Jan 31, 2011
Hope Gala - For the Kids
Here's a cute belly picture of me all dressed up in NYC for Penn State's Hope Gala. It was a fabulous time! 1/21/11
Jan 26, 2011
16 weeks - update
This week baby Swanson is the size of an avocado. 4 1/2 inches! In the next few weeks, the baby will double in weight and length. Now her legs are more developed, head is more erect, and her eyes have moved closer to the front of her head. The ears are also in their final position. She's even started growing toenails!! How cute!
Our next appointment is on Tuesday. I'm pretty excited, although I don't believe that we will have an ultrasound.
How cute was Zach's post below?
Here's the 16 weeks belly photo.
I still haven't gained any weight. Maybe, just maybe a pound, but that could be food or water or whatever, so I don't really know. I think that my stomach has grown though. It seems that my whole belly is sort of popping out and not the lower part like I see in most people's "belly photos." Maybe that's because I didn't exactly start out with a flat stomach haha! I'm ready for it to look like a real baby bump!
I've been feeling much better still. Every now and then I get sick, but it doesn't seem to last. I still have trouble eating very much at one time, but then I feel hungry all of the time. I've started carrying nutrigrain bars and snacks like that with me so I can eat something when I get hungry.
All in all everything is good!
Post by Ashley
Our next appointment is on Tuesday. I'm pretty excited, although I don't believe that we will have an ultrasound.
How cute was Zach's post below?
Here's the 16 weeks belly photo.
I still haven't gained any weight. Maybe, just maybe a pound, but that could be food or water or whatever, so I don't really know. I think that my stomach has grown though. It seems that my whole belly is sort of popping out and not the lower part like I see in most people's "belly photos." Maybe that's because I didn't exactly start out with a flat stomach haha! I'm ready for it to look like a real baby bump!
I've been feeling much better still. Every now and then I get sick, but it doesn't seem to last. I still have trouble eating very much at one time, but then I feel hungry all of the time. I've started carrying nutrigrain bars and snacks like that with me so I can eat something when I get hungry.
All in all everything is good!
Post by Ashley
Jan 25, 2011
My Pilot Post
Sorry my posting has been absent from the blog. Ashley had it set up on her account so I couldn't access it unless I was home. Now we have it figured out so I can post anytime, anywhere - even if that means stealing a little work time to talk about my future child. I apologize in advance for the length.
It seems that Ash must assume that the pronoun of choice for an unborn child follows nautical rules. Our baby is already a "she" even though we don't find out for another month. That's ok, I'll go with it. Everything to this point has been hard to believe. To me, it honestly feels like my first days at General McLane were just a couple years ago. Time absolutely flies in this world. Ashley and I had talked last year that we wanted to be younger parents. We wanted to be able to do a bunch of things with our kids. And looking even further down the line, I want to be able to do things with my grandkids. I look at my Dad's parents and I still hit the links with them every summer. And they both still beat me!! I want that, and maybe by the time I fill that role I will be the one winning. What we didn't expect was everything to happen so quickly. We hear stories from friends that I have tried to have a baby for months, sometimes years with no success. In this regard, we consider ourselves lucky.
The thought of being a parent is a bit overwhelming in many regards. How can we afford a child? Will we still be able to travel? Is our social life over? Will I be a good parent? The fact is that none of the above questions really matter. We will find a way to be great parents, even if Ash has to give me verbatim instructions. The baby books that we have are pretty good, but it's impossible to read them in their entirity. There is so much information, and so much of that information is repeated in a different way. It really is an encyclopedia for everything related to pregnancy. Nice to have, but not completely necessary. A better book would tell me what to do after baby Swanson arrives.
Ash and I were just talking yesterday that she is nearly 4 months, which makes this ride almost half over. It is flying by! Before you know it, the weather will be warm, Ash will be miserable and everything in the world will be my fault. That's alright though. I will embrace that role as the father-to-be. The sonogram appointment was pretty special. Despite the baby being only two inches long, we could see her clearly and the heartbeat was stronger than ever. We have another appointment next week, but I expect it to be a normal checkup. We should know the sex during the first week of March, so I'm already anticipating that appointment. Then we can start to register for baby shower gifts and figure out what we're going to do with the spare/baby/computer room. Won't be long before need a bigger home. Closer to home or to warmer climates? A topic for another day...
~ Post by Zach
It seems that Ash must assume that the pronoun of choice for an unborn child follows nautical rules. Our baby is already a "she" even though we don't find out for another month. That's ok, I'll go with it. Everything to this point has been hard to believe. To me, it honestly feels like my first days at General McLane were just a couple years ago. Time absolutely flies in this world. Ashley and I had talked last year that we wanted to be younger parents. We wanted to be able to do a bunch of things with our kids. And looking even further down the line, I want to be able to do things with my grandkids. I look at my Dad's parents and I still hit the links with them every summer. And they both still beat me!! I want that, and maybe by the time I fill that role I will be the one winning. What we didn't expect was everything to happen so quickly. We hear stories from friends that I have tried to have a baby for months, sometimes years with no success. In this regard, we consider ourselves lucky.
The thought of being a parent is a bit overwhelming in many regards. How can we afford a child? Will we still be able to travel? Is our social life over? Will I be a good parent? The fact is that none of the above questions really matter. We will find a way to be great parents, even if Ash has to give me verbatim instructions. The baby books that we have are pretty good, but it's impossible to read them in their entirity. There is so much information, and so much of that information is repeated in a different way. It really is an encyclopedia for everything related to pregnancy. Nice to have, but not completely necessary. A better book would tell me what to do after baby Swanson arrives.
Ash and I were just talking yesterday that she is nearly 4 months, which makes this ride almost half over. It is flying by! Before you know it, the weather will be warm, Ash will be miserable and everything in the world will be my fault. That's alright though. I will embrace that role as the father-to-be. The sonogram appointment was pretty special. Despite the baby being only two inches long, we could see her clearly and the heartbeat was stronger than ever. We have another appointment next week, but I expect it to be a normal checkup. We should know the sex during the first week of March, so I'm already anticipating that appointment. Then we can start to register for baby shower gifts and figure out what we're going to do with the spare/baby/computer room. Won't be long before need a bigger home. Closer to home or to warmer climates? A topic for another day...
~ Post by Zach
Jan 19, 2011
15 weeks - update
This week, the baby is the size of an apple!! Four inches :-) Isn't that cute? Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. She is unable to open her eyelids yet, but she can sense light. Also, taste buds are forming.
Babycenter.com says that if I were to have an ultrasound this week, we may be able to find out if our baby is a boy or a girl!! Depending on the clarity of the ultrasound picture and the position of the baby. I wonder if I'm having an ultrasound on Feb. 1!! I would love to try to see if we can find out the sex already!!
Zach and I are both out of town this weekend. I am flying to NYC to visit one of my besties, Melissa. We are going to have a girls weekend and we're going to a gala for Penn State's THON! Zach is going to Houston to spend the weekend with some of his best buddies. It's going to be a fun weekend for all! I miss him already :-)
We will take a belly photo next week. I'm still just feeling chubby :-) I am wearing a belly band with my work pants so that I can leave them unbuttoned, but my jeans still fit fine.
Excited for this weekend!!!
Babycenter.com says that if I were to have an ultrasound this week, we may be able to find out if our baby is a boy or a girl!! Depending on the clarity of the ultrasound picture and the position of the baby. I wonder if I'm having an ultrasound on Feb. 1!! I would love to try to see if we can find out the sex already!!
Zach and I are both out of town this weekend. I am flying to NYC to visit one of my besties, Melissa. We are going to have a girls weekend and we're going to a gala for Penn State's THON! Zach is going to Houston to spend the weekend with some of his best buddies. It's going to be a fun weekend for all! I miss him already :-)
We will take a belly photo next week. I'm still just feeling chubby :-) I am wearing a belly band with my work pants so that I can leave them unbuttoned, but my jeans still fit fine.
Excited for this weekend!!!
Jan 12, 2011
14 weeks - update
This week Baby Swanson is about the size of a lemon!
Some of this weeks developments the baby include: squinting, frowning, sucking his thumb, and peeing! Did you know that the amniotic fluid the baby floats in is made up of mostly his urine? I read that in a baby book, kind of gross to think about!! :-)
This past week has been great for me. I threw up my breakfast on Saturday, but for no reason in particular, I was not nauseous and was able to go on through the day with ease. Other than that, I have felt great. I have more energy now and I've started going back to the gym this week. Zach and I finally made a trip to the grocery store tonight, so I will be in the kitchen cooking dinner again..now that I can eat it!! :-) Very exciting!
Zach has been very good to me. I've only had one or two cravings (sushi and Reeses Puffs haha - don't worry, no raw sushi!!) and he has been happy to run out and get those for me on these cold days. What a good man :-)
Do you think the kitties know that I have a baby inside me? Leo has been lying directly on my stomach every night while I sleep. He used to cuddle every now and then, but never on my stomach and not for the whole night like he seems to do now.
Some of this weeks developments the baby include: squinting, frowning, sucking his thumb, and peeing! Did you know that the amniotic fluid the baby floats in is made up of mostly his urine? I read that in a baby book, kind of gross to think about!! :-)
This past week has been great for me. I threw up my breakfast on Saturday, but for no reason in particular, I was not nauseous and was able to go on through the day with ease. Other than that, I have felt great. I have more energy now and I've started going back to the gym this week. Zach and I finally made a trip to the grocery store tonight, so I will be in the kitchen cooking dinner again..now that I can eat it!! :-) Very exciting!
Zach has been very good to me. I've only had one or two cravings (sushi and Reeses Puffs haha - don't worry, no raw sushi!!) and he has been happy to run out and get those for me on these cold days. What a good man :-)
Do you think the kitties know that I have a baby inside me? Leo has been lying directly on my stomach every night while I sleep. He used to cuddle every now and then, but never on my stomach and not for the whole night like he seems to do now.
Jan 5, 2011
Belly Watch - 13 weeks
Right now I'm feeling mostly bloated and chubby, but it's all for a good cause I suppose. I haven't gained any weight yet, but I'm definitely thickening around the waist and my pants are getting snug.
13 weeks update
Today is the beginning of 13 weeks. Baby Swanson is almost 3 inches, about the size of a medium shrimp, and weighing in at 1 ounce. Fingerprints have formed and veins and organs are clearly visible through still-thin skin. The body is starting to catch up with the head — which makes up just a third of the body size now.
This is the last week of my first trimester and I'm hoping that means the end of morning sickness. It has been much better lately, but I still have a hard time swallowing foods and still have some pretty bad nauseous.
Post by Ashley.
This is the last week of my first trimester and I'm hoping that means the end of morning sickness. It has been much better lately, but I still have a hard time swallowing foods and still have some pretty bad nauseous.
Post by Ashley.
Jan 3, 2011
First Ultrasound!!
Baby Swanson is 12 weeks 5 days!
We thought we were 11 weeks, but the measurements during the ultrasound showed Baby Swanson larger than expected. Our due date is now July 13th! See below for the pictures.
Here is Baby Swanson's profile view. We love this picture! I can't stop looking at it :-)
This is a view from the top of the baby. You can see the head, and an arm extending in front of the body.
Here is the front view, looking straight on at the face. It's very skeletal/alien looking, haha. You can make out his/her little face. We definitely love the profile view the most!
This whole ultrasound experience was amazing. Words can't describe what it was like to see this little person that is inside of me on the screen. We were able to see the little heart beating (you can see the heart in the last two photos), and also hear it. It was loud and clear at 157 BPM. Zach and I were both pretty amazed and speechless. I was sure I would cry (because I've cried in the past just thinking about it - hormones!), however, there were none. Momma and baby are both healthy.
Hopefully Zach will make a post to let you all know how he felt about this amazing experience. Please leave comments!
Post by Ashley
We thought we were 11 weeks, but the measurements during the ultrasound showed Baby Swanson larger than expected. Our due date is now July 13th! See below for the pictures.
Here is Baby Swanson's profile view. We love this picture! I can't stop looking at it :-)
This is a view from the top of the baby. You can see the head, and an arm extending in front of the body.
Here is the front view, looking straight on at the face. It's very skeletal/alien looking, haha. You can make out his/her little face. We definitely love the profile view the most!
This whole ultrasound experience was amazing. Words can't describe what it was like to see this little person that is inside of me on the screen. We were able to see the little heart beating (you can see the heart in the last two photos), and also hear it. It was loud and clear at 157 BPM. Zach and I were both pretty amazed and speechless. I was sure I would cry (because I've cried in the past just thinking about it - hormones!), however, there were none. Momma and baby are both healthy.
Hopefully Zach will make a post to let you all know how he felt about this amazing experience. Please leave comments!
Post by Ashley
Jan 2, 2011
Baby Books
Zach intently reading the baby book. He seems to enjoy it. This one is for me, but I bought one that is for daddy's and he put that by the toilet :-) It will get read there for sure!
Post by Ashley
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