Jackson Arrives!

Any Volunteers for THIS?

My favorite nightly saying is "My feet need rubbed!" (This would be the Pittsburghese version of "My feet need to be rubbed.")

32 Weeks and SWOLLEN

Here are the quick facts:

Had my 32 week check up today...
-my fundal height (how big my belly is) is measuring at 32 cm, exactly where it should be; still, this baby seems like he is big because he is always poking out of my belly. See if you can find his leg poking out in the attached picture!
-blood pressure is wonderful: 110/60
-put on SIX pounds in the past TWO weeks- have now hit 31 total pounds for my pregnancy, yet my BMI still registers in the normal, healthy weight category- ha! My Ob is happy with this number since I was so far underweight when I got pregnant. She also thinks a lot of the weight is probably due to fluid, which makes sense because...
-my wedding and engagement rings officially no longer fit
-the only shoes I can squeeze these sausage feet into are my sneakers (although they are a tight fit, and I am going to borrow a larger pair from a friend) and my fake Uggs. Even the larger flats I bought over a month ago for pregnancy have become too tight.
-Steve is starting to hear back about interviews. Since interview season and my due date coincide, I spoke with my Ob today about when I would get induced (if it comes to that). They will induce at 41 weeks, which means this baby will be out by January 17 (my nephew Thomas' 5th birthday)!
-Due to Steve's interviews, I already know I will need weekday company the night of January 27 and March 13! Volunteers?

Baby Leckie Takes on Deep Dish

Last weekend baby Leckie took his first trip to a big city (it was mommy's first trip there too!). Steve spent five days in Chicago at the annual spine conference. There, he presented in front of thousands of other surgeons and academics and received the $10,000 check that he got to touch for 5 seconds before it was ripped from his claws and sent to the spine lab. Mommy and baby joined him there for the weekend. We had a fantastic time walking the city (about 5 miles per day), visiting the surgeons' museum, the planetarium and Navy Pier. We took a architecture tour via the river, and mommy got to ride the pregnancy-friendly Ferris wheel. That fell into the category of: if it's fun, pregnant woman aren't allowed to do it. What pregnant women are allowed to do is eat. And thank goodness baby really likes pizza! Baby even got his first Christmas ornament from Macy's to remember his first trip to Chicago by.

Built in Date

Sometime in the not too distant future, my son is not going to want to attend concerts with his mother. Unfortunately, now dad often can't attend concerts because of work. So, mom is taking advantage of enjoying the company of her son while he has no say in the matter ans she doesn't have another date.

In June, when I was just seven weeks pregnant, Steve and I went to see one of our favorite artists, Josh Ritter, at a free outdoor venue. As the opening band was wrapping up, Steve, who was on call, got paged and had to go into the hospital. I wanted to see the concert, so I stayed, alone. I rocked out to Josh with the baby and a few thousand strangers. This was actually the second time the baby had been to a Josh Ritter concert. The day we found out that we were pregnant also coincided with a trip to Baltimore to see soon-to-be Uncle Jake and Aunt Becca and also to see Josh Ritter play.

A week and a half ago, the baby (now 30+ weeks) and I ventured "solo" once again to a concert. Daddy was in Chicago for his big paper award and presentation and tickets were so hard to come by that I could only buy one anyway. So, I met up with some friends from work before the concert and then baby and I enjoyed Bruce Springsteen from the fourth row.

I will not be surprised if this baby comes out with some good rhythm, taking after his Uncle Jake. He also saw U2 this summer, Wicked this fall and went to a gospel show at the House of Blues last Sunday!

Quarter Pounder

Actually, make that quarter of a hundred pounder. Doctors recommend pregnancy weight gain of 25-35 pounds, and I have hit the low mark! Since I was just four weeks out of surgery when I got pregnant, I was about five pounds under weight, so I have been given the go ahead to gain up to 40 pounds. I am hoping to level between the 30-35 pound mark, but we will see what this body does! I am still craving sweets way more than ever before, and my workouts are dwindling to nothing. At this point, I am not supposed to get my heart rate above 140. At the gym on Saturday, I did a moderate workout on the elliptical and my heart rate was at 160. I think I am going to be confined to walking at this point, which really stinks since there are few days of outdoor walks left this fall!

Thank you, thank you, thank you

I truly cannot thank everyone enough for making Columbus Day weekend in Boston a true weekend to cherish and remember. Even as I made the fifteen minute walk from baggage claim to my car dragging a 50 pound bag and a diaper bag full, I had a smile on my face. From meeting my new "niece," to hanging with my nephews, to visiting with friends and family, to spending the afternoon on the ocean in October, it was truly a special weekend. Thank you to everyone who helped make my shower so touching; if this baby has even half of the love that his mommy does, he will be a very lucky little boy indeed. I appreciate so much the fact that so many people took the time to celebrate with me and especially that so many people traveled so far to do so.

Pregnancy is Exhausting

Extreme Makeover Home Edition!

The house has gotten quite a make over in the past few weeks. We have a new roof over part of the house, a newly fixed ceiling and painted downstairs bathroom that we can finally use after three years, and a lot of rooms with new fuctions. This summer, Steve and I transformed the "changing room" (which housed our dressers and my closet) into the nursery. This weekend, we moved the guest room from the second to third floor. We will turn the now vacant room on the second floor into a playroom and the third floor is slowly becoming a grandparent suite! The move was no easy task as the box spring would not make the tight turn onto the third floor. So, instead of spending hundreds on a box spring that can be assembled at home, we got instructions off of the Internet for cutting a box spring and then putting it back together. Luckily, it worked perfectly, and the bed is now set up on the third floor. We are planning a full suite up there, complete with a full bath, a tv and sitting area and a table and chairs. We are hoping to have lots of visitors in the year and a half after the baby comes and want them to be comfortable and have some privacy. We also thought they might appreciate not sharing a wall with the baby's room!

Between Two Milestones

This past week marked the official beginning to the third trimester! This coming week I will hit 28 weeks, which is the marker for when all babies should be able to survive out of the womb (although with a lot of medical assistance) as their lungs are well enough developed to breath. Because the baby is able to survive outside of mommy, my ob visits are now every other week until 36 weeks, when they will become weekly visits!

Registries

Some people have been asking Steve where we are registered, and he pointed them to the blog for the answer. So, I figured I better post it!

babiesrus (online and in store)
amazon.com
landofnod.com

Slowly but Surely...

The nursery is coming along. When I was in Boston in August I had my one and only pregnancy anxiety dream. In the dream, I was going into labor, and Steve and I were not prepared! We didn't have a car seat or a crib or anything! Thanks to Nana Ann and Jim's help with our crib and Costco's amazing deal on our dresser and changer, we are getting closer and closer to ready. Unfortunately, at this point if the baby came he would be sleeping on bed springs, as we don't have a mattress or bedding yet. Good thing we still have three months (and 8 days) to go!

What a Difference a Few Weeks Makes

Follow my bump progression at 10 day intervals: 22.5 weeks; 24 weeks; 25.5 weeks

A spine a daddy (who is going to be a spine surgeon) could be proud of

The anatomy ultrasound was one of the most exciting moments of the pregnancy. We got to see every part of this baby boy from each bone, to his bladder to his boy parts. Unfortunately, we were unable to get a good view of his spine, as he takes after mommy's stubbornness. The anatomy ultrasound checks to make sure that everything is where it should be and growing in proportion (with the bonus of finding out the baby's gender). Most importantly, especially for daddy, is the spine measurement that is obtained during this ultrasound to rule out (along with a blood test) spina bifida. In order to get the measurement, the baby has to be face down in mommy's uterus so that the spine is exposed with room around it. Despite twisting every which way on the bed (including having it tipped so my head was way down), emptying my bladder twice to make more room for him, and dancing about the room try to shake him into a turn, he wouldn't budge. So, we had a wait another few weeks before breathing easily. On Saturday, September 10, at 22.5 weeks, we were able to return for another ultrasound. Luckily, the little man was face down at the start of the ultrasound. He was also head down for the first time in my pregnancy. Here's hoping he doesn't return to that breach position! Thankfully, baby's spine is formed and straight and all looks good! Oh, and he also has my ski-jump nose :-) Check out that profile!

Twenty Pounds: Now and Then

Skinny Bim was not ALWAYs skinny. Flashback to Australia 2002. I weighed then what I do now, twenty pounds heavier than my pre-pregnancy starting weight. Then, the beer calories pakcefd a heavy punch all over. This time around, the weight distribution has been a bit more flattering and for a better cause. After dedicated weight gain to my thighs and butt in the first half of the 2nd trimester, I have been gaining all belly since September began.

Ready to be a big brother

These kitties really have no idea what they are in for. But for now, they are very excited (and oblivious) about all things baby. Patrick doesn't skip a beat when climbing on mommy's lap; he just gets perched up a little higher these days. Every moment I spend in the nursery, Patrick and Nikki join me and are very curious about all of the new additions to the house. Patrick was especially interested in this new bed that mommy got for him!

When in Western PA

Pregnancy brings out the lack of fun in everything. I have spent a summer missing out on my normal warm weather indulgences: boozing, water skiing, and riding roller coasters and water slides. The easiest way to remember what you aren't allowed to do while pregnant is simple: if it's fun, don't do it. So, during labor day weekend I decided to wrack my brain for a not too boring yet pregnant friendly activity. Answer: shooting guns. I rounded up the boys and a shot gun and headed into the wild, hickety woods of western Pennsylvania for a morning of clay shooting. Unfortunately, the weight and recoil of the gun were a bit much for my small, yet expanding, stature, so I only shot the gun a handful of times (and still ended up with a bruise). We shot some practice clays and then worked a course, where I did knock a few clays out of the sky!

Morula or Morulo?

The morning we found out that we were pregnant, we hopped in the car and spent four hours on a drive to Baltimore to see Steve's brother Jake and (soon to be!) sister-in-law Becca. On the way out the door we grabbed our Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy and spent the car ride reading about early pregnancy. Within three days of fertilization, the "baby" is made up of a cluster of 13-32 cells, resembling a raspberry called a "morula." That pet name has stuck throughout the pregnancy, and we foundly refer to Baby Leckie as "Morula." I had always wanted a boy baby before a girl baby, yet for some reason before I even realized I was pregnant, I started fixating on girl babies and have spent my entire pregnancy with the inkling that I was growing a little girl. We had our 19 week anatomy ultrasound this morning. Unfortunately, Baby Leckie was being sleepy and uncooperative (hopefully not a sign of things to come!) and wouldn't roll onto "its" tummy. So, we were unable to get a good look at the spine (ironically). I spoke with my doctor and my blood testing came out normal for spina bifida, which is detected through a combination of bloodwork and ultrasound. So, we will move foward assuming everything is healthy. All of the other limbs and organs were in the correct proportions and in the correct place. Our little one was wriggling "its" arms and legs and sucking "its" thumb! We even got a nice bicep flex in there! Hopefully that made the DVD that was burned for us. It was an intense and surreal morning, and for the first time ever in our relationship, I had to actually admit to my husband that I was wrong. Turns out we aren't having a Morula at all, but rather a MorulO. I must have been crazy to think that a Leckie/Showstead geneology might possibly produce a girl. Sorry, Grammy Showstead; you'll get a granddaughter someday.

Welcome to our Baby Blog!

Instead of posting pictures of my uterus on Facebook for people who I haven't spoken to in years to see, I thought I would create a baby blog to share the rest of the pregnancy journey (I'm almost half way through!) and of course the birth and growth of Baby Leckie with all of our out of town family and friends. My goal is to post once per week, so don't worry, I am not going to inundate you with moment by moment updates of the location of my cramps, my digestive progress and the new pregnancy brain fart I just had. If you would like, you may subscribe to the blog so that it will e-mail you when I post something oh so interesting like a picture of my big, fat belly! I am currently too fat for normal pants and apparently still too small for pregnancy pants. Thank god it's summer! I am living in dresses, especially the one in this picture, and have ONE pair of shorts and ONE pair of pants that currently fit. Working on a plan to have some clothes to wear when I return to school in a few weeks!