Ike

Looks like our zip code is under mandatory evacuation. Lenny and I will be leaving either tonight or really early tomorrow morning to stay in Cypress with Kara and Ross.

Good news is that little baby Cassady shows no signs of wanting to move out - let's hope that lasts another week :)

Week 36

Hi everyone - Wow it's week 36! Less than a month to go! Things are going well - I feel really big right now. I swear my belly has popped in the last week or two. I am starting to get pretty uncomfortable and a little antsy. We had an ultrasound last week and the little one measured 6 lbs and 3 oz at week 35 (about 10 oz above average, but well within the plus or minus 3 week uncertainty in ultrasound measurements). Her head measured what an average 38 week baby's head would measure (ahhh). Everything looks really good though - she just has a lot of brain! She'll be a smarty pants like her Mommy and Daddy! After talking to my OB it looks like she isn't going to want me to go past 39 weeks so we are looking at the last week in September to get things moving. I have been having contractions (real ones!) the last week so that's a good sign that I might actually go into labor naturally, but I am not getting my hopes up too much on that because I am still 0% effaced and 0 cm dilated. We will just have to wait it out.

Things are going well at work - just trying not to get too stressed and starting to gather all my work to pass off while I am away. Lenny is doing well too - I think we are both excited and nervous! His work is busy - he has a bunch of colleagues in from Costa Rica this week, so he is entertaining them.

We had our final baby shower last Friday with Ad Astra folks. It was a lot of fun - thank you Lindsay, Jacob, Christine, and Brian for throwing such a great party!

We also celebrated my 32nd birthday (I'm old!) with a cookout at our house with our close friends - it was a lot fun! Plus we had our 5th anniversary over the weekend! We went out for a really nice dinner at Perry's steakhouse - Mmmm! So I was a little bad with keeping on track for gestational diabetes - I had one slice of cake (the best ever - Lenny made it with homemade frosting!) and creme brulee on our anniversary. I think all turned out okay though - my doctor just smiled when I told her.

Anyhoo - I have gathered all the belly pics and posted them for your viewing pleasure - it shows how my body has changed the last 9 months. Here is the link: Belly pics. Enjoy!

One more thing...we are keeping an eye on Ike, but have no plans to evacuate. We won't know anything for the next day or two until the storm has a chance to make it's path in the Gulf. I really hope we don't have to leave.

Week 34

Oh my, how the time has flown. It's now countdown time - 6 weeks to go! Everything is going well. I am visiting the doctor every week. Last week the appointment went very well - the little girl is growing and gaining weight right on target. As for me, not so much, I haven't gained weight in a few weeks. Which means with my new diet, I am getting just the right amount of nutrition for the both of us. I certainly feel bigger though - the tummy is getting pretty big now. I'll have to have Lenny take a picture and we'll post it this week.

We are addicted to Olympics right now - I think it's good that's it's over today. I won't miss sleep anymore to see volleyball, gymnastics, swimming, and track! We'll finally get the baby's room finished up - though it's just putting things away - it's looking pretty good. When it gets settled we'll post some pictures.

Anyhoo - in the last two weeks two of our friends had babies! Reese Pascal Lillard was born on August 13 and Chase Edward Clem was born August 21. Congrats to Amy and Randy and Kylie and Andrew! I love that there are two friends going through everything one month before me - I know they won't have momnesia and they can give the whole scoop and advice!

Edouard

No that's not the baby's name! It's the tropical storm going over our house right now! Not too bad - as you can see we still have power - but we have gotten a few inches of rain already. Lenny and I are hanging out doing "work" on our laptops. Both our employers gave us the day off due to the weather. It's nice to be able to take it easy for a day without having to plan in relaxation time.

I had my Houston baby shower over the weekend and it was fantastic! Betsy went all out on the invites and rocket diaper cake! They were awesome! It was at Katie's house and Ami, Kylie, Steph, and Heather helped decorate and set-up - thank you so much! So many friends came too - it was fun seeing everyone and getting advice - especially when I opened a gift and had no idea what to do with it :) Motherhood will be quite a learning experience.

We are almost ready for the baby to come - we still have to get some of the big items - the pack'n play, the bedding (though, I'm not sure she'll ever use the quilt with Texas temps, but it sure is cute!), a high chair, and a few small things that I haven't got on a list yet. We have to finish decorating the babies room...we have it all laid out, we just need to hang things on the walls. Lenny also redid the baby's closet and we designed and installed new shelving from the container store. It's really cool and as she grows we can change it around to fit bigger clothes. We will be picking our pediatrician next week too. We have one last interview with a doctor that's supposed to be really good and we can make a decision in plenty of time.

We also started our Lamaze class - which is Lamaze and a bunch of other topics - we covered breastfeeding last night and we went over natural delivery and induced deliveries in previous classes. We'll go over c-sections, epidurals (I'm very interested in this one), and child care for the remainder of the class. It's been pretty educational. I have had a lot of friends explain these things to me, but my engineering mind needs visuals and numbers...and they certainly provide those with all the videos and instruction in the class. Lenny got to see what it was like to be pregnant the first night - the instructor had him wear a 30 lb backpack around his front torso - it was a hoot to watch him try to sit on the floor and get up. So I think he may get a small understanding of how I just can't be graceful when I attempt the same thing.

Now for a bit a depressing news (for me at least)...I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It's a form of diabetes (like regular type 2) that you only get during pregnancy. There's not rhyme or reason for why I got it, it just happens to some of us. It is controllable with diet and exercise and I don't feel any different - In fact for being so big I feel pretty good. The depressing part is that I have to watch what I eat very closely - no more pasta, very little bread, and no sweets. All my weaknesses during pregnancy and all I crave! I got pretty angry when I first found out...I am easing into though and am probably eating the healthiest I have ever eaten in my life. So I suppose it's a good thing in a way. But I still mourn the uneaten plate of spaghetti, the chocolate bar I have to give up, and the pizza I will not be able to order. I better stop, I am starting to drool...better go get that celery stick with peanut butter.

Here's the 31 week belly picture with the rocket diaper cake Betsy made!