moderncommunities bebe

noah is here!

2005-06-15T01:02:36Z

noah lee wheelock entered the world today!
go see papahood

peace and love.love.love.

hearts

2005-06-08T02:13:17Z

nothing but love.
thirty-eight weeks.

35 weeks

2005-05-16T17:52:54Z

little noah showed his face this morning during the ultrasound! it was so amazing to see, no matter how brief it was. he was very bouncy this morning, unlike the last one. he wriggled his toes and showed his hands and fingernails, his face, and then he covered his head back up. he is Way Down, so they say, and things are moving right along. my blood pressure was a little higher than it usually is (120/80), but still okay. my manager scheduled me for only opening shifts this week, which is nice. i took a two hour nap this morning, and now im murphy's oil soaping the wood floors and baking some pumpkin bread. i know its not a seasonal taste, but its really cool outside, like october.

34 weeks!

2005-05-10T22:45:40Z

+ no more bedrest for now
+ weekly doctor visits
+ weekly ultrasounds
+ the house is just about in order
+ joshua comes to visit soon
+ baby noah will be here before we know it!
+ love,love,love

birthing from within

2005-04-25T13:54:29Z

saturday was our childbirth class, and i think we were both apprehensive about it. i was certain that id be presented with a lot of information i didnt agree with, and that id regret having not had a midwife all this time, etc etc etc. But, it was actually quite wonderful! the labor nurse who was teaching the class referred a LOT to the book Birthing From Within, which i had picked up a few weeks ago because wyckhurst had recommended it. i read most of the book on vacation and felt very empowered -- there was a lot of information i already knew, but also a lot i hadnt thought about, either. anyway, i am quite happy that the MOM center we are having little noah at is very family centered and welcomes all choices of pain management. i am also very excited about the possibility of being able to reach down and pull him out and up to me, and that they wont take him away right after unless its medically necessary. even if they have to do that, hes two steps away, clearly within sight. i love the fact that visiting hours are 24/7, so that when matthews parents show up they can come right over if they want to. though it was an extremely long day, i feel like we both left feeling more knowledgable about several different scenarios that could take place. of course, who knows how im going to labor until im actually doing it! but im getting more excited each and every day, and am feeling much more prepared.

in other news, im getting bigger by the hour, it feels like! im also getting more tired again, which kind of stinks. its fun at work, though, because another girl just found out she is pregnant! our poor manager. i think he thought he'd be done with all the hormones in june... now its just starting over!

only 58 days til my due date. ee!

thirty one weeks

2005-04-19T15:08:53Z

i had the first appointment of the day this morning at the doctors office. i gained 2 pounds and my blood pressure was 102/70. im measuring big, she says... the doctor said the same thing around 20 weeks... totally within range but she said we should definitely be mentally prepared to be about a week early. i laugh because ive jokingly predicted that im going to have noah on or very near the 15th, which is exactly the day the doctor mentioned this morning. i laugh Also because its really up to noah & God! i just want a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. its fun to try and guess, though, when he's going to show his little face to the world.

i laugh Also because ive only gained 2 pounds this month, when it definitely looks and feels like ive gained about 10. my cheeks are a little chubbier and oh my belly! i wonder how much bigger i'll get!? its fun though, totally fun.

peace and love.

27 week appt.

2005-03-23T11:49:35Z

my doctor appointment this week went very well. i got to see the doctor that is secretly my favorite, and id love it if she were the one to actually deliver little noah. anyway, i gained 4 pounds! wee! and my blood pressure is still lowlow and the doctor laughed as she felt away on my belly, both of us watching it wave and move as noah did. his heartbeat was 150 again as usual. so! my next appointment is just about 3 weeks away and then after that its every two weeks til i deliver.

all of the sudden things seem so very near!

the double digit countdown~!

2005-03-17T19:20:28Z

so here we are at the double digit countdown already~!
it is amazing to me how Slow & Fast the time is going... i am learning so much about patience and trust and breathing... i am also growing more & more in love with matthew as the days go by... his love is amazing! there are funny things happening, like i really need to buy a new bra (i never imagined id get So Big! haha!)and sometimes noah moves around so much it makes me laugh in the middle of whatever im doing... even if im waiting on a customer or talking on the phone. every maternity shirt i bought Months ago, that were always too big and i felt ridiculous wearing, now fit perfectly and im sure i may even grow Out of some of them. im also very keen on getting organised here (i say this every time, dont i?), but it takes a while. small, sure steps! i am Extremely excited to be going on vacation in a few weeks. it will be so wonderful to have a rest and to see friends and family and the Ocean before noah comes. work is getting to be a little bit of a thorn in my side right now... mentally i am just completely elsewhere, though i am trying very hard to be At Work, at work. and also when i work late the last few weeks i end up having noticeable braxton-hicks contractions that are much more uncomfortable there than when im at home. perhaps its all psychological, but something ill definitely still bring up with the doctor on monday. i am very excited to see noahs room when we come home from vacation; my parents are very graciously going to finish up the ceiling and paint the walls and put together the furniture while we are gone! each day i feel a little more prepared to be a mother. i really cant wait to see his little eyelashes.

registry

2005-03-11T12:48:55Z

yesterday was my day off! i never thought it would come, but it did and i slept in as long as i could. (9 am). my sisterinlaw, julie, came over around 11 and we went to babies r us together. that store is sooooo gigantic! it was fun, though, to walk up and down the aisles and have her tell me what she thought was essential and what she thought was not. she also talked me into registering, which before now i was pretty sure we werent going to do. but she is right... its much easier for our family to have a registry list to go by, instead of just a list i write out by hand... and this way we lessen our chance of duplicates and random stuff we just dont need. we laughed at how expensive most of the furniture there is, and spent a little time looking for baby myah an easter outfit. then we went out to lunch! it was a very nice afternoon and i am so happy we got together. julie and i used to hang out a lot before her & my brother got married, and then they moved away and had kids and i went to school and moved,moved,moved, so we havent been as close in recent years. i forget just how alike we are.

i feel like my belly is expanding hourly, almost! and noahbean had the hiccups last night for a goood looonnnnng time. so long it started to tickle!

silly~!

2005-03-07T15:35:02Z

why is it so hard to find a plain white crib bumper?

oof!

noahs skinny room

2005-02-28T17:13:00Z

this weekend we acquired a lovely crib and armoire for noahs room. i still think im going to use a piece of furniture we already have as the changing table, i just need to find Just The Right Basket to then make the changing pads and such. we'll see! my mom and my aunt are going to come over when matthew & i go to new jersey in april and paint the bedroom. then my dad will put the furniture together! it is going to be so fascinating to come home from vacation and walk into a painted, furnished little noah-beans room!

time is going by so fast right now and i feel much more motivated than i have in the last few months to get the things done i want to. im also working on baby announcements, so that i can have them all made and pre-addressed & stamped so that all we have to do is fill them out and send away.

we have two full bins of little bebe clothes already and weve kept the moses basket in our bedroom so i can just see it always.

i could swear my laugh has changed. maybe its just me, though.

there is so much to learn, so much to love, about & during this whole process.

23 1/2 weeks

2005-02-26T18:41:32Z

my latest doctor appointment went well. my blood sugar is normal, as are all other counts! no protein in the pee, nice & low blood pressure, a couple pounds gained, wee!

noah is so active at night and its hilarious to watch my belly moving and poking, little waves going and little stabs from little limbs.

we received the most wonderful moses basket from matthews mom & dad, and tons & Tons of baby clothes, too! everything is wonderful and we are so, so blessed.

it is so exciting to love this little boy so much already. i cannot wait to hold him in my arms.

twenty two weeks!

2005-02-15T21:11:45Z

halfway there!

2005-02-01T00:05:06Z

today was the big ultrasound day! i cannot even begin to describe how amazing it was to see our baby in my belly... to see his heartbeat beat beat!... to see the cord pulsing, and to see organs and all four chambers of his heart and his feet and hands. apparently he was really into laying with his arms over his head! matthew sleeps like that sometimes and i immediately thought of that. when she first said it was a boy i didnt see it at all.... but then later on it was definitely obvious!! a BOY! we are both ecstatic. of course we would have been just as ecstatic if it were a girl; i mean from the moment i found out i was pregnant i thought it may be a girl... but really its just this amazing feeling to see the baby and see that it is healthy and growing so far and to see this human being being totally created and formed from dust and wow. im just really beside myself. matthew, farmerpoverty posted the pictures in his journal, so go see ! go see!

in other, more boring news, i gained 1 pound, no protein in the pee, and super good blood pressure. a little low, but im always a little low. next visit is the gestational diabetes screening.

all of the sudden this all seems to be going so fast!

my baby boy & his belly:

~19 weeks

2005-01-24T15:33:19Z

right now we have the kind of snow i like: it is covering all the grass, hanging in the trees, but the roads are pretty much completely clear. its been ridiculously cold, but it IS winter! im enjoying it.

the last few weeks ive been able to feel the junebug dance around in my belly, and of course each day it is getting stronger and much more active. im listening to explosions in the sky right now and the baby seems to be enjoying it.

the last few days i feel like i can practically Watch my stomach expand! especially at night when im lying in bed. this is such a growth spurt time and i find it rather interesting to watch! i had a piece of garlic bread at my parents house yesterday and am thanking that for the heartburn i still have.

my biggest, & seemingly ridiculous complaint i have is that it is impossible for me to find maternity pants that FIT. my inseam is just shy of 35 inches and so even most of the longer cut pants dont work. or, if they are long enough, for some reason they are cut in the butt as though ive somehow Grown to be extremely endowed in that area, so there is all this extra fabric at the hips and butt. its really so silly. i do not need my pants to be any larger than what they were before, really, i just need them cut differently. i think im going to just get a few more pairs of yoga pants and wear those until it is springy weather and i can wear skirts. ive got a ton of old pillowcases that will make the most wonderful skirts for spring. im just tired of wearing the same pair of jeans every day for the last month or so. blaH! haha. oh my.

love & life are everywhere.

seventeen weeks

2005-01-11T20:54:50Z

i have realised that ten o'clock is pretty much my new bedtime. im not necessarily asleep by then, but im definitely in bed! i also wake up between 4 or 5 am ravished, but usually i can control that by either eating a big meal before bedtime or by keeping a banana at my bedside. i now know the difference between when im just hungry or when i am hungry for protein, and try to eat accordingly. apples are good friends and so is anything matthew creates for me, and he does this often!

i almost feel like a new person, with the amount of energy i have now compared to even three weeks ago. the biggest change i have noticed is that im actually able to Get Things Done! i can follow through with my intentions and my errands a lot easier, i am a lot more focused, and seem to have softened a bit as far as random hormonal weirdness. the prenatal pilates dvd matthew gave me for christmas is wonderful and i add my own stretches and a little more work with weights and feel great. i also did the zenmama yoga dvd mom&dad wheelock gave me, in its entirety, for the first time today and wow. it is amazing! i really need to dedicate more time to that.

there is an apple crisp baking in the oven and im just waiting for matthew to get home. oh! and i took this picture today and thought id share it.

love,love,love,love crazy love.

mc_bebe @ 2005-01-03T14:06:00

2005-01-03T19:10:13Z

my third OB appointment was this morning and it was swell. i Really liked the doctor i met today,(im trying to meet all of the doctors in the group so when delivery time comes the chances are much better i wont have a doctor ive never at least met before), but she isnt a delivery doctor! bah! anyway. all is well. my weight is just right and we scheduled an ultrasound for january 31st! so with the junebugs cooperation we will know if we are having a son or a daughter then! weee!! so totally exciting.

matthew & i went to LuLus for noodles afterwards, and it was divine. for a second i felt like i was in philadelphia.

mc_bebe @ 2005-01-02T08:50:00

2005-01-02T13:54:02Z

you know you have the best husband in the world when you mention you dont think youre getting enough protein in your diet, and so early early on sunday morning he goes to the market and picks up a kitchen full of food that is protein-laden, along with tons of fresh vegetables and fruits. & now he is out picking us up bagels for breakfast.

& also, the innocence mission's *now the day is over* album is simply perfect and it makes me think of nice, cool summer naps with the bebe. (thanks to matthew, again!)

mc_bebe @ 2004-12-28T10:19:00

2004-12-28T15:20:04Z

15 weeks already! i definitely cant believe it. at first time felt like it was going soooo slowwww & now i am actually enjoying the time and the changes. the nausea isnt so prevalent, i dont need to wear my sea bands anymore, and actually my hunger seems to be more under control for the moment. for a few weeks i felt like all i did was graze All Day... whereas now i can actually eat small meals and snacks. eating something before bed is definitely a lifesaver! i have a wee belly but its really just noticeable to matthew & i. my mom & dad gave us a marvelously soft chenille baby blanket for christmas, and my brother & sisterinlaw gave us this baby massage pumpkin seat that myah is too big for! the seat is purely indulgence and something we would probably never buy; that being said, its really neat with three different music selections (something classical, something lullabyish, ocean waves), and three different massages. julie said myah loved it. so we'll see! i totally appreciate the handmedowns and am very grateful for everyones generosity.

i definitely want to try out cloth diapering, and perhaps do that exclusively when im at home with the bebe, but i also know ill end up using disposables too. i think pretty soon im going to order a few fuzzi bunz and wonderoos.

matthew & i both have been organising bits of the house here & there, and its really making things feel so much better. i know in the next few months a lot of the furniture my uncle inherited from my grandmother will be out of here, leaving us with Much More Room. i am also going to make a little laundry station downstairs that im totally excited about (oh geez i know! i know!) and once the beadboard is up on the ceiling in the bedroom we are going to paint the walls a rich pumpkin color. in the spring i think ill paint the kitchen cabinets. i have lists!

i feel incredibly lucky everyday that i am carrying a child. i think for the longest time i thought this would be something i never had the chance to experience. i look into matthews eyes and i see his heart growing fuller, too... i see us growing into this. sometimes we have anxieties and mini freak outs (mostly me) but we know thats normal.

peace and love and warm smells in the kitchen.

twelve weeks!

2004-12-09T03:00:53Z

so tonight we are celebrating being twelve weeks!
how goofy and silly maybe, but we really cant contain ourselves.
there are days when i feel like i really look pregnant,
and there are days when i definitely dont. its a strange ride!
sea-bands are my constant friends and i am definitely able to eat
more interesting foods... for a few weeks all i could muster
was baked potatoes and french fries and Maybe an egg... how boring!
i feel less lethargic but definitely benefit from a nap when i can take one.
working almost everyday though hinders that a lot.
work is actually my biggest stressor right now. i am figuring out exactly how much
time i am going to ask for for maternity leave, and how i want to stagger my return, etc. we refuse to put our little one in child-care and so we have to work out a schedule at my work so that i can be home during the day and then work in the evenings when matthew is home. i am going to Ask for 6 months of leave. i get 4 months already, and am willing to negotiate an ultra light schedule for the other two months if i have to, but i would really prefer the six months off straight, and then gradually over the next several months work back up to somewhere between 20 and 30 hours.
we'll see though! i need to get it all laid out on paper.

& big news for us that we are actually going to get a Bed instead of sleeping on the floor. we are just going to borrow one that my parents have in a spare room. it was my other grandparents bed, which is awful sweet. seeing as how im already getting up at least once a night to go to the bathroom already, we agreed that later on, not having to get up From The Floor would probably be wonderful. so a normal bed! here we come!

i kind of want to buy a stocking for the bean this year. i mean the baby may just be in my belly but it is a part of our lives, this great big huge part, and why not?

(hormones, anyone?)

every day is some sort of little celebration. our smiles hold all of this
new energy and emotion. i am so excited to see how different this time next year will be.
(amanda)

mc_bebe @ 2004-12-07T20:39:00

2004-12-08T01:40:29Z

one of amanda's christmas presents came today,but sorry i can't tell you what it is because then she would know,sorry. it's good tho!
(matthew)

appointment number two

2004-11-30T22:30:37Z

today was my second OB appointment. i have gained two pounds, all the millions of vials of blood they took came back just fine, and when the doctor asked whether or not i wanted the triple-screen test & i declined it, he just wrote it in my chart and didnt for a second try to talk me into it. and and! he found the heartbeat! around 140 beats! thump thump thump! our baby is growing.
(amanda)

expansion

2004-11-22T17:15:31Z

i put on the same jeans sunday that i wore saturday, and couldnt button them.
by the end of the day i had to unzip them!

the ever expanding belly has begun!

wee!
(amanda)

mc_bebe @ 2004-11-16T13:03:00

2004-11-16T18:06:31Z

i just found out that ive had food poisoning for the last few days.
i feel much better now, and have been assured that the baby is
most likely just fine, but it is still scary to think about what these kinds
of illnesses can do to a little one growing inside.

i really cant wait til i can feel our baby wiggling around inside,
until my belly screams baby! i cannot wait for that reassurance.
(amanda)

mc_bebe @ 2004-11-13T08:07:00

2004-11-13T13:08:07Z

i came into bed a little late last night,since
i didn't have to work this morning. went in around
1am and was surprised to find amanda laying
there with her eyes open. then i realized she also
looked miserable. her prenatal vitamin doesn't
seem to be agreeing with her. i didn't know how
best to help her so got her a cold washcloth(she'll
tell you that when i don't know what to do i offer
a cold/hot washcloth or heating pad/ice pack)
i turned off the television,but still heard a lot of
noise inside,fell asleep.
i hope she fell asleep soon after,she's sleepy
soundly now. i insist she sleeps in.
(matthew)