8.28.2008

26w

We're continuing to try to beautify the exterior of our home, and here are a few quick pics I took with my phone to try to capture what we've done...and here is the original photo just to give an idea of the changes made:
original photo (note the weeds to the left of the door & the overgrown bush to the right...)

the weeds have now been replaced with white river rock (with an underlayment of round-up & black cloth to keep those pesky weeds away for a long time)

neatly trimmed bushes (thanks to my dad) and you can see faintly in between the bushes are tall stalks of what-will-be-pink flowers, but the buds won't appear again til next year (thanks to my mom for providing & planting those)


and our mums!!! we now have two pots just like this one, one on each side of our front door on our porch. these are yellow and marroon and oh so happy!

so, aside from keeping up with the mowing, our next big venture for the outside of our home is to build a backyard fence & stairs so our pup can have room to run and run and run (and NOT bounce all crazily like in our living room...).
and regarding our sweet little Ava, she's 26 weeks today and quickly growing! 9 inches from crown to rump -- that doesn't even include the length of her legs!! I am starting to feel her more and more crouching up under my ribs...so as cool as it is to feel her, she can be mighty uncomfortable sometimes!
She should be opening her eyes any day now, and her blood vessels are starting to form in her lungs to prepare her for the outside world--which only happens to be about 14 weeks away!!

8.24.2008

25w + 3d

We went to the dr on Friday and she said all is well with me and Ava. Her heart-rate is slowing down now from what it originally was the first few visits (starting around 160) and now it's about 130. She gave us the info we need to get signed up for our birthing classes. And we decided for sure on delivering at St. Lukes East Hospital. It's getting so much more real now!!!

One thing I've learned to be true thru-out this pregnancy, is that what they say about frequent urination is so true...Just to be sure, I counted the other day. 11. I peed 11 times in 1 day. I didn't even know that was possible.

We had to also take our pup for a vet visit yesterday, and learned the good news that he is heart-worm free! The vet also commented that Rexy is starting to mellow out (sill has miles to go, but baby steps is good enough for us!). He said that Rex will be the PERFECT pet for our little Ava, that he will be protective and loving. He said for the first couple months to be sure to give him plenty of attention, and to not scold him for just being curious with the baby. He doesn't want Rex to associate punishment with the baby. I am so relieved that the vet has this much confidence in him!!

We're finally doing cosmetic touch-ups to our house and making it feel like our own. Yesterday my mom helped with the exterior, turning our weeded front to a rock garden. and she planted some bulbs & flowers in between some existing bushes that will most likely show it's beauty next summer. We're hoping to get started painting within the month, and by October our goal is to have our backyard fence up with stairs from our deck all complete. plenty to do before the baby gets here!!!

8.20.2008

24w + 6d continued...

and our little Ava is the size of a Rutabaga apparently...




24w + 6d

where do I begin...
My husband and I just got back from the Bahamas so that's why it's been a while since the last update.
here is a photo from our trip, and a link to see the rest of the photos at smugmug if you're interested.

We had an amazing time and I had no pregnancy complications while I was there, which I am SO thankful for. Ava was movin and groovin the whole time, so she must've loved it too!

tomorrow is 25 weeks and I go to the dr on Friday morning for our next check-up.

here are some things that I missed updating since I've been gone...

23 weeks = she is looking more and more like a little baby doll. Her skin is a little loose, since skin is producing more rapidly than fat is. but if she's anything like her mom, it won't take her long to get caught up :) she may look a little red right now, that's because her skin is loosing it's transparency and the pigment is starting to form.

24 weeks = her face is basically now complete! Her eyes are still shut, her ears are in their correct possition now, hair will continue to grow and her eyelashes are developing. Most of her features look the way they will when she is born. She is now running out of room to do cartwheels and somersaults though since she is growing so much.

25 weeks = my uterus is the size of a soccer ball! Her heartbeat can be heard with a stethoscope, a doppler, or possibly even unaided just by putting your ear to my belly! good news: if we were to for some reason have her early, she has a good chance of surviving by now, though she would have to be in the hospital for a few months possibly. we'll just let her hang out in there for a little while longer :) no need to rush things.

8.19.2008

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