Merry Christmas!!

Well, its been one amazing Christmas this year! Yiayia and papou got to come into town and stay through toda, which was a wonderful surprise considering they were supposed to leave sunday! we got to take them all around southeastern michigan and visit with tons of family and friends. it was great. we have pretty much gotten to celebrate christmas every day since friday! it has been a lot of fun watching people's reaction to my belly who haven't seen me in a while. luckily, yiayia and aunt nikki picked out some great new maternity clothes for me so i will be all set through the winter as i continue to grow! i will put a new belly picture up later this week.

speaking of pictures...as promised, here is a picture of chris with his beloved hot dog costume/"snowsuit".

if you happen to see chris, explain to him that this is not a snowsuit! here are some more holiday pictures for you too:

this is us with our new jeep stroller (and of course chris' hot dog outfit!) from my gsk work team. thanks guys!

proud yiayia and papou enjoying their visit!

well, that's all for now. time to get ready for more christmas celebration. we wish you a safe and happy holiday!

love, c, c, and bp

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

well chris and i are definitely snowed in today! depending on where you look, there is anywhere between 6 and 10 inches of snow around our house...so far! and it keeps snowing and the wind keeps blowing. chris snowblowed the driveway and by the time he was done with the sidewalks, the driveway needed to be cleared again! crazy crazy. good thing i have him to do all those tough chores for me. also a good thing i am not due this week!!
the baby has been moving around a ton lately. she is beyond kicking and it feels like she keeps doing barrel rolls. it's really a crazy feeling. to be honest, sometimes it weirds me out...sometimes when i have my hand on my stomach i can feel an elbow or a knee or something move across it. i don't know, something about the distinct-ness of a body part gets your mind going that there is something living and moving inside you. it's kind of weird when you think about it! so i try not to think about it :o)
i have a check up tomorrow so i will be sure to keep you posted.
oh, and we got the baby a beautiful dress for aunt nikki's wedding in may! we just have to keep our fingers crossed that she fits into it. i'll try to take a picture of it...and i still owe you a picture of the hot dog outfit. chris keeps threatening to use it as her snowsuit. if you see him, please tell him he is ridiculous!!

love you all! stay warm and safe!
c and bp

Geez

Wow, another whole week passed with no updates! Well, I apologize. Chris and I were pretty pitiful last week though. We both came home with bad colds and spent most of the week whining and laying on the couch...at least when I wasn't warpping presents or trying to finish all of my work stuff. Work is always a little crazier at the end of the year. This year is especially tough though because I have two contracts that I am trying to make sure I complete, AND starting in January I am selling two new products (new to me anyway). So aside from all the end of the year work, I have to do new product training. AND we have a new person on our team that overlaps a product with me, so I have to put together a plan for her, and try to help her get organized so that she knows where she is going in January. Whew!!
On the bright side, YiaYia and Papou came into town over the weekend and we went up north to celebrate an early Christmas. It was really nice to see everyone on my mom's side. And Great-Gram and Aunt Nikki both got to feel the baby kick (hard!). I tell you what, that lil girl is definitely taking after her parents. She is either going to be a soccer player or a drummer with all the kicking she does. Maybe she'll be able to play double bass pedal by the time she can walk. Wouldn't daddy be proud?! Speaking of daddy, Chris and I stopped by the Old Navy outlet up north and wouldn't you know it, the halloween costumes were on sale. So Chris bought his daughter a hot dog costume for $5 and he cannot wait to put her in it! I'll have to take a picture and put it up here so you can see it. Its ridiculous.
Welp, I guess that's it for now. I am going to warn you that this week is going to be crazy too. I have class tonight, a dinner program tomorrow, Aunt Steph is coming over Thursday and Friday I am taking her to the airport then Saturday I am baking all day and going out on a date (imagine that!) at night. So I cannot guarantee another update this week. But for you, I will do my best. Take care and stay warm!
c and bp

Random Updates

It's guy's night at my house tonight (monday night football is always a good excuse to really play super nintendo) so I thought I would sit down and give you all some updates on random things. How does that sound?

First, I had my monthly checkup today and everything went fine. I am still gaining weight at a barely acceptable level, but I am gaining. My blood pressure has been close to my pre-pregnancy pressure the entire time. And I measured within the range for 28 weeks (I don't know if you remember but at my last appointment I measured bigger than I should have). I got a shot today because Chris' blood is rh positive and mine is rh negative. It can be a concern during delivery because if the baby's blood is rh positive, my body can start to make antibodies that fight the baby's blood. So the doctor will test the baby's blood after she is born; if she is positive I will get another shot, if she is negative then we are both safe. From now on I have checkups every two weeks. Oh, and I got a bunch of hospital information today (what to pack, where to go, etc.). So I took that as a hint that this baby is coming fairly soon! How crazy to think not only how close we are getting but how quickly the past six months have flown by!

Aside from my checkup, I have been feeling a little better lately. Although now that my stomach issues are settling down, of course something had to take its place: my back is starting to hurt pretty bad. If I sit for too long my ribs begin to ache. Then when I stand up, it takes a while for my back to straighten out and it is pretty sore towards my hips. I feel like an old man who can't stand up straight! I have been going to my chiropractor every month; I may start going more often to see if that helps. And I found some good stretches for moms-to-be so I am going to start doing those twice a day. Hopefully I can manage okay.

Other updates are that we scheduled a tour of the Birthing Center at St. Joe's. I think you can check it out if you want at http://www.sjmercyhealth.org/ and then click on Family Birth Center under the Video Tour button. We also registered for our childbirth prep class, but all the classes in January were full so we aren't going until the beginning of February. Hopefully the baby will behave herself and stay put at least until after the class!!

Finally, Chris and I started our baby registry for those of you who have been asking. We have one at Target and one at Babies R Us. You can search for our registries online if you want. (If you notice a lot of green John Deere toys, I bet you know who to talk to about that:o) ).

Well I think that is enough blabbering for now. Time to finish some laundry and head to bed. Have a wonderful week!!

love cb and bp

As promised...

new belly picture to the right...

preliminary nursery picture below...

*nursery courtesy of bp's daddy and grandpa - my two knights in shining armor*

let us know if you have any suggestions for accent colors (yes, i am aware of pink) or wall designs.

love you all!

cb, cp, and bp

Apparently Weekly Update

So I guess I can only pull things together once a week lately to get you guys some updates! Things have been so busy with work and then with the holidays, time just flies! While I can't promise that updates will get more frequent, I will do my best. By the way I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and got to spend some quality time with family and friends :o)
On to the updates...I have good news and bad news. I will start with the bad news first so that we can end on a happy note. I am truly saddened to say that Basil passed away last week. He was three weeks old. While his surgery went well, there were some crucial things that needed to be kept stable for him to do well. And there was a somewhat long series of somewhat random events that led to that stability becoming compromised and he didn't make it. So please continue to keep Erin and Andrew in your prayers as they grieve and adjust to life without Basil.
On the happy note, Grandpa Mark came over and finished painting the nursery! It looks so fantastic. And Chris picked out a great curtain panel for the window that completely matches. Now we have to go pick up the furniture and get it in there. So this week I promise a new belly picture and a picture of the nursery. Sound good?
Have a wonderful week.
love cb and bp

Yikes!

Wow, it is Sunday again already?! I cannot believe how fast the past week went by. On the other hand, it was a really busy week. I found out I got to keep my job, which is great news. Chris and I also helped with Operation Christmas Child, which is a project of Samaritan's Purse and delivers shoeboxes full of toys and other items for kids in third world countries. Check it out: http://www.samaritanspurse.com/OCC.asp?MPGID=1
And...believe it or not...THE NURSERY GOT PAINTED THIS WEEKEND!!! I know. It's crazy. We have only had the paint since August!! It looks fantastic, though not quite finished yet. We painted the walls a light turquoise and we are going to paint a dark chocolate brown molding stripe at the top. Chris' dad is doing that on Thursday. So as soon as the stripe gets done, I will take some pictures and post them. We might even get the bathroom done on Thursday too. We just have an adorable wallpaper border to hang but Chris and I have never hung wallpaper so we may have Mark help with that too. So, lots of pics to come!!
BP has been moving all around tonight! Overall, I am starting to feel better. I had a couple really bad days a few days ago, but it seems to have passed. Hopefully I can continue to feel better - I guess we will just have to wait and see.
This week is going to be another doozie!! I will try to get y'all an update at some point...especially if we get the two rooms done.
Love you all and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

love c and bp

Basil Update #2 (and a BP Update too)

hey everyone...i hope you all enjoyed your weekend! just wanted to let you know that basil has had two good days in a row! apparently his eyes light up every time andrew and erin go to visit him. they actually have to be careful they don't get him too worked up! so the plan is to leave him at mott's until he fully recovers and gains his strength back. then he will get to go home until his second surgery early next year (i think). so thank you for your prayers. continue to pray that he gets stronger every day and that he can go home soon.

now for a bp update - i think bp is really trying to kick her way out!!! she has flipped around so now she no longer kicks my waistband...SHE KICKS STRAIGHT OUT!! it is remarkable how much my belly moves when she gets going. and i am sure it is only going to get more noticeable as i continue to get bigger! last night chris and i were laying on the couch and he could feel her kicking him! pretty crazy! she has been kicking a ton at night too. i think she is on an opposite schedule than i am. chris has been trying to help out by putting "the law" (his hand) on my belly but lately she just kicks it away. on the very bright side (and on a whole different note) chris and i got a crib and dresser this weekend. a baby store in novi was having a big sale so we haved a couple hundred dollars and it is just what i had pictured! here is the website: http://www.milliondollarbaby.com/MDB_collections_nu.htm click on annabelle. we got the 3 in 1 convertible crib and the 3 drawer changer in espresso. luckily the store will hold it in their warehouse until we get the nursery painted. that is our big goal for november...we'll see if we make it.

well, that's all for now! have a great week!
love c, c, and bp

Basil Update

For those of you who have been praying for my friends and their baby, here is the latest...
Basil had open heart surgery on Friday. Everything went as planned with no major surprises. Basil was stable going into last night but his stability is very touchy. Doctors are confident in his prognosis but things are still fragile. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. I will update you when I get a new update.
Have a great weekend.
c

False Alarm

Well, I have good news. My official glucose test came back normal!! So now I don't have to follow a diet or go have that super long test done. Yay!! My doctor said she would keep an eye on how my belly is measuring. If it continues to be off, she will schedule a follow up ultrasound, just to check in on bp and make sure everything is fine.
That's all for now. Have a great weekend!
love c and bp

What a Day!

Whew! What a day! I had my monthly checkup today, and had to take a glucose tolerance test to screen for gestational diabetes. The sugar drink wasn't as terrible as I anticipated, so that was a good start. Then, the doctor, who usually draws my blood, was running late so one of the MAs tried to do it. Tried is the key word in that sentence. After three separate sticks and feeling her move the needle all around my vein (I think I know what my grandpa goes through now with the nurses at his dialysis center!) AND drinking the sugar drink, I got really lightheaded. Luckily I didn't actually pass out, though I thought I was close. So the MA did a finger prick to do a preliminary glucose reading so the test wasn't a waste (you have to draw the blood an hour after drinking the sugar stuff). Well, I kinda failed the test. A normal level is below 135, and mine was 170. Yikes! So now I have to have a much more complicated version to find out if I am indeed diabetic now. I'll keep you updated on how that goes. Nothing is for certain yet; the doctor is going to wait until the official blood test gets to the lab to see what those results were. Then if the official count is that high, I'll have to do the more intense test. We'll see what happens I guess. But looking into it a little bit, sometimes when I get sick, the way I feel fits a hypoglycemic reaction. And my belly measured a couple centimeters big today. So I guess I wouldn't be surprised if I do have gestational diabetes. It just stinks that this pregnancy has been kind of tough. Definitely not a stroll through the park. But I have a lot of support and we'll get through it. Only a few more months to go if you can believe that!
On top of all of that, the wind is gusting at 45mph and it is raining. FYI - raincoats and umbrellas are no good when the rain comes at you sideways.
On a more serious note, I would like to extend a prayer request. My friends Andrew and Erin welcomed their newborn, Basil, on October 22. Long story short, this past Thursday he was admitted to Mott's Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor because his heart isn't working very well. He is scheduled to have open heart surgery at the end of the week. So can you please keep Andrew, Erin, Basil and the doctors in your prayers? I know they would really appreciate it.
On the lighter side, I am trying to upload a new picture of my belly but my photo program doesn't want to work for some reason. But I pinky promise to put the picture up as soon as I figure out how.

Until then, have a great day!
love clayr and bp (juanitas)

Monday Again

I hope you all enjoyed the ultrasound pics...they make me more anxious to see bp in real life! Things are going pretty well for us girls - although bp has been kicking me like crazy lately. Sometimes I am used to it, and sometimes it can get really distracting! But we are managing. I have been trying to get Chris to feel her kicking since she has been doing it so much. Every time he puts his hand on my belly, of course she stops kicking. I told him he obviously didn't have the magic touch - he is trying to convince me that she already knows the hand of authority!! HA! We'll see how that hand of authority works when he holds her for the first time!!
I had a receptionist at one of my offices accuse me of having pregnancy brain today...you know it's bad when other people call you out! So I left my keys in the kitchen - I would have done that when I wasn't pregnant!
I wore my new black pants today. They are more over the belly (most of my other pants are under my belly) so all day I felt like some of these old guys I see at the doctor's with their pants up around their arm pits! It made me laugh when I thought about it...but they don't fall down quite as much.
It seems like everyone else is having their babies this month! Natalie had Kai, Schmidty had Grace, Damon had Emily, Andrew had Basil (fun name huh?!). Now that I am six months it is starting to finally sink in and I am getting more and more excited for the baby to get here. I'll gladly wait the 4 more months (at least I say that now!) but I know its going to get harder and harder to wait for her.
That's all the rambling for now. New belly pic coming soon.
gnight,
c, c, and bp

ULTRASOUND PICS!!!

so juanitas (the fetus) and i finally made it to auntie steph's house and got her first pics scanned! i know you all have been excited to see her...but you get to listen to me vent first! ha ha

1) shopping for maternity clothes = as much fun as a trip to the dentist...when you are an adult and you don't even get a prize or anything! auntie steph came with me to try and find some work clothes for me (which are really the only maternity clothes i have to wear yet). nothing fits right, or it looks like a tent, or in the odd event that it is cute, they don't have my size! AGH! i did find a cute black wrap-type sweater and a pair of shadow stripe black pants but that was it. bummer for me. i guess i just have to keep rotating the same four shirts! on the bright side, stephie DID find a fantasticly (sp?) adorable fuzzy fleece bunting to bring bp home in. AND it was 55% off! taking after my mom and gram on that one. i think bp got more new clothes than i did yesterday!

2) kroger generic ensure tastes like you are eating the metal can! i have been trying to drink a couple a week to keep my weight gain up, especially with feeling sick again lately. let me tell you...brand name ensure is worth the two extra dollars!

3) don't play chicken with an old lady in a parking lot. someone almost ran me over today as i walked through a crosswalk that had a stop sign in front of it! no offense, gram, but old ladies need to watch out for pregnant ladies when they are driving!!

okay, i am done - on to the pictures...

bp's profile - how cute is she?!

bp is just hanging out upside down...explains why she always kicks my bladder!

this is bp's halloween skull/grateful dead picture. look out for that fist though!

i hope you guys enjoy these. more belly pics to come, i promise!

gnight! love c and juanitas

Whew!

Well, its Monday and I am definitely still not recovered from last week. Last week was a tough week: putting in longer days than I am used to, and having to do additional work really wore me out. Add to that some stress and I started feeling sick again. I am bummed because I was doing pretty well. That is usually how it goes though: I start to feel better, so I try to do more, and I end up overdoing it and feeling junky again. I tried to relax this weekend but I still don't have much of an appetite and I feel sick again after I eat. This week should be a little easier on me, so hopefully I can get back on track.
BP is still kicking away. I think she might be learning to do somersaults because I have felt some kicks in some new places! I should have the ultrasound pictures up by the end of the week. Stay tuned!

love c and bp

Maiden Entry

Hey all,
I thought a blog would be easier than sending out emails to you. So now you can check my blog when you get a moment and see new pics and find out how BP is doing today. If you have any questions, just leave a comment and I'll answer them when I get them. Hopefully this will work well.

As of progress, baby girl has been kicking a ton lately, always in the same spot! It's like a younger sibling who constantly pokes you. But I am getting used to it, and hoping she turns soon so that I can feel her kicks somewhere else!

Have a great night!