The Accidental Boilermaker

Nate and I had a wonderful trip to Holland for Christmas.  The perfect combination of relaxation time and out and about activities - it was a great visit with family. Nate got these awesome boots so now he can wander around the backyard and ford the creek with no problems. We went to the Critter Barn to visit the animals and see the live nativity. And we decorated sugar cookies! Do sitting down bump pictures count?  This is the best I can do from over the weekend.

Nate and I went to our third ultrasound today.  I measured 28 weeks at my appointment on Tuesday, 4 weeks behind, and I hadn't gained any weight.  So the doctor ordered another ultrasound to check the baby's growth.  Thankfully everything looked good.  The baby weighs approximately 4 lb 9 oz and is in the 57 percentile.  Heart rate was 135 and we could even see the baby practice its breathing which the tech told us is a good sign that the baby is growing properly.  Plus, the baby is head down! Our tech was super friendly and liked to play around with the 3D imaging so she tried really hard to get a good picture for us. Baby's gender is still a surprise too.  The tech did a good job of telling us to close our eyes when she thought we might see something.

We are back from Thanksgiving in Decatur and it was definitely worth the 637 mile trip.  The only sad part was Meredith couldn't make it up from Georgia (she has finals this coming week and really needed to stay and study).  But my dad did take/make us pose for this cute photo... Other weekend pictures: Nate making friends with the ducks Nate and I I crocheted this little turkey for my Mimi.  He serves no other purpose than to sit on the table and look cute.

The baby is going to have a lot of cuteness to compete with.

Week 28 - we have made it to the third trimester!  I had a doctor's appointment Tuesday and everything looked and sounded good.  We have also finished three of our 6 prepared childbirth classes and I feel like we've learned a lot. And I have officially started my new job.  I had two days of hospital orientation Monday and Tuesday, but today I got to work in the actual cardiac rehab department.  It felt really good to be back in rehab.

Almost 27 weeks.  I measured small at my appointment on Monday, so the doctor ordered another ultrasound on Friday.  The tech didn't say too much but she thought the baby was right on track.  She told us it weighed about 2lb 6oz. On Saturday we cleared out the second bedroom and started its conversion to the nursery.  After we moved the bed, desk, and boxes of books, we were reminded how big that room really is - the baby will not lack for space.

I started this blanket soon after Christmas as a way to use up extra yarn and overall I am pleased with the end result.  But if you look real closely you can tell that I ended up using two different blues because I ran out of my extra yarn and couldn't find the same brand in stores.  The difference in yarns also makes the squares slightly different sizes, so the blanket puckers a little.  But it does keep you warm and I figure that is more important than looks.   Technically the blanket is not 100% done - I still have to weave in all the ends, the worst part of finishing any project.