Bring on the Third Trimester!

I can't believe we're into the third trimester already!



Baby B. is over 2 pounds now!  


And the little bugger is kicking and dancing around in there, keeping very active!  Nic has been able to feel it move, and actually if you watch at the right time, you can see my tummy move. 


Nic and I took a birthing class at the hospital here in Ames over the last three weeks.  It was full of good information and Nic's homework is to practice massage and other relaxing techniques on me.  :)


It's crazy to think that in three short months, our family and our lives will change forever.  Nic and I are going to make sure we have lots of date nights since it will never be just the two of us again. We are so excited to share our lives with a beautiful son or daughter!

Anything like me?

December 11, 2010


We are constantly wondering what our baby will be like and if 'Pumpkin' will take after me or Nic.  This song by Brad Paisley is a great illustration of our thoughts (well, maybe more of Nic's thoughts, but you get the idea):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6jUCq-6WHo

Have a listen while you view some photos and read stories of me and Nic as kids - who do you think the baby will take after?

 

What a sweet smile!  From what I hear Nic was a great baby - very active before most babies' time.  I recall a story about climbing up the table and then up the chair sitting on the table.....!  Yikes!

It was destiny that I'd go to NW I think. What school pillow and school colors should we have our baby wear?

If our child is very messy, it definitely is a trait of Nic's.....!  :)







We each had our activities- wonder what our child will like to do?

I definitely see Nic taking our kid fishing!




Will it like the outdoors as much as Nic does?

Will it love sports like its parents did? (yes, Dad, cheering IS a sport!!)

Will it be active and fearless like its father? (so many horror stories about that 4-wheeler!) 

Or will it be shy and geeky like its mother?


I think everyone would agree with me that if our baby ends up an angel of a child, it takes after its mother!

Of course I married Nic for a reason, and if it has his heart and genuine personality, I'll be a proud mommy!

21 Weeks!

November 22, 2010

Today we had our ultrasound!  It was so amazing to see little Baby B. in there!  We saw it waving to us, kicking its legs, and drinking! It has the cutest little nose in its profile!

What a cutie!

A little foot!

Spine (just for you Doug!)

Little ears to hear mommy talking to it!

Nice healthy brain!

What's going on with Baby B. lately?

• It weighs just under a pound and is 10 1/2 inches long - about the size of a banana or carrot
• I've been feeling it move a lot!  It's hard to describe what it feels like, but at this point it kinda feels like muscle twitches.  Unfortunately, Nic hasn't caught it moving yet to feel it.  
• The baby is covered in a waxy protective coating to prevent it from being affected by the amniotic fluid - weird, but good I suppose!
• I seem to have popped lately.... there's no more hiding that I have a baby in there!

What's in a name?

November 2, 2010

Naming our baby is a bigger deal than I originally thought it would be!  I mean, think about it, this child will have this name for its whole life!  It helps define who it is! You have to make sure it fits with the last name, you have to think about possible nick names (good and bad!), if it will fit when it's a baby, a teen, and a grown-up, if it's different or will be the same as lots of other peoples'..... so much to think about!

Well actually, Nic and I have had ideas about names for awhile now, but wanted to share some of the things we found along the way when deciding about names.

This website, babycenter.com, has a section where you can search for a name you're thinking of giving your child and find its origin, meaning, and see how popular it has been over time.  It also gives you similar names or names derived from that one that might offer good alternatives.  It was so interesting! 

http://www.babycenter.com/baby-names-nicholas-3404.htm

And you can actually look on the social security administration website for the most popular names in certain years.

Top 10 Names for 2009
Rank	Male Name	Female Name
1	Jacob	Isabella
2	Ethan	Emma
3	Michael	Olivia
4	Alexander	Sophia
5	William	Ava
6	Joshua	Emily
7	Daniel	Madison
8	Jayden	Abigail
9	Noah	Chloe
10	Anthony	Mia

This website was the most fun I think.  It's http://www.babynamegenie.com/ - you type in your last name and the sex of the child if you know it, and out pops the genie's best name for your baby!  When I did it, I didn't put in a sex since we don't know, and the name Gianna Kaylee Boersma is what the genie came up with (again, definitely having a girl!)

No, I'm not going to follow the baby name genie and name our baby Gianna if it's a girl.  But we do have some special names picked out for Baby B. when it arrives!

17 Week Update

October 22, 2010


We had another appointment this week to check in on the baby.  We heard the heartbeat again, this time a little slower - 130's.  Our midwife told us the heartbeat will vary based on what the baby is doing - if it is sleeping it will be slower, but if it is active it will be higher.


Here are a few more updates on the baby's development at this point:

• The baby weighs about 5 ounces and is about 5 inches long, similar to the size of an onion
• Its skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone
• The baby is moving amniotic fluid through its nose and upper respiratory tract which helps to develop the air sacs in its lungs
• Although the baby's eyelids are still fused shut, it can sense light.  If I would shine a flashlight on my tummy it would move away from the light
• I should be able to start to feel the baby move in the coming days or weeks

Pink and Blue!

October 6, 2010

Pink and Blue!

Pink and Blue!

Someone's expecting-

Can you guess who?



This week I told my co-workers by putting this bucket of chocolates and sign out in the kitchen.  Now I work in an office of mostly men so there were only really two of us for people to guess between.  Most people got it right and stopped in to say (usually through a mouth full of chocolate!) congrats and that it was some of the best news they'd heard around the office for awhile.

Nic told his co-workers when his advisor (and our good friend) Emily asked him before their lab meeting if he had anything he wanted to share with the group.  I imagine a red face and big smile as he told the news and shared about hearing the heartbeat for the first time (he's still determined to buy a Doppler instrument so we can have one at home and listen to the heartbeat anytime we want!)

It's fun to have the news out now to everyone and to talk freely about it.  Now only 6 more months of waiting!

Boy or Girl?

October 1, 2010

We've decided not to find out if we're having a boy or girl but to be surprised.  I think we're having a girl.  Everyone we know either has had or is having a boy, plus on Nic's side there is an obvious lack of the female gender - Flori had only brothers and only sons.  We need some more girls around!

And, of course we have to do all the fun little tests and old wives' tales that supposedly tell you what you're having.  And you guessed it - they all point to a girl!

Fun Ways to Predict the Baby's Gender:

1. Baby's Heart Rate - According to legend, if the baby's heart rate is 140+ beats, it's a girl; less than 140 beats indicates a boy.  Our midwife told us the heart rate was 140-150 beats!




2. Chinese Gender Chart (said to be 99% accurate) - this ancient Chinese chart takes the mother's age at conception (28) and the month she conceived in (July) and traces it down the chart to give you boy or girl: 
http://www.thebump.com/calculators/ChineseGenderChart.aspx


3.  Even or Odd - another legend says to look at the year of conception (2010) and the mother's age at conception (28), and if they are both even or both odd, then it's a girl; if one is even and one is odd, then it's a boy.


4.  Where the Weight is Carried - one tale says that if you're carrying the baby high, it's a boy; but if you carry the weight more in your hips and rear, then it's a girl.  We'll have to wait and see on this one (not too long though, I fear!)

5.  Cravings - it's also said that if you crave sweets during your pregnancy to expect 'sugar and spice and everything nice' and if you crave saltier snacks then expect 'snips and snails and puppy dog tails'.  Well, I can ALWAYS eat ice cream or sweets, but I have been loving the chips.  We'll call this one a draw.

6.  Dad + Beer - a friend at work told me she'd heard that if the dad-to-be likes his beer, that means they'll have girls.... and I think we all know where this is going!







Of course this is all in fun, and Nic and I don't care what we have as long as it's healthy.  But wouldn't it be fun to start a poll?

What do you think we're having - boy or girl?

First Trimester - check!

September 22, 2010


Heard the heartbeat today - there's really a baby in there!  It just hadn't really felt real until we heard that rapid little beating.  (it actually sounds like a really quick washing machine!)  I teared up a little and Nic just couldn't stop smiling!

First baby bump picture!  Not too much to see yet, but the baby's only the size of a peach at this point.  

Other fun facts about the baby at this stage of development:

• it has fingerprints
• it can now hear us talk, hum, and sing (so we sang it Jesus Loves You last night of course!)
• the baby can move, squirm, turn somersaults, and flex its fingers and toes, maybe even suck its thumb
• the baby is experiencing hiccups to help develop its diaphragm muscles
• its vocal cords are under construction (the first step to saying 'mommy' as its first words!)

12 Weeks!

September 16, 2010


This Friday, September 17, marks 12 weeks for us already - I can't believe it! 

Next week Wednesday we finally have the big doctor's appointment to confirm the pregnancy and do other tests.  After that we'll be ready to start telling more people than our families.  Speaking of telling our families, I just have to post those stories:

We told my family when we were in Dallas, TX for my brother Doug's graduation from chiropractic school (so proud of my little brother, Dr. Gunderson!). 

We told Doug and Alicia the first night in the hotel by asking them how they felt about becoming an aunt and uncle:

Before we headed to the graduation the next day, we lined up with my parents to take a picture.  Nic was taking the picture and said, "Ok, one, two, .... by the way, Steph's pregnant!"  And then he snapped photos of my parent's reactions.  My dad just said, "Hmph." and my mom said, "Ha...... really?"  They didn't believe us at first!  Then the reality set in!

We told Nic's parents when they came to visit us.  Now Flori has been talking about being a grandma for a loooong time already, so of course we had to get a picture frame that said 'Grandparents' and wrap it up for them.  Her face is priceless!

 

We each had a sibling that wasn't around when we told the rest of our family.  Whitney was actually the first person I told.  Since she lives in CO and wouldn't be home for a long time, I had to tell her on the phone, but she was so excited to be an auntie!

And Nic's brother Kyle was already back at school in MN when we told his family so we had to tell him after one of his football games we attended.  He was also so excited to be an uncle and couldn't hide it.

Thanks to all of our family members for the love and support and excitement they've displayed as we told our big news!  We're so blessed to bring this baby into such a loving family!

We're Pregnant!

September 15, 2010

Yes, we're going to be parents!  We are so excited!  (and of course, a little nervous!)  With an unofficial due date of April 1, 2011, follow us on our road to parenthood!