23 weeks

Elliot: He has a little while to go before his lungs will be ready for air but has been practicing his "breathing" on the amniotic fluid—sucking it in and out of his lungs. Fat production is in overdrive at this point (for the Elliot, not me! Well, I hope at least). Elliot will basically double in weight over the next four weeks! He is starting to look more like a newborn as his skin becomes less see-through. His body is looking more proportional now, although his head is still kinda big compared to his body. Last check at the 20 week scan both his head and femur were measuring in the 60-80th percentile and his abdomen was in the 45th percentile. Looks like he's gonna be a big, strong boy!!

Mommy: Great news this week!! During a follow up appointment with my PCP about my lump on my neck, she thinks it is slightly enlarged but "not badly" and likely a response to my somewhat swollen tonsils and nasal area. The swollen areas could be due to allergies or maybe even Pregnancy. She thought it might be enough to enlarge my lymph node a tiny bit as my body is trying to fight it off but it may not be enough to make me feel "sick". PRAISE GOD! Chris and I had been feeling my neck all weekend and both felt that it had gone down but I kept my appointment since I was due to see her in March anyway. We are SO thankful for all of your prayers and that it doesn't seem to be an issue anymore. THANK YOU GOD!!

Exciting news: Chris painted the nursery which looks beautiful and my mom ordered the favors for my shower!!! I really feel like the nursery is coming together nicely!

I know we have a few more months until Elliot comes but I think it's funny that Chris and I both go in his room every night before bed and go in every morning when we wake up too ... I can't wait until our little boy is sleeping soundly in his crib.

Daddy: I think he might be in the beginning stages of "nesting". He says it's because he was off this week for Spring Break but he got a lot done! Without even sitting down after work, he would start painting Elliot's room and making sure it looked perfect! He painted the entire nursery (2 coats) and even re-painted the baseboards, closet door, and room door. It looks SOOOO great!! He's going to be such a great Daddy!!

Here are a few pictures of his hard work:

As you can see from the pictures below, the color of the room looks different depending on the light of the room, either way it is a beautiful color. Crown molding is being installed this weekend and new blinds in the near future ... can't wait to see the finished room with everything in its place and put together!

** BABYMOON **

We're both very excited for our Babymoon this weekend ... we leave for Savannah on Thursday and will be back home on Sunday night. Check back for a Babymoon post and pictures! :)

Doctor's appointment

Hello all,

Just a quick update from my Doctor's appointment today. I love going to the Doctor because that means that I get to hear the most beautiful sound ever, my baby's heart beating via the doppler!!! Baby Elliot's heart beat was measuring in the 160's which Dr. Langley said, "it sounds nice, strong, and healthy - it's perfect!" So happy to hear those words!! My next appointment is in 3 weeks on March 25th which will get me on right schedule because after the 25th, I will go every 2 weeks until I'm 35 weeks and then I will go weekly. Can you believe how fast it's going by?!?

In other news, on the scarier side, I noticed a lump on my neck on Wednesday. I mentioned it to the Dr and he said it is an enlarged Lymph Node. Since I'm not sick nor do I feel sick, it means my body is in the process of fighting something off. Dr. Langley said it is something that we need to keep an eye on it and he'd like it gone by my next appointment on the 25th. Please pray it goes away and is nothing to worry about! Thank you all for your prayers!!

Week 21 and 22

~~ Week 21 ~~

Elliot: He is growing like a weed and approximately the size of a carrot. Elliot is busy moving in my uterus, surrounded by amniotic fluid, learning how his arms and legs move, and using his hands to feel its facial features, which we might be able to see on our next ultrasound. During this week Elliot's digestive system is also maturing and growing. His intestines for example are slowly contracting and relaxing this week. He is continuing to practice swallowing small amounts of amniotic fluid to help further mature the digestive system. We were able to see evidence of this at last weeks scan. While viewing on the screen, it showed blackness in his stomach which was the fluid and little amount in his bladder which means that is working perfectly as well. The eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed and the fingernails cover the fingertips.

Mommy & Daddy: A HUGE thanks to my parents who came up this weekend to help us get ready for Elliot! We got so much accomplished!! My mom cleaned our house (yay THANK YOU), she showed me the mock-ups for my baby shower centerpieces and favors, and we went scrapbook shopping where we got loads of cute things!! Chris and my Dad were [VERY] busy with my "honey-do" / "daddy-do" list!! The previous guest bedroom furniture was moved to Sarasota and they picked up Chris' mom's futon that she is giving us for our new office/guest room. Both the nursery and guest room/office are a work in progress but we have definitely made progress!! I've been feeling great and Chris continues to be a great hubby. The Daddy to be continues to make sure I'm eating what I'm supposed to and avoiding things I shouldn't.

Room pictures:

Office: before

Soon-to-be Nursery

~~ Week 22 ~~

Elliot: Elliot is getting bigger and continues to practice for life outside the uterus. The hair on his head is continuing to grow as his brain begins a rapid growth process. Elliot now has fully formed fingerprints and loud noises can wake his up. He may begin kicking and turning around, too. I've felt this a lot this week - still some flutters and tapping and sometimes a weird sensation like when you're on a roller-coaster. For my Sarasota people, it feels like going over that tiny bridge on the way to Siesta Key where you just want to say "weee" every time you go over it! lol

His heartbeat can be heard with a stethoscope (might have to try this out??). His nose is taking on a more defined shape as cartilage (the soft bone) appears. Elliot is approximately 12.2 inches and has broken one pound in weight. His pancreas, a key player in hormone production, is developing steadily. His skin is wrinkled at this point, but in the coming weeks, he will be gaining enough weight to fill it out. His eyes have developed, but his irises still lack color. Even though his irises will have color by the time he is born (usually blue), we won't know his permanent eye color until he is at least 9 months old.

Mommy & Daddy: Elliot's nursery furniture is here! They delivered and assembled today - it looks great and we can't wait to paint and decorate!!! Pictures coming soon!!

It's finally setting in that this is real, we're having a baby!! Of course seeing him during ultrasounds, looking at the ultrasound pictures, and feeling his little movements make it feel real but after going in the nursery tonight, I realized that this is Elliot's room and his stuff ... our little boy will be here in 18 weeks or so!!!

Also here is a picture of his nursery decor:

20 weeks ... 5 months ... 1/2 way done!!

** more pictures coming soon **

Elliot: This week we had his "anatomy scan" where they took lots of measurements. We are SOOO happy that all is well and he is growing and developing just as he should! In fact our little boy is measuring right on track with his *new* due date of July 5, 2009 at 20 weeks, 1 day! Our original due date based on "the wheel" and my cycle was July 9th but he has consistently measured July 5th since the very beginning. The "due date" doesn't really matter as he will come when he wants to come but it is nice to have a countdown! He is weighing in at 12 ounces, an ounce heavier than expected since the average weight for a 20 week baby is 11 ounces. This is probably explained because he is measuring in the 60-80th percentile in both his head size and femur length and 45th in his abdominal size. Chris sure is getting his wish of "Boy boy boy, big tall boy" - haha.

Mommy: WOW, I can't believe that this week marks the half way point of my pregnancy!! What an amazing journey this has been and I can't wait to see and experience all of the exciting changes that the next few months will bring for me and our new little family!! This was a BIG week full of exciting things. First and foremost, this week we had "the big anatomy scan" where they checked Elliot's full growth and development thus far. I couldn't be happier to report that our little boy is developing and growing PERFECTLY! Thank you God! Chris and I had the day off together so we could go to both the ultrasound but also the Doctor's appointment. The scan was awesome as we were able to see the development of Elliot's brain, heart, kidneys, bladder, stomach, and spine. I also attended the first of several classes that I need to complete by July ... this week was the Epidural class. Talk about scary, but I'm sure I will think of it differently once I'm experiencing those labor contractions, lol.

Other exciting news this week: we ordered Elliot's nursery furniture!!!!!! We're very excited as it will match very nicely with the Carter's Tree Top bedding and nursery collection that my parents bought for us. We also cleared the nursery this weekend so it is ready to be painted in the near future. We plan to paint the room a light blue or green with white chair rail and crown molding.

Links to see furniture:

Crib: The Kathryn in Cinnamon

The changer/dresser/hutch combo and toybox: Generation Next also in Cinnamon. The dresser/hutch is in the background of a few of the pictures.

Daddy: Chris is continuing to do a great job of taking care of me!! Tending to my every need and I've even gotten a few back rubs this week! He has been in contact with his HR department to figure out what needs to be done come Elliot's birth and everything is in order for our addition to the policy! We spent an hour or so on Friday night at Lowes looking at paint colors, crown molding, and chair rail ... oh boy will Lowe's be making money off of us in the near future!! Special thanks to Chris' friend, Ryan, for coming over to help Chris clear out both the nursery and guest room!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!

We had a great weekend celebrating at Disney's Magic Kingdom on Saturday and a friend of ours daughter's (Arabella) Baptism on Sunday morning followed by shopping for Elliot's nursery furniture. When we returned home from Disney on Saturday night, Chris had a surprise waiting for me ... the most beautiful arrangement of 2 dozen mixed roses and the sweetest card ever!! I have the best husband in the world!

Baby Pool and Week 18 & 19 week update

Even though baby Rohde isn't due until this Summer, we thought it would be fun to set-up a baby pool to record your guesses! Thank you for being a part of welcoming our son, Elliot Kurt, into the world!

Here's the cite:

http://bebepool.com/BabyRohde

Elliot:

18 weeks: After some name research and even an online poll of name spelling we have decided that Elliot's name will be spelled with 1 t and not 2. Now for the baby stats: He should weigh approx. 6.5 ounces and is 13.97 centimeters long from crown to rump, or about the size of a large pickle. His digestive system is starting to produce meconium, its first fecal matter. Elliot's brain is growing rapidly. By this stage, all of the major areas have been differentiated. The cortical layers, which govern specific brain functions, are beginning to form. He may exhibit signs of a primitive body language in utero, such as recoiling when the needle for the amniocentesis comes too close for comfort. Within the next few weeks, he'll be able to hear voices outside the womb and respond positively to music or loving words. Since week 14, I have been playing Classical music for both him and I using my iPod. While I know there is no evidence that it "makes a smart baby" I think of it more of a special time for me to feel him move around and a nice, relaxing hour with my feet up.

19 weeks: He weighs approximately 8 ounces and is about 6 inches from crown to rump. The exterior layers of skin tissue are developing to form her one-of-a-kind fingerprints. The amniotic fluid that surrounds Elliot allows for him to freely move his arms and legs and is also sometimes swallowed to practice digestion. Elliot's sensory development is exploding! His brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his scalp is sprouting.

My baby bump at 18 weeks:

My baby bump at 19 weeks:

Mommy: I've been feeling pretty good minus backaches and the lingering nausea. I picked up a few ADORABLE outfits for Elliot and I can't wait to see him wear them! Chris and I also made our first official baby purchase, the stroller! It was too good of a deal to pass up between the stroller sale and a 20% off coupon on top. We got the Bertini B5 travel system in the Valencia pattern and we both LOVE IT! The travel system means it is not only the stroller but the car seat that Elliot will use until he is 35 lbs. Overall, I've had a great week and I finally have cravings: Marinara sauce (which I normally hate) and Ben & Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie ice cream (yummmy!). Check back often for baby updates and bump pictures.

Daddy: Chris has continued to be such great support during the pregnancy, calming me when I'm nervous about a weird twinge and taking charge over most of the house chores!! He was super excited for the stroller and decided to put it together after returning home from a Superbowl party at 11:30 at night. 30 minutes later and it was fully assembled and looks great. We even did an "infomercial" style preview for the parents (somehow he talked me into 'starring' in it). I love how excited he is ... I've even seen him going into the guest room to play with / test the stroller almost every night.

Here is a picture of the stroller:

Oops!! Baby Rohde is a ...

BOY!!!!!

2 thighs and his BOY parts (left side of picture)

Another great picture proving he is in fact a BOY, his other leg is hiding behind the placenta.

Yes, you read this correctly! Baby Rohde is actually a BOY and not a girl. Official name: Elliot Kurt Rohde. This name is especially important as Chris' dad's name was Kurt and it means so much for us to use his name for our son.

As you know (or previously read) "Bellyot" was not very cooperative during last week's ultrasound and thus I was a little apprehensive about the girl announcement. Although I DID have an ultrasound which, while difficult to capture, appeared to look like that of a girl including lots of great back shots as the baby evidently likes to curl up in a ball and face away from the camera, lol.

You may ask: "What made you second guess it?" Well many things actually ... the picture didn't have the classic "3 lines" that a girl sonogram would have, some people we showed didn't see the girl parts either, and really I just didn't feel like it was really a girl - I guess my Mommy's intuition has kicked in?

I went for a 2nd ultrasound this afternoon at a different location. Elliot instantly cooperated and was spread eagle for the camera. The first thing the tech said was "Oh my, Proud Boy!" ... LOL. There is no mistaking that this is a boy! We got some great shots, too! I emailed the original person we had Friday's session with and she was so upset as this was the 1st error in over 9 years of her practice! She invited us back to get a full session again, including CD of pictures and a DVD free of charge. Of course we took her up on it and got a bunch of great pictures of Mr. Elliot! She felt so bad that we were unsure and ultimately surprised by new results, she insisted that she give us cash for the sonogram we paid for today. She also upgraded our original package to the "Watch me grow" where I will go back free of charge for an ultrasound, picture CD, pictures, and DVD at 24 weeks and 30 weeks. She also gave us an adorable frame to put a few of ultrasound pictures in... minus the error (which was NO fault of hers - it was because our stubborn son) I am so pleased with our experiences there.

Sooooo bring on the BLUE!! Even though we were beyond excited for a girl, we're very very excited for a boy! I always wanted a big brother when growing up so maybe #2 will be a girl and have a big brother to be her body guard! lol