Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of our blog readers! Christmas 2008 was a great one for us. Baby Clark and I celebrated our first baby shower...with the Clark's on December 20. We have such generous family. The food was great, the company was wonderful and we were blessed to receive some very nice gifts. Thank you to all who attended the shower and gave us such wonderful, needed gifts! We are so grateful to have such fantastic family! Here's a picture of Brad (and Stuart) showcasing a couple of the gifts...


The same day as the shower, we celebrated Christmas with the entire Clark clan and then the Gavin's as well...a busy day for us! But a very fun day, as well.

We had our 31 week Dr. appointment on Monday...all is well with Baby Clark and me. My doctor showed us how we can feel for Baby C's position. At the appointment, he/she was head down, but my doctor said that could change over the next couple of weeks. Heart rate, for those of you who are tracking, was around 140. Slightly lower than the last several appointments. We heard the final report on the glucose challenge test from the appointment before--no risk for gestation diabetes (sigh of relief). So, starting now, we get to go for OB appointments every 2 weeks instead of every 4 weeks. Soon it will be weekly...exciting (and scary) that we're getting that close! I've been feeling very good, considering we've only got 8 weeks to go. Occasionally, I wake up with a sore back, but it usually resolves with a warm shower. And I've been feeling lots of hiccups coming from baby for the past few weeks...usually a few bouts per day.

Our Christmas events continued with the traditional Christmas eve gathering with my family and Christmas day with Brad's family. What a great couple of days. We were, again, blessed with many nice gifts, both for us and for the baby. But my favorite part of the holidays is giving gifts and seeing everyone's reactions. Especially our nephew and nieces...that's what Christmas is all about! This year, our nephew Lucas set a record--he woke up at 1:30am ready to open gifts! Brad and I are hoping that our little one does NOT take after his big cousin in this respect.

Here are a few pics of Christmas...Happy New Year to you all!

Baby goodies from Andy and Karen


This ornament says it all!

Our little basketball at 32 weeks!

Baby Bump Progress

This is just a quick post of recent profile pics showing Baby Clark's progress. Here I am at 24 weeks and 28 weeks. And we have the lovely seasonal background in the 28 week photo. Brad and I got our Christmas tree over the weekend...luckily on the sunny 40 degree day, prior to the snow and cold!

24 weeks




28 weeks

3 Months To Go!

It's amazing how quickly time has been going by lately. It seems like just a few weeks ago we were staring at that positive pregnancy test, and now here we are almost 28 weeks pregnant. The past month has been exciting. I've been feeling lots of baby movement, and Brad can even feel it now. And at times I get a powerful kick that we can see coming out of my expanding belly. So cool!

We had a doctor's appointment today. I was lucky enough to have an oral glucose tolerance test and an injection of Rhogam all in the same visit. Actually, I must say it was not as bad as others have told me it would be. The glucose solution wasn't that bad--just a very sweet orange pop flavor. And the Rhogam, while it was a bit uncomfortable, was a quick thing. Now we're just waiting on the results of the glucose test--hopefully we are gestational diabetes free.

Baby Clark's heart rate was back up around 150 today. We're tracking along just like we should--good weight gain and measurements. After my next appointment in 3 weeks, we will start going every 2 weeks. Crazy how much time you spend in the doctor's office--probably more in the past 7 months than in the past 7 years combined! But we just love to hear that heart beat each time!

Not much else to report as I enter my third trimester. Just some occasional night-time heart burn (which I've never had before being pregnant) and leg cramps. Running is getting a bit more difficult, but is still very enjoyable. I've just been noticing a little low back pain from the extra weight. I think I'll look into buying a brace and see if that helps. And I think I'm going to start water aerobics next week. It will be nice to feel weightless. All in all, I really love being pregnant!

I thought I'd post a couple more pics of the nursery. We finished some of the details a couple of weeks ago--added decals to the walls and put together the bedding in the crib. Just a few more details to finish and then we're ready. And we also bought the running stroller we'd been researching for months--a BOB Revolution. It has great reviews online and we can't wait to try it out. Brad really wants to take for a spin around the neighborhood...we'll see.

Happy Thanksgiving--we certainly have lots to be thankful for!

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

We've tackled the big project...painting the nursery. It's transformed from a red guest bedroom into a beautiful green and brown nursery. And now everytime I walk in the room, it makes me crave mint chocolate chip ice cream (yum!). But it looks absolutely great! Brad also took the furniture out of the boxes and assembled the crib. The room will look even better once it's all pulled together. We have a few finishing details to complete first.

Here's pictures of our weekend of painting:

Just getting started!



Stuart found a great "fort" to hang out in as we worked.

Here it is all painted.

Brad taking the crib out of the box

This week Monday, we had our 23 week appointment. Not much new to report. Baby Clark's heart rate was ~140. At the past few appointments, it had been running between 150-155. Some people say you can tell gender based on heart rate...I'm not sold on the idea. I'm gaining weight right on target and measuring on track as well.

Last weekend, Baby Clark went to his/her first concert. How exciting that it was my FAVORITE band as a child. Yes, that's right, Baby Clark and I were dancing to the 80's hits of New Kids On The Block...reunited at last. It was a fun filled night of friends and screaming women. Not to mention extremely long lines at the bathroom (where I spend a lot of time lately with pregnancy-related urinary frequency). I think I've scarred our child for life!

And probably the biggest news of the last couple of weeks..."Marathon Brad" made a local appearance. Brad ran the Grand Rapids Marathon and came in 14th overall! Amazing! He set a PR of 2:51:03. It was great for him to run a local marathon so more family could come to support him--so of course, we all are taking the credit for the PR. We sure were a great team of cheerleaders. Next on the list: Boston 2009!

Check out all of the pics by clicking on the link under "our pics" on the left of the screen.

And here he is on You Tube (mile 12)--turn the volume down if you don't want to hear my parents "cheerleading".

50 Yard Line

We're half way to our goal...20 weeks! So, what's been going on in the past 7ish weeks? The most exciting news is that for the past few weeks, I've been feeling baby movement. What a cool thing! It started as the feeling of muscle twitches, then kind of a butterfly sensation, and now it is becoming almost like a wave feeling or even very weak punches/kicks. I notice it most when I'm sitting or laying, not so much when up and moving around. It's a neat feeling to wake up to in the morning. So far, we've not really been able to feel the movement externally on my belly, but I'm sure it's not far off.

We had our third OB appointment last week Monday. All is well with Baby Clark. His/her heart rate is still around 150 and my fundal height is measuring right on. The bittersweet news is that we likely won't get to have another ultrasound, unless something is suspected to be wrong. We were thinking we'd have another ultrasound (those cool 3D ones) at around 20 weeks, but my doctor said that it's not necessary because I'm progressing very normally. So, we're happy that it's not needed, because that would mean something was possibly wrong. But we are disappointed that we won't get a sneak peak at what Baby Clark looks like. I guess it adds to the surprise that we're so looking forward to!

As far as getting prepared for baby's arrival, we've been a little behind the ball. It's been difficult to take on these "indoor" projects when the weather outside continues to be so nice on weekends. And we spent one weekend in New York City, which was just so wonderful. This was Brad's first NYC trip and I haven't been there in about 7 years. A nice get-away...and maybe our last prior to baby. So, needless to say, we've got some work ahead. Things we did do? We did pick out nursery furniture, which we'll be picking up this week from Babies R Us (it's the Amy Coe Stamford collection if you interested in checking it out on their website). And we've purchased baby bedding, after MUCH research (it's the Bunny Meadow pattern from Babies R Us--very earthy). Our next project will be painting the nursery...painting over brick red paint...Brad can't wait! Then at some point we need to tackle registering, something that seems very overwhelming to me. And investigate baby classes at St. Mary's.

People have been asking for photos. Well, we've been taking pictures of my growing belly profile since early on. Some pics of my progress are below. I'll keep posting these every month or so now that I'm beginning to grow more quickly...scary to think of what I will look like! I'm surrounded by preggies at work, all at different stages, so it is fun to compare bellies. And it is alarming to see what I might look like in just 4 weeks. I suppose my investment in maternity clothes will soon pay off!

Anyway, more to come in the following weeks!

8 Weeks

16 Weeks

20 Weeks

Too cute to resist buying from the street vendor!

OB Appointment Two

We had our second OB appointment today. The highlight? We got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the second time. Such a reassuring sound! And he/she did a couple of flips for us as we were listening. The rest of the appointment was pretty uneventful and quick. Back for more in 6 weeks! And, according to my physician, I should start to feel movement by then--how cool!

Welcome to our Blog!

If you found your way here, you've viewed our Europe trip pics. Hope you enjoyed all 320 of them--our favorite is the last picture!

So, we really are pregnant. And very excited about it. It was very difficult not to say anything to family and friends these past weeks...almost like we were hiding something from you all. It's great that we're able to share this great news with you, now that our first trimester has passed.

We'll be using this blog to document our family experiences...check back occasionally for updates!

Baby Clark's Debut

Quite the experience seeing the little one for the first time. For me, it was affirmation that I am, indeed, pregnant. With no pregnancy symptoms I was beginning to wonder if I really was pregnant.

So, I had to drink the standard 32 oz. of water an hour prior to the ultrasound. It's amazing how quickly the kidneys begin working! I was nearly in tears with pain by the time they called me back for my appointment. I thought I was going to pee myself in the waiting room or on the walk back to the ultrasound room. The ultrasound tech took one look at my bladder on the screen and demanded that I go to the bathroom because my "bladder was HUGE". I've never been so grateful in my life. After that, all was good in the world and we got our first glimpse of Baby Clark! I must say he/she is quite cute, big head and all!

There really is something growing inside me!

Thank you EPT!

Well, it's official...we're expecting! After many years of planning (probably a little too much planning), we're growing from a family of two to THREE.

It's amazing how many different emotions you can feel all at once when two lines appear on the pregnancy test--excitement, light-headedness, nervousness, a feeling that the world is moving in slow motion. Followed by about six nights of sleeplessness, tossing and turning, and just excitement. I found myself waking up at various points in the night and having the same feelings I had as a child the night before a big event--like a trip to Disney World or something. That whole butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling. And then it was very difficult to fall back asleep.

We found out the great news on Tuesday, June 17, scheduled our first OB appointment for a week later, and shared the news with immediate family. We're slowly and cautiously sharing the news with more family and friends...such a hard thing to keep a secret! And just yesterday, we had a 10 week ultrasound. Baby Clark was dancing around in utero and his/her heart was stong, beating at 163 beats/minute. Very cool to hear the rapid heart rate and see the little one, who at this point is just 3 cm long! Our due date is estimated as February 21, 2009.

So far, I've been feeling great! I've experienced no morning sickness, nausea, vomiting, food-aversions or any of the other classic early-pregnancy symptoms. Maybe just a little more fatigue. But I'm remaining active--running, walking, biking, swimming, gardening--all the usual things. I guess I'm just one of the few lucky ones who's escaped the first trimester woes.

Brad and I will be updating this blog to document all of our experiences along the road. Check back for updates and pics!

...We're going to be parents : )