23w4d- THE BELLY MOVES!

Courtney said she is starting to see movement from the outside.  She has been feeling the kicks for a couple weeks now.....and finally she is starting to see small movement in spots.....maybe a foot, knee, elbow or hand.....The movements aren't big enough to record yet, but it won't be long!  Courtney says that Nevaeh is also very stubborn.....she will kick 5 or 6 times in one spot and as soon as Daddy puts his hand in that spot, she will stop!  Maybe his hand is comforting???  I can't wait to feel the baby moving!

UPDATE!  Courtney just called and said she felt Nevaeh moving or kicking up high (near ribs in upper belly)....she lifted her shirt and could see her moving (large movements....not little ones)....by the time she reached for her camera, Nevaeh quit moving!  DARN!

23w3d- OB VISIT

Courtney had her OB visit today.  She gained 4 lbs. in the last 3 weeks.  So far, a total weight gain of 19 lbs. at 23w3d (baby measuring 24w4d)!  Her blood pressure is under control 110/60 (Yea!) and the glucose test for gestational diabetes came back normal!  They did find blood in her urine again for the second visit in a row, but no other signs of infection.  The doctor checked her cervix which is still long, thick and closed....so the doctor is attributing the blood to the blood thinners she is taking.  He said she is progressing nicely and is not worried!

An induction date was discussed but March is too far out on his calendar to be 100% sure.  He wants to be the doctor on call when she is induced....so he is saying this with only a 60% certainty!  So far he is looking at March 17th! (St. Patrick's Day).....This date depends on three variables:
1.  If he is on call that day......
2. If Courtney's cervix is ready for induction....
3. If baby Vaeh doesn't decide to arrive earlier!

Courtney is a planner and is trying to figure out her class schedule. The baby is due during her spring break....but with the induction..... she will have one more week of classes before Spring Break......Doc said that the worst case scenario would be a C-Section on that Wednesday with a hospital stay until Sunday and she can sit in class on Monday for finals.......Let's just pray all goes well with no C-Section!

By the way, March 17th was my original due date with Courtney 22 years ago!  How cool is that???

Next OB visit is December 21st!

23w2d- Fetal Monitoring

Now that Courtney is aware of the baby's daily movement patterns, she is equally concerned when the pattern of movement is "off"....Yesterday she waited and waited and waited for baby Nevaeh to wake up and start moving around.....so much waiting that Courtney got out the fetal doppler to listen to the heartbeat.  Sure enough, Nevaeh had a nice strong heartbeat, but was still sleeping since no movement could be detected through the doppler.  Of course, Courtney was still concerned, but I reminded her that babies do sleep a lot plus she has an anterior placenta which will cushion many of the baby's movements!  Last night, Nevaeh finally decided to wake up when Mommy laid down on her right side and had her left arm draped over her belly.  The baby started kicking at Mommy's arm........What a relief to all of us!

23 WEEKS PREGNANT!

Dear Nevaeh,
Your Mommy is 23 weeks pregnant today!  One more week to viability....but you on the other hand are already measuring 24 weeks!  According to BabyCenter.com, you should have gained about 4 oz. since last week, which puts you around 1 lb 4oz!  You should also be about a foot long (12 inches)!  You are probably still long and lean but putting a little baby fat on your bones as the days go by.  Your brain is also growing quickly now, and your taste buds are continuing to develop. Your lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help your air sacs inflate once you are born. 

Mommy has been noticing a pattern of your movement for quite some time now.  She has also noticed that you are more active one day with large movements while resting the next with small flutters and rolls.....yet usually at the same time frame of each day.  It is recommended that she start tracking kick counts at 24 weeks since she is a high risk pregnancy.  This means she will focus on your movements the same time each day and track how long it takes to move, kick, flutter or roll 10 times.  Once she tracks the 10th movement of yours, she will record the amount of time it took.  The goal of kick tracking is to see a trend in your movement over time.  If Mommy sees the trend line go down drastically or if you do not move 10 times within a two hour period, something might be wrong ....which means she goes to the emergency room for monitoring......Let's just hope this scare never happens! 

Here's the 23 week bare belly pictures!

 

Don't forget to look at the belly video at the top of this blog!

Love, Grandma Dason

22w6d-BIRTHDAY

Dear Nevaeh,
Today is December 3rd, 2009.....my 46th birthday!  I am excited and sad at the same time.....sad because I am at home sick!  Sick on my birthday!! (Just a cold, so I am not worried about HINI).....happy because I have been counting down the days to this day on the calendar.  I kept telling myself that if all was well with Mommy's pregnancy, we would start buying diapers for you with our weekly grocery items....Your Great Grandma and Grandpa Richards did this for me when I was pregnant with Mommy!  I want to keep up the tradition!  The time has finally arrived!  Yea!!!!

In about 9 hours, Mommy will be 23 weeks pregnant.....but you should be measuring more like 24 weeks!  I have wanted to write that number for some time now!!!!  I was watching the news last night and Children's Hospitial in Columbus reported a higher success rate with premature babies born at 22 weeks.....of course with a lot of medical intervention!  We are praying that you stay in Mommy's belly for about 14 more weeks!

Since I am at home all day, I have been passing the time away by watching the  Baby Story on TLC (I should be writing my paper for my doctoral class.....but chose the TV over course work!)  I get excited and anxious while watching these shows......I even caught myself holding my breath during the birth of a baby on the TV.......God help me when it is my baby having you, my granddaughter.....if I hold my breath tooooo long, I might pass out!  LOL!

Mommy has an OB appointment on Monday.  She has to take the glucose test for gestational diabetes.  I have a feeling it will turn out negative, since mommy has no signs of this problem so far.  Courtney is also hoping to pinpoint a due date since she will be induced.  Pinpointing a due date is important for two reasons.....the first reason is to plan her last few undergraduate classes around the birth (4 more classes).  Mommy will be an OTA when she graduates! Daddy will have a few more classes until he graduates with a criminal justice degree while still in the ARMY.  I am very proud of both of them for planning ahead to ensure that you have a wonderful life!  A second reason for pinpointing a due date is to plan around everyone's work schedule ....especially since most of the grandparents live about 7 hours away!  IT IS MY GOAL TO BE THERE WHEN YOU ARE BORN!

We love you!
Grandma Dason

22w5d- CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT!

Dear Nevaeh,
Here's an ornament that your Grandma and Grandpa Baker gave your Mommy and Daddy for their tree this Christmas.  It is their first personalized ornament with you on it.  It is an ornament of a boy and pregnant girl.  Your name is written on the girl's belly!  How cute!

Love, Grandma Dason

22w3d- BABY DEALS FROM BLACK FRIDAY!

I am finally getting around to posting about the great deals from our shopping excursion the day after Thanksgiving.....In my earlier post, I mentioned that we started shopping at midnight.....trying to get in on the door buster sales.....but no luck because about 500 people had the same idea before I did!  Even the 40 degrees and rain did not stop the lines from forming well before midnight at Babies R Us.....we couldn't even get in the parking lot!  Needless to say, we were not one of the crazies to stand in the rain......instead, we chose to drive over to JoAnn Etc. to camp out in their parking lot all night in order to be the first in line for their 6 AM sales:

Here are my great buys.... cream (bottom), green, brown and pink fabrics!   Each usually run $12.99 per yard but I needed about 51/2 yards of the cream and wasn't about to pay that much! Here's the sale prices:

Cream= $2.99 per yard (WOOT!)

Green, Brown and Pink= $6.50 per yard (50% off!)

PLUS an additional $20% off the total sale!!!!........It was worth sleeping in the car for a few hours in the parking lot in order to get the exact colors and amount of fabric needed to make the quilt for the twin bed in the baby's room!  You should have seen me finagle three 50% coupons (since it was one per person!)  I enlisted the help of Great Grandma Richards, and her friend in order to buy the three different colors during the same shopping stop!  I added the receiving blankets and the letter that Aunt Caitlin painted to the photo so you can see how all of the fabrics and prints blend and match.  I plan on cutting the receiving blankets up and using them as fabric in the quilt as well!  All of which match the nursery bedding that Courtney picked out!  More photos to come when this is all sewn.....probably over Christmas break.... that's when Aunt Caitlin and I have some free time to be creative!!!!

One shopping stop was Kohls:

 

This is one of the many sleepers I purchased for Nevaeh.....originally $12.99 each.....marked down to $4.80 with additional 15% off total purchased .....final purchase price $4.00 each!!!!! (WOW!!!)

Finally we went back to Babies R Us (thanks to Uncle Ajay who was willing to drive this old, tired person around!)............

This rocker was originally $300.00 but we got it on sale for $149.00!  (WOOT!)  It is dark wood with Mocha cushions....so it will match nicely in the baby's room or Courtney and Mike's living room!

IT IS SOOOO MUCH FUN TO GO SHOPPING FOR BABIES AGAIN.....I AM LOVING LIFE!

22w2d- DADDY FELT THE BABY MOVING!

Courtney shared that when she went to bed last night, the baby decided to wake up!  As she laid down on her right side, the baby started doing a little dance and was moving a lot..... so much that daddy felt her moving this time!!!!!  Courtney said it felt like baby Vaeh was walking up Courtney's belly with her little feet....almost like a  big spider crawling up the belly....very weird but cool feeling!

22w1d- ANOTHER THANKSGIVING GATHERING

Dear Nevaeh,
Mommy sent me these pictures to post on this blog so you will can see other immediate family members as they gathered for Thanksgiving dinner:

Uncle Andrew

Grandpa and Grandma Baker

Great Grandma and Grandpa Orlosky

They enjoyed the company of your Mommy and Daddy and got to see and feel Mommy's belly.....Yes I am a bit jealous (still).....but sooooooon, I too will get to feel your movements in a few weeks when Mommy and Daddy come for a visit before Christmas.

Love,

Grandma Dason

22 WEEKS PREGNANT- BARE BELLY PICTURES!

Here's the weekly bare belly picture as promised! (22 weeks!)

22 WEEKS PREGNANT! WOW!!

Dear Nevaeh,
Your Mommy is now 22 weeks pregnant with you, but you should be measuring more like 23 weeks!  According to Babycenter.com you should be about  11 inches long and weigh just over a pound!  Only 2 more weeks to viability!  Ohhhh sooooo close! Please hang in there and keep growing and thriving so we can hold you in our arms as a healthy baby in about 15 weeks due to the induction!

By the way, today was the biggest shopping day of the year for the Holidays. Your crazy grandma (me), great grandma and great aunt decided to go to the midnight madness sales.  We have been up all night shopping......I am exhausted but didn't want to miss this pregnancy update on the blog!  Soon I will update everyone on the terrific buys!!!!!  For now, I am going back to bed and it is only 4PM in the afternoon!  LOL

Mommy promises to send me a bare belly picture for week 22 soon.
Good Night or should I say Good Day! Love Grandma Dason

21w6d- HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Dear Nevaeh,

Here are some of your family members celebrating Thanksgiving 2009!

Grandma and Grandpa Dason

Uncle Joey, Aunt Caitlin and Lilly

Grandpa Dason and Great Grandma Martin

Great Grandpa and Grandma Richards

Great Aunt Magda, Uncle Ajay, and cousins Josh and Adriana

Daddy, Mommy (5 1/2 months pregnant) and Jordyn

 

Big Brother, Jordyn 3 yrs. old!

 

Grandma and Grandpa Barnett

Great Grandma and Grandpa Barnett

We are looking forward to sharing Thanksgiving 2010 with you baby Vaeh!

Love, Grandma Dason

21w4d- PREGNANCY UPDATES

Courtney felt the baby moving all around on the inside of her belly....but this time when she put her hands on her belly she felt the movements, nudges and kicks on the outside also for the first time!  How exciting!  I can't wait to feel it for myself.  She also told me that sleeping is getting trickier each night.  The other night she laid on her right side....the baby didn't liked that position and kept moving until Courtney switched sides.....however, that position didn't please Nevaeh either.....she started moving again....like she was trying to tell Courtney something!....Tooooo cute!

I read something interesting on a pregnancy website today......It is not unusual for pregnant mommy's feet to grow a 1/2 to 1 size larger and stay that way after pregnancy.....This happened to me ....I remember it sooooo well because I was and still am a shoe freak!  I had to buy new shoes after each pregnancy!  Now I know why......during pregnancy the ligaments  relax in the belly as it grows ....but not just in the belly....in the feet too! Having this type of information at our fingertips via the web is a wonderful tool that I was not so lucky to have way back when!  I am learning sooooo much and I am not the pregnant one! 

The kids won't be able to come home for Thanksgiving....but that is OK...Having SKYPE and being able to see and hear them everyday keeps a smile on my face.  They are coming home for a weekend in mid December and then again at Christmas.  When Courtney shared that she was pregnant in late July, I remembered picturing the Holidays with Courtney showing off her baby bump with family and friends during the annual Christmas parties......hard to believe Thanksgiving is two days away and Courtney's pregnancy has successfully progressed to this point of  showing off that baby bump .......It has been a long hard road for her with the previous losses....but now we can all keep praying and dreaming to the day she delivers that healthy baby girl.

21w1d -BABY MOVEMENT!

Courtney shared that the baby woke her up this morning doing a little dance in her belly!  Her Aunt Halley was also the lucky one to feel the first movements!  (I am just a tiny bit jealous!).  Halley was talking to Nevaeh and feeling Courtney's belly and the baby must have liked it!....Also, Courtney's belly button is getting shallow....I wonder if it will pop out near the end of the pregnancy.....mine did and it was not pretty!  Luckily the outtie belly buttons sink go back to normal after the pregnancy.....no stretch marks on the belly.....yet!

21 WEEKS PREGNANT- BARE BELLY PICTURE!

Here's the weekly update on the baby bump at 21 weeks (baby measuring 22)!  Don't forget to look at the belly video at the top of the blog!

21 WEEKS PREGNANT (Almost!)

Dear Nevaeh,

Mommy will be 21 weeks in 4 hours (but you are measuring 22 weeks)!....but whose counting! (LOL).  In looking at the 22 week marker on Babycenter.com, you should be about 11 inches long from head to toe and weigh about 1 pound! (WOW).  You are starting to look like a miniature newborn.  Your lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and you are even developing tiny tooth buds beneath your gums. Your eyes have formed, but the irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If I could see inside your Mommy's belly, I'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers your body and the deep wrinkles on your skin, which you'll have until you add a padding of fat to fill them in.  I could see some of these wrinkles in your last ultrasound....especially on your neck!

Mommy sent this cute picture just a few minutes ago.....She said this is the only nice outfit that she can still fit into.....I think she needs to break down and go maternity clothes shopping....Maybe Santa is reading this post! Tomorrow I will post the 21 Week bare belly picture!

I just realized that your Mommy is pregnant with you the exact same time frame that I was pregnant with her......I should have realized this before since you will be born around her birthday.....I am a bit slow! LOL .......I will have to look up some of my pregnant pictures taken around the holidays to compare bellies.....The only tough part will be actually seeing the shape of my belly.....22 years ago we did not show off our baby bumps.  They were hidden under large (not so flattering) tops.  Will post if I find them.

Love, Grandma Dason

20w4d Ultrasound

Nevaeh finally showed us her face after the 3rd try!  She is measuring 21w5d in these pictures even though Mommy is in her 20th week of pregnancy!  It has been two weeks since we've seen this little one and she sure has changed!  Finally she is getting a little meat on her bones!  She is head down near the pelvis and her cute little butt is up near Courtney's belly button.

This is one of our favorite pictures....look at the placenta carefully.....just under her chin and on the side of her body it looks as if an adult hand is holding her up for the picture!  Do you see it?

She loves having her hands up near her face.  Just like she did during the 14 Week Ultrasound pictures!

A closer look!

What a cute little body!

This is Grandma's pick of the pictures....Such a sweet little face! 

 

Courtney thinks she looks like Caitlin in this picture.....time will tell!

20w3d- OB VISIT

Courtney's OB visit went well.  Her blood pressure is under control 118/70 (Thank You God!), weight gain is 2lbs since the last visit 2 weeks ago (Yikes!).....overall weight gain is 15 lbs....so really not bad for being halfway through the pregnancy!  The doctor is pleased with her progress and heard a nice strong heartbeat again this time.  The doctor refers to this as a 20 week pregnancy.  The nurse on the other hand read the chart which reads a 21 week pregnancy....and stated she was due for the oral glucose tolerance test for her next visit, which tests for gestational diabetes.   The next visit is scheduled in 3 weeks on December 7th at 2:00.......  still no change in due date :-(  

THE FIRST REAL KICK! (20w2d)

Courtney just called and shared that she felt the first real baby kick near her belly button!  The baby was  "sleeping" all day so Daddy decided to wake her up......he laid his head on Courtney's belly and started talking to Nevaeh.....it worked!  She woke up and got excited to hear his voice!  Daddy didn't feel the kick, but Mommy could from the inside!  Soon we will all get to see her kicks!

20w2d - CUTE SLEEPERS FOR THE BABY

OK....I JUST CAN'T RESIST THE BABY DEPARTMENT WHEN I GO GROCERY SHOPPING! Look at the cute little peach colored sleepers!!!!!

Courtney has an OB appointment tomorrow and another ultrasound on Tuesday. Will post the updates as soon as I know information. I am assuming all is going fine with the pregnancy. Courtney's belly continues to grow and Nevaeh's movements are getting stronger and more predictable (like a schedule!) Hopefully we can get a good picture of her face this time!