Baby Belly Pictures

Russ and I scheduled a maternity shoot about a month ago and it didn't work out due to his work schedule. I was super bummed but figured we have a lot of pictures from around the past year with engagement photos and our thousands (yes, literally thousands) of wedding photos. Last night my good friend Monika came over to celebrate our birthdays. We're both September 8 babies, we're 8 years apart and I met her the night I met Russ. She has been an amazing friend and I always love our time together. Last night after dinner she offered to take some photos of Russ and I. Not too bad considering we literally don't have one blank wall (or even one white wall) in our place. These are also the first "bare belly" pictures I've taken and we had a great time. 3 weeks til our due date! Thanks Monika!

 

 

36 Weeks!

One month to go... the countdown is on! I had my 36 week appointment yesterday and am now officially measuring 40 weeks. Guess that's why I feel ready to 'pop'. The doctor also checked me for dilation and I'm already at 1 cm and 50% effaced. It can be common to dilate a bit early but not neccessarily 4 weeks- especially for a new mom. My doula thinks I might be having this baby a couple of weeks early. Last night I packed my bag and it's by the door. Russ has been working nights for a week now and I'll be glad to have him back home again tonight. Had my first labor dream last night!

Action Shot!

I thought I'd try and experiment with the new camera while we were in Port Angeles for the weekend. Here's Russ in action, running across a huge log and jumping off. I got a lot more in the sequence but can't quite figure out how to make a great collage out of it. It will be good to have this feature when trying to take pictures of our little guy since they move so fast!

Update

Last week at my 34 week appointment everything was routine until the end when she measured my uterus. I had been measuring spot on until the 2 weeks before when I was a little ahead but this time my Doctor had a surprised look on her face and said, "Let's go ahead and schedule you an ultrasound for next week." I was measuring at 39 weeks- almost 5 weeks ahead! No wonder everyone I see keeps saying, "Wow...any day now!?" The doctor said there might be a few reasons for this but that she suspects we are having a big baby. There are a lot of super tall guys ( and gals) in Russ' family so it wouldn't surprise me. Yesterday Russ and I went in for my ultrasound. It was definitely exciting to see our little man again since usually you don't get to do that so late in the game. If you don't believe in God, have a baby.... it's amazing to see how he has everything he needs inside there. The ultrasound tech and radiation Doc did their thing and have estimated that Baby Dray is already 6 lb 7 oz!! I was only 6 lb 9 oz when I was born! He is in the 77th percentile. There is margin for error when estimating weight but the good news is, he's a hearty little guy. I'm also on the higher end for amniotic fluid so that could also contribute to my tummy sticking so far out. Last night, Jennifer- our Doula, came over over for our prenatal appointment to talk about our birth plan,etc.. I felt really confirmed in our choice to hire her. She really knows her stuff and gave me a lot of confidence about the whole thing. Next time we see her should be while I'm in labor. She also said that because he's of a higher weight, we might be expecting a slightly earlier delivery. Basically I need to pack my bags. This is really happening! :)