fun pictures from the past few weeks!

We've been pretty busy the past few weeks so I thought I'd post a few pics so you can see what we've been up to!

Griffin's good friend Brandon got married a few weeks ago and Griff was the best man. It was such a fun wedding and super fun to get so dressed up!

Us with Griff's parents

Us with the happy couple! Congratulations Brandon & Kelsey!

For part of our staycation we went to the Fort Worth Zoo - it was a perfect day and an amazing zoo (we both LOVE zoos). We had such a good time!

After the zoo we went to the legedary Joe T Garcia's for some great mexican food - and it did not disappoint! The food was incredible and definitely helped with my mexican food cravings!

And for good measure, here's a recent pic of Bernie (yes, she has a diaper on... she's in heat right now)

And one of Coltrane - he likes to climb into bed and cuddle in the mornings - he's the sweetest and sleepiest dog ever in the mornings!

Week 29

After the excitement of the ultrasound last week, there's not much to report this week. I'm feeling more and more pregnant every day and getting some of the not-so-fun effects of that. Sleep has been less than good, at best. I just can't get comfortable in any position and Baby always seems to wake up start a dance party in my belly right as I'm trying to go to sleep. His movement doesn't really bother me, but it does worry me that he has his days and nights confused, which I hope can be remedied once he's out in the real world (and I'm sure this is laughable to you moms reading this!).

And speaking of movement, Baby has been going crazy lately! The movements are continuing to increase and getting a little more uncomfortable. He has taken to pushing his butt up into my ribs so that I can't get a full breath or sit up straight. It's a good thing my office chair leans back so that I can stretch out a little bit and try and create some more space! And if his butt isn't in my ribs it's usually a foot - but I've learned to push back a bit and he gets the point and will most of the time move whatever body part is lodged in my ribs.

I start having Dr. appointments every 2 weeks now, so we've got another one at our 30 Week appt, which is Tuesday June 2. This will also start a new phase of monitoring the baby a little more closely. We'll be getting something calling a Biophysical Profile. According to the American Pregnancy Association, a Biophysical Profile (BPP) combines an ultrasound evaluation with a nonstress test and is intended to determine fetal health during the third trimester. It is not a common test, but is common for high risk pregnancies (which mine is because of diabetes). Here is what their website says:

There are two parts to the BPP, a Non-stress Test (NST) and an ultrasound evaluation.

The NST involves attaching one belt to the mother’s abdomen to measure fetal heart rate, and another belt to measure contractions. Movement, heart rate and “reactivity” of heart rate to movement are measured for 20-30 minutes. If the baby does not move for a time during the test, it does not mean there is a problem; the baby may be asleep. A nurse may use a small “buzzer” to wake the baby for the remainder of the test.

The ultrasound portion of the test is like any other obstetrical ultrasound performed during pregnancy and is performed by a qualified ultrasound technician who is usually overseen by a perinatologist. The ultrasound may take up to an hour, and the technician will watch for a variety of signs that are important in measuring the health of your baby.

So I'm not sure how often we'll get these, but I think it will be every 2 weeks from here on out. I hate that I'm high risk and have to get stuff like this, but at the same time it will be great to get extra monitoring on the baby and make sure everything is going ok. Plus ultrasounds are a great way for us to bond with the baby, especially for Griffin since he can't feel every kick and movement like I can. We'll let you know how it goes!

Weekly Pics:

Another top down view

And this week is a butternut squash. Baby should be 2 1/2 - 2 3/4 pounds and 15 1/2 - 16 1/4 inches long, however as of last week he was already 3 pounds. Way to go son, already ahead of the curve!

Week 28 & Ultrasound Pics!!

So we'll just get to the good stuff first! We had another ultrasound today and everything went great. Baby is growing just as he should be and everything looks normal and right on track! Here are a few pics, with explanations!

This is one of his foot - it's upside down so the heel is on the top left and toes are on the right. I wanted to see what was always poking me in the top part of my belly and this was the culprit! However I can't be too mad because that means he is head down and in perfect position - let's just hope he doesn't get crazy and start turning flips - I'd much rather him stay in his current position!

Here are 2 profile pictures - the top one is a little easier to see. And that's his hand in front of his face.




This confirms he is still a boy (see arrows pointing to the proof) :) His leg was bent so you can see that in a kind of upside down 'L' shape. And I'm not sure what the circle thing is right by his knee...


And this one is my FAVORITE EVER! It takes a minute to realize what you're looking at - but that is his face staring straight at us. I tried to mark everything so you could tell what you were looking at - his head is tilted to the right (almost horizontal) so that his forehead is in the upper right and his chin is lower left. You can see the distinction of his nose, eyes, mouth and it even looks like there are eyebrows! And again, his hand is right by his face - he wouldn't move his hand out of the way the whole time!


Here are the baby's stats:

• He is weighing in at 3 pounds, which is slightly larger than normal for this stage, but not unexpected on our part
• He is measuring in the 87th percentile, which means his is within the "normal" range, but at the high end of that range
• He is head down in the perfect position for birth
• Amniotic fluid levels (what the baby floats in) are measuring in the normal range as well

YAY for a healthy, growing baby boy!!

And here are the belly pics for this week:

And a view from the top down...
No more feet!

And in keeping with tradition...
This week is a Chinese cabbage... again, totally random!

Week 27

I'm officially in the third trimester now! And I think I have the bump to prove it!

We celebrated Mother's Day this weekend with both of our moms and I actually got to partake in the celebration as well. I wasn't expecting to really be a part of it, because now is that weird time where I do feel like a mom because I'm taking care of, or literally carrying, our baby, but if someone asked me if I had any kids I guess the answer would be no... I don't know, it's a weird time, but regardless it was fun to celebrate a Mother-to-be Day! And who knew that Hallmark made Mother's Day cards for the soon-to-be Mom?!? (apparently my mom and Griff's mom both knew!) Griff also made me such a sweet card and got me my first Mother's Day gift.My sweet card from my sweet husband!

This is what he will wear home from the hospital - couldn't be any more perfect for a little baby Stroope!

And this just goes along with our pirate theme perfectly!

It was a fun weekend and the only time I'll be able to celebrate Mother-to-be Day so it was a special day!

This week's vegetable is...

Cauliflower! Baby is 2 pounds and 14 1/2 inches from head to heel. Another interesting fact is that he is starting to use his lungs more and more now. His previously plugged nostrils are now open so that means he is able to practice inhaling and exhaling. Even with the lack of air in the womb he's still able to practice, just with amniotic fluid. And he's also able to open and close his eyes now. Up until this point his eyelids have been fused shut, but now they are able to open!

Pediatrician

Today Griff and I went to visit with a potential pediatrician for our baby. Most everything I've read recommends us having an interview with the potential doctor just to make sure we like him, feel like we can trust him, is on the same page with us regarding vaccines, etc. A family friend of ours recommended a doctor in Richardson and since we had no clue about any other doctors this one seemed to be as good as any. Well, we are so glad we went because we LOVED him! His name is Reese Mathieu and was just so nice and very laid back. He answered all of our crazy questions and put our mind at ease about vaccines. He seemed like he would be very calming to a stressed out first-time mom trying to take care of a sick child. His office was small and even though he is in a practice with 6 other doctors they each have their own office. We really liked that it was small and not crazy busy and full of sick kids running around the waiting room. He was also really encouraging about my diabetes and the effects of that on our baby when he's born. I can easily get myself freaked out that we are going to have a 10 pound hypoglycemic baby and while Griff is great about bringing me back to reality when I let my mind wonder like that, it's also good to hear some reassurance from another doctor that as long as I'm taking care of myself, that will likely not be the case. Anyway, we loved him and are glad we found someone we feel we can trust. Not to mention it's great to be able to have one more thing crossed off the list in preparation for Baby Stroope!

Week 26

How far along? 26 weeks!
Total weight gain: 14 pounds (I have finally gone through a growth spurt!)
Stretch marks? Nope!
Sleep: Still crappy - waking up a lot and starting to be generally uncomfortable in any position
Best moment recently: Feeling the baby move in my belly - not just a kick or punch but being able to feel body parts moving across/around my belly. It's such a crazy sensation!
Movement: Tons of it now! He is so active and I've been feeling him all over my belly now. I can definitely tell he's moving around a lot.
Food cravings: Still milk and still mexican food. If I could I would drink a gallon of milk for breakfast and then eat mexican for lunch and dinner every day!
Belly Button in or out? Still in, but getting very shallow.
What I miss: Energy! The past few weeks have been a little more sluggish. I'm tiring out more easily in the evenings and finding it very hard to wake up in the mornings... to want to stay awake at basically any point during the day. The couch in my office is just taunting me!
Worst part of pregnancy currently: Besides the ever constant heartburn and lack of quality sleep, I am starting to have very hormonal pregnancy moments. Case in point: The other day I was at Chick-Fil-A picking up lunch for me and Griff. I went inside, ordered, got our stuff and was at the condiment counter getting sauce and whatnot. I put the bag of food on the counter and turned away to reach for some ketchup when the bag just fell off the counter, onto the floor and spilled my fries and some bbq sauce all over the floor. I literally almost burst into tears (and not because of the spilled fries!) because... well I'm not sure why, but I surely had no control over my emotions at that point in time. I was a scary, emotional pregnant lady who could not be reasoned with at that point in time. Fun stuff!
What I am looking forward to: Our next Dr. appt, which will also be our next ultrasound!! May 20! Also really looking forward to our upcoming staycation! Griff and I wanted to take a babymoon, but by the time we got around to planning it we realized that no cruise line or airline would let me on board... so we are going to take Memorial Day weekend and be tourists in our own town. We can't wait!
Milestones: Seeing movement from the outside. My belly has a mind of it's own now!

Belly Pics for the week:

That would be an English Cucumber. Baby is almost 2 pounds and about 13 1/2 inches long!

Double Digits!

Today marks the first day of double digits in our countdown to Baby Stroope! 99 days to go...!!