5 Months

5 fun months with this little guy! We are so thankful to have him in our lives.

Things he likes to do now:
*He is finally rolling over all the time from his belly to his back.
*He LOVES tummy time.
*While on his tummy he can push himself up completely on his hands and then scoot himself backwards.
*He can also hold himself up on his hands and tippytoes, doing a plank position.
*He tries to get up on his knees, but usually just ends up getting his bum in the air. It's really cute!
*He puts everything in his mouth...While at Kohls Rowan was in his carseat and I had my wallet sitting on top of his blanket. Somehow he got a receipt out of my wallet and was chowing down on it! When I took it away, he got a sad little face but recovered quickly when I gave him a more appropriate toy to put in his mouth.
*When I put him down, and he still wants to be held, he will hold his arms out for me and whine.
*He loves to laugh.
*He has been loving Christmas lights. He has a tree in his room and hill flip and flop himself so that he can see them. It's really frustrating when I'm trying to change a poopy diaper!
*He tried cereal for the first time 2 days ago. I was planning on waiting until 6 months before he had any solids, but he just wasn't staying full long enough with breastmilk. He absolutely LOVES it. He opens his mouth for me and even tries to grab the spoon and put it in himself. He was totally ready for cereal!
*He can stand up by himself while holding onto the couch or ottoman.
*He loves to talk and talk and talk!
*He also loves to spit and blow raspberries all the time! He will do it for so long that he ends up having spit all over his face.
*He thinks that peek-a-boo is pretty funny.
*He loves to smile at daddy's funny faces
*He is so sweet and snuggly in the morning.
*He is still sleeping in bed with me.
*He likes to be swaddled when he first falls asleep, but within 30 minutes his arms are free.
*He has found his screaming voice.
*He doesn't like to be alone, and will scream until you come back into the room.
*He got a jumparoo and absolutely LOVES it! He gets so proud when he's jumping.


I'm pretty sure this is the cutest face I've ever seen!

Funny Things

I wanted to write down some funny conversations I have had regarding Rowan in the past few weeks, so that I would remember them.

Place: Doctors Office
Receptionist: Oh my gosh! Is your baby wearing a WIG?
Me: Nope, that's his hair.
Receptionist: How old is he? That can't be his hair!
Me: It really is his hair and he's almost 5 months.
Me thinking to myself: Seriously, would I put a 5 months old in a wig...do they even make baby wigs???

Place: Same doctors office as above
Nurse: He is the cutest baby I have ever seen!
Me: Thanks.
Nurse: You better keep an eye on him so nobody takes him.
Me: Laugh
Nurse: No, really, somebody might steal him because he's so cute.
Me thinking to myself: oh great another thing to worry about.

Place: PCMC Eye doctor
Rowan has been laughing uncontrollably while the doctor shines a light in his eyes and makes funny noises.

Doctor: Do you guys have a living will?
Us: (a bit confused at this point) Umm, we have actually just been talking about this.
Doctor: Well, if you don't have anybody to take him if you both die I would be more than happy to.
Us: Laughing
Doctor: No really, I have three well adjusted kids already, my wife would LOVE this little guy. Our daughter is one and has NO hair. Maybe I should take a picture of him to show my wife, no she would be mad that he has more hair then our daughter.
Us: Well this is the first offer we've gotten, we'll think about it (just joking with him)
Doctor: Well, just so ya know the nurses are planning to kidnap him, but I thought I would go about it the legal way.
Us: Thanks

I love having a super adorably handsome baby! It makes for some funny conversations.

Happy 4 months Rowan!

My precious baby boy is 4 months old today. These past 4 months have just flown by. I'm so excited to spend the upcoming holidays with him. Even though he won't get it, it sure will be nice to have our little guy around.

4 Month stats:
Weight as of a week ago 14 lbs 8 oz 52%
Length 24 inches 37%
Head 65%
We switched doctors about a week ago and Rowan is doing TONS better with his reflux! He is now only taking prevacid daily and Gaviscon when he seems to be in pain. He is no longer so irritable since being taken off the Zantac.

*Rowan's favorite toy is his teething Giraffe named Sophie. It is basically an expensive dog toy for babies.
*He loves to jump up and down, I really think he'll love his jumparoo he's getting for Christmas!
*He loves to watch people eat. If he's sitting in my lap while I eat he will turn his head upside down just to watch the fork go in my mouth. I know this is a sign of readiness for solids, but he won't be starting them until 6 months.
*He loves to follow his daddy around the room with his eyes.
*He has turned into a HORRIBLE sleeper! I don't know what's going on, but lets hope it ends soon!
*He still sleeps swaddled, well until he breaks out of it, and sleeps the first few hours in his bassinet and the rest of the night in bed with me.
*He loves to have conversations with people, he will respond back when you talk to him.
*He can sit up for about 5 mins by himself. He can't do anything but look around while he's sitting but I'm sure he'll be playing with toys in no time!
*He loves to suck on his hands.
*He spent 3 days at my sisters house while I watched her kids while she was in Boston. Those kids LOVE Rowan so much! It is so sweet to see.
*He loves his playmat and always grabs onto his rattles and shakes them.
*He is such a smiley happy baby!
*When he gets really tired he becomes sort of delusional and will laugh at anything. Someone just standing up will have him doing his belly laugh!
*We're still enjoying breastfeeding and I'm hoping it will keep him healthy this winter!
*His hair has gotten SO long! When it's combed forward it reaches his eyes, we said we would cut it when it reached his eyes, but I don't know if I can bring myself to get it done!

Happy 4 months my baby boy!

Sitting

Lately Rowan has HATED being on his back and constantly wants me to sit him up. Well, today he showed me that all his practice has paid off and he can sit all by himself! He looks so dang cute sitting there all proud. Man, he's getting big way too fast!

Winter Wear and Other Things

His cute winter hat!

His first time seeing snow!


He's like the little boy from A Christmas Story and can't move in his snow suit.

"Brrr mom it was cold out there!"

Rowan loves getting his nightly massages. I'm hoping that doing them before bed will help him sleep better!

Getting so big!

I so love this picture!


He loves to stand lately

3 Month Update

My baby boy is 3 months old...OH MY! He is getting cuter and more fun by the day!

3 month happenings:
-He talks and talks and talks. He loves to join in conversations and being the center of attention.
-He is smiling even more! He smiles when certain people walk into the room.
-He loves it when his daddy sings to him. He really likes the Beatles, especially Yellow Submarine.
-He is really good at standing, obviously somebody has to hold him up but he is really stable now.
-While baking cookies, I had to go into the pantry to get some flour and Rowan couldn't see me from his highchair and he started crying. As soon as he could see me again he stopped crying. I felt special =)
-He hits his toys on his playmat and will grab onto them.
-He can bring toys up to his mouth to suck on them.
-He has discovered his hands and loves to suck on the back of his hand.
-He always has his hands in a praying position...so cute!
-He's NOT sleeping in his swing anymore. I'm quite proud of this one. He spends most of the night in his bassinet and the rest of the time in bed with me.
-He still loves being swaddled while sleeping, but is always breaking himself out of it which I think contributes to him waking more often.
-He's not sleeping as well as he was. For a while he was going 7 hours straight. Now it's 5 hours then he eats, then he usually wakes up 3-4 hours later to either eat or he just wants to snuggle. Then sleep 2 more hours and eat. He always go right back to sleep after eating though.
-He is still getting only breast milk, which I'm quite proud of too! He's never even tasted formula.
-He is on another medicine for reflux. He now takes prevacid and zantac.
-He loves my sisters kids and they completely adore him. Gianna calls him "my baby" and surprisingly isn't jealous of him at all.
-He has the cutest laugh and laughs at the most random things.
-He loves sitting in his Bumbo

Sorry it's sideways =(
He's going to be a pea in a pod for Halloween so I'll post pics of that next week!

2 Months

In Spokane there is a Rowan Ave.

My little boy is getting big so fast! He turned 2 months on September 23rd.
He had his 2 month well child check and his stats are:
Weight 11 lbs 9 oz (46%)
Height 23 inches (53%)
Head 63% (I don't remember the measurement)
The doctor said she was happy with his growth and that he is perfect. He even gave the doctor a few coos and smiles. He received 2 vaccinations and handled them very well. We are not following the normal vaccine schedule so in 2 weeks he will go back and get 2 more. Derek and I just felt after doing some research that we wanted to space the vaccines out, his doctor is very supportive of this as well.

What Rowan Does:
* Most nights he is asleep by 8:30 and will sleep for 6 hours then wake up to eat. He will then wake up 2-3 hours later to eat again. He is usually up for an hour or so after that and then has a morning nap.
* He is SO smiley and talkative! Especially in the mornings. When I change his diaper in the morning he loves to smile and coo and tell me about his dreams.
* He will have a "conversation" with you. It is quite possibly the cutest thing ever.
* He Loves his mobile on his crib. He lays in his crib and watches it go around and talks to the animals. It always brings a smile to his face (and mine) when he sees them!
* He smiled at Grandpa Kevy's animal sounds for the first time. They had quite the conversation.
* He is really good at tummy time and lifts his head up really high.
* He can roll himself over from his tummy to his back, not all the time, but he has done it several times.
* He is a very snuggly baby and doesn't like to be left alone for very long.
* He STILL sleeps in his swing at night. He usually will take his morning nap on my bed in his boppy (don't worry I watch him)
* He still loves to be swaddled when he sleeps or when he is fussy.
* He is exclusively breast fed still. Even though I can't seem to get rid of my thrush we're still going at it. It's nice that he has food ready wherever we go and I would hate having to get up at night and make a bottle!
* He went to Evergreen for the first time. He was so good the whole time. I think it's the only restaurant we've gone to where he hasn't cried. I believe that is because it's really calm and quieter than most other restaurants.
* He went on his first airplane ride at 8 weeks and was an absolute angel. He got oohed and aahed over by all the passengers. The only problem we had was on the way home just before takeoff he decided to have a massive poop explosion! We ended up changing him on my lap with a changing pad. Luckily the guy next to us didn't seem to mind!
* He met all his family up in Spokane for the first time. They of course thought he was the cutest thing ever!
We just love our little man more and more each day. It is so fun to watch him learn and experience new things. I feel so lucky to be his mom!

Back from vacation

We went to Spokane to visit family this past week and had a swell time. There is a lot of unpacking to be done, but I just had to post a picture of our photo shoot we had while were up there. Rowan is quite the model, and cousin Jonathan is quite the photographer!

Just because...

He's the cutest baby ever!

Reflux and Massage

Poor little Rowan has reflux. He makes the saddest face you have ever seen when he spits up, it breaks my heart! We got him on some medicine so hopefully that will help. I just hate seeing my little guy in pain. Hopefully he'll grow out of it soon.
We started an infant massage class yesterday. There are SO many benefits to it and I'm really excited to give him massages every day. One of the benefits is it helps there digestive systems mature faster which can help with reflux, so hopefully we see that benefit in him.
When we took him to the doctor on Wednesday for reflux they weighed him and he's now a whopping 9lbs 5oz! Obviously breastfeeding is working well for him! I'm so thankful to be able to breastfeed him and give him all the nutrition he needs.

1 month

Rowan turned one month old yesterday. It doesn't seem possible that it's already been a month. It's been one of the best months of my life.
Some stuff about Rowan
He still is in newborn size clothes. There are a few 0-3 month things he can wear but he is swimming in them! I hope he gets chubby soon because he has so many summer clothes he needs to wear!
Every night around 7:30ish he starts to get ready for bed by wanting to eat and be snuggled constantly. It usually lasts until 9:30 when he'll finally fall asleep for the night.
He loves to look at lights. He loves my mom's deck because he gets to be outside and look at lights!
He loves to be outside and go for walks.
He gets so sweaty due to his massive amount of hair on his head.
He is still sleeping in his swing at night. He loves it and so do I because he sleeps so well in it!
He had his first sleepover at Grandma's house (with me there of course)
We had our first time spent apart. On our anniversary we went out to dinner while my mom watched him. I missed him SO much, but it was nice to spend time with Derek.
He is getting more smiley
He still loves to be swaddled.
He can roll over when he's propped up on his tummy time pillow. It scares him every time though!
He's finally not yellow anymore!
He's a very noisy sleeper when he's not in a deep sleep.
He wakes up every morning with a stuffy nose, just like his momma!
We just love him so much and can't get enough of his cuteness!

Sleep...Glorious sleep!

Last night Rowan slept through the night for the first time...a whole 7 hours! I don't expect it to happen every night, but it sure was a nice treat!

2 weeks

Rowan turned 2 weeks last Thursday. I wanted to document the important stuff even though it's a little late.
At his 2 week check up he weighed 7 lbs 13 oz (25%) and is almost 21 inches (50%)
He is really strong and tolerates tummy time really well. He can hold his head up nice and tall for a few minutes at a time!
I think his biggest change, appearance wise, is that his eyes are now much bigger. He opens them nice and wide all the time now.
He's a really passive baby and rarely gets super fussy. He doesn't seem to like to be at other peoples houses though, except my moms.
He LOVES to eat, and eat, and eat! When he's awake, which is almost all day, he likes to eat at least once an hour. My days are pretty much spent sitting somewhere feeding the little guy. I had no idea that breastfeeding would consume so much of our day.
He got Thrush, and in return gave it to my breasts. NOT FUN! Breastfeeding is rather painful with thrush and we can't wait until we can enjoy our feedings together.
He makes the funniest faces. They have Derek and I laughing constantly. He also has the cutest sneezes and is quite the sneezy baby!
He gets the hiccups at least twice a day. He tolerates them really well unless he's trying to eat, then he gets annoyed. We've started using gripe water when he gets them but I can't tell if it works or not.
He loves his swing and spends most of the night sleeping in it. He sleeps really well and will usually do two 3-4 hour spans and one 2 hour span. He always goes right back to sleep after eating.
We are loving him more and more everyday and love seeing his little personality develop.
He loves car rides! He usually sits in his car seat wide awake and only fusses if he's missing a feeding or wants to be cuddled.
We've started going on walks in the morning and he seems to like them more. We're up to about 15 minutes before he's done.

He wants to eat now so pictures will have to wait!

First photo shoot

Rowan had his first professional photo shoot on Sunday. Let's just say it didn't go as I had hoped, but you can't really have high expectations for a 10 day old. He didn't sleep as we had hoped and wanted to eat the whole time. He's also really strong for how old he is and kept moving out of all the positions we was put into. However, she was amazing and got some really cute photos! Here's her website for a little preview.
Chelsea Stirlen Photography
We are just loving our little guy so much and feel so grateful to be his parents.

Rowan's Story

Here's a link to pictures, it's taken me forever to write this and I'm too lazy to spend time uploading pictures.
Look on Flickr


This is really long, but I don't want to forget anything about this amazing day!

Wednesday night was when it all started, even though I didn't know it was starting. We went to Sweet Tomatoes with Derek's mom. I had been craving it for days and wanted to go before the little guy got here. I joked that maybe the super full stomach would push him out, I guess it didn't hurt! On the way home I had a few contractions, but nothing out of the ordinary.
When we got home Derek started to build our new computer and I watched him on the couch as I continued to have contractions that were anywhere from 20-40 minutes a part. I fell asleep and he woke me up when he left for work. I continued to have contractions throughout the night and would wake up in immense pain but was able to fall back asleep when they were over. Finally at 3 I woke up and the contractions were 5 minutes a part. I really didn't believe I was in labor so I just decided I would see if they lasted. Obviously they did. I browsed the internet, watched tv, and ate some food. They were now about 3 minutes a part and I decided to IM Derek and let him know that perhaps I was in labor. He asked me if he should come home and I told him not yet because I wasn't sure. I decided to go for a walk around 5 to see if they would stop. Walking with contractions is not fun. I got back inside and told him that he should probably come home because by this time they were about 2 and a half minutes a part and Super painful.
When he got home I had a bit of an emotional breakdown and started crying during the contractions. I had been fine with them until he got there! We decided to shower to make sure that didn't stop them before we called our Doula over.
Around 8 our Doula, Amy, came. The contractions were about 2 minutes a part with some coming right after the previous one stopped. Amy was at our house for about 45 minutes before she decided we should head for the hospital.
At this point I was still in a bit of denial that I was in labor. Remember just 3 days before my doctor told me that this baby wasn't coming on his own. Contractions in the car are not fun and I had a few on the way over. Luckily the hospital is about 5 minutes from our house. Walking into the hospital wasn't exactly fun either. I borrowed a truck to lean on and a sign in front of the door to brace myself during them. People kept looking at us and asking if we needed help. We finally got up to labor and delivery and the nursed asked if I was here to be induced. I was thinking "HELLO CAN'T YOU SEE I'M IN LABOR HERE" Once I told her I was in labor they took me into a room to get changed and checked to see how far along I was. I remember thinking please be at least a 5 so I don't get sent home! After a few more contractions I was ready to be checked. I almost screamed with joy when she said I was already a 7! This is the point when I finally believed that I was in labor and going to have this baby TODAY!
I decided to get in the tub to try to relax. I wasn't being a very good relaxer like we had practiced and I needed to calm down. The tub felt SO good, but it didn't really relax me. My doctor stopped by while I was in the tub and said how surprised he was that I was here and had progressed this far without any help. Amy helped me with contractions as Derek filled out paperwork. After about a half hour I got out of the tub and began laboring on the birth ball we brought. My birth ball was my best friend and I labored most of the time on it. When I was checked again I was a 9 and my water was still intact. They asked if I wanted it broken but I told them no. I kept telling Amy and Derek that I couldn't do this, but they kept reassuring me that I could do and I was doing it. The pain was a lot more intense then I was expecting and I was not able to relax during the contractions like I had hoped. Instead I moaned and groaned and squeezed whatever hand was closest to me. Amy did a lot of hip squeezes to help me through the contractions and had all sorts of smelly stuff for different stages of labor. She had this orange one that helped with the nausea a ton! I'm so glad she was there to help us through. At around 12:45 my doctor came back to check me and said that I was still a 9 and baby was at a 0. I decided to let him break my water to try to get Rowan to move down. That was a really weird feeling having all this warm water gush out of you and having no control over it. The contractions became so much worse now that I didn't have my water. My insides felt like they were on fire. It was not pleasant. I was starting to feel the urge to push and so the doctor checked me again. I was finally at a 10! They got the room all set up and a lot more nurses were there. At 1:20 I began pushing our little man out! The pushing felt amazing. It was so nice to be able to do something to make the contraction pain go away. Apparently I'm really good at pushing and only did so for 25 minutes and didn't even tear! I believe I didn't tear because I could feel what my body wanted me to do, when to push and when to stop. That's one of the perks of natural labor.The feeling of him coming out was the most bizarre and amazing feeling I have ever felt. I could feel his little head trying to make it's way out and when the doctor told me he was crowning I felt a huge sigh of relief. I think his shoulders coming out hurt worse than his head. I had meconium in my water so Rowan had to be suctioned when he came out and I wasn't able to really hold him until he had been checked out. It is not how we had planned things but I was prepared for things to go differently then planned so I was ok with it. I remember staring at his cute little face laying on my stomach as Derek cut his cord. I couldn't believe that he had been inside of me. He was perfect. It seemed like forever until Derek brought him over to me. I couldn't stop staring at him. He didn't want to breastfeed right away due to a tube being shoved down his throat but a few hours later he decided to start.
I still look at him and back on the experience in amazement. Things went so well and we couldn't have asked for anything more. He is completely healthy and my recovery has been great. I was able to get up and walk right after his birth because I wasn't numb and didn't have to come down from any pain meds. Rowan was so alert after birth and the hours following because he didn't have any meds making him sleepy. I won't say that natural childbirth was easy but I will say it was worth every ounce of pain. Knowing that I let my body do what it was meant to do was an amazing feeling. Not to mention the great natural high you get afterward.
He's now 10 days old and as cute as can be. He's a really great baby and only cries when he's hungry. He LOVES to eat and does so quite often. He had a bit of jaundice when we went to his follow up visit but it has gone away on it's own. We also took him to the chiropractor to make sure that everything was aligned right (when doctors pull babies out a lot of times it makes them misaligned) The chiropractor hangs them upside down from their knees, it was the funniest thing! Rowan didn't even care. He said he was perfect, and we couldn't agree more.

Rowan's Here!

So Rowan decided to come on his own time. I'll write more later and post pictures, but he's here and as cute as can be. Born July 23rd at 1:44pm 7lbs 4 oz 20 inches long with TONS of long brown hair! The labor was as natural as can be and both of us are doing well.

Rowan's Deadline

So yesterday at the doctors he informed that I had two options, neither of which I would like (that is not something you want to hear)
Option A: Have a c section because he thinks the baby is too big which is why he hasn't dropped all the way yet.
Option B: Be induced on Saturday night with Cervadil to soften my cervix and then have pitocin started on Sunday.
Obviously I do not want to have a c section so I opted for the induction. My blood pressure was better yesterday but not great. I'm still at a 1 and 50% effaced. I'm a bit flustered with my doctor. I don't know how he can predict the baby is too big to come out when I haven't even made it to my due date yet and haven't even gone into labor. Derek was mad. We're feeling better after talking about it with each other and talking with our Doula.
We're doing everything we can to get my body prepared for the induction and possibly go into labor on its own. If my body isn't ready to go into labor the induction will fail and I will end up with a c section anyway.
I'm so glad that we decided to have a doula, as this will be a much harder labor than we had anticipated. Hopefully I'm wrong, but pitocin makes for much harder contractions.
I know that some people would love the idea of only having to go 1 day overdue, obviously I don't. I am however very excited to meet this sweet baby who has been living in me for the past 9 months! It's still hard to believe that I will not be pregnant this time next week...crazy! I just have to keep reminding myself that in the end we will have our baby here, it may not be the way I believe babies should come into the world, but he will be here none the less. I can't wait to see what he looks like and experience the joys of motherhood. I'm also so excited to see Derek as a dad. I know that he is going to be an AMAZING father to Rowan, he already is!
Last night Derek took me to get an hour long prenatal massage...it was heavenly. He takes such good care of me. It really helped me relax after a stressful day.
This is our last week before we become a family of 3 and I plan to cherish every minute of it.

Rowan's Nursery

So his nursery is pretty much done. We have a few things to hang up still, but are waiting until we have pictures to go in them. I love the calm feeling I get when I go in there and I can't wait to play and snuggle with Rowan in it!

From the doorway

Is it not the coolest thing ever that I found scrapbook paper that matches the fabric we used? Hobby Lobby is my new favorite store!

We have breathable bumpers for his crib, but will put them on once he can move around.

His changing table, the top folds down to make the area bigger. Super cool.

I think this is my favorite part of the nursery. It's supposed to stand straight up and down but I decided to have it on it's side so that Rowan can get the baskets of toys and books out. I think it turned out really cute.

We found this cute painting at a garage sale!

I love the curtains and blinds we chose. We wanted to add a little warmth with the blind color and I think it turned out great!

Almost 39 weeks

We had our weekly appointment yesterday. Nothing too exciting. I dilated a bit more and am now 50% effaced. Rowan dropped further, but not enough to make the doctor excited. My blood pressure was borderline high...no good...my doula thinks it was because I was super sick last week and my body used its "reserve nourishment" to make up for things which is causing high blood pressure. I'm not having much swelling, headaches, protein in urine, or any other signs of toxemia or preeclampsia so that is good. I'm going to try upping my protein intake and eating more fruits and veggies to help get it back down. We'll see if it works when I go back on Monday.
He did offer to pretty much induce me anytime I want to. He said the baby is a good size, lungs are ready, and my body is progressing so he has no problem inducing. Derek and I however do have a problem with that. We told him no thanks and we would rather him come when he's ready. A natural birth with pitocin will be a lot harder than without. I'm afraid though that if my blood pressure doesn't go down next week he will insist on being induced. If that is the case of course I would say yes because I don't want to endanger my son, it's just not my ideal way of starting labor.
I'm just so thankful that we educated ourselves before the big day. I feel good that we've done everything we can to let Rowan have a healthy start on life. I think the biggest thing I've learned is to do your own research. Doctors don't know everything and have biased opinions on what they think works best. So the lesson of the day is form your own opinions based on research and your doctors knowledge.

Ultrasound

We had our last ultrasound yesterday. It was so awesome! I can't believe how much he has grown since the last time we saw him. Last time his whole body fit on the screen and this time only parts did like his head, belly, or back.

He has the cutest little face with chubby little cheeks. This is looking straight down on his face. You can see his eyes, nose, cheeks, and mouth.

We saw him rubbing his eyes and shaking his head as to tell us to leave him alone. He weighs about 7lbs 4oz...she said the machine usually estimates high and can be off by a half a pound. But it's good to know that he's going to be a good size baby. People keep telling me that I'm so small and how can I be giving birth in just that many weeks, so it had me paranoid that I was going to have a midget child. He's no midget! His measurements were great! He is still floating around in plenty of fluid and the placenta is holding up nicely. It starting to get calcifications on it which means that his lungs are maturing, so that is also a good sign.
He's getting down there nice and low and I'm dilated to a 1. I'm happy that I've made some sort of progress with all of the contractions I've been having. I know that it doesn't mean anything because I could give birth tomorrow or stay dilated to a 1 for weeks.
My parents finally came back from Africa so Rowan can come anytime he wants to now =)

37 Weeks

Rowan can come anytime now and he will be considered "Full Term" Hooray! We made it! I'm not expecting him to make his appearance anytime soon, but it's nice to know that he would be nice and healthy.
I don't have a doctors appointment this week because my Doc is out of town, but I do have one on Tuesday that will include an ultrasound =)
I'm SO ready to have this little boy here. It seems as the days pass I get more and more uncomfortable. I can't wait to not have to sleep on my side anymore! My hips do not appreciate my current sleeping positions. I am also sick of having to go to the bathroom all the time! It seems as soon as I go from a sitting to standing position I have to go...so annoying! However, I figure all the "bad" stuff that comes with pregnancy is a small price to pay for what we get in return. Sometimes it's still hard to believe that we will have a baby in our home this month! That's if he is a good boy and doesn't decide to stay in until August!
I think I will pack our hospital bag today. I have Rowan's bag packed, but not ours. I'm also going to cook dinner in our solar oven. Hopefully we'll get enough sun to let it cook.
We don't really have plans for the 4th. We usually go to the Clearfield Fireworks by us, but I just don't think I'm up to it this year, so we'll probably spend the night at my mom's to get her house decorated for Sunday when they come home!
I think we'll do homemade ice cream and roast hot dogs and marshmallows in the parent's backyard. Derek said he thinks the fireworks will scare Rowan so he doesn't want to go...so cute!

update

Not too much going on at the Deviny household. We had our 36 week appointment yesterday. Everything is great. Rowan has a nice "healthy" heartbeat as the doctor would say and we are pretty positive that he is head down! GO ROWAN!!! We go back on the 7th for an ultrasound to see how much fluid I have, how the placenta is holding up, and approximately how big he is. I'm super excited to see him one last time before he comes. He gets the hiccups almost every night before I go to bed. It's so dang cute.
I'm feeling alright. I'm definitely ready for him to come. I have irregular contractions throughout the day, but nothing painful, just uncomfortable. I have to pee ALL the time and am constantly thirsty, which probably doesn't help in the going to the bathroom department. Sleeping is becoming more difficult as the days go on, but I still sleep pretty well considering how far along I am.
His nursery is ready for him to come. I have a few more walls to find stuff for but other then that it is organized and looking pretty dang cute! I'll post pics as soon as I figure out what to hang on the other walls.
So Rowan has to stay in until July 5th and then he can come anytime he feels he is ready. My doctor and parents are both out of town next week so Rowan is under strict orders not to come!
That's all for now!

New Wheels

So we ended up buying the car. I LOVE it!

This is what it looks like.
Now we just need to sell my car and get the license plate to stay on the back!
Rowan also got a new set of wheels! The stroller my parents bought for us finally came! He is going to be traveling in style! I've had it picked out since we became pregnant. It's Red and the seat comes off to hold a car seat. The handle also can go to either end so I can look at him while I take him on walks!
I took my parents to the airport today. I know they're going to have a fun time. My mom is super paranoid about Rowan coming while she's gone. I know that he won't and kept telling her there was nothing to worry about. Now hopefully they don't get eaten by a hippo or something while they're gone! We're going to "house sit" on the weekends while they're away, it will be nice to soak in they're super huge bathtub. My mom even stocked the fridge with all of our favorite foods and bought stuff to cook dinner in their fire pit. I can't wait until they come back though. I miss them already!
I'm feeling pretty good these days. Only 5 weeks left! Sleeping is becoming a bit more challenging and the exhaustion is setting in pretty nicely. I've definitely started nesting and need to have everything in order. Derek put shelves up in Rowan's closet so I've started organizing his room. It's a lot of fun deciding where to put all of his stuff and his clothes look so cute hung up. I've decided that he should come on July 8th. Then his birthday would be 07-08-09. Wouldn't that be an awesome birthday. Derek says it's too early for him to come though...only 2 weeks, so it's considered "full term" I guess Rowan will decide for himself what day he wants his birthday. He doesn't really kick anymore, he pushes and does some sort of rolling movement. He also gets the "jitters" which is funny. He makes my whole stomach wiggle. The hiccups are also fun. He usually gets them once a day and they last for about 5 minutes or so. I think he so adorable already, I can't wait to see his real adorableness when he makes his big debut!

The past week

We had our baby shower this past weekend and it was amazing! I'm too lazy to post pictures. So many of our friends and family came and we got so many wonderful gifts! Rowan is such a lucky boy to have so many people care about him. The shower turned out just the way we wanted. We had a BBQ with boys and girls invited. There was even a snow cone machine, I have a slight obsession with snow cones lately.
I've been working on getting the nursery organized. He has SO much stuff! It's fun to wash all of his clothes and blankets and put them in their places. We only have odds and ends left to buy and have plenty of gift cards to buy them with!
We might buy a car today...it's a Mazda 6. I love it. It has a leak that has to be fixed so if the guy will pay for it to get fixed then we will buy it. It's so nice that we are paying cash for the car so we won't have a car payment when the baby comes!
I'm loving this weather. Perfect pregnant girl weather. If it stayed like this all summer I would be happy, however I know the heat is bound to show up soon.
My parents leave for Africa next week...they don't come back until July 5th! I'm going to be so lonely, I talk to my mom a few times a day!
My doctor appointment went great yesterday. We finally gave our doctor our birth plan. He said it was all reasonable. I'm glad he approved of it, Derek was a bit concerned he wouldn't. We're not asking for crazy things...I don't want to be induced unless it is ABSOLUTELY necessary. I think Rowan should choose his birthday, not me just because I'm sick of being pregnant. No pain medicine, I want to eat and drink throughout labor, no IV, want to walk around (another reason I don't want to be induced or have epidural, walking can shorten labor by 28%) don't cut the cord right away, examine baby while I'm holding him. I'm sure this is all so interesting. I have just learned SO much about giving birth and feel very passionate about it lately. This will be one of the biggest events of our lives and I want to be fully informed about all of our options. I want Rowan to have the best start to life as possible, he deserves it! I'm so excited to give birth to this precious boy!

So much stuff...

I've been meaning to document all the happenings lately, but I keep forgetting.
Work ended. I am loving being home. I take naps everyday. Derek got a promotion at work and I'm so very proud of him! He has crazy hours right now, but I'm so thankful for a husband that would think about what will be best for our family in the long run. I have a pretty amazing husband!
The pregnancy is coming along splendidly. Only 7 weeks left! I have an appointment today. I'm sure nothing too exciting. It's the same every time. Get weighed, pee in a cup, blood pressure taken, listen to Rowan's heartbeat (best part) and answer questions as to how I'm feeling. In two weeks I start going ever week and I think in 3 weeks I get my final ultrasound. I can't wait to see how much he has changed since our 18 week ultrasound. Derek and I are getting so excited for him to make his appearance. I'm super excited for our baby shower this weekend. I think it's going to be fun, and hopefully it won't rain.
We went on a fun hike last week. It was the perfect hike for a pregnant girl. I love hikes that end with waterfalls.

The waterfall is in between those rocks.


My belly at the waterfall. Weird to think there's a four pound baby in there!

Memorial day weekend we headed to Moab for Desert Rocks Music Festival. I didn't want to go, Derek did. I went. It rained... A LOT! There was a flash flood. We left Sunday instead of Monday. I was so done. We did get to see Hot Buttered Rum, which is the only reason I went. Luckily it stopped raining just in time for them to play.


The River and waterfall that suddenly formed by our tent
<
When we left we stopped and had a delicious breakfast at the old jail house.

=)

3 MORE DAYS OF WORK!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm slightly excited.
We're going to Moab this weekend for a music festival. Hopefully I come back alive.
7 months pregnant + camping in the heat = not so happy Janessa

life and such

A bit of an update for my remembering...
*I'm almost 30 weeks. I remember thinking back when I first found out I was pregnant that I would be 31 weeks when the school year was over and here I am one week away!
*We went and toured hospitals last night. Davis and McKay Dee. I think we're going to go to Davis just because it's closer to us then Mckay is. They both seemed to offer the same services and had similar policies.
*Rowan likes to push really hard with his feet on my stomach. It feels so cool (I think it's his feet) He also enjoys kicking my ribs, which sort of takes my breath away.
*I have heartburn and acid reflux pretty much everyday...today it was ALL day.
*I'm feeling really confident in giving birth and am only anxious to meet our little one. The pain doesn't scare me. I think I will have enough knowledge and techniques to be able to work through the pain.
*I'm really glad we've decided to have a Doula at our birth. I think it helps with my confidence level.
*My first mothers day was nice- flowers, plants for the garden, sweetest card ever, a silly picture.
*We are looking for a new car. A Mazda 6 (they have good safety ratings) by the end of June we'll have enough cash in our car fund to buy a fairly new one 2005/06
*I LOVE watermelon right now. I have 1/4 of one left that I started eating on Saturday. I could eat a whole one in one day probably but I try to not be a piggy!
* I also love anything cold and drinkable. Such as slurpees and smoothies!
* I have doctor appointments every 2 weeks now. At my last appointment everything was great. I also don't have gestational diabetes and my blood pressure is still good!
* I'm getting more and more excited to meet this little boy!

He likes to move it, move it

This little boy inside of me has become so active the past few days. Ever since Friday night he has been having a party. It's been so fun to feel him throughout the day, as I usually only feel him at night. He was kicking Derek so hard the other night it had us both cracking up. He also seems to like it when Derek blows raspberries on my stomach. He would squirm around and then kick after each time. Today I used my heartbeat monitor thing I bought at Target a few months back to see if I could hear his heartbeat yet...and sure enough I could! I have been trying every few days with no success until now. It was so awesome. He also kept punching right where the thing was on my belly so I could hear that too. AND...I did the flashlight on the stomach trick and sure enough that worked too. I could see him move and kick when the light was on my stomach...I know I'm a mean mom, but it was so cute! I love that we can interact with him even though he is in my stomach. It makes me so excited for him to arrive. I can't believe that I'm in my 3rd trimester (in a few days) and that my days left are no longer in the triple digits =) I'm sure these last 3 months will fly by since I won't have work for 2 of them!

Easter, Nursery, Birthday

We got started on the nursery set! So far we have the crib skirt, curtains, and pillows done. It's turning out so dang cute!



The bed skirt

We had Kevan and my mom come up a few weeks ago and Kevan put chair rail in the nursery. We're going to paint the top half a creamish tan color and the bottom half a green color...not like forest green and not like lime green it's an in between green that I really like!
We had another doctors appointment and things are going great! He said I was an easy patient because everything is going so "normal". After my next appointment on May 5th I will be going every 2 weeks and then in my last month every week! I can't believe I'm almost to 2 week appointments! Rowan is getting super strong. He kicks so hard. Derek felt him kick last night and couldn't believe how much harder the kicks have gotten. Even his little heart beat was so much louder and stronger than 3 weeks ago.
Easter was great.I made a cute little basket for Derek and made him find it! I hid it out on the front porch and it took him forever to find it.

Hooray he found it! I love his dinosaur feet pajamas!

My mom went all out for Easter as usual. We had a gourmet breakfast and a super hard Easter egg hunt. We got lots of gift cards! Kevan even dressed up in my mom's Easter bunny costume!


We spent the evening with Derek's family and had a super yummy dinner.

My birthday was the day after Easter and it worked out that I got to have the day off. My mom, sister and two of her kiddos came up and we went and got super delicious scones and did some shopping. My mom gave me gift cards to babies r us to go towards the glider we wanted. We went and ordered the glider yesterday and I can't wait for it to arrive!
I got flowers from Derek

I had just woken up from a wonderful birthday nap too!

and My mom!

Derek and I went to Olive Garden for dinner...I crave their salad constantly! For dessert I had the most delicious fancy chocolate cake ever!

After dinner we went to the mall and I got a new pair of mary jane crocs! I know most people think crocs are the ugliest thing ever but I am way more into comfort these days then fashion. It was a super great birthday even though I was sick...and still am =(

I only have 4 more weeks of work left!!!!! I am so excited to have 2 months off before Rowan comes to get lots of stuff done and get in some good relaxing time. I feel so lucky to have such a hard working husband so I can be done with work.

16 weeks to go!

I hit the 24 week mark today! I like this week because it marks the week that if Rowan was born, he would have a chance of survival. It's a good feeling in a weird way. I in no means hope he comes early, but it's good to know he would have a chance if he did.
It also means only 16 weeks left until his due date! WOW! This pregnancy is just flying by.
We had our first birthing class last night. We are taking the Bradley Method class. It's a 12 week class that teaches everything from nutrition, exercises, natural child birth, to having a c-section. It will teach Derek to be my birthing coach too. Our instructor is really awesome and I'm excited that we have decided to use her as our Doula as well. We have homework every week that we get to do together which is fun. I feel really good about our decision to give birth naturally. I think we will both be very well prepared and not feel apprehensive about it at all. With all of the information I have read about the medicines used for pain or to induce birth I just don't feel comfortable using them as a first choice. I figure my body is meant to do this so I will give it a chance =)
After tomorrow I have the next 10 days off of work for Spring Break! I hope to get lots of baby stuff accomplished and start working on all the sewing we have to do.

Kick!

Last night Rowan (99% sure that will be his name) was moving around like crazy. I put Derek's hand on my belly and sure enough he felt the little guy kick! It was pretty awesome. He's pretty active at night when I'm lying in bed. Right now he's kicking me too. It's such a weird feeling.
I'm getting so excited to meet Rowan. We signed up for our birthing class and it starts April 1st and lasts for about 12 weeks. We're doing the Bradley Method class. The class is sort of expensive but since we planned for this baby so well it's not a big deal. I've heard great things about this class and am so excited to do it with Derek. We're planning on a natural birth which is why I feel we need this class. The instructor is also a Doula (google it if you don't know what it is) and so we're going to talk to her about that as well. We feel that the more support and knowledge we have during the birth the better it will be for everyone involved.
Oh Boy! Things are moving right along!

More baby stuff

I have spent hours looking for the perfect bedding set for our bundle of joy and have come up empty handed every time. Every set comes with bumpers, I don't want the normal bumpers, as they can be dangerous. I want the breathable bumpers so my baby won't suffocate if his face is next to them. However, breathable bumpers don't come in bedding sets. I know I have made this very difficult, but I finally found a solution. I am making (well with the help of my mom and sister) the nursery set. I fell in love with this fabric and Derek actually loved it too!

Now we just have to make it! I think it is going to turn out so cute.

Halfway Cooked!

I can't believe that my little boy is halfway ready to come! It has gone by so fast. Besides the horrid heartburn and having to eat so I don't get sick things are going pretty well. I fell this little guy swimming, swirling, and twirling inside me all the time now. I feel little kicks and punches more often now too. I LOVE it! It is the most amazing feeling and I can't wait until Derek can feel it. I know the next 20 or so weeks is going to fly by, especially once I'm done with work on May 22nd. Oh, I'm just so excited for this precious boy to join our family.

Stuff and a name

Not much going on around here. I am still so excited about having a little boy! I hope we turns out just like his dad. He moves around more lately. Today I felt 3 little punches, I knew they were punches because they were by where his head is. It was so cute. I feel his fluttery movements throughout the day and it's a constant reminder of this precious life in me.
So as of right now his name is going to be Rowan. It might change...we like Ezra too, but Rowan is in the number one slot as of today.
Here is the link to his first movie appearance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VswaiwZecHg
Oh and Heart Burn SUCKS!!!! I think it may kill me!

Meet our baby!

So today was the day. Derek, my mom, grandma, and sister all came to see if the baby had a "stem". Well, the verdict is yes, it does have a stem. In other words it's a BOY! I knew it! We couldn't be happier. Everything looks great, so I guess the best news is that HE is healthy! I'm so giddy right now.
So that's his face. Yes, he does look like an alien right now =)

Ups and Downs

So a lot has been going on lately. Yesterday was my Grandma Nilsson's funeral. It was a lovely tribute to her amazing life. She was a wonderful person and I am a better person for having her in my life. It was a hard day for our family...losing Tyrell and Grandma within 4 months...not the best combination. Tyrell's ashes were put in my grandma's casket and buried with her. It was good closure I think.
On a happier note I believe the baby enjoyed the funeral because I am 90% positive that I felt that little peanut squirming around inside of me. I felt it twice, a feeling I had never felt before. It made me so grateful for this life that is about to come into the world, seeing that life is so precious.
We're staying at two places this weekend for Valentines. The anniversary inn and some other one that I forgot the name of. It should be pretty fun. Then on Wednesday at 4:00 we get to see this precious little baby growing inside of me. So the next week should be full of fun and excitement and a lot happier then this past week.

Almost there...

Only 16 more days until we know if this little peanut is a he or a she! I'm SOOO excited!
I think I felt it move last night...I don't remember if I was awake or if I woke up but I felt a kick. I think it was real...but it might have been a dream. It was in the right spot though so I think it was real. Hopefully I'll feel it again soon so I'll know if it was real or not!
I've been feeling a lot better lately! I still have some sick days but no more throw up days so I think I"m better!
I just love this little baby so much already.

Big Purchase

We made our first BIG baby purchase last night. We went to my parents to visit and for dinner and they told us that they wanted to buy our crib for us! We were so excited. My mom and I went upstairs and started looking. We found this one that I wanted on Kmart.com that was on sale for $78 (normally 140) unfortunately it was out of stock so we called the store to see if they had any. The lady told us that they had a different one on clearance for $48...WHAT a $48 crib! We had to go see. We snuck out of the house and went to Kmart to check it out. It was exactly what I was looking for...white and simple. So we called back home and told them to come to the store so we could buy it. After Kevan checked it out and approved we bought it! Oh and we got the mattress, which was more then the crib...funny. So thanks to my mama and papa we have a crib for our little one! I can't wait to start decorating the nursery when we find out the sex.

So it's not letting me upload a picture of it...I'll try again later. But trust me it's cute!

Heart Beat

We had our appointment yesterday and it went great! We heard the babies heart beat for the first time (we only saw it yesterday) it was the most precious, beautiful, wonderful sound I have ever heard. I couldn't help but smile, and Derek held my arm with a giant grin on his face. The doctor said it was a fast strong heart beat (fast is good) I am measuring perfect, perfect blood pressure. I even gained some weight which the doctor was happy with, because I had lost weight at my previous appointment! So yeah it was great! My next appointment is February 18th! That's the BIG one. We have the BIG ultrasound to see if it's a he or a she and to look at all the body parts to make sure they have formed correctly!
So yeah, that's the good news of the day!

1/3 of the way

So my next appointment is on WEDNESDAY!!!! I 'm so excited to check up on our little one and make sure everything is ok. I get pretty nervous though too. It all just seems too good to be true. Everything that I've ever dreamed of having in life, I have (well almost have) A great husband, a baby on the way, a wonderful home, financially doing well, my family...Don't get me wrong, we have our hardships, but this is the life I dreamed of, well without the picket fence =)
I have dreams about our baby a lot. They're weird dreams, like the other night I had a dream that Derek and I were on the couch upstairs and I got down on the floor and popped the baby out. Then we wrapped the baby up and we left for work. I realized a few hours later that I had left my baby at home so I came back to get her. It was super crazy! She was a she and had lots of hair in the dream. In all of my dreams the baby is a girl, but when I'm awake I think it's a boy...so this will be interesting to see if my dreaming mind or awakened mind is correct.
I had been feeling pretty good the last couple of weeks. Not great, but good. Then the past 3 days it's started all over! Oh well.
Oh I remember why I was writing this post. I'm in my second trimester! Isn't that amazing. I'm 1/3 of the way done! There's a little baby thing at the bottom of my blog and it's split into 3 colors and my baby is in the middle color. It's amazing to me...simply amazing.
I should probably start taking belly pictures because I think the belly is starting...that or I'm just bloated ;)
I can't suck my stomach in anymore and the bottom is getting a bit hard...the belly is growing and I couldn't be more excited! I have lots of cute maternity clothes to wear too!
Well, I'm off today and tomorrow. That's nice. I need to go clean our house.
Oh we're moving rooms around and putting ours upstairs, since the nursery will be up there. We (well, Derek and my mom) are going to start painting today. I'm excited! I'll take pictures when it's done.
The End.

Getting Closer

So I have less then 200 Days until I pop a baby out! I can't believe how fast it's going by. I'll be 3 months along on Wednesday! How am I feeling you ask? Well, I have my good moments and my bad moments. I don't throw up anymore (although I'm feeling pretty close tonight) but I am nauseated most of the day still and I keep getting killer headaches! Oh and I still hate food and wish I could eat in my sleep so I don't have to taste it. However if we are together and I must eat just feed me fruit, especially sour fruit like green apples! It could be worse though. My pants are getting tight. Some jeans I can't quite button up anymore. I just look fat though =(
My next Dr's appointment is on the 21st. Then 3-4 weeks after that we'll get to find out if it's a he or a she. I think it's a BOY and everyone else seems to think it's a GIRL. I really don't care either way, I just want a healthy baby!We've pretty much agreed on names for either so that will be easy. We haven't decided if were going to tell the names because we don't want to hear "oh you can't name your child that" So we'll see. I'm not very good keeping secrets.
Well that's all for now. I'm gonna go snuggle in my warm bed (mattress pad heaters ROCK)
Oh and it took me 2 HOURS TO GET HOME FROM WORK TODAY! I only work 6 miles from home and I almost died twice and almost ran out of gas once!