Maternity Pictures

Over Memorial Day weekend we met with a photographer in Sarasota to take some maternity pictures. I debated getting the pictures done at first but then decided that these will be the last pictures of Chris and I as a couple. Another reason we decided to do it is because we haven't really had nice pictures taken of us since our wedding 5 years ago (June 25th). Speaking of wedding, we took some of the pictures at the Marina Jack where our reception was held and others at College Hall which is part of New College and actually the home of the Ringling children many years ago.

Here are a few of the proofs: (click pictures to make bigger)

Under Banyan Tree at College Hall

Another picture at College Hall

At Marina Jack

Another at Marina Jack overlooking Sarasota bayfront

35 weeks ... +/- 35 days to go

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Elliot: He weighs about 6 lbs and is likely measuring close to 20.7 inches in length. At this point in my pregnancy these measurements are guesstimates since babies can range from 19 to 21 inches long and 6-9 pounds at birth. However, the 6lb mark sounds about right since 3 weeks ago he weighed 4lb, 6oz and it is estimated that he will gain about 0.5 lb per week until he is born. I feel like Elliot has moved down some but continues kick and move around a lot. Elliot's sweet face is continuing to fill out and his cheeks are probably getting chubby. Fat baby cheeks are caused by fat deposits, but also by powerful sucking muscles which your baby has been practicing. Elliot's skull is firm, but it is not hard as it needs to give a little when it is passing through the birth canal.

Mommy: I'm feeling pretty good but starting to experience swollen ankles and feet. I also find it very difficult to get comfortable when sleeping and my hips are becoming more and more sore. We've been super busy this past week including our maternity photo shoot. I have a feeling the pictures are going to be awesome!! We took pictures at College Hall and Marina Jack in Sarasota. I'm really hoping they came out great - the weather was gorgeous (minus it being super hot). I'm getting really excited that I will be full term in just 2 weeks and that Elliot should be here in 5 weeks or so.

Daddy: He continues to get excited for Elliot's arrival. He is talking to him more regularly and feels his strong kicks occasionally (when Elliot plays along and actually kicks when we tell him to), lol.

Thanks for your continued prayers for a happy and healthy baby!!

34 weeks

Elliot: He measures about 20.25 inches in total length and weighs around 5.5 lbs. Elliot is continuing to grow and fatten up, especially in the shoulder area, and is kicks regularly. The fine lanugo hair that covers him is shedding, though some may still be present when he is born. Elliot's eyes will likely be blue at birth, though his "real" eye color will set in sometime after birth within a few weeks or months. His fingernails are growing and they already reach the tips of his fingers. They may even look quite long and pointy by the time he is born. Your baby may even have some scratch marks from scratching his face with his fingernails. Chris and I recently organized his grooming and first aid kit and came across the most adorable little emory boards which it appears we might need in the hospital. Maybe the nurses will trim them for us?? lol

Elliot is probably feeling quite cramped right now and his movements are restricted by his growing size. He will continue to gain about 1/2 pound a week until he is born. He is fully developed and working on the last bit of his lung development before his arrival. We can't believe that in 3 weeks he will be "full-term" and ready for the outside world!!!

Mommy: I've been feeling pretty good minus the stiff/achiness/soreness. I find that the instant I stand up, I have to pee - not sure if I actually have to or if when I stand up he presses on my bladder. My weekly NST went great!! According to my Dr he is "happy and healthy baby". His heartrate is in the 140s and looking/sounding very strong! He is highly reactive on the machine ... kicking up a storm and I even got to see that I was having a few contractions (which I couldn't even feel). I lost another 2 pounds. I continue to tell my Dr how much I am loving this "diet of having a baby" ... he said that I am one of few who actually lose weight through their entire pregnancy. I'll take it! I can't believe that Elliot is just 3 weeks shy of being able to come into the world!! While we hope he waits closer to his due date, he would be perfectly healthy if he came in 3, which is 37 weeks and considered "full term". WOW!

This week was full of excitement with my friend visiting from Phoenix, the beach, visiting friends/family for lunch, Mary Poppins on Friday, baseball game and concert on Saturday and Maternity pictures this coming Sunday. Chris surprised me with beautiful flowers and a couple of books before our Mother's Day date of Mary Poppins. Here's a picture:

I have a feeling that because of all of this excitement, I have swollen ankles and feet. NOT HAPPY. My once beautiful ankles are now soup can cankles. Next week my plan is to do NOTHING and keep my feet propped up all day. haha

Daddy: Chris finished re-painting and re-decorating our guest/Elliot's bathroom and it looks fantastic! We were able to find a shower curtain with trees, squirrels, and owls on it - of course we got that one! Here's a few pictures...

close-up of pattern:

He's getting excited for Elliot's arrival and keeps reminding me that he could be here in 3 weeks. He has done a wonderful job of catering to my every need when Im whiney (yes I am whiney at times), helping me finish up the last minute things in Elliot's nursery, and doing all of the things on my "Honey-do before baby" list. He just finished his 2nd week at his new job and loves it!

33 weeks ... 49 days to go!!!

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Elliot: Exciting news this week is lung development— Elliot's respiratory system is almost completely mature. IF he were born now, he would be considered "pre-term" rather than premature. This distinction is based on fetal maturity, particularly the maturity of the fetal lungs. A pre-term baby, unlike a premature baby, is likely to have well-developed lungs and is less likely to need intensive care. He is currently shedding his lanugo, the fine downy hair that previously covered his body. More vernix, the waxy coating that protects your baby's skin while submerged in amniotic fluid, is building up.

Elliot's adrenal glands are producing more steroid hormone, the androgen-like hormone that indirectly aids my milk production. He is currently producing ten times more of this hormone than a normal adult and the adrenal glands are currently the same size as those of an adolescent. They will shrink after birth.Antibodies are being passed from me to Elliot as he continues to develop his own fetal immune system, which will come in handy once he's outside the womb and fending off all sorts of germs. His pupils will constrict and dilate in response to light as he is able to detect light and tell the difference between night and day. The bones in his skull are soft but are not yet fused together. This pliability allows the bones to overlap while making that trip down the tight birth canal.

At the end of this week he will likely weigh close to 5lbs and is approximately is about 19.8 inches long. From what I've read is that he will likely gain about a 1/2 a pound a week. So based on his 32 almost 33 week stats at 4lb 6oz, I'm guessing that if he went to July 5th he would weigh in the ball park of 8-8.5 lbs. Just my guess.

Me at 33 weeks:

Mommy: Update from today's appointment:

I completed my first NST (non-stress test) this is where they check his heart rate, movement, and contraction (if any) patterns. Doctor's words exactly as he reviewed the graphs were "this is beautiful, just perfect! We normally look for 2 accelerations in 20 minutes and he did 2 in 5-7 minutes. This is a sign of fetal well-being and he is doing just great!" YAY! Best news I could have asked for! I will continue to have weekly NST's up until he is born due to meds. I will have a normally scheduled ultrasound again at 36 weeks to check size and position again which is for delivery purposes ... holy crap, labor is SOON. I realize it's not tomorrow or next week BUT it could be in just 3 weeks and 6-7 weeks at most - to me, that is really soon!! lol

I'm feeling pretty good minus being so tired. I really don't feel that huge although sleeping is getting to me somewhat uncomfortable at times. Another new FUN thing that I've noticed is that even when I don't have to pee and I stand up I INSTANTLY have to pee. I guess he's putting a lot of pressure on my bladder.

Chris and I went to the Tampa Bay Rays game on Sunday which was a lot of fun and the Rays won!! We got there early and walked around the stadium to see their shops, etc. Well we found their "wood shop" where they engrave bats. So, we decided to get a bat made for Elliot. Only fitting since 90-95% of his clothes are baseball related. I thought it would be outrageously priced but it was only $25 for an 18 inch mini bat engraved with one line. We had them engrave his full name, Elliot Kurt Rohde. It looks awesome!! Here are some pictures of the bat as well as Chris and I at the game: (click picture to make bigger)

Daddy: Big week for Chris as he started his new job today. He is working for a BCBS subsidiary in their auditing department which is perfect since he is 1/2 way finished with his Masters degree in Accounting. This is a great way for him to be "in the field" and learn hands on about auditing. In babyland, Chris is getting very excited for Elliot's arrival. We talk to him everyday and tell him just 4-7 more weeks until he can come out and play.

Thanks again for your continued prayers for Elliot and our family. Only 49 days until we can meet our little boy!!

Elliot's official stats

I had my 32 week ultrasound today and here's what we learned:

Elliot is 4lb, 6oz and in the head down position (yay!). He is measuring ahead at 33 weeks with an estimated due date of 7/2/10 based on the measurements of his abdomen & femur but 35 weeks, 6 days and an estimated due date of 6/12/10 for his head size (lol). I'm going to go ahead and blame Chris for that head measurement (love you honey!!). However we're still on track for a July 5th-ish due date. Based on his growth chart from our 20 week anatomy scan he has grown exactly as he should have over the past 12 weeks. His heart, bladder, kidneys, and stomach look perfect! The ultrasound tech pointed out, without any prompts from me, "ooh there is some hair". That is exciting since I wasn't sure if he would have considering the Old Wives tale of heartburn. I've only had it a handful of times throughout my pregnancy. Fluid level is great and his heart rate is 140. Technology is amazing - it's so awesome to see everything!

Praise God for a heathy baby!!

My stats: My blood pressure is great and I lost 4 more pounds this week!

He was so cute during the ultrasound - his face is just so precious. Since he was asleep most of the time we saw him snuggling against the placenta (Im guessing he uses it as a pillow?). Another awesome part of today's scan is that I learned where he was in my tummy (head, back, butt, feet) and also found out where my placenta is located. I've known that it is anterior (aka under my skin versus back of uterus) which is completely fine for vaginal delivery purposes. I always thought it went one way but today I learned that it actually goes vertically instead of horizontally like I thought. As I mentioned before, it doesn't matter but for some reason I always imagined it a different way, lol.

Other exciting news: According to my July 5th due date, I will be full-term June 14th which means ONE calendar month from today Elliot will be healthy enough to enter this world. I'm hoping he holds off a while longer but YAY the 37 week milestone is only a month away!!

Thank you for your continued prayers for our precious bundle of joy!!

Meaning of his name

Chris sent me a link to a site where you can click on various traits and it will pop up with names that "match" the traits or you can enter a name and see what traits are associated with a particular name. Where they get this information, I don't know, but I thought it was fun! Here is the link: http://www.whatalovelyname.com/

Here's what came up for Elliot's name: (click on picture to see bigger)

30 weeks ... 7-10 weeks to go!!

Wahoooooo!!! 30 weeks is here! This means that Elliot can safely make his arrival as early as 7 weeks and my due date 3 weeks later ... so, 7-10 weeks from today we'll have our baby boy in our arms. This is the plan, unless of course he decides to be late and make his Mommy and Daddy wait another week (which is the longest my Dr will let me go without being induced).

Elliot: By this week, Elliot's senses are developed to the point where he can taste, touch, see, and hear what's going on around him. He'll also react to stimuli--for instance, when I poke my belly, he may kick or hit back at the spot you've touched. His brain is starting to wrinkle and fold, due to the rapid growth of our future little genius's brain cells. (hehe) Fingernails and toenails are finally finished. Plus, the bone marrow is completely in charge of red-blood-cell production now. He is starting to shed his lanugo—the downy hair that was covering his skin. Now that he's chubbier and better able to regulate his body temp, he doesn't need to sport a fur coat 24/7. When Elliot is awake, his eyes are now wide open and he's looking around, checking out his environment.

Mommy: I'm getting very excited for my Baby Shower this coming Saturday! My best friend Briana and my mom are hosting me a shower at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor. I can't wait! I've been craving their food throughout my pregnancy and I'm so excited to everyone too!! We also have our final 3D ultrasound on Friday with Chris' mom, sister who is flying in from Cali (yay!!) and his aunt.

Elliot has been kicking up a storm lately, I LOVE IT! Sleeping is getting uncomfortable but not as bad as Im sure it will soon get.

Chris and I have decided to do cord blood banking through the Viacord company. This is something that we pray we'll never have to use but will be so thankful that medical technology has given us a great opportunity to save our little boy should we ever need it. There has been a lot of research done and it is proven to cure many diseases and illnesses. We've been researching this for a while, know a few people who have it, and made the decision to go ahead and do it. Needless to say, I've had a busy week already with verifying insurance information, completing hospital pre-registration, and signing up for Viacord. We have our final birthing class on Thursday where we get to tour Labor & Delivery. T-7 or 10 weeks ... 70 days!! Wooohoo!!

Daddy: Chris is getting ever more excited to be a Daddy! The room is complete and it is PERFECT! Of course I've given him a few more projects to complete for the baby comes which includes re-painting the bathroom and hanging pictures in the newly joined guest room/office. He is also in the process of working on his photography for when Elliot comes and familiarizing himself with our new video camera that we recently bought. It appears that me having a baby means Chris gets lots of fun new toys! lol

Thanks for reading! Please continue to send your prayers and well wishes for a safe and healthy pregnancy, delivery, and baby!