Pictures

Sorry, I'm just not doing good keeping up with my blog. It takes too much time to sit down and a write out a post. Since I rarely have much spare time, when I get some I don't really want to spend it typing out an update...sorry! Anyway, in the meantime, I signed up for Facebook so I can at least post short little updates every now and then and also easily upload pictures.

For those of you who have Facebook, if you're not already friends with me, look me up and send me a friend request - I'd gladly accept. And for those others of you who don't have or want to sign up for Facebook, here are a few links to picture albums that you can view even without an account:

Austin Jonathan Friedrich http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2990&id=100000196000624&l=34c74fcdd2

More of Austin http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4543&id=100000196000624&l=1868963ac1

Myrtle Beach 2009 http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=5727&id=100000196000624&l=d63eb144c7

Austin Jonathan Friedrich

So, so, sorry it's been forever since my last post! I kept meaning to post but then I would always decide instead to work on something else from my to-do list - blogging was put on the back burnner. Turns out it's good I kept plugging away at my to-do list whenever I had time, so I could get as much done as possible before our little bundle of joy arrived 5 weeks early :).

I actually sat down Monday night, June 8th, and started typing out a pregnancy update post which I planned to finish the next day...however, my water breaking at around 11:00pm that Monday night changed my plans a bit - and my life completely!

I'll have to post the whole birth story another time but for now I just wanted to quick get on and post a few pictures for those of you who don't have Facebook (there are a bunch more pictures on there as well as some notes from the past 2 weeks).

Austin Jonathan Friedrich was born at 2:24pm on June 9, 2009. He weighed 5 lbs. 8 oz. and was 18 inches long. Here are some pictures:

He was hooked up to oxygen, an IV, a feeding tube and monitors for the first week or so of his life. It was so hard to see him hooked up to all that and so uncomfortable. It's so much better now.

Just before falling asleep last night :).

He makes faces like the one above all the time - especially right after he's done eating. Right before this picture was taken he had just finished nursing and had filled his diaper with a big stinky! hehe!

Our little cutie! He's becoming much more alert after eating.

It's possible we'll be able to bring Austin home tomorrow (Sunday - Father's Day) but if not they for sure either Monday or Tuesday. The biggest thing is he needs to gain weight. Even though he eats furiously whenever he nurses, he has lost about an ounce and a half in the last 2 days. I don't know what he does with all the milk he's drinking! He also needs to pass a car seat test and get circumsised tomorrow - poor guy!

Thank you for all your prayers during the days since Austin's birth. Jon and I really appriciate all the people who have been praying and thinking of us and Austin. I know we have only the Lord to thank for how good our little guy is doing and so soon!

Alright, I better get going. Austin is due to eat in 20 minutes! I'll try to update again soon and give more details - no promises though. :)

14 Weeks To Go...

Yup! That's right, I'm almost two-thirds of the way through my pregnancy! The second trimester is going so much faster than the first. I'm beginning to feel the time crunch and the need to start preparing full-time for our baby's arrival. Here's a recent picture of me and my ever growing belly:



As far as pregnancy updates, there's not too many. For the most part I'm feeling great and really enjoying the pregnancy at this stage. The baby's movements are much stronger than the little bubbles I was feeling last time I posted. He can kick pretty hard now, and sometimes it gets a little uncomfortable. I wouldn't want him to stop though, because I love knowing he's healthy and well inside me. Jon's felt him kicking quite a few times too - he can't believe how strong his little guy is! :)

At my last midwife appointment she drew blood for my gestational diabetes test - the results came back fine so I'm in the clear for that. I feel sorry for all those of you who've had to drink the yucky sugar drink that's standard for glucose tolerance tests. Because I see a midwife they do things a little differently. For three days prior to my test I was instructed to eat a lot of carbs and avoid sugar and lots of fruit. Then, an hour before my appointment, I had to eat 18 jelly beans in 5 minutes and then nothing until my test. It wasn't hard at all :).

Last night Jon and I went to our 8th Bradley Method birthing class - we have 2 more to go. Overall I'm very glad we decided to take these classes even though it's a big time commitment and costs a little more than the standard classes the hospitals offer. We have learned SO much about pregnancy and childbirth that I'm sure we would not have known if we hadn't taken the classes. I feel much more prepared and confident going into labor and delivery after learning all that we have. Jon said he would agree, the classes have been helpful despite having to watch way more birth videos than he ever cared to see! I would highly recommend these classes for anyone hoping to have a natural un-medicated labor and delivery.

Around our house things have been changing in the last few weeks. I have a huge list of things I want to do before the baby comes, and I've been chipping away at it as fast as my pregnant self can go. Since I'm sure you're all wondering what in the world could be on this big list of mine, I thought I'd show you :). Here is my list:

Must-do

 Decide on a pediatrician
 Research all childhood vaccines: decide which ones to get and when
 Schedule dentist appointments for Jon & I – give them our updated address
 Stock cabinets and storage with staple items we will need for the first 2-3 months
 Move couches out of upstairs (DONE)
 Organize upstairs
 Clear out spare room (so we can turn it into a nursery) (DONE)
 Paint nursery and set up
 Make sure we have all necessary baby clothes & items on hand
 Wash and organize all baby clothes
 Get baby announcements ready to mail out (Jon will be designing them and I want to have all the envelopes addressed)
 Write a list of names & phone numbers of people to call from hospital
 Create a birth plan
 Pack hospital bag
 Put baby car seat in car
 Get health insurance for baby

Hope to-do

 Finish Home Management Binder and start using it (I'll be posting pictures and explaining this when I'm finished)
 Create an address/phone book
 Create a devotional plan
 Organize all files on my computer
 Make and freeze some meals and snacks for after the baby is born
 Make a freezer and storage inventory list
 Be on a working budget and saving regularly to buy a house
 Have Jon more involved with the finances
 Schedule a visit with Mums
 Have both our parents for dinner (we've said we were going to do this for a while)
 Start keeping a journal
 Burn 2008 pictures to DVD
 Spring clean the entire house
 Hang curtains in basement
 Caulk in the bathroom: around tub, around sink, around toilet
 Use Jon’s mom’s dyson vacuum to do a good vacuuming of the entire house
 Do inventory of the entire house (w/pictures & scanned receipts) – see if we can pay less for renter’s insurance
 Catch up on scrapbooks
 Get dryer fixed
 Get a box spring for our bed (DONE)
 Get a new shower head (DONE)
 Read Baby Wise
 Read To Train Up A Child again
 Read No Greater Joy Volumes 1, 2 & 3
 Have a yard sale

So what do you all think of that list? Anything you noticed I'm missing, do you think I'm crazy? I know I probably won't get done everything but it doesn't hurt to aim high right? I'm sure there are more things I'll add to this list too, as the days go by. There were also a few other things I've already accomplished and quite a few things on the list that I've started already. I have a separate list of all the meals I want to make and freeze. I've been working on that already - doubling or tripling recipes when I'm making dinner and freezing the extra. Maybe someday I'll type up that list and post it on here for you all to see.

After Jon and I finished moving everything out of the soon-to-be-nursery this past Saturday, we took a picture of the walls and Jon used Photoshop to paint the walls different colors so we could decide what color(s) to go with. Here are the three options:


This option would mean leaving the grey that is currently in the room on two of the walls and painting the other two blue...


...or we could paint all the walls blue...


...or two walls green and two walls blue.

That last picture is the option we're currently leaning towards. And that is the bedding set we're getting too - although our crib and furniture is oak not white. Any opinions on what you like best?

Wow! This post has gotten long. I think I'll stop now. If I was more consistent with blogging my posts wouldn't need to be so long to catch up on everything... maybe someday :).

Ultrasound Update

Yeah! I'm so happy! I just received a call from my midwife. I had an appointment on Monday but they hadn't received the results from my last ultrasound yet. She got them today though and the venous lakes are all gone!! My midwife said they see this a lot in the early stages of the placenta development and then they go away. I guess it's just normal for some people's placentas to develop that way and they just were being cautious by putting me on bed rest. I don't need to worry anymore she said because they won't be coming back. And I can go about my life as usual again too - NO MORE BED REST!

At my midwife appointment on Monday she measured my belly for the first time. I was measuring an inch smaller than normal but she said that's fine and I should be measuring normal by my next appointment. It's funny that the baby's supposedly measuring a little bigger than normal and I'm measuring small.

The baby's heart rate seems to be averaging in the 140's these days... consistent with the theory that boy's heart rates are slower than girls :).

I'm finally sure I'm feeling the baby move too recently! It feels like little bubbles for the most part, but sometimes it also feels like a kick. It's so fun!

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In other news, I'm busy preparing this week to go on my annual scrapbooking retreat in Gettysburg this weekend. My friend Sarah and I leave Friday morning and we'll be gone until Sunday afternoon. I can't wait to catch up on my albums in preparation for starting our baby's album after he's born. It'll also be fun to get away and have fun chatting with girls and shopping at the outlets that are right next door :).

Jon's also been busy: working during the day and then after work he's been creating websites for a few people on the side. He's not looking forward to me being away this weekend, but at the same time he is looking forward to some free time to catch up on his ever growing list of things he wants to do :).

Well, I better jump off now and keep getting things done!

Pregnancy & Baby Update - Week 20

Wow! It's been a while since I gave an update, and now's a good time because yesterday I went for another ultrasound.

I should back up a little bit though before telling about the latest ultrasound. Back on February 4th I received a call from my midwife who had just been looking over the results from my 16 week ultrasound. Remember that pocket or collection of blood that they saw at my 12 week ultrasound, and that I thought was gone at my 16 week ultrasound? Well, apparently it wasn't gone and I actually had another one as well. My midwife told me these were called Placental Venous Lakes which are just an area of blood flow that is wider than usual - could be a larger vein or just a collection of my blood (not the baby's).

My midwife was not too concerned about them, but as a precaution they put me on a modified bed rest and told me to take it easy at least until after my next ultrasound. Venous lakes can slow the placental circulation and possibly make it harder for the baby to get as much nutrients as usual. The point of my taking it easy was to conserve energy so the baby could get as much nutrients as possible. I'm also supposed to be eating as healthy as possible and drinking lots of water.

My modified bed rest is not too bad. I'm not supposed to be lifting, exercising or straining in any way and I'm supposed to be sitting down and resting my body often but I don't have to be lying down to rest and I can still do things like make meals, vacuum, go grocery shopping and things like that. I was even allowed to go register with Jon a few Saturday's ago, as long as I sat down and took a break for 10 minutes or so every hour.

So that's what I've been doing these last few weeks - taking it easy - or at least trying to. It's really hard to take it easy now that I'm feeling great and not nearly as tired as I was. I'm ready to really start preparing for the baby's arrival. I've been doing as much as I can, even on bed rest. Jon and I started registries at two different stores and I've been working on picking out all the things we'll need for the baby. Last Saturday we started baby room furniture shopping - that was fun! We've still got a ways to go before finalizing our registries and deciding how we're going to decorate the nursery, but we're getting there.

Alright, there's other things going on but I'll pause to tell you about yesterday's ultrasound.

It seems that the baby's not having any trouble getting enough nutrients - despite the venous lakes. He's weighing about 11 oz. now and is measuring in the 56th percentile! Given that the 50th percentile would mean a baby born at 7.5 lb's, our little guy is on track to be born just a little bigger than that. That could easily change though!

The baby was very active today and wasn't cooperating for the poor ultrasound lady who had to get all kinds of measurements. Knowing that he's moving around inside me is nice though, because as of yet I'm not sure if I've felt him move. There's been a few times where I wonder if what I've been feeling is the baby moving around but it's too hard to tell still. Anytime now I should be starting to know for sure that he's moving inside! The ultrasound technician said that most likely the reason I haven't been feeling too much yet is because my placenta is located in the front so it acts as a cushion and makes it harder to feel movement. I can't wait feel that first movement that I'm sure was the baby!

As I said, our little man was very active today throughout most of the ultrasound... up until the lady was trying to get a few pictures for me to bring home. Then he was lying face down and wouldn't move much so she had the hardest time trying to get a picture of his face. She got a few but they're not that great. Here they are:









Sorry the pics are so hard to see. I was in a hurry to leave for the cabin but wanted to get this post up first. I'll make them look better later and re-post them.

And the Answer Is...

According to the poll, half of you think boy, half of you think girl. Which means...half of you are wrong! Which half? Wouldn't you love to know! :) But first, here are some pictures of our little one from this morning:


That little blob in front of the face is a hand - we could see the hands pretty clearly this time.


She gave us a bunch of pictures that looked very similar but I figured I'd post them all.





The baby was pretty calm throughout the whole ultrasound. He's measuring just right too! And the lady said the pocket of blood or liquid that was there at my last ultrasound is gone. She didn't see anything that worried her in me or the baby.

So... now that you've been waiting for a while... did you catch that little hint earlier? We're having a BOY!! And the lady was certain, no doubt about it! Jon and I are both excited, although Jon is especially thrilled and happy. He wants to have a girl at some point too, but he was getting a little paranoid thinking "what if I never get a boy?!" So he's glad he's at least got a boy now. :) For me it took a little while to adjust my thinking and let it sink in. I'm not dissapointed at all, I just was thinking it was probably a girl and never really thought too much about having a boy. I'm so happy though that Jon got his boy and the baby is looking healthy and well.

Knowing what we're having makes things even more real then before - and more exciting! I can't wait to start working on the nursery and registering. I spent a good chunk of time today browsing furniture websites looking for furniture for the baby room. :)

Oh, and before you all start asking - we're not telling the name until after the baby's born! We just started thinking about it today, and we may mention names we're considering, but we won't be setting it in stone and spreading the word until after we have our little boy in our arms and decide for sure that the name fits him! :)

Boy or Girl? Take the Poll!

This Thursday - just a day and a half from now - we go for my next ultrasound. I'm so excited to see how much the baby has grown in a month! We've also been told that at this ultrasound they'll possibly be able to tell us what we're having (especially if it's a boy).

Do any of you have a thought or feeling of what it might be? I thought it'd be fun to see what all of you are thinking :).

Over on the side bar to the left you'll find a poll. Let me know what you think and maybe we'll find out Thursday who's right and who's wrong.