Jedidiah- My, how you've grown!!

So, it's been a little miserable dealing with this hot weather lately, but today I got to beat the heat by going swimming at my mother-in-law's pool! Nothing really beats feeling "weightless" at 34 weeks and 2 days preggo! I even found a way to sunbathe on my stomach in the pool using a raft and noodle - don't ask me how; it just worked :)

 Below is belly shot taken June 16, 2012 (26 weeks). . . .

And here is belly shot taken today (34 weeks). . .

Are you ready to come out yet, Jedidiah?! I am!!

33 weeks!

I had my usual checkup today and am happy to report that everything is normal and progressing as it should. My vitals looked good, baby's heartbeat was strong, and most likely he is head down! Some photos from the past month:

~27 weeks!

~30 weeks!

32 weeks

32 weeks and 3 days

 33 weeks!!

whoa big belly!

32 weeks!

Yikes! it's been a long time since my last blog! I can't believe I am at 32 weeks today. Only 4 more weeks until I am technically "full term". That just sounds too soon, but at the same time, I am already looking forward to having my body back. The increasing weight around my belly is really starting to hurt my back and sides, and there's not too much that seems to relieve it except for when I lie down and Rich gives me back massages (which are awesome!). Shortness of breath seems to greet me regulary in the mornings and my pelvic bone has never hurt so much from my ligaments loosening up. Despite the pain and unpleasant effects of this third trimester, it makes me so happy to know that baby Jedidiah is growing and gaining his baby fat! Can't wait to squeeze his chubby little body! He is roughly around 3.5 lbs and 16.5 inches long. It's incredible to think that he'll be gaining half of his total weight in the next 7 weeks! His movements have become more frequent and have developed into greater jabs and twists than the initial soft kicks I would feel during second trimester. He definitely prefers my left side, but I always feel him hiccuping on my lower right. My midwife wasn't able to tell if he was head down during my last appointment, but I have a feeling he is. Maybe she'll be able to tell when I go back next week. :)

25 weeks!

Yesterday, I came in at 25 weeks preggo and had my normal monthly checkup with the midwife. I'm happy to report everything looked and sounded healthy! My vitals were good, and baby Jedidiah's heartbeat was at 140 bpm (normal is anywhere between 120-160bpm). I've gained about 17 pounds so far (!!) which has caused my stomach to feel extremely taut and my calves to swell up faster throughout the day. Not very pleasant side effects but all normal I suppose. It's truly fascinating how the body changes to accommodate the little precious life growing inside.
Speaking of growing, baby Jed is doing just that! He is about 13 1/2 inches from head to heels and weighs about 1 1/2 pounds which is apparently the weight of an average rutabaga. He's also kicking/moving a little more regularly each day, usually when I'm sitting or lying down.
Yesterday was also a special day as we got to finally see our friends, Peter and Melissa, for the first time after having their beautiful baby girl, Cadence Brielle, three weeks ago! It was so wonderful catching up with Melissa and having her share her motherhood experience with me thus far. It made both me and Rich even more excited for Jedidiah to come out of the womb and into our arms. Can't wait!

25 week baby bump

Baby Jedidiah's first vacation!

Well it's been a while since my last blog, and since then, much has happened. I am currently at 24 weeks and 3 days which is considered to be part of the sixth month of pregnancy! Also, baby bean baker now has a name....Jedidiah Kevin Baker. We actually decided on that name pretty quickly after discovering we were having a baby boy. At first we had no idea what to name him, but after praying that God would reveal that to us, the name Jedidiah came to both of us separately. We looked up the meaning and discovered it to be Hebrew for "Beloved by Yahweh" which was the name God gave to Nathan the prophet for David's son, Solomon. We fell in love with it instantly and so it was decided that baby bean would be "Jedidiah." We decided his middle name had to be after Rich's best friend, Kevin, which actually means "Beautiful at birth." And so came about the name Jedidiah Kevin Baker. I'm actually really happy that we decided to find out the sex of our little bean; it's made us feel so much more connected to our baby already. :)

Recently, we just came back from what I guess you would say was our "baby moon" and Jed's first vacation! It started off in La Palma with one of my best friends, Jinna, and her husband, Eliot, followed by a crazy two days in Disneyland, and ending in one of our favorite places, Monterey. It was such a great time to be with friends and get away somewhere with Rich. I think it was perfect timing, too, as I feel like I'm now getting bigger much faster.

As far as my pregnancy goes, I'm feeling pretty good. Jedidah's been kicking and moving around a lot more which I love! Sometimes his movements feel really strong and I can see the surface of my belly moving. It's so exciting! Some negative (but common) effects of pregnancy I've been experiencing lately are leg cramps (so painful!), bleeding gums, swollen legs and feet, and constipation (eww..TMI!). It's comforting to know that these are all common effects during pregnancy, but they still suck! It's all worth it, though :)

Good friends are so hard to find these days. I miss you, Jinna!

There are very few times when I won't feel bad for eating a root beer float, smoked turkey leg, and churro in a two days span....yay for pregnancy and Disneyland!

Can you tell Rich was excited to win this giant wiener dog?? Jed's first body pillow :)

 We made it through Disneyland! Needless to say, our feet were killing us by the end of our trip but it was so much fun!

21 weeks!

Today I turn 21 weeks pregnant! I feel as though baby bean is growing so much faster now as my stomach continues to stretch out little by little each day. I'm not really experiencing any pain around my back or hips, but I do feel like I have that pregnancy "wobble walk" down.
I also had my third pregnancy check up today and am happy to report that everything seems to be going well and on track with little bean. He's about the length of a carrot now and weighs about 3/4 of a pound. I've been feeling him move around a little more this past week as well, and Rich got to feel him move for the first time a few nights ago. It's all so amazing :)


21 weeks baby bump!

Bean's first Giant's game!

 Saturday was bean's first Giant's game! Tim Lincecum was pitching that night but unfortunately they lost 4-6 against the Brewers. Oh well. We still had lots of fun and got schweet fingerless texting gloves!

Beware world...

Today (Tuesday, May 1) I had my 19/20 week ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby, and it's official...bean is a boy!! We are super excited for our little guy :) We joke around, hoping he has my personality, because let's be honest, can this world really handle a "mini-Rich"? (j/k!!!) He seemed really mellow during the ultrasound so we are taking that as a sign that he'll be like that out of the womb as well!
Overall, the ultrasound went very well. His heartbeat was recorded at 155 bpm, and we saw his cutie parts like his little toes, feet, arms, legs, mouth, nose, spine, and of course, his little man bit. He was bottom down the whole time, so the technician was a little frustrated because she couldn't get a clear tailbone photo no matter how much she shook the ultrasound wand over my belly or how much I turned to the side. I guess he was just comfortable where he was!
I had asked my mom to come with me today instead of Rich because Rich wanted to be surprised at our 3D/4D ultrasound appointment I had scheduled next week, but of course after I found out the sex at my appt today, he couldn't wait a week to find out himself (which was great for me because I don't think I could've kept baby bean's gender a secret for that long.) He said he had a feeling bean was going to be a boy, but he was hoping for  a girl just because he remembers what a little terror he used to be growing up! I guess we shall have to wait and see if his temperament's more like mine or Rich's. :)
I have to also mention that today I really believe I felt bean move!! It almost felt like the sensation you get when you have a muscle twitch or a sort of "popping" movement that others usually use to describe their baby's first movements. I also got my first intrusive belly touch from the owner of the thai restaurant we ate at. I'm sure there's more of that to come. Hehe....so yay!! A big day for bean:)

Preggo Palooza!!!

Today, Rich and I went to Preggo Palooza! It was basically what I imagine bridal shows/exhibits to be like but for new and expectant moms like yours truly. We actually had a lot of fun...

Upon arrival, we received a little goody bag full of fun freebies like a teething toy, baby bottle, coupons, etc. Then it was left to us to visit the 50 or so booths that were there featuring all sorts of baby/mommy related items like clothes, baby food, lotions, daycare programs, mommy pampering, baby accessories, and the like. There was also raffle prize giveaways that even included a pottery barn kids crib and bedding! We really enjoyed getting to see all there was for preggos, and it was a bit strange but neat to share in common with all these other women the world of motherhood. 

There were a lot of cute and fun things to choose from, but at the end of the day I settled on two items from the palooza: a really cute baby diaper wet bag set from Foxy Vida, and a teething lovey by Drool Monkey Organics.

To our complete shock, we actually won some of the giveaways that day!! They included: a kokopax carrier, a gift basket with pampered goodies, and a cute caddie filled with random things like cloth rags, eco friendly wet ones, travel food set, and a sock monkey! We were laughing in unbelief because it seems like we never win anything!! God is so sweet to us.

                       
But really, the most amazing thing that day happened when Rich got to share how amazing Jesus is to one of the vendors there, "D." We hope to have another opportunity to see and talk to her in a couple weeks. All in all an awesome day.

19 weeks!

Yesterday was the start of my 19th week of pregnancy, almost to the half way point! I'm feeling pretty good so far, enjoying my second trimester like most preggos do. I'm hesitant to say that I've really felt baby bean move yet since it feels more like light sharp pain around my stomach due to ligaments stretching or cramping than "fluttering" or "popping" sensations from the baby, but maybe it's both. :)
As for baby bean this week, he is the size of a large heirloom tomato and weighs about 8 1/2 ounces! His senses are developing rapidly and his arms and legs are in the right proportion to each other and the rest of his body. Rich and I have fun talking, praying, and reading to him at night. We can't wait until we can really feel him move around!

18 weeks!

So, it's definitely been a while since my last post, but I've finally attempted a baby bump photo to show off the result of 18 weeks pregnant. It seemed like last week, all of a sudden I looked down at my belly and saw I had a permanent protuberance! It's been fun to look a little more pregnant but not so much fun trying to find new clothes to fit my new shape. However, for now, the belly band works great for letting out my current jeans, and the shirts I already have work just fine for now.
As for little bean, he is growing so fast! He is about 5 1/2 inches long (the size of a bell pepper!) and about 7 ounces. No baby movements felt yet...only the occasional uncomfortable stretching of ligaments, but hopefully by the end of the week I get to feel him kick or give me a high five. :)

1/4 of the way down!

Well it's been a little over 10 weeks now. Although I haven't been feeling as nauseous as I did during weeks 7-8, I still have trouble finding food to be that appealing or appetizing. At least it's been settling a little better in my belly.

At about this week, baby bean is the size of a kumquat, about 1 1/4 inches or so long. Most of his critical development has finished, and now it's just him growing into his body, which seems so amazing to me that at only 10 weeks he's a person! His hands and feet are no longer webbed, but instead, tiny nails are forming on individual fingers and toes. He's also growing little peach-fuzz hair on his body. However, if he comes out anything like his father, it'll be a lot more than "fuzz". :)

Little Buddy

The other day I forgot to mention that Rich and I bought baby bean's first cuddly buddy! We found it in one of the many cute shops in Carmel. There were so many precious baby items, it was so hard to pick on one thing! But alas, we settled on a little fluffy dog (of course!). He is the softest little thing, and we can't wait to give it to baby bean.

So, a little late posting this entry, but oh well. Better late than never...

Last Friday was my first prenatal appointment at Shadelands Kaiser. I ended up meeting with one of the midwives, Katharine Aldrich, who turned out to be very comfortable to be around and reassuring through the whole examination. She gave me what I assumed to be the usual prenatal physical exam and then at the end, my first ultrasound. It actually caught me off guard to suddenly see baby bean appear on the monitor; I guess I had no idea what to expect. All of a sudden I was seeing a glimpse of the wonderful miracle growing inside of me. He looked like all the pictures you see of babies at nine weeks, but of course when it's your little baby you're seeing, it feels like you've never seen anything so amazing. It truly was an awe-stopping moment, and I can't help but give praise to God, Creator of all.

Another praise to God I have to give is the fact that my yucky nausea has been waning. For the past couple of weeks I was having such a hard time eating food or finding foods that settled well in my stomach. Every day was such a pain to get through, and it made me so sad that I couldn't eat everything that I used to! Well, a couple days ago I forgot to take my prenatal vitamin and realized I felt so much better that day. I asked my midwife about it and she assured me that I could ease off on them until my 2nd trimester, as long as I took a folic acid supplement in place of the multivitamin. I think it's made a huge difference, proven this weekend on our little trip to Carmel and Monterey with our friends Peter & Melissa:

Our favorite breakfast/lunch place in Carmel is Carmel Belle, hands down! Not only is their food the freshest and tastiest food around, the place is dog friendly, so I always get to eye people's cute pets while enjoying my food :)

No food shown below, but we got to eat at our favorite dinner place in Monterey- Bistro Moulin- with our friends Peter & Melissa who are expecting their first baby in May!

......And more Carmel Belle below....

Thank you Jesus for letting me enjoy this wonderful food!

It's a bean!

Well, it was two Mondays ago that Rich and I finally got the courage to buy a pregnancy test and take it! Sure enough, just two minutes later we were staring wide eyed at a test that clearly read "pregnant". It took a little while for the reality of it all to sink it, but shortly after we realized there was nothing to do but praise God for this incredible blessing of becoming parents and having a little "bean" of our own. :) Yay!