Activity Jumper

I put this together last night.  It's adorable.  I wasn't sure if Matthew was going be able to touch the floor so I asked my mother to put a book under his feet so he can push off that.  Well, she put him in it this morning and his toes touch the floor and he's pushing off.  He didn't need a book.  My big boy!  I can't believe it.  He's growing so fast :(  He'll be 4 months next week.

 

 

 

Slept through the night!

Matty slept through the night last night and again today.  Woohoo!  He ate around 7-7:30pm. Gave him a bath, lotioned him up and then put him to bed.  He slept until 6am yesterday and 6am today.  YES!  Could this be temporary? Dunno...but I'm loving it.  :)

Matty is starting to grab at things now, like his links in his playpen and his rattles. He's so cute. He's talking to much more now. He weighs 11 lbs 11 oz now. He's getting so big. 9 weeks now. I can't believe it. I go back to work in two weeks. That's going to be the hardest thing for me to do. :( I feel like I'm going to miss so much.

Matthew found his thumb! LOL  I was changing him yesterday and he started sucking his thumb. Oh no!  Over the past few days he's been looking at his thumb and trying to figure out how to get it in his mouth.  Well, yesterday he did it.  He did it once before when he took his first bath, but not since then.  I immediately put the pacifier in his mouth.  I don't want him sucking his thumb.  The pacifier I can take away...his thumb I can't.

His smile

Matty smiled for the first time today! It was a real smile. I was playing with him and it happened. He kept smiling and my heart melted. It was so great to see. I tried to get it on video, but missed it.

Welcome Matthew James

Please welcome our little boy Matthew James into the world.

Date: March 16th, 2009

Time: 5:35pm

Weight: 7 lbs 1 oz

Length: 19.5 in






Labor was 10 hours, pushing for 1/2 hour. Contractions were so painful, but gone after I received an epidural. I would do it all over again for this feeling. I've never felt love like this before. I love you Matty.

This Is It!

The time has come! I am reporting to labor & delivery tomorrow at 9pm. At that point they will start me on Cervidil and then Pitocin. I can't believe it's time! We're so excited and can't wait to meet out little boy :)



I am nervous about delivery, which is only natural. I'm trying not to think about it too much. It's just the thought of the pain that freaks me out. Especially with Pitocin, contractions are much stronger.

9 Days!

OMG!! 9 days! Seriously? LOL I can't believe it. Hubby should be here tomorrow hopefully. If not tomorrow, then Wednesday. There are so many emotions going through me right now I can't even explain. I'm excited, scared, anxious...just everything. I can't believe I'm going to be holding my son in just a few days. My son. Wow. :)

Another Baby Bump Video

Our little boy gets the hiccups a lot and here you can see them. I think he gets agitated when he has them cause he moves around a lot...maybe trying to make them stop LOL.

Week 37

I’m officially a watermelon. LOL

At week 37, your pregnancy is considered full term, meaning baby is likely to thrive after birth. Baby spends these last weeks in preparation for the outside world… meaning careful refinement of the blink, suck, inhale and exhale. Meconium, which you’ll probably find in the first diaper, is accumulating in the intestines. If (okay, as) you worry about giving birth, consider what it’s like for the little one. During the journey out of your womb, baby will produce more stress hormones than any other time in life.

- The Bump

Hippo

The hippo is now done. It's been done for a few days, but I forgot to post a pic :)

We have the dresser in and are going to hang pictures today. Almost there.

Week 36 and Maternity Pics

So the time is almost here for our little boy to arrive. I can't believe it. I went to the doctor yesterday and she told me that he is now in position, but I'm not dilated yet...which is good because Eric won't be here until March 11th. Stay in there baby until daddy comes home.

Here are pictures of me that a wonderful photographer by the name of Vanessa Bowers took. She starting up her business again. Here is her website, www.viviphotography.net.

Nursery Pics

Here are some pictures of the nursery so far. I ordered two paint-by-number murals from magic-mural-factory.com. I ordered the monkey in the tree you see above and also a hippo. Once my mom and I are done with that one, I'll post pictures. The tree took 2 days, only because we kept taking breaks. We outlined the hippo and should have that done tonight. :) It looks so cute in person. I can't wait till his whole room is done.

You'll be here so soon little one! I can't believe it. 29 days! How did that happen? :)

Week 35

Baby is the size of a honeydew melon this week. ;)

My feet are swollen! Booooo. I made it 35 weeks without any swelling and yesterday at home I put my feet up and OMG! sausage feet! Ugg, I can't believe it. I'm drinking a lot more water now to hopefully bring down some of the swelling. I just don't want it to get painful. I have just a few more weeks to go. I hope it doesn't get worse. :(




I've been having a lot more BH contractions. I try and stay active which will hopefully help when labor starts. I feel like I'm going non stop, especially now that the weeks are getting closer and our little boy is almost here. A lot to do.

My Baby Shower

b


Thank you to our family and friends for such a wonderful day. It was so nice to see everyone and we had a great time. I can't believe it came and went so fast! We received pretty much everything we needed. All I need to buy was the stroller, car seat, bassinet and dresser. I was very surprised of all the gifts. Everyone was very generous. My husband and I (and baby) are very grateful.

Cord Blood Banking

I signed up with Cryo-Cell to save our baby's stem cells. Stem cells from the umbilical cord can be used in place of a bone marrow transplant which is very invasive. Stem cells have been used to treat more than 70 diseases. They can be used for our baby or his brother/sister. I hope to never have to use these cells, but having them stored gives me peace of mind.

Week 33

Here we are at 8 months. I had some cramping last night that actually woke me up at 2am. Plus I was up all night long...same as the night before. I was up like every 2 hours. This restless sleep is not cool when you have work the next day.

On top of this I now have a cold. Ugg. I hope it passes soon. I'm going home early to see if I can at least try and get some rest.





Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.
- The Bump

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (the weight of a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.
- Baby Center

Week 32

This little man has me in pain this week. My back hurts, I'm getting cramps and BH contractions. Not fun. I am getting very uncomfortable. He's kicking me or jabbing me in places where it hurts. I actually let out an "ouch". My ribs are killing me....8 more weeks. I can do this.

Week 31

So my nerves are starting to kick in a bit. Yesterday, all I was about to do was sit on the couch and it was like a ton of bricks hit me..."Oh my god, I'm going to be a mother". 9 more weeks...9 MORE WEEKS and our little man is here. Maybe sooner. Oh geez, I can't believe it. Ugg, the house isn't even ready yet!

He's been moving around a lot more. A LOT more. All day long actually. He's having a party in there. haha. My doctor said he's a very active baby. I wonder what he's going to be like out of the womb. Calm like mommy or hyper like daddy. Hmm, we'll see.

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.
- Baby Center

My little cabbage

You'll be the size of cabbage for the next few days and then you grow some more. You're moving around so much now. I think you're boxing in there sometimes LOL. You're going to be just like your daddy aren't you...not sitting still :) I wonder when you'll let me catch you on video for daddy. I want him to see you moving around in there. You're sneaky sneaky and stop every time I try. Oh, and you were kicking me in places a woman should not be kicked. I know you're running out of room in there, but be nice to mommy please. :)

We're still trying to think of your name. We know your middle name will be James, but we can't agree on your first name yet. Your daddy is not making this very easy. :)

Hiccups again and again and again :)

You’re having the hiccups a lot little man. J

You may be surprised to learn that hiccups, those annoying little spasms of your diaphragm, start in the womb. Scientists have observed unborn babies hiccupping by the sixth week, though you probably won't be able to feel them until the second half of your pregnancy.

Fetal hiccups can be surprisingly strong and can last for 30 minutes or longer in some cases. Normally, a bout of fetal hiccups lasts for a couple of minutes. Some babies get hiccups several times a day. Others don't hiccup at all, so don't worry if you don't feel the little twitches.

There's no consensus on why babies hiccup in the womb. A group of scientists in Paris believes that hiccupping may help to develop some of the motor patterns a baby will need for nursing and swallowing after birth. Others suggest that fetal hiccups prepare the fetus for breathing and may help strengthen the diaphragm muscle. Research continues on this tiny phenomenon.

Before you hold your breath and count to 10, know that hiccups don't hurt your baby (or cause her discomfort) and they will go away soon. So relax and enjoy the movement.

-http://family.go.com/parentpedia/pregnancy/baby-development/hiccups/

Week 30 Belly Pic

There it is. My little basketball :) 10 more weeks to go. I wonder now much bigger I'm going to get. My doctor said a lot bigger. Geez LOL. I'm feeling pretty good. I actually had a Braxton Hicks contraction on NYE. It was a very strange feeling and my belly was as hard as a rock. It wasn't painful, only some mild cramping. After some stretching it went away. Oh, and our little boy is getting the hiccups now. That's also a strange feeling. There not as spread out as ours are. They're very constant and last a long time...like a constant muscle spasm. I guess that's as close as I can describe it. I can't wait to hold you in my arms little one :)