JULY 2012

Hottest spring (80-90 degrees) and summer (90 - 100 +) degrees on record! Tomorrow is going to be even hotter at 106! YIKES..... Toooo hot to even enjoy swimming. Never thought you'd hear me say that maybe we will get in the pool when it COOLS down! LOL! ....And being 7 months pregnant in this heat wave is extra hard on Mommy!

BELLY PROGRESSION!

You may be wondering why the belly looks the same if not smaller this month.....Being inactive on modified bedrest for four months was the culprit of fast weight gain.  Now, with all restrictions lifted, and back to working 12 hour nursing shifts, the belly is now all baby!  :-)  Gracyn is growing ahead of schedule (6 days) and is in the 70th percentile for weight and growth, so we are not concerned that the belly has been relatively slow in growing these last few months.....The OB even forewarned Caitlin that this would be the case and not to worry!  :-)

28w4d- BABY BUMP

The belly is measuring 40" around this week. Little less than last week. Could be due to the fact that Caitlin seems to be losing weight in other places (love handles & back fat disappearing-YAY) from being back to work and active....So far her weight gain is 14-15 lbs..... Depends on time of day:-). We get to see this little one on a 3D/4D ultrasound in about 5 hours! CAN'T WAIT!

28w1d- TOY ROOM

Before and after pictures of the newly painted toy room with Mommy at 28w1d pregnant!

28 WEEKS PREGNANT! OMG!

Dear Gracyn,

Time is flying by and Mommy is in the home stretch of this pregnancy!  According to BabyCenter.com,  by this week, you weigh two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of your head to your heels. You can blink your eyes, which now sport lashes. I hope you end up with Mommy's beautiful lashes.....many people think she wears false eyelashes because they are so long, thick and  naturally BEAUTIFUL!  We noticed just how pretty they were going to be when she was about 3 months old!  Mommy also has a beautiful green/blue and sometimes even a hint of brown to her eyes (depends on what she is wearing)...So not only does she have to die for eye lashes...she has killer colored eyes to match!  Lucky girl!  Your  eyesight is developing as well as the color of your eyes....you may be able to see the light that filters in through the womb.  I wonder what color your eyes will be by the time you are 9 months old, since it takes that long for the true color to develop!? You are also developing billions of neurons in your brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world!

Mommy has been swelling ALOT in her fingers, toes, feet and ankles.....she even has pitting skin when she presses her finger on her ankle.....NOT GOOD!  Especially since she has gestational diabetes, some protein in her urine and now pitty ankles......some early signs of pre-eclampsia ....So she is keeping a close eye on her blood pressure.  One other problem she is having is that nagging pain in her upper abdomen.....not Braxton Hicks contractions....but a pain.  In fact, she was so concerned that she called the OB for advice.  While she was waiting on his return call (which took forever!) she drank water and layed on her left side.....by the time he called back, she was finally feeling better.....however, Caitlin was concerned that it may be her gall bladder, so he said to go to ER if she starts feeling bad again .....just to be on the safe side......If you remember, Caitlin had this same pain in the early part of her 2nd trimester.  This happened several hours ago.....thankfully, she is still feeling better and even working a 12 hour shift tonight!  She is such a trooper!

We get to see your chubby little face on the 3D/4D elective ultrasound this Friday.....4 more days!!!!!
Can't wait!  Love you baby Gracyn!

Love, Grandma Dason

27w6d- HICCUPS GOT ON HOME DOPPLER!

Little Miss Gracyn had the hiccups, so Mommy got out the home doppler and video taped it for me!  Pretty Cool!

27w4d- BABY BUMP

The belly grew 1/4 inch this past week to 40 1/4" around! Even though the belly is getting bigger, the weight gain has been maintained at 14lbs. so far. Caitlin has been having a few BH contractions each day, but within normal limits. Little Miss Gracyn has been feisty lately. ... Joe put his ear to the belly trying to hear the heartbeat and Gracyn did a full out kick to his head! LOL. Speaking of kicks, Caitlin is guessing the baby is no longer head down since she is feeling painful kicks to the lady parts! OUCH!

BIRDS, BUTTONS & FRAMES

Caitlin painted the letter and birds white and added the buttons. TOOOO CUTE!

HOW TO MAKE A CHANGING PAD COVER

HOW TO MAKE A CHANGING PAD COVER

1. Cut an old changing pad cover at the seams and use as pattern pieces.
2. Cut new fabric with an additional 1/2 inch seam allowance.
3. Sew new pieces together the same way you cut the pattern pieces apart.
4. Make a casing out of bias tape and sew around bottom. Add elastic from the old cover or buy new and add.
5. Enjoy!

27w3d- BIG BELLY MOVES!

27 WEEKS- 3rd TRIMESTER!!!!

Yep, you read that right!  3rd Trimester!!!!  This week baby Gracyn weighs around 2 lbs and is about 14 1/2 inches long from head to toe!  She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, Gracyn is  very active now.  She even reacts to light and noise!  While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now.  Let's hope she stays put for another 13 weeks! 

Love you baby Gracyn!

HOW TO MAKE THE BABY QUILT

HOW TO MAKE THE BABY QUILT:
1. Cover the piping with your favorite fabric.
2. Cut a piece of fabric 1/2 inch bigger than the padding for seam allowance.
3. Pin on piping around the edge of right side of fabric and sew into place.
4. Piece fabrics together for opposite side of quilt 1/2 inch bigger than padding for seam allowance.
5. With right sides together, sew both quilt fabrics. Leave a large opening in one end. Turn fabric right sides out.
6. Put padding inside of quilt and sew opening shut.
7. Enjoy!

NEW DAILY ROUTINE :-(

Added to the daily routine of prenatal vitamins, extra frolic acid, low dose aspirin for MTHFR blood disorder.... Caitlin added the iron, strict meal plan of 2000 calories a day and 4 finger prick sugar checks each day. Today's lunch sugar check was 107 but then dinner's check was up again to 168. :-(

26w3d- BABY BUMP

The belly is measuring the same as last week at 40". 3 days away from the 3rd trimester!!!!!

26w2d- GESTATIONAL DIABETES

Glucose test results in....NOT GOOD! Caitlin's sugar level was sooooo high at 231 that they are skipping the 3 hour glucose screening and going straight to blood sugar monitoring 4 times a day and controlled diet of 2000 calories a day through a meal plan. If the levels remain high, the next step will be insulin pills or shots :-(. To add insult to injury, her iron level is really low so she has to take extra iron each day. This came as a surprise to Caitlin because her blood sugars have never been higher than 110 (non-fasting) all through nursing school when they practiced on each other. Needless to say, she is a sad Momma right now, but baby Gracyn is worth it!

26w1d- OB APPOINTMENT

Caitlin had her monthly OB appointment with the lovely orange surgery drink for the glucose test.  She should know the results some time this week.  She gained 3 lbs this month...with a total of 14 lbs so far! Not bad! There was a trace of protein in her urine, but the blood pressure was good at 112/72   The fundal height is measuring 27 weeks! 

We were supposed to see little Miss Gracyn on a 3D/4D ultrasound today, but she had her own agenda....Little Miss was facing Mommy's back!  :-(  We got a good look at the back of her head, spine, bum, and feet.  By the way, her legs are still crossed at the ankles!  Too cute!  What we didn't get to see is that cute little face....not even a profile shot!  :-( .....So the ultrasound tech didn't even turn on the 3D screen......no good pictures to share this time.  Maybe next month!  What we did find out is that the baby is in the head down position. Let's hope she stays that way, but rotates a 180 forward so we can see that beautiful face next time! Next appointment is July 17th!

FATHER'S DAY 2012?

Daddy got a spiffy new pair of tennis shoes and Mommy got a ring with Gracyn's birthstone....With an EDD of Sept. 24.....They are pretty confident she will be born in September.....If not, Mommy will be trading in this birthstone...... Here's to hopeful thinking for September!

BUMPER PADS IN THE MAKING!

How to make the bumper pads:
1. Caitlin chose 3 fabrics for the nursery which will be mixed in the bumper pads.
2. The darkest color was picked for the piping.
3. The printed fabric was cut to cover the bumper padding with an additional 1/2 inch seam allowance (We used an old bumper padding set to save money).
4.  Next- Sew on the piping.
5.  Sew on ties.  We made ours from the dark fabric to match the piping....but ribbon will work.  We pinned the ties to printed fabric to prevent them from accidentally being sewn in the seam when the next fabric was added to the other side.
6.  Next- lay out different fabrics (cut and sew together) long enough to cover the opposite side of the bumper pad. 
7. With right sides of bumper fabric together....sew together ....leaving one end open.  Turn fabric to right side.
8. Insert bumper padding
9. Sew the last end and put on the crib!
10. The last picture shows the bumper pad and skirt (made and posted in an earlier)! 

26 WEEKS PREGNANT!!!

Dear Gracyn,

Mommy is on the countdown to the 3rd trimester!  One more week!!!  Time seems to be flying by as you continue to grow stronger!  According to babycenter.com... Brain waves for the auditory and visual systems are detectable in your brain. That means your brain is registering things like sound and light. You may not understand what any of it means yet, but you're on track to comprehend an entire episode of Blue's Clues in no time! The network of nerves in your ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. You may now be able to hear both your Mommy and Daddy as they chat with each other. When you are born, you will recognize their voices!  Even though your eyes are still shut, your eyes are fully developed...soon you will be able to blink!  You are inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of your lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when you're born and take that first gulp of air. And you continuing to put on baby fat. You now weigh about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (the size of a burp cloth) from head to heel.

We get to see you in a 3D/4D ultrasound tomorrow morning!  CAN'T WAIT! 

Love you,
Grandma Dason

25w5d- 100 DAYS LEFT UNTIL EDD!

OMG- Today the pregnancy ticker says only 100 days to go until the Sept. 24th due date!  Do you know what that means????  It means that tomorrow, Caitlin's pregnancy countdown drops from triple digits to double digits!!!!  YAY!

25w4d- BABY BUMP!!!

The belly continues to get rounder....grew 1/4 inch to a grand total of 40" around!  Miss Gracyn is quite the active one.  It is such fun to watch her kick and wiggle.  Mommy shared that Gracyn had the hiccups for about 10 minutes and it made her mad....she wiggled and kicked up a storm....while Mommy tried to sleep!

Baby Shower Invites :-)

BELLY PROGRESSION!

Total weight gain so far....14 lbs.!!!  Woot!

25 WEEKS PREGNANT! YAY!

Dear Baby Gracyn,

You are growing by leaps and bounds.  Mommy thinks you are laying transverse across her belly.  If she lays on her side, she will feel you press against the bed or couch with your feet and then feel your head and arms on the other side of her belly when you stretch out!  According to babycenter.com, from head to heels, you now measures about 13 1/2 inches long!!!!  You probably weigh about a pound and a half ( an average rutabaga ), and you are finally putting on some baby fat! As you gain more fat, your wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and you'll start to look more and more like a newborn!!!!  So exciting!  You are also growing more hair — and if we could see it, we'd now be able to discern it's color and texture!

Gracyn is not the only one with more hair — Mommy's hair is  more full and lustrous than ever!  Thanks to hormonal changes, the hair that she'd normally shed is sticking around longer than usual.  She is even finding dark hairs in places where she doesn't want to see them....like her belly....especially near the belly button!

Mommy has also noticed that she can't move around as gracefully as before.  The swelling has taken over the entire body....especially her hands/fingers and feet/ toes!  The worst pregnancy systems now include siatic nerve pain, charlie horses in her legs and HEARTBURN!!! But you are worth it!!

We love you!
Grandma Dason

24w6d- FUN IN THE SUN!

Little Miss Nevaeh (2 yrs. old)  loves on baby Gracyn (24w6d)!  I enjoyed feeling the baby kick and watching her move around!