Chillin' with Dad

Got my shoes on!

Don't you just love little baby shoes??

Angry Little Man

I really wasn't trying to torture the poor kid.... I just wanted to capture some of those faces I see on a regular basis.....haha....

Hey Dude

Lounging in my chair!

(Thanks for letting me borrow it James!)

Cutie

Sportin' a cute little shirt given to him by his cousin Kyler.

Bouncer Chair

I started putting him in this little chair today and he seems to like it. It has a vibration feature and it seems to sooth him for a bit.

Waiting....

Well, only 5 days until the due date.

I went to the doctor today and I have finally dilated. Only 1 centimeter. But, at least something is happening! She said my cervix is still very posterior though. So, I am not expecting anything to happen right away.

My regular doctor is actually out of town, so I have been meeting with a different doctor the past couple of weeks. But, my doctor already scheduled for me to meet with her on Monday (the day after my due date and her first day back) if he hasn't come by then. The, she might induce me on Tuesday!

Really, it seems little Robby is waiting for his Grandma Kirkham to get here before he makes his debut. My mom told me months ago that she and him have "an arrangment"-- he can't come before she gets here! Well, she gets here TOMORROW (Wedensday). So, we'll see if anything progresses after that!

Almost there!

Less than 6 weeks left...????

WHOA!

As we returned from our trip to Utah, heat and humidity start to set in and it starts to hit me that.... it is getting SERIOUSLY CLOSE to when this baby will be born!!!

At church on Sunday I was saying hello to our friends, the Ziemer family. Jared--my little pal who is almost 7 years old-- looks at me and says. "Hi Jenni! You... ummm.... You......" (I could see he was looking at my protruding belly)..... "Your baby is getting bigger!" I couldn't help but laugh and be very impressed at how tactful he really was with that statement! I was waiting for the typical embarrassing, brutally honest statement most children would make, such as "Wow! You've gotten really fat!" Hahaha.... good ol' Jared.

Well, he is right. My baby is DEFINITELY getting bigger! It is amazing how much I've grown in the past few weeks.

Here I am, at just over 34 weeks.

Baby Shower

Thanks to my friends in Toledo 1st ward that threw a baby shower for me. We had it a little early so that we could do it before all those who's husbands just graduated from med school moved off to their residencies. And before others, including myself, left for summer trips. 

It was so different to be the one in the seat being "showered." Honestly, there were times in the past years when I had feared I would never make it far enough in a pregnancy to be able to celebrate with friends in this way! 

I received so many cute little clothes and other fun things for Little Robby!

 Thanks again, everyone! And thanks to my friend Keriann for hosting it :) 

28 weeks!

Wow.... I am now in the third trimester. I can already feel that these last months are going to speed by so fast. Man, I love this little baby already..... I just can't get over how amazing it is to have this little person inside me and to think that in a few months I'll be holding him in my arms!!! What a miracle this whole process is.

This week I made myself this dress.

It works well with the pregnant belly protruding.

My next sewing project I'll be doing is Little Robby's blessing outfit.

I am making that little suit on the right (not doing the bonnet though....). Hopefully it turns out alright!

Perhaps Steve's NOT the father.....

There is an eerie resemblance there....

hahaha..... freaky ultrasound picture.....

We didn't get very many pictures this time. But, at least we got the awesome ones the first time. And, most importantly they were able to see that he was healthy and well. They estimated his weight at 2 pounds and 4 ounces.

My doctor said he is measuring slighty bigger than average which means he might come a little earlier than August 2! So, perhaps he'll be a July baby. I've got no objections to that!

And there's the cute little foot that continues to kick.

I love it.

Advice

Okay all you experienced mothers (and fathers). I need your advice and suggestions. As I start to make lists of what I need/want to buy before this baby comes, I get lost and confused and overwhelmed!

Please share with me.....

...................any items you think are MUST HAVES.

...................any items that are not worth getting.

...................suggestions on good carseats, strollers, cribs etc. (or if you got one you didn't like, tell me what it was and why you didn't like it)

...................anything else you want to share!

Update

(25 weeks pregnant)

Baby continues to grow, and of course as a result, so do I (don't be deceived... that outfit hides it pretty well.... I will take better pictures next week)!

I am currently TWENTY SIX WEEKS along! Just so you know, that is coming up on 6 months!!! I can't believe it!

I have my next appointment on Tuesday and will be getting another ultrasound. I will definitely share any new pictures I get at that time. I am excited to see little Robby again and wonder what he will look like this time....

Karate Baby

Sometimes I wonder if Steve (a black belt and former karate teacher) has already somehow started teaching our little guy Karate.... perhaps at night, while I am asleep and unaware..... yeah... I am pretty sure he has.... Little Robby practices all day :)

That's right-- Robby. This little boy will most likely be named Robert. And for now, we call him Robby.

Why Robert, you ask?

Well, lets see.....:

Grandpa Robert Toller (Steve's Dad's Dad)

Robert Toller (Steve's Dad)

Grandpa Harvey Robert Schwitzer (Steve's Mom's Dad)

Grandpa Robert Burtenshaw (Jenni's Mom's Dad)

Grandpa D. Robinson Kirkham, known as Bob Kirkham (Jenni's Dad's Dad)

Need I say more?

HALF WAY THERE!!!!

Okay, okay..... that's not real..... I enhanced my belly with photoshop..... I just wanted the difference to be a little more drastic from my 14 week picture to my 20 week one....

Here's the real one:

I can't believe we are already 20 weeks along!


We get more and more excited as things progress.



This little guy is a little acrobat. He does flips in my belly and moves all over the place-- especially the other night after I ate a homemade cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting...mmm..... Perhaps too much sugar for that little dude.... he was literally "bouncing off the walls" that night! It is so fun to be able to feel him moving around in there. Sometimes it kind of weirds me out... in a freaky Alien sort of way.... Okay, so it doesn't really freak me out, it is just so crazy/amazing! There is a little person inside me! And sometimes it catches me off guard when I feel something bash against my belly from the inside!


It is neat that Steve can feel him moving already. I am always making Steve put his hand on my belly in attempts to feel the movements. I want Steve to be as much a part of the experience as possible. Of course, Steve claims to have a calming effect on the baby. Most of the time all the flipping stops as soon as Steve's hand touches my belly. But, he actually felt him for the first time at about 17 or 18 weeks. I first started feeling movements against my hand at about 16 weeks. At the time I wasn't sure if that was really it, but now I'm pretty sure that's what it was. Because, over the weeks it has just gradually increased and become stronger and more noticeable. And now there is no mistaking it! I've even SEEN my belly move once when he did some crazy acrobatic move!


Of course the excitment is increasing..... unfortunately the worrying hasn't DECREASED as much as I'd hoped :)


Over the past week, I've noticed my belly becoming hard sometimes. I freaked out at first, afraid of what it could mean. Isn't it too early for Braxton Hicks? Sometimes it seems to stay hard most of the day, then another day it will hardly do it at all. I finally called my doctor and she said it could be contractions and I could just be starting to feel Braxton Hicks. She told me to try to time them and see if there is any regularity to them. I am having a hard time trying to time them.... Sometimes I don't even notice it start. I just put my hand on my belly and realize it's hard and I think, "How long has it been like that??" It doesn't hurt. Sometimes it gets a little uncomfortable just because it stays tight for so long. Anyway, any input from any of you experiences mothers out there would be greatly appreciated!

What will he look like???

Dad

Mom

It's a.....

BOY!!!

So, I am not really suprised. As much as I wanted a girl, I had a feeling it was going to be a boy. And I am so happy to know! And it DEFINITELY is a boy!!!! It was so fun to see him in there moving around and everything. They said he looked great. Everything seems to be going well. What a blessing!!! We are so grateful for our cute little boy and I feel like I know him better now :)

Thumbs up!

Is that you....???

So, for the past few days I have felt flutters and "bubblings" and whatnot. I wonder every time... "Is that you, Lil' Tot?" Not sure if it is, but I sure can't wait until I can feel the babe moving and know for sure that is what it is!

15 weeks

"Your baby now measures nearly 4 inches from crown to rump, about the length of a Kit Kat "finger" (regular-size, not the Big one you get at the movies), and weighs almost 2 ounces.
Although many women don't start feeling the baby move until the 17th week (or later), your baby has been having his own party in the amniotic sac he calls home. If you feel a little flutter in your belly this week, don't discount it as gas or hunger. It could be your babe banging around.

Here's more to look forward to:

Baby's head is now resting on his well-formed neck instead of directly on his shoulders like Igor.

He's beginning to grow eyebrows and eyelashes this week.

The hair on the head also begins to grow.

Although baby's eyes are sealed shut, he's now able to sense light. His eyes and ears finally look like real baby features now. "

Spoke too soon...

So, I threw up yesterday......... and today..... guess I might not be COMPLETELY past that stage.... but, that's alright. I can deal with it :) As long as that little Tot keeps growing! Oh, and I also had to change the date of my ultrasound to March 5th. Darn. I know it is only a week later, but still..... Guess I should have made sure Steve didn't have class when I scheduled it originally. I guess he wants to be at the appointment for some reason..... strange... hehe.

14 weeks... and the Heart is still BeAtiNg!

Well, I'm through the first trimester....

......not throwing up anymore....
....and the doctor says all is looking good!

I think I can start to actually enjoy the experience now without worrying as much!

I don't think I'll ever stop worrying completely, but at least I can feel a bit more at ease knowing I've made it this far!

I scheduled my ultrasound for February 26th and we'll be able to hopefully find out if it is a boy or a girl at that appointment! How exciting! It is all starting to feel so real now!

12 weeks down.....

Well, I've passed the twelve week mark. I have been taking Prometrium (a progesterone supplement) through the entire pregnancy so far. My last doctor decided he thought my body didn't produce enough progesterone on its own and that is why I kept miscarrying. But, yesterday I stopped taking the Prometrium. I guess once you hit twelve weeks, the baby and placenta should be producing enough progesterone on their own, and your body doesn't need to anymore. It was kind of scary to just STOP taking it.... but, that's what they said to do! And that's what my new doctor said as well... so..... no more Prometrium for me!

For now, I think things are still progressing. I have started to feel less sick, but that is supposed to be normal when you hit the end of your first trimester. I hit a peak of sickness when I was 10 weeks along, where I was throwing up 2 to 3 times a day! But, then it slowly subsided. I still am sensitive to smells, but not as bad. And I still throw up maybe once on most days. Some days I make it through without! And this week I actually cooked dinner a couple of times!

Evidence....

11 weeks, 4 days

Meet the Doc

Had my first appointment with the Doctor today. She is SOOO awesome. I really like her. She ended up using a little doppler thing to check for a heartbeat. She said you can't always hear it this early on.... but she said "you're so thin, we just might." Sure enough, that little heart was still beating! What a relief! She said "And that's not just a whimpy heart beat either... that is a strong little heart beat."

Hooray! 10 weeks and 2 days down! This is the farthest I've ever gotten before. And I'm still sick! Things are looking hopeful :)