26 weken

Hallo Allemaal!

We made some more great progress getting little t's room ready for his arrival. JM made the point this morning that we are probably getting this done much earlier than other people, but I am a neat freak (well freak in general) and I feel MUCH better knowing that we are prepared and not having to wait until the last minute. Another reason we are ahead of the curve on this point is that JM and I both have some extra time right now (and for me enough energy) to get this preparation stuff dealt with!

We now have a crib and changing table (thanks much to Mom!) and a nieuwe kast for little t. Robbie and JM spent almost three hours yesterday putting everything together and then I went crazy transferring all of little t's things into his new room. Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure ... Enjoy!





Hopefully, sometime soon we will have some new belly shots to post as well. Growing and showing is the name of the game.

Dikke Tut,

cbt

24+ Week Update

Howdy folks! First, I have to acknowledge that it is steenkoud (stonecold) in Cincinnati right now. JM and I woke up to -8 degrees F (-22 degrees Celsius) this week. It was mighty hard to get out of bed and make it into work on the below zero mornings.

Yesterday, was my mom's birthday so we drove down to Lexington to celebrate. We had a great time and mom bought a new car for herself. She got a GREAT deal in this bad economy. Now she will be styling in her new ride all around town. Mom getting a new car, meant that we have now inherited the VW Jetta that she has been driving since JM totaled the Volvo in Memphis, TN during Elvis Week back in '99. Good times. The Jetta needs some work, but is still in great shape and is really coming to us in perfect timing for the arrival of little t. It would be pretty difficult to still share a car with a new baby here. Thanks Mom for your generosity, it is always appreciated and I love you for always coming through when I need it most.

After many requests to see the proof that little t is actually a boy, I have finally convinced JM that we CAN indeed post a pic of little t's piemel (that's dutch for penis people) on the internet. He felt a little guilty posting photos of little t's junk for everyone to see, but here it is for your viewing pleasure.



Clearly a boy baby!

I am also posting a couple of belly shots - clearly growing and showing. Sorry it has taken me so long to get these online. They are from last week and you can see that little t is getting bigger and making his presence much more noticeable in my belly!



There you have it - two side shots (clearly pregnant) and one from the front (not looking so pregnant).

We spent some time this morning working on the nursery. We have now rolled out the rug and applied the polka dot decals to the walls. Super cute! here are a few photos from today's progress.

That's all for now, I hope you enjoy the photos and as always, there will be more to come next week!

Dikke Tut,

cbt

I love posing for my parents!!

Hi everyone!


Today was probably the most exciting visit to the OB's office during this entire pregnancy. We had an ultrasound today at 8 am and got to see what little Tillema was up to this morning! It was so exciting to see all four chambers of the heart, the spine, the diaphragm, fingers and toes, the brain, a great profile of the face, little t doing some serious thumb-sucking, and arms & legs.

As it goes with two stubborn parents, I think little t seriously had enough of looking cute for the pictures. Little t spent some time hiding, sitting up & facing mama's back, giving the tech a hard time. But after some swirling and a belly rub, he gave his face away (and as you can tell, a little more than just the face)... We are proud to present you the latest photos of little BOY T!!!

20 Week Update - Halfway there!

Wow! I cannot believe that am officially at the halfway mark in this pregnancy. I had my 20 week ob visit yesterday and everything is going really great. I met with the one midwife who works with my group of physicians, Cindy, who was very nice and encouraged JM and I to write a birth plan so that all of the doctors and nurses at the hospital will know of our wishes when it comes to the delivery.

My blood pressure was perfect, I am measuring right at the belly button which is normal for 20 weeks, and I have gained 6 pounds during this pregnancy so far. Little t only weighs about a one pound, so the rest of the weight is blood, water, "maternal stores" aka fat, and extra breast weight according to the midwife. Of course, we listened to little t's heart, which is beating strong, and I scheduled our 20+week ultrasound for January 8, 2009 at 8:00 am. JM will come with me and we will get to see the baby and if we want, we can find out if it is a boy or a girl. Mooi!

In other news, I finally started on little t's baby blanket. The yarn is rich red and will match the nursery perfectly. It is going to take a bit of effort getting it completed, but I love the yarn and the pattern and I think little t will love to be bundled up in such a cozy, warm blanket!

This week is flying by and we are really busy as we prepare to leave on Saturday for the Netherlands for Christmas vacation. We are very excited to get to spend the holidays with JM's family and we are looking forward to a relaxing trip!

Tonight, we will post a new belly shot and the beginnings of the blanket.

Love,

cbt

We have movement!!

Hi Everyone!

Yesterday I officially felt the baby move for the first time. At first it felt like popcorn popping, then I felt a swoosh go across my belly that felt like a paintbrush stroke from the inside! It is so exciting. Up until this point, I have not been able to feel anything really distinguishable, but the fluttery sensation that I am getting now can only be little t moving around in there!!!!!!

It happened last night again, and in fact, I can feel the baby moving as I type this update. It is a really amazing to finally feel this little person inside of me. The first time it felt a little strange and I was not sure what to make of it, but as soon as it stopped for a while, I found myself wishing that it would happen again! JM is really excited that as well. I know that he wishes he could feel the baby move too, but that will take a little more time.

I am just about to leave the office to go pick up some yarn I ordered for little t's baby blanket. I will post pictures of the yarn shortly!

Have a great day and I will post another update soon!

Kus,

cbt

19 Week Update

Hello!

I cannot believe how fast time is flying. In one week, we will be at the halfway mark in this pregnancy. Little t is definitely starting to make him or herself known. As you can see in this photo, my belly is starting to grow for real. My pants are very uncomfortable to button and I only feel like wearing clothes that are soft and that have a ton of stretch!

JM and I spent some time over the weekend working on the nursery. We have the walls painted and need to move on to the trim. I am glad that the project is coming along. We also took some time combining our guest room and office into one room. Space is a little tight, but we are making an Ikea run this weekend for some new wall shelving which should help make more space on either side of our gigantic 1950s-era wooden desk, one which I acquired from a law firm I worked for a few years ago.

Here are a couple of before and after photos for the paint color. I am not really happy with the quality of this photo - but I can assure you that the paint looks great in the room and when we get all of the cute bedding and baby furniture and the polka dot decals on the walls, the room is going to be adorable! I cannot wait to get it finished so that I can post photos here!


Prenatal Yoga was amazing last week! I am going to a 6:30 class tonight. The instructor is amazing - very kind and very supportive and she even rubs your back in child's pose! During last week's class (they last an hour) we spent the first 10 minutes working on a special breathing technique that is supposed to come in handy during labor. We then we moved into a series of active poses for the next 40 minutes, including downward looking dog, triangle pose, the warrior series and yoga lunges. The final 10 minutes were spent in shivasana in a modified posture with lots of back and belly support with folded blankets and pillows. The room smells like lavender and the entire class is given in candlelight. I was one of three expectant women who attended the class, which really makes it feel like you are being given private lessons. I am looking forward to tonight!

In further news, I have my next prenatal visit scheduled for 12/15 with the midwife that works with my group of providers. I am looking forward to hearing little t's heartbeat once again and I hope to get my 22 week ultrasound scheduled at that point as well. JM and I will get one last chance to see little t before his/her entrance into the world!

Be well,

Christina

18 Week and 1 day Update

Hello,

How is everyone out there? I am doing great, as are Little T and Big T as we now refer to JM. JM began working on preparing the soon to be nursery for a coat of paint - both walls and woodwork last week. The nursery is going to be so cute, I cannot wait to have it finished so that I can show everyone photos! We only have a few things purchased thus far, but I am sure that as the weeks roll on - we will start accumulating everything we need for little t. I have been busy with work - both AF4Q and with my teaching schedule, but even though I am busy I have enough energy to keep it going with ease.

We had a great Thanksgiving last week - we had some friends and family over to celebrate. Great food, great conversation, and a roaring fire in the fireplace made for a great evening. JM and I spent a little time over the weekend on leaf control in our yard - and we even dug up and potted a sage plant from our garden that the frost hadn't killed! It is now on one of our kitchen windowsills.

On Sunday, I finally went shopping for some maternity clothes. Even though I am not totally in need of all things stretchy just yet - I have to admit that the buttons on all of my pants were starting to irritate my slowly growing belly. Today, I am officially wearing maternity jeans for the first time! They are super comfy - but it is strange to pull your jeans on and off like sweatpants instead of zipping and buttoning them. I ended up getting two pairs of jeans, a pair of black work pants, a work skirt, 4 sweaters, 4 shirts and a new pair of pj's to bring with me to Nederland for Christmas. Everything was so on sale and I got great deals! Lots of buy 1, get 1 free. I am happy to finally have some super comfortable clothes - that have tons of growing room!

Tonight I am attending my first prenatal yoga class. I have been practicing yoga for a few years now with regularity - and I have been doing prenatal yoga at home, but I am really looking forward to taking a class with other expectant women. The class is offered twice a week - on both Tuesday evenings and Saturday afternoons.

I hope everyone is healthy and happy. More to come soon!

Kus,

cbt