catching up {by the numbers}

I'm been MIA for the past few weeks and while you all know the broad strokes of where I've been I wanted to fill you in on some of the details!

Drew, Asher, and I took a major road trip over the past few weeks.  First we headed to DC to find our house {which we're in now!}, then we headed north to New Jersey to celebrate Drew's brother's wedding on April 17th.  After the wedding Asher and I headed WAY south to North Carolina to stay with my parents for 2 weeks while Drew handled the move logistics in Cleveland and finished up his job there.

Ever drive 10 hours with a 4 month old?  Asher is a super traveler, but it was still tough.  I'm so glad my Mom was able to ride with me and Asher!

Then just last Saturday we came back north to DC and moved into the new place.  Drew started work yesterday and Asher and I are on our own for the first time in many, many moons.  It feels great to be all together again and settled in a house.

Now, for the grand tally.

Days between homes:  21
State lines crossed:  13
Explosion diapers while traveling:  1
Photos taken:  52 {pathetic, I know}
Trips to Wal-Mart for baby stuff:  3
Places we slept:  6

Our trip in photos!  I didn't take nearly as many photos as I typically do, but it was all I could do to keep up with life in general.  Come away with me...

Hitting the road out of Cleveland

Stop #1:  Visit with Aunt Erin, Uncle Ryan, and Phinley!

After our house search {no photos, bah} we headed to NJ and visited with Grandma and Grandpa Wilkinson before the big wedding.  Go Yankees!

Lovely wedding day for Chris and Lisa. 

What a beautiful bride!

Ah, living easy in the south.  Asher loved all the attention Grammy and Pop Pop showered on him.  We're detoxing back to real life now.

Finally in our new house!  If you ever find yourself crusing by DC on I-95 come by and visit us!

I can't wait to get all caught up on your blogs -- watch for my comments on old posts, it's been too long since I had time to sit and read.  I hope to get caught up this week!!

springing a leek?

I'm still here.

That's right, we made it to 38 weeks!

Baby Center claims that the baby is now about 19.5 inches, about as long as a leek.

He weighs almost 7 pounds and is ready to spring this joint at any time!

I'm not quite ready to insist he leave yet. As much as I'm growing weary of the backaches, hip pain, and nasal congestion I really like having him so close.

There won't ever be another time when he is so warm and safe.
There won't ever be another time when he is so easily moved from place to place.
There won't ever be another time when he is this quiet.

That said, I also desperately want to kiss his little cheeks and snuggle into that new baby smell!

Tomorrow is my 38 week OB appointment, so we'll see if any progress has been made towards a delivery date!

lettuce out

I think that's the anthem the bean and I are singing together.

Based on his very strong pushes and punches I assume he's getting tired of being smooshed in there and wants out soon. I'm cool with that.

Over the weekend we reached 37 weeks! That means the bean is full-term!

In some ways I'm really excited about this (we'll meet him soon!) but in other ways I'm a little sad (this special time is almost over...). The great news is that he could be born any day and would be completely developed.

Baby Center claims that he is about the length of a stalk of Swiss Chard (19 inches) and is 6.3 pounds. At this point all babies are a little different, so I'm not sure how much stock (stalk? haha) I put in this.

At any rate, we're doing great. I feel more tired and achy than ever, but I know it's for a good cause. I'm also starting to have some major mood swings -- which I thought were supposed to come after the birth -- but can't be fun for anyone else. I literally go from crying to happy to grumpy in a matter of minutes. Awesome.

Thankfully I feel like I can indulge a lot of my exhaustion with naps and general laziness. Most of the baby prep is finished. The nursery is stocked and ready for a little one. We have diapers, clean clothes, and lots of blankets. What else could a bean want?

Oh, and we have a Christmas stocking for him! Now I just have to finish getting ready for the holidays and we'll be all set.

melon, what?

A few days ago the bean turned 36 weeks!

Less than 30 days to go -- wow. I'm feeling a mixed bag of excited and anxious. Drew helps a lot with the excited part because he is so excited to meet the bean. He claims I've been "hogging" him so far and is anxious to get his hands on the little guy.

I think that most of my anxiety revolves around what life will be like post-birth. Sure, I'm nervous about the labor and delivery portion of things, but I recognize that for the brief time that it is. At some point not too long after the big push (-es), those doctors and nurses will actually let us take him home.

As in out of the hospital. Away from people who know what the heck they're doing.

However, in the words of our new pediatrician,

Some anxiety is good. If you aren't a little anxious, you probably aren't a good parent. Parents who are too laid back don't check on their babies when the kids are really quiet for a long time. That's bad.

Haha -- I guess things will be ok.

I'm so grateful that both my parents and Drew's parents are planning to be available (at different times) to help us get settled and comfortable at home once baby bean arrives. That's the backup I need!

This week baby boy is the size of a crenshaw melon.

Seriously? A what?

I'm getting impatient with these silly comparisons. However, with only 4 weeks to go my OCD won't let me stop posting them now. Sorry everyone.

The baby now weighs about 6 pounds and is 18.5 inches long. From here on out he will be gaining about 0.5 ounce every day!

This afternoon starts my every week OB visits. Today we're going to check the baby's position to make sure he is head down and ready to exit. My OB is also going to do an internal exam and see if I'm starting to progress at all.

Since this is extremely personal information you can be sure I'll post it here tomorrow.

my honeydew, his honey-do

I'm lucky to be in such an equitable marriage. This week featuring his and her honeydews (-do).

The bean is 35 weeks! He is now about the size of a honeydew melon, weighing in at 5.25 lbs and over 18 inches long.

He has been rolling and kicking and punching like a UFC champ in there. I know all that movement should be reassuring (and it is), but sometimes it gets so violent it feels like he's having a seizure or something. Should I be worried?

I had a terrible night's sleep last night and really noticed how awake he was as well. Do I normally just sleep through all his movements or was I keeping him up? Chicken or the egg, I suppose.

Last night I woke up at 1:30 to go to the bathroom and suddenly was awake. Like wide awake. What do you do in that situation? I considered going downstairs to empty the dishwasher or do other small chores, but was afraid that would just fuel the fire and keep my brain awake. I opted for laying in bed staring at the wall. Not much better.

The great news is that the bean could be born at any time now and be perfectly healthy! The next few weeks will be spent putting on weight, but little else. His vital organs are all accounted for and his lungs should be ready for lots of breathing and crying.

Only 2 more weeks until we're officially "full-term" -- after that I'm ready whenever he is!

Drew and I have both been working feverishly to finish up our baby readiness "to-do" lists over the past few weeks. Daddy-to-be has been especially busy. He got the infant carseat installed this week, so that will be ready for a little boy whenever he decides that he's tired of riding with me.

We just need to get it inspected by the firefighters. Who else thinks that is a completely random service they provide? I'm glad they do -- it just seems strange to me!

Drew also patiently helped me pack my labor and hospital stay bags. I was pretty indecisive about a few items. I hate, hate overpacking, but there are so many unknowns with this trip that I don't want to be there wishing I had something and not have it.

That being the case we're going to need a bellhop cart to get to the maternity floor.

However, it also means that I have all my bags packed! Our childbirth education instructors strongly suggested that we do it early, so I'm all over that. We also have the diaper bag packed for little bean's first days.

I feel like I have a lot to say today, but will stop now.

If you're still with me, thanks!

More to come...

melons on the way

I'll admit it.

I peeked ahead at what food comparisons are coming down the pike.

It turns out that the bean will be 1 melon or another for the next few weeks!

At 34 weeks, he is now about the size of a cantaloupe!

The bean weighs in at 4.8 pounds and is about 18 inches long. Good grief, no wonder my back hurts. Never, at any other time in my life, would I consider strapping a cantaloupe around my midsection and living life that way a good idea.

I don't know that it was a particularly good idea now.

At any rate, baby boy is doing great! He's constantly punching and rolling around in there. Drew thinks he's testing all sides of his home for weaknesses in a search for the exit. I welcome that search. Good luck, little bean.

Only 6 weeks (40 days!) to go before we meet this little guy. Wow!

pineapple express

We're steaming on towards the finish line over here. The bean is now 33 weeks along and doing great!

He is about the size of a pineapple...

which is really funny because just this weekend I was telling Drew how much I've been craving fresh pineapple. I ordered a fruit cup with my oatmeal when we went out for breakfast and picked out all the pineapple immediately. So good!

Baby bean weighs about 4 pounds now and is over 17 inches long. I believe it. He's starting to feel really heavy on my back and hips.

There are still a lot of things I need to get done before baby boy arrives which is starting to stress me out. I can't do much anymore without needing a break, so I'm a lot less efficient than I used to be. Which means that things I think will take an hour or so to do end up taking a LOT more time.

This weekend I started working on a quilt for the bean (I've had the fabric for awhile) and at 1:00 on Sunday my sewing machine broke. Grrr....

I was really on a roll and hoped to get it close to done yesterday, but now it's not even halfway finished. I did use that extra time yesterday to do some other things, but I was really hoping to get the quilt underway.

Now it's not done AND I have to find someone to fix my machine, which I'm sure will cost much more than I hope. I know these are just little frustrations, but in my extra sensitve pregnant state, they seem much bigger.

In a show of gratitude, I do have to say how happy I am that the bean is growing well and moving a lot. He gets the hiccups almost everyday which always makes me smile.

Tomorrow night starts our marathon childbirth education sessions for the week...wish us luck!

jicama hilarity

My baby is a jicama!

I have no idea what this is!

No clue how heavy it feels or how you cook with one!

(I'm assuming you cook it somehow)

But, nonetheless, the bean is a jicama.

Which means that he is about 3.75 pounds and 16.7 inches long.

Drew and I were both amazed over the weekend at how much he MOVES. His parts are constently pushing my belly in all directions. I don't want to push back too strongly, but I'm astonished by how hard his back (?) head (?) shoulders (?) are. I have no clue what parts are so hard, but it's very impressive.

The bean has fewer than 8 weeks to keep growing inside me. That's unbelievable! I love having him safe in there, but when his time is up there will be a hasty evicition.

Consider this your notice.

At this point he still needs to gain more weight and develop the lungs a bit more, but all other systems are a go. Nice job, bean.

Can't wait to meet you love bug!

lighten up, it's Monday

After reading through my last post, I realized that it's a bit of a downer.

It's 100% true, and I'm glad that I posted it, but I also know that Monday is an especially hard day of the week to read something bittersweet.

So I decided to add an additional antecdote from yesterday that really made me smile widely.

I was in the shelter's kitchen yesterday stirring a huge pot of chili when one of the women came in and said something like "you're having a baby?!"

Honestly, I looked down at my belly, then over to her in surprise. I have had a grand total of ONE stranger comment on my pregnancy so far. My first thoughts were (in this order):

1) Is she talking to me?
2) Did my water break and I didn't notice? Am I having the baby NOW?

Turns out, I am pregnant! And it's noticable! She was talking to me!

The poor woman looked a little scared because I hestitated for so long, but then my brain caught up with the conversation and I laughed. I confirmed that, yes, I am pregnant with my first baby.

Then she asked how many months along I was and I replied with the honest truth of 7.

That earned me an appraising look. I think the rest of our conversation went something like this:

me: I am. I'm 30 weeks, in my 7th month.

doubting woman: No, you're not.

M: Um, yes I am.

DW: No way. I looked like that at 4 months. There's just no way.

M: I'm pretty sure it's right. My doctor says that I'm on track for December 19th.

DW: Yeah, well...

Things kind of trailed off after that. We laughed about it, but I really don't think she believed me!

Then, everytime a new person came in to have dinner she would call over and make me stand up, then ask them if they believed I was 7 months.

Without fail they would say something like, "No way" or "I gained 100 lbs during my pregnancy!"

I was trying hard not to apologize for having a body shape that I can't control at all, but it wasn't easy.

I decided to take the whole experience as a huge confidence boost.

{However, I do plan to confirm with my doctor this afternoon that the bean is growing well}

crying in my cole slaw

At 30 weeks, the bean is roughly the size of a cabbage!

Just a regular one, not the Chinese variety this time.

He weighs about 3 pounds and is 15.5 inches long.

I'm assuming that the length growth slows down sooner than the weight gain does since most newborns are only 19-22 inches long. At this rate he'll be bigger than a breadbox in no time!

Baby Center says that I should be getting clumsier than normal soon since my equilibrium will be thrown off by my burgeoning middle.

Clumsier than normal, what??

Does anyone else remember this? If I get any clumsier I'll have to spend the remainder of this pregnancy in a padded room.

It also says that I'll probably be having more mood swings. This one I've definitely noticed (sorry, Drew).

For example, yesterday I spent a good part of the afternoon/evening volunteering with some other girls from my bible study at a shelter for battered women here in Cleveland.

It was both uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. The women and children who live there have such good attitudes. They were so grateful for the meal and kid activities that we provided.

This one little boy was especially adorable. I was sitting on a bench helping the kids frost cookies and he siddled up to me. He didn't say anything, just kept pressing himself against my side. I put my arm around him and talked a little. He didn't want anything, just a little love and attention.

When I got home I just cried. Drew probably thought I was losing my mind. All weekend I've been working on organizing the nursery (it's looked like a bomb went off in there since our baby showers) and when I walked into the room and saw the piles of clothes, toys, diapers, and other random baby things I felt so sad for the women and children living in that shelter who don't have a lot of the basics (like a home of their own).

They're there because someone hurt them to the point that they had to escape. And here I am stressing over where to put that 2nd crib mattress pad.

Today I'm grateful that I have people in my life who love me and my bean. I'm grateful that Drew doesn't hit me -- in fact, sometimes he spoils me to the point of absurdity. I'm grateful that I was able to go to the shelter and find some perspective.

But with the morning came more perspective. I've stopped crying (for now) and feeling guilty over being in a harmonious relationship. As much as my heart breaks for the women and children I met yesterday, I've also realized that it's ok for me to have clothes and toys for the bean. Along with that, however, I also decided that my stress level will go way down. I get too worked up over the small things and that needs to stop. Things will get done when they get done. The nursery will come together and if it doesn't, the bean won't care.

There are worse things than having a pile in the laundry room and dust on the coffee table.

Right now, my biggest hope is that Drew and I will be able to raise our son to be a loving husband and father someday. And until he's at that stage, that we'll be able to simply love him abundently.

In the meantime, I'm going to hug all the kids I can.

Because even if they're doing ok, I could probably use one.

squashed in there

The bean is 29 weeks!

He is now about 2.5 pounds and 15 inches long. I know we still have quite a ways to go, but it's already starting to feel tight in there to me.

In fact, the bean is definitely a butternut squash...perfect for fall!

This week the bean's muscles and bones are getting stronger. His kicks are so strong now -- I'm a little nervous about how it will be when he's bigger!

His head is also getting larger to make room for a growing brain. I have such a smart little squash in there.

We had a fabulous time at our baby shower this weekend! I have lots of pictures, but need to get them all loaded first, so there will be more on that soon. Stay tuned!

chinese takeout

As I mentioned yesterday, the bean is 28 weeks!

That means we're starting our third trimester together. I find this both incredibly exciting and incredibly scary!

Drew has been mentioning a lot recently how much he can't wait for the baby to arrive. It makes me so grateful to have a partner who is looking forward to this little boy joining our family as much as I am!

Well, BabyCenter has done it again.

I don't know who is in charge of picking the fetal food comparisons, but they've managed to choose yet another vegetable that I rarely encounter.

This week, at 2.25 lbs and 15 inches long, the bean is a...Chinese cabbage!

Of course.

I'm sure these are delicous, but I can't say that I've ever had one myself. At any rate, the bean is still growing and that's all I need.

This week he can blink his eyes! I'm sure those little blinking eyelashes will be my complete and utter downfall. All willpower is crushed by those fluttering beauties.

I'm heading to my last monthly doctor's appointment this afternoon. From here on out we're meeting every 2 weeks!

For the first time, I'm coming with a whole list of things to discuss...I hope she's ready!

Choosing a pediatrician
Circumcision options
Weird pregnancy symptoms that have me worried
H1N1 vaccination

Just to name a few...

contractions and cauliflower

This was quite the weekend for the bean (and his parents).

We all started out well enough on Saturday -- it was a beautiful day in Cleveland, so Drew and I took a drive to a shopping center about 45 minutes away where they were having a big maternity sale and just enjoyed being out and about. Then when we got home I made a batch of pumpkin cookies (yum, yum, yum) and watched a few new shows on the DVR (yay, fall tv!).

Then came Sunday...

I woke up feeling totally fine, got ready for church, and was just finishing my breakfast when the sharp pain shot across my belly and had me doubled over. This was very different from the round ligament pain and achiness I've felt every day, so I was a little concerned.

Drew and I went to church anyway, hoping that it would go away and it did for the most part. However, when I got home and started doing some things around the house it came back with a vengence. At this point, I called my Mom for advice and she recommended calling the doctor.

I had been hesitating on doing this so far because I really don't want to be one of those high-maintance pregnant women who rush to the hospital for every little thing. When I talked to the doctor on call she convinced me that it was worth getting checked out, so over to the hospital we went.

If you ever have to do this, let me give you some advice: eat lunch first.

They hooked me up to the fetal monitor for a couple hours and ran a bunch of tests for infections. All of the lab work came back negative (yay!) and my cervix is closed and stable, so despite the contractions that the monitor picked up they decided it was safe to send me home.

We came home with strict instructions to lay down for the rest of the day and come back if things flaired up again. So far, so good.

Drew was amazing at taking care of me and the bean last night. I know he was really worried, but kept his cool -- I appreciate his calm demeanor through the whole ordeal.

Hopefully this will be our last trip into L&D until our real D-Day!

In other news...the bean is a cauliflower!

He weighs about 2 lbs and is 14.5 inches long. The baby is still developing his lungs, but could survive (with some medical help) if he was born soon. He also has more taste buds now than he'll have during the rest of his life, so I'm suppose to eat a wide variety of foods to give him a little taste of everything.

Keep growing bean and just stay in there, for goodness sake. You scared us enough for 1 weekend, relax and enjoy the comfy home I'm trying to provide. Only 89 more days before we meet you -- I can wait, if you can.

vegetarian delight

Over the past few weeks I've gotten really behind on baby bean's veggie references!

Let's see where we've been....

24 weeks - ear of corn

This is perfect because it happened while we were at the beach eating delicious Jersey sweet corn. The bean enjoyed it greatly.

25 weeks - rutabaga

What? What? I've never had one of these...or even seen one. This reference doesn't help me much, so we're going to move right along.

The bean is now 26 weeks. Time for a yummy English cucumber!

We're now in the weight gaining part of things. The bean is now almost 2 pounds and increasing rapidly. He is also about 14 inches long.

I think the most exciting thing to happen this week is that bean's eyes are able to open! They have been fused shut while the retinas formed so far, but this week they open up.

We did a little test last night to see if this had happened yet. Did you know that if you shine a flashlight at your belly the baby will move away from it? He did! It was really neat, but also felt potentially mean, so I won't be doing it often.

In other news, the bean is diligently practicing his breathing and will be already to make his appearance in another 13 weeks!

mango tango

Were we a mango before? It feels familiar.

At any rate, this is a bigger one than before. The bean is a little over a pound! He/she is also about 11 inches long.

At 23 weeks, the baby can hear what's going on outside -- songs on the radio, lawn mowers, Daddy's voice, etc. A lot of that noise is muffled and distorted (obviously, since it has to travel through skin, fat, organs, and amniotic fluid) but the bean can hear me really clearly!

Baby W also has a more developed sense of movement, so he/she can feel it when I dance around or rock in our new glider. No Tilt-A-Whirl for us, thanks.

Over the past few days the baby movement has become even stronger and more distinct. The other day I was laying in bed and definitely saw my entire abdomen move. Baby likes to dance!

Before I got pregnant, I thought the whole "feeling something move independently inside me" thing would be a little creepy, but it's really, really not. It's amazing. I love it.

T-minus 5 days until baby's first beach vacation.

baby squash

The bean is now 22 weeks old!

One of my sources for "food comparisons" stops at 21 weeks (why??), so we're down to 1.

This week the baby is the size of a spaghetti squash. Oh, randomness.




I can't say that I've ever seen, let alone eaten, a spaghetti squash, but I'm sure they are both delicious and adorable.

The bean is out of ounces folks, we're talking a full pound now! He/she is about 11 inches long as well.

Since I only have 1 food photo for you, I decided to supplement with a fetal development illustration. Not as cute, but much more technical.



I find it hard to believe that this picture is accurate. The baby here looks pretty squished in, but my bean manages to kick, punch, and roll all over in there. There has to be more wiggle room, right?

Baby bean is starting to grow teeth buds under his/her gums and can hear everything I say! We chat a lot.

21 weeks

I popped!

Or the bean did? My belly did?

At any rate, Drew and I really noticed last night that my belly is way high and really out there. The baby is now a few inches above my belly button! I don't know exactly when it happened, but it was sometime between Sunday and Tuesday nights.



Unfortuantely, you can't really tell in this photo. I am wearing a loose shirt, so you'll just have to take my word for it. I love this blog -- now when my little sister is pregnant with her first baby and asks me when I "popped" I can just flip back through here and find Week 21!



Over the weekend I was thrown a wonderful shower for the bean by my Mom and sisters. What a great way to start the week. So far being 21 weeks pregnant is awesome!

How far along: 21 weeks
Net weight gain/loss: up 6lbs since getting pregnant
Maternity clothes: pants exclusively, shirts sporadically
Stretch marks: none, yay!
Belly button: still stretching as the baby moves up and out
Sleep: pretty good although I really need one of those pregnancy pillows soon
Baby movement: more consistent and stronger -- Drew could feel lots of kicks the other night!
Food cravings: cheese and broccoli potato from Wendy's
Food aversions: nothing -- I think I'd eat paper, if it had caramel sauce on top.
What I miss: my coordination. I'm klutz central these days.
Looking forward to: shopping for a nursery lamp this weekend
Best moment this week: baby shower with my family!
Milestones: the bean is getting stronger and kicking more consistently

straight and narrow

At 21 weeks the bean is lean and mean.

Well, not really mean (how could my sweet baby ever be mean!), but certainly very long and skinny, at least according to my food comparisons.

Now that we're past 20 weeks the baby's length is measured from head to toe exclusively -- he/she is now 10.5 inches long!

Think banana...




or carrot.




The bean weighs about 3/4 of a pound -- we're almost out of the ounces!

I've definitely noticed that my belly is changing more rapidly these days. More on that tomorrow.

Keep growing little bean!

fruit salad

We made it halfway!

Hello, my little cantaloupe.

The bean is now 20 weeks along and still doing great. This week the baby weights about 10.5 ounces and is 6.5 inches long from head to bottom (curled up) or 10 inches long from head to toe.

The banana is our other fruit comparison for today. Perfect for summer!

This week the bean is continuing to practice swallowing -- his/her digestive system is up for the task and is starting to produce waste products. Lots of dirty diapers to come soon! Baby W is also developing her sensory system further so he can hear my voice more clearly.

Love you, baby bean, keep growing! Only 20 more weeks until I can kiss your cute little face!

a half-baked bean

Yesterday I had my 20 week ultrasound! For those of you who don't think about pregnancy all the time, that's halfway through!

It was so, so amazing to see the bean on the big screen. I still find it hard to believe how much detail the ultrasound machine can show us!

The bean was super bouncy and kept moving his/her arms in front of the important parts that the technician wanted to see. You know...the heart, the face, etc. Oh bean.

Eventually the bean quieted down and we got some great shots of the face.

The 3D images are especially impressive! They were even better on the screen than on these printouts. I'm pretty sure this was a Zoolander impression

How adorable are the little feet?

The bean was also very camera shy and kept putting his/her hands in front of the face. So cute! I can just hear the complaints about intrusive paparazzi now.

Being analyzed so thoroughly is exhausting....yawn.

The bean has really long, skinny legs. Must take after the daddy as I am of the petite pants crowd. This picture is of the back of the legs and feet.

I can't wait for the next 20 weeks to pass so I can finally kiss those adorable lips! Look at the photo sideways -- the long piece near the bottom is an arm by his/her face and the 2 horizontal lines are the lips. You can also see the nose just above the lips.

Love you, bean!