Last Two Weeks in a Nut Shell

Life these past two weeks has been so busy, but fun at the same time. Two weeks ago Tim and I flew to Orange County for my mom's wedding. It was a beautiful day! We also got to see my dad and complete our pre baptism class at St. Johns. By the way, so excited that my mom saved my baptism gown. She gave it to me for Hannah to wear at her 'dunking' as my dad likes to call it. For Thanksgiving we completed an eight hour car ride to Bishop to be with the Tatum Family. Despite being worth it once we were there, eight hours in a car is uncomfortable for anyone, but try it 8 months pregnant. Now that these two big events are over, it has really hit me that the birth is basically here. Leaving family and knowing that the next time I see them I will have Hannah in my arms is just too weird. Where has the time gone. I sure hope it slows down once she is here because I already feel like she is growing up too fast. Not only did I post my 8 month bump watch pic, but since the blog is titled "family" and not just "The life of Hannah" I posted some other pictures as well. Enjoy!

Week 33: Only 7 to go! (Month 8 bump watch pic)


Mom's Wedding: Congrats:)


Tatum Family Thanksgiving




Cutest Nephews Ever

Super Sized

Today Tim and I had our 32 week appointment. I want to thank all of the kind individuals who have built my self esteem throughout the pregnancy by telling me I "look small." Now perhaps you all were just trying to be nice, but if what you said is true, we learned today that "looking small" does not run in the family. I had a minor panic attack in the office today when the ultrasound measurement came in at 34 weeks. That's two whole weeks bigger than she should be. The doctor continued measuring her head, stomach, leg & arm bones and concluded that she currently weighs 5 lbs. 4 oz. I am still in complete shock that I have two months to go and she already weighs what our nephew weighed at birth. He tried to get an accurate length for us, but she is so smooched that the best he could say is "she looks very long." He also said she will be at least 8 lbs. if she makes it full term.

At this point he became more of a therapist and tried to assure me that it doesn't mean she will be a freakishly large individual and that 8 is the new 7 in terms of baby weight. He also assured me that my body can push out a large baby, followed by "her head is big, but it is so soft it will just form a cone and she will slide out." Slide out my butt, clearly he may be good at delivering babies, but had never pushed one out of his body. Tim was also kind and reminded me that big means healthy and it would be worse to hear the opposite. Aren't these men concerned that I have a closet full of cute newborn clothes that she may not fit into?

The doctor also did an internal exam because he knew I was traveling for Thanksgiving. Not only is she large, but she is already head down and "very low down." The cervix isn't dilated at all yet though so he said it's safe to go. Poor thing is crammed in so tight I think she is sending the message that she wants out. I hope she holds on though as her lungs and brain still require more developing.

I have gained a total of 17 lbs. and plan on that number growing rapidly with Thanksgiving in two days. Speaking of holidays I asked for an ultrasound pic so I could share with the family, but after 5 minutes of trying he gave up. Every angel just looks like random shapes and you can't tell what you are looking at. So readers, I apologize, I tried, but the space is just too confined now for those cute baby profile pics.

All in all I am so happy she is healthy and every week that goes by I feel blessed that she has lasted this long. I must say though that I am seriously convinced she is coming early and my hospital bag will be packed once I return from Bishop. Better safe than sorry. I hope I don't sound too negative talking about her size, because I will love her big or small, just fearful of labor. Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your holiday meal, after all we know Hannah will!

"I welcome each contraction by saying Hello."

Tim and I had a nice long 4 day weekend for Veteran's day. On Saturday and Sunday we attended an all day labor/birthing preparation class. The first day was spent discussing 'natural' (aka no medical intervention) births. This day was a hoot. I'm pretty sure Tim and I laughed more than practiced, but laughter is good and hopefully we can do the same once I'm really in labor. The teacher was a nice self proclaimed hippie who is trained as a doula and a "Happiest Baby on the Block" educator. I give women who chose natural birth a lot of credit and I don't mean to make fun of it because by all means those are stong courageous women, it was just the things the teacher was saying like repeat to yourself "I welcome each contraction by saying Hello" or "embrace your primal instinct." We watched videos on water births, births by women who chose to squat as someone caught the baby, and were even provided information about a place in Palo Alto that will dry your placenta and turn it into pill form if you chose to digest it later on. Apparently it prevents post pardum depression, but so does Prozac so I'll take my chances. Today was much more my style and we found it very informative. We talked about timing contractions, when to go to the hospital, dilation, various pain med options, breastfeeding, c-sections, etc. Both days we enjoyed learning and practicing massage and breathing techniques. It was a great opportunity for us to communicate openly about our expectations for the birth and what we would like/need from one another in terms of support. Tim is a great 'Doula Dad' and worked hard to learn and practice all the techniques. We have agreed on what our best case scenario 'birth plan' would be, but are very open minded to the fact that sometimes plans change and we are willing to accept and embrace whatever our doctor recommends for the health of our baby. This weekend we were also pre registered by the hospital so that no forms need to be completed one I'm in labor and we can just go straight to labor and delivery. I think we both left today thinking that we are as ready as we're going to be. We've read books, watched movies, talked to loved ones, gone to classes, practiced pushing, and even know what to do in the case of an unlikely emergency home birth in which Tim would deliver Hannah on our bathroom floor. It's probably all more than we will ever need to know, so yes, I think we are ready. Ready to embrace the fear and pain in order to meet our miracle and look back at these nine months knowing it was all worth it.

Christmas Came Early!

To most this will probably be a boring post, but I'm just so excited I had to share. Today Tim and I took the plunge and purchased two key items for baby Hannah that I have really been wanting. After all, memories are important. It's the same reason my dad and mom, and I'm sure yours as well, carried around those huge video cameras on their shoulders... we want to make sure we can preserve our children's happy times. So thanks mom and dad for sacrificing your backs as I do love watching old family video and flipping through my beautiful scrapbooks. Today we joined the fancy camera club and purchased an SLR camera. After much contemplation, we went with Cannon's new model Rebel T2I and I already love it! We also got a camcorder for family videos. Hate to rub it in mom and dad, but it fits in our palm and weighs about 1 lb. So yes, we spoiled ourselves today, but that's okay, Hannah can't be the only one to get new toys:)

I Can Count on My Fingers

10 weeks left! Today I have reached 30 weeks and had another doctor's appointment. Things are progressing well and Hannah is getting bigger and stronger each day. I have gained a total of 13 lbs. and Hannah weighs about 3 lbs. Length is around 17 inches. I think she is already crammed because I feel pretty swift jabs to the rib cage a few times a day. These final 10 weeks are key to brain development. All the connections are forming and she can now process information from all 5 senses. Lately Tim and I refer to her as alien baby because you can sit back and watch my stomach move on it's own. Kinda creepy, but reassuring at the same time that she is doing well. I now see the doctor every 2 weeks. Today he cleared me for airplane travel next weekend and I have to go in two days before Thanksgiving for a full internal scan for Thanksgiving travel clearance. I also learned that he will be "on Holiday" (as he says in his Swedish accident) from the end of December through January 1st so she better hold on. Maybe I'm reading too much into the questions, but I feel like he subconsciously thinks she is coming early. For example, today he casually asked, "Were you a big baby?" "Did your mom have fast labors?" etc... Happy to have a good check up and even happier to leave the office for once without a prescription note for blood work (surprising...) Tim and I are both getting very excited and doing well for the most part. I miss the days of good sleep, but figure it's the body's way of preparing me for middle of the night feedings.

The Camera Adds 10 Pounds Right?

Bump Watch: Month 7, Week 29
Shout out to Auntie Laura for letting me borrow so many of her maternity clothes:) Thanks!