I was waiting to post again until I had some definitive news on how the baby was doing. Let me give you the fun background drama first...
I dropped Owen off at the dear Lott's house and then headed for the ultrasound last Tuesday. After waiting for an hour, the ultrasound technician takes me in and starts taking measurements. But, I can't see the screen. I had told her we didn't want to know the sex, so I thought maybe that was making her hesitant regarding letting me see MY baby. So after about 45 minutes, I ask to see the baby and she shows me the screen for all of about 3 minutes. Very disappointing, but at least I got to see the baby for a bit. Then, at the end of the ultrasound, I say, "So is the baby measuring small?" She says, "We're not allowed to get involved. You'll have to speak to your medical provider." That's when my heart dropped and I thought, "Insufficient Placenta! Emergency C-Section! Ahhhhh!" and other rational pregnant lady thoughts. This technician and I had been chit-chatting the whole time, so I figured any decent person would be like, "We're not allowed to talk about it, but don't worry," and give a little wink or something.
Anyway, I'll fast forward through the crying in the car on the phone to Zach, crying in the Lott's house, and crying more at home and skip to the part when Zach discovers this is simply their stupid policy: don't tell anything. I called the midwife the next day and she said she didn't have the report yet, but they would have called her right away if something was wrong. She called me today with the report in hand and said the baby is measuring for January 11th and looks perfectly fine. She said, "You must just carry small and hide the baby," which of course I knew the whole time - I've done this pregnancy thing before - but you know, these people keep messing with my head!
That's the update on that. Let's not talk about it anymore. One more thing: Zach is amazing. When I got home that night and was so upset he said, "What do you need?" I, in my pathetic, self-pitying state, said I just wanted to cry but he fed and put Owen to bed while I took a bath, and then he ran out and got dinner. It was very restorative.
In other news, Thanksgiving was great! We had great food and fun at the Manning's house and then went hiking with them the next day. We attempted a few family shots for Christmas cards this year, so I won't post any potentials. That way you'll get the full effect when you open up that envelope. Here are the cousins:
There was a lovely waterfall.
And the best part was the snow!
One last thing, the slipcover is complete! It turned out much better than I thought. We're going to add some buttons to the top, but otherwise it's hemmed and all set. Not bad for our first attempt at a big sewing project, and most importantly, we can take it off and wash it!
BEFORE
AFTER
First pensive thoughts
First time sewing buttonholes
First time enjoying the armchair
First bathtime
First doctor's visit
First walk with the baby
First out-of-town visitors
First Build A Bear experience
First time we threw a birthday party for our child
First Brother Tummy Time
He's here! Caelum Zembruski Ashton was born on January 9th, 2011. He's healthy and adorable. Our little tease kept us in suspense for a while, but the birth story will follow in a succession of posts. For now, here are a few pictures.
For all those concerned (as I know I was), Owen is doing great with the baby. He prefers that we hold Caelum all the time: "Mommy, hold baby." He's very gentle with his little brother and is so happy to have his Daddy home everyday.
In other news, Thanksgiving was great! We had great food and fun at the Manning's house and then went hiking with them the next day. We attempted a few family shots for Christmas cards this year, so I won't post any potentials. That way you'll get the full effect when you open up that envelope. Here are the cousins:
There was a lovely waterfall.
And the best part was the snow!
We had a midwife appointment today, since we're at the every two week point (!!!). While I feel like I'm HUGE and have gained a lot of weight, I'm apparently measuring small for my due date. Tomorrow we'll have an ultrasound to "make sure the baby's still growing." This is not surprising to me, as the exact same thing happened with Owen. Remember, he was a little peanut at 5 pounds 13 ounces. Nevertheless, I hate hearing that everything's not absolutely perfect regarding the health of the baby, so even though I'm hopeful that things are fine, I'm a little saddened at the news. With Owen, my amniotic fluid level was low at about this stage in the game, so I was put on "moderated bed rest" in which I was told to rest and drink water all day. This worked well enough. I'm curious if it's a matter of fluid levels again, or if the baby was just in a weird position when she was measuring me. I guess we'll find out more tomorrow.
And now, Thanksgiving has come and gone! We once again celebrated with the Mannings and had a delicious meal. The next day, we went to Mt. Baldy and hiked to a waterfall. The kids got to play in snow which was great fun.
