Week 32

We're another month into the pregnancy - 8 months already!!! I know I say this every week - but time is going by fast..and slow at the same time! It's hard to believe that they baby will be here in 6-8 more weeks! I'm hoping he/she comes a few weeks early - I'm thinking that a 09/09/09 baby would be cool! Things are still going well for the most part. It's getting harder to bend over and I must have poor circulation on my right side because my right foot swells up, along with having pain in my right wrist. I've been trying to drink lots of water to help flush out the extra fluid, which is helping. Sometimes my foot swells so much that it is painful to walk..and my wrist feels as if I've developed carpal tunnel some days - which is normal during pregnancy. I sometimes have trouble gripping silverware or picking things up...and my hand falls asleep quite often. But I would take these few symptoms over the fact that I've never had morning sickness, heartburn, etc. any day! Here's what's going on this week:

In the latest womb reports, your amazing baby has now developed sensitivity to temperature! This means you’ll probably get a swift kick if you put a hot pad on your ginormous belly. For the Elton John lovers out there-- yes, baby’s got blue eyes. At this point, all babies do, although depending on their chromosomal disposition, this could easily change after birth (or even between now and labor), but for the time being, blue it is. Thanks to their recently matured lungs and a remarkably strong immune system, over 90% of babies born in their 32nd week, survive premature births. So it’s pretty much a done deal. Even if your little monkey’s planning on heading out early, their survival odds are in everyone’s favor. Time to celebrate (no, no, wait until after the birth to crack open the champagne!) We’re talking baby-showers and alcohol-free punch!

Speaking of baby showers: My mom is throwing me my first shower this weekend and I am SO EXCITED! She has put many hours into planning and decorating - I know it will be a great shower! I can't wait to get new stuff for the baby! The less we have to buy, the better! While we are home for the shower, we are also taking some pregnancy belly pictures - so check back later next week for those!

Round Two

Adam's first time rollerblading!

Michael and Kaitlyn on the golf course

We had our second round of visitors this weekend...Michael and Kaitlyn! They stayed Friday and Saturday night - we had a great time! Kaitlyn brought pickle rolls, taco dip and the BEST Oreo dessert ever!!! They also gave us a little hawkeye outfit for the baby - it was their gift to us for letting them stay! It will be the baby's Saturday outfit to wear while he/she cheers on the hawks with Adam!

We stayed pretty busy...Friday night we played a few games and were in bed by 11:30. We got up Saturday morning and went golfing. Kaitlyn and I watched the guys golf the first 9 holes, then we got in the action on the last 9. We played 'couples alternate shot' style - needless to say, Adam and Michael were probably a bit annoyed with our awesome shots! The good news is that we tied! After golfing we stopped for some ice cream and followed that with a long nap! For supper we grilled burgers and had sweetcorn. Between the four of us - we ate 19 ears!!!! After resting our full bellies for a little bit, we went skating at the roller rink! I guess we're all young at heart because we had a great time! We ended the night with a game of Phase 10 and we were pretty much wore out! It was a great weekend - we all had lots of fun!

***This is NOT the first, second or third time Michael fell!

31 Weeks

The baby countdown is now down to single digits in terms of the number of weeks to go! SO SO SO crazy! I'm still feeling pretty good- it's getting harder to put on shoes, shave my legs, get in and out of the car, etc. The only downside is the weight gain - considering I've had no major cravings - I've gained 25 pounds....YIKES! We had a check up today with the doctor and everything is going well! The baby's heart rate is slowing down - it is now about 140 beats per minute. I'm willing to bet money that we're having a BOY! The baby is positioned like an upside down 'u' in my stomach (i guess that would make it a lowercase 'n'?) It's feet are underneath my left rib, with the back curving across the top of my stomach and right side, and the head is down near the right side of my pelvis. He/she is very active and kicks A LOT! Luckily not in my ribs yet! Here's what's going on with the wiggle worm this week:

Your not-so-little-one is just a bit closer to their birth weight and height at around 4 pounds and 17 inches. With each added layer of baby fat, your baby's skin starts to look more and more like it will when they finally get to see the light of day. The heavy news: you can expect your miracle-gro muffin to gain about a half a pound of weight per week from now until about two weeks before birth. Great. That's just what you needed. Even more weight to carry around!
Your baby's still-developing immune system has gained substantial strength over the past few weeks getting them in full gear to face our disease-ridden world o’ wonders. Obviously, a large majority of your child’s immune strength will be derived from exposure to breast milk as well as the outside elements. Their cute little noggin’ (which could already be covered with luscious locks or just purty peach fuzz), is still soft because the skull bones have not yet fused together. As much as that sounds a little too vulnerable, their “skull softness” allows for a much smoother passage through the birth canal during labor—something both you and your little swimmer will appreciate when it’s finally time to “go!” Also, some babies will have that “soft spot” on their head for up to one year after birth.

Fun Couple Days!

Hi! I'm Brett Bachtle and I am making my own blog on the Nerliens blog spot because I have been Staying at at Brooke and Adam's house for a couple of days. I posted pictures to tell you what we have been doing for a couple of days. Please comment.

Me and Brooke got back from Mason City we shucked sweet corn for supper.

Yum!!!

Later we went to the grocery store and got some stuff for supper.

On Monday night me and Brooke ate at Lupita's for supper.

This morning Brooke went for a walk on the track.

I played on the playground!

On Monday and Tuesday we went to the Roller Rink and skated!

We had the hole rink to ourselves!!!

Today I went swimming it was SO FUN!!!

After wards Adam and I went to Brooke's check-up and after that we had ice cream from a shop in Clarion! ( Its a tradition for them to get ice cream after a check-up)

Before I started making this blog we played a game of Dominoes

Here is a video of me and Brooke skating!

Visitors

There's not much new going on around here...grilling, golfing and relaxing I guess. This week we are having a few different visitors stay with us. Brett came down yesterday afternoon and is staying until tomorrow or Wednesday. We have been keeping busy - but I'm keeping it a secret because Brett is going to make his very own blog entry before he leaves. He has been taking pictures to document what we've been doing! This weekend Michael and Kaitlyn are coming to stay with us for a night. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we'll be able to go golfing and grill out! It's hard to believe that July is already winding down! Anyways...check back for Brett's blog!

New Camera

I've been wanting to buy a new camera for awhile now and finally broke down and bought one. Adam and I both have mediocre digital cameras but they aren't very dependable, and with a little one coming I know there will be LOTS of picture taking! I didn't want anything big and bulky, but yet wanted it to take good pictures and even some video. After some research, I decided to go with the Sony Cyber Shot. In addition to the face detection technology, image stabilizer, and video capabilities; I am most excited for the 'smile shutter' feature!

Smile Shutter™ technology:
The popular Smile Shutter™ technology automatically detects and captures a smiling face. Simply activate by pressing the Smile Shutter button and the camera will capture a smile the moment it happens. You can also select subject priority (Adult or Child Priority or touch subject on screen) and indicate the degree of Smile Detection Sensitivity to high (small smile), medium (laugh) or low (grin). Smile Shutter also makes a great substitute for the self timer. Just smile once everyone is ready, and the camera will automatically capture the shot.

I'm sure this feature will come in handy - it always seems like a challenge to capture a baby's smile!

And the best part of the story is that I got a great deal on Amazon! I knew I could find one cheaper online than in the stores. So after shopping around, I found it on amazon.com for $20 cheaper than in the stores! I also got a 4 GB memory card to go with it that was also $30 cheaper than in stores. So my grand total of the camera, memory card, AND shipping, was only $2 more than the store price of the camera alone! Aren't I a bargain shopper or what?! The shipment should be here in the next 5 days - can't wait to try it out!

30 Weeks!!!

I cannot believe that I'm 3o weeks pregnant today! Time has gone by both fast and slow. I have a feeling that these last 10 weeks will go s l o w ! I hope the baby comes a week or two early because we are so anxious to meet him or her. We probably say 'I wish the baby was here!' about a dozen times per day between Adam and I. I enjoy being pregnant, but want the baby here NOW! With my luck, I'll go to 42 weeks! Anyways, here's what's happening with the baby this week:

The light is visible at the end of the tunnel! Your oversized self and amazing growing baby have finally reached the single digits (in terms of weeks till birth)! The fine lanugo hair that has been growing all over their little monkey-like body is going to start falling off this week in preparation for the big day. But don’t be shocked if they’re hairier than you’d anticipated, some babies keep their lanugo until after birth. Still, it’s not any cause to be concerned as it will fall off eventually. No surprises here: your little porker is getting even cuter with increasingly pudgy arms and legs this week thanks to the ever-growing layers of subcutaneous fat. In terms of numbers, your baby should be weighing in at around 3 pounds 12 ounces (or more!) and be nearly 16 inches long.

New Member

Meet the newest member of the family: the recliner!!!! It's awesome!!! We decided that we'd need one of these when the baby comes - so far its been a great investment! ( I think Adam has already taken 2 naps in it and we've only had it for 3 days)

We also bought a small dresser for the nursery. It goes great with the crib and changing table and is just the right size!

The nursery is coming together. We're just waiting on a glider now and I think we'll be set! And some wall art or something - mom I'll need your help in this department!

29 Weeks

We had a routine Dr. appointment today and everything went well. I hate seeing the number increase on the scale, but I know it's a good thing. The baby is measuring right on track and has a strong heartbeat. We start going to the Dr. every two weeks now...I can't believe the pregnancy is on the home stretch! Our Dr. asked to see the 3-D ultrasound pictures, which I had a few with me. He thinks he/she is chubby - lol- I love chubby babies! Here's whats going on during week 29:

If you’ve been feeling butterflies moving around in your belly, it’s not just your run-of-the-mill pre-birth performance anxiety. No, it’s your amazing baby with a case of the hiccups: a fairly common occurrence at this point resulting from practicing breathing for their big birthday. In addition, to getting a round of butterfly-like hiccups, your little swimmer has arduously managed to accumulate enough baby fat to account for nearly 3.5% of their overall body weight. Yeah, compared to we adults, it’s not a lot, but when they’re little like that—it’s certainly a healthy (and warming) accomplishment in its way. Another fantastic accomplishment: your baby's spleen is now in charge of hematopoiesis—the 10 dollar name for the process involved in building up certain important blood components. Another fantastic-accomplishment: your little monkey has been peeing into their amniotic sac for a little while now (this is why potty training takes a while) and if you didn’t know, actually swallows it along with the rest of the amniotic fluid. Although the concept is nasty, their urine is sterile and as part of the amniotic fluid base, is replaced several times throughout the day. So if you didn’t know before, now you can tell people, that yes, you drank your own urine—you were still in the womb, but nonetheless, you’ve been there.

In other baby news: We registered for baby stuff this past weekend at Target. We had so much fun! I let Adam feel important by being in charge of the scanner...he got a little out of control at times and scanned random things we were walking by, so I had to go online and do some editing! He wanted to register for a lot of random things that I had to decline...then he would say to my stomach, "Did you hear that baby? Your mommy is being mean and won't let you have that!" It was so cute...I still laugh about it.

3-D Ultrasound

So we had the 3-D ultrasound done on Friday and it was AMAZING!!! It was so much fun watching the baby move around inside and to see what he or she looks like! By the way, both of our families are calling 'it' a he now..everyone thinks we're having a boy, and Adam and I agree. The baby was taking a nap during the u/s and had its hands in front of the face up until the last 5 minutes, but we were still able to get some great pictures. We ended up with 38 pictures, however I'm only posting 11 of them, I already feel like I'm going to be one of those moms always showing off baby pictures! The baby is doing great and looked healthy. 'It' weighed 2 lbs and 11 oz, which puts him/her at the 53rd percentile. He/she is already in the 'head-down' position and ready to go! Last time we had an u/s the baby was laying transverse, so that explains all the movement in my belly! It was very cute watching the baby suck on its hand, and it even tried sucking on the placenta and umbilical cord, which is normal I guess. We already think we have a beautiful baby and love him/her so much- take a look at the pics and see for yourself!

Here I am - hiding behind my hands trying to take a nap

I already know how to play peek-a-boo!

Since I wouldn't wake up, they decided to see if I have any hair. And I do - look at the white fuzzies!

Look at my chubby baby legs! Mommy is obsessed with them already!

I stopped being stubborn for a few minutes so everyone could see me. Aren't I precious?!

Check out my chubby cheeks! I'm so cute!

OK go away now! Ha Ha you can't see me anymore!

I sure am hungry - where's my thumb?!

Look - I already know the sign for 'I Love You' - one less thing mom has to teach me

You already took enough pictures - I give this ultrasound two thumbs up

I'm so tired - let me sleep

It's a ......

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to Ashley and Ryan for expecting a little baby boy this November! Now did you really think I was talking about me?! Ashley and Ryan found out the gender of their baby yesterday and are very excited! Adam and I are excited for them too and that everything looked healthy. I have 3 friends having babies this fall and ALL 3 of them are having boys!! So - will I jump on the bandwagon and have a boy too? Or try to even things out by having a girl? I guess we'll find out in 12 more weeks! We are having a 3-D ultrasound tomorrow and we're really hoping that we don't accidentally find out the gender. I guess it's a risk we're willing to take in order to get a better look at our baby! I probably won't get the pictures from the ultrasound up until Sunday because we're heading back to Northwood for the 4th of July. We hope everyone has a FUN and SAFE weekend! Happy early Birthday America!!!

sweet tooth

Here are the few pictures from the 'Ice Cream Capitol of the World' - a.k.a Blue Bunny in LeMars, IA.

By the Blue Bunny truck

mmmmmmmmmm ice cream!

I've never really had a sweet tooth - but it is slowly beginning to develop! Today at work I was stealing spoonfuls of cheesecake filling whenever I went back to the kitchen and I've got brownies baking in the oven right now! Fudgesicles and bomb pops are hanging out in the freezer, only because our freezer is too full to house a gallon of ice cream. But don't worry - Adam and I still manage to go out for ice cream at least once a week!