Baby News and Pictures!

2009-11-22T14:14:00.000-08:00

My, how our lifestyle has changed. I was looking through some pictures the other day and came across one of me and Rachel at Rock Canyon in Provo. I remember days when I would have a couple of hours between classes and I'd call Rachel up on the phone, and 15 minutes later we were walking up the trail to The Green Monster to go rock climbing. I remember when Rachel surprised me with a spontaneous 3 day trip to Vegas for our anniversary. Once, we drove up a canyon in the middle of winter and found some snow caves that were already made (probably scouts or something) and slept in them overnight. We used to keep camping and climbing stuff permanently in the trunk of our car for spontaneous outings like this.

Contrast that with now. As I was brainstorming what to write about in the blog I asked Rach what some of the highlights of the week were. After some thought she replied, "We spilled Cheerios." It's true. We have moved on to a new phase in our lives dominated by diapers and feeding schedules-short walks and trips to the zoo. Our energy is spent in short two-hour bursts because that is when the babies have to eat again. A trip to Walmart is a major accomplishment. We still do what we can to stay active- those who know us can certainly testify of that. But it is definitely different.

As I go back and read this post, I realize that it may appear to some that our previous lifestyle was more desirable. Those people probably don't have children. You see, I couldn't imagine a life without my Evelyn, my Jackson, and my Adalie. I actually look forward to coming home from school and reading books with Evelyn. Pointing things out to her (and the babies) about the world has increased my own awareness of what an amazing place we really live in. And deep down, I really like dancing wildly around my house singing silly songs (it makes me feel like a kid), so it's nice that my children give me an excuse to do this and still maintain my manhood. If going back meant losing this, then I wouldn't even have to think about it for a second.

So overall I'd have to say that things are definitely different, and also that they are better than ever. I won't lie and say that I don't miss the spontaneity and the activity level of our pre-children days. But we'll have all of that back in a few years when they grow up a little. For now, I am just trying to treasure every second I have with these little ones.

Woah- I just got all philosophical and stuff. Don't worry, there won't be many more blog posts like this one, but you've got to understand that we keep these posts as a family history and I wanted to have these feelings recorded somewhere. That said, here are a couple of pictures of our week:

Here are the spilled Cheerios that I mentioned. We gave Evelyn a broom to help clean up. This ended up being a little counter productive. She's learning.

We went to the Children's Museum. I think we have a future doctor in the family- Evelyn wouldn't put down that darn stethoscope!

Also, Rachel went and saw the midnight premiere of New Moon (some vampire movie) with a bunch of friends. That night she only got two hours of sleep. I don't know how she does it.

Look- we're going crazy with the video. Three clips in three weeks. That's good for us. This is sort of a conglomeration of things that we did this week. Nothing too exciting.

16 Weeks with our Babies

2009-04-19T12:49:00.001-07:00

It is time to post in this section again. I debated taking pictures this time around, but I think it is kind of fun for comparison with a single pregnancy and a twin pregnancy. This picture was taken at 16 weeks. My uterus is now measuring about 22 weeks along for a single pregnancy. The babies are doing great! This last week we had an ultrasound with Dr. Reider, and for those of you who have been there you know his machines are not the most up to date. The ultrasound was pretty fuzzy, but at the very end we caught a glimpse and found out that one of the babies is a boy! I have been dreaming lately that one of the twins is a boy and one is a girl. I don't know how much that really means, maybe it is just because that is what I am kind of hoping for. The main thing though, was that we wanted at least one boy. We know that much for sure.

The babies are both laying sideways. I have a head by each of my hips and the bums and legs are in the middle. The baby on my left (previously nicknamed Twitch) has been wiggling almost non stop! It feels like there is a centipede in there, or at least a small earthquake! Noodle, on the other hand, occasionally throws out a kick, punch or wiggle to let me know that he/she is still there. On Wednesday night Twitch started wiggling like crazy and didn't stop until 9 the next morning. I tossed and turned and every time I woke up a little bit, Twitch was still at it. I hope he/she settles down a little bit before space runs out in there.

Both babies are doing great! Each of them measures about 5 cm. I will have an ultrasound in a week and a half that will tell me if the second baby is a boy or a girl. Logan and I are so excited!

You've gotta love the in between size when normal shirts need to be really long to fit and maternity shirts look like tents! Normal pants are still working OK, and I will enjoy that while it lasts.

2 Months Old

2008-06-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

The first picture we posted was Evelyn's two week picture. I took a one month picture, but it was accidentally erased. Evelyn is doing great! I couldn't decide which picture to use, so I posted both of them. Here are our beautiful Bug's two month pictures.

Eva Girl's two week picture

2008-03-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of our baby girl at two weeks old. This is the first in a series of pictures to show how much Evelyn grows in her first year. She is so much fun to have around!

Week 41

2008-02-16T08:23:00.001-08:00

My due date has been officially changed to six days ago... (February 10th). This means that all of my pictures up until this point have actually almost been two weeks farther along than the date listed. I did not take a picture last week, so it has actually been three weeks since the last one.

Logan and I are just playing the waiting game now. I am beginning to feel that this baby will never come! I was waiting to go into labor to take the final picture, but who knows when that will actually happen. I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions almost constantly and I wonder if I will even notice when the real thing comes along. I have had five nights that contractions have kept me up for more than three hours after going to bed. I don't know how I will have any energy when the baby actually decides to come! I have a doctors appointment on Tuesday (I really hope I don't make it that long) where we will set a date for me to be induced if nothing has happened by then.

We are ready! As soon as she makes her appearance, we will let you know.

February 16, 2007 - Week 41

Week 36

2008-01-27T12:29:00.000-08:00

Three more days and I will be full term at 37 weeks! That is kind of an exciting thing, but in reality it will probably still be a while. My first ultrasound revealed that our baby girl was actually ahead in development. The ER doctor advised that my due date be changed from February 21st to the 12th. My doctor had the final say and decided to keep the original date. I am trying to not get my hopes up for an early arrival. I don't mind being pregnant for a little bit longer, but I am very excited to meet our little girl.

We have posted a survey on the main blog to give you a chance to voice your opinion about our baby girl's name. We would love to hear your opinion.

January 24, 2007- Week 36

Week 34

2008-01-11T10:45:00.000-08:00

Time is passing so quickly. I am very excited to finally have our little girl, but I think I will also miss being pregnant. Logan and I started our childbirth classes this week and we agree that this whole 'baby thing' is becoming more and more real for us.

I have been surprised to learn that my belly is not always perfectly round. In fact, it rarely is round. Sometimes I look down and see a definate spike in part of my stomach, or one side will be flat and the other will poke out. Sometimes she hangs out completely above my belly button and sometimes completely below. It is really interesting to see and even more interesting to watch her change positions.

Our baby girl is very active and she is getting stronger and stronger by the day. The aches of pregnancy have started to catch up with me. Sciatica has begun to set in in my lower back and legs. If anyone has any advice for this please let me know :). Other that that... everything is great.

January 10, 2008- Week 34

Week 32

2008-01-01T09:57:00.000-08:00

Hello all, I hope your Holidays were wonderful. Here is another 'good morning' baby belly picture! Our baby girl is doing great! She is very active and a very good house guest. She has not been giving me any problems except for occasional back aches. Logan and I are anxiously awaiting her arrival and we are excited to decorate and prepare ourselves for a new baby!
December 31, 2007- 32 Weeks and four days

Week 30

2007-12-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Idaho! Logan and I arrived yesterday morning. So far we have had a fabulous vacation with my family in Utah. More details will be posted on our regular blog, but I figured since it is week 31 I should probably post the pictures taken for week 30. I am still enjoying my pregnancy, but I am definately feeling pregnant! Our baby girl is now three and a half pounds and 14.5 inches long. She can open and close her eye and she has a noticeable sleep and awake schedule. She is beginning to gain weight rapidly and filling out her little frame. She loves listening to dad play the guitar. As soon as she hears him, she immediately starts 'dancing.' She also really enjoyed Courtney's orchestra Christmas concert.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful and relaxing vacation.

December 13, 2007- Week 30

Week 28

2007-12-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

Wow! I am now seven months pregnant. My round bump is definately starting to show and I now feel pregnant. I am glad that I decided to take pictures to document my pregnancy, but I am starting to get sick of the same boring pose. I decided to take one this week from a different angle to see if I could spice things up a bit :).

Our baby girl is doing great. She weighs about two and a half pounds and is 14 or 15 inches long, her eyes are finally open again and she can tell the difference between light and dark, and she is now starting to gain weight and fill out her frame.

Either our baby girl is really shy, or she is just fascinated by little things. A few months ago, when I first started feeling her kick she would immediately stop when someone placed a hand on my belly. Now, we can finally see the movements on my stomach, but when I lift up my shirt to watch she immediately stops again! This is very frustrating because Logan and I enjoy watching her. We think this happens because she can see the change in light when I move my shirt. Either she is instantly fascinated by the change, or she is too shy to show off!

Here are the weekly pictures.

November 29, 2007 - Seven Months (Week 28)

Seven Months pregnant

Week 26

2007-11-25T11:19:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. I'm sorry I am late in posting these pictures, but I did remember to take them on the right day :). I decided to take a picture in the morning (same as always) and one at night to see if there was a noticeable difference. I did this mainly for myself, but since I am blogging the pictures I figured I may as well show them both. This was a lot easier when I had a smaller stomach! I am beginning to feel self conscious about posting them, but I am sure all of you understand that change is bound to happen :). This is the week I felt like I truly 'popped,' and I can now add a few more maternity clothes to the selection that fit me.

I am shocked at the difference between these two pictures. It doesn't help that the second one was taken after a pizza party celebration for the end of final's week for Logan.

11-11-07 Morning 11-11-07 Evening

Week 24

2007-11-05T05:51:00.000-08:00

Six months! I love being pregnant! I like my little pregnant belly bump. I have noticed in this week's picture that my belly may not be growing outward very much, but I can tell a difference in the height of the bump. I am in between on my sizes now, and to Logan's dismay I take much longer to find an outfit in the morning. I am enjoying my pregnancy right now because the only way I am reminded is when our baby girl kicks or rolls around. It is my time to enjoy the benefits of being pregnant. This picture has a great example of my 'good morning I am not quite awake yet' smile.

November 1, 2007- 24 Weeks

Week 22

2007-10-20T17:58:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! I have a new picture to show without much change. I think I "show" more at night, but I have been taking the pictures in the morning. I have noticed one change with these pictures. My hair has grown a lot since the first one! This week was the first week I had someone that I did not know ask me if I was pregnant. I was interpreting and decided to wear one of my maternity shirts, and she inquired as to whether or not I was pregnant. One person has noticed! I am sure this number will grow. I love feeling our baby kick. She is not as shy anymore and will continue to kick even with a hand on my stomach. Two nights ago, Logan and for the first time we were able to watch my stomach moving and jumping! We watched her play for about five minutes. She was doing summersaults, cartwheels and kicking and punching all over. Mom and baby are both healthy and very happy.

October 18, 2007- Week 22

Week 20

2007-10-07T16:50:00.001-07:00

Half way there! I feel like I have grown the most over these last two weeks, but the evidence in the picture would suggest otherwise. Two days ago I went through all of my maternity clothes because I wanted to show off my small bump! No such luck...I just looked like a clown in a tent. I decided to wear the tightest shirt I could find (this was difficult because I don't like tight clothing), but the only effect was to make me look like I should do a more active abs workout. I think the day will come soon when I can show off my baby belly.

October 4, 2007- Week 20

Week 18

2007-09-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

This week we went to the doctor and found out that the baby and I are both healthy and happy. Wiggle Bean is now four and a half months old and he/she is between 6 1/2 and 8 inches long already and weighs in at nearly a half pound! Fingerprints are starting to form, and a fat layer is forming beneath the skin. WB's bones are also starting to harden. I am slowly growing and waiting to POP any day now.

September 20, 2007- Week 18

Week 16

2007-09-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am now officially four months along. I don't feel like my stomach is getting bigger, but it feels like everything else is! This picture actually surprised me because I could tell a noticable difference from a few weeks ago. I don't know where the baby is hiding! Wiggle bean is about six inches long not including legs or arms, and I don't know where he/she could possibly fit. I am still wearing all of my pre-maternity clothes (except one shirt) even my jeans and a belt. I will enjoy this for as long as possible!

September 9, 2007- Week 16

Week 14

2007-08-26T14:40:00.000-07:00

My stomach is beginning to take shape! I have not had the misfortune of growing out of too many of my clothes yet. This morning was my first experience of not being able to wear one of my pre-pregnancy shirts. It was a little bit traumatic, but I am over it now. I don't normally see myself from this angle, and I can't help but think how much bigger my stomach is looking from my perspective! I am enjoying my new baby belly.

August 23, 2007- Week 14

Week 12

2007-08-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to those of you who enjoy baby belly pictures! I will be posting pictures on here every two weeks to document the changes that are taking place. I do not have a before picture, but I am sure you can use your imagination (take away the belly and the expansion that comes with it :) Three days prior to this picture was the first time I was able to notice a tiny discernable belly instead of just a little bit of "thickening" around my middle.

August 9, 2007- 12 Weeks