Bed Rest

I had a doctor's appointment today and I have been placed on complete bed rest until the baby is born. My blood pressure was up last week and it was up even more this week. The baby's BP is also a little low. So, I have pregnancy induced hypertension and toxemia (protein in the urine) which are precursors to other problems if I do not go on bed rest. My doctor will check me on Monday and will likely induce Monday or Tuesday to reduce the likelihood of complications. Alexander's heart rate still sounds strong and he appears to still be growing some, though I lost another pound this week.

While I know all will be well, keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Whoa . . . Only 3 More Weeks (or less)!!

We had a doctor's appointment today and Nicolas Alexander has gained almost a pound in the last two weeks! He is now at an estimated 5 pounds and 1 ounce. Dr. Lacey is pleased with his progress, though our little man is still only in the 25th percentile for size at this point. But, he is proportionate and appears healthy. We have just over 3 weeks until the due date and Dr. Lacey explained today that it is not healthy for the baby to go over his due date because small babies have certain risks with blood pressure and other issues over a certain time period. While I would rather not have him medically induced, we agree that we will do what we need to for the baby. With that in mind, if Alexander has not arrived by March 20th, we will induce either on the 20th or 21st. It is crazy to think that he will be here within 3 weeks!!!

Growing

Well, I have gained about 4 pounds in the last two weeks since Alan has been feeding me extra well. Now, I have the flu so I am hopeful that I don't lose any of the weight that I have gained. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to check Alexander's growth and we hope he is up to at least 5 pounds.

The baby has started perking up as soon as he hears Alan's voice. It is really bizarre because he is so responsive to his daddy. Alan will be gone all day and come home and start talking and immediately, Alexander will start moving around and responding to his voice. The other day, Alan would say Alejandro toward my belly and he would immediately kick. Alan did this several time and got a response each time. It was really cool. He hears my voice all the time, so I am sure it is nice to hear his daddy's voice for a change!

Ice Cream and Babies

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and was suprised to find out that Nicolas Alexander is under weight. I feel like I eat all the time, but I have only gained 19 pounds at 35 weeks and the baby is estimated to only weigh 4 pounds. My doctor would have liked him to be at least 5 pounds at this time if not more. So, he has instructed me to eat as much as possible over the next few weeks and he took off the sugar restriction. He went as far as to tell me that I should stop on my way home and get an ice cream sundae. He is going to do another ultrasound in 2 weeks just to check to make sure that the baby has grown some by then. He is still moving a lot, so that is good. Alan is monitoring my food intake and trying to get me to eat more. I am eating several small meals throughout the day to get enough food. I don't have much space in there, so I don't feel like I can eat much at one time.

As most of you are aware, I am quite a big worrier, but I am trying not to worry too much about this. I just want to make sure he is healthy and I am trying to make sure that I don't go in to early labor. :)

32 week ultrasound

I am a little delayed getting this picture online, but c'est la vie. This is from our ultrasound at 32 weeks (2 weeks ago) and is a close up of his face. You should see Nicolas Alexander's whole face and his hands resting under his chin. Tilt your head a bit to the right to see it better. He is already pretty darn cute. We think he has my eyes and Alan's dimpled chin :)!

We have a Name!!!!

Nicolas Alexander Brady

We have finally decided on a name!! About 2 weeks ago, Alan woke me up in the middle of the night and said "What about Nicolas Alexander?" and then he fell right back asleep. After months of nothing really making me think, yeah, that is what I want to name my son--I finally have something that just sounds right. We both realize that we love the name, so Nicolas Alexander it is! And it all came to Alan in a dream :)!

Warning-Scary Photo Ahead

I really don't like the following picture, but Alan wanted to post it so I relented. I have had the flu (or something like the flu) and have been sick for several days, so be prepared for a pretty scary picture. I am luckily feeling better now, but still not 100%. Alan has been taking really good care of me, though, and I am starting to get my strength back. I couldn't keep anything down for over 2 days, but Alan got me to eat some couscous and chicken today and that has settled well.

Baby Decepticon

Here's a quick foto of Megatron in the womb. Steph is feeling under the weather but is on the road to recovery.

Blanket

My sister, Stacey, not only has the talent for cartoons, but also for knitting. She has made the baby several sweaters, funky little hats, devil pants, and now--a skull and crossbones blanket!! On her blog, she lets the skull and crossbones naysayers know that this is what the kid will like.

She says: "the thing about babies is that although they are, for the most part, sort of cute, this does not mean they want treacly crap strewn about them in soft pastels. babies like bold colors. babies are not exceptionally passionate about bunnies and kitties. they like hard things to bang on and throw. babies are dangerous. so i made my sister's new kid a blanket in black with a bone colored skull and crossbones in the middle." (for the complete blog, click on the Aunt Stacey blog under favorite sites).

She assures us that it is also warm enough that the kid can sleep outside during the winter as long as it is wrapped up snugly in the bones! :) By the way, the hound in the photo is none other than Guthrie, Stacey and Chris' dachshund.

old school kid

Those of you who know Alan at all know that he loves old school adidas and pumas. We can't go to a shoe store without him obsessively checking out the stock. He has already bought the kid an adidas hoodie and this weekend, he found some pumas that are not exactly old school, but pretty close. These will fit the baby when he is around 1 year old--better than the Adidas Sambas he wanted to buy that wouldn't have fit until at least 2 or 3. Next, he will talk me in to buying the Green Machine super cool trike that they have reissued from the 70s. Did I mention that the green machine is for like ages 5 and up? :)

32 weeks

I am finally posting a picture of me pregnant--this was taken this morning--32 weeks. I am feeling good, but I am having more and more difficulty bending over and doing some tasks. Our little man is now about 17 or 18 inches long. He has his head positioned in my pelvis with his butt up under my ribs. Sometimes, he will push his butt so hard up under my ribs that I can barely breath. Eight more weeks!

Box Turtle Stephanie

My sister requested that I post this photo of the three of us on Halloween circa 1977 when I was a very cool box turtle, Stacey was a bat and Shelley was a witch. I am obviously the cutest freakin' turtle ever!

Well read kid

Our little man is already a well read kid, as you can see from his full bookcase! His parents obviously are book fanatics. We have the nursery just about done, with a few exceptions. We haven't framed and matted the Leia Bell prints yet and we still need to get the changing table/dresser, but it is quickly becoming one of the nicest rooms in our house. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Sea Turtle Birthday Present

Today is my birthday and my sweet husband got me the Leia Bell print for the nursery that I have wanted so much! It was sold out on her website, but one showed up on Ebay, so it is now in my hot little hands ready to be matted and framed for the baby's room! This print is called: They truly believed they were birds.

Contractions, the preview from Aunt Stacey

Everyone wants more Aunt Stacey cartoons, so here is one she did about future contractions and my need to be just a little precise :)