How are you 2 weeks old!?

Malin,

How is it possible that you have already been with us for 2 weeks?!?  We love you like you've been with us forever!

our last picture as a family of "3", 2 weeks ago

2 weeks ago today

You are such a sweet, calm baby.  You rarely cry and when you do, you are quite easy to please.  We're finally getting the eating thing down (you seem more full, I'm in less pain!).  You sleep all the time, but are most awake in the morning.  You've discovered your jungle mat and seem to really like that.

This past week your cord stump fell off so we were able to give you your first real bath!  I was preparing myself for screaming, but you were quite happy in the tub.

Your daddy has been working nights all week so it's just been us two.  I think we're figuring this whole thing out, but I'm sure as you grow, the routine is going to change.

We've taken you to the beach now with Bentley.  You've loved being in your stroller and next to your daddy in the baby bjorn.

Malin, you are so loved by so many people! Please please please don't grow up too quickly!

XOXO,
Your momma

Happy Birthday Malin! (37w3d)

On July 8, 2011 at 6:44pm, we welcomed our little girl, Malin Marie into this world weighing 5lbs6oz.

I woke up several times Thursday night/Friday morning with a sensation of "leaking".  I didn't think much of it until after my 3rd trip to the bath room I noticed fluid running down my leg.  I yelled for Lucas from the bathroom but of course he didn't hear me. So, I made my way back to our room and casually said to him (just like the movies!), "Lucas, I think my water broke".  I've never seen him get up so quickly.

After some googling to make sure that in fact my water did break and "what to pack in a hospital bag", we were off- myself on the way to labor and delivery and Lucas on his way to a different hospital to round.  He figured by the time I got checked in and admitted, he'd be back (he was right, he arrived when I was just settling into my delivery room and getting my IV placed).

My labor went really well mainly because I respond "perfectly" according to my doc to pitocin.  We were so blessed that the first doctor that I met with that I liked the best out of the practice was the doc on call and would likely be the one to deliver our baby (assuming he/she arrived by 11pm).  Pretty much immediately after they started pitocin (8:30am), I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes. by 1pm (5cm) I was ready for an epidural.  I've heard that epidurals can often times slow things down a bit so Lucas actually asked me around 5pm if he should run out and grab food since it would be pretty late when I could eat.  I was starting to feel a lot of pressure, so I asked him to just wait until the doc came into check me again.  Sure enough, at 5:45 I was checked and was fully dialated, ready to push.  After an hour of pushing, our little GIRL, Malin ("Maylynn") arrived.

Malin is such a calm baby and has rightfully earned the name peanut since she is quite petite. Her name is swedish and middle name is my grandmother's middle name.

We praise God for His faithfulness and perfect timing!

37 Weeks...Full Term!

Still no chalk!! 

How Far Along:   37 weeks

Size of Baby:  6 1/2 lbs and 20 inches.  Last week the baby was est. at 6lbs by ultrasound so we should be right on track. 

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Down a pound this week and last so I only up about 17lbs.  Trying to eat snacks constantly throughout the day but it gets tough since I feel like I have no space in there. 

Maternity Clothes: Really ready to retire some of these clothes.  I am down to only a few shirts that cover my belly.

Movement: Yes, although less punches and jabs and more rolling and squirming.  I think this baby knows that we are running out of room.  

Sleep: Sleep was not as great this past week between waking up for the bathroom, the heat and fireworks.

What I miss:  A cold wheat beer. and sushi.

Cravings: Still drinking lemonade.  Craving salty things and mostly carbs.

Symptoms:  Heartburn hasn't been as bad this week.  But this week has been charlie horse/leg cramp week.  No fun.  No change from last week as far as labor progress from my check up today.  Did have a lot of braxton hicks contractions this weekend, most likely due to activity though so we'll just keep waiting.

Best Moment this week:  I think I'm still running on the high from seeing the baby last week.  I just cannot wait to kiss those big cheeks.  Lucas and I had a great weekend (he had Saturday and Monday off), so Saturday we took the train into the city and walked about 5 miles (with a couple breaks in between to rest) and had some awesome food at Spice Market (Thanks E and J for the recommendation! it was awesome).  Installed the car seat, have the baby's room mostly ready with the exception of some "non-essential" items.  AND, as of today, being FULL TERM! Yippee! I would like to welcome this baby to join us whenever (although preferably before August when Lucas starts night shift).

Thanks Susanne for the subway art! We love it!! 

My belly is starting to hang down. Belly button popping.

Pictures for the week...

Little glimpse of Baby King

My new doctor's office does a weight estimate between 36-37 weeks with a brand new 3D ultrasound machine.  It has been months since we've had a glimpse of Baby King...but today we got a little sneak peak at some very chubby checks!  It was the best 10 minutes we've spent in awhile!

The baby is measuring 6lbs, which is on the small end of the scale for my original due date (although, they now are saying my due date is 7/26, so if that's the case, we're right in the median for weight). So they said to predict a 7-7.5 lb baby which sounds great to me! We saw him/her with his hand in the mouth...then later the thumb! Also saw a couple "smiles".  So precious! The tech was so great to spend so much time getting lots of face shots (no below the belt shots...she said she didn't look, so she doesn't even know).

Introducing baby King who may challenge his/her cousin, Ms. Scarlett King to a game of chubby bunny later in life!

The blob in front of the mouth is his/her arm

I had my group B strep test as well as an internal check...1.5 cm dialated and slightly effaced. Of course she warned me I could stay that way for weeks, or it could change overnight. I'll just keep walking and letting that babe cook.

36 weeks 3 days

We can't find the chalk! 

How Far Along:   36 weeks and 3 days

Size of Baby:  6 lbs and 20 inches.  We'll get an "estimate" on Wednesday at our ultrasound.

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Up a total of 19-20 lbs. 

Maternity Clothes: Maternity clothes... can't wait to put some of these away! I feel like I wear the same outfit over and over again! 

Movement: Still mainly residing in my ribs with jabs to my sides.  I am hoping those are feet in my ribs and that I do not have a breech baby! 

Sleep: Still sleeping really well minus 1-2 trips to the bathroom.  Not too bad!

What I miss:  I think I am going to change this to what I will miss... I will miss all the sweet rolls and punches that I feel all day long.  

Cravings: Lemonade

Symptoms:  Heartburn.  I don't think I've ever had heartburn in my life, but I can definitely say I have experienced it now! 

Best Moment this week:  Finally feeling more settled in our house - we have a couch which means I can sit and relax, although there hasn't been much time for that.  And...we've started setting up the baby's room.  Just on the hunt for a glider and then I think we'll be complete! Went to a church in town and really enjoyed it...the people were so welcoming and friendly (something that you don't find that often around here it seems!).

Pictures for the week...

Crib assembly...we'll do the full reveal soon! 

Sneak peak...but most of all, Bentley's favorite spot in the house so far!

A delayed update... 35 weeks and 3 days plus life!

Chalkboard photo missing! :) 35 weeks and 3 days 

How Far Along:   35 weeks and 3 days

Size of Baby:  5 1/2 lbs and 20 inches

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Up a total of 19 lbs, 3 of which were in the last week and a half! I guess that's OK considering the babe is packing on the pounds now (1lb in the last week).

Maternity Clothes: Maternity clothes.  Starting to get a little tired of the options...even some of the maternity shirts don't fit anymore.

Movement: Lots of movement.  One of my favorite moments was sitting at the airport in Philadelphia for a connection and a door alarm went of that was super loud - and made the baby jump and start squirming! So I guess we can say that he/she has hearing right now (hopefully still has hearing after that alarm!)

Sleep:  I sleep really well when I get to sleep, but the last few weeks have been non-stop so getting to bed at a decent time has been a challenge.

What I miss:  Sushi.  Lucas keeps asking me when we can go to sushi which is killing me! There are tons of sushi places around our new house.

Cravings:  I think I am still onto lemonade and potatoes.

Symptoms:  Starting to get back aches but this may be due to all the unpacking we've been doing.  I move a little slower (maybe with a slight waddle, Lucas says), but am still getting out most days for a long walk with Bentley.  Feeling pretty good still.

Best Moment this week:  This week has had some good moments and bad moments...mostly due to the stress of moving across the country at 35 weeks pregnant.  

The good:  

-We arrived in NY safely! 

-The moving truck arrived the same day that we arrived which meant we actually had beds to sleep on the first night! 

-I really like my new doctor's office - I met with one doc yesterday who was really great (I loved his style - dress pants, dress shirt, bow tie, but sleeves were rolled up and he was wearing sneakers!).  Next week I have an ultrasound to determine the baby's weight, Strep B test and pre-register for the hospital so I skip that step when I come in.  -Our crib arrived (but needs to be assembled!)

-Our new neighborhood is really really pretty and we are about a 10 minute walk to the beach/harbor which is gorgeous.

The bad:

-Unpacking

-Not having any storage devices to unpack the hundreds of books we have (although we did buy some yesterday at IKEA, but have to now asememble).

-No blinds in the master bedroom which is also the front of the house - and going to Lowes to find out their blind cutter is broken, so we have to wait!

-Lucas starting orientation and only have one more day "off" before he starts residency! :(

Random Updates: See above!

Picture for the week...

And just some random ones from the week...

The moving truck. We actually would recommend going this route again, although if we weren't having to do this on a budget, I would definitely go full-service moving company.

We had Peg and Cliff out for the past few days (they helped L drive across the country).  In between their help unpacking everything, we headed to the Mets vs Angels game on Father's Day.

Citi Field was a pretty cool stadium...a lot like Coors Field.

L and Cliff's handiwork- a fence for Bentley! 

Morning walk - Bentley loves the beach and "hunting" the ducks

Not sure if dogs are allowed off-leash, but it's so quiet in the morning, I figure no one cares

Just staring at the ducks..but would never get close to the water.

Will update more when we get the house in order! 

33 Weeks, 2 Days

How Far Along:   33 weeks and 2 days

Size of Baby:  4 1/2 lbs and 19-20 inches

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  I'm headed to the doctor on Wednesday this week, so we shall see.  I think I've probably gained about 2 lbs since last time which would put me at about 15-16 lbs total.

Maternity Clothes: Maternity clothes plus regular clothes in a size up.

Movement: Lots and lots of movement! Still definitely camped out though in my ribs.  

Sleep:  The last two weeks I have slept pretty well, but need more sleep.  We've been so busy that my bedtime is definitely much later than it has been.

What I miss:  Not having to squat to bend down.

Cravings:  Potatoes, lemonade.

Symptoms:  Not as mobile, but still feeling pretty good. Have definitely noticed that I am much slower on my walks and can't go quite as far without getting uncomfortable.

Best Moment this week:  Having all of our family in town.  This week though it's back to business with packing.

Random Updates: Moving van comes on Wednesday and we are scrambling to get things packed and try to clean at the same time.  I depart Thursday and Lucas and his dad leave either Thursday night or Friday AM to start the big road trip.

Picture for the week...

Everyone says I am tiny.  I don't know how I feel about that though because I certainly don't feel small.