Had another appointment this afternoon (I don't think I've ever been to the doctor's office so frequently!).
Everything is still looking good. My measurement was 32cm (same as last time? The Midwife (MW) said this could have been because of the baby's position). Blood pressure still good at 110/76. Natalie's (! still so weird for her to have a name) heart rate was mid-130s (she wasn't moving much at the time..). And, she seems to be in the head-down position (according to the MW, she will probably stay this way).
I've been feeling pretty tired this week, so I asked about Iron supplements. She said my iron level at my last blood draw was 11.3 and 11 would be considered anemic. Iron won't hurt, and it might help with the energy level. So, we'll see. She gave me bottle of liquid iron supplement. Tried it tonight - tastes like warm OJ (most of you probably know that I HATE OJ). We'll see how well it works.
Tonight, we went to birth class #2. We really like the nurse teaching the class, so that makes it more fun. There are about 13 couples in the class and most of us are due within a few days of each other.
Next appointment 9/9 (and then they become weekly, yikes!)
8.26.2009
8.23.2009
We have a name!
We've already told most everyone we know, but the big news is that baby girl now has a name!
We agonized for months and created list after list of names. We were down to about 20 or so, but ultimately just couldn't decide. We knew that at some point, the name would come to us and be obvious, so we stopped reading the books of names and were just waiting.
One weekend Luce & Pierre stopped by (to drop off the dresser) and they said they had thought of some names for us. When they explained why they thought of Natalie, we knew it was her name! Luce had an older sister who was still-born and her name was Natalie. We love the name for two reasons - it has some family history AND it was already on our list!
We had a much easier time with the middle name - the list was much shorter and it was fairly easy once we had a first name. We picked Faye for my Great Aunt Laura. She was out visiting from Oklahoma in April and one night when we were eating dinner, we were having a family discussion about names. Her name is Laura Faye and I made a mental note that I really liked it and would keep it in mind.
So, Natalie Faye it is! We are still adjusting to the fact that she has a name and are occasionally caught off guard when someone asks how Natalie is doing, but it is nice to have that task out of the way. We think it has been one of the hardest so far..!
Here's some updated pictures of the nursery. My co-worker, Rachel, painted these great letters for us! We really like the way it personalizes and adds color to the room!
(the lighting in this picture makes the top part of the wall look a little pink, but it's not..just tan)
Natalie Faye
We agonized for months and created list after list of names. We were down to about 20 or so, but ultimately just couldn't decide. We knew that at some point, the name would come to us and be obvious, so we stopped reading the books of names and were just waiting.
One weekend Luce & Pierre stopped by (to drop off the dresser) and they said they had thought of some names for us. When they explained why they thought of Natalie, we knew it was her name! Luce had an older sister who was still-born and her name was Natalie. We love the name for two reasons - it has some family history AND it was already on our list!
We had a much easier time with the middle name - the list was much shorter and it was fairly easy once we had a first name. We picked Faye for my Great Aunt Laura. She was out visiting from Oklahoma in April and one night when we were eating dinner, we were having a family discussion about names. Her name is Laura Faye and I made a mental note that I really liked it and would keep it in mind.
So, Natalie Faye it is! We are still adjusting to the fact that she has a name and are occasionally caught off guard when someone asks how Natalie is doing, but it is nice to have that task out of the way. We think it has been one of the hardest so far..!
Here's some updated pictures of the nursery. My co-worker, Rachel, painted these great letters for us! We really like the way it personalizes and adds color to the room!
(the lighting in this picture makes the top part of the wall look a little pink, but it's not..just tan)
Party, Party
I'm super beind with posting the updates!
We've had a lot of celebrations this month. Our nursery is full of great baby items and we are almost completely ready for baby to come home (at least as far as "stuff" goes...I don't think we're mentally quite prepared!) We hope that the Doctor who did the ultrasound was correct, because there is a surplus of pink and girly items! David's reaction after we got everything put away was "whoa, it's pretty pink in here".
On Saturday, August 8th, Luce & Tania had a great shower for me! It was great to see all of the family and friends. Along with the locals, David's grandma Pauline and Aunt Lili-Anne made it for the shower.
Patty, Shannah & I
We've had a lot of celebrations this month. Our nursery is full of great baby items and we are almost completely ready for baby to come home (at least as far as "stuff" goes...I don't think we're mentally quite prepared!) We hope that the Doctor who did the ultrasound was correct, because there is a surplus of pink and girly items! David's reaction after we got everything put away was "whoa, it's pretty pink in here".
On Saturday, August 8th, Luce & Tania had a great shower for me! It was great to see all of the family and friends. Along with the locals, David's grandma Pauline and Aunt Lili-Anne made it for the shower.
My mom brought the outfit that I went home from the hospital in. (I've grown just a bit the last 29 years!) It's fun that she held onto the dress and bonnett all this time.
The cousins with Grandma Remillard.
On Sunday, August 2nd, Patty, Shannah, my mom and Arline had a shower for me in Hanford. Luce, Tania, Anna and I made a day out of it. It was great to see all of my family for the afternoon. Food, Games and Cake - all of which were great!
Patty, Shannah & I
8.13.2009
7th Appt (30 wks, 5 days)
We started our biweekly appointments - it's hard to believe time has gone so quickly!
Everything is still well. My blood pressure was 110/65 (normal for me, and still on the low side). I measured at 32cm, which is about 1 week ahead of schedule, but David and I weren't too convinced the measure job was too accurate (seemed a little sloppy to us).
The best part of the appointment was that I asked about her position again. I'm still convinced that she mostly has her head up and feet down below kicking away. The Midwife felt around and decided that, yes, she was head-up, laying at a diagonal. And, she showed me how to tell! She had me put my hands on either side of the head and then alternate pressure between my hands. You can totally feel her head bobble back and forth. Very fun! David got to try it too. (By the way, she also mentioned that baby probably flips around 20 times a day; this surprised me, because I never feel any of that! We still have another 5 weeks or so until they get concerned that she's not staying head-down).
Still no contractions, swelling, backache, rib-ache (from kicking) or anything else terribly uncomfortable. I have been tired this week, but I'm pretty sure that was due to all of the weekend activities (will post more about the family visits, showers, BBQ, etc later).
Next appointment in 2 weeks on Aug 26th.
Everything is still well. My blood pressure was 110/65 (normal for me, and still on the low side). I measured at 32cm, which is about 1 week ahead of schedule, but David and I weren't too convinced the measure job was too accurate (seemed a little sloppy to us).
The best part of the appointment was that I asked about her position again. I'm still convinced that she mostly has her head up and feet down below kicking away. The Midwife felt around and decided that, yes, she was head-up, laying at a diagonal. And, she showed me how to tell! She had me put my hands on either side of the head and then alternate pressure between my hands. You can totally feel her head bobble back and forth. Very fun! David got to try it too. (By the way, she also mentioned that baby probably flips around 20 times a day; this surprised me, because I never feel any of that! We still have another 5 weeks or so until they get concerned that she's not staying head-down).
Still no contractions, swelling, backache, rib-ache (from kicking) or anything else terribly uncomfortable. I have been tired this week, but I'm pretty sure that was due to all of the weekend activities (will post more about the family visits, showers, BBQ, etc later).
Next appointment in 2 weeks on Aug 26th.
7.29.2009
6th Appt (28 wks, 4 days)
Today's doctor appointment went well. Everything seems right on schedule and no major concerns. The midwife thinks the baby is probably semi-head down. She's sort of laying at an angle and apparently what I thought were kicks are most likely hands jabbing at me! (although I think I'd rather that than being kicked in the ribs constantly...I'm sure that is still yet to come).
She setup my appointments for the rest of the pregnancy. I start going every other week until the last month when the appointments become weekly.
All good news:
She setup my appointments for the rest of the pregnancy. I start going every other week until the last month when the appointments become weekly.
All good news:
- I passed my diabetes test and the blood results don't look like I'm anemic at this point!
- Blood pressure is still normal (a little on the higher side today, but I was running around quite a bit before my appt).
- Baby's heartbeat is really strong - mid 140s.
Just for fun, here's a few progression pictures. These are from the beginning (January - I was actually posing to show how long my hair was before I chopped it!), 20 weeks (end of May) and 28 weeks (Monday 7/27):
The great name debate continues - but maybe not for long...! Stay tuned.
7.28.2009
Sneak Peek!
We are back from our vacation (Shasta was great!). While we were gone, Grandpa Remillard painted the nursery for us (such a nice gift, as I get rather bored while painting..just ask David - I'm really not much help).
Here's a couple of pictures. Of course the room is still missing a lot of things and needs some more decorating, but we like the colors! (oh and ignore all of the junk in the crib..it's sort of become short term storage since we could just push the mess around the room to paint).
Pierre also refinished a dresser to match the room - it looks great! It still needs handles, but we really like the way it turned out.
We have another doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon, so I'll update again after we're home.
Here's a couple of pictures. Of course the room is still missing a lot of things and needs some more decorating, but we like the colors! (oh and ignore all of the junk in the crib..it's sort of become short term storage since we could just push the mess around the room to paint).
Pierre also refinished a dresser to match the room - it looks great! It still needs handles, but we really like the way it turned out.
We have another doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon, so I'll update again after we're home.
7.01.2009
5th Appt (24 wks 5 days)
We had our monthly appointment today. Nothing too exciting to post.
I'm measuring right on track at 24cm. The baby has been moving and kicking a bunch. David's gotten a couple of good kicks in the evening, but for the most part I think she knows when we're talking about her. I'll tell him "she's kicking a lot" and as soon as he touches my stomach, she stops!
The morning sickness has definitely tapered off, but it's not totally gone. I talked to the Dr. about it today and she recommended I switch to kiddie vitamins. I haven't been taking my vitamins too consistently because everytime I do, I wake up feeling sick. So, back to the Flinstones I guess!
Overall, I'm feeling pretty good. Had a little swelling in my feet this weekend, but we were visiting family in the valley and it was only 108 on Sunday, so I guess that's to be expected! Some days my back is a little achy - I think baby girl has taken up residency back there sometimes. Works to my advantage though - David's getting pretty good at back rubs! :)
I got the paperwork to take the dreaded 1-hr Glucose Test this month. How bad can a sugary drink taste?!
We're still working on names. Nothing seems to be grabbing our attention right now. We pick some that we like, and then the next day we decide we've changed our mind. We're just waiting for her to tell us what she wants to be called!
The nursery is in progress. Hopefully we'll have something to take pictures of soon. We picked a paint scheme and are going to be working on that the next few weeks. It's all coming together!
I'm measuring right on track at 24cm. The baby has been moving and kicking a bunch. David's gotten a couple of good kicks in the evening, but for the most part I think she knows when we're talking about her. I'll tell him "she's kicking a lot" and as soon as he touches my stomach, she stops!
The morning sickness has definitely tapered off, but it's not totally gone. I talked to the Dr. about it today and she recommended I switch to kiddie vitamins. I haven't been taking my vitamins too consistently because everytime I do, I wake up feeling sick. So, back to the Flinstones I guess!
Overall, I'm feeling pretty good. Had a little swelling in my feet this weekend, but we were visiting family in the valley and it was only 108 on Sunday, so I guess that's to be expected! Some days my back is a little achy - I think baby girl has taken up residency back there sometimes. Works to my advantage though - David's getting pretty good at back rubs! :)
I got the paperwork to take the dreaded 1-hr Glucose Test this month. How bad can a sugary drink taste?!
We're still working on names. Nothing seems to be grabbing our attention right now. We pick some that we like, and then the next day we decide we've changed our mind. We're just waiting for her to tell us what she wants to be called!
The nursery is in progress. Hopefully we'll have something to take pictures of soon. We picked a paint scheme and are going to be working on that the next few weeks. It's all coming together!
6.02.2009
4th Appt (20 wks 4 days)
I went in for my 4th appointment this morning. David and I got to meet another one of the midwives, Helen. I really liked her! She does 40% of the office's deliveries, so there is a good chance she will be the one at the hospital when it's time. We went over the standard questions and she had some good suggestions for reading material.
She reviewed the ultrasound results and said everything looks good. My 2nd trimester screening tests also came back with normal results. The odds that something is wrong is 1 in 10,000, which the nurse said was the best result to get.
We got to hear the hearbeat again - it was in the mid-140 range. And I'm measuring right on track at 21cm.
Next appointment is July 1! Two more monthly appointments and then I switch to going every two weeks. Time is sure flying.
After the appointment, we walked over to French Hospital and got a tour of the labor and delivery area. We're leaning towards French, but we have an appointment on the 14th to see Sierra Vista. If we go with French, we'll still register at SV because thats where the NICU is; if I go into labor before 36 weeks, it's mandatory that I deliver at SV.
It's also back to school for us - David got us all signed up for "Babies and Birthing 101" last week. We're taking the 6 week birthing course and then a couple of other classes for baby basics, breastfeeding, and CPR.
That the update for now. We're still working on the name...there's too many to choose from!
She reviewed the ultrasound results and said everything looks good. My 2nd trimester screening tests also came back with normal results. The odds that something is wrong is 1 in 10,000, which the nurse said was the best result to get.
We got to hear the hearbeat again - it was in the mid-140 range. And I'm measuring right on track at 21cm.
Next appointment is July 1! Two more monthly appointments and then I switch to going every two weeks. Time is sure flying.
After the appointment, we walked over to French Hospital and got a tour of the labor and delivery area. We're leaning towards French, but we have an appointment on the 14th to see Sierra Vista. If we go with French, we'll still register at SV because thats where the NICU is; if I go into labor before 36 weeks, it's mandatory that I deliver at SV.
It's also back to school for us - David got us all signed up for "Babies and Birthing 101" last week. We're taking the 6 week birthing course and then a couple of other classes for baby basics, breastfeeding, and CPR.
That the update for now. We're still working on the name...there's too many to choose from!
5.20.2009
Cautiously Posting
I think my morning sickness is gone now! It's officially been 7 WHOLE days of no sickness. That may not sound like much of a feat to most, but after being sick multiple times a day for 12 weeks (minus about 8 inter-mixed days) it feels GREAT to wake up feeling decent. I had no idea it would last so long but am thankful I'm not someone who is sick the entire 40 weeks.
Now that I finally feel better, the fun stuff begins. We're still searching for a name. Who knew there were books with tens of thousands of names? It seems like our list only gets longer, not shorter! We're also looking for a crib, room theme and signing up for the birth and baby basics classes.
So much to do!
Now that I finally feel better, the fun stuff begins. We're still searching for a name. Who knew there were books with tens of thousands of names? It seems like our list only gets longer, not shorter! We're also looking for a crib, room theme and signing up for the birth and baby basics classes.
So much to do!
5.16.2009
It's a ...
My sister's last blog was titled "I will survive - Hairbows and Tutus"; it seems only fitting to start with that, since we're having...A GIRL!
David has been hoping for a boy since day one, and I was really feeling it was a boy until my last appointment. When I heard that the heartrate was at 160, I started questioning the Old Wives tale that girls have higher heartrates. Thursday night I was awake off and on, but I had a dream that it was a girl. I told David Friday morning that it was the first time I had a dream about the baby and it was a girl. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but it turned out to be true!
We got some new ultrasound pictures, but none of them are super clear. I'll get them posted in the next few days. The doctor checked the baby and surroundings and said everything looked good. She measures right on track at 18 weeks and weighs about 8 oz. The doctor was checking the heart and all of the vitals and kind of ignoring the gender for a while. He finally moved down to the legs and feet and neither of us saw any boy parts (although the umbilical cord looked like it for a second). The doctor said "well, here is one leg, and here's the other, and I don't see anything between, so I'm saying it's a girl". Since he's a doctor, and we're not, we're going with his opinion! He certainly has a better shot at reading those blurry ultrasound pictures than either of us!
Now we're adjusting to saying "she" instead of "the baby" - such a funny transition.
Next project: find her a name!
David has been hoping for a boy since day one, and I was really feeling it was a boy until my last appointment. When I heard that the heartrate was at 160, I started questioning the Old Wives tale that girls have higher heartrates. Thursday night I was awake off and on, but I had a dream that it was a girl. I told David Friday morning that it was the first time I had a dream about the baby and it was a girl. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but it turned out to be true!
We got some new ultrasound pictures, but none of them are super clear. I'll get them posted in the next few days. The doctor checked the baby and surroundings and said everything looked good. She measures right on track at 18 weeks and weighs about 8 oz. The doctor was checking the heart and all of the vitals and kind of ignoring the gender for a while. He finally moved down to the legs and feet and neither of us saw any boy parts (although the umbilical cord looked like it for a second). The doctor said "well, here is one leg, and here's the other, and I don't see anything between, so I'm saying it's a girl". Since he's a doctor, and we're not, we're going with his opinion! He certainly has a better shot at reading those blurry ultrasound pictures than either of us!
Now we're adjusting to saying "she" instead of "the baby" - such a funny transition.
Next project: find her a name!
5.05.2009
BIG ultrasound!
Just a quick update - we get to see our little one again on May 15th at our next ultrasound. Assuming he/she cooperates we'll know if we're going to need pink or blue! We can't wait!
5.04.2009
3rd Appointment
Today's appointment was great! We got to meet one of the midwives and ask all of our questions. We felt really comfortable with the entire process. The office has 3 midwives and 1 Dr. As long as I'm not considered 'high risk' I can continue seeing the midwives and they rotate the appointments so you get to meet everyone. Their schedules rotate so that one person is typically at the hospital and the other 2 see patients in the office. That should mean no cancelled appointments. Overall they were not pushy and want it to be a great experience for me, so it seems much better than where I was before.
On to the good stuff..! We got to hear the heartbeat! The baby was being active, so she had to chase him/her around a little bit. She said the heartrate was right at 160 bpm.
I have to call tomorrow to schedule the big anatomy ultra-sound. It should be in the next 2 weeks or so. We can't wait! We're still working on names..but we still have plenty of time.
I started feeling the baby on Friday (5/1)! I had been feeling stuff off and on the past week or so, but it was more constant on Friday. To me it feels like a twitch in my side, kind of like a little tapping. It's been mostly on my right side. I feel it pretty consistently when I'm sitting or laying down...right now it feels fun, but I'm sure when he/she starts kicking the ribs I'll think otherwise.
The morning sickness is still here. I asked about it today and she said for most people it is gone by week 12. Here I am 16 wks and 2 days and still getting sick! It's definitely getting better and less frequent, but it's still dragging on. Some days are pretty good, but it seems like if I over-do it and don't rest, I'm sick the next day. Hopefully with my next post I will be able to report that it is gone!
So, we have the Big ultra-sound in a few weeks and then my next appointment is June 2nd.
On to the good stuff..! We got to hear the heartbeat! The baby was being active, so she had to chase him/her around a little bit. She said the heartrate was right at 160 bpm.
I have to call tomorrow to schedule the big anatomy ultra-sound. It should be in the next 2 weeks or so. We can't wait! We're still working on names..but we still have plenty of time.
I started feeling the baby on Friday (5/1)! I had been feeling stuff off and on the past week or so, but it was more constant on Friday. To me it feels like a twitch in my side, kind of like a little tapping. It's been mostly on my right side. I feel it pretty consistently when I'm sitting or laying down...right now it feels fun, but I'm sure when he/she starts kicking the ribs I'll think otherwise.
The morning sickness is still here. I asked about it today and she said for most people it is gone by week 12. Here I am 16 wks and 2 days and still getting sick! It's definitely getting better and less frequent, but it's still dragging on. Some days are pretty good, but it seems like if I over-do it and don't rest, I'm sick the next day. Hopefully with my next post I will be able to report that it is gone!
So, we have the Big ultra-sound in a few weeks and then my next appointment is June 2nd.
4.16.2009
End of week 13 and other news
Week 13 is just about done. I had a 4 day streak of no sickness (new record!), but was sick again today. It's definitely getting better and seems to be on the way out. Yay!
I found a new doctor. My next appointment is 5/4 with the new office. My last appointment was enough to make me start the search. The doctor was over an hour behind schedule and no one bothered to tell me or keep me updated. It was just the last straw (there had been several varying problems in the past) and I figure it'd be better to change now than to wait until I was stuck there. So, I'm looking forward to my new office, even if I have to wait an extra 10 days for this appointment.
In other news, Baby Remillard is going to have new cousins and our neice/nephew count is about to Double! Matt & Tania are having twins! She is due in November. We're looking forward to the new additions.
I found a new doctor. My next appointment is 5/4 with the new office. My last appointment was enough to make me start the search. The doctor was over an hour behind schedule and no one bothered to tell me or keep me updated. It was just the last straw (there had been several varying problems in the past) and I figure it'd be better to change now than to wait until I was stuck there. So, I'm looking forward to my new office, even if I have to wait an extra 10 days for this appointment.
In other news, Baby Remillard is going to have new cousins and our neice/nephew count is about to Double! Matt & Tania are having twins! She is due in November. We're looking forward to the new additions.
3.27.2009
2nd Appointment
Today's appointment was much more exciting than the last! We got to see the baby!
The first few minutes of the ultrasound were quite exciting. The baby was really active and the doctor had a hard time capturing the first still picture. There were little arms and legs flying everywhich direction (Grammy Fagundes says "oh, already a hockey player!"). The baby calmed down a little and the doctor took a picture. The baby measures right on target at 10 weeks 6 days and is 40mm long (about 1.5inches). We could see the heartbeat, but the doctor didn't tell us how fast it was beating. She was pretty surprised that we were able to see so much so early.
The morning sickness is still going strong and hits when I least expect it. But I did get some medicine that is helping a ton and lets me function for the most part. Still looking forward to getting all of my energy and appetitite back!
The first few minutes of the ultrasound were quite exciting. The baby was really active and the doctor had a hard time capturing the first still picture. There were little arms and legs flying everywhich direction (Grammy Fagundes says "oh, already a hockey player!"). The baby calmed down a little and the doctor took a picture. The baby measures right on target at 10 weeks 6 days and is 40mm long (about 1.5inches). We could see the heartbeat, but the doctor didn't tell us how fast it was beating. She was pretty surprised that we were able to see so much so early.
The morning sickness is still going strong and hits when I least expect it. But I did get some medicine that is helping a ton and lets me function for the most part. Still looking forward to getting all of my energy and appetitite back!
2.24.2009
1st Appointment
We had our first appointment today. According to the nurse's calendar I am 6 weeks 4 days and officially due October 17th. The process involved a lengthy medical questionaire, mostly for me, but some of the questions were for David too. When it came to the genetics questions, we were surprised that French Canadians fell into a special category! We're not exactly sure what they would find there, but there is a little "yes" marked in my file.
The appointment seemed long as the morning sickness is in full swing. I was really hoping I'd be lucky like my sister and escape the sickness, but no such luck. I'm already looking forward to the end of the 1st trimester..only 7 more weeks to go..
The appointment seemed long as the morning sickness is in full swing. I was really hoping I'd be lucky like my sister and escape the sickness, but no such luck. I'm already looking forward to the end of the 1st trimester..only 7 more weeks to go..
2.07.2009
A Family of Three
We are excited to announce that we are about to be a family of three!
Our addition should be arriving mid-October 2009 (just after the extended tax season, what great planning, huh?). For now, we are busily reading up on what to expect and how to get ready for the baby. Got some tips? We're listening!
Our addition should be arriving mid-October 2009 (just after the extended tax season, what great planning, huh?). For now, we are busily reading up on what to expect and how to get ready for the baby. Got some tips? We're listening!
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