Little Underwood, Big Harte

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year We hope everyone has a holiday full of peace, love and laughter. May you all feel Christ in this Christmas season and know his blessings despite the sorrow we have to see in this world at times. Just a quick update on our latest appointment - all is pretty good. We are 31 weeks now and when we get back at 33 weeks we'll begin weekly appointments plus have another growth ultrasound. Measurements without the ultrasound are on track and baby's heart rate is still strong and solid. Momma's heart rate isn't stable just yet (well, blood pressure that is!). We're working to get that to my baseline so we can monitor it through the end of the pregnancy when it becomes an important symptom to help diagnose pre-eclampsia. At least my weight was still on track, which I was worried about after all those holiday parties last weekend :) The doctor was able to feel the baby from the outside and we got to see how he/she was posi...

We spent the whole weekend celebrating the holiday spirit with our FL friends! Friday night was a festive yoga class followed by a potluck at the studio. We packed our little studio (21 was our previous max, but we got 30 students in there. For those of you who have seen it, you know that is a packed house!). A team of five took turns teaching the class to holiday tunes. What a great way to give thanks to our wonderful little community! The best part was we raised about $500 for two local families for the holidays. It was a great way for our yoga family to bless someone else's family this season! Natalie and I (30 weeks) at the holiday yoga class.  Saturday we built our rocking chair and ran some errands before heading out for Stefan's work holiday party. We just need a book case then all the furniture is set and the organizing can begin in the new year. Stefan's work party was an evening of Cactus Flower (yummy local Mexican joint), catching up with Stefan's co...

I have to say I feel very grateful and blessed to have some great friends in FL. It makes it a bit easier being away from family knowing we have loving friends here who are genuinely excited about Baby Underwood's arrival and spending time with him/her. Three special girls, Calli, Libby and Natalie, planned an Aussie-themed shower to go with the nursery theme. It was adorable and all so appreciated. Thanks to them and all the ladies who were able to make it out for a Sunday afternoon dedicated to celebrating the pending arrival of Baby U. Much love! Hand-knit koala hat! Brooke - you are so good! Lots of our FL family. Aussie-themed cupcakes, and they tasted great, too! To see the full album check it out here . Our last appointment went well! I passed my gestational diabetes test, uterus measured well, heart beat of the baby was strong, my weight was still right on and blood pressure was ... well, it is okay compared to where it has been. One more appointment...

Stefan and I are back from our grand adventures visiting family. Stefan's parents joined him in spending a week in Eastern Canada. They were thrilled to celebrate his great aunt's 95th birthday with her and their relatives. What a blessing that she is doing great! I don't have any pictures of this trip yet from Stefan, but hope to get some! I was able to go to MI to have Thanksgiving with my family and be spoiled by a shower with my Dad's family and some long-time friends. Here are a few pictures as a teaser, but to see all of them check out the album here ! THANKS to Mom and Caitlin for hosting such a great afternoon and many thanks to those who were able to make it there. These gatherings mean so much to me, especially when I live so far away!  Adorable cake - and oh so good! Andrew painted this decoration that can now be used in the nursery. Look familiar? He used pics from the nursery to paint these little guys to match - love it! Shower hosts...

Our latest pic of Baby U! Week 26 We had our follow up visit at the high-risk doctor on Wednesday afternoon. We got the full anatomy scan again and everything looks good! Growth was right on track and the slightly enlarged kidney stayed pretty much the same. They want us back one more time in January, so we'll check with our regular doc to see if we need to go back to them or if she can do that last growth check. Now we are both of for some holiday family time! Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

Here we go, the finished paintings for the nursery! As a reminder here is the  post  about the nursery theme. Without further ado, the main nursery artwork ... As a reminder, here is the crib bedding. Inspiration #1 Inspiration #2 Inspiration #3 Step #1 Drawings Step #2 "washed" background and painted critters. Step #3 completed paintings (and yep a crib - we are getting there)!

We had a regularly scheduled appointment with our doctor this morning - and to answer many of my friends, no we didn't cave and find out the gender! But, we did get the word all is still going great. Weight is right on track (whew), blood pressure still staying steady, belly measuring perfectly for 25 weeks, and the baby's heart rate was 145. We reviewed our plan for the rest of the pregnancy as we approach the third trimester. We'll be having lots of appointments and will be starting the bi-weekly ones slightly earlier than most. Next week we head to back to the high-risk doc for another full anatomy scan to make sure everything is still on track and the blood clotting disorder hasn't come into play. Everything points to it going well, so we are looking forward to confirming that (and seeing our squirming little one again - there has been lots more movement lately!). I'll do the lab work for the gestational diabetes screening next week as well before I get to...