31 weeks, 3 days belly picture.

So, here I am at 31 weeks, 3 days. It is fun to take the picture in the nursery (and I can only imagine it will be even more fun once we get the crib in and set-up!). I am feeling quite large these days... and my sweet, darling Mitch lovingly tells me that I'm only going to get larger. Thanks, dear. Actually, Mitch has been fantastic and says that our son is just getting bigger and healthier and needs more room. It is still fun to watch his eyes light up when we talk about future plans involving this little man. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

28 week Dr. appointment, a wedding, and a baby bump picture.

Today's baby bump picture was actually taken in the nursery! The walls are painted and the carpet has been cleaned and we are ready to start putting things in his room. Right now we only have a dresser, but in just under 2 weeks, I have a feeling we will have a few more items to put in there. It's hard to believe there is less than 2 weeks until my first baby shower! It is nice to be able to take the baby bump picture in his nursery though... it is quickly becoming one of my favorite rooms in the house. There is just something about going in there and imagining him being there in the near future that is so relaxing and peaceful.

Last Thursday we had our 28 week appointment... which included the infamous glucose test for gestational diabetes. Honestly, the drink wasn't bad at all. It tasted like orange syrup and was very easy to drink. I got a little jittery afterwards and then started to feel a bit nauseous, but nothing too bad. It was the crash that followed that was so hard for me. It took all I had to make it through the rest of the day (I worked until 9pm because of the appointment being in the morning). I haven't heard anything about the glucose test, so I'm assuming no news is good news and that I do not have gestational diabetes. Therefore, I've been continuing to feed that uncontrollable sweet tooth that appeared out of nowhere... and crossing my fingers that it doesn't come around to haunt me in the way of stretch marks and out-of-control weight gain.

Which, speaking of stretch marks, I cried the other day. At 27 weeks, I found my first stretch marks... and they are on the back of my right thigh. Yes, I know that they are a "badge of honor" and all of that, but I really had hoped to skate through pregnancy without any. So, now I am hoping that the worst is over and that I'm done with getting stretch marks.

Back to the 28 week doctor appointment. He is measuring on track and his heartbeat was at 133 beats per minute (he was resting at the time) and it sounded really good. I also got my RhoGAM shot on Thursday due to me being RH negative as well as an ID card I got to put in my wallet. Our next appointment will be on September 10 at 32 weeks and then I will be seen every other week.

In other news, my youngest brother, Andrew, got married this past weekend (Aug. 14) to Aimee. We have another Bridge in the family now... and I wish them only the very best. It was a beautiful wedding ceremony and they both looked so happy. It is so weird for me to think that my baby brother has a wife and a daughter, as well as three stepsons. I wish I had some pictures, but of course I forgot to bring my camera so I am going to have to rely on my mom and dad for pictures. I will say that while in the 7th month of pregnancy... dancing the night away is not the best idea. While it was a blast being out there dancing with Mitch, my dad, my cousin Katie, etc., I sure felt it by the end of the night... and the next day.

I don't know if I have mentioned this as of yet, but Mitch and I are pretty settled on a name at this point for our little man. We call him by his name at home or when it is just us and it really makes me feel closer to our son. The only downfall is that we sometimes catch ourselves about to say his name when talking about him to others! I will say that the parents really have been understanding in our want to keep the name to ourselves which is wonderful. I have also noticed that since reaching the 3rd trimester, my fatigue has skyrocketed. It seems that all I want to do now is sleep!

Countdown? We're down to 10 weeks, 3 days.

25 weeks, 3 days baby bump.

Looking at this picture, I guess it really isn't a surprise that I get comments almost every time I go somewhere now about my pregnancy. I sure have popped from the picture 3 weeks ago! Things are going wonderfully with the pregnancy and it is hard to believe that my due date is 14 weeks, 4 days away. I have a feeling that our baby boy will be here before we know it... those 14 weeks are going to go by so incredibly fast.

22 weeks, 3 days.

It's amazing to think that I am 14 and a half weeks away from being considered full term and 17 and a half weeks away from my estimated due date. Baby boy Hofer continues to let me know he is there with all of the kicks and nudges as he moves around in there. We even have a "game" in which I will press and wiggle on one spot on my stomach for a few seconds and then wait for him to respond with a kick back. With less than 4 months to get everything ready, Mitch and I are starting to feel the pressure to get everything done... and soon!

Tennessee, Appointments, and Nesting... Oh My!

What a busy week! It was so busy, that I didn't even post my 20 week belly picture... so here is the 20 week belly picture. In other words, this is what I looked like 1.5 weeks ago? There is definitely no mistaking that I have a belly now... which is wonderful as it means baby boy is growing by leaps and bounds in there.

Back to that busy week. So, the day after we found out about having to go in for a level II ultrasound I got a phone call at work from my mom saying that Da-Da (her dad, my grandpa) was in the hospital and that the doctors were saying family needed to come now and that they were asking about a living will.

So, I called Mitch and we both left work and met up at home to pack. We couldn't get on a flight that night (they were all overbooked), so we hopped in the car and picked up my brother Andrew, his fiance Aimee, and my niece Kirstin and all 5 of us made the 13 hour roadtrip to Tennessee.

Thankfully, Da-Da is stubborn and apparently it just wasn't his time. Although he came in with zero blood pressure and zero oxygen while in congestive heart failure... he somehow came completely full circle and was released from the hospital by Sunday afternoon. He's a bit weak, but that is to be expected! I'm just very thankful that the trip ended the way it did instead of how it could have ended. This picture is from Sunday evening at Da-Da's house after he got released from the hospital.

So, after spending 3 days in the hospital, I treated Mitch to a father-to-be father's day dinner at Boyette's on Reelfoot Lake. When we first got there, we went over to see the eagles, hawk, and owl that they have (previously injured and unable to return to wildlife for their protection). We then took a walk on a trail that took us just over the edge of Reelfoot Lake (including some sights of turtles, snakes, and a beaver dam). Afterwards, we went to Boyette's and ate more than our share's worth of catfish, onion rings, fries, white beans, coleslaw, and hushpuppies. Yum! Of course, I did get in trouble afterwards by Da-Da for not having invited him (even though he had just been released from the hospital). I guess that just means that next time... he's getting invited!

On Monday morning, Mitch and I had to leave to get back to Minnesota so we could be back at work by Tuesday. The ride home was just fine until we hit Iowa... and the storms! We went through some really bad weather, and found out that 20 minutes after we had left a town, a tornado had touched down! Thankfully we were able to get home without any further incidents and we were able to schedule our level II ultrasound for Wednesday, June 30th... so this upcoming Wednesday (3 days away). We're still a bit anxious about this, but I think we both feel better as we've continued to do research and come to grips with the possibilities of what the echogenic intracardial focus might mean. What will be, will be.

Now, off to do more nesting (aka cleaning and organizing the house).

Baby Bump: 15 weeks, 3 days

Two posts in one day? Yes, indeed. Here is my 15 weeks, 3 days picture of my growing belly. In all honesty, it doesn't seem much different from my 12 weeks, 3 days picture which is confusing as people at work insist that I "popped" around the 14 week mark. Either way, I find it very interesting to document all of the changes that are going on throughout this exciting journey. And also... who doesn't want to see that belly grow throughout the pregnancy?!

Also? 16 week doctor appointment is on FRIDAY which means that we will get to hear the heartbeat again. It also marks how close the big gender/anatomy ultrasound is getting!

Travel Systems and More Updates.

I have found a travel system (so stroller and car seat) that I absolutely adore. The safety ratings are fantastic and for icing? It has yellow in it (to follow my "I want a happy baby" theme of crazyness). Mitch and I both agree that this one looks to be a good fit based off of the demos that we watched online and from review after review after review that we have read. Next thing to do is to go to a store that has this travel system and push it around and play with it to make sure it is the one for us.

This is exciting news because I was feeling overwhelmed from all of the car seat and stroller options there were out there and I feel as though some weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. We researched like crazy and feel confident that we can make informed decisions on car seats/strollers at this point which is a complete relief!

In other news, Mitch's mom had surgery yesterday to take out a cancerous tumor and remove possibly infected areas for further safety. They took out a bit of her stomach, pancreas, small intestine, and the tumor on the bile duct which meant that they had to completely reconstruct her bile duct. Major surgery, but she got through it just fine and we are hoping for a speedy and safe recovery. This is a huge relief for all, but especially for Mitch. I only wish I could have been there more for him yesterday (instead I was writing a research paper and then taking my second to last final before graduation). I did manage to make it up to the hospital and see Becky post-operation and she looked good.

As for the pregnancy, things are going pretty well. We are 2 weeks away from our 16 week appointment today which is amazing to think about. The time seems to be going so slowly, yet incredibly fast all at the same time.

With that said, I will go ahead and post a picture from April 25, 2010 that is my belly picture at 12 weeks, 3 days according to the new due date of November 4, 2010. It's weird to think that this picture is almost 2 weeks old at this point... guess that means it is about time to take a new picture as we continue to document this journey.