Well, I have reached the full term mark! I completed my 37th week on Sunday April 3, so this baby can come any day now. It's crazy to think how fast the time has flown by. We are very excited to meet our little boy, but we are also hoping for at least another weekend or two before he makes his entrance into the world. But he will come when he is ready I suppose. =)
We have been very busy the past couple of months preparing for our little one's arrival. But also, I have been trying to really these last couple of months of Sean and I as a small family, before our new addition joins us.
February was a very busy month!
First we got the joy of seeing a glimpse of our son's little face, when we did a 3D ultrasound. Pictures are posted in the Feb. blog post. It was difficult to get a good shot because he was being shy with hands and arms covering his face. But our Ultrasound Technician did finally get some fairly decent ones. It was very reasuring to see that he is developing well and of course, I have to say I was happy that he looks so adorable. I can't wait to see him in person.
About mid-Feb, we started our Preparation for Childbirth class through Kaiser. We really enjoyed that class. It was 5 weeks long and we had 7 other couples in the class with us, so it was great for getting to know some other people in the area that are expecting. Everyone in our class is expecting their first child, and they all live in the Beaverton area. Four of us are actually having boys and we are all due within about a week of each other and we are all giving birth at the same hospital! I think the chances of us being in the hospital at the same time are pretty good. Since that class we have exchanged some emails and have a reunion scheduled once all the babies are born. Then we will probably start up a mother's group. So that will be really nice.
Also in February we had our first meeting with our doula. Her name is Corinne and she is actually a student doula and we will be her last birth needed before she gets her certification. She has attended about 3 others and has a lot of great tips. We also really just like her attitude and we are looking forward to working with her. Sean was a little skeptical about working with a doula at first, but once he met her he immediately felt comfortable knowing that she has been trained to help women get through labor naturally, and has attended recent births in hospitals (so knows how to interact with the staff). Also, since we had started our Childbirth Prep classes and began to understand more about the labor and delivery process, I think he is now welcoming the help of having another person present so that he can take a break every now and then if needed. Since then we have met with Corinne 3 other times and last time she also brought her back-up in the unlikely event that she will be attending another birth on the same day as ours. She has another mom-to-be who's due date is the 20th of April, so just to be safe she wanted to make sure we are comfortable with her back-up, Risa. Risa is just as thoughtful and positive as Corinne so we will welcome either of them at the birth of our baby. We are just happy that we will have their support.
At the end of February (32 weeks), we did a prenatal photoshoot. I haven't uploaded those pictures yet, but I plan to soon (so check back - I'll post them in the February section). We got some great images of Sean and I together, some with the dogs and a lot of me by myself and of course some great shots of the belly. I'm really happy that we decided to document this pregnancy with some professional photos.
March showed up and so did the warmer weather, flowers and RAIN! Ugh...I think it rained about 25 days in March. And it rained a lot. Not just a drizzle. It was a tiring month of dreary days. However, on the day of my Seattle baby shower (courtesy of my wonderful Mother-in-law, and Sean's two Aunts, Connie and Bernie), it was a very nice and sunny day. A perfect day for a shower. It was a lot of fun. Many of the lovely ladies from Seattle showed up and helped us celebrate. The theme was to start a children's library for our little boy. So we received a ton of books. The nice part is that they weren't all little kids books, they are for all ages of kids, so we have a nice collection now. We also received a lot of really great hand-made items. Sean's aunt Connie made us some amazing quilts for the baby. Diana also made us a fleece blanket and a crocheted one too. And Sean's friend from High School & UW, Karen, made us a really cute knitted bear.
Also in March was (of course) the March Madness NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Sean and I always have to fill out a bracket and we really enjoy the competition against each other to see who guessed better as to who would move on in each round. I wouldn't really mention much about it, except for this year both Sean's and my Alma Mater's made it to the tournament. San Diego State University made it to the 3rd round before being eliminated, and University of Washington made it to the 2nd. Of course we would like to have seen them go farther, but it was still pretty exciting to cheer for our home teams. We already have some little UW gear for the little man....now we need some SDSU stuff. =)
On March 31st, I was just minding my business and working my butt off at work (trying to tie up all these loose ends before I go out on leave)....and my boss comes by and tells me that I have to be in a meeting to give an update on some hot projects. Well, I walk into our conference room and SURPRISE...it's a BABY SHOWER! Seriously...I think it took me about 3 seconds to realize what was going on! It was awesome. The decorated the room and got pie and icecream and all sorts of snacks and we received so many gifts! I was astonished. It was very sweet and generous of them.
So now we are into April...the last month. The weather is continuing to warm up a bit and I am hoping that the end to the rain is in sight. We do tend to be getting a few more dry days, even if they aren't that sunny. This weekend, April 3rd, my cousin Michelle (who is also pregnant and due June 3rd), and I had another baby shower. Yep...this was supposed to be my 3rd, but after the surprise one last week, it was my 4th! We did a combined shower since it is her second child (another girl), and since I had already had a couple of showers. However, that didn't stop Cheryl and Alison from making it a big deal! It was wonderful. We played lots of fun games, had a nice lunch and opened a ton more gifts.
So needless to say, I am knee deep in trying to get Thank You notes out right now! And the rest of my time is spend washing, folding and putting things away! Not to mention that I am trying to clean up the house, organize and get the yard ready for the spring. Hmmmm... I guess that's the nesting. Sean is helpful and really got a lot of yard work done this weekend! We got a new patio set and BBQ and are hoping to try them out soon (sunshine please!)
Last but not least, I also have connected with some other moms-to-be on a meetup group called Preggers in Portland. I first went to brunch with them about a month ago and since then I have gone on shopping trips, coffee, and this weekend the organizer of the group is having a BBQ at her house, so we can meet all the Daddies too. I'm really glad that I found this group of women. We are all pregnant and due between April (I think I am first) and September 2011. The group had about 10 women when I joined but we are up to 20 now. A bunch of the newbies are coming to the BBQ, so we'll get to meet even more people. I'm really happy to have met both these ladies and the people in our Childbirth Class. I think that we will end up staying in touch with a lot of them and making lasting friendships. It will be great too since most of us are first time parents!
Well that is what we've been busy doing. Our little man will be here soon and I just wanted to make sure that I updated this blog with more than just the photos.
We have still been taking photos of the belly about every 2 weeks. I will try to upload them tomorrow, but for now I need to get to sleep! Goodnight!
8 years ago
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