4 Months and 2 weeks

Getting older, cuter and BIGGER all the time! Naomi has grown leaps and bounds in so many ways over the last few days, Mom and Dad are having trouble keeping up with it all! What also made her feel big was meeting her second cousin (Anna's cousin) that is 3 months younger that her - all of a sudden Naomi wasn't so little anymore, she was the big girl! Wow. And comparing the two (who look scarily similar might I add...) it also showed how much Naomi has learned in a few short months.

So what Naomi is up to now...wow, where to start? Well she's started solid foods a little bit. We've started giving her rice cereal to help her settle down to sleep with a full tummy at night, that's a big step! She's taken to it very well too, doesn't seem to mind the taste and swallows with little complaint, and not too much of it coming back out...

She has also gone from accidentally hitting things and seeing them move or happening to grab something when it was in the same spot as her closing hand to reaching for objects and playing with them. When she sits in her bumbo chair on the kitchen table when we eat she likes to push things around the the table, Mom's cereal box the other day and then the empty milk carton yesterday. All very entertaining to watch!

Along with this she has gotten her voice. It's not just cooing and making little baby noises, it's an actual voice making babbling noises. We'll see what actual word comes out first, suggestions have been made to her by a few people, there's pressure for "mama", "dada" and "grandpapa" (someone's been pushing for that one for a couple months now... :) ) but would also not be surprised if she starts with "more" like her dad or "Nanook, no!" as commonly heard from her mom during the day... We'll just have to see! But for now we'll be entertained by the happy babbles and much more common laughter.

Well Anna signing off for now while both Naomi and Nanook enjoy a nap...

PS: There's another album of photos on Anna's facebook now, the first two are now full so the third one is: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=66138&l=cb5d3&id=722860770

Four months in one day

Got some cute bath time photos - with a little bit of help from Aunty Suzy! She caught this cute one with Naomi splashing and I got the one with Naomi zoning out staring at all her bath toys. Some fun time last night with daddy! Bath time is definitely getting to be more fun as she's figured out her hands and feet a bit more and what they do and has fun splashing and kicking in the tub.

She has also gotten better from her cold that she had a couple of weeks ago and gotten her weight back and then some. She's finally cracked the 14 pound mark! We'll have to see how much weight she's gained this week tomorrow...but getting bigger and bigger all the time despite mommy and daddy telling her to stop growing bigger... :) The "it's too small" pile of clothing is also getting rapidly growing...

Giggling is also a more regular occurrence, still not predictable at all and never when Aunty Suzy is in the room...Aunty Suzy's been visiting for a couple days and still hasn't caught a giggle yet! Oh well, we'll get there eventually.

Toys are getting much more fun too. She likes to throw them around and plays with more than just holding her rings, it's very entertaining. Almost reaching for toys now, but not quite. She's realizing more that it's her that makes her toys make noise.

Standing is a thing that has become a favorite thing to do too. If mommy, daddy or a visiting friend balances her she loves to stand up on her legs and look around. Every now and then she'll sit back down but then want to get back up again.

So that's all for now...Anna signing off while Adam gets some work done, Nanook rests on the floor and Naomi is blowing bubbles and hiccuping with Aunty Suzy...

3 Months and 2 weeks old

We're getting older, but getting bigger has slown down. Partially because generally it just does at around 3 months, but also Naomi has been pretty sick the last few days. You may or may not be able to tell from these photos, but she's a bit pale right now. She's got a bit of a stomache bug that we're fighting. So it's lots of sleeping, frequent but not long feeding and more baths than usual with a lot of the feeding ending up on her outfits...

Mom is quite stressed out about all of this so we'll be going to the doctor today just to make sure it's nothing super serious and then Grandma Kouwenberg is being awesome and helping keep mom sane by coming to visit/help for a couple/few days. Yeah Grandma!

So she hasn't been super smiley or happy really, but still gets the odd giggle and fun moment in. Her way of dealing with being sick seems to be getting lots of sleep - which mom is not complaining about, better that than crying and fussing! That's one way we're lucky!

She's getting really good at playing with her toys as well. She likes to hold on to things and pretty much all toys right now get stuffed in her mouth, which can be quite entertaining to watch - her coordination doesn't generally get the toy to her mouth very easily yet! But very cute.

That's all for now, Anna signing off to try and feed Naomi again and Nanook keeping nearby to make sure everyone's okay...

3 Months, 10 days old

More noises have been learned now - she's learned how to "raspberry" with her lips and also will make the noise while sticking her tongue out, very cute. This comes with much bubbles and drool, but cute none the less! She seems to blow lots of bubbles instead of just your standard drool which is nice, cuter I think then a waterfall off her chin... :) She is starting to wear bibs more often though now because of all of that. Easier to change a bib every now and then then having to get a whole new outfit because the part she pulls up to her mouth gets soggy. So she just plays with the bib instead, the bib probably spends more time in her mouth than hanging down on her chest...I believe her thought is something like "gee, thanks for putting a toy so handy for me mom, it's always there for me to stuff in my mouth!"

She is slowly starting to giggle as well. We get about one or two laughs a day so far, and when they come is pretty unpredictable. But it is very satisfying when you play with her and you get a giggle in response. Can't wait until that is a regular occurance!

Growing has slowed down a bit now too. Instead of gaining about 1/2 a pound a week we've slowed down to about 1/4 of a pound instead. I was a bit worried about that initially but from speaking to the nurses at the mom and tot group I go to weekly a slow down around 3 months is normal. Perhaps that will mean the sleepers that are starting to get tight will still fit for a while? We'll have to see. But by mid next week she'll probably break 14 pounds!

Anyhow, Anna signing off for now as Naomi wakes up from her nap in her swing, Nanook continues her nap on the floor and Adam plays on his computer...

3 Months Old (minus one day...)

We're getting older still! As of November 3rd we've hit the 3 month mark. A bit under the weather the last couple days, but still eating, smiling and pooping up a storm...just a bit tired and runny eyes that are a bit red and puffy...but catching up on our sleep to get better. She's gotten some good cuddles in with her Aunty Suzy, Aunty Marf and Grandma and Grandpa while were visiting here in Sooke again; taking the opportunity to have many a good nap.

She's getting quite strong with her neck and making more and more sounds all the time. One of the other newer things is figuring out how to hold on to things. Her plastic rings are her favorite toy right now; nice and easy to grab by accident and taste great apparently! We've had some fun swinging the rings around and throwing her giraffe - not quite got the grab and let go down, mostly happens by accident still.

Another fun thing that has started is her teeth are showing themselves a little bit. Her bottom left front tooth is peaking out a bit and she's had a couple fussy times because of it...but so far it's only peaking out and has not made any further progress since a week ago. She hasn't seemed to be bothered by them recently.

So that's all for now...Anna signing off with the rest of the Kouwenberg family (well, the ones in Sooke anyway!) enjoying a relaxing evening and Naomi having another nap in the swing...

11 Weeks, 5 days old

We're getting bigger all the time! Naomi is over 13 pounds now, today she weighed in at 13 pounds 2 ounces! And she is definetely getting bigger - she's outgrowing a whole bunch of her outfits and fitting into the ones that used to be too big. There have also been a few people that have agreed that she's lost the "newborn look" and has moved along to looking like a cute happy baby.

The new things now are figuring out her hands more. She's decided that sucking her hands and fingers is much more interesting than her soother, but she still likes her soother as well at times. But sucking her hands is one of her favorit things to do. She is also figuring out what other things her hands do, she's slowly starting to figure out that she can grab things. She's grabbing and moving toys, still not intentionally but is doing it, and will happily grab people's hair if it dangles in front of her.

We're continuing to have a relatively regular pattern for sleep and active times as well, mom and dad are getting about 8 hours of sleep a night, often solid sleep but sometimes after 5 or 6 hours she wants a snack then goes back to sleep.

Anyhow, an update for now, more to come later. Anna signing off with Adam getting dinner together, Naomi napping in her swing and Nanook sniffing all of Naomi's toys...

10 Weeks old

Happy Thanksgiving! Naomi has made it to her first holiday family gathering. We've been visiting Adam's parents, along with the rest of his immediate family, and all of us have been together for a couple of days. The family has really enjoyed being able to share some time together and get to know Naomi a bit more. She's been passed around from one happy relative to the next! Mom's been enjoying not having to change quite as many diapers!

Naomi's continued to be quite vocal, lots of cooing and cute noises. And she's really been on a more consistent schedule with sleep, naps and such. We've taken a few really cute pictures - I've updated facebook to include more pictures - if you don't have facebook you can check out the photos here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55363&l=b9613&id=722860770

So that is all for now, mainly wanted to update with photos, so feel free to check out the link above!

Anna signing off from Sooke, with all the other Kouwenbergs either heading off to sleep or for a dip in the hot-tub...and Naomi enjoying a cuddle with her Grandpa

2 Months, 5 days old

A happy baby, yet again. :) Currently we have yet another bout of hiccups, this is a multiple times a day experience that we're getting quite used to. Sometimes they almost seem to entertain her!

The biggest new thing - a full night's sleep! For the last few days she's slept at least 6 hours, but one night as much as 9, in a row. Mom and Dad have really liked this and are hoping it's the way it will always be and not just a short treat, we'll have to see how that goes! But for now Mommy will take the catch-up on sleep!

We have been on our first overnight trip to somewhere away from home. Last weekend we went away from Thursday night until Sunday night to visit Adam's sister and brother-in-law in Peachland. It was a great trip and Naomi did really well. We weren't sure how it was going to go but it was great.

Anyhow, that's all that's new for now - we'll see later in the day how her weight gain is going - an update on that next time.

Anna signing off with a happily kicking baby beside her and Nanook wandering around the house...

8 Weeks, 3 Days Old

The smiles continue! She has been such a happy baby, it's been really nice. Content to spend much time lying in her playpen kicking away - which has let mom get some stuff done around the house, and shower without screams in the background... The public health nurse even commented on how tolerant she was as she happily laid in the hard, cool scale while mom signed in for the mom and tot group. And can you believe it, the weight on the scale read almost 12 pounds - 11 pounds, 14 ounces! Wow! That was a gain of 9 ounces from just one week before, so she's gaining more than an ounce a day!

The mom and tot class has been nice. There's a group at a local community centre that meets every Wednesday afternoon. Moms with babies under 8 months of age get together and share resources, experiences, tips, and other useful information. And there's public health nurses there to answer questions too. It's been really helpful already. For Naomi we got to have questions about her Vitamin D that she has to take, we think it may be giving her gas which makes her quite cranky for a little while after taking it. So we'll see if that stays true, and if so we may have to switch types...

Sleeping at night has been a bit more of an effort for mom and dad. It's not uncommon for her to decide to be awake after one feeding at night and keep either mom or dad up with her until the next feeding when she falls asleep. Unfortunately that seems to happen more nights than not the last few days. At least her first good sleep at night seems to be nice and long, she'll go 5 hours, a couple times even 6, from the start of the feeding to when she needs to eat again - so mom usually gets a good 4 hours of sleep.

Anyhow, that's all for now. So growing rapidly and awake lots...

Anna signing off, with Naomi cuddling (and starting to get fussy...) with Aunty Suzy and Adam and Nanook relaxing on the couch.

6 weeks, 3 days old

Hello everyone! So we've really advanced a lot in the last week. We've gone from smiling randomly to quite regularly and in response to things, and we've even gotten ticklish! I managed to catch a smile with the camera this morning and wanted to post it on the blog.

Breastfeeding has become more regular now and we've not had to cheat with anything, and even the last couple of days she hasn't had any bottles of pumped milk at all, it's been all regular breastfeeding. So we're quite happy about that.

Sleeping has become regular as well. For the most part she has a couple/few naps during the day and sleeps very well at night. Not sleeping through the night yet, still has to get up for a feeding or two, but sleeping at night though.

With feeding and sleeping well it's been much easier to get out and about. We've been about to get out and visit Grandpapa, and even gone out to Langley and had a visit with the great-grandparents. It's been very nice.

Anyhow, she's going to be hungry again shortly so I should go, but enjoy the pictures - I thought the picture below of the "two girls" checking each other out was pretty cute!

Anna - with Naomi enjoying a nap in her swing and Nanook continuing to enjoy the sunshine on the patio

3 Weeks, 5 days old

Hello everyone. So we're getting close to a month old now - can't believe it! One more week and she'll be a month! Wow. Well we've learned a lot about each other during that time. Naomi continues to be cute and taking up a lot of space on our camera's memory card...Nanook is a bit jealous that someone else is taking all the shutter time I think. She managed to sneak into one shot though, she's been a very good "big sister", keeping an eye on Naomi. Nanook's been very good with the addition to the family, but does get a bit attention starved at times. There's been many a time where she's wanted her toy thrown for her when mom's busy feeding Naomi or someone is enjoying a nice cuddle with Naomi. But usually there's someone else around that can give Nanook attention instead.


Anyhow, we seem to be getting into a bit of a rhythm. Dad's been a great help, taking a feeding with a bottle either before he goes to work or before going to bed, letting mom get a couple more hours of much needed sleep. 7 hours a day between that stretch and naps seems to be about the norm.


We haven't gone out too much yet, only about 2 or three times, but will be trying a big adventure in a couple days by going to a friend's wedding. So we'll see how that goes! Currently it's a bit challenging for mom to even get stuff done around the house, even tough to squeeze in a shower, so outings are being postponed for now. We're just getting used to schedules.


Well enjoy the couple of pictures - feel free for those of you on facebook to continue to check out the photo albums Adam and I are continuing to update relatively regularly.


Anna signing off again, with Adam back at work, Nanook on guard and Grandma and Grandpa Kouwenberg taking turns cuddling with Naomi...

16 days old

Hello everyone! So time is just flying by! Adam will have to go back to work next week - as much as he wants to stay home with the new baby - and Anna wants the help with the new baby! But it's been a good couple of weeks getting to know the newest member of the family. Jeni, Anna's sister, has been here since Aug. 5th, and Adam's mom was also here for a good week or so helping out with things. The help has been amazing, but Anna's starting to wonder how she'll manage without it!

We're starting to figure out how things work with a little baby...most of the time. Starting to know what different cries mean. She's also still cute when she cries, so obviously doesn't cry THAT much.

Anyhow, Naomi's healthy, mom's recovering well and we're all still trying to catch up on sleep but getting there...and she's cute as ever.

Anna signing off for now...with everyone starting to stir now that it's getting to be afternoon... :)

5 days old

We've made it to 5 days! Can't believe this time last week there was no Naomi!

Had a visit from the nurse today, and weight is finally going back up again, almost birth weight already! Anna got some more tips to help with breast feeding. Naomi is still working on latching consistantly but seems to prefer the left side, already a lefty like mom!

Naomi's days are routine, sleeping, pooping, and then eating every three hours. When she is awake, she smiles and blinks at us. She is generally a very happy baby, not very fussy.

Our days, on the other hand, are far from routine! Breakfast is usually around 10am or 11am since that's when we find our self finally waking up! During the day we've been putting together playpen and play mat and bathtub etc. We're trying to learn what Naomi's body language means! Anna's milk has come in, so feedings have been a lot easier. She can have enough milk left over to actually be able to sleep through a feeding instead of being up every 2 or 3 hours.

We've enjoyed having a few visitors and watching the Olympic coverage.

If you're interested in visiting, drop us a line! We are working on putting together a few family get togethers, kinda like an open house style.

Jeni for Anna, Adam and Naomi, with Grandma Elaine near by, all watching the Olympics, and Nanook wondering why she can't jump on the couch as much anymore.

Pictures

Many people have been wanting to see pictures, so far the easiest way is to go to http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=142261&l=ee318&id=729810553 I will try and get more pics up here on the blog, but for now...

Day 2

Naomi has been an angel, I would have to say she seems to be making up for putting mommy through a rough couple days!

Mom is doing good. things are still a little sore but everything seems to be healing well - doctor even agrees with that after an assessment not that long ago. We'll still be here until tomorrow though.

Anyhow, my lunch is here so I'll sign off for now...

Anna - with Naomi taking a snooze & Adam off to get food...

.... after 45 hours of contractions

WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL! Naomi Elaine Monika Kouwenberg was born, in true kouwenberg form 30 mins late from her due date at 12:30am August 3, 2008 weighing 8 lbs 1 oz! every one is exhausted from the ordeal but everybody is healthy! I am going to try and upload a poor quality picture from my phone. but if that does not work, look for many more to come later!

and we wait.... more

wow! what an afternoon, when I last wrote everything was going beautifully, then shortly after that progrees just stalled out, infact if anything we went backwards a bit! Anna hit rock bottom for her energy and pain threshold. but she is my hero, and pulled through it like a trooper. the anistethiologist (sp?) took probably an hour and a half to come once Anna got drained, and the two of us fought through some pretty tough contractions together. she now has an epideral in, and for the first time in more than 40 hours is she able to sleep without pain. the OB is going to do another check at around 8 to make a decission where we go from there.

we appreciate all the thoughts and prayers that you all have.

hope to write again soon.

Adam

High as a kite!

Nitros Oxide is a wonderful thing! Anna is sucking much laughing gas to get through the increasing contractions. the doctor just came in to check and she looks to be about 7-8 centimeters so things are going just great! I got to run and hold her hand!

Later!

At the hospital: Part 1

We have made it to the hospital! things are progressing nicely. at last check Anna was dialted between 3-4 cm. Breakfast was just delivered and contractins are coming along regularly.

Stay tuned!

.... getting closer.... we think!

Good morning! it is about 5:30am, and we are just loading the car and going to the hospital.... we will see how it goes! Contractions are getting very strong and regular, about every 3-4 mins. Hopefully we won't be sent home once we get there, and hopefully things progress nicely once we do! Anna is having 'fun' coming up with, umm, descriptive adjectives to use during contractions, involving much gibberish, 'oi yoi's' and grunts and groans.

Hope to write soon with more news.....

...STILL Waiting...

And so the day continues...sans new baby, well, new'born' baby anyway. We're all pretty tired after a long, inconsistent day and hoping to soon try to get some sleep - we'll see if Peanut decides to start the contractions again as soon as mom hits the pillow, that seems to be a trigger for the most part, but managed to be far enough apart for the last sleep attempt to get a couple hours in, regularly interrupted hours, but hours non the less.

Perhaps Peanut will be an incredibly punctual baby? We'll just have to see how tomorrow goes! But thanks to those who have been by throughout the day distracting Anna, it's been nice to have the support and the helping hands to get some stuff finished off around the house!

Anna signing off for now, hoping the break in contractions lasts long enough to catch up on sleep, Adam wishing that as well, and Mommy Kouwenberg not minding the thought either...

.... still waiting....

Ok, it is now a little more than 13 hours after the initial contractions startes, and they have been comming and going, with some extended periods of nothing, then some intsense contractions... We have played a bunch of board games, been snaking lightly and just hanging out, Anna still has not had any more sleep, but periods of rest. At this momment she is trying to get a bit of sleep, but we will see how well peanut co-operates!

Untill later...

A&A&P

... waiting .....

So it is a few hours of after the last post and we have not left for the hospital yet, when we called they said stay home as long as you are 'comfortable' and after giving it a bit and relaxing the contractions have slowed right down. we are planning on having a bit of a nap to re-build the energy reserves and see how it goes from there. at the peak there were ontrctions every 2 mins lsting for almost a whole minute! Now it has been almost a half hour.

time for the mom to be to get some rest!

until later......

40 Weeks

So we potentially have a very punctual baby...due date is officially tomorrow but we'll be heading to the hospital shortly as Anna is having very regular contractions that are getting increasingly more uncomfortable. So perhaps our next blog will have a picture of peanut that isn't an ultrasound and will let everyone know the baby's name...we'll see!

Fortunately the house is realatively organized and ready to go, fridge is stocked, baby room essentially set up...so if this is the real thing then should be okay! We'll let you all know as soon as we can...

Anna signing off, getting quite uncomfortable, Adam taking a last minute shower and a very confused Nanook bouncing all over the house...

39 Weeks

Hello again everyone! So it's been a busy couple of weeks. Anna had her last day of work on Friday the 18th and has been enjoying time to relax and rejuvenate before the baby comes. Most days have been spent relaxing with a good book or getting a couple things done/ready around the house but there's been a couple days that have just been "off" days and quite tiring - times when Anna is glad that work is done for now as she does not have the energy for it anymore!

We were able to do our crazy Creation Fest run...we drove down on Thursday this week to the Gorge Ampitheatre, in the town called George, smack dab in the middle of Washington State. We stayed there for just over 24 hours then came back late last night. Most people we told up here that we were going to drive 6 hours into the states without medical coverage to cover the cost of having a baby in the states thought we were nuts - but most of the regulars down at Creation Fest seemed to think we weren't dedicated enough. :) Comments like "what, you're just getting here now?" or, "you're leaving already? You just got here!" and Anna was delighted with being told how fabulous she looks for being due in now just a week.

Other than that, we've finished off our pre-natal classes now. We both know much more what to expect for the baby both coming into the world and that whole process, as well as a few things we'll need to do and what to expect once the baby is here with us. Anna's now not so freaked out about the actual birth (still somewhat, but what first-time mother isn't?) and we're hoping to have a natural, medication free (or mostly) birth. Hopefully it will be relatively smooth and normal without complications - Anna's had enough craziness!

We're also looking forward to visiting with a couple out of town guests that will be coming up around the time baby is expected as well. Grandma-to-be, Adam's mom, is coming over from the island while grandpa-to-be is on the bike for bibles trek, and Anna's sister Jeni is coming up for a couple of weeks from California to see what being an auntie is like and I'm sure to cool off from the California heat.

Anyhow, all for now. We're hoping to do more regular posts in the next couple/few weeks - while we're waiting for baby to come and then again once baby comes to show how progress goes. I'm sure there will be a few times where we're up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep or something where we can write. :)

Anna signing off with Peanut continuing to roll around, and Adam and Nanook relaxing in front of the TV.

37 Weeks!

Well we are getting close now! It has been a busy time, and we are starting to wonder where all the time has gone! In fact we just had our first bit of 'pre-natal classes' last night thanks to a doula friend! This past week we also took a tour of the maternity ward at Lions Gate and saw all of the fun things they have there.


A few weeks ago during our regular visit with the doctor we mentioned (while wincing, fearing the repercussions) that we might consider going down to Creation Fest for a day. And we were, well, blown away by her response... she laughed and giggled, and said....."o you so have to do it, it would be so much fun!!! ooo hoo hoo!!" and I think we just looked at her with our jaws gently flapping in the breeze. So a week or 2 later, during the next exam she said.... "hmmmm, well dear, lets see how you do around the full moon......" Well apparently there is a noticeable increase in births around full moons, it may be similar to the moon's effect on tides, and during the full moon the amniotic fluid is pulled further, and it ruptures more easily. Ok, so what is the big deal.... when is the full moon.... July 18th, the same day Anna finishes work, and one week from this post! Not so ideal.... (Yes I know Amanda, your gunning for that day, but Anna does want a little bit of time to get organised and get the house in baby order...) so that is a small stresser. This being said, at the doctor's today Peanut was in the proper position (head down, back to the left) and she (my vote, no we don't know) is a good size and good to come any time he (there you go Anna.....) is ready.



Mommy and Peanut, occasionally have their disagreements over, umm everything



M: Time to sleep

P: Lets play soccer mom, no? How about somersaults?



M: Hmmmm I'm comfy

P: Mommy, I don't have space, let me punch this soft squishy thing.

M: GOTTA P!!!!!!



M: I'm hungry, I want to eat yummy butter chicken

P: MMM butter chicken, now how about heartburn... and lots of it!



Ahh the joys!



So Mom is feeling much better after our pre-natal lessons last night, though she did seem to go a bit green, and mutter something unintelligible under her breath when we saw a video of a birth and we watched a head push out.....



All this being said we are getting quite excited and a bit nervous about the upcoming massive change in our lives!



We hope to increase the posts during the next few weeks (or days) not all may have pictures, but we will try and keep everyone posted on what is going on!



Thanks for reading!



Adam, running out of ideas, Anna falling asleep, Nanook with her bone, and Peanut doing her thing (or his :P)

34.5 Weeks (and some baby shower flashbacks...)

Hello again everyone! I swear every time I think of doing a blog I'm either in my car, at work or Adam's not around to take a photo to post...so I finally figured out a good spot to balance the camera and use the timer and just took the picture myself! :) So here's my picture courtesy of camera timers... :)

As you can see Peanut continues to be quite the space hog, taking up more and more room in mommy! I vary between feeling as though my stomach is a reverse punching bag (being punched from the inside out) and that driving me nuts to thinking it's really neat and cute...but lately more feeling the punching bag! Especially after having trouble trying to sleep last night.

The pelvic mis-alignment seems to have somewhat sorted itself out, for the most part it's just uncomfortable in the mornings, but other than that pretty good. Although Adam accused me of "waddling" the other day when we were shopping - that was very encouraging! :) Oh well.

Weight has still not been an issue, which has been a nice treat! At my last check-up I had gained only about 1/4 of a pound from 2 weeks before bringing my total to 17 pounds gained, can't believe it! Still am so suprised that I haven't been totally huge like I expected. But enjoying that I can indulge in special treats that usually make me gain weight is nice, will probably be going out for ice-cream with a good friend this evening for dessert!

Anyhow, that's all for now, hopefully post again sooner than last (as I always say I know...). Here's some pictures from my baby shower my sister threw for me on June 13th, enjoy!

Anna...with Adam hopefully on his way home from work and Nanook still enjoying being outside on the porch. :)

31 Weeks

So the picture is from a couple of days ago, but Adam's not here to take an updated photo, so we'll use that! Took it the other day but with a crazy week, yet again, we did not have time to actually put the picture up. But the crazy week has passed, so hopefully we'll have a bit more time to relax. We can hope!

Well we're down to single digits for weeks before baby arrives, can't believe it! Probably about 7 weeks before I'll be on Maternity leave - which is only a month and a half! Wow! But I know I'm getting closer, really feeling the baby move around now - can even see it from time to time. Was sitting down relaxing in front of the tv the other day and saw my belly shift abruptly from one side to the other, an interesting experience that's for sure! Still a bit weird to feel something moving so much down there.

The pelvic mis-alignment is slowly starting to be managed. As long as I don't over-exert myself (which I do tend to do with a crazy schedule, but getting better) then I don't hurt AS much. Last Sunday I managed to get out of bed with no pain - but that's the only day that's happened so far. But pain is definetly less frequent and not as extreme, for the most part. Now it's just bad days instead of bad all day.

Signing off with intentions of writing again soon! I promise we really don't mean to leave it so long, weekly really is the goal, not every 3... :)

~Anna...Adam at work and Nanook enjoying the fresh air on the patio.

28 Weeks

Oops! Didn't mean to make you all wait three weeks for another picture, but that just shows how psycho crazy we've both been with work! Tax season has finally ended for Anna though, so she can hopefully start catching up on her sleep for when baby comes. Adam we will have to see - much commitment at work right now.

Anna continues to grow, and is suprised every week with the fact that yes, she can still keep getting bigger despite how stretched and maxed out she felt before! The main problem she's been having, pelvic mis-alignment, is slowly being dealt with, she's been to physio once now and will go again for the second time tomorrow. Hopefully at some point in the next couple months she can move around when sleeping without being in extreme pain!

Adam has been able to enjoy feeling baby kicking more - despite the "daddy radar" that tends to make baby still whenever he tries to check for movement. He's been able to catch some movement here and there and even read his favorite children's story to peanut the other day as well.

Anyhow, an updated picture for everyone, and again, hopefully, we will not be quite as long before our next post!

Anna & Adam...and peanut kicking up a storm...

24 and 25 Weeks

Well were finally getting the next post up. We took the picture last week, just never wrote the the blog... oops :) Both us us are incredibly busy with work with tax season for Anna, and a new area of responsibility for Adam (Events & Food Service) Mom 'to be' is doing well besides feeling very tired (partially what happens when you average 12-14 hour days at work) and very stretched. We saw the doctor last week for the routine checkup, everything is going well, the doctor is thrilled with the progress, and so is Anna, she has gained very little weight (~7lbs!), peanut keeps growing, but is helping with the ... umm reserves :) There is no doubting now that we are very pregnant! Enjoy the pics and hopefully we will be able to post next week again!

A&A&P

22 Weeks

Hello once again! We've made it to 5 months ish now and Anna's still progressivly feeling better. Her energy is starting to increase regularly despite being crazy busy at work. Baby is continuing to grow - making quite a difference in belly size this week! This picture is from Saturday but close enough... :) Definetly more of a "pop" this week from last - a much bigger difference then the last couple of pictures.

Peanut has been moving around much more as well, finding mom's bladder on a regular basis! But it's definetly adding to the "realness" of the pregnancy being able to feel the baby moving around. So far though only Anna gets to feel this, we cannot feel movement from the outside yet. But now feeling it multiple times per day instead of perhaps once a day.

So enjoy the next picture, we'll write again soon.

Anna & Adam (with Nanook continuing to try and step on the keyboard. :) )

21 Weeks

Hello once again! So a bit longer since our last post then we wanted, but here we are. Anna's continued to grow, as you can see from the picture, but doing much better now than before. We've now officially past the halfway mark and baby theoretically should be about 3/4 of a pound already and can hear everything now - so we've gotta be careful! :)

Anyhow, enjoy the picture and have a happy Easter!

Anna & Adam (well, Adam watching... :) )

Ultrasound #1

*Phew* As you can see from the photos we will be the proud parents of ONE child for now, not two! Not that we don't want 2 children, because we do, but we were thinking of spacing them out a bit more. :) So this is excellent news. And no, we do not know if it's a boy or a girl - peanut is still an "it" for now. :) Besides, we don't really want to know until the baby pops out, so probably would not have had anything to share with you anyhow. :) The technician did not say anything bad but seemed happy with everything, so we're guessing all is well, but I'm sure we will hear from our doctor soon with official results. But anyhow, enjoy the pictures!

Adam & Anna (yes, Anna is typing, Adam is watching... :) and Nanook is busy getting her nose into stuff and Peanut is probably sleeping.)

18 Weeks

Good day all,

Well we have 3 days before the ultrasound that hopefully will answer a bunch of questions, mainly along the lines of quantity.... Only 3 days, not like we are counting or anything... Anyways... Yesterday we hit the 18 week mark.... we are now just 2 weeks away from the halfway point already! You can find out all sorts of information the you wanted (or not) to know about 18 weeks along you can go to the BabyCenter website. Not too much else to say... we went for a walk today at Rocky Point Park..... exciting I know..... you are so enthralled and you are just saying "Oh wow! they live such an exciting life, I want to be just like them.... I just can't wait for the next post!" Now on that sassy note maybe Anna won't make me write another one of these!

Adam with Anna watching and cringing at my typing , Peanut doing somersaults, and Nanook sleeping.

First Entry!! :) - 17 Weeks

Hello Everyone! Welcome to our "baby blog"

With so many of our family and good friends being far away we decided to make a blog to keep everyone up to date on our baby-to-be whom we've affectionaltly named "Peanut".

We're starting a fair ways in, we're already just over 17 weeks, can't believe it! Anna has been progressing wondfully and Adam has been a continued, patient, support. Anna has not been feeling too well throughout and despite being out of the 1st trimester continues to feel quite "under the weather". If anything it got a bit worse after 12 weeks. She's managing but starting to have some troubles sleeping and being comfortable, but we'll make it through.

On Tuesday March 4th we'll be having our first ultrasound, which will hopefully bring answers to some nagging questions. When we were at our doctor's appointment just over a week ago the doctor thinks she may have found a second heartbeat! That would explain a lot, but still very unlikely... Twins does not run in either of our families so that would be an interesting twist; but likely it's just an echo from the one baby's heartbeat.

Anyhow a start to our hopefully weekly updates!

Post again soon,

Adam & Anna