Baby Room Updated

Finally got the baby room set up with all the stuff we have to this point.
We're planning on hanging the blanket thats hanging on the crib on the wall once mark gets home. Also the pic hanging in the window (from Paiges mom Susan) will also get hung up. I'm not allowed to do that, need to wait for Mark Jan. He is very precise. hehe



Here is the place we'll spend plenty of time on diaper duty! We just got a changing organizer from Walter and Tessica that will get hung up tonight most likely. And also, this pic was taken before the comfy chair was brought in. That little rocking chair was used to rock my mom to sleep at night by my grandma. It has moved to the other corner since this pic was taken.


And here is a display of all the stuff that our little girl has been given so far. On the top left is one of my favs...puss and boots from Shrek 2&3 from my mom and dad. So cute. Next to him is a teddy bear with some socks that Mark's family got her. The socks are for her, the teddy is just hanging onto them till she gets here. These are officially her first presents ever at like 3 months! Then another dutchie present, the giraffe from Shane and Leighia , and the lamb from Brandi and Anthony. Seems she already has lots of people that care about her!

Baby Shower #1 - July 1, 2007

Baby Shower #1 was given by my cousin Paige and my friend Branid with some help from my Aunt Darlene and my mom. The shower was perfect of course. Great food, great fun, and great friends.

Here is me with some of the balloons:

Here is the way cool "diaper cake" that Brandi made me with all sorts of baby goodies (and a glance at the fantastic food Paige made!

And here is me and Brandi, belly to belly. She had Cameron on July 22nd!

Our baby girl this week - 32 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"By now, your baby is just shy of 4 pounds and is nearly 17 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb."

We went to the doctor yesterday and they said she is doing perfectly. All is well and normal and things are all set for a regular delivery. path is clear, her head is down, all her anatomy is in place, good to go. they also said she currently weighs 4 pounds 13 ounces. Which on a spectrum of the smallest baby at this point in a pregnancy to the largest baby, 50% (half way) being average, our girl is at 68%. A "Large" baby, which they would need to keep an eye on and possibly deliver early is in the 75% to 90% range. So she is in between average and large according to them and doesn't need to be watched. So all in all it looks like she is basically just NORMAL! yippy!! oh. also from the ultrasound (pics to come soon) her head is at the very bottom of my tummy, her hiney is kind of over by my right rib cage and her feet are right in front of her face with her legs going down the left side of my tummy. so basically she is just bent in half and staring at her feet all day. she's so cramped in there! no wonder they wanna be all bundled up after they come out! and man was I ever THAT flexible! haha

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Come and rub the Budda Belly!

Jul 29, 2007 (32 weeks)



June 20, 2007 (24 weeks)



May 16, 2007 (20 weeks...half way!!)


April 15, 2007 (16 weeks)



March 17, 2007 (12 weeks)

Our baby girl this week - 31 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"This week, your baby measures about 16 inches long. He weighs a little over 3 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy."

And believe me the baby is moving more than ever. not just kicking or punching, but rolling around and poking big parts out so that my tummy isn't round anymore, its all wonky from her sticking out one side or the other. It's so cool!!! We've been taking baby classes at the hostpital to prepare for little ________ (dutch folks don't know her name yet by choice so we're keeping it secret from them). So far we've taken: Infant CPR which i feel good about taking and need to show anyone who'll be watching her how to do it. Breastfeeding, which i take the second half tonight. Prepared Childbirth which tells you what to expect during labor and how to tell when your in labor, things like that. second half of that is this sunday. mark is gone so my mom will go with me to this class. then when mark gets back we'll have one more class called Life With Baby, that should prep us for seemingly simple things but you can't be overprepared right? bathing, changing diaper, cleaning the umbilical cord, etc. We're really excited and ready for her to be here. This weekend I'll get the nursury all ready to go. and start on her play room, which she might not use right away but it's also my scrapbooking room so I wanted to get a head start on it. Oh. I get my 32 week ultrasound next week so we'll get to see how the baby is growing. maybe find out how long she actually is compared to the guideline of 16 inches above. Well i guess that's all the updates for now. Till next week

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Our baby girl this week - 30 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)"

I'm so excited!! Isn't it time for her to get here yet!!!

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Latest and greatest

All, just an update on what's been going on the last few weeks. We had the baby shower on July 1st (pics to be posted soon). Then on July 4th Mark Jan and I met up in Holland for a visit with family and friends and for a wedding (Bas and Nathalie, Bas was the blonde groomsman in our wedding). The wedding was beautiful and also my first Dutch wedding! boy are they long! haha. We had a blast though at the wedding, and also hanging with family, and visiting friends like Gjalt, Gerreke, and Martijn (Gerreke and Martijn got hitched not too long ago!!). Once back in the states I got sick. Doc said it was a respiratory infection (did i spell that right?) and today is the first day I've felt normal all week. I didn't go to work all week either. It was that bad. So bad actually that Mark Jan and I realized it's the sickest I've been since we've been together. But don't fret, the baby is just fine. No harm done. We saw the doc on Monday and all is well. We will see her again in about a week and a half. We are at the point now that we have to see her every 2 weeks instead of once a month. And at 32 weeks I get another ultra sound so I get to take a peek at the little girl one more time before she heads our way. Well that's about it. check back soon for shower pics and an update of tummy pics (little late with this one but i think we can let me slide right? hehe)

Our baby girl this week - 29 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby is growing rapidly now. This week he weighs about half a pound more than he did last week (about 2 1/2 pounds total) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is getting bigger to accommodate his growing brain — which is busy developing billions of neurons. Every day, about 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in your baby's skeleton, which is now hardening. With this rapid growth, it's no surprise that your baby's nutritional needs reach their peak during this trimester."

Looks like the baby will be sucking nutrients from me big time from now on. So if i'm super tired and eating like a cow, blame it on her!! haha

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Our baby girl this week - 28 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"By this week, your baby weighs a little over 2 pounds and measures almost 15 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can open and close her eyes, which now sport lashes. This movement is more of a reflexive blink than a deliberate opening and closing, but it won't be long before she's batting those beauties at you."

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Our baby girl this week - 27 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby is really starting to get big. This week he weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14.4 inches long with his legs extended. He now sleeps and wakes at regular intervals. He may suck his fingers, and although his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with assistance — if he were born prematurely. Chalk up any rhythmic movement you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on."

We are off to Holland this weekend for Bas and Nathalie's wedding. We will see family and friends. I'm excited we'll be able to share a small bit of the pregnancy with them!!

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Our baby girl this week - 26 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby now weighs a little less than 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches. Her weight will more than triple between now and birth as she rapidly puts on baby fat. She'll need that fat to help adjust to colder temperatures outside the womb and as a source of energy and calories in the first days of life. It's not uncommon for newborns, especially those who are breastfed, to lose weight (sometimes as much as 10 percent of their birth weight) in the first week after birth."

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

The Ever Growing Belly

June 20, 2007 (24 weeks)



May 16, 2007 (20 weeks...half way!!)


April 15, 2007 (16 weeks)



March 17, 2007 (12 weeks)

Our baby girl this week - 25 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — doesn't sound like much, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for a more rounded one. As your baby gains weight, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more like a mini newborn. His hair is probably recognizable now in color and texture, although both may change after he's born."

I can feel the baby move all the time now. Especially when I'm laying down. The dr was right on the money. 3 to 4 weeks and there she was kicking and punching! It feels pretty cool actually!

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Photos of mommy and baby room from 6-11-07

Brandi and i decided to take some pictures this weekend. The first one you can see how Mark Jan's painting job came out. We LOVE it! So now we just need all the rest of the stuff to go in there! hehe
Here are the pics...

Our baby girl this week - 24 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby's growing steadily, gaining about a quarter of a pound since last week. Since she's almost a foot long, that makes for a pretty lean figure, but her body's filling out proportionally. Your baby's brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds may be working now. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily. Your baby can hear more now, and you may even notice her startle at loud, sudden noises. But she's probably getting used to the regular noises she hears around the house, such as your dog barking or the roar of a vacuum cleaner."

So the doctors and all the baby sites count in weeks. but most normal people count in months. this becomes tricky because when you count in weeks there are 40 of them which equals 10 months. but we all know its supposed to take 9 months not 10! So I'm 24 weeks this week which I guess translates into 5 & 1/2 months. thats pretty far! at least it seems futher when you count in months rather than the weeks. hehe

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Our baby girl this week - 23 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby is more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound. He may be able to feel your movements now, so put on some tunes and dance around the house. No matter what race your baby is, he looks red now due to blood vessels showing through his transparent skin. His true skin tone will develop over the course of his first year. Blood vessels in your baby's lungs are developing to prepare him for breathing, but complete lung development will take many more months. The lungs are the last organ to fully develop."

I finally felt our little girl move on Saturday at my nieces' dance recital. she started kicking for a good 30 seconds. Mark Jan and my brother both got to feel it with their hand on the top of my tummy. Then on Tuesday night, I didn't feel anything, but happened to be looking down at my tummy and you could see her wiggling around in there. she would poke the tummy out in different places and if you pressed down on my tummy it was really hard where she was. i hope she does that again soon..that was the coolest thing EVER!!!!

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy.

Bumble Bee Baby Bedding (say that fast 3 times)

Yesterday Mark Jan started and finished painting the baby room. It's looking awesome so far. It's two different colors, yellow and green (matching the baby bedding we've picked out). There is a chair rail being put up today, again by the handy dandy Mark Jan, and the yellow will be above the chair rail and the green below. The furniture will get there today!!! James and Michelle (michelle is my new friend and faithful carpool buddy - james her hubby) have very generously offered to help us put the furniture together tomorrow afternoon. In return they will get to eat my fabulous hamburgers. haha. I'm thinking the boys will do most of the work while us girls "supervise". Afterall we have experience (both supervisors at work!!). Then all that will be left is the bedding which we've picked out and registered for and are just waiting to see if it shows up as a shower gift. If not, then we'll buy it and set it all up probably in July or August sometime. I can't wait!! Here is a quick look at the bedding we picked out. It's so soft!! We also registered for most of the other things in the picture like the paintings, shelf, mobile, etc. Did I mention we're totally psyched!!

Our baby girl this week - 22 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches and almost 1 pound. Her skin will continue to appear wrinkled until she gains enough weight to fill it out. Your baby's eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks some pigment. Your baby's lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. You won't actually see her first tooth until she's around 4 to 7 months old, unless she's one of the rare babies who are born with teeth."

WEIRD....there are babies born WITH teeth already out!?!?! Did NOT know that!

Here is a pic of what our baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy. And I still can't feel the little girl moving around... Few more weeks.

Doctor Visit

Went to the doctor today to get the "results" of the ultrasound that I had last week. Other than telling us it's a girl, there was a purpose to the ultrasound. They wanted to make sure she had all the correct parts and that everything was working correctly and in the right place. Doctor said everything came back normal and that there was nothing to report basically. so thats a load off! also, she said that because of the placenta being right there in front, i probably won't feel the baby for another month. so i'm kick free for another 4 weeks it seems. from watching brandi squirm from her little boy's movements, something tells me that not feeling her isn't a bad thing. haha. summary...baby girl is healthy and active and growing and waiting to be born!

oh and i found out today, my doctor is pregnant as well! haha. this will be her second. as far as i can tell it should have no impact on delivering our baby, so i'm not worried right now.

love to all and till next time....

Our baby girl this week - 21 WEEKS

From Babycenter.com....

"Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. If you're having a girl, her vagina is formed now, though it will continue to develop until birth. Your baby is really on the move now. Fetal researchers say babies move about 50 times an hour even while sleeping. All that movement helps stimulate your baby's physical and mental development. You may not notice 50 kicks, punches, and twirls during the day, but as you're settling down at night, don't be surprised if your little guy seems ready to dance the night away. "

Last week when I went to the doctor, they said she weighed 12 ounces and was 10 inches long. So it seems she is on the same track with babycenter in terms of length and maybe just a tiny bit ahead on weight.

Here is a pic of what a baby might look like at this point in the pregnancy. Don't worry, she'll have a much bigger room when she comes out of there!

Also, you can see from the picture that the placenta is in between the baby and the tummy. The doctor said that positioning and that the placenta may be thicker right there is why I can't feel the baby yet. The placenta is acting as a cushion. So the baby kicks and punches it, yet I feel nothing! I'm sure that won't last much longer though.