Feeling better (35 weeks)

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am feeling MUCH better. Luckily the not being able to walk thing only lasted 2 days. While I'm still sore, I think it's just regular pregnancy pains. Now I just waddle. :) I am so relieved though! I'm sure Joe is too, because I don't know how much longer he could've waited on me! :)

Baby is good too! Still moving about. Now that he is bigger and has more force it feels really weird. Sometimes I really think he may kick his way out of there. Hiccups are funny (and even a little uncomfortable) because they shake my entire insides now.

I'll post pictures from the holiday and shower with my high school friends soon!

Merry Christmas! (34 weeks)

I thought I'd post another profile picture so you could see how my belly has grown! I am not even measuring anymore. Let's just say it is big. A lovely stranger looked at me at the grocery store today and said, "Big Boy!" He went on to tell me that Baby was doing lots of moving in there and he noticed all the way from the next checkout aisle. I guess I don't even notice it anymore because he is so active! Crazy.

I also just had to post a plain old picture of our gorgeous Christmas tree. I think it is one of the best we've done, which is funny, because the night we got it it was so cold that we didn't even untie the netting to see what it might look like. I grabbed the biggest one I could find - it's 9'5"! As Joe says, "Every tree needs a home," so we were going to give a home to whatever tree we ended up with. We lucked out!

About an hour after I took this picture (Sunday night) I got REALLY sore in my groin - pretty much everywhere from below my belly button to my upper thighs. As the night progressed I could barely roll over, get out of bed or even walk the 15 feet to the bathroom without support. I was nervous so I called the doctor in the morning. They had me come in (thanks to my boss, Bob, and co-worker Kerri for helping me out of the car and into the hospital!) because I guess they were concerned the baby might be on his way. He is not, but he has certainly settled himself deeper into position, and one that involves A LOT of pressure on my nerves, muscles and ligaments. It feels like I pulled a muscle, only it's all muscles in the area and I can't pin point one spot in particular. The doctor said their is not much I can do about it. I am feeling a little better today but can only shuffle or "walk" by moving my hips side to side. No raising and lowering of the legs! I'm a little nervous how this will pan out since walking is our main form of transportation in the city and I have 5.5 weeks left. My mom said this happened to her with my brother and a nurse at the doctor had it happen to her too. Well, I sure hope he is comfy in there!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Showers and holiday fun

We have been busy celebrating the Christmas season and fast-approaching due date of baby.

Last Friday night was Joe's company Christmas party, which was held at the Empire Ballroom at the Palmer House hotel. Gorgeous! It was so fun to get dressed up (I had to buy a maternity party dress) and talk babies with his co-workers and their wives. Their is a baby boom at McDonough Associates so we're excited that Baby Middleton will have lots of friends his age.

Sunday afternoon my Chicago friends hosted a brunch shower for me at the cutest little place called Jane's. It was great to have all of my friends from different groups together for a laid back brunch. We ate - veggie frittata for me - and then opened gifts. Everyone was so generous and we got tons of cute stuff! Thanks everyone!

We have now taken a class on infant safety and CPR, as well as a class on basics of newborn baby care. Both were very helpful, even the "baby basics" class. It's been a while since either of us has spent a lot of time around babies! We are feeling more and more prepared.

Baby Update - 33 weeks

I had a doctor's appointment this morning and just have to post because I am such a proud mommy. Baby has moved into the correct position! Although it seems early, the doctor's seemed to be very interested in whether or not he would get situated correctly. At our last visit he was "transverse", or pretty much horizontal across my belly. Now he is head down and feet up! Yippee! The doctor said it is rare that he will switch positions now, so I am very relieved.

While the doctor was ultrasounding me I had him check for his "male organ". Grandma Middleton continues to have dreams that Baby is a girl and Grandma Rankin thinks it looks like I am carrying a girl! Well, the doctor confirmed it is a boy once again so I hope after four confirmations it is accurate.

The other great news is that he said that at 34 weeks they would not stop labor, so if I were to go into labor now they'd just let me have him! That is so exciting. I don't think he's coming any time soon but it is good to know they think he'd be strong enough. I am grinning ear to ear from all the good news!

My first showers!

We were very blessed to have TWO separate showers in Grand Rapids over the Thanksgiving weekend!

The first was Friday night at Paula Nowakowski's and it was hosted by "the group" - Grandpa and Grandma Rankin's family friends who we've grown up with. The theme was "All Star Shower" because Baby Boy M is sure to be a sports fan just like his dad and uncles. We had a great time playing the "Baby Body Part" game, eating and drinking bellinis (virgin for me, of course). There were two other baby boys there, which made it all the more fun.

Saturday night the shower was hosted by Grandma Middleton, my sister-in-laws and our Jastifer aunts. It was also very special! The theme was "Great Expectations" (one of my fave classic books, actually!) and the invites were sent to look like library cards. Everyone was encouraged to bring a favorite children's book. Needless to say, we ended up with a ton of amazing books! Joe and I are really excited about reading to Baby M when he arrives so it was a perfect theme for us.

We ended up with so many amazing gifts. Our family and friends are unbelievably generous! Thank you everyone!!!

Busy Weekend!

What a great weekend! Baby's Grandpa and Grandma Rankin came to visit Saturday. It is always great to have them in Chicago. They appreciate the city as much as we do! We made the trip out to IKEA to check out baby items. They had some cute stuff but most were play things that will be better to get for him once he gets older. We picked up some essentials like wooden baby hangers though! Later we went to check out the Christmas lights on the Magnificent Mile (see the pic above - beautiful!) and out to dinner at one of our favorite Latin restaurants, Mambo Grill. Baby was pretty low key but he did manage to show Grandpa and Grandma some of his moves. He especially enjoyed Grandma's singing!

This morning we had to get up early for our first prenatal class at the hospital. It was 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. We learned so much about labor (my first birthing video experience...not so bad), relaxation techniques, hospital practices, etc. As a first time parent-to-be it was really informative and helpful. We toured the hospital to see the check-in area, labor & delivery rooms, recovery rooms, etc. We are so lucky because the hospital is only a year or so old and it's beautiful! Flat screen tv's and Bose sound CD/ipod players! Both Joe and I think the class was worth it and feel that much more prepared. We are getting there!

We're so excited to head back to Grand Rapids for the Thanksgiving holiday to see family and friends. Of course, we're very pumped for our first baby showers! Can't wait!

29.5 weeks

Picture from two nights ago at 29.5 weeks. 38.5" around and growing! :) You may also be happy to know that a woman offered me her seat on the bus this morning even though my big down jacket was zipped up. If she could tell through that big coat then it must be REALLY apparent I'm pregnant!

Third Trimester!

First off...Happy Birthday to "Uncle" John Rankin!

We made it! I can hardly even believe I am over 70% through. The second trimester went by so fast and was so wonderful. Finding out the sex, experiencing his first kicks, finally starting to "show". I felt better during my second trimester than I did before I was pregnant! I know that the third trimester will bring on new feelings and challenges for my body, but so far so good!

What can I tell you about Baby Middleton? He is still very active, but his movements are more rolls, squirms and light jabs and kicks. My belly shape is constantly changing depending on where he's going or decided to cuddle up. I can feel him creep up close to my rib cage and then turn all around a while later. I am not sure, but I think he responds to music and talking. He'll be moving like crazy and then we'll stop to watch him or feel him move and, of course, he'll stop too. I feel really fortunate that Joe can see and feel him move a lot of the time. Of course, he thinks it's kind of "creepy", but it is so cool that he gets to share in the experience now.

Books and Web sites have him anywhere from 15-17" this week. Wow! He is around 2.5 lbs. Personally, I think he might be a little bigger, but I've never been through this before and probably just think that because I'm not used to anything even near that size being inside of me. I found this great Web site, Future Babies, that shows 3D ultrasounds of babies all throughout pregnancy. Check out the 29 week babies! It helps me to envision him as a real baby like this and not the sketch drawings in most books. I bet he is so cute in there and is already getting little chubby cheeks!

He was there!

Yes, "Joe Jr." was there! Check out the left hand side of the picture above for a red circle highlighting approximate location. 

Regardless of your political preference or who you voted for, you have to admit it was a historic night. Joe and I wanted to make sure that we could tell baby that he was "there" (as a stow away in my belly)! We were fortunate enough to get tickets to the rally and considering that it all went down less than a half mile from our house, we made sure we were there for the experience. It was amazing! So much positive energy everywhere. Of course, Obama is an amazing speaker and it was very moving to be there to hear it. I am overwhelmed with emotion to think about the fact that America made a huge statement about race (the walls are down!) and that for our son's generation the color of your skin will not mean a thing! 

Loving our active boy

This week our babycenter.com e-newsletter said that he is finally opening his eyes! I find that exciting because I remember way back when we were just reading about his eyelids forming and they mentioned he wouldn't be opening them for a very long time. That long time is here!

According to the experts, he also has regular waking and sleeping schedules. These days though, I am not sure when he is actually sleeping besides at night when I am sleeping. He seems to be moving almost constantly. Some days he is much more active than others. I asked my doctor about it and she said it depends on my activities. Walking and movement lull him to sleep, which is why he seems to be less active on the weekends. The times I feel him the most are when I'm at work...probably because I'm sitting still while he's awake. While she thinks it's unnecessary for me to count his kicks, she says a great way to test that he's ok (if I'm worried) is to drink an OJ or coke and then lay down. All of that sugar going right to him will wake him right up! I start most days with an OJ so I guess I am riling him up from the start. :)

I went shopping at lunch today and couldn't resist buying him a little hat for this winter...and also this great coat for next fall! It was over 50% off and it should be just the right size for next year. I keep staring at it and thinking of how cute he is going to look!

Joe and I measured my belly again this week and this time it was only 37.5 inches around. I certainly did not shrink, so it must be that we switched from using a tape measure to ribbon. We'll see if we get different results next week!

26 weeks and counting!

As you can see, he is growing (and therefore I am growing too)! I am going to start measuring and tracking my belly growth. This may spoil the toilet paper shower game, but right now I am 39.5 inches around. We'll see what next week brings!

I can hardly believe that this week he is 14 inches long. Well, maybe I can. Last week I felt him move in two totally separate locations at the same time (a first - before it was always one focused kick). I think his arms were punching my upper left side and his legs were kicking my lower right abdomen in one swift stretch of sorts. He must've been lying on an angle in there. He has had some really active days lately and they are just the BEST! Friday night I was too distracted watching my belly move to focus on the movie we were watching. Sometimes it even makes me laugh because he is just so wild in there! I want to know what he's up to!

Joe and I are reading to him a lot. Joe is a big Dr. Seuss fan so we've started those and I am reading him Curious George stories from a book Cameron & Casey Braybrook bought for us. I'm also reading aloud articles from Real Simple and other books and magazines - he doesn't really know the difference, right? I can't wait until he is here and we can read more fun books together. I have seen some really cute ones about city life that I can't wait to get my hands on.

I got the invite to my first baby shower, which will be hosted by Paula Nowakowski and the "group", last week! It was so exciting to get it in the mail and it is adorable! We're trying to finish up registering this week. It is quite overwhelming. Decor for his room is especially hard. I just want it to be perfect!

24 weeks!

We hit the sixth month mark on Saturday October, 11th. It was also Mike and Amy's wedding - congratulations to the Tomaszewski's! We spent the weekend in Lake Geneva, WI, where they got married. It was such a gorgeous fall weekend and it was so nice to be out of the city where we could relax. We went to an orchard and got a pumpkin family...three sizes, one for each of us, including a "baby" pumpkin for the baby! We were also able to swim, which felt so great.

My belly continues to grow exponentially! I have a theory that it grows the most over the weekends when I have a chance to do a lot of sleeping and eating. Whereas before my uterus was below my belly button, it has moved to above my belly button. For the first time today I could feel the baby move at least 1-2 inches above my belly button...it is a weird feeling when I am used to him being so much lower! Having him way up there is making it harder to bend over. Time to move to slip-on shoes!

He is a full 12 inches now (about the length of an ear of corn) and just over a pound. I can tell he is getting a lot bigger. Before, I could mostly just feel kicks or jabs. But now I can feel rolling and twisting (and even SEE rolling and twisting), and I notice these movements a lot more frequently throughout the day as opposed to every now and again. The movements definitely have that "alien" quality everyone talks about - it's so weird to see your belly moving like that without having any control. I read that he has learned to decipher up and down, since his inner ears have formed and they control balance. That is so cool!

He is a very good boy. For the most part he sleeps at night (although two nights ago I woke up and was absolutely ravenous...I grabbed a handful of almonds...I guess he was hungry! I would NEVER have done that before my pregnancy). He even "wakes up" in the mornings with me when Joe says goodbye and rubs my belly! We had dinner with Matt and Susan Maine last night and they got him an awesome onesie that says "Chick Magnet". Perfect for this sure-to-be handsome boy!

We've reached another milestone!

The doctor uses Saturday as the day of the week when I move forward a week in pregnancy. Today is 23 weeks! Every Saturday morning Joe and I have a ritual of reading from the book "Mayo Clinic Guide to Pregnancy" about what's going on with our baby that week. It's something we really look forward to and was especially fun early on when he was developing his organs and major body parts. Today is a milestone because it notes that babies born after 23 weeks can sometimes survive (if taken care of in an NICU and without major complications)! His lungs are the big focus this week - they are growing rapidly.

BTW - I totally recommend the "Mayo Clinic" book I reference above. It provides very factual information without unnecessarily scaring you. I've heard "What to Expect When You're Expecting" is written in a tone that can freak moms-to-be out about everything. In the "Mayo" book they reference how your body and emotions are changing by month and also clarify when it's necessary to visit the doctor by month. So, pains or dizziness one month may be ok one month, but not the next. It's very clear. So far I've been able to remain fairly calm (with only two extra doctor's visits when I had questions to be safe)!

Guess who wants some attention?

He's doing lots of kicking to let us know he is there! I felt the first kick at 18 weeks, only two days after we found out he was a boy. I was in church and it was right at the end of mass! (You can read into this how you want!) At first it was pretty irregular, but now it is certainly getting to be a common thing. They are strong enough that others can feel him on the outside and I can see my hand move significantly if he gets me good. It is the best feeling in the world! I have given it some thought and think I will miss this feeling tremendously once he's born. One interesting thing to note is that he seems to get quiet whenever Joe puts his hand on my belly. I think it is because Joe's hand is warmer than my cold little paws and it is soothing to him. Also because he knows it's daddy! :)

There is no doubt now!

I thought I'd share this picture for those of you who haven't seen me in a while. The days of guessing if I am pregnant are over! For a long time there wasn't much to show and then at about 19-20 weeks - POP! Out the belly went. This picture was taken at just over 22 weeks (09/29/08). To be fair, these are my work out clothes and they're tight. With the lovely flowy shirts that are currently in style it is still pretty easy for people on the CTA (Chicago public transport) to go without noticing. I wish they would so they would OFFER ME THEIR SEATS! I am really quite excited about my "bump" though. I am having so much fun with it and really getting excited about going out to buy some of the cute maternity clothes on the market!

Getting bigger! - 21 weeks (Sept. 19 '08)

Here's photos of Baby Boy Middleton taken at the latest ultrasound. A little blurry because he was moving. Of course, he is putting his little hand to his mouth again. In subsequent photos you can tell he is sucking his thumb! He has been doing it in every photo. I read that it is very common for babies to do this in the womb. I wonder if this will be a habit once he's born? 

I think he was about 10 inches long at this ultrasound, which is unbelievable! It seems like overnight he went from .5 inches to 2 inches to 6 inches to 10! He is measuring right in line with my due date of January 31.

 

It's a Boy!

Yes, it has been confirmed that Baby Middleton is a boy! "Joe Jr." is on his way!

While I know everyone has their thoughts about whether or not they would want to know the sex in advance, both Joe and I felt strongly that we wanted to know! To us, it was going to be as much of a surprise at 20 weeks (or 18 in our case) as at 40 weeks . We preferred the added months of knowing just who was in there - and time for planning! Still, we wanted to make sure the moment was very special and intimate. 

My friend Rachel suggested the perfect way to find out! We both attended the ultrasound so that we could see the baby (oh, how I love ultrasounds...what a gift!), but instead of having the doctor tell us the sex right then and there, we asked her to write it down for us. She placed the pictures of the babies "organ", along with a hand-drawn key, in a sealed envelope. This was on a Monday, so we made dinner reservations for a nice dinner out for that Friday night. We had all week to get excited!  For sentiments sake we went to eat at Keefer's, which is the restaurant where Joe took me to dinner the night we got engaged. As soon as we placed our drink order Joe insisted we open it...

...there on the doctor's drawing was a "penis"! How fantastic. Joe had been swearing up and down Baby M. was a girl. While I wasn't quite sure, his conviction was making me convinced too! Needless to say, we were both surprised! Surprised in a wonderful way, of course. We could not be happier! 

Baby's First Picture - 12.5 weeks (July 24, '08)

Well, this isn't technically Baby M's first picture. We have a few more ultrasound pictures from early on where Baby resembles a bean. But this was the first one that we could get a good look at what Baby might look like! We love it! The doctor said Baby may be sucking its thumb. Joe thinks Baby looks like me. Some days I think Baby resembles our gorgeous nieces and nephews on the Middleton side. Some days I agree with Joe that it looks like a Rankin!

Let's Get it Started

That is a cheesy post title but it was the song that kicked off our wedding reception and all that comes to mind as I start this blog!

We have been thinking about all of our friends who have great blogs to share info (The Saganski's, the Weidenfeller's, etc.) and decided that we should start one of our very own too! Since we live away from most of our family we hope that this becomes a great way to update everyone on how we're doing here in Chicago. We plan to track the rest of my pregnancy experience and then, the best part of all, share the news about Baby Middleton's arrival and growth! I am not very tech-savvy so Joe will help me post and share pictures. Please enjoy and participate!

It is a horribly rainy day here in Chicago and we are supposed to be at the Sox/Tigers game right now, but they canceled it until tomorrow. So, we're using the day to check items off of our to do list. Joe is off to a bachelor party tonight while I stay home, watch movies and order in. I am looking forward to relaxing with control of the remote (for once), but I will not lie that I have a twinge of wanting to go out too! Mary