27 Weeks

BP is as heft as a head of cauliflower - weighing over 2 pounds. BP's length is about 14 1/2 inches.

Belly Bump

Brian and I have been taking a picture of my growing belly since about week 13. It is quite fun now to look back and see how much I have grown and the different changes that have been going on. Tonight during our photo time Brian was joking around and stood by the crib with his shirt pulled up which led to this idea- our belly bump. We both found it comical and we will have to take another one when my belly becomes obnoxiously big (call me crazy but we are kind of excited for that to happen). We have really enjoyed this pregnancy and can't believe that in a few short months BP will be here.
I just returned from an exciting weekend; every year the girls in Brian's family try to get together and go on a girls weekend. This year was the first year that I went and we all had a good time. There were 8 of us total and it was a weekend filled with great company, great food, lots of shopping and some relaxation as well. It was a great time and I can't wait for next year.

26 Weeks

BP is as tall as an english hothead cucumber and weighs about 1 2/3 pounds. BP's lenth is over 14 inches.

Still No Worries

We had another doctor appointment today - just a routine pee in a cup and listen to BP's heart beat. My stomach is still measuring a little farther along than what we are but dr said as long as baby doesn't get to big toward the end then it he isn't going to worry about it. For the past 6 months they have considered my pregnancy high risk because of things in the past. Today when he was updating my chart he told me that he no longer considers us in the high risk category. He said we couldn't ask for things to be going better and he can see no reason why BP wouldn't make it to an appropriate gestational age. It is nice to know that the doctors are not very concerned. I was very impressed I was in the clinic door and back out to my car in 15 minutes...I think that is the fastest dr appointment I have ever had. We keep praying that everything continues to go well.

What A Night

This past weekend a girlfriend and I attended the Jamestown College Dine & Bid. It is a fundraiser the college hosts that helps raise a lot of money for the scholarships that they hand out to students. Gate City Bank sponsors a table so we had access to free tickets. After talking with our significant others and the guys deciding that a formal night out was not on their fun Saturday night to do list Katie and I decided to go anyway. It was a nice evening with a five course meal, free champagne and wine (Kate was able to enjoy my share) and a silent and live auction to follow the meal. Our table was toward the back of the room, which was fine with us because we were not paying to much attention to what was going on (and I think they save the front row seats for the big spenders) so we were all visiting during dinner and the "Ring Master" - it was a carnival theme- was doing a drawing, for what who knows; all of the sudden we hear "The winner is Erin Paulson" Turns out the drawing was for $500 credit toward the auction. The rest of the night could not have gone better. Katie claimed part of the money since she was my date, supporting her theory that I was the best date ever, and we spent the rest of the night biding one items and spending our free money. By the time we left and the football players help haul out all of our purchases the back of the Durango was full of stuff. I did call Brian and tell him what I won but I think he was surprised when I walked into the house with all the little things and piled them on the table. Sunday was a quite day and I spent the evening cleaning the living room and rearranging things to make room for our new winnings. Definitely will have to attend the event again next year. Who knows Brian may even come with this time.

Not much new

I haven't had time to post anything this week and you haven't missed much. Everything seems to be the same old thing with me and BP. BP is still wiggling around and doing who knows what in there. Brian's knee seems to be getting better. He is still going to physical therapy a few times a week and is discovered that his knee feels better when he does the recommended exercises at home between his sessions.
Besides the basement project, which is not a good topic at our house so we won't even get into it, not much is going on. Some days we are thankful that we have nothing to report to people.

25 Weeks

BP rivals the average rutabaga in weight - about 1 1/2 pounds. BP is now about 13 1/2 inches from head to heel

24 Weeks

BP has caught up with an ear of corn in size and gained over 1/4 pound since last week.

Squirming Away

In this picture you can see BP's nose and lips.

We has a doctor appointment today and all still looks good. BP now weighs 1lb 7oz and is measuring right on track. Today we could see BP opening and closing its mouth - not sure if it was yawning or swallowing and we could see BP practicing to breath. The ultrasound took quite a while because BP was being a little challenging. The bones are starting to become harder so when it moves its arms or legs they cast a shadow over what the ultrasound tech is trying to measure. BP's head was also hiding behind my bellybutton - apparently that will cast a shadow as well. Baby was also fairly active and kept squirming in different direction while they were trying to get a good look at things (but of coarse not moving around enough to get into a good position for other measurements). Brian and I still don't know the gender - although they do at the clinic so the first thing they ask us is if we know or not- we could have maybe figured it out today because she spent a lot of time looking at things right where BP was sitting. I didn't watch the screen for that part and Brian said he has no idea what he is looking at so it is still a mystery - by the end BP has its legs crossed so maybe we wouldn't have been able to figure it out. Brian made the comment during the ultrasound that even though we were looking at our baby inside of me he can't believe that I am really pregnant - it hasn't sank in for him at all. It still seems surreal to me as well - I think until this little bundle of joy is here with us and we take him/her home to tackle the task together it won't seem like this is really happening. It is hard to imagine that in 3 months we will be a family of 3 (and some pets).

Fireworks

As many of you know we already have a rotation set up for which side of the family we spend holidays with and this year we spent Easter with Brian's family. After dinner I was sitting on the couch with his 6 year old nephew and he was studying my belly. He was asking questions about if it is a boy or girl, informing me on which one he thought it should be, and then wanted to know when it is going to come out. I told him that BP was still too small and had to grow a little more. He seems to think that my belly is big enough and baby is ready. The rest of the conversation went like this:
Erin: "The baby will be born at the end of July."
Noah: stares blankly - I should know that is not how you relate things to a 6 year old.
Erin - "the baby will come when it is summer time"
Noah: "It is summer, the snow is almost gone and it is warm outside."
Erin: "Your right it is getting warmer but we still have to wait a little longer."
I should preface the next part for those of you who don't know - the 4th of July is one of the big holidays here and the Paulson family seem to really know how to celebrate it with lots of fireworks and excitement.
Erin: "After we shoot off fireworks this summer then the baby will be big enough to be born."
Noah: thinks about this statement for a minute and then says to his mom across the room "Mom, can we go buy some fireworks."
Conversations like these make me miss teaching and spending time with young minds.

23 Weeks

BP weighs about as much as a large mango-- just over a pound. BP's length is over 11 inches.