, wow, he looks just like his daddy. She also kept saying that he was a "cutie pie". So I guess that makes his daddy a cutie pie too!  :)

It really amazes me, the technology out there. Thank you God for making someone so smart enough to make a sonogram machine that lets us see 4d images of our children in the womb! It's an amazing experience! It really puts everything into perspective and definitely made us more ready to meet Mason! Won't be too much longer as the days/weeks are flying by as fast as the B1 plane Uncle Trent flies :) hee hee! Okay, maybe not that fast, but you get the idea.

I am truly and completely in love with the fact that Mason looks just like his daddy! It makes my heart fill with so much joy! I am such a proud Mommy already and love my boys very much. (all 3 of them - Nate, Mason and Diesel). I am blessed and words could never express how thankful I am for the life God has given me. I couldn't ask for anything more. Well, except for a smooth and healthy delivery and a healthy baby boy!! :)

Now for the pictures!

31 weeks 1 Day

4D Sonogram

First pictures are from when Mason had his arms in front of his face.

And then finally he started moving his arms/hands!

And a video:

Isn't he adorable?!?!!?!?

31 Weeks

How far along: 31 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Still at 23lbs

Maternity clothes: Yep

Stretch marks: No, pray that doesn't happen :)

Sleep: Hard to get to that point, but have been sleeping uninterrupted for the last 4 or so nights!!

Best moment this week: Seeing Mason on Thursday at the Doctor, 3lbs 10 oz

Movement: Lots and lots, as usual. Mostly after I ate and when I relax and get real comfy!

Food cravings: More aversions, starting to have nausea again. :(

Food aversions: You name it. Just depends on the time of day!

Gender: Male

Labor Signs: Negative

Belly Button in or out: Even

What I miss: Being able to shave or paint my toes :) hee hee! Nothing major

What I am looking forward to: Seeing Mason again @ the 4d Sono!! (I was supposed to write this on Friday, just didn't get a chance)

Pictures - these were taken at 31w3d (today, March 22)

Dr Appt - 30w6d

Thursday, March 18th we had a sonogram followed by a Dr Appt. This sonogram was scheduled by my Doctor and was a Biophysical sonogram. Diana (our fabulous sono tech) took all of Mason's measurements, checked my fluids and even checked the blood flow in the umbilical cord. Everything checked out okay. My fluids haven't increased, nor decreased. Which is a good thing (that they haven't increased). Mason is growing and getting so big. Nathan and I love seeing him on sonograms!! Pretty soon we will get to see the real thing.

Heartrate - 128bpm (this is the lowest it has ever been, but I think he was asleep when she took this. Shortly afterwards he was awake and kicking/moving like crazy. I would bet that it would have been a lot higher if she took a second heartrate measurement)

Weight - 3lbs 10oz

Diana made a comment about him being a little "big" for almost 31 weeks. But didn't really elaborate. At one point we were looking at Mason's feet and I said, that foot looks awfully long. She said, you are right it does, let's see if we can get a measurement. She did, and it was 6.56cm, which is already 2.5 inches. WHAT?? That blows my mind. Nate and I do not have big feet. LOL! Here's a picture of his ginormous foot :)

And some pictures of his beautiful face!!!

After the sonogram Nate headed back to work. He was the only one in his dept that day and needed to get back to work. We were done with the fun stuff, anyway :) I did my labwork and then to the waiting room to wait for my appt. My doctor was out on vacation that week, so I had to see a different Dr. They scheduled me to see Dr Olive, which is a female. I've never had a female doctor, ever! So that was going to be different. My sono tech told me that Dr Olive was NEVER on time and that I may wait longer than I normally do. Well, I waited for a whole hour. Grr. That was frustrating considering I was in a waiting room full of 4 women all talking very loudly on their cell phones in SPANISH!!!!! Talk about fun! So I get called back there and my normal nurse takes my blood pressure (which was perfect), and asks me all the routine questions - any bleeding - no, any water leaking - no, any contractions - no, any medications besides tums and vitamins - no. Then she says the Dr will be in soon. Another 20 minutes later...a different Dr (not Dr Olive) comes in. His name was Dr Sarmini and I really liked him! He was nice and funny. He went through all of my paperwork, said everything was looking good. He checked the sono pics and said, 3lbs 10oz...hmm, that is a little large for 31 weeks. He said that Mason's gestational period may be off a little...meaning he/I may be futher along than originally thought. Just like a few days or a week...but STILL - means it's even closer than we anticipated!!!! WOW! That was a slap of reality there. He said that my fluids are remaining the same which was a good sign, but that they would keep watching us!

So, I go back Thursday - to my normal doctor, thank God! We are having another stress test, where they monitor us for a period of time to check for heartrate, movement, etc.

30 Weeks

How far along: 30 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 23lbs

Maternity clothes: Definitely

Stretch marks: Nope!

Sleep: Not as easy as it once was!

Best moment this week: Stress test on Wednesday -

getting to hear all of Mason's movements and heartbeat, and hiccups for nearly 45 minutes!!!

Movement: Yep, not sure he sleeps :)

Food cravings: Mexican Food, 7 Eleven Slurpee (random, I know)

Food aversions: Popcorn

Gender: Still a boy!

Labor Signs: Nah

Belly Button in or out: Neither, just flat

What I am looking forward to: Sonogram/appt on Thursday and our 4d sono on Saturday!!

Picture:

 

Baby Shower #1

We had our first baby shower last weekend, Saturday March 6th. It was such a wonderful day (well, it turned out to be I should say). Nate and I woke up around 8 am to spruce up the house and do some last minute prep. Dad, Rodney, Brandon, Travis and Uncle Brad came over to bring Mason's new Armoire (pictures below) and to help us replace a piece of trim in the hallway that leads to Mason's room. It was nice to hang out with the guys for a bit before having a mostly "girls" day! My daddy completely restored an old Armoire for Mason's room and it came out amazing. Of course! I expected nothing less because my dad is great at that kind of stuff. He needs to open up shop, seriously! But in the meantime I am okay with being his 'guinea pig' with projects :) Anyhow, we got the Armoire in Mason's room and rearranged some furniture and then Dad and Rodney replaced the trim. I mostly cleaned while they chatted and finished the trim. I had a little scare though. I had bad cramping in my lower stomach and pain like I was getting a UTI. I took some tylenol (which I have only done like 3 total times since getting pregnant) and the cramps went away like 20 minutes later. However, the other pain lasted until 30 minutes after the baby shower started. I was not feeling great at all, but was so excited about the shower. Thank God I was relieved of that pain and was able to enjoy Mason's special day :) My mom, sister and Aunt Donia did such a great job hosting the shower. Everything was just perfect - the decor, the food, the cake, the games, and most of all the company! A big thanks to you three and also my other aunts that helped with the shower! I don't know what I'd do without the love and support of such a great family!!! I think almost everyone that got an invite to the family shower was there. It was an amazing turn-out. Let's just say my house got really small really quick! But it was GREAT!!! I had such a great time with everyone and Mr. Mason was certainly "Showered" with gifts. Below are some of the things he got:

- Jogging Stroller/carseat combo

- Rocking chair/ottoman

- Bassinet

- The Armoire from dad

- Bouncer

- Bumby

- Diaper Genie

- A custom blanket made by my cousin Christian

- Diapers, wipes, toiletries

- Clothes galore

And so much more!

Now for the pictures :) Thank you Jessica for taking second by second snapshots of the entire day!!!

Me getting ready before:

Mason's Mommy & Daddy before the shower

(he's no longer grizzlyman, though)

The Cake

Decorations and candy bars Donia made

Food

My beautiful Grandmother

Baby Rhett & I

My Mother in Law, LeeAnn and I

Just hanging out

Listening to one of the games

Love this frame!

Chair/Ottoman being delivered from the boys - gift from the Halls

All the gifts! Thanks everyone!!!

Stroller/Carseat from Mom, Aunt Laura, Aunt Donia, Aunt Tira, Aunt Kira

Bouncer from the Hattons

Sign my Dad had made for Mason

Bassinet from my cousin Donell

Mason's new Armoire & Chair

Mason's room

Again

And again

Mason's new Clothes

We are soooo blessed! Thanks again everyone!!