first day back to the gym!

john was off today, so i was able to go the the gym. it feels good to work out again!

pediatrician yesterday...

Harper was up to 7-96 lbs yesterday at pediatrician. only a few ounces short of her birth weight! i am so siked about this.

today was her first time to the grocery store. she got a lot of attention but slept the whole time.

harper sleeping on christmas morning

Harper woke up at 4 am for breakfast. she went back to sleep...unfortunately i couldn't :(

harper in her bouncer

Harper's first visit to the pediatrician...

all looked good! she is back up to 7.69 lbs- no signs of jaundice.
our pediatrician is Barbara Bernstein at Mount Laurel Kids first.

Harper has arrived!!

Harper was born on Saturday dec 20th at 11:12 am. I was 40 weeks 4 days pregnant. My labor started soon after going to bed on thursday night around 2 am friday morning. It lasted around 31 hours!!
Harper weighed 7 lbs 12 oz at birth. When we left the hospital she was 7 lbs 5 oz. Today was our first pediatrician appt. and she weighed 7.69 so we are headed in the right direction. I am breastfeeding only so her weight is a huge concern to me but i feel optimistic now.

i have never been happier and never been so exhausted! John is taking the whole week off and it is really helpful to have him home.

i am going to try and keep this blog going for my family and friend across the country.

now i am going to go take a nap.

no baby yet

overdue....

i am officially overdue. i hate being late for things!
i am crossing my fingers she will come on her own in the next 9 days!

dr. appt....

i am only about 1/2 cm dilated, baby's head is very low.
next appt is fri. at 2:45.

40 weeks pg...

final picture??

40 wks pg from babycenter.com

How your baby's growing:

It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called "molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.

How your life's changing:

After months of anticipation, your due date rolls around, and... you're still pregnant. It's a frustrating, but common, situation in which to find yourself. You may not be as late as you think, especially if you're relying solely on a due date calculated from the day of your last period because sometimes women ovulate later than expected. Even with reliable dating, some women have prolonged pregnancies for no apparent reason.

You still have a couple of weeks before you'll be considered "post-term." But to be sure your baby is still thriving, your practitioner will schedule you for testing to keep an eye on her if your pregnancy continues.

You may have a biophysical profile (BPP), which consists of an ultrasound to look at your baby's overall movements, breathing movements (movement of her chest muscles and diaphragm), and muscle tone (whether she opens and closes her hand or extends and then flexes her limbs), as well as the amount of amniotic fluid that surrounds her (important because it's a reflection of how well the placenta is supporting your baby).

Fetal heart rate monitoring (called a nonstress test or NST) will generally be done as well — by itself or as part of the BPP. Or, you may have what's known as a modified BPP, which consists of an NST and an ultrasound to assess the amount of amniotic fluid.

If the fetal testing isn't reassuring — the amniotic fluid level is too low, for example — you'll be induced. If there's a serious, urgent problem, you may have an immediate c-section.

Your practitioner will also check your cervix to see if it's "ripening." Its position, how soft it is, how effaced (thinned out) it is, and how dilated (open) it is can all affect when and how your labor is induced. If you don't go into labor on your own, you'll be induced, usually sometime between 41 and 42 weeks.

today is my due date!!

i cant believe it is finally here. it looks like Harper will be making a late arrival.
i have a dr. appt in an hour so we will see!

no baby yet.....

today dad and i went to get my toyota inspected. it failed emmisions so now one more thing to do!
then we went to walmart for some pyrex and rubbermade dishes for JOhn.

keli made us matzah ball soup for lunch.

late this afternoon i vacuumed and washed the inside of the toyota so we can
install the baby seat.

tonight is the eagles game.

39 week appt...

i had a 45 min NST today. everything looked great.

no internal exam!

i will be going back twice a week now until baby comes.

next appt is tues dec 16th at 2:15! (my due date)

heartburn and nausea

i am feeling like crap and cannot sleep. i just took some tums and i am going to try and prop myself on a pillow. maybe i ate too much today :(

39 weeks from babycenter.com

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.
How your life's changing:At each of your now-weekly visits, your caregiver will do an abdominal exam to check your baby's growth and position. She might also do an internal exam to see whether your cervix has started ripening: softening, effacing (thinning out), and dilating (opening). But even armed with this information, there's still no way for your caregiver to predict exactly when your baby is coming. If you go past your due date, your caregiver will schedule you for fetal testing (usually a sonogram) after 40 weeks to ensure that it's safe to continue the pregnancy. If you don't go into labor on your own, most practitioners will induce labor when you're between one and two weeks overdue — or sooner if there's an indication that the risk of waiting is greater than the risks of delivering your baby without further delay.

While you're waiting, it's important to continue to pay attention to your baby's movements and let your caregiver know right away if they seem to decrease. Your baby should remain active right up to delivery, and a noticeable slowdown in activity could be a sign of a problem. Also call if you think your water may have broken. Membranes rupture before the beginning of labor in about 8 percent of term pregnancies. Sometimes there's a big gush of fluid, but sometimes there's only a small gush or a slow leak. (Don't try to make the diagnosis yourself. Call even if you only suspect you have a leak.) If you rupture your membranes and don't start contractions on your own, you'll be induced.

39 weeks.

my goal this week is to walk for 30 min/day everyday.
yesterday i walked for 45 min.

38 week dr. appt.

everything looks great with baby! she moved a lot during the NST.
i had a cervical exam- i am not sure why i was dreading this. it was not
painful at all. i am not dilated yet- not that it means anything anyways!
next appt is fri dec 12th at 2:15.

Your pregnancy: 38 weeks (babycenter.com)

How your baby's growing:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

How your life's changing:

For many women, the next couple of weeks are a waiting game. Use this time to prepare your baby's nursery or to take care of necessary tasks you may not get around to for a while after your baby's born. Take naps, catch up on your reading, and spend uninterrupted time with your partner while you can.

Some swelling in your feet and ankles is normal during these last weeks, but call your practitioner without delay if you notice excessive or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, more than slight swelling of your hands, any swelling in your face or puffiness around your eyes, or have a sudden weight gain. Also let her know immediately if have severe or persistent headaches; visual changes (such as double or blurred vision, seeing spots or flashing lights, light sensitivity, or a temporary loss of vision), intense upper abdominal pain or tenderness, or nausea and vomiting. These are symptoms of a serious condition called preeclampsia.

washing baby clothes

today i am washing all the newborn baby clothes and sheets just in case she comes early.
now i just have to figure out what she will wear home from hospital.

i also put the mattress protector on the mattress, cleaned the closet, and put together the baby bathtub.

a beautiful quilt for Harper!

thank you, Elena! it is absolutely beautiful, you are so talented. we love this blanket so much!!

more gifts for Harper!

thank you cheryl, john and laura, and anna!

2 weeks from today...

is my due date.

my mom's first baby was 5 days early. if only i am so lucky!!

38 weeks

keli comes home tonight...

if you read this, i will meet you at baggage claim at 9:40!
i am so excited to see you and karmin!

vikings beat the bears last night...

and are now in first place in the NFC north...
the game was so awesome, and i actually forgot i was
pregnant for a good 3 hours. i cannot wait to feel normal
again all the time!

2008 National Football Conference
NFC EAST	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STRK	DIV	CONF
NY Giants	11	1	0	.917	352	206	Won 7	4-0	8-0
Dallas	8	4	0	.667	299	260	Won 3	2-2	6-4
Washington	7	5	0	.583	208	222	Lost 1	2-3	6-4
Philadelphia	6	5	1	.542	319	249	Won 1	0-3	5-4
NFC NORTH	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STRK	DIV	CONF
Minnesota	7	5	0	.583	287	260	Won 2	3-2	5-3
Chicago	6	6	0	.500	281	268	Lost 1	3-2	5-5
Green Bay	5	7	0	.417	334	295	Lost 2	3-1	4-6
Detroit	0	12	0	.000	203	393	Lost 12	0-4	0-9
NFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STRK	DIV	CONF
Tampa Bay	9	3	0	.750	280	200	Won 4	3-1	8-2
Carolina	9	3	0	.750	285	231	Won 1	2-2	6-3
Atlanta	8	4	0	.667	298	242	Won 2	2-2	5-3
New Orleans	6	6	0	.500	337	301	Lost 1	1-3	3-5
NFC WEST	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STRK	DIV	CONF
Arizona	7	5	0	.583	338	313	Lost 2	4-0	5-4
San Francisco	4	8	0	.333	262	313	Won 1	2-3	3-7
Seattle	2	10	0	.167	216	311	Lost 5	2-2	2-8
St. Louis	2	10	0	.167	159	360	Lost 6	0-3	2-6

i cant believe that it is finally december!!

and that we will have a baby this month! i am soooo ready!!

2 weeks from tomorrow is the due date and i really hope she comes
on time, because i prefer to not be induced.