37.5 Weeks- Such a Busy Time!

Dear Baby Bean-

I'm so sorry I haven't had the chance to write!  The past week has been very busy and I just feel like there's been no time to slow down.  At this pace, you will be here before I can blink my eyes.  You are now estimated to be a little over 6 pounds which is fantastic- if you end up staying in a couple of more weeks you may end up being as big as your sister!  For my sake, I hope you're a bit smaller but all that matters is that you are healthy.

This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend and it was a busy one.  We spent all day Saturday getting ready for Baby Hoyle's sprinkle and then we went to the sprinkle on Sunday.  It was so much fun!  You and Baby Boy Hoyle are going to be great friends...your due dates are only three weeks apart!  Finn and Tenley are already good friends and I think you guys will all have fun playing together in the years to come.  Tenley was very excited because she got to come to Betty's house and play with "Baby Clark"...I think she was especially excited because she got to play with Baby Clark's toys. :)  It was a great afternoon and we had a really nice time.  Here is this week's belly pic- it's of me, you, Becky, Baby Hoyle, and Betty:

As you can see, Mommy is looking like she's about at the end of her rope.  Some days I'm not sure that my stomach can stretch any further but it has to find a way- we still have 2.5 weeks left!

Monday was really fun- we went over to Auntie Carrie's house to play with her, Cammie and Ethan.  Auntie's friend Michelle came over and brought her son, Owen, and we all went to Tyler's Tenders for lunch.  You will LOVE Tyler's Tenders- it's all about trains!  We ate lunch and then Tenley played with Owen, Cammie and Ethan and rode the choo choo train.  It was such a fun time and we were very tired when we got home.  We took a nap and spent the rest of the evening with Daddy.

Tuesday we had a biophysical profile with Dr. K.  He says that everything is looking good with you except for the fact that you were very sleepy and took forever to get your movement points.  He wasn't concerned because he said you're breathing like a champ- just wouldn't move.  I still feel you moving all the time so I knew you were OK.  Our next appointments with Dr. Losure and Bernie are Friday, so we will see if we've made any progress towards you getting out of my tummy!

Today was another really fun day.  We got up and met Becky, Finn, Gus, and V at the park for a long play date.  After we were done there, it was time to come home, shower, and eat lunch.  After lunch, we drove out to Western Springs to go to a place called Little Monkey Bizness with Amber and Amethyst.  Tenley and Amethyst had a blast playing in all the playhouses, going down the slides, and climbing all around.  The two hours we spent there went so fast and before we knew it, it was time to come home and eat dinner.  We finished off the day with a visit from Grandma Carol and Grandpa Jeff who brought Tenley a delicious ice cream cone.  It was a great day!

Mommy is super, duper tired now.  I am so happy you are getting bigger and ready to come out, but it really leaves Mommy exhausted at the end of the day.  If I could just get your sister to go to sleep, then maybe I could do the same.  I love you so much, Bean, and am SO EXCITED to meet you in just a couple of short weeks!

A Very Brave Mommy

Dear Baby Bean-

About a week ago, a woman named Heather emailed me after reading this blog.  She thought that this blog would be a good way to help share her story and raise awareness about a type of cancer called Mesothelioma.  After hearing her story and viewing her video, I want to do whatever I can to help share her message.  She is a very brave Mommy and her story is amazing- for anyone reading this blog, I encourage you to visit her website below and see her journey:

http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather/

Bean, cancer is a scary thing.  This hits very close to home since Grandma Cindy has been dealing with Multiple Myeloma for about 7 years now.  Heather's attitude towards her cancer and treatment reminds me a lot of your Grandma Cindy and how brave she is.  Mommy loves Grandma Cindy so much and it is so important for people to know that if you feel like you are having any issues, TELL YOUR DOCTOR. Early detection is key when it comes to this terrible disease and all of its various types.

I only hope that the people who read this blog (whether it's 2 or 200) will take a little time to visit this link and then pass it on.  Heather and her beautiful family are proof that this disease can be defeated!

36 Weeks- Another Busy Weekend

Dear Baby Bean-

I am so happy that our little talk seems to have helped your situation in there.  Our last two appointments have had nothing but good news and now that we are at 36 weeks, we can all breathe a little easier.  We saw Dr. Losure on Friday for a growth ultrasound as well as a biophysical profile.  In his words, everything looks "perfect" and, after consulting with Bernie, he even said we could stop doing the non-stress tests unless something random pops up.  That is so great because it eliminates two extra appointments a week!  According to your latest ultrasound, you weigh in at 5 pounds 12 ounces which is still the 33rd percentile.  Dr. Losure did not have me schedule another growth ultrasound since the next one would be at 39 weeks, but we will continue to see him twice a week for biophysical profiles.  With all that good news, we were satisfied that we could travel to Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Rand's house for one last weekend before you are born.

We arrived at their house on Friday night around 6:15 and had a nice evening out to eat.  We then went over to Adam and Lindsay's house to drop Daddy's car off so Adam can fix it.  Adam can fix anything and we are so grateful that he's going to take a look at Daddy's car for us.  We loved visiting with them for a little bit and got home just in time to go to bed.

Saturday was a busy day.  We had a baby shower for Tiffany and her baby boy at Tiffany's in Topeka and it was so much fun.  Your sister was a bit of a pistol during the party, but we had a great time catching up with everyone.  It has been so nice seeing these friends over the past couple of weeks and we really want to try to get together in September so that all of us can catch up and meet the new babies- how exciting!  After the shower, we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's and spent some time down by the lake.  We then went out for dinner with Aunt Lou and Uncle Bernard and then Daddy and I went to see Star Trek.  We haven't been to a movie in forever and it was great to get out and have some time together.

Sunday was a perfect day.  We went to church and then went to McDonald's with our family.  We then spent the entire day and evening down by the lake.  It was a beautiful day and Tenley even spent the day in her swimsuit.  Uncle Bernard put the pontoon in the water so we were able to have our first popcorn party on the pontoon followed by a dinner of hamburgers and hotdogs under the new pavilion.  The icing in the cake was going to Happiness is Ice Cream in Howe for the first time and getting ice cream cones.  Mommy was sad to leave Grandma and Grandpa's but is so excited that the next time we go there, you will be with us!

I can't believe how far we've come, Bean.  We are 36 weeks 2 days today and have a biophysical profile and a non-stress test tomorrow.  You have been kicking away and I am so thankful for that.  For the first time, I am really starting to feel uncomfortable.  My feet and ankles are swelling and I think it's a combination of the warmer weather and you getting bigger.  Today was an especially uncomfortable day, but knowing that there's only a few weeks left helps.  Just keep yourself healthy in there and I will do what I can to stay feeling great on the outside.  I love you, Bean!

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

 Here's a picture of what happens during our non-stress tests.  The nurses in the hospital hook my tummy up to monitors that measure your heartbeat and any contractions I am having.  Mommy has to lay like this for a half hour to make sure that everything is OK with you!

Here's our belly picture for the week!  I look massive compared to everyone else :)

Here's Tenley in Aunt Lou and Uncle Bernard's new pavilion, posing next to her footprints

First popcorn party of the summer on the pontoon!

35 Weeks: Mother's Day Weekend

Dear Baby Bean-

Hello there little mister!  We have had a big week and an even bigger weekend and I'm happy to be telling you all about it.  It seems that my little talk to you from Tuesday worked because our appointments on Friday went much better and we were even cleared to travel to Grandma and Grandpa's for the weekend.  I am getting ahead of myself, though, so let's start with the most important information first...your appointments on Friday.

We had such a fun start to the weekend because Uncle Brandon decided to fly in for Mother's Day!  I've known about it for a long time but couldn't write to you about it because it was a surprise for Grandma Cindy and I know that she reads this...we couldn't give it away.  I picked Uncle Brandon up from the airport on Thursday night and he was with us all day Friday to go to our appointments.  We started by going to see Bernie.  She was pretty concerned with Dr. Losure's report from Tuesday and told me that on top of twice weekly ultrasounds, she also wants us to have weekly (and possibly twice weekly) non-stress tests.  According to Bernie, we will be hooked up to a monitor for an hour so that the nurses in the hospital can monitor your heartbeat to make sure you are doing OK.  At this point, we have weekly midwife appointments, twice weekly ultrasounds, and weekly or twice weekly non-stress tests.  We are going to be seeing and hearing a lot of you in the next five weeks!  Aside from that, the appointment with Bernie ran smoothly and she even said that at this point, if I go into labor, she wouldn't try to stop it...you would just be born!  That is so exciting but I would rather you stay in there for a couple of more weeks so you can get a little bigger and a lot stronger.

After our visit with Bernie, we headed over to Dr. Losure's office for our biophysical profile.  He was extremely pleased with you and he was able to give you all 8 of your points within 5 minutes.  He was so surprised!   He said my fluid levels went from a 6 to a 13 which is excellent.  He's a little puzzled as to why they were so low on Tuesday but says that he wants to keep monitoring you twice a week just to be positive everything is OK.  Because of all the good news, we were able to head to Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Rand's house without any hesitation.  We are looking forward to next Friday's ultrasound because it is one that will measure your growth- I'm anxious to see that you have hit at least the 5 pound mark.  Keep up the good work, Bean.

When we arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's house, they were so surprised that Uncle Brandon was there!  They had no idea and we pulled it off perfectly.  We headed to Grossman's to eat dinner and they went to visit Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Walter. It was a perfect night and we had a lot of fun.

Saturday was a day spent around Grandma and Grandpa's house.  I went to get my hair done in the morning and Daddy, Uncle Brandon, and Grandpa Rand went fishing.  We spent the afternoon and evening together and it was nice to not to have to go anywhere.

Today was Mother's Day and it was so nice.  We went to church and then headed to dinner with the whole Walter family at Iannarelli's in Howe.  It was so fun to see everyone and we even got to go out to Aunt Lou and Uncle Bernard's afterwards for dessert.  We had such a nice time and it was sad when we had to go home.  The nice thing was that we were able to bring Uncle Brandon back with us because he doesn't have to fly back to Atlanta until tomorrow.  When we got back into town, Daddy indulged one last Mother's Day wish and took us all to Dairy Belle for ice cream.  It was the perfect end to a nice weekend.

I can't believe it is Mother's Day and I have one beautiful baby girl and another beautiful baby on the way.  We are so excited to meet you, Bean, and only have to wait a few short weeks before we can see you.  I love you so much and can't wait to hold you in my arms in a few weeks!

Tenley and Mommy- Mother's Day 2013

Tenley and Uncle Brandon having a play date in Grandma and Grandpa's living room 

Here we are- a belly picture at 35 weeks!

Tenley thoroughly enjoyed her Mother's Day treat from Dairy Belle

You Are Making Mommy NERVOUS!

Dear Baby Bean-

I have tried not to let my concern about you show too much over these past 34 weeks but I think it is time that you and I have a little talk.  I went to see Dr. Losure today for your second biophysical profile and, instead of things running smoothly, he has yet ANOTHER concern.  Apparently your amniotic fluid levels are low which is ANOTHER reason to worry.  He said that your levels went from 14 two weeks ago to just over 6 today.  Because of this, he sent me to the hospital to make sure that said fluid is not leaking out.  Everything ended up being OK, but this new development means that he wants to do biophysical profiles TWICE a week instead of once.  You are giving me a heart attack, Bean.

Please, please, PLEASE just keep yourself healthy in there.  I know you probably don't have that much control over it, but we really need you to create some more fluid (in Tenley's terms, Baby Bean needs to go pee pee) so that you can stay in.  I'm afraid that if you don't, you are going to have to come out early and you could really use another few weeks to develop in my tummy.  I have tried to stay calm about all of this but you are really scaring me!

We will go and see Bernie tomorrow and visit Dr. Losure again on Friday.  As long as everything is still ok, we will be traveling to Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Rand's house this weekend for Mother's Day.  Nothing would make this Mommy happier than you being healthy!  I love you so much, Bean- just hang in there for a little longer...please!

34 Weeks- A Big Weekend

Dear Baby Bean-

Hello there little guy!  How are you doing in there?  From the feel of it, you are having a grand old time stretching and flexing whatever is next to my ribs.  I am so happy to feel you move so often and I hope you keep it up for the next 6 weeks or so.  You are now 34 weeks and, if you were born now, you would be very likely to be just as happy and healthy as a full term baby (according to the "experts").  Don't go getting any ideas, though- I would much rather have you stay put for the next 6 weeks so that you are nice and ripe when you come out.

We had a very nice weekend at Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Rand's house plus it was your Daddy's birthday!  We left for Howe after Daddy's school day on Friday night and got there just in time to go eat pizza with Grandma and Grandpa.  When we were done eating, we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's house where Tenley played and danced and sang for our entertainment.  It was a fun night and although your sister didn't sleep very well, we were still happy to be there.

Saturday started nice and early because we had a very special baby shower to go to.  We woke up and wished Daddy a very happy birthday and then got ready to head to Fort Wayne for the day.  It was the day of our good friend Katherine's baby shower and it was so much fun to catch up with everyone.  The shower was beautiful and we are so excited for Baby Squadroni to get here in August.  We don't know yet whether Baby S is a boy or a girl, so that will be a fun surprise at the end of the summer.  I once again do not have a normal belly picture from this weekend, but we have something even better- pictures of Katherine (and Baby S), Tiffany (and Baby Boy Nichols), and Mommy (with Baby Bean) all standing together.  We will be having Tiffany's shower in two weeks where we will get similar pictures- it will be so fun to see how our bellies progress in the next 14 days. :)  Here are some pictures from the fun day:

Mommy (34 weeks), Katherine (24 weeks), and Tiffany (30 weeks)

Baby Bumps!

Top Row:  Mommy, Stephanie, and Tiffany
Bottom Row:  Christine, Jen, Jen, and Katherine

This group of girls is so special to Mommy.  We danced together for YEARS and were the best of friends growing up.  We spent many weekends at dance competitions together and took all of our family vacations as a group.  I am so excited that we get to see them all again in just two short weeks!

After the shower, it was time to celebrate Daddy's birthday.  We headed over to Aunt Lou and Uncle Bernard's where we ate a yummy dinner, watched the Kentucky Derby, and ate cake and ice cream.  We spent the rest of the evening talking and watching your sister dance.  It was perfect.

Sunday was another great day.  We went to church and then to McDonald's with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa, Aunt Lou and Uncle Bernard, Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Rand, and Uncle Terry.  After we ate some yummy food, we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's and spent the afternoon by the lake.  Tenley had fun fishing with Grandpa Rand and Daddy and then spent lots of time running around outside with Aunt Lou.  We ate a great dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and then had to leave.  It is always hard to leave Howe, but we are excited to know that we will be going back again for next weekend.

Daddy, Tenley, and Grandpa Rand fishing

I think Daddy will be excited if you are a little more enthused about fishing than your sister was!

Well, Bean, it is getting late and your sister needs to go to bed.  We have your biophysical profile appointment with Dr. Losure tomorrow and a midwife appointment with Bernie on Wednesday.  Hopefully both appointments will be great and we will be all set for another week.  I will try to fill you in on everything in a couple of days, but in the meantime please keep kicking in there and I can't wait to meet you soon!