25 weeks, 4 days - Dear Baby: A note from Dad

Mom’s hand in perfection

Dear Baby,

We had our 25 week doctor appointment today, and it seemed the perfect opportunity for me to write my first blog to you because 1) I’ve been meaning to for quite some time and 2) the outcome of today’s appointment was such that your modest mom can’t be trusted to report it in full detail.  Dr. Elliot glanced at your mom’s chart and noted her weight:  “perfect.”  He listened to your heartbeat:  “perfect.”  He felt you in your mom’s tummy:  “perfect.”  So strong was this assessment in nearly everything that the doctor must have used that word a dozen times in half as many minutes, and his questions, “how are you feeling,” “any abdominal pain,” “any cramping,” weren’t so much questions as perfunctory requests for statements he already knew to be true.

Your perfect heartbeat is measuring at 130 bpm, which, according to the old wives’ tale, indicates you’re a baby boy.  We need to get an official family pool going on this…

The doctor also told us that you and your mom can travel with you in her belly up to around 34 weeks, which means that the date your mom and I are supposed to babysit for your cousin Carter in Atlanta is right on the cusp of that.  Your mom said she really wanted to go though, and the doctor said it was ok.  So barring any issues, you’ll get to spend some good quality time with your cousin again at the end of June.

Even though we got such great news today, you should know that things often aren’t perfect.  Even so, things are often beautiful and useful in ways you might not see at first.  Take for example your mom’s hands, which she has always regarded as a distinct imperfection.  Dr. Elliot told us that because your mom is nice and tall and because her hands have nice, broad palms, your delivery has a much greater chance to go smoothly.  I always tell your mom what beautiful hands she has, and here is the perfect proof.

Can’t wait to see how perfect you are in person.

Love,

Dad

25 weeks, 2 days - Belly pic!

Ugh. It just looks so fat to me.  I had this really romantic notion about pregnancy that I'd be fine with gaining weight and that I'd be so excited to be getting a belly.  Maybe it will change as the belly looks more and more pregnant, but as of now, it still looks and feels just so fat to me.  <sigh>  But, it means a healthy baby, so no real complaints.  Just innocent whining.  :)

25 weeks, 1 day - Dear Baby

Dear Baby,

As of today, you are approximately 13.5 inches long and about a pound and a half.  I can't believe you're that big.  You still quiet down significantly when I talk, but not completely like you did several weeks ago.  You're getting bigger and stronger seemingly every day.  In fact, these days, you have been waking me up in the middle of the night with your dancing and kicking.  I wish you'd be able to remember this time in utero when you grow up so that you could tell me what it is that you're doing so much in there.  And why you seem to like doing it so much when I'm sleeping.

Your Nana Deb and I spent last weekend shopping at consignment stores to get me some additional clothes to wear as you get bigger and I'm less and less able to continue with my normal things.  We also went to Babies R Us, where she helped your dad and me add more stuff to your registry.  I thought it would be super fun to register for things for you; as it turns out, it's quite a stressful prospect.  How will we know what you're going to need?  How can we know what's going to be best for you?  Nana Deb was a big help in that regard because both your dad and I were a little too overwhelmed to do a good job.

For your dad's birthday this year, you gave him a very nice card with a promise that you would move to Atlanta to be with him.  That was a very difficult decision for me to make, as it means that I'll be giving up my job and the flexibility to see my mom whenever I want to, but it seems to be the right decision for you and for our family.  You'll get to grow up with Gramma and Grandpa Rehbein, all of your Rehbein aunts and uncles, your Terlizzi cousins, and, of course, your father.  It's very sad and hard for me to think about moving away from Washington, DC, which I love and consider home, but when I think of the quality of life you'll be able to experience there versus here, it's the only decision that really makes sense.

In the card where you told your dad that we'd be moving, you included a "Get Out of Relocation Free" card.  Here's what it looked like:

 

You had it printed on a piece of orange card stock so it looked just like one of the Chance cards from Monopoly, which is what it was based on.  Your dad liked it an awful lot and laughed and laughed and laughed.  He said it was the best birthday gift he'd ever received.  Your Gramma and Grandpa Rehbein were the first people he showed it to and they were awfully pleased, too.  Gramma R took pictures of both the birthday card and the Monopoly card so she could save them.  Maybe we'll be able to find the pictures one day when you're old enough to read so you can see them for yourself.

Have a wonderful next few months, Baby!  I'm doing my best to keep you safe and warm and provide you with all the best exercise and nutrition that I can.  I can't wait to meet you in a few short months!

Love,

Mama 

25 weeks, 0 days - How pregnant am I?

So, I've gone back and forth with my mom and Sheri on when exactly I ended my first trimester and with the rest of the world on exactly when I can increment "how many month pregnant" I am.  I've been consistently using Baby Center's table during my reporting, so if you're wondering how many months along I think I am or what trimester I consider myself in, refer to the handy little table below:

 

Also, according to Baby Center, the baby is the size of a rutabaga this week.  I'm not sure about the family Rehbein, but the Pieper clan isn't exactly a rutabaga indulging group, so I've included a picture below so you can get an idea of what Baby is looking like these days:

That looks about the same size as the head of cauliflower that my ticker reports, doesn't it?  Baby Center reports that the baby is 1.5 lbs and 13.5 inches, head to heel.  The ticker says 1.8 lbs.  Not the same, but pretty close.  So weird to think that there's something THAT big inside of me.  And sooo cool.  :)

24 weeks, 4 days - A Note from Nana Deb

A Newborn's Conversation with God

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow,
but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have
to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you.
And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the small child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand
when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words
you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will
teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach
you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach
you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth
could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave
now, please tell me my angel's name."

God said, You will simply call her,   "Mom."

24 weeks, 1 day - Baby Fun Fact #2

Baby Fun Fact #2: These days, babies born as early as 24 weeks have a fair to good chance at survival.

Holy moses!  Obviously, we don't want baby to be born for several months yet but it's awfully comforting to know that, if something happened and he DID come, there's a fair to good chance he'd survive.  Yes, he'd likely have long-term issues, but wowzers!  That's a pretty big milestone.  :D

23 weeks, 6 days - Baby gone crazy

Oi. This baby. I'm not sure what's gotten into it lately, but hot damn, has it been doing some mad gymnastics. I've had a pretty bad tummy ache when I wake up in the morning the past few days and, along with that, it seems like the baby is FREAKING OUT with activity. I told Phil and Sue this past weekend that I could feel movement, but I couldn't ever tell if it was just a small movement or a big one that goes all the way across my tummy unless I feel it from the outside. I must retract that statement. As of yesterday morning, I could feel this little nugget squirming in circles on the left side of my tummy. I'm sure you'd have been able to see it from the outside, but it didn't occur to me to look until it was too late. But again, I've had a stomachache the past two mornings... so I ask you this: does gastrointestinal distress cause a baby to be more active? Does the baby hear the gurglings of my guts and try to get away from it? I don't want to make the baby uncomfortable, but it's kind of neat to feel little Baby moving around that much. :)

23 weeks, 5 days - More Gender Predictions

Those old wives. Why do they have an answer for everything? I'd be so interested to hear what Aunt Le or Gramma Marcia had to say about the old wives' gender predictions, but here's the latest one I found: dry skin = boy. Mine has been flaking off my face, cracking on my hands and breaking across my knuckles. Lotion burns but it's the only thing to keep me from turning into a lizard. So, if those old wives are correct, then boy-oh-boy!

Additionally, I was in Atlanta this past weekend and both Aunt Amy and Gramma Rehbein commented on how I am "totally showing." Amy said "a lot." Sue didn't think so at first, but as the time wore on, she decided that I was actually showing a lot more than she'd originally thought. I still haven't had a stranger notice it yet (other than my bikini waxer), but I'd have to think that's coming soon! Hooray!! I'll post a new belly pic on Thursday and you can weigh in on how much you think I'm showing. I've been feeling a lot fatter these past few days, so maybe it's finally here!

23 weeks, 0 days - Dear Baby

Dear Baby,

Today, you are 23 weeks old. I guess we won't count that once you're born, but that's how far you are along the development timeline. My book said that I should write you a letter. I feel a little bit sheepish doing it on this public blog, but I'm eventually going to print the whole thing out as a keepsake for you, so I guess this is as good a place to do it as any.

I hope that you are happy, little Baby. I hope that Matt and I are good parents to you and that we always put your needs first, that we're never selfish or make decisions based on pride or stubbornness. I hope that you are healthy and smart and beautiful and kind and good and generous. I hope that life is good to you and hard enough to make you strong without being so difficult that you become discouraged. I hope that you are optimistic and a change maker. I hope that you make good choices. I hope that you make the world a better place.

I know that you will be profoundly loved. I know that you will have support in all that you do.

I am sorry that you'll never meet your Papa Pieper. He knew about you before he passed away and was so excited to be a Grandad. He was a very hard worker and was loved very dearly by many. I hope that I get to see some of him in you. I am sorry that the world holds so many challenges for young people these days. I am sorry that I will not be able to shelter you from all the pain and discomfort that will occur in life, but I will be there to support and love you through it all.

I am afraid that we will not be as good at being parents to you as our parents were to us. I am afraid that your childhood won't be as happy as our childhoods were. I am afraid that we'll make the wrong choices by giving you too many opportunities or too few and will limit your potential or not support it so that you can grow and thrive and become the beautiful person you are destined to be. I am afraid that I will do or say something that will cause you harm in a way that we won't know about until it is far too late to change it.

You are 23 weeks old today. You have around 17 left to grow and develop before we get to meet you. I can't wait to see your little face and hands and toes, to kiss your little tummy and pet your little head. I look forward to finding out if you'll be a Henry or a Delilah, to see if you have hair, to get to know your personality and to watch you grow and develop.

I love you, little Baby. Keep up the good work and we'll see you in a few months.

love Mama

22 weeks, 6 days - Hot Flashes

I got my first hot flash today. I never really understood what a hot flash was until now. I always assumed it was just a matter of feeling hot all of a sudden and, while that really is what it is when you break it down, it seemed a lot more alarming to me than that. I got REALLY hot all of a sudden. Like take my breath away, I'm having trouble breathing and feeling a little sick, hot. It was so bizarre. I was soaked with sweat and actually had a really weird craving for sugar along with it. All I could think of was taking off all my clothes and laying down. So I got super tired with it as well. I mean really, it was one of the most bizarre experiences of my life. I wonder if this is what menopause hot flashes are like. A few minutes later, I was back to my normal, always cold self only now I'm covered in sweat so I'm even colder than I usually am and my tummy kind of hurts from munching on these stupid sour gumballs. I guess I kind of know what my dad felt like; he used to sweat when he'd eat and then he'd just be so cold and uncomfortable that he could hardly stand it. I didn't sweat as heavily as he did, but again, I feel cold and gross now. What a weird, weird thing.

22 weeks, 1 day - Belly Pic!

As you can see, it's steadily growing. I'm not wearing tight pants like I usually do for these pics, but I think you can still see that there's a definitive belly in there. People who don't know still aren't realizing it, but those of us who do can surely see it. :)

21 weeks, 6 days - More Info and Gender Speculation

I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that Baby's heartrate was 148. As we've heard previously, the old wives predict that a heart rate above 140 = girl. I still think it's a boy, though. And still, I have no reason to think that. But I do.

Also, next appointment is on April 30 at 9:45. That's the diabetes test. They sent me home with a bottle of kool-aid that I'm supposed to drink 30-45 minutes before arriving. I'm kind of nervous about this test, though everyone assures me it will be fine. It'll be nice to have it behind me. Otherwise, most of the really fun stuff is over, I think:

• I've felt her move.
  
• I've started showing.
  
• I'm feeling good.
  
• We had the big sonogram.
• We got pictures.
  

I think really, the next landmark will be entering the third trimester and then having the baby! Weird. It's still a long way away yet. We're past the 1/2 way point, but still plenty, plenty, plenty of time to plan. It suddenly felt like the baby was coming in a matter of weeks after we got the sonogram because she looked so developed. I just have keep reminding myself that, no matter how developed that little hand looks or that little spine seems, Baby is still smaller than my hand. And we sure don't want baby to be born while she's that small. She's got a long way to go yet.

Baby was up tap dancing or something last night. Since I've now seen how she moves, I can't help but try to envision what it is that she's doing in there. It was really bad this morning, though. From about 4 am until 6 am, she was super duper active, so much so that I couldn't sleep. I didn't try talking to her or reading, which, in retrospect, was stupid since I have found that the sound of my voice tends to make her calm down. But all I could imagine was this silly baby in there doing somersaults. Over and over again. The movement was big and high, not like the little hiccups I feel so frequently; they were strong, active, movey movements. Super annoying when you're trying to sleep but still so cool.

21 weeks, 5 days - Introducing Baby Rehbein, I!

"Hey."

So, there you have it, folks! There is, in fact, a baby in there! An uncooperative, surly, unwilling to be photographed baby, but a baby nonetheless! Hooray! Since Baby was being so grumpy, we didn't get the profile pic that is so famous (Matt speculates it's because Baby is aware of his over-sized proboscis and is already ashamed and avoiding head shots). We did, however, get some good ones of him rolling away from the poking and prodding of the sonogram tech. Here are a couple of him doing a somersault of sorts:

I think the spine and bones look really gross but Matt thinks it's super cool. Quite frankly, gross as I think it is, I'm rather pleased that Baby has a spine, so I'm not going to complain too much. I just wish it didn't look so much like something from a horror movie. You know, like a headless, spiny alien.

Also, please note that we are no longer referring to Baby as "Sputnik." Apparently, the due date on my chart was wrong, so when Dr. Elliot told me that Baby was measuring ahead and big, it was because he thought we were working with an 8/24 due date. As it stands, Baby is measuring exactly on track, save for his super long femur. Looks like this little dude is getting those long Rehbein legs. Huzzah! No trollish stumps like his mama! Whoopie!

(Please note that we did NOT find out the gender of the baby. I'm just arbitrarily choosing a gender based on my mood for the day, so please don't put any stock into the use of he/she in my updates)