39 Weeks, 4 Days

THE STORK FLYING IS NEAR!!

We had a doctor's appointment today and I am dialated 1 cm and the cervix is very thin (doc felt his head). The baby's hearbeat sounds good, but doctor would like me to have him pretty soon in anticipation that he may be a big baby. She suggested I walk for a minimum of an hour each day this week to try for a natural induction. If Max does not come by this weekend, we will either be inducing or having a c-section on Tuesday, 1/18. Cody and I are still considering all of our options and what will be in the best interest of everyone, especially baby. Please pray for sound decision making on our part.

If you plan on being at the hospital, my suggestion is to have your bags packed and phones ready all week, but plan to be here by Tuesday. We are delivering at Kingwood Medical Center (www.kingwoodmedicalcenter.com). The delivery rooms are very small and they only allow for the father, plus one other person in the room at at time. After delivery, Cody and I get about an hour with our new arrival before they move him to the nursery for observation. We ask that during this first hour, we have some quiet time with oneanother without visitors. After this, they will move me to a recovery room down the hall and Max will join us in the room a couple hours later, which is where we will be able to have family and friends to visit. We cannot wait to celebrate this time with you and we are so greatful for our loved ones who will be there with us on this special day!

Since I didn't keep a pregnancy journal, I decided to record a few things about this experience here on my blog since I plan on printing this out for a keepsake. Read on if you like!

Favorite parts of pregnancy: Feeling baby move, planning nursery, daydreaming about baby

Most challenging parts of pregnancy: 1st trimester nausea, severely itchy skin in 2nd trimester, discomfort and no range of motion in 3rd trimester

Cravings: jalepeno poppers, chocolate, cereal, apples, and avocado

Dreams: cradling my sweet baby and the smell of baby, watching my boy grow up, taking him to swim lessons, the zoo, and watching him in extracurricular activities (whatever he loves to do)

How we decided a name: Cody has always liked the name Max and I thought it was both cute and fairly rare. Maximus reminded us of the movie Gladiator, Maximillion just didnt sound right, but Maxwell was perfect. Patrick is a family name. Many of the men in Cody's family have Patrick as their middle name, including daddy!

How Dad was feeling: Cody was first and foremost protective. He wanted to make sure I was safe, got plenty to eat, I had a safe car to drive, etc. Once he found out it was a boy, he wanted to make sure I got enough protein, so that same day we found out the sex, I came home from work to a steak dinner!

Signs of the time: President Barack Obama, Ipods and Ipads very popular, Gas costs around $2.80, Gulf Oil Spill, Harry Potter and Twilight Series, skinny jeans with big boots.

Misc/ Family Stuff: We currently have 2 chihuahuas- Jimmeny and Cricket. Jason and Tess just had baby boy Roman. We enjoy going to the dear lease in Trinity. I am working at MedCare Pediatrics and Cody works at McGlinchey Stafford.

36 Weeks

Here is Baby Max at 36 and 3/4 weeks. With just a few weeks to go, he is estimated to be 7'12'' with a chunky belly. The sonographer says he is eating very well! I love his sweet cheeks in this picture!

His heart beat was about 120 bpm.

I am currently not dialated at all yet, but have just started to feel some changes going on in my body the last couple of days... a good sign that we are getting ready to welcome a new life! Everything looks good with me and I am feeling pretty well and actually getting a little sleep lately.

We are so greatful to God for this little miracle and ask that you keep us in your prayers for the upcoming delivery!

My aunt Debbie and Abbey took some cute prego pics of me this weekend. I can't believe how big my belly looks!!

Our nursery is also coming along too. It's all boy, thats for sure!

Baby Max 26 Weeks

Well our little bambino is doing great! His full name will be Maxwell Patrick Peterson. His weight is estimated to be 2 pounds, putting him in the 60th percentile (meaning he is a little bigger than average). His heart looks and sounds beautiful, pumping at a rate of 142 bpm. And as you can see below, he already has fat little cheeks! Lately, he has been so active. Sometimes I think he is awake more than he sleeps! And as you can see from these semi clear pictures, he was on the move during today's ultrasound.

Mommy is doing well also. I am starting to feel my range of motion is limited, lots of stretching pain, and uncomfortable nights. All joys of pregnancy! My weight gain is current about 17-18 pounds. Keep in mind, the picture below is after I worked a full day, folded laundry, and cooked dinner! Not too flattering :)

Baby Boy Peterson- 18 Weeks

In case you have'nt already heard, we're having a BOY!!! We had a sonagram on Wednesday, 8/18/10 and baby is developing beautifully. He was 18 weeks at the time. All 5 fingers and all 5 toes were counted. We even saw the four chambers of his quickly beating heart! Prenatal testing has all come back with positive results and mommy is looking good too.

I am feeling great these days as well. I have plenty of energy during the day, but hit a wall about 9pm and head to bed early! My appetite is great as well, hair and nails growing like crazy, and have the most itchy skin every!
We are looking to have the baby shower in Houston, maybe the week before Halloween or the first week in November. I can't wait to celebrate my sweet little man with my friends and family!

I'm also full speed ahead on planning for the nursery! The plan right now is to go with classic boy colors like navy blue, maroon red, yellow, and green, and decorate with all kinds of boy interests and toys... sports, fire truck, army men, etc...

Here are a couple of the bedding sets I'm considering. Any thoughts/ suggestions are welcome!!

Baby at 12.5 weeks

Waving Hello!


Doc says baby and mommy are looking great so far! I'm starting to feel more energy during the day and most first trimester sickness has faded. We had to break this sonagram up into two segments because the sonographer needed baby to move but he/she was fast asleep! I was about to have to take a jog around the doctor's office, but to our surprise, baby finally awoke to show us plenty of moves!
Heartbeat is at 148 beats per minute and size is 7 cm (or about 2.75 inches).

I'm officially feeling my belly grow! No one can tell I'm pregnant yet, but I can't even button my pants!!! For the first time this morning, I was dry heaving in the trash can with morning sickness but it passed quickly. Only 2 more weeks to go in the first tri!

Here's what www.babycenter.com has to say about our baby this week.

Hello, Kim! Although he's barely the size of a kumquat -- a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom -- and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby now has completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature. If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

Baby's first photo!

Well, we finally had our first appointent today. I am 9.5 weeks and due January 21, 2011. In case you don't recognize that date, it's my dad's birthday! Our baby is already the cutest on the planet! Baby's heart was fluttering so fast- 160 beats per minute and measuring 2 centimeters. We even saw the baby wiggle! I think that was the coolest moment.

I am asked all the time how I am feeling. Well, the first month was pretty rough- nausea, colds, fatigue- but I have started feeling better over the last week. I finally have an appetite and actually want to eat. Yea!

Many moments in life turn out to be overrated when you finally go through it, but seeing that little growing person inside me was definitely not overrated. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life!