Baby shower, pictures, etc....

I've started feeling very pregnant lately. I think I've definitely slowed down in the last couple of days. Walking through a store on Saturday I had to ask Sam to walk even slower. He wasn't going fast, but I just couldn't keep up with him. I've been having some pre-labor pains. I wouldn't call them contractions, but just some pain that I'm pretty sure is my body getting ready for the big day. I hope she holds out until Mom gets here, but she'll come in her own time I'm sure.

Friday evening I went to the baby shower that was given by the ladies in the church. It was very nice and I felt honored that people I really don't know that well would put that much time into a shower to celebrate our baby. As much as I appreciated their kindness it was hard to be the center of attention. I usually try to steer away from being the focus of a group.

Christa and Beth were the two ladies who really put the shower together. The shower was at Christa's home and when she sent out the invitations she asked everyone to bring their favorite child's book. So, I came home with a great start for the baby's library. I thought that was a really nice idea. We got some other nice gifts, but I was really excited about all the baby books. We're pretty set with clothes and necessities for the baby, but had no books or toys so that was really a great gift idea.

Beth, Me and Christa

The shower cake

Opening gifts

Sitting has become pretty uncomfortable. I don't think the baby's dropped at all and when I'm sitting it feels like she's pushed into my ribs. I'm always pushing on her to try and make room to breath. Sam tells me to quit pushing her because I'll give her a bully complex :)

The collection of books and other gifts from the shower.

I got home at 10:00 that evening exhausted. Being around people drains me, but I really did appreciate the ladies giving a shower to celebrate our baby.

CYS at Patch was having a Spring Fling on Saturday and one of the services they were offering was child car seat inspections. We took the baby's infant seat out to have them help with the installation. It was great to have professionals help to show us the proper installation because when I originally took it out of the box and started reading the manual it was pretty confusing. So, the baby's seat is all set for her arrival. We left it installed in the car, so it's ready whenever she decides to come.

That day we also tried to exchange the stroller, but they didn't have the color we wanted in stock, so we're waiting to hear back from them on how long it's going to take to get that.

Yesterday afternoon we had a photo session scheduled out at an old monastery called Kloster Beben Hausen. I really wanted to get maternity photos, but have been nervous about getting them too. My poor, sweet husband had to put up with me fretting over it for several weeks, so I'm sure he's very glad it's over with. It actually turned out much better than I thought it would. I don't like to have my picture taken, but love to have the pictures....if that makes any sense at all. The photographer made it much easier by putting us at ease. After the baby's born we'll go to her place to have newborn photos taken. It was important to me to capture this time in our lives with pictures, so I'm really happy that we went through with it even though I was tempted to call them off several times. We were fortunate that the weather held out for us. It was looking pretty cloudy by the time we were heading out to the monastery, but cleared up as we got nearer.

Before I go, here are this week's photo updates.

38 weeks pregnant!

Two more weeks to go!

Off the subject of baby for a minute....last summer I wondered what all the fuss was about Facebook, so I signed up for an account but never really did anything with it until I started getting friend requests. So, just a couple of months ago I finished my page and started gathering friends. I have to say I think I'll always be more of a blogger, but I've really enjoyed touching base with some old friends again. It's been fun reconnecting.

I haven't been sleeping very well and last night was an especially poor night's sleep. I'm not much of a napper, but did take a nap this morning after getting back from the gym and Sam left for work. I figure I better try to get what sleep I can now because after the baby comes I already know I'll be sleep deprived. Anyhow....so, now I need to get busy. Time goes so fast and I can end up wasting a lot of time if I don't watch it.

37 weeks down....3 more to go!

Every week when I get ready to do an update for this blog I get nervous all over again realizing how close the birth of our baby girl is. It's so unreal to me. It feels like a dream to think that we'll be bringing a baby home in just a couple of short weeks. As of today we only have 17 more days until she's due! AAHHH!!!! It's so strange to get to this stage of pregnancy and still feel this much anxiaty about becoming parents. I guess I thought I would feel ready by the time she was due, but I SO don't. I feel like the same exact person (with a much bigger belly, mind you :) and I just don't feel like a Mom. But then, I guess that comes with the experience and not just because I'm carrying a child.

This week is jam packed with appointments. Monday I had my full doctor's appointment and everything still looks good. Dr. Van de Castel didn't see any sign of progression to labor, so maybe our little girl will stay put until Mom gets here. She flies in just two days before the due date, so it could be close.

Of course I had another ultrasound to check everything. Dr. Van de Castel was able to capture a couple of pictures of the baby, but these weren't quite as clear as the others we have. Her cheek actually looks mashed, like it's getting a little tight in there :) Very briefly I actually saw her blink and open her mouth! That was very cool! It's just unreal how much detail you can see with an ultrasound. Like I said, these aren't the best ultrasound pictures, but I'll post them anyhow. You can see how her little cheek looks pretty smashed.

Baby Thompson at 37 weeks

My hands have been hurting alot through the joints and wrists. Most of the night they ache and go numb. I think it's just from the water retention, but it's a bit of a nuisance. Anyhow, I mentioned this to the doctor, so she had me go back yesterday for some more screenings. I still have to go back again on Friday for another fetal monitoring. That will make 3 doctor's appointments this week along with two birthing classes and a baby shower Friday evening. Makes for a full week for sure.

Yesterday morning we went to our second birthing class. That one was called Stages of Labor and was very interesting. A midwife from Boblingen hospital was there to answer a lot of the questions we had about the German system. It really was a great class with lots of good information.

Throughout the entire pregnancy I've avoided dwelling too long on the actual birth of this baby because there's just no getting around it. I don't think any woman wants to go through that pain, but I figure lots of women have gone through it and have even gone through it numerous times, so I'll deal with it when it happens. I just haven't seen any reason to get too scared about something that I have no control over. Well, thanks to yesterday's class, I had to look it straight on and came to the conclusion that watching a movie of someone else giving birth does nothing to set my mind at ease. Actually, it probably just made it seem that much worse. So, I'm still ignoring the fact that I'm going to have to go through that very same process in the next few weeks. I'm back to playing ignorant about the whole thing and planning to just deal with it when it happens. Of course, I'll do what I can to be prepared, but I'm just not letting myself think too much about the pain of childbirth.

Speaking of doing what I can to be prepared...this morning we had another birthing class to attend. This one was called Comfort Measures and dealt with the different non-medical things we can do throughout labor to help deal with the pain. They told us to wear comfortable clothes today because we would be practicing with our "coaches". That's what they're calling the Dads, which seems a little funny to me since he's expected to "coach" me through something neither of us have been through before. Should be interesting :) I'm not sure how well I'll take the "coaching" in the midst of pain, but I've told Sam to please just not take anything personal during labor. I've never been through it and have no idea what I'll want or how I'll be. That's my disclaimer before we even get to the hospital :)

I mentioned that we had bought a stoller a couple of weeks ago, but until now it's just been sitting in the box because we've had other things going on and didn't figure there was a real rush to get it together. So, Sunday afternoon Sam pulled the box into the living room to start pulling all the pieces out and realized it wasn't the same color that we had wanted. We asked for the charcoal grey and pink stroller, but the one in the box is green and tan. Granted, it's not a bad looking stroller, just not the one we wanted. We already had to go back to the store last Saturday because we were not given the sale price on the stroller...something I didn't realize until I was going through our receipts. The difference was about $50, so certainly worth the trip back to the store. It's just too bad we hadn't bothered to put the stroller together at that point so we could have exchanged it at the same time. Anyhow, that's another thing to add to our "to do" list

This Friday evening I'll be going to the baby shower being given by the ladies at church. It's such a nice gesture on their behalf and I certainly appreciate their thoughtfulness. I am a little nervous though because I just don't like being the center of attention.....UGH!

Well, here are the weekly photo updates. This is from Sunday. I was 37 weeks and 1 day.

3 more weeks!!

One more thing before I sign off...I just got a phone call from the PX at Panzer saying that the baby's crib is in!!!!! Yeah!!!! I'm so happy about that! The other pieces have not arrived yet, but this gives me hope that they may not be far behind.

Well, I better get busy on cleaning the house. I haven't been home hardly at all this week, so it's in need of some help.

Just rambling.....

There's nothing very news worthy going on here, but we're sure having beautiful weather. It seems like we went very quickly from a chilly spring right into summer. This week we've been having temps in the 70's with lots of sun and blue sky.

I have an ever-growing list of things that I need/want to get done before Baby's arrival. I think I work best when down to the wire and so now I feel a definite need to get in gear and start checking things off my list.

One of those items on my list was to contact a photographer for maternity photos. I'd left a message a couple of days ago and she called me back yesterday. She has a combination package for maternity photos, as well as, a newborn session. I think we're going to have pictures taken on the 26th, when I'm at 38 weeks. I don't like getting my picture taken, but I love having them when it's over and I want to capture this time in our lives in photos. For the newborn photos we haven't decided if she'll come to our house or we'll go to hers, but we have a little bit of time to think that through.

I'm trying to think of poses that I've seen that I really like. It's hard to find good sample photos online. So many are nude maternity photos and that's not quite what I'm interested in :) I'm sure she's done this before though, so she should have some nice ideas. She usually does the shoot outside, so I think we'll go to a local castle or monastery for the backdrop.

Sam finally bought a scooter last week. He's only been talking about it for the last 18 months. He ended up getting a used one, but he's pretty happy with it. Yesterday, for the first time, he drove it to work. It takes him a little bit longer, but he said it was a very relaxing ride with the weather as nice as it's been. According to the weather reports we're supposed to get rain starting tomorrow, so his scooter riding days might be short lived. I say a prayer for him every time he gets on it. With how people drive around here it causes me concern to have him out on the road with so little protection.

Yesterday we attended the first of our birthing classes. This one provided alot of good information in regards to acquiring birth certificates, passports, social security cards, etc., for the baby. Being overseas makes that process much more tedious and much more important. Since she will be born in Germany, the first thing we have to do is get a German birth certificate (which could take up to 4 weeks). Also, since we are in Germany, the name we choose has to be approved by the authorities. Hopefully that won't be a problem.

Once we receive the German birth certificate, we can then apply for an American birth certificate and her passport (which could take up to 12 weeks). We cannot leave the country until we have those two documents in hand. We're hoping to fly back to Alaska in September, but we'll have to see how long it takes to get everything we need. Once we receive her birth certificate and passport we can finally apply for her social security number and her official passport (the official passport is required because we are here under official orders, not just tourists). So, as you can see it's quite a lengthy process and one we need to get started on as soon after birth as we can. One of the items on my to do list is to get all the paperwork in order so we can have everything ready to go once she's born.

I also need to pack for the hospital. It feels like the due date is out there a long way because I just can't fathom it being as close as it is. However, I need to get packed just in case she decides to make her debut a little early.

Another hassle with living overseas is we pay all the doctor bills up front then send in receipts to our insurance for a refund. It's not been a problem, just time consuming. We get so many different bills and I have to do a request form for each. So, doing that and tracking them all takes quite a bit of time.

The other day I got the co-sleeper put together and took the car seat out of the box. I think the co-sleeper will work very well. I kind of gave up on figuring out the car seat at this time though. It looks confusing. We'll end up taking it to a certified car seat inspector on Patch to make sure we have it installed correctly.

I did manage to get all of the baby's clothes washed and ironed this week. It took quite awhile since we have clothes ranging from newborn through 24 months. I continue to search the sale racks and was able to get quite a few clothes when I was home during the holidays. It would be nice to have the dresser in the nursery to get everything put away, but for now we're only using this closet that's in there. It'll work fine until we can get the other furniture.

As you can see, not that much new is going on with us. We're still just consumed with baby preparations. It's fun, but a little overwhelming some days. I'm trying to enjoy it because I know this is a special time in our lives. I've really been feeling good lately other than the water retention, which I think the tea may be helping with....finally. It's been nice going to the gym with Sam in the mornings. I know these days are short lived, but I love spending that time with him. I enjoy my pregnant belly. Never before in my life have I felt so free to sit on the couch with my belly out there for all to see. I love feeling and watching her move inside of me. It's quite the experience and something I try to share with Sam, but it's hard for him to really understand.

Well, I've missed a week or two of pictures, but here are the ones we took on Sunday. I wanted to have one with Sam so I tried to prop the camera, but it didn't work so great. It turned out that we were looking down at the camera....not the greatest angle for anyone, let alone someone who is 36 weeks pregnant :)

Sam and I trying to get a picture together - of course Gabby had to get in on the action.

Just 4 more weeks to go!

These next two pictures were taken by Marika when we were at their place a couple of weekends ago. She had told Mom she would get some belly pictures of me. Oh, joy! I was 35 weeks in these.

Sam and I at Marika and Jason's on 5 April 2009.

Well, that's what's going on here. Until next time...

4 weeks and counting....

I looked at the date this morning and realized that one month from today we are due to have a baby enter the world. Is there really any way to be prepared for that? I don't think so. I'm feeling pressured to get the house scrubbed clean and get her co-sleeper put together and the car seat out. I want to be ready just in case she decides to come early. With everything else that's gone on during the pregnancy I wouldn't be surprised if that happened. Gabby has been enjoying the recliner that we have in the nursery. She won't be a very happy camper once I get the co-sleeper, car seat and playpen set up because I'll close the door so she can't get into them. I love my Gabby, but she gets black hair on everything and I don't want her to be all over the baby's furniture.

Yesterday I had another appointment with Dr. Van de Castel. During the ultrasound she was concerned that the baby's amniotic fluid may be too low, so she scheduled me to go to the hospital that afternoon to be checked better. I think she's over cautious, but I guess it's better than ignoring things. Sam and I went to the hospital appointment and they monitored the baby for awhile. Everything looked good. Then the doctor did an ultrasound to measure the amniotic fluid. Again, everything looked good. The doctor said the levels were normal and she had no concerns.

We asked her how much the baby weighs at this point and from the measurements she's about 6 lbs 4 oz right now. It's just hard to believe she's that big already. When the doctor was doing the ultrasound I asked her to see what baby part keeps poking me on my left side. She said it's an elbow and her little bottom is what I keep feeling on the right side. I love getting ultrasounds. It's so nice to have that interaction with our baby.

While I was hooked up to the fetal monitor we were in one of the delivery rooms, which was interesting. We were probably in the smallest of the delivery rooms, so I hope to get one of the bigger rooms when it's actually time to deliver, but we were thinking about what it'll be like when the baby's born. Right next to the bed is a counter with a scale, tape measure, a changing pad with layers of blankets and a heating lamp over that. There's also a large sink that she'll probably get her first bath in. From what I understand, they won't take the baby away, but will hand her directly to me before she's bathed or anything. Later, they will help Sam give her the first bath and will do all the testing on her in the same room with us. I'm very happy about how it's done here in Germany - giving us that time right after birth to get to know her and meet this little bundle that's been kicking me for the last several months. I think that's really special and something I'll appreciate.

This morning we had a follow up appointment with the diabetes doctor. I just love him! He is so funny! He told me congratulations all my tests came back fine. He went through all of them and said different ones were higher than normal due to the pregnancy, so in his words - he's convinced that I'm pregnant (as if the belly wasn't confirmation enough). Since none of my glucose levels went above 120 during the week he cleared me of diabetes, but said I can still check my blood about 4 times a day. I usually would obey a doctor's orders, but I don't see a need to continue since I've had no problems with it this past week.

He said once the baby's born I need to come back in and have my blood checked again just to make sure all the levels are back to normal. He said "You bring the baby. We look at her and be happy." He also said that when the baby's born I should call him and tell him her weight and length - I guess to see if she's larger than usual in order to determine if I'm at risk for gestational diabetes in the future. Anyhow, we left there smiling. He's such a nice man and so pleasant to talk to.

I've had a lot of water retention lately. I didn't realize how it can make the joints hurt. I've been waking up through the night with the knuckles on my hands aching. I mentioned this to the doctor and she gave me the name of a tea to buy that helps as a diuretic. Hopefully that will start to help before long.

Next week we start the many birthing classes that we have on our calendar to attend. It's all getting so close! We're excited, but it still doesn't seem real that we're having a baby. I know...it's 4 weeks away I better get used to the idea, but it's hard to wrap my brain around such a change in our lives. I am feeling the need to get everything together here at the house and get my suitcase packed for the hospital...just in case.

Last night we got a call from Toom saying that the nursery curtains are ready to be picked up. Sam has to work this Saturday. CYS is having an Easter celebration that he has to help with, so we'll pick the curtains up when he's finished there. It'll be fun to get them in the nursery. Hopefully we were able to translate everything correctly and they fit the way they're supposed to. We want to look at the other material they have and see if there is anything that would work for the other rooms and get them ordered as well.

We've been having wonderful weather lately. Spring is beautiful here in Germany. There are so many Daffodils, crocuses and other spring flowers along side the roads. Today it is about 80 degrees in the sun. I love being able to open all the windows and get that fresh air in the house. Of course, it's not always fresh air. It's also the season for the farmers to start working their fields, so occasionally we have the smell of manure fertilizer permeate the air and have to close up all the windows.

Gabby is very insistent about going outside these days. Sam takes her out every evening when he gets home, but she's been working on me during the days as well. She sits at the patio door and sniffs through the slightly open window and looks so pitiful. It's hard to resist her, so she gets out some through the day too. She loves being outside. It's such a small thing, but makes her so happy.

Well, that's what's going on with us as of late. Today I'm working around the house washing baby clothes, crib sheets, blankets, etc., along with doing the regular cleaning. It's nice to have a day where I don't have to leave the house for some appointment. Again I am so thankful that I'm able to be at home getting ready to have our baby instead of feeling the need to continue working outside the home. I feel very blessed. Until next time....

Less than 5 weeks left...

Time is flying by and I just realized it's been awhile since I posted an update. Not much has changed here in the last couple of weeks. We're still staying very busy with doctor appointments and other baby related classes. It's only going to get busier in the next few weeks. It's only about 4 1/2 weeks before Mom will be here and the baby will be due. I haven't really comprehended the fact that we'll have a little baby here at that time. There are some things in life that are just so big that you can't really wrap your brain around it until it happens.

Last Thursday I had an appointment with a diabetes specialist. Even though she said it wasn't something to be concerned about, Dr. Van de Castel wanted me to be checked by a specialist since one of the blood tests was elevated during my glucose test several weeks ago. I was not too concerned about it because I've never had sugar problems, but it's good to get it checked out anyhow. Besides, diabetes does run in Dad's family, so I should keep an eye on it.

Sam went with me to see Dr. Schmulling, which ended up being very interesting. The doctor reminded us both of the doctor in Back to the Future. He had this wild white hair and just the way he talked was hilarious. He would ask me a question then talk to himself in German while typing away on the computer. I went in not thinking much about the appointment, so I was a little surprised to came out with a diet I have to follow for the next week and a blood glucose tester that he wants me to use to check my blood before and after each meal.

I didn't quite know what to think of him. As he was typing out this diet he would say "No Sugar!" (then start typing that), "No white bread!" (typed that), "5 handfuls of fruit - let me see your hands....yes, 5 handfuls of fruit" (typed that). Between each item he would turn and stare at me for 30 seconds straight until he got the next thought, then he'd throw his hand in the air and say something like "Fish! Lots of fish!" It's hard to explain how wacky the experience was, but Sam and I were trying not to laugh. We were looking at each other thinking "Is this guy for real??". It was so funny. I think we both wondered if we were on Candid Camera. It would have been a perfect Saturday Night Live skit. Before we left the office they took my blood to check my thyroid, cholesterol and a number of other things, so at least I'll get a good blood workup through this.

I don't think there is anything for me to be concerned about, but I've been writing down what I eat and taking my blood throughout the day. I'm very thankful I don't have to do this all the time. I just have to continue it until I go back to see him on Thursday. It's another example of how we take our health for granted. I never think about my blood glucose level and realize now how hard it would be if I really did have a problem.

Last week we got the rug rolled out in the nursery. We like it. It's not as thick as we would have chosen, but it's all we could find here and I think it'll be fine. I'm still frantically ordering things that I think we'll need for the baby (and some that we don't need, but want :). We're down to less than 5 weeks and it's a little daunting to think about bringing a new baby home and wondering if we'll need anything else.

My belly is in the stage now where it feels hard almost constantly. I guess she's getting big enough to take up most of the space, so she's pressing against the sides now. It's been fun interacting with her lately. I'll feel a round bulge on the left side of my belly, so I push on it and feel her pull back whatever body part that happened to be. Last night as I was laying in bed I'd feel a really hard area in my belly. Knowing it was either a foot, elbow, bottom or some other baby part, I'd push on it and feel her start moving. I think feeling a baby move inside of you is something that you really don't get used to. I haven't anyhow. It still thrills me and every time I feel her move I put a hand on my belly to try and feel it better. I try to share it with Sam as much as I can, but I don't think he can feel her as well. The best way we've found for him to feel her is when we're laying down and I hug him from behind with my belly against his back. At those times he gets the feel for how active she is because he can feel all her kicks on his back. It's just amazing to me that we have a little baby inside of me. It's comforting to know that we're far enough along now so there's not a real concern about early delivery... although, I would like for her to stay put until the due date.

I'm still adjusting to doing my normal activities with a basketball-size bump on the front of me. Several days ago I was putting together some closets on the top floor, which normally would have take just a couple of hours (if that). That day it took me 4 hours! Nothing is simple anymore. Most everything takes about twice as long. Even turning over in bed has taken on an entirely new meaning. I don't feel like my stomach is that huge, but it sure does make a difference in my ability to move quickly or smoothly.

Sam has been so busy at work. He's still covering his old job (SAS Director) and the one he was selected for last August (CYS Administrator). Lately he's had to work some very long days. I'll be happy when they get someone hired for his old position, so he can do just the one job. Summer is always a hard time for him to take any days off, but he planning to take some time when the baby is born. Since Mom will be here for 4 weeks, he's thinking about taking the first 2 weeks off and then when she leaves take another 2 weeks. I think that sounds like a good plan. I'm looking forward to seeing my husband with our baby. She'll be so tiny in his arms and he'll be such a great daddy. I am very blessed to have a husband who is such a wonderful provider and will be a very hands-on daddy.

This weekend we finally found a stroller. We've been searching for quite awhile. We decided to buy a European stroller because they seem like better quality and I really like the features they have. The only problem is that you can easily pay $1,000 + for it, but they are very nice. Thankfully we found one much cheaper than that and one that we're both very happy with. It has the bassinet for when she's an infant and then the seat for her toddler years. We debated on getting a truly neutral color in case the next child we have is a boy, but finally decided on this grey and pink model. I guess if we have a boy next he'll be too little to really care that he's in a pink stroller.

Last Sunday in church, one of the ladies asked me if someone was planning a baby shower for me. I told her that when Mom comes over in May, her and my friend Marika were planning to have one. It'll be after the baby is born because Mom's coming just a couple of days before the due date. Anyhow, the church ladies wanted to have a shower for me before the baby comes, so this week one of them called and set it up for April 24th. I thought that was so kind of them to want to put a shower on for me. My personality is not the type that enjoys being the center of attention at a party, but I guess this comes with the territory of having a baby and I am very appreciative of what they're doing. Yesterday, Christa (the one who's setting it up) gave me one of the invitations that she and her daughter made. I was so happy to get this for our little one's baby book. I thought they did a really nice job.


Yesterday afternoon we went to Jason and Marika's for a cookout. We had a nice time with them. Marika and I worked together at NAF and I really enjoy her friendship. Now that we don't work together and with the added issues I've had with the pregnancy, we haven't been able to see each other very often in the last few months. I'm so bad about keeping in touch with people and want to get better at it. Being friendly and outgoing does not come natural to me so even if I really like someone it's a struggle to make myself keep in touch with them.

Marika is such a sweetheart and when we left she gave us a playpen/bassinet that she had bought for the baby. It's going to be so nice to have that on the main floor so when the baby's little I can still have her sleeping close to me and not have to run up the stairs 50 times a day to check on her.

Well, that's what's going on here. Time goes by fast, so I need to get busy and make the most of the days remaining before our little girl arrives. Until next time...