The Home Stretch

Sorry again for the break in the action. I have just returned from a work/pleasure trip to Tampa. Baby and I spent 1 day traveling, 2 days at a trade show, and 1 day with my grandparents and other family members and then traveled back home to Denver. Whew! However, my 5 weekends in a row away from home are officially OVER. Now I am in the "home" stretch...I will be here in Colorado until Baby Sugar and Spice is born (at least I hope I won't be going anywhere).

Here are some fun pictures from my trip:

Me and Brandy at Columbia

Each person got their own loaf of Cuban bread with dinner. Look how happy that made me!

Flamenco dancers at Columbia

Me with my Grandparents after a delicious seafood dinner

I'll be catching up on the blogging this week! Lots of baby updates to share. :)

30 weeks

Today we are 30 weeks pregnant (7 1/2 months). Only 2 1/2 more months to go! Baby is the size of a head of cabbage and weighs about 3 lbs. According to my midwife appointment yesterday, I have gained a total of 23 lbs. That explains the large tummy!

We are all trying to rest up before the baby arrives. Case in point:

Appointments every 2 weeks

Ryan and I are now in the stage of our pregnancy where we will be going to midwife appointments every 2 weeks. Today is our first 2 week appointment (I'll be 30 weeks pregnant tomorrow). I don't think we will learn anything earth shattering at this appointment. It will mostly be weight and blood pressure check...and we'll get to hear the heartbeat again. It is getting much easier to find now that she is getting older!

Our little Baby Sugar and Spice is very active. I feel her move almost constantly throughout the day. She is most active at night (I feel her every time I roll over when I'm sleeping), but she also likes to kick me when I am in meetings or sitting in my office. Sometimes I can see an entire bottom sticking out of my right side! She especially likes to kick at my low rise maternity pants. Apparently she does not like the firm elastic pushing against her living space.

More updates to come after our appointment!

NC Trip

Sorry it's been so long since my last blog post! Baby and I just got back from a 10 day trip to North Carolina. While we were there, we got to spend some time in Chapel Hill (my old stomping grounds from college), stay with my parents in High Point, travel around the state to see some of my clients (I worked Monday - Friday), visit with friends, and eat some good Southern food like biscuits, grits, bbq, and I even splurged on a slaw dog at the Dog House in High Point!

On Saturday, I was so excited to visit with friends and family and have a beautiful baby shower at High Point Country Club. We socialized while enjoying mimosas, non-alcoholic pink punch (yum!), tea, mini pimento cheese sandwiches and cucumber sandwiches, chicken salad in pastry, grilled onions and brie, fruit and of course delicious cake! I am so thankful to everyone who made it. This baby will be so loved, and I was so happy to celebrate with all of you.

Here are some pictures:

Carolina Girls

Opening Gifts

Our little girl will be so spoiled!

Me with the cake. The layers were chocolate with buttercream as well as amaretto with strawberries. It was beautiful and delicious!

Brantley and Ashley planned a wonderful shower. I can't wait to spoil them when they have their own babies!

3rd Trimester...Here We Come

Today I am 28 weeks pregnant...this begins the 3rd trimester. I am 7 months pregnant now! Baby is the size of a head of napa cabbage.

I went to the midwife yesterday, and I have gained approximately 19 lbs. I've put on some weight since my last appointment! However, since I am supposed to put on between 28-40 lbs, I seem to be right on track in the weight department.

My fundal height (the size of my uterus, which houses the baby) is measuring 27 1/2 weeks, so everything seems to be growing just fine. My midwife also complimented me on my belly cream, the Mama Mio Tummy Rub! Apparently it is worth the money I am shelling out for it, because my tummy was still soft and silky (with no stretch marks to report...yet) after a full day of wearing the cream.

All of my blood results and glucose results came back in the normal range, although the midwife did say my iron levels are a bit low. I'm not anemic and do not require a supplement, but she did encourage me to work red meat back into my diet. In fact, I could have a bit of red meat every day. This will be a huge change since I haven't really eaten beef since early May, but I've already had a half a burger (dinner last night) and a small serving of steak (lunch today).

Me at 27 weeks pregnant (still in my 6th month)


Yikes! That's a big belly!

Steamboat and End of 2nd Trimester

This weekend Ryan and I enjoyed a relaxing weekend in Steamboat Springs with his family. Ryan's sister, Erin, and I are both pregnant, and she is due just 2 months after I am (in late January).

Below are some pictures from our trip:

The view from my car window during our drive through the mountains.

Another view from the car ride.

Erin and I enjoying the pregnant ladies' favorite beverage - Root Beer!

We drank it out of a little boot glass.

Yum!

On Sunday, we went for a walk to Fish Creek Falls. From this perspective, I look huge!

Ryan and Caroline in front of the falls.

Ryan and Caroline at the falls.

Ryan and Ben Franklin in Steamboat Springs, CO.

Today, Ryan and I have a midwife appointment. I'm taking my list of questions about flu season with me. We'll find out how much wait I have gained since pre-pregnancy, so I'll keep you all posted!

Yesterday, we had our 2nd (and probably last) ultrasound. Since Baby Sugar and Spice was so sleepy during our first ultrasound, they offered us another ultrasound to check the parts of her body that we didn't see and measure the first time around. This also gave us the reassurance that her growth is on target.

After the ultrasound, the doctor came in to assure us that growth and development are right on track and absolutely normal. We were so relieved...especially after our sonographer came back in to double check on the baby's pallet (apparently we didn't get a really good look the first time). As far as the ultrasound shows, we should have a perfectly healthy baby joining us this winter! We will keep praying, but we are glad to know things are on the right track.

As of yesterday, Baby Sugar and Spice was approximately 2lbs and 2 oz. I was 27 weeks and 1 day, and she was measuring 27 weeks and 3 days. Sooo....that means growth is just about perfect and that my due date is still set for December 2 (they would only move it if growth were off by a few weeks).

Here are a couple of good pictures from the ultrasound yesterday:

This is her profile (look at those pouty lips!), and the bubble above her face is a cross section of her umbilical cord.

Here is her face, head-on. You really have to know what you are looking at to tell where the facial features are, but I will do my best to describe. She is turned on her side, facing the left side of the picture. Moving from the far left of the picture, you can see her body/chest...then her little chin and lips...then her button nose...and you can kind of see her eyes (the right eye is towards the top of the picture while the other one is in the dark shadow in the middle of the picture). She already looks like a cutie-pie to me!

The Other Half

Hi, I'm Ryan... I'm the husband/father. For now, my role is to buy stuff and then build it. I figured since I haven't made a post to this blog yet, I'd give it a shot. This morning I woke up and accidentally elbowed the dog in the face. I hope my fathering abilities with an actual human are better than that.

A Pain in my Neck

Today I am 27 weeks pregnant...this is the last week in my 2nd trimester. Baby Sugar and Spice is approximately 2 lbs (about the size of a head of cauliflower).

I haven't been noticing much weight gain other than around my tummy, hips, etc. Ryan seems to think I am still small everywhere except my baby belly. Lets hope it stays that way!

I've been using the Mama Mio Tummy Rub Butter (recommended to me by a friend who did not get stretch marks), and so far....no stretch marks! Again, lets hope it stays that way!

Generally, I've been feeling good. The only problem I've been having this week is neck and shoulder pain (which I generally get after traveling for a trade show...and I just returned from one in Baltimore), and those pains are giving me a migraine. And what's great about migraines during pregnancy is that you can't take Rx migraine medicine. I really even try to steer clear of Tylenol. However, I did pop 2 Tylenol last night, and they did absolutely no good. I still woke up with a serious headache this morning. So I treated myself to a chicken biscuit from McDonalds for breakfast, and I'm hoping I can ease it away with comfort food, a hot bath and a heating pad. We'll see!

By Popular Demand

Here is a new bump picture...by request! I took it moments ago outside of my office.




















26 weeks and 6 days (approx 6 1/2 months)

Baby and I are freshly back from our Baltimore/Arlington trip. We had some good Italian food (Gia's in Little Italy was a nice surprise!), crab, and Chinese.

We are glad to be home...but not for long as we will be leaving for Steamboat Springs, CO on Friday!