Just like her mother

Every day now for at least the past week or so, Eleanor has kicked really hard when the alarm went off at 6:00 AM. Today I woke up at 5:40, but I just lay there and she didn't start to kick until the alarm went off. Babies can supposedly hear loud noises at this point, so I guess she does! And just like me, she doesn't like the rude awakening!

Of course, when she kicks while listening to NPR or when she kicks at the sound of Hunter's voice, I assume it's because she likes those things. :) I'm her mother, so therefore I get to interpret the meaning of her kicks!

Some blue birthdays

My niece Julie turned 3 a week ago, and yesterday we had her fun birthday party. She is in love with the color blue, so everything at the party was blue - blue cupcakes, blue balloons, blue streamers, everybody wore blue, and we even had blue bread! (Thanks to Publix) It was a fun party, and it actually happened to take place on her little brother Evan's first birthday. He definitely shared in the fun.

Our blue peanut butter and honey sandwiches

Julie got a blue umbrella that was quite a hit with the other two three-year-olds who were present.

Finally, here's little Evan enjoying his first birthday cupcake!

Appointment update

I had a very uneventful checkup today. We listened to the heartbeat and it sounded good - it was in the upper 150's. I was happy that it took the doctor no time at all to find it. We talked about the ultrasound we had last week and I will have the NST's (non-stress tests) weekly starting at 28 weeks. I'll also do the glucose test then, which I'm not looking forward to since I've heard you have to drink some nasty orange stuff. Anyway, then I asked my doctor about inducing at 38 or 39 weeks like the other doctor at the ultrasound place had mentioned, and she said she would even consider inducing at 37 weeks. That means the baby would basically be born on Ada's birthday, which neither of us are comfortable with. I'm sure when the time gets closer we can talk about specific dates, and I'll see if we can do it a day or two later. I'm also a little concerned about the baby latching on for breast-feeding if it's too early, but again, we'll talk about that when the time is closer. So, it looks like we'll have a mid-July baby!

More kicks

Eleanor has been kicking like crazy this week! She was especially active on Sunday. I didn't feel her a whole lot yesterday, so I started to get a little nervous. (I have a feeling I'm going to go through that a lot!) Just when I was thinking that I wished she would kick, she did. Since Hunter was right there he put his hand on me, and then he finally got to feel her kick! He has tried more times than I could count, so I'm glad she finally cooperated and kicked for him. Usually she stops kicking as soon as he puts his hand on her.

Shuttle launch

Last night the Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off in one of the most beautiful launches I've ever seen! We normally drive up so that we're right across the water from KSC and we can see the shuttle on the pad with the help of binoculars. Last night though, we decided to go for a different view on the beach instead. It was so beautiful! The sun was setting and was pretty much out of sight, but when the shuttle got high into the orbit the sunset reflected on all of the smoke so that part of it was glowing red and orange. Also, I normally can never see the solid rocket boosters as they fall back into the ocean, or I just barely see them, but last night we had a perfect view. They were glowing almost all of the way down. I just wish I had taken my camera with me!

If you know Hunter, you know he's a pretty low key person. He gets very excited at the launches though! He started talking to Eleanor and he told her, "That will be you one day!" Of course he didn't mean in a shuttle since they retire next year, but he says he'll be happy if all of our children leave us to go off and live in space. I'm not quite sure I'm in agreement... :) He also pointed out that this is one thing we can be really proud of in America, and it's true. There's a lot of other stuff in this country that I'm not so sure about, but at least we have made some major advances in science.

If you've ever been to see a shuttle launch in Florida, you know how many people go. The beaches are packed with people, and cars are pulled off everywhere along the roads and bridges to watch the show. Whenever I notice that I always think about the Challenger and what it must have been like for the thousands of people who gathered to watch it. I don't remember the Challenger, mainly because I lived overseas at the time, but I have watched a video of it and I can't imagine what it must have been like to see that live.

19 weeks

Not the best picture because the sun was in my eyes and the shirt is kind of large, but you get the idea...

Announcement

We're having a GIRL!

and

Her name is Eleanor Elizabeth!

That's everything in a nutshell! We had the big ultrasound this afternoon and it went extremely well. I was so nervous beforehand, but I had no reason to be. Anyway, everything measured perfectly and the baby is very healthy. She currently weighs about 9 oz and the technician estimates that she's 8 inches long, although it's impossible to measure the length from this point on in the pregnancy. The doctor (who is not my normal doctor, but I really liked her) recommended that my doctor measure the baby once a month. Also, starting at 28 weeks she wants me to have a non-stress test once a week, which is basically when I lie down and they monitor the baby's heartrate for 20 minutes. At 36 weeks I'll have that test done twice a week. Thank goodness it will be summer at that point and I won't have to miss so much work! Finally, she recommends that we induce at 38 or 39 weeks, so I'm guessing this baby will be born between July 22 and 29. It's all up to my own doctor at this point on, but this is pretty standard for what to do after a stillbirth. Apparently the risk of a stillbirth is higher the longer you wait, hence the early induction. Inducing is fine with us!

As for the name... We considered both Elle and Eleanor, but ultimately decided on Eleanor because the baby can go by Elle later if she wants to. Also, Hunter likes Eleanor more (I like them both) because he says it's more dignified - like a prime minister. Since this baby is going to be president one day, I guess it's a good choice! :) Plus, Eleanor is a family name way back on my mother's side of the family. Elizabeth, of course, is my first name and a family name on both sides of our family - and Ada's middle name. We are not naming this baby after Ada, but instead this lets them have something in common. Eleanor will always be able to share something with her sister even though they won't grow up together. It seemed appropriate to us.

Here's Eleanor's little face:


Here's a tiny foot!


Finally, we are having a girl!

Randomness

Here are a few random little baby-related events from the past few days.

• The baby kicked the other day while I was listening to NPR. I've decided that it already has good taste.
• I flew out of state to visit some friends this weekend, bringing this baby's number of flights up to 6. I'm flying up for a shower another weekend in April, so this baby will take 8 flights before it's even born!
• When I flew I only had carry-ons, so they did get a little heavy. On the flight up I was a little frustrated because nobody helped me, but of course I didn't ask. On the flight back I finally told a passenger near me that I'm pregnant and I needed help getting my suitcase in the overhead compartment, and suddenly everybody was so nice and willing to help. Sometimes I just need to stop being stubborn and ask for help.
• One of my friends gave me a beautiful diaper bag while I was visiting them this weekend. It's Vera Bradley and the colors are navy blue and green. It even has an 'M' embroidered on it - our last name's initial. She also gave me two embroidered burp clothes - one with a Clemson paw that says "Tigers" and another that says "UNC." Hunter said good, the baby can throw up on the one that says UNC. (I am the one who went to graduate school at UNC - Hunter's not exactly a fan.)
  
• When I got home last night Hunter hugged me and put his hand on the baby. He kept reaching for the baby and he read a book to it last night. He finally admitted that he missed the baby more than me - I don't mind at all. :)
• The big ultrasound is this afternoon! I am terrified and so excited at the same time. Chances are that everything will go well, but I am all too aware of how many things could go wrong!
  

18 weeks

New ultrasound appointment

My appointment for the level 2 has been rescheduled for March 9. (It was going to be March 23.) That's one week from today! I'm excited but also a little nervous - though not as nervous as I would be if we hadn't already gotten back the blood test results. At the ultrasound they will measure the baby and all of the organs. I've heard that it takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how cooperative the baby is! Let's hope he/she is very cooperative. Also, we should get the gender confirmed, which will be exciting. So, I'm ready for Monday!

Bumgenius diapers

This is a little video about the cloth diapers that I plan to use. Seriously, why would anybody use disposables when this is out there? They have snaps so they grow with the baby, and they work from 7-35 pounds. I bet daycares would even be willing to use these because they're so easy.

I've read that the recommended amount of these to buy is 24. They are expensive at $18/each, but I think it's worth it. That means I will spend $432 for diapers for this baby from birth through potty training. (maybe even less if I get any as gifts) I've heard that if you buy in bulk and use coupons, you'll spend about $40/month on disposables. If your child is in diapers for 24 months (and I know it's usually longer than that), you'll spend $960 on disposable diapers that will still be sitting in landfills when your great-great-great-grandchidren are born. I know that our water/electricity bills will go up when we use cloth diapers, but it definitely won't be that much.

When the next baby (or babies) comes along, we won't have to buy any diapers at all!

Oh, and I plan to use cloth wipes, too. Those cost about $20. I don't know how much disposable wipes cost, but I bet you can go through $20 pretty quickly!