36 weeks - less than a month to go!

I've hit the 36 week mark - we have less than a month before we will finally meet little Easton, can you believe it? Here's my picture for the week, my shirt looks like it is stretched to the max! :-)

Jason & I went for my 36 week appointment today. We started with an ultrasound to confirm Easton's position & get an estimate on his size. He is head down & the ultrasound estimated his weight to be 7 lbs 7 ounces already!!! This puts him on track to be a large baby (in the 85th percentile). All of the other measurements & readings looked great & his heartbeat was 160 beats per minute. Here are a few pictures of Easton - these will be his last photos until he is born, how exciting!

Profile shot - looking perfect!

3D photo of his face ... the black spot near his eye is just a shadow (I thought it was a bruise!)

After the ultrasound, we were scheduled to meet with my doctor. We waited and waited - an hour went by, and we were told she was called out for a delivery! Luckily the nurse was available, so she did my checkup. I gained 4 pounds in the past two weeks (thanks a lot, Christmas dinner!) which puts my total weight gain around 19 lbs. My blood pressure was great & my fundal measurement was 38cm, which is the same as it was 2 weeks ago. The nurse did an internal exam to check my cervix, but so far there is no dilation. She also did a GBS test (Group B Strep) - if I test positive, it means I have a bacteria that could possibly be passed to Easton during delivery. If I do have the infection, they will administer medication via IV to me during the delivery process so that Easton will not get sick. Here's hoping I get a negative result!

From here on, I will have weekly appointments to monitor Easton's progress. My next appointment is scheduled for Wednesday Jan 6th - my first appointment in 2010! Be sure to check back soon for an update.

An extra "baseball touch" for the Nursery...

Jason & I went to Hobby Lobby a few days ago, and I saw some cute foam baseball shapes. Of course I immediately thought of Easton's nursery and began to brainstorm ways I could use them. I've been wanting to add some type of labels to the baskets on his changing table - so here is what I came up with:

Close-up of baseball label

Hats, Bibs & Toiletries on top; Diapers & Burp Cloths on bottom

They were quite easy to make .... I started by printing out labels (using the sticky blank address labels that you can get at Staples, Office Max, etc). I then stuck the label on a baseball shape & punched a hole in the top of the ball. Next, I found some red ribbon ornament hangers and used those to loop through the hole. Finally, the ribbon was worked through one of the weaves in the basket - and you see the final result! :-) I love this extra touch & really like how the baseball theme is incorporated into the baskets that were originally just plain white with blue/white striped liners. What do you think????

Christmas 2009

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Jason & I could not travel to Virginia this year (due to me being SO pregnant), so we were unable to spend the holidays with our friends and family back home. While we were sad that we could not be with our loved ones, we were also appreciative of the fact that this will be our last "calm" holiday for a very long while!

To get us in the holiday spirit, on Christmas Eve we baked pumpkin spiced cookies & a pumpkin pie & also watched a few Christmas movies that were on TV. Christmas morning we opened our gifts from one another. Jason gave me a lot of scrapbooking supplies, including a nice paper cutter, some stickers/embellishments and some scrapbook papers. I also received a calendar (it's a tradition for Jason to give me a new calendar for each new year), a huge box of Post-It Notes (I go through these things quickly with all of my list-making) and a coupon organizer (I've become quite the thrifty shopper now that we have a child on the way!) :-)

I gave Jason the "Call of Duty 2" video game for his PS3, the new book by Dave Ramsey called "Total Money Makeover", and the 2nd season of "Rome" on DVD. We are also getting each other a joint gift - a new DSLR camera! We plan to purchase the camera with gift cards that we received from my parents, brother Jacob & sister-in-law Ashley, plus we'll have to put some money with it. We can't wait to have a new camera to take pictures of Easton!

Here are some pics of us opening gifts on Christmas morning:

All of the gifts under the tree

We were invited to Christmas dinner by Greg & Linda Benda - Greg & Linda are the parents of Mike Benda, who is one of Jason's Marine recruits. Dinner was absolutely AMAZING! We started with a cheese tray and crackers, along with any alcoholic beverage you can imagine. (& non-alcoholic peach champagne for me!) Around 5pm we were called to the dinner table - it looked like something you would find in a fancy restaurant! The centerpiece was gorgeous and there were settings for five courses. We began with a delicious mushroom soup, then had a poached pear to cleanse our palate. Next was salad, followed by a broiled lobster tail. We then had lime sherbet, again to cleanse the palate, and finally the main course of prime rib, twice-baked potatoes & French green beans. Each course had an accompanying beverage, such as champagne, white red wine, Merlot, and finally a cordial (none for me though). We were all SO stuffed, so we moved into the living room. After some digestion time, Linda served our choice of cappuccino or espresso, along with a yummy Italian cream cake topped with homemade raspberry sauce. It was undoubtedly one of the best meals that we've ever had, and we were so grateful to be included in the Benda's Christmas celebration.

After dinner, we were full & tired, so we headed home to relax. We did a few things around the house and then headed to bed. It was a great day!!!

Rudolph Wrapping! :-)

Since Jason & I can't be home for Christmas this year, we wrapped several of our presents and mailed them to my Mom's house in Virginia. I saw a cute idea on HGTV for wrapping a gift to look like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & decided to try it on my Mom's gift. I wanted to wait and post this once my Mom received the gift in the mail & saw it in person .... she got it today & thought it was really cute! Here is a picture of the final result:

And here I am (looking like a goof ball) posing with the reindeer :-)

35 weeks

It's almost Christmas! I took my weekly picture while wearing my Santa pajama pants (trying my best to be festive) .... here I am at 35 weeks:

Jason had the past few days off from work and we got a lot accomplished. Both car seat bases have been installed, the files on the camcorder have been moved to our hard drive to make room for filming Easton and all of Easton's bibs, burp cloths, blankets, socks, etc. have been washed & put away (we are waiting to wash the clothes until we figure out how big he'll be ... no need to wash newborn stuff if we don't need it!) We've also been spending a lot of time searching for houses in North Carolina & discussing our plans for moving.

Today was a fun day. My friend Alison & I went to lunch at Chili's and spent some time talking & catching up. Then tonight, I met my friends Carrie, Niki & Andrea at the River Grille for dinner. We always have a fun time together so it was nice to hang out for a few hours. They also loaded me up with Christmas presents .... I haven't opened them yet but can't wait to see what they got for us and Easton (Jason said I had to wait until Christmas Day).

We have our next doctor's appointment next week on Tuesday Dec 29th. We're anxiously awaiting this appointment because we'll have another ultrasound to determine Easton's position & approximate size. We're ready when you are, little man ... you are free to make your debut! :-)

34 weeks ..... or is it 38 weeks????

It's weekly picture time! Here I am at 34 weeks:



I had my bi-monthly appointment with my OBGYN today. Over the past week or so, I have been experiencing some tightening/cramping & I mentioned that to my doctor. Also, my fundal height measurement was 38 centimeters today (it should have been 34). I've consistently measured 2 weeks larger, but since this week's measurement was 4 weeks ahead my doctor decided to do an internal exam just in case.

Easton has dropped and is in proper position, but I have not dilated yet. But Dr. Rowe said "this little guy will be coming a few weeks early" - so if she is right, Easton will be here in early January instead of later in the month! We scheduled my next appointment and final ultrasound for Tuesday Dec 29th. We'll know more about Easton's position and size at that time.

I've gained 1.5 lbs in the past two weeks, which puts my total weight gain around 15 pounds. And Easton's heartbeat was really strong at 160 beats per minute. Of course I want him to "bake" as long as he needs to be healthy, but we are SO ready to meet him!

Final purchases for Easton & packing bags...

Today, Jason & I headed down to Hall Road to visit Buy Buy Baby & Babies R Us. We wanted to make the final purchases from our registries & ensure that we have all of the necessities prior to Easton's arrival. We purchased the ErgoBaby Carrier w/ infant insert and the Bumbo seat with play tray. I also bought some disposable breast pads ... I already have some washable ones, but several friends have informed me that the disposable are much more convenient (and less yucky to deal with) :-) After our shopping trip we had a tasty dinner at PF Changs. We started with Wonton Soup, then had the Mongolian Beef for our main dish. We finished our meal with their delicious Banana Spring Roll dessert.

I am sure there will be many more purchases to come AFTER Easton gets here (once we learn his dislikes/likes & figure out how to be parents), but for now we are completely stocked on what we've been told are the essentials (and even some "nice to have items"). It feels good to be prepared (well, as prepared as two people about to embark on a new adventure can be!) with several weeks to spare. We have tons of clothing, ranging in sizes from newborn up to 2T, over 1000 diapers in sizes 1, 2 and 3 and all types of baby gadgets - monitors, swings, strollers, car seat, carriers, blankets, toys, books, and the list goes on & on. Who knew a little one could need so much stuff!!!

I've experienced some Braxton Hicks contractions over the past few days, which is making Easton's pending arrival even more "real" for both Jason & me. While my due date is still several weeks away, we decided that it may be a good idea to go ahead & pack our bags for the hospital, just in case Easton decides to make an early appearance. So the bags will be packed tonight as well - and yes, I have a spreadsheet of the needed items :-) If anyone has any suggestions of what we should take to the hospital (vs. what is unnecessary) I would love to hear them!

33 weeks .... 47 days to go!

It's time for the weekly picture again - we were having some flash issues with our camera, so this picture is not the best quality. Luckily, my belly is pretty far "out there" so you can still see that :-) But I guess the flash issue is just a sign that we definitely need a new camera before Easton arrives (which is what we were planning to get for Christmas anyway). Here I am at 33 weeks:

I am really starting to feel the effects of pregnancy. It's becoming a bit difficult to breathe, especially when laying down. Easton tends to lay on my bladder the majority of the day, which makes me feel like I need to rush to the bathroom (only to find that nothing comes out) :-) I've had some swelling, primarily in my hands, which has caused me to stop wearing my wedding ring. All in all things are still going great, I am just a bit uncomfortable at this point - oh, and tired, did I mention how exhausted walking a flight a steps gets me? And keep in mind, we live in a 3-story house, so I am up & down steps all day. At least I get some exercise in that way!

I start bi-monthly doctor appointments this month, and my next visit is next week. Jason is planning to go the appt. with me & we want to give our doctor the thank you/Christmas gift that we bought her. We're also excited to get an update on how Easton is doing - from the looks of my belly (and all the action within) he seems to be growing just fine!

This is my last week of teaching, and after I will officially be on maternity leave. Since we will be moving early next year I will not be returning to my job after Easton arrives. My boss & co-workers were sad to hear this news, but also happy that we'll be getting closer to family. My boss also mentioned that she would recommend me for some potential online teaching opportunities. It would be great to have the option to work from home and also stay with the Baker College system. I really enjoy my job & that will be one thing I will miss about Michigan.

We had our first snow last night (Tues Dec 8th) but this morning the rain came and washed it all away. It looks like the "yucky part of winter" has officially begun. I am thankful it held off this long, and even more thankful that we only have to endure a few months of the MI winter this year!!!

Christmas Party 2009

Jason & I hosted our annual Christmas party at our house last night. We had around 25 guests, including several of our co-workers, some of Jason's recruits' parents, several good friends & one of my former students with her husband. We ate a lot of good food and spent time talking and catching up with everyone. We also played a "Name That Christmas Tune" game - our guests had to listen to 10 popular Christmas songs & name the artist and title of the song. We had prizes for the four top scorers - they were:

First Place: Jen, my former student, won a Body Shop gift basket

Second Place: Niki, our good friend, received some Yankee Candle car fresheners

Third Place: Jessica, my co-worker, got a Christmas Cookie Yankee Candle

Fourth Place: Linda, one of Jason's recruits moms, won a case of Coors Light! :-)

Did you notice that all of the winners were females??? I guess the men just aren't up to speed on their Christmas carols. Below are some pictures from the event:

The invitations

The score sheet for "Name That Christmas Tune" game - don't you just love my spreadsheet skills??? :-)

The drink station

The food spread, including the famous sausage wontons, cocktail weenies & Jason's cheeseball that was delicious!

More yummy food (spinach dip & a chocolate fountain w/ fruit for dipping)

Unfortunately, I did not get many pictures .... I spent most of the night sitting down (which is quite out of character for me - usually I am quite the hostess, filling drinks, passing out food, etc.). But everyone insisted that I relax and sit, which was a nice change! Pregnancy definitely has it perks!

Speaking of pregnancy perks, Jason was absolutely amazing this weekend. He helped so much with the party details - on Friday night once he got home from work, we began prepping food and setting up. He also got busy on Saturday when he got home from work. Jason did a lot of the food, including chopping the fruit, getting the chocolate fountain working (which was quite a job, it was doing some sputtering early on) and preparing the cheeseball, which was delicious and received TONS of compliments. He also did a lot of the decorating & cleaning, such as setting up chairs and washing all of the dishes that were used to cook. I've said it before, but I'll say it again ... I am very blessed to have such a wonderful husband!

Several of our Michigan friends were sad since they recently heard the news of our pending move to North Carolina. We will miss our friends that we have made up here, but look forward to continuing our annual holiday party tradition at our new home near Camp Lejeune. Who knows, maybe some of our Michigan friends will make the trip down to NC for the party so they can continue the tradition with us! :-)

BIG NEWS!!!!

Jason got some exciting news yesterday .... he received orders back to North Carolina!!! He will be assigned to 8th Marines Regiment at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC (near Wilmington, NC). We will be living at the beach!!! We should be relocated by sometime next spring - when we have a more definite time frame I'll be sure to let everyone know!

While we will miss the friends we've made in Michigan, we've been hoping to get closer to home, especially since we found out we were expecting. We are BEYOND excited to be getting back to the south, and even more happy that Easton will be able to get to know his family & friends better. We expect A LOT of visitors now that we'll be so close to home! :-)

Christmas Decorations 2009

Jason & I spent some of the long Thanksgiving weekend decorating for Christmas .... here are some pictures of our final result!

32 weeks!

We've hit the 32 week mark .... only 54 days to go!



My waist is measuring 46 inches this week .... oh, and there is something new in the background of this week's picture, can you pick it out? (hint: look below my belly) :-) Not sure if you can tell what it is from the pic - I am anxious to hear guesses!

I have another OBGYN appt on Wednesday - as usual, I am anxious to hear Easton's heartbeat & ensure that everything is going well. We'll begin the bi-monthly visits this month & my final ultrasound to determine positioning will be sometime in mid-December.

Thanksgiving 2009

I woke up yesterday morning to the sound of Jason chopping potatoes - I went upstairs to find Jason already working on our Thanksgiving dinner! He had chopped the potatoes & the yams & had water boiling. Now THAT is a fabulous husband - I think I need to be pregnant every holiday (just kidding)! I started helping him and below is a picture of what we ended up with:

Our Thanksgiving dinner - ham with brown sugar glaze, mashed potatoes, green beans, yam souffle w/ marshmallows, biscuits & sweet iced tea (decaf, of course). And the only thing that came out of a can was the beans! :-)

Jason - all smiles & ready to eat! :-)

We enjoyed our meal, and then relaxed in front of the TV (Jason spent a lot of time playing a new game that he got for the PS3). After some relaxing, we began decorating for Christmas. Again, Jason was SO much help - he brought all of the boxes up from the basement (we have 3 stories, so this is quite a job), put together the tree and even did a lot of the decorating. The house looks great - I will post some pictures of our holiday decor soon, just have a few finishing touches before it is complete.

In the spirit of the holiday, Jason & I discussed what we were thankful for. The list included:

#1 Easton, who is healthy, growing like a weed & will be here soon!
#2 each other
#3 our family & friends
#4 stable jobs & income
#5 our nice home, cars and other luxuries that we often take for granted
#6 Oddly, we were both thankful for the low-key day that we got to spend together ... we quickly realized that this will be one of the last "quiet holidays" that we will have for quite some time. While we are beyond excited about Easton's arrival, there is something nice about spending time just the two of us.

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and look forward to what 2010 will bring. We love & miss you all!

31 weeks - 62 days to go!

The weeks are really rolling by, aren't they? Here's my weekly picture....and is it just me, or does my belly look twice as big as it did last week????

The college is closed this week, so I have the entire week off of work - yippee! Unfortunately, Jason will still have to work a lot .... poor guy deserves a break, but recruiting duty never seems to stop. He will be off for Thanksgiving Day, so we've planned to cook lunch for the two of us. Afterwards, we are going to put up our Christmas decorations - I am very excited about that! (not so sure Jason is since he'll have to do most of the heavy-lifting) :-)

We had our final childbirth class last night. We covered a lot of information, including Shaken Baby Syndrome, Dr. Karp's 5 S's (Swaddle, Side/Stomach, Shush, Swing, Suck), Breastfeeding Techniques and what happens immediately after delivery (to both mom & baby). We really enjoyed the childbirth series and even though most of the information covered was stuff we had already read, it was nice to have a chance to get hands-on practice.

I am not sure if I've mentioned this in a previous post, but Jason & I REALLY like my OBGYN, Dr. Rowe. She is very patient, answers all of my questions without making me feel rushed (and believe me, there are usually a TON of questions!) and has the nicest demeanor that puts us both at ease. We wanted to do something special for Dr. Rowe and show her how much we appreciate her being by our side through this entire pregnancy process.

Yesterday, I went shopping and picked up some items for a Christmas/Thank You gift for Dr. Rowe. I found out some of her favorite things "through the grapevine" (actually, my friend Carrie is a nail tech and Dr. Rowe's mother-in-law is one of her clients - sneaky, right?) I purchased a bottle of her favorite wine, then went by a local store called "Backyard Soaps" and bought an assortment of lotions, body washes & soaps. Once I got home I was in the mood to put my wrapping skills to the test - below is a picture of what I came up with:

The gift basket - the note on the wine says "Recommended especially for you by Andy at the Wolverine Market," which is one of Dr. Rowe's favorite wine shops

Close-up of Backyard Soaps, Dr. Rowe's favorite body products

30 weeks - 69 days to go!

We've hit the 30 week mark .... putting my math skills to work, that means 3/4 of this pregnancy is behind us, only 1/4 to go :-)

Here's my weekly picture:

A rough weekend ...

At the end of last week, I started to experience some mild tooth pain. It was annoying but nothing major, so I thought I would hold off and ask about it at my 6-month dental check-up in a few weeks. The pain quickly escalated, and by Saturday evening it was unbearable! I had a root canal done several years ago when I lived in Atlanta, and the pain was a lot like that. By Saturday it was obvious that I had to do something FAST ... the pain was so bad I could barely eat & it was causing me to get physically sick. It has also spread from the upper left side of my mouth to the entire left side of my head!

I called my dentist's office, only to find out that they would not be available until Monday at 7:00am. The recording suggested that I contact the emergency room. The ER told me that since I am pregnant they could do nothing for pain management - they simply recommended Tylenol & warm compresses (which did nothing to help ease my discomfort). I put in an emergency call to my OBGYN who told me it would be best if I could wait until 7am on Monday to see my own dentist. However, if the pain got too unbearable then go to the ER and they would have to call a dentist in.

I somehow managed to wait until Monday - but I did not sleep at all the night before. I arrived at my dentist's office only to find out that he was OUT OF TOWN! I nearly broke down in tears right then and there! The secretary and the hygienist were so nice to me - The secretary began calling other offices to see if another dentist could see me & the hygienist took x-rays to determine if a root canal was in fact needed (she stressed that she was not a dentist & really should not do this, but I think she felt so bad for me that she let the rules go a bit). She was also very careful & double-bibbed me with the lead aprons to protect Easton.

The secretary found a dentist that could see me at 8:00am - thank goodness! I went to his office along with my x-rays and he confirmed that a root canal on my top left tooth was needed. They called the endodonist & squeezed me in for a root canal appointment at 10:45am. I was so fortunate that all of these offices were so accommodating - I think they felt extra sorry for me since I am 30 weeks pregnant. Tooth pain is bad - but tooth pain & pregnancy is even worse!

Jason took me to my endodontist appointment, mainly because I was so sleep-deprived that I was afraid to drive. The endodontist, Dr. Fegan & his assistant, Christine, were extremely caring and worked fast & efficient. Christine has two children of her own and was understanding about how uncomfortable dental procedures can be while pregnant. She made sure to raise my chair a few times to allow me to stretch my back, and would hold the x-ray strip in my mouth for me (instead of requiring me to bite down on it and gag). They continuously asked me if I was comfortable & even took all of the mouth restraints loose midway through the procedure so I could swallow and rinse my mouth. (Again, it's tough to keep your mouth open through a dental procedure .... even harder when pregnant because it makes you queasy!)

I was getting quite worried about how the root canal procedure would impact Easton, especially the numbing medication & the x-rays. Christine and Dr. Fegan assured me that they were both localized, meaning they were aimed at my mouth & did not impact my abdomen at all. Dr. Fegan also mentioned that NOT taking care of a root canal is more dangerous to a fetus because the infection can spread to the baby. my OBGYN had said the same thing about the infection. With their reassurance I was able to relax (well, as much as you can relax while getting your teeth drilled!) :-)

The procedure took about an hour, and afterwards I was still a bit numb but PAIN FREE! Jason picked me up, bought me a milkshake (I could not eat solid foods for 3 hours) and then took me home for some much needed sleep. I slept for SEVEN hours straight! When I woke up I was a little sore, but nothing compared to the pain I had experienced over the weekend.

I have learned a few lessons: First, next time I even feel a hint of tooth pain, I will call the dentist ASAP and not wait. This is the 2nd root canal I have had, and both times the pain escalated over the weekend when the dentist was not available (causing me to have to wait until Monday to get some attention/relief).

Second, while I whined, cried and was not fun to deal with this past weekend, I am much stronger and have more pain tolerance than I ever thought. The dentist, endodontist & assistants were amazed that I made it through the weekend with just Tylenol & warm compresses to deal with the pain.... they said most people take strong pain meds for pain management. While I am sure childbirth is a much different (and intense) level of pain, my confidence in myself has boosted due to this experience. At least at the end of childbirth we will get an awesome reward ..... Easton! My only "reward" for dealing with tooth pain was a $450 bill at the endodontist's office, and a follow-up appointment for a permanent crown that will probably cost another $400! :-) Only time will tell if my theory is correct, but for now it has my spirits up!

Easton's 3D/4D Ultrasound on 11-14-09

On Saturday, November 14th, Jason & I went to "Vision Within" in Troy, MI to have a 3D/4D Ultrasound session. Our friends Niki & Andrea came with us, and my parents were able to log in online and watch the session with us from home.

The session began with the technician confirming Easton's position as well as the placement of the placenta. She also said that his heartbeat was a strong 145 bpm and confirmed that he is a boy (we had no questions about that!). :-) Unfortunately, since this was an elective procedure (and more for entertainment purposes) she was unable to discuss medical questions, such as his weight and height.

But from the pictures we could tell that Easton is growing like a weed - he has the chubbiest cheeks & feet! His nose, lips and little hands looked perfect. Easton is usually quite active, but he decided to rest & sleep throughput the entire session. We still got some great pictures of his features, and the video is simply amazing - we even got to see him yawn! Of course I may be biased, but I thought he was absolutely perfect & adorable - this only made us more excited to meet him in person!!!

Check out these pictures from our session - they are priceless & we were amazed at the detail .... and is Easton picking his nose in the last picture??? :-)

29 weeks ... and a special delivery!

I am 29 weeks pregnant - and my waist is a whole inch bigger than it was last week! I am starting think that I am not actually growing that much each week; instead, I believe Easton is just repositioning himself during picture time (this is at least what I am telling myself to make me feel better) :-)

Seriously, who knew your waist could grow SO much in such a short time? I remember my Mom telling me that her waist was 52 inches when she was pregnant with my brother, Jacob. I measured 45 inches today - if I keep growing an inch per week I may "beat" her record! :-)

Here's my weekly picture:

Funny story - I had to take this picture myself because Jason was not home from work yet (and since it's already 10:30pm & I have to be at work again @ 8am in the morning, I didn't feel like waiting around). I used a box, stacked a square basket on top of it, and then placed the camera on top of the contraption. Then I used the timer on the camera to take the pic .... it took 3 tries to get it, and I still chopped my hand off, but it'll have to do for this week :-)

Other exciting news .... we had a special delivery today - our highchair from Mama & Daddy arrived! Mama had mentioned that it was back ordered for about 4 weeks, which is not a big deal at all since we won't need to use it for a while. Still, it was exciting to get the highchair today, and I cannot wait to put it together. Thanks again, Mama & Daddy!

Our Pregnancy "Traditions"

I am a member of a pregnancy discussion board, and one of the members asked if we had any "pregnancy traditions" .... I really had not thought about it, but Jason & I actually have several things that have become habits throughout this pregnancy. The are:

#1 On Mondays, I begin my new pregnancy week ... so on Monday nights, Jason & I will read our "Pregnancy Week by Week" book together (for example, tonight we will read "Week 29" since I just started my 29th week). It's neat to read about common symptoms, look at the weekly picture & get a visual image of how big Easton has gotten!

#2 Jason talks to Easton (aka "my belly") every night before we go to bed. He always starts with "Hello Baby!" or "Hello Easton!" and tells Easton all about his day, what he did at work & anything exciting going on in the world (for example, last week he was thrilled to tell Easton that the Yankees won the World Series) :-) He always ends the talk with a few kisses on my stomach. It is quite sweet (and I hope the "tough Marine" doesn't get mad @ me for sharing his sensitive side!)

#3 I take my weekly pregnant picture every Tuesday night. I teach on Tuesday evenings, so I am usually fixed up and dressed nicely. Plus, since I don't get home until 10pm it means that Jason is generally home from work by then & can be my photographer.

#4 On Tuesday evenings or Wednesday afternoons, I upload my weekly pic to our blog & Facebook, and also type up an update of what's going on (doctor appts, new milestones, etc.) If you are reading this blog regularly, you already know this :-)

#5 I am faithful about copying/pasting my blog updates into a Word Document as soon as I post them. I think it will be cool to have all of my posts in one place where I can easily print them out. I am so thankful I thought about doing this from the beginning - it would take FOREVER to copy/paste all of them at this point. Yay me! :-)

28 weeks ... 82 days to go!

We are at 28 weeks - the weeks keep passing by! Here's my weekly pic:

I had my monthly appointment with my OBGYN today - Easton's heartbeat is still strong at 155 beats/minute. My pelvis to uterus measurement was 30 cm (again, 2 weeks ahead ... will Easton be a few weeks early???). My weight has increased 4 lbs. in the past month & my doctor was pleased with my progress. All in all, a great report!

Jason & I start our childbirth classes tomorrow night at Port Huron Hospital - the classes will meet once a week for two hours for the next 4 weeks. I am anxious to see what we will learn, but also a bit hesitant about watching the "dreaded videos" - I hope they don't traumatize me (or more likely, Jason) for life :-)

We are also scheduled to do a 3D/4D ultrasound next Saturday, November 14th @ 2:30pm. This is an elective procedure (in other words, "pay out of pocket") :-) & will be done @ Vision Within in Troy, MI. Vision Within offers "Sonostream Live" which is a webcast of the ultrasound while it is happening! This allows family & friends to log onto the internet wherever they are and watch baby Easton along with us ... we thought this was a great feature since our family & friends are so far away. If you are interested in watching the ultrasound with us next Saturday, let me know & I will send you an invitation.

Awaiting Baby Jones Scrapbook Part 2

If you missed installment #1 of the "Awaiting Baby Jones" Scrapbook, click here: http://keepingupwithdajoneses.blogspot.com/2009/08/awaiting-baby-jones-scrapbook.html

Revision to post below - We're already in the 3rd Trimester! :-)

According to several of my friends that are already moms (including Amy Brown, who is also a Labor & Delivery Nurse), the 3rd trimester begins at 27 weeks!

So....we are officially in our third (and final) trimester! Let the fun begin! :-)

27 weeks

It's time for the weekly picture again .... here I am at 27 weeks:

There seems to be some debate on when the 3rd trimester begins. One of my pregnancy books says that it starts at 27 weeks, but other resources say 28 weeks. Since I am not sure, I'll go with the later date. So one more week & we'll be in the 3rd & final trimester! :-)

Michigan Baby Shower

Today was our third & final baby shower - this one was with my Michigan friends. Carrie, her mom Betty, Niki & Andrea all hosted the event. Several of our Michigan friends attended, including our landlord Debbie, neighbor Kay, my boss Marge, hairdresser Cristin, former student & friend Jen, and my teachers from dance, Jessica & Amy. It was a gorgeous day --- the weather was sunny and warm for a change!

We started by eating some delicious food, then begin to play a few games. The first game was "Do you have these items in your purse?" ... guests were asked to find random items in their purses, such as postage stamps, 17 pennies, a grocery receipt & a dollar bill with 2 "7s" in the serial number. Cristin won the purse game, and she definitely had the largest purse to find buried items in!!! :-)

The second game was "Let's try & guess how large Keely's belly is!" Each guest had to take streamer ribbon & guess how big my belly was .... after they ripped off their guess, we measured it around my belly to see who was the closest. It was a two-way tie - both Debbie & Marge were extremely close! (FYI - my belly is currently 43.5 inches around). Here's a few pics from the game:

Amy's guess was WAY too big :-)

Marge's guess was close! Carrie is the "judge" :-)

After the games, I opened gifts & then we had some delicious cake. It was a wonderful afternoon spent with friends, and we are so blessed to have such thoughtful people in our lives. Our Michigan friends do a great job of making us feel "at home away from home" and we really appreciate it! A special thanks to our hostesses for throwing a wonderful shower. And, a few more pictures from the event: