34 week appointment

I saw my doctor today and she wasn't concerned about the weight estimates for James. She said that the estimates are just that- rough estimates and they could go 1 pound in either direction. At 38 weeks I'll have a detailed, more precise test done to estimate his birth weight. At that point Dr. Alexander decides if I will be induced, if she should schedule a C-section, or if I should be allowed to go to term. At this point, she said 39 weeks is a safe bet.

The appointment was brief. Heartbeat check, belly measurement- everything was normal. At first she said I had a SEVEN pound weight gain from two weeks ago. I had weighed myself from home that morning and knew this wasn't possible. I hadn't gained any weight, I thought. So I was re-weighed and the correct weight was written down- a 3 pound gain. The doctor said it could be water weight or from my lunch :)

James is doing well! He was a busy little baby earlier- I felt some definite kicks and bumps earlier this evening.

34 weeks!

I've been feeling James move around less and less. Its a little worrisome but everything I've read says that he has just run out of room to kick and move around much. The movement I do feel is like James turning or rolling around. Every once in a while I feel a good hard kick and I'm happy.

I haven't been doing the best on my diet. I've been tired of eating the same, safe foods every day. I haven't been preparing meals like I should for lunch at work. I'll see what the doctor says tomorrow at my 34 week appointment.

Weekly ultrasound and nonstress test

I had another appointment at the hospital this morning where James received perfect scores again! He is doing well with his breathing movements, amniotic fluid, measurements, movements, and all that good stuff! He is still measuring ahead by three weeks at a healthy, large 5 pounds and 11 ozs!!!! I asked if this would change my due date, and the ultrasound tech said that the doctor would determine that but it could possibly change it. Three weeks ahead means October 22nd! I doubt if he will be that early, but I intend on asking Dr. Alexander at Friday's appointment what the overall plan is. I don't know if she's the kind of doctor that will want to induce me early, will want to schedule a C-section, etc. I'm interested to see what she thinks.

My friend Ann (teacher at CRMS) told me that she knows of larger babies being able to sleep more soundly in general. The extra weight means that the baby can hold more food in his stomach and sleep for more hours at a time. There's a way to think positive! James will be a good sleeper :)

So the ultrasound was pleasant this morning. The tech lady is sooo nice! She was able to print off two pictures- fuzzy and a little scaring looking, but its our baby! She wasn't able to capture this, but James was moving his hands around his head a lot and sticking his tongue in and out. We watched for a few minutes as he did the tongue thing. It was too cute!

The nonstress test was the heart and contractions monitoring. James' heartbeat was a strong 140-150 beats per minute and I was able to leave a little earlier than last time because he cooperated. He moved around a bit more and they were able to get the results they needed. I guess they look for the heartbeat to accelerate slightly as he has movements. This is normal and healthy.

We're going to try and scan the ultrasound pictures tonight so check back! They will no doubt be very fuzzy, especially over the computer but I'm happy to have seen him today.

Later this week: Friday biweekly Dr. appointment at 4:10
Weekend plans: Finish baby shopping and organizing.

Grandma Laura's Baby Shower

Grandma Laura threw Baby James a wonderful baby shower! The women of the family came through with wonderful, thoughtful gifts. James is so lucky! He received blankets, toys, clothing, crib sheets, a sleepsack, etc! And did you see the picture of the Vikings Diaper cake?! Auntie Kathy must have worked so hard on that thing! She's so creative- I didn't know this! Jim got a really big kick out of the Vikings accessories :)

It had been a rainy weekend until Sunday- the sun came out for Baby James! It was a beautiful day for the guests to see Laura's duck/geese/egret pond. Her house is looking great- new furniture and fireplaces! And she has a North Woods themed bathroom- complete with hooting owl! It was so funny because the shower guests kept thinking it was a crying baby but it was the owl :)

Oh yes, the food! How could I forget the fresh Honeycrisp apples and caramel from the apple orchard? And all sorts of goodies for snacking and lunch.

Sorry if this is random, I'm just remembering all the little details of the day. Last thing I'm going to add is that Baby Marshall (Jim's 3rd cousin?) made an appearance at the shower. Marshall is nearly three months and a great baby. Its so cute how babies can entertain themselves by just playing with their own feet! He came to the shower in his own Vikings outfit. Jim was happy to see this. Jim also mentioned that it was nice to observe a real live baby and how good he was. We're hopeful that James will have the same easygoing personality!

Its been a long day and I'm going to close this. Thanks to Grandma Laura and Aunt Kathy for a great shower and a wonderful day!

From Jim & Lisa, for Baby James!

Shower pictures to come later! Check back soon.
Weekly hospital appointment update after Tuesday too.

A sack of sugar!

James might already be as big as a 5 lb sack of sugar! Holy! I had my first weekly appointment at the hospital this morning. First, I had an ultrasound where they did a series of measurements (weight/length estimate, "practice" breathing movements, regular movement, heartbeat, etc). James got a score of 8 out of 8, whatever that means! This is when the ultrasound tech told me that he was measuring ahead weight-wise at 35 weeks, 5 lbs and something ounces. I didn't hear the ounces because I was in shock. I hope this isn't bad news. I won't see my doctor until next Friday where I'm sure I'll hear more about what this means.

I asked the ultrasound tech about printing out more ultrasound pictures but there wasn't a good opportunity this time. She said next week we'll try again. She couldn't get a good shot of his face/head because his arm was resting across his face.

The next part of the appointment was up in the Labor & Delivery area of the hospital. I was put in a hospital room, told to lie on the bed, and they hooked me up to two monitors- James heartbeat and then to check for contractions. James doesn't move around much in the morning and they found that out for sure. Half an hour into the monitoring they made me drink a lemon-lime soda to get him moving around. It worked for a little bit. They monitored me for a total of 90 minutes and then said everything was okay.

I've just recently started feeling James' hiccups and they were able to hear them on the heartbeat monitor too. Everytime he hiccuped, the monitor went a little crazy. It was cute :)

So no part of the appointment was terrible. I wasn't expecting it to be but its nice to get used to the hospital and/or the nurses. Everyone was very nice and friendly. The only bad thing is that I now feel very groggy (soda?) and tired from laying around for 2 1/2 hours.

I'm so hungry all the time. I haven't really cheated too much on my diet, but now I know that I can't even have a bite of Jim's Dairy Queen anymore :( James might get too big.

Upcoming: We're almost done with James' nursery! We just have to put together the dresser and hang the curtains. All the big things are done! Now all we need are diapers and things like that! WOW!

32 week appointment update

Everything is well! Baby James is measuring normally and the heartbeat was strong. My blood levels satisfied the doctor, she said that I wouldn't have to be put on any additional medication (insulin) because diet seems to be controlling my levels. I'm so glad! I've truly been good with my diet. No huge cheats.

I had a one pound weight gain from my last appointment. This means that I've only gained one pound in the last two months because I didn't have a weight gain at my last monthly appointment. My dear Mother is just in disbelief. The doctor said that for some women the significant weight gain is in the 2nd trimester and not the 3rd. I guess this must be the case with me.

From James Tauer Sr. aka "Daddy"

Hello everyone,
I just wanted to take this opportunity to offer my thanks to all of you who attended the baby shower this past weekend, and also for all the gifts we received from Lisa's family and friends from out of state. Lisa and I are so grateful for all of the wonderful gifts you have given and that you took time out of your busy schedules to help celebrate the upcoming birth of James. I have to say I did have a few favorite gifts - the "Baby Bjorn" carrier (I plan on using this extensively), the two beautiful baby blankets that Ana hand-knitted (James will be toasty warm this winter), and the Vikings outfit and little football. Of course I can't wait for the day when James and I can be relaxing on the couch catching a Vikings game together :)
Lisa and I will be extremely busy now over the final weeks before James' arrival. We'll be getting all the baby stuff assembled (furniture, car seat, stroller, etc.), getting the house/nursery finished up, and attending our final baby/birth classes.
I am extremely happy, excited and proud to have a wonderful home, family and friends for James to come home to. Thanks again for everyone's love, generosity and support, it is greatly appreciated!!!

-Jim

Baby Shower and Nursery Update

I had my first baby shower on Saturday at my sister Ana's house. She always throws a fabulous party. (Yay to Rich for his grilling skillz.) I think everyone was impressed by her creative games and then parting gift/favor. There was a onesie decorating contest (Winner: Kari!) and Baby Bingo... and then guests left with a "Bun in the Oven". These were boxes decorated to look like ovens, with a mini-cinnabon inside. The tag inside said, "Thanks for celebrating Lisa's 'bun in the oven'..." My friends/co-workers were still talking about them today :)

This family is very lucky to have so many people who love James already. He is a very lucky boy! We received many, many gifts. Everyone was very generous and wonderful to us. We loved everything. Jim was seriously overwhelmed when I came home with a SUV-full of great gifts. I'm having a lot of fun planning and putting away the gifts. I put together the changing table last night just to get the nursery looking a bit more complete. Its getting there! We still have to buy a dresser (soon!), curtains, hang up the quilt on the wall (part of the decor), and Pappy Larry is building a toy chest!

Baby James has been really active today. Since I've started my GD diet, his movements have slowed down and felt fainter. I've read this is common for this time of a pregnancy anyway, but I figured it was also because I was eating/drinking less sugar. But last night and today I've received some hard kicks. I enjoy them :)

I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday. At this appointment I'm scheduling my WEEKLY appointments. The nurse told me to choose a convenient day for these 2-4 hour appointments. 4 hours? I guess it could depend on how cooperative James is. I'll be monitored for James' heartbeat, movements, and then possible contractions. At some time I also have other ultrasounds. I guess I'll have to wait and see what these appointments are exactly. I'm only getting fuzzy details by phone.

Thank you for reading this! I hope you visit the updated Baby Album and Baby Shower Album too. I added a few more pictures.

Dietician appointment

Happy 2nd day of school to me! I've had an easy time, I don't do much at the beginning of school year because everyone is getting used to being back in classes, etc. I just hang out and help when I can.

I had a Dietician appointment yesterday to give me some guidance with my new and improved diet. I've been keeping a food journal for the past week and a half and she looked that over. She said I'm doing very well! The only adjustment she made was to my breakfasts because I was consuming too many carbs (even though my blood tests weren't high).

She also said that if I ever did test high after a meal, that a simple walk around the block (or two) would bring my levels down to normal. I would test again after the walk to make sure. (Note to self: this doesn't mean I can have ice cream and then take a walk.)

Other news: Jim and I went to our 2nd Childbirth class last night. We watched a video of 3 women's birth experiences! It wasn't shocking to me but the stories weren't as sugar-coated as the ones you'd see on the Discovery channel. I think Jim, though, was a little uncomfortable. Poor Jim. ... I am wondering about this class. I didn't feel I learned much and am thinking whether we should continue or not. I'm going to read ahead in the book and look at our upcoming schedule to see if its worth it. I feel like a bad Mom for not wanting to go to class!

Oh, at the class last night we also had the hospital tour. We saw the birthing rooms, the family waiting room, the kitchens, etc. It seemed pretty nice. It was a lot more modern than the rest of the hospital. TG!

So now I wait for the next doctor's appointment: Sept 14th, 32 weeks! I think I find out when I have my next ultrasound and biophysical profile testing.

Energy!

The past few mornings I've been waking up at 5:30 or 6:00. If you know me, you know this is unheard of. I am NOT a morning person. What I think is that because I've been eating better and watching my blood sugars, I think I have more energy and maybe my body is functioning properly! OR maybe my body is getting ready for early morning feedings and/or a fussy baby :)

I have been doing okay on my diet. I've tested high a couple of times but with explanations. I've followed a sample diet but without the exact diet from a dietician, its all guesswork. I know I tested high a couple of times because of too much food, processed food, etc. (Its been the couple of times I've eaten out.)

The only baby related thing I've done this weekend is paint wall letters for James' room. Ana & I found these letters (J-A-M-E-S) at a paper store and I used the leftover craft paint to paint them to match the nursery. I didn't go nuts, they're just solid colored.