Tuesday, October 01, 2013
The daily Max
September 30, 2013
I woke up.
Then I did tummy time for the first time.
It was exhausting!
My tummy isn't healing quite right, so I went to see Dr. Ahamann.
He put silver nitrate on my belly button to cauterize it, so now it's kinda shiny.
I made some funny faces.
I snoozed in the sunshine.
And I rested long enough to let mama finish Harvest Heartbeat. I'm such a helpful baby!
Monday, September 30, 2013
The daily Max
While Max and I wait to join Eric and the big boys in Ukraine, I thought I'd post a few pictures of Max's day. Here's what he did on September 29, 2013.
Went to church. Looked confused. Met lots of new people.
Snoozed through a trip to Starbucks. Look at that tiny hand sneaking out! I love that tiny hand!
Helped mama sort Lego.
Fell asleep.
Snoozed through a trip to Starbucks. Look at that tiny hand sneaking out! I love that tiny hand!
Helped mama sort Lego.
Fell asleep.
Tuesday, September 03, 2013
38 weeks
Well, shoot. Labor Day is almost over, and I was really hoping that we'd be taking the day literally. But, it looks like he's staying put for today. When he wiggles, I remind him that it will be much more comfortable to stretch out once he's on the outside. I'm trying to walk, walk, walk (even though it's so uncomfortable). And then, we wait.
I'm scheduled for an induction on September 10. I really don't look forward to being induced, but I am looking forward to meeting our little guy. He's still passing his weekly checks, but they are taking a bit longer. Last week, we had to wait a while before he practiced breathing for 30 consecutive seconds. The doctor was unconcerned (the baby gets 30 minutes, I believe, to show all the signs of healthy development, and we waited maybe five minutes), but I'm ready to be done with the uncertainty and stress.
Trust me, we feel entirely thankful to have made it to September with baby still in belly. But feel free to join us in praying that labor will start naturally before 7:30 a.m. on September 10. That's only eight days away -- but eight days is PLENTY of time to have a baby!
I'm scheduled for an induction on September 10. I really don't look forward to being induced, but I am looking forward to meeting our little guy. He's still passing his weekly checks, but they are taking a bit longer. Last week, we had to wait a while before he practiced breathing for 30 consecutive seconds. The doctor was unconcerned (the baby gets 30 minutes, I believe, to show all the signs of healthy development, and we waited maybe five minutes), but I'm ready to be done with the uncertainty and stress.
Trust me, we feel entirely thankful to have made it to September with baby still in belly. But feel free to join us in praying that labor will start naturally before 7:30 a.m. on September 10. That's only eight days away -- but eight days is PLENTY of time to have a baby!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
36 weeks
Things I learned at my appointment this week:
The doctor said in the case of problem pregnancies, he sees no benefit to keeping the baby in past its due date. Better to get him out while he's still alive, basically. And, yes, that's certainly the goal. But I still need to wrap my mind around it.
OR (and this is the far better alternative), I need this baby to come early. Come on, baby. You can do it! (Just not before Tuesday, since Eric gets back Monday night.)
In other news, this is the best kind of laundry:
- Baby is about 5 pounds, 11 ounces.
- My doctor won't let me go past my due date.
The doctor said in the case of problem pregnancies, he sees no benefit to keeping the baby in past its due date. Better to get him out while he's still alive, basically. And, yes, that's certainly the goal. But I still need to wrap my mind around it.
OR (and this is the far better alternative), I need this baby to come early. Come on, baby. You can do it! (Just not before Tuesday, since Eric gets back Monday night.)
In other news, this is the best kind of laundry:
Friday, August 09, 2013
35 weeks
Holy smokes! Thirty-five weeks! The baby looked great at our weekly date, though he was a little slower to complete his eight-part test this time around. I think the doctor and I were talking too much. He doesn't move much when there are sounds around.
We are all starting to get really excited about meeting the baby. The boys talk about him all the time. I've switched into hunter/gatherer mode, trying to collect all the things (baby and otherwise) that we'll need once he arrives (including Ziplock bags and brown sugar and other send-to-Ukraine necessities). Since we live in a trailer, we can't stock up too terribly much, but I'm doing the best I can with the space we have.
Sometimes my excitement scares me. I catch myself longing to snuggle the baby, and then I remind myself that snuggling the baby is not a foregone conclusion. Ah, the burden of pregnancy loss. I'd love to shed it. But, it's a true part of our history, and it seems most honest to live with the reality of our experiences and the emotions they bring, even when they're difficult.
When we decided to try again to get pregnant, I had this grand idea that we'd have a smooth, joy-filled pregnancy, which would somehow redeem the hard experiences. Of course, I didn't think I'd forget those lost babies (nor do I want to), but I thought that I'd have the faith to have a fearless pregnancy. And while I am so, so thankful that I mostly don't live in fear, it's still there, creeping in around the edges, wanting to steal my joy. As Lucinda says, "You've got no right to take my joy, I want it back."
Even Dietrich carries the burden, frequently following his statements about when the baby's born with if he's born. Dietrich, in general, has a hard time handling disappointment. Today, Lev faced a disappointment, and Dietrich suggested that I change the situation so that his brother wouldn't have to feel sad. Which is sweet, but we want our kids to learn to handle disappointment, to ultimately trust God through pain. Thankfully, most childhood disappointments are (long-run) fairly insignificant. (Lev's issue today was not being able to watch the TV show of his choosing.) But we've faced some big disappointments as a family, some big pain, and Dietrich hasn't escaped untouched. Which is sad but, again, our reality.
Eric's about halfway through his visit to Ukraine. This week, he's out of contact other than 10 minutes online each day. He expected that we'd only call his cell in case of emergency, so we really freaked him out when we called to sing Happy Birthday yesterday. We have a lot of birthdays to celebrate once he gets back -- his 40th, plus my 37th and Dietrich's 7th. And another as-yet unknown August or September (probably September, but oh how I hope for August) birthday when the baby's born.
We are all starting to get really excited about meeting the baby. The boys talk about him all the time. I've switched into hunter/gatherer mode, trying to collect all the things (baby and otherwise) that we'll need once he arrives (including Ziplock bags and brown sugar and other send-to-Ukraine necessities). Since we live in a trailer, we can't stock up too terribly much, but I'm doing the best I can with the space we have.
Sometimes my excitement scares me. I catch myself longing to snuggle the baby, and then I remind myself that snuggling the baby is not a foregone conclusion. Ah, the burden of pregnancy loss. I'd love to shed it. But, it's a true part of our history, and it seems most honest to live with the reality of our experiences and the emotions they bring, even when they're difficult.
When we decided to try again to get pregnant, I had this grand idea that we'd have a smooth, joy-filled pregnancy, which would somehow redeem the hard experiences. Of course, I didn't think I'd forget those lost babies (nor do I want to), but I thought that I'd have the faith to have a fearless pregnancy. And while I am so, so thankful that I mostly don't live in fear, it's still there, creeping in around the edges, wanting to steal my joy. As Lucinda says, "You've got no right to take my joy, I want it back."
Even Dietrich carries the burden, frequently following his statements about when the baby's born with if he's born. Dietrich, in general, has a hard time handling disappointment. Today, Lev faced a disappointment, and Dietrich suggested that I change the situation so that his brother wouldn't have to feel sad. Which is sweet, but we want our kids to learn to handle disappointment, to ultimately trust God through pain. Thankfully, most childhood disappointments are (long-run) fairly insignificant. (Lev's issue today was not being able to watch the TV show of his choosing.) But we've faced some big disappointments as a family, some big pain, and Dietrich hasn't escaped untouched. Which is sad but, again, our reality.
Eric's about halfway through his visit to Ukraine. This week, he's out of contact other than 10 minutes online each day. He expected that we'd only call his cell in case of emergency, so we really freaked him out when we called to sing Happy Birthday yesterday. We have a lot of birthdays to celebrate once he gets back -- his 40th, plus my 37th and Dietrich's 7th. And another as-yet unknown August or September (probably September, but oh how I hope for August) birthday when the baby's born.
Saturday, August 03, 2013
34 weeks
I've had two "dates" with our little guy since I last wrote, and both have been totally smooth. He's earned a score of eight out of eight on his "are you healthy baby?" test within five minutes. (If I understand correctly, babies get up to 30 minutes to complete the test.) Clearly, he's a genius!
While Eric was in Michigan last week, I toured the hospital where we plan to deliver. It's a small hospital in the middle of vegetable fields. The drive is so pleasant and takes only 15 minutes. The labor and delivery rooms have recently been remodeled, and they are deceptively lovely, in a hotel room kind of way. (Of course, there's a lot of medical equipment hiding within those shiny dressers.)
The only potential drawback is that we might have to share a room post-delivery. Here's a word problem for you math fans: If a hospital has nine, two-bed rooms and averages 40 deliveries a month, with each delivery averaging a two-night stay, what are the chances I'll have to share a room?
Eric flew out Tuesday to Ukraine. Unless baby makes an early appearance, he will return Aug. 20. He's going to our team's annual conference next week and having meetings and such. He travels a lot, so I was surprised at how emotional I felt when we dropped him off at the airport. I guess I love him like crazy.
Dietrich did Vacation Bible School this week, next week we have a few dates with friends lined up, and the week after that, we're going to start getting our little trailer home ready for baby, so hopefully the days won't pass too slowly, even though my patience is at an all-time low (my poor kids).
While Eric was in Michigan last week, I toured the hospital where we plan to deliver. It's a small hospital in the middle of vegetable fields. The drive is so pleasant and takes only 15 minutes. The labor and delivery rooms have recently been remodeled, and they are deceptively lovely, in a hotel room kind of way. (Of course, there's a lot of medical equipment hiding within those shiny dressers.)
The only potential drawback is that we might have to share a room post-delivery. Here's a word problem for you math fans: If a hospital has nine, two-bed rooms and averages 40 deliveries a month, with each delivery averaging a two-night stay, what are the chances I'll have to share a room?
Eric flew out Tuesday to Ukraine. Unless baby makes an early appearance, he will return Aug. 20. He's going to our team's annual conference next week and having meetings and such. He travels a lot, so I was surprised at how emotional I felt when we dropped him off at the airport. I guess I love him like crazy.
Dietrich did Vacation Bible School this week, next week we have a few dates with friends lined up, and the week after that, we're going to start getting our little trailer home ready for baby, so hopefully the days won't pass too slowly, even though my patience is at an all-time low (my poor kids).
Friday, July 19, 2013
32 weeks
We went to the OB yesterday, and we will have dates with the little guy every week from here until his birth. My OB is a one-man practice, and we were on our way to his office Wednesday when he got summoned to the hospital (I assume for a birth). So we rescheduled for the next day.
Because we didn't have any childcare available for Thursday, we took the already-born boys with us.
Dietrich's reaction: "It was a little fun. It was cool. I liked the part where you could see almost all of his body."
Lev's reaction: "He had a mouth."
Baby's practicing his breathing (a good sign), has a heartbeat (quite necessary) and is measuring 31 weeks 2 days, which is a little bit behind, but just a little bit, plus it's consistent with how he's been growing for months now.
People are commenting all the time on my belly, which is funny because I don't feel THAT pregnant yet, especially from the front. There's a lot more growage to come in the next eight weeks.
Because we didn't have any childcare available for Thursday, we took the already-born boys with us.
Dietrich's reaction: "It was a little fun. It was cool. I liked the part where you could see almost all of his body."
Lev's reaction: "He had a mouth."
Baby's practicing his breathing (a good sign), has a heartbeat (quite necessary) and is measuring 31 weeks 2 days, which is a little bit behind, but just a little bit, plus it's consistent with how he's been growing for months now.
People are commenting all the time on my belly, which is funny because I don't feel THAT pregnant yet, especially from the front. There's a lot more growage to come in the next eight weeks.
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