Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Anika has much enjoyed all the wrapping paper and new things to play with. On Christmas Eve we had to leave poor Monty behind and fly to Seattle where we met up with Mike's parents. They live in Cathlamet, Washington which is about 2.5 hours away from Seattle, so there was lots of travelling this Christmas. But Anika was very good on the airplanes and is enjoying visiting with her Grandparents, Uncle Jon, and Aunt Sarah. To all who are far away, we wish you a very merry christmas (even though it is a little late).

All three of us have now gotten colds over the Christmas holidays and we are anxiously awaiting the abatement of stuffy noses. Meanwhile, Monty is holding down the fort at our house and hanging out with JC who graciously agreed to watch him last minute, as our previous dogsitter needed to back out.

Well, we are still here with Phillips family so I am going to get back to family fun and merriment. Merry Christmas from the west coast, and Happy New Year.

4 months old

Today Monty decided to cuddle in. Little did he know that Anika can reach out and grab stuff. It took a bunch of tries to get this shot because she kept trying to reach into his eyes. But Monty is a good sport and stuck it out. Anything for a pet, right?

This is Anika and her friend Bridget. We lay them down next to each other and they decided to hold hands! Don't you love her hair in this?

Ok, so after looking back at those very old pictures, I had to include some more recent ones. So here are pictures all from December.

Its been a while...

Right after her first bath at home

During her first bath at home. Look at how little she is! She was 11 days old.

Snoozing with Papa Mark (Grandpa Phillips) way back in the day

In case you can't read her shirt, it says "I'm big in Japan"

Snoozing with her Grandpa Doug. My how yellow she still was then.

I realize it has been almost a month! Wow how time flies. Anika is now 4 months old. She is 12.4lbs and in the 50% for height and head size. Which means she's just about perfect I believe. She is very busy these days chatting and rolling over. She can also sit for miliseconds at a time which is most exciting. I'll have to add new pictures soon, but alas, that will have to be another day. We are looking forward to seeing my parents this weekend and Mike's whole family on Christmas Eve as we fly to Washington State to be together! It will be quite an adventure with Anika in tow, but we think it will be worth it. I can throw in some random pictures from long long ago, but keep in mind that none of these are recent so you aren't confused by why she has shrunk.

A new video

And here she is again. All dressed up for my birthday.

13 weeks, 3 months, and 30 years old

This has been an eventful week for us. On monday, Anika turned 13 weeks old, on Tuesday she became 3 months (which seems like it should be at 12 weeks, but apparently not) and on Friday I turned 30. Mike took me out to dinner at a new restaurant in Carytown called Mezzanine and then we went ballroom dancing. It was so fun! I wish I could do that every week. We of course don't actually know how to ballroom dance, so we were pretty awkward about it in the beginning, but it was really fun. Unfortunately, my shoes hurt my feet. So I think I may spend some of my birthday money and get a good pair of character shoes. Anika stayed at home with Daina, a friend from church, and seemed to have a good time.

This morning we had Phillips cuddletime on the couch, Mike was holding Anika and I was holding Monty. Too bad there wasn't anyone else to take a picture!

Trying to roll over - 12 weeks

Here is a video we shot today of Anika trying to roll over. She only gets halfway, but what a cute smile we captured. Its getting really fun as she tries to sit up, hold her head up, kick her legs, roll over and generally not succeed yet at any of them. She's also started screaming, in her cute little baby way, which is adorable. I'll have to try to record that for you later.
Enjoy.

Another Anika video - 11 weeks

And finally a video with a smile

Happy Pumpkin Day

Hey buddy, I think your parents got you the same halloween costume as me!

Happy pumpkin day!

I like to call this one "the Farmer dog and the sleepy pumpkin"

For Halloween we dressed Anika up in a pumpkin suit and wandered around Hanover street looking at all the decorations. Monty even dressed up and tagged along. Hope you enjoyed the pics

11 Weeks

Here is a video we shot today - for all you long distance fans who haven't seen her in a while. I tried to get a smile for you, but alas we will have to try again another day.

6 week pictures

Stop taking my picture!
Ouch. Someone is poking me in the eye!
Ahhh, a thumb! I can never find where I left this.

Still no milk

We are starting week 3 of the poor milk production saga, and I have a little teeny tiny bit more milk than when we started. One time I made a whole ounce! Of course, she should be eating more like 4 ounces per feeding, so its not actually good yet.

No tbeing able to nurse exclusively is perhaps the biggest disappointment of my life thus far. But you can't make the milk come in if it won't. My plan is to rent a hospital pump to see if it changes anything, and if nothing changes much, we will probably stop this nonesense in a week or two. Since all this work is keeping me from spending as much time with the baby as I would like - which honestly defeats the whole purpose.

On a side note, Ani is sleeping through the night and trying really hard to smile for us - she's not quite there but her cheeks and lips are working on it. Right now she sneers if you smile at her. but in a cute nice way. We like to think that God knew we were having a hard time and gave us a good sleeper since the eating is so disappointing. I don't even like beer, but I may just give it a go all the same (see comments on last post for reference). New pictures soon.

Almost 4 weeks

I know its been a while since I posted, but motherhood is kicking my butt. Last week we went to the doctor and Anika had only gained 1 oz all week. She should be gaining more like 1 oz per day, so this was very disconcerting. So we have had to supplement with formula after all. I saw a lactation consultant to see what we could do to get my milk supply up for her, and so now we are on a very involved and difficult feeding regimen. I'm also taking a supplement and a medication and medicinal teas all to help my milk come in. So far its been 5 days, and I am still pumping exactly the same amount as when I started. But its still early. So if you think of us, keep us in your prayers. I really want to nurse and I am not giving up yet, but its a lot harder or at least more complicated than I originally thought it would be.

Week 1 - 6 days old

Anika is 6 days old today. I thought this picture with Monty would put her size into perspective - though you should know we took this picture on day 5. Monty is adjusting well to having her here. He is very cautious and tentative with her, and mostly in an attempt to get past her so one of us will pet him. She hasn't really noticed him yet - she's mostly in a sleep/nurse cycle with very little time for looking around. And here is a picture of the two of us. See - I swear she smiles already.

Labor and Delivery Photos

Here is Anika on Tuesday at 1 day old. Doesn't it almost look like she is smiling for the camera?
Isn't her hair impressive?
This would be us walking the hallway to try and get labor going.

After 33 hours, Mom and Dad were really happy to be able to see her.
A little Daddy daughter bonding right after birth
Here she is just after birth.

This is me in very early labor at my largest
Here we are walking the streets trying to help labor progress. Mike made an excellent helper during contractions.
At one point, Monty decided I needed comfort and curled up in my lap during contractions. Petting him was actually very comforting and helped take my mind off the pain.
I feel much better, but he still looks worried!
Finally to the hospital, 4 cm dilated

Happy Birthday Anika Sage

Well, after 33 hours of labor Anika was finally born at 11:48 am on Monday August 11th. She was 7lbs (actually 6 lbs, 15.5 oz) and 20 inches long. Giving life has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life, possibly the most wonderful, exhilarating, scary, joyful experiences I can even imagine.

And since I imagine many of you would like to see her, I will include some pictures. She does not look at all as I imagined her, but I still think she is beautiful. During labor, she was a trooper. She never even went to sleep during the last 6 hours, which is pretty unusual, and it wasn't until the very end that the contractions even seemed to change her heart rate. Once born, she didn't have a wet diaper for 28 hours, and the pediatricians wanted me to supplement with formula to make sure the plumbing worked after 24 hours of being dry. But I knew she would figure out what to do and we were right. No formula for us. Then they were concerned because she hadn't had any poopy diapers (though she did poop during delivery - too much information?) and although they knew the plumbing must work apparently it is worrisome because they don't want her billiruben count to go too high. So they said we had to go visit our real pediatrician if she hadn't pooped by this morning. But once again, she was just on her own time and has since provided the required poop.

So the moral of the story is - already she is her own little unique person and people just need to let her be herself.

"Here we go"- from daddy

In between resting her eyes and body in the recliner and moaning with a low primal voice during contractions (which is somehow so sexy), Julie has asked that I update the bog. So here goes....it's time.

Julie was having braxton hicks all day yesterday and woke about about 3 a.m. this morning with some back pain. She laid in bed for awhile, eventually got up, took both a shower and a bath, and around 5:30 woke me up. Her contractions have been very frequent ever since 6:00-- lasting about a minute per contraction and 3 minutes between them. Leslie, one of our midwifes, said that Julie seems to be in labor and even though the contractions are frequent, since they are not extremely strong yet (Julie is still laughing and joking), we are in the early stages still and should call back around 9 with an update assuming everything stays on its current course. We, however, probably will not be updating the rest of you until Anika makes her appearance. (fingers crossed)

Mini Watermelon week

Week 39 - Anika is "due" in 8 days and according to the web is roughly the size of a mini-watermelon. So go out to the grocery store and cradle that watermelon, cause she is almost here.

As we are preparing for birth, one of the suggestions we found was to imagine the animal that most said "motherhood" or "labor" for us, and draw a picture. I drew a kangaroo - perhaps influenced by A.A. Milne as the symbol of mothering, and Michael drew a killer whale. What? you might say? How are killer whales motherly? Well apparently he wanted to make a fish, but then realized that they lay eggs and don't "give birth" so he had to think of a sea mammal, and voila, the killer whale.

But actually, killer whale birth is totally awesome. Lots of them just spiral around and use centrifugal force to push the baby out. You can watch the head first birth at this website to see what I mean. It is awesome.
http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/killer-whale/birth-&-care.htm
I wish I could just do it that way.
:)

38 Weeks - our little leek

So this week she is roughly the size of a leek (again I think we are going with length on this one). I am still working, but my replacement is now working with me so we get her completely ready to go in case we go into labor at any time. Michael was born 2 weeks early, so if she follows in her father's footsteps, that would mean she is really due tomorrow!

Of course, I doubt that its genetically passed down from the father's line but it sure would be nice! We pretty much have the apartment ready to go, bag partially packed, and are just trying to keep busy so we don't feel like these last few weeks drag on and on. Most first time babies are actually in the womb 41 weeks, rather than 40 so I am trying to not wish every day would be her birthday, since we could have 3 more weeks to go!

37 weeks and 5 days

Here are some pictures, I knew it had been a while, but you might be blown away!
:)

37 weeks - Full term

We are 37 weeks now, which means I have officially carried this baby to full term. Although she is not "due" for 3 more weeks, there should be little doubt that she is developed enough to live comfortably out here in the big bad world. So now it is just a question of when our little roommate is moving in for good.

For those of you who love your vegetable of the week, this week she is a swiss chard, which I can only believe must be in relation to her lenghth. See the picture below in relation to the size of a quarter.

Top 10 Reasons Babies are so fun

As my unborn baby woke me up at 4:30 this morning and I couldn't get back to sleep, I have finally given in and just gotten up. Being 36 weeks along is a little bit like it constantly being Christmas eve. You know you should sleep because Santa Clause will be here quicker, but you are so excited because SANTA CLAUSE IS COMING!!!! So that is how I feel. Except the baby version of Santa Clause doesn't do anything nice like come on a set day of the year so you know when to expect him. He's creepy that way.

So I thought I should think happy thoughts about the baby. I may not come up with all 10, but I figured some of you might have a few you want to contribute. So here goes:

Top 10 Reasons Babies are so Fun: Draft 1

10. When you are awake in the middle of the night, now you can have a buddy
9. Until they can talk you get to name all their stuffed animals for them (hence Monty's plush cow, Mr. Moo) - see picture in a previous blog
8. They're squishy (don't you just love squishy things?)
7. You get to buy new furniture
6. When you used to talk to yourself, now it looks like you are talking to another person, even though you just might still be talking to yourself
5. People will no longer talk about your abdomen - instead the baby can draw the main spotlight
4. You always have something to break the ice with strangers ("excuse me, have you admired my beautiful baby yet? She gets those looks from her beautiful mommy. Oh, my name is Julie, what's yours?")

That's all I have at the moment. Send me your suggestions.
:)

Baby stuff tour part 2

Here is part 2 of the baby stuff tour. Enjoy!

36 Weeks - Almost full term

Today we are 36 weeks, which is 1 week short of full term. So the baby could come anytime after next Saturday. Of course I shall remind both you and me that first time babies are notoriously late. However, let your excitement mount. Her day is coming!

This week the average baby is just under 6 lbs, and rougly the size of a Crenshaw melon. What is a crenshaw melon you may ask? I have no idea. But I did find this picture if it helps anyone out. I think our size comparison is based on weight rather than shape - since she should be over 18 inches long on average.

Much Awaited Pictures!

Here are some pictures many of you have been begging for. This one is Monty cuddling with Mr. Moo. I took a couple other pictures after this one, but he was on to me so he just looks miserable. I can't forget to include my older child on the blog after all. This next one is me taking a picture of my reflection in the mirror. This was apparently taken on 6/13 - almost a month ago if that gives you any idea of my progress since then! Don't worry, the light spots on my belly are just a result of the flash in the mirror. I am not developing spots.
I don't remember taking this picture, but here's one of Michael anyway.
This is me on that same day 6/13 but with my shirt over the belly. (so as to eliminate belly reflection)

And this is part one of the apartment Baby Tour. Enjoy, though it might be a little dark.

Week 34 and 35

I realize I never actually gave a fruit update last week. At 34 weeks the baby was roughly the weight of a cantalope, and now that we are 35 weeks today she has achieved honeydew melon status.

At 35 weeks, we are just 2 weeks away from full term, although Anika is not due to join us for another 5 weeks. At this stage, babies born now have an excellent chance of needing little to no medical intervention after birth and usually even if they need help for a few weeks, they match up developmentally with their full term counter parts rather quickly.

But I do not appear to be in danger of delivering early. I'm not having contractions very often that I can feel, although apparently the uterus contracts all throughout pregnancy, rarely does it come across my radar.

We have now finished our Lamaze class, and while I sort of felt it was mostly a waste of time, I think we learned a few helpful things to get us through labor.

This week we are down in NC at my folks, and all my brothers and sisters are here with their families. Which is both tiring, and very nice. Michael is enjoying spending time with my brothers since one by one our regular hang-out friends are either in shows, rehearsal, or moving away now that grad school is over.

Yesterday my Mom took a picture of me in my maternity bathing suit, so if she ever sends that image my way, I'll be sure to post it for you. Let's just say I am so big that my family is joking about twins. Take a honeydew melon, strap it to your belly, add 20 pounds of cushy water balloons, and you can approximate what it is like to be me these days.

I look forward to walking up and down stairs without having it be a production.

Babies and Back pain

So I have been having a sharp pain in my lowerback/hip kinda area and my midwife recommended seeing a chiropractor. My chiropractor recommended seeing a physical therapist. My physical therapist recommended a masseuse. (actually, chiropractor recommended both the pt and the masseuse, but it sounded better the other way). So now I have seen them all. The massage was lovely, but it made the baby very curious about what was going on, she kept moving all around. Hopefully one of these things will help my back out. It is the first time a doctor type person has recommended a massage. Since Michael and I usually get these for special occasions, I feel sneaky getting one without him and without a special occasion as an excuse.

But I suppose I am carrying his child so maybe that is special occasion enough. Though if that is the case, it seems I should have 9 months worth of professional massage.
:)

33 Weeks - Pineapple time

Finally, we have gotten a good fruit of the week. It has been slim pickings lately, but I am happy to report that Anika is roughly the size of a pineapple. If she is average, she should be approximately 4 lbs and 17 inches long.

In response to having a pineapple inside it, my belly is expanding exponentially, and I really do plan to post a new picture soon. So stay tuned.

I am happy to report that the last midwife visit went well - the baby appeared to have switched into a head down position, although she was not perfectly lined up for birth or anything. So that is excellent. No one wants to give birth to a baby butt first, it much harder.

The baby is due in 7 weeks now, and if she is born after 2 weeks from now chances are good she wouldn't even need extra help to breathe! Exciting isn't it!

The other baby

I didn't get a chance to post yet about my other baby, Monty the Dog. Last monday Monty had a seizure in the morning and we had to go to the doggy hospital. It was very scary for us all. The good news: they tested his blood and watched him all day and found that he is not going through organ failure, nor does he appear to have eaten poison. So he appears to be a happy, healthy dog with mild epilepsy.

Epilepsy is apparently very common in small terrier type breeds, which Monty probably has some of, and since it is mild (we only think we know about 2 seizures ever) he doesn't even need medicine or to see a doggy neurologist.

So its exciting times here in the Phillips household! Perhaps our first baby thought he wasn't getting enough attention....

32 Weeks - A general update

Now I am 32 weeks into the pregnancy. Ani will be full term in 5 weeks, but she isn't due for 8 weeks and could take as many as 10 before they start thinking about inducing labor. This week, she should be about 3.75 lbs, which is the size of a jicama. In case you are like me and you have never heard of a jicama, it appears to be a mexican potatoe or turnip like vegetable.

Though we are more fond of referring to her as a jumping bean.

She moves a lot now, great big movements that you can see from the outside, but she is still very shy about when she will do them. No one but Mike (and the midwives) has been able to feel her kicking, or even see her move from the outside so far. As soon as someone's hand goes on my belly she sits very still unless it is her Dad. Strange but true.

At the moment she is hanging out in the breech position. For all you non-baby lingo savvy folks, that means her head is at the top of my uterus, instead of down by the pelvis where it will need to be for birth. Most babies get ready to go between 32-36 weeks, so its about time for her to start working her way down before she runs out of room and gets stuck backwards. It appears that she is hanging out sideways in my uterus - with her head at the right side of my body and her body stretched across my belly instead of up and down. Apparently she is already trying to avoid following the crowd of other babies and create her own position.

As Jenna has requested pictures, I will try to work on that this week. I know the last ones I took of myself did not give an accurate picture of our progress. So far I am extremely fortunate. All my weight is in my abdominal region, so I am keeping my chin and my arms and my ankles at the moment. I am also not really having any heartburn and am long since past the nausea stage, so other than some back pain, I feel great.

Well, ta ta for now.

31 weeks

31 weeks today. In just 6 little weeks she will be considered full term and if labor starts they won't stop it. that's just a month and a half!

We took our second glucose screening on Wednesday and I am happy to report that I do not have gestational diabetes. I do seem to take longer than a normal person to process sugar in my system, so I am still supposed to cut down on sugar and white flours, but I am fine.

So that is wonderful news and we feel very good about that.

This week we started rehearsals for As You Like It at Richmond Shakespeare. I am the master of verse, which is sort of a co-director type position with an emphasis on text work. I love this play and I think we are going to have a lot of fun as long as I don't tire myself out.

But that's pretty much it for now. Thanks for everyone's prayers and concern this week!

30 Weeks - Glucose screening

This week the baby should be around 3 lbs and approximately the size of a head of cabbage - which is apparently not to be confused with the size of chinese cabbage of a few weeks ago. I am including the best picture I could get of my belly considering I had to take it myself. Any bluish tints that show up are purely the effect of the camera. I can assure you my stomach is not blue.

So this next week will be fun and exciting. At 28 weeks we took a glucose test and my levels were too high. Which might mean nothing, and might mean I have gestational diabetes. So lucky me, I get to go back to the doctor on Wednesday and take a super duper 3 hour long test. I have to fast for 8 hours before I go (thank goodness for morning appointments) and then they will take blood samples four times. The first time will be when I get there. Then I will drink an extra large portion of glucose drink (last time it tasted like fruit punch - this time who knows). Then they test my blood once every hour for the next three hours. If my blood sugar spikes up too high on any one of those tests, then I definitely have GD. :(

The good news is, on the preliminary test, if you score over 140 they make you do this long test. If you score over 200 you definitely have GD and they don't need to do the second test. My score was around 144 I think, which is awfully close to normal. So I may be just fine. Michael is taking wednesday off to go with me to the hospital. It will be good practice for when I am in labor and we need to entertain ourselves there. So we will have ample time to explore the good hallways and sample cafeteria food (once the test is over).

On a brighter note, Anika will be full term in 7 weeks. Although she is likely to take around 10-12 weeks to decide to come out, in 7 weeks she should be pretty much ready to go. So we are down the home stretch!

Today our new sheets arrived (our old ones were pure white - and not very baby friendly) so we are working on getting the "nursery" set up for her. Of course she doesn't actually have a mattress for her bed yet, but all in good time.

Week 29 the countdown begins

Now the baby should be about 2.5 lbs and roughly the size of a butternut squash. In 8 weeks she will be full term and it should be safe for her to be born with no need for the NICU. Of course, she is more likely to take 11-13 weeks to come out, but as long as she takes at least 8, we'll be just fine.

We had our planned shower yesterday which was a lot of fun. My friend Erin put a lot of work into it and I think it was lovely. We even had shower games, which I wouldn't have thought I wanted until I had another shower and we didn't play any, but they were really fun. I'm glad we had them.

Of course we now have lots of clothes for the baby, who can resist buying all those cute clothing items? I took my glucose test on friday to test for gestational diabetes. We won't know until the results come back, but I am not very high risk so I am not too worried about it.

I also had the joy of my first Rogam shot. (spelling might be way off). Apparently my blood is negative, and Mike's blood is positive. Which means if the baby has positive blood and her blood comes in contact with mine, my body will build antibodies against positive blood. Which probably won't effect her. But if any future babies are positive I may miscarry since my body will see them as an infection. So the Rogam prevents me from making antibodies to positive blood. I'll get another shot at birth just to make sure.

So that's all we have. Ani (ah-knee) and I are doing fine. She is kicking a lot stronger now, so that is a good sign she is getting bigger and stronger.

:)

Welcome to the Third Trimester!

We are down the homestretch! Already 28 weeks along, the baby will be full term in approximately 9 weeks. That's just barely over 2 months. Of course, since she is a first time baby she will probably take at least another month after that to finish "cooking", but we are definitely nearing the end.

This week the baby is approximately the size of a Chinese Cabbage. I am not sure what is different about Chinese Cabbage vs. other kinds of cabbage, but this week I am being culturally insensitive and referring to her as my little fortune cookie. It just sounds cuter than chinese cabbage.

My belly button, as can be observed in my previous post, is now spending a majority of its time as an outie instead of an innie. Not all of its time, interestingly enough, but most.

And finally, we have begun telling people the name we picked out. Let me preface this with the knowledge that until I sign that birth certificate we reserve the right to change our minds at any time. That being said, we think we will be naming her Anika Sage Phillips (that's AH-nick-uh - not Ann ick uh). Anika means gracious or graceful and sage meaning wisdom. So her name would mean gracious wisdom. We thought that was kind of pretty. I suppose we will call her Ani for short.

So that is your reward for reading the blog through to the end. More to come I am sure on another day.

My Mother's Day Locket

Here is a picture of the locket that Michael and the baby got me. Thought you all might want to see how spiffy it is. And for good measure, the last picture is a shot of my feet, as I see them now. You might notice there is something getting a teensy weensy bit in the way. :) Cheers

27 weeks and my first mothers day

Now we are 27 weeks. One more week left in the second trimester. In theory, the baby will be full term 10 weeks from now and could be born anytime after that. Of course, in reality, she'll probably take 15 weeks to show up, but I am hopeful nonetheless.

Baby center says she is roughly the weight of a head of cauliflower this week. So I am referring to her as my little flower. That should be almost 2 lbs, and approximately 14 inches long if she is average. She is certainly kicking a lot and has increased the pressure on the bladder in the last week or so.

My first mothers day was very nice. Mike and the baby went in together and bought me a locket made of silver and turquoise. Inside it is a picture of her at our latest ultrasound that says "I love you, Mommy". So now I can look at her whenever I wear it. It was very thoughtful and I love it.

We took a trip to Virginia Beach and played in the pool and walked on the Boardwalk. It was a little too cold to go in the ocean, but maybe later in the summer we will go again so I can dig a hole in the sand and lie on my stomach. Since this mothers day also falls around our 7 year wedding anniversary, we celebrated them both this weekend.

Why there are some strange items on our registries

I have had several questions about some unusual items on our registries, so I thought I would take the time to explain how some of the unusual items are really baby supplies.

1. The magic bullet - this is a mini blender that I think will be really useful for making baby food. We currently don't own a blender, because we just don't have the kitchen storage room for another large appliance, but this little blender will be easier to store and clean and should make baby food making possible

2. duvet cover - currently our bedding is all white. White sheets, white comforter. As we will now be sharing our room with a poopy, spitting up little person, it seemed practical to register for some darker sheets and a duvet cover for our bright white blanket.

3. small flat screen tv - alright, I admit this one is more marginal than some of the others. The thought was that at 3 am when the baby has woken both of us up to eat or be changed, and we can't get her to sleep, it might be nice to have a tv in our room while we all try to get back to sleep. And, it might be useful in providing soft lullaby music while mom and dad watch some other program in the living room.

4. flameless candles - these are purely a selfish Julie item. I really want to have soft candles during labor, and the hospital does not allow an open flame in rooms where oxygen is dispensed. So I thought some flameless candles would do the trick. Also, once baby comes, these might make nice nightlights.

If you are curious about any other items, leave a comment and I will explain what on earth we were thinking when we registered for that.
:)

26 Weeks

For all you faithful readers who anxiously await the fruit of the week update, we are 26 weeks into this pregnancy, which means the baby is approximately the length of an english hothouse cucumber.

The baby should be developed enough now that if something went wrong and she was born, most likely she had developed enough to live after some time in intensive care. So I am definitely the mother of a human being now, rather than just an idea.

Got a card today addressed to Mom and Dad Phillips.

That was weird. But I suppose I will need to get used to that.

Baby Showers and Registry Update

Today was very exciting. Glynn threw me a surprise baby shower, which was very fun and exciting. I can't say it actually came as a surprise by the time today rolled around, but I appreciate the sentiment just as much. In fact, it enabled me to put on a little makeup so hopefully I will look cute in the pictures. If you didn't get an invite, do not dismay. There will be a planned baby shower to come and invitations will go out for that one.

And, I discovered two things.

1. Lots of people really care about us quite a bit. A group of them even went in together on a crib. And even though we will have to exchange it for a different one that meets our specific needs, it was very impressive.

2. not one person used the myregistry.com website, perhaps since they don't plan enough in advance to account for shipping time.

So... we have registered for more things at babiesrus so that people who are shopping last minute can pop into the store and grab the stuff they want.

So now we are registered at target, babiesrus, and myregistry.com

And the things we really need still are:
stroller
car seat
changing pad
baby carrier/sling
breast pump

though there are oodles of other things on the registry to choose from if people want to get away from functional.

New symptoms!

So now, it appears that sometimes my fingers or wrists go numb for no reason. Books say this is completely normal, but I have never seen a woman on tv or in a movie complain about numbness in her fingers. So I thought I would share.
:)

25 Weeks - A new Picture

Here is a new picture. We will technically not be 25 weeks until tomorrow, but I figure one day will not hurt. I think I have gained 7 lbs since the last picture. But I am not complaining. So far, it all seems to be in the belly area, which means I get to keep my lovely little arms for now. And my chin. I always have been a fan of my chin.

Anyway, just in case you think this maternity shirt is making me look bigger than I am, here is another picture to prove that it really is pretty much all me. Well me and the baby girl. Well me, baby girl, and a soccer ball sized uterus.

Enjoy!

24 Week Update

This week, the baby is approximately the length of an ear of corn, and probably around 1.25 pounds.

I am starting to outgrow the early maternity clothes I received - which is just too bad really. You hate to have to get more now that we are over halfway there - but such is life.

We are 24 weeks along. The baby will be full term at 37 weeks, but most likely will come between 40-42 weeks. So we are nearing the home stretch. Yesterday, Mike and I bought her first real stuff. We got a storage unit for her belongings (clothes and toys etc.) as well as a cute little onesie and a hoodie. So today we worked on cleaning off one of our bookcases so we can make room for her dresser/shelf thingy.

It has been storming like crazy here, and poor Monty the dog is scared silly. He keeps shaking and panting. Every once in a while he forgets there is a storm and recovers, but as soon as he hears the thunder again the shaking starts all over. Hopefully, his little sister will not be as frightened of storms as he is.

Well, that is all I have for today. Tune in next time for more exciting adventures.

Where we are registered

So far, we have registered at Target and online at myregistry.com

Target items may be purchased in the stores or online

Myregistry.com is an internet only registry, but it allows us to register for anything that is sold on the internet. So if we liked it better or saw it for less, we registered here instead.

Don't look for us at Babiesrus. We pretended to register so they would send us coupons, but you will be very disappointed with your choices.

Special Requests:
We have a small 2 bedroom apartment, so we are looking for necessities (strollers, high chair seats, carseat, diapers, changing pad, crib, etc.) and not big bulky stuff - such as an exersaucer. Think compact - portable if you decide to venture off the registry. We have absolutely zero storage room for extra gear.

If you would like any other information, let me know and I will "keep you posted"
:)

23 Weeks - and the weight of a mango

This week, in an unexpected twist, her fruit category has shifted from length and now she WEIGHS approximately as much as a mango - just a little over 1 pound. So strap a mango to your belly and you can feel what I feel (although you really should add at least 9 pounds of water balloons or something else around the mango if you are going for accuracy.

For those of you who are thinking of buying clothes for the baby, I have been told Babysrus is having a sale on their clearance items. The baby will be approximately 9 months next year at this time, so think about buying 9 month size items or newborn if you are buying spring/summer clothes.

My first moment of fetal embarrassment, delayed again

This would be my first moment of showing off my daughter's "special parts" to the whole internet. While I recognize she may be in therapy for years because of this moment, I just can't help showing off every picture we have of her... I am so proud. However, for some reason I can't open the file on this computer.

When I can, it will be a picture of her cute little rear end. If you look closely you will see her little butt and her legs all curled over her body, and in the middle where the technician lovingly typed "its a girl" you can see her little vagina. So while we could still get a surprise, the pictures are pretty convincing that she is a girl. During the test she was moving all around and opening and closing her fingers. That was so neat to watch. Towards the end she wouldn't move into a position so the technician could photograph the last thing she needed, very stubborn. So clearly my baby already knows what she wants and isn't afraid to stand up to people in authority. (Hopefully, that won't include Michael and me)

Its a GIRL!!!!!!

Yes, we FINALLY had our ultrasound today and the baby is most definitely a girl. Of course there could always be a surprise when the baby is born, but the pictures looked awfully convincing. We have a very clear butt shot that "tells all".

But, as I don't have that picture scanned in yet, you will have to make do with her beautiful profile instead. Everything looks normal and healthy and there were no birth defects or problems they could see from an ultrasound. So, enjoy.

Oh, and if everyone could go easy on pink, we don't want everything she owns to be one color.

Books I am reading

Since I am starting a small library of pregnancy books, I thought someone else might be interested. My latest books have included:

Pushed
The Pregnangy Bible
What to Expect When you are Expecting
The Pregnancy Book
and Birthing from Within

If you have book suggestions/recommendations I am open to suggestion!

22 Weeks Pregnant

The baby is now roughly as long as a spaghetti squash. Not sure what that, is but there you are. If he/she is average, he/she is about 1 lb and 10.9 inches long. The baby should look like a baby now, but wrinkly since it will be more weeks until it can fill in all the baby fat it will have when it is born.

We have our ultrasound on Monday!!! Only 2 days away, and it feels like an eternity! I hope the baby moves around enough so we can tell for sure what gender it leans toward.

On a side note, there are only a few weeks left of school and then I will go from 2 jobs down to just 1! Yay! Although probably I will try to work behind the scenes at Richmond Shakespeare this summer, and that will bring the count back up to 2 briefly.

Belly Button update

This is a sideways view of my belly button as of 3 minutes ago, at 21 weeks. So cock your head to the left and be amused by the interesting shape it is taking on.

:)

Carrot Time - 21 Weeks Today

Ok, so babycenter.com claims that this week the baby is the length of a carrot which is approximately 10.5 inches from head to toe. I don't know about you, but I can't remember the last time I bought carrots that were longer than bananas, so this seems strange to me. Its almost like saying the baby is the size of a 10.5 inch plum or green bean or ruler. But maybe that is just me.

I don't own a scale, because it probably is not too healthy to pay too close attention these days - bad for my ego - but I am pretty sure that I gained most of the weight from last month in the last week and a half. Because I am starting to feel less big today, even though I am the same size. I think the rest of my body has started to catch up to my belly.

I think my belly might just fall off

So, I feel as if I have grown exponentially in just the last two days. Baby and I are definitely planning to stop eating cheese fries on a daily basis.

If I look from afar, or in certain positions the belly doesn't seem that huge, but as I am lying in bed, tossing from one side to the other since I can no longer sleep on my stomach or my back, the muscles in my abdomen seem to be saying "My goodness, what is this thing you want us to lug around?"

Actually, to be honest, they used expletives I would prefer not to publish here on the blog. I know stomach muscles don't talk, but believe me. These ones were swearing at me.

So the moral of the story is, don't gain a lot of weight all at once in the abdomen, because you too might feel as if your belly is going to fall off the rest of your body. And the sad thing is, you almost wish it would so things would be normal again. (until you remember there is a baby in the belly, and you are sappy enough to weep when other mothers give birth on tv shows, so there is no way you would give up that experience for yourself). And after that, even though you want to stop lugging it around, you are actually pretty glad the baby is in there.

Breaking News: Baby resembles a Banana

Today I have been pregnant for 20 weeks, which means this is the halfway mark in a normal pregnancy. It seems really strange that this is already half over, but on the other hand it will be nice to have my body all to myself again.

This week, the baby is roughly the length of a banana when measured from head to toe. This is a switch in measurements, as previously our fruit update was based on head to butt measurements. That means the baby is probably about 10 inches long from head to toe, 6.5 inches from head to butt.

There is also a new picture below, which is not a great picture of me, but will give you the rough idea of what I currently look like. All I can say is there is no longer much doubt that it is in there.

Belly Buttons

In case you wanted a belly button update, mine used to be very deep - definitely an "innie". Now it is almost a "flatty", half in but half evening out with the rest of the belly.

I'll let you know when it pops out the other way.

Not much going on

Since Jenna requires that I provide up to the minute coverage, as promised, this blog is all about nothing new going on.

I tried to call the ultrasound people and get in earlier, but no can do. So we will have to stick with April 7th and wait with bated breath to find out the gender of the baby.

On a side note, why is it that everyone asks what sex the baby is, rather than gender? Just a small pet peeve, but I certainly hope the baby isn't having any sex at the moment.

People have started asking to touch the belly, and I have to say so far I don't mind at all. I'm pretty proud of my little heirloom tomato. Although, they grossly misjudge where the baby is. At this point, my uterus is not quite as high as my belly button. So that bulge at the top of my belly is actually just my stomach and intestines and other organs that are running out of room in the rest of my body and are travelling higher up. But I guess, as I think about it, maybe I prefer people stick to the belly button area of my belly, as it can be awkward being rubbed below the belt. hmmm. I'll have to ponder that one.

So that's my update for today. Yesterday I felt humoungus, but today I look far more normal, so it depends on my clothing quite a bit how big I am.

19 Weeks Today

Today I have been pregnant for 19 weeks, and the baby is roughly the size of a large heirloom tomato - which should be approximately 6 inches long from head to butt (the baby, not the tomato).

Baby has been moving around a lot today, which is very exciting. And a little weird, because I can feel it happening, but no one else can even see anything different. Its like when your brother pokes you in the side during church, but everyone else can only hear the thud your elbow makes on the back of the pew, and they never see the poke.

So in essence, what I am trying to say is the baby is poking me and giggling because I jump or react, and people just think I'm nuts. Already he/she has their father's sense of humor.
:)

18 weeks

This week I have been pregnant for 18 weeks, which means the baby should be approximately 5.5 inches long from head to butt and roughly the size of a bell pepper. So the next time you are in the grocery aisle, cuddle up with a pepper and think of us.

Getting Ready for SETC

Tonight I am supposed to be finishing up work on my two presentations at SETC in Chattanooga, TN this weekend, but for some reason I only want to update the blog and search for strollers online. When did I become this way?

So we have to wait until April 7th to find out the gender of the baby, which is SOOOOOO long from now. All the other August due date women on baby center seem to already know. But Richmond, being such the advanced city, only has two technicians that do ultrasounds and they travel from hospital to hospital everyday, so there aren't all that many appointments available for all the pregnant women out there. And both of them are planning to be on vacation the week of Mike's spring break, which is in MArch and would be the perfect time for us to go! (you can't see it, but this is me pouting at the computer now)

17 weeks...finally!

As of Saturday we were officially 17 weeks pregnant... again. Which means baby phillips should be roughly the size of a turnip. Do not confuse this with a raddish or a parsnip, which are both smaller than an avocado. Turnips are surprisingly quite large.

An added bonus, Measure for Measure closed today, and while usually the closing of a show is filled with nostalgia and sadness, all I feel is RELIEVED!! Finally I can be down to two jobs and just work on making a baby in my spare time.

So now, I spent the evening recovering and will spend the next two days preparing to go to SETC in Chatanooga, TN. It will be interesting to go this year since my budget is zero and it will be an 8 hour drive each way, but life is full of interesting experiences.

And on a side note, congratulations to Jenna who has made an offer on her first house. My aren't we all growing up so quickly.

16 weeks never felt so long

So we have officially changed my due date to August 10 instead of August 5th. Which means that while I used to be 17 weeks and 1 day, I now am only 16 weeks along and 3 days. So we will have been 16 weeks pregnant for 12 days. Which seems like an awfully long week.

The bright side is, I listened to the baby's heartbeat again today which had the amazing added bonus of being able to hear when the baby kicks. So even though I can only barely feel it, he/she is definitely in there moving around. The baby was even in a different spot today, which makes me feel better. The last two months the baby just sat in the same corner of my uterus when it was time to hear the heartbeat and I think I was a little afraid it didn't move. But not today!

16 Weeks Today

At the prodding of Jenna, I am setting up this blog so people can see how we are doing between emails. So here is my first post. Hopefully I will remember how to get back here and what passwords I used and will be able to enter something agin.

We are 16 weeks pregnant today, and I emphasize the WE, as Michael is certainly just as responsible for our little avocado and deserves equal blame... I mean credit.

Most everyone who will read this will have received our email update, but just in case, the baby should be approximately 4.5 inches from head to bum and roughly the size of an avocado.

We are now in the second trimester, which means most of the nausea has subsided (HOORAY!) and I don't have to eat every five seconds. Some days I swear I can actually feel my stomach growing, and there have been a couple times I was almost certain I could feel the baby move. Of course, it could have been gas or digestion. My internal organs do have to go somewhere now that my uterus is taking over the place. But I am choosing to believe what I felt was distinctly new.