Dan and I are sooo busy. We're trying to buy a bigger car, we have to move at the end of the month, and of course, we have tons of baby stuff to buy. Not to mention we're heading to St. Louis in the beginning of November. Life is chaotic. Sorry I don't write more often. Things are going well with the pregnancy. My belly is gigantic, and Aidan is moving around like crazy. His feet are strong, maybe he'll be a punter for the Rams someday.
After many trials and tribulations, I finally managed to put Aidan's video together. It was originally 23 minutes, and I chopped it to 3 minutes. Hopefully you can watch the whole thing, especially because the best part is the end. Let me know what you think!
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It actually feels older than I thought it would. That, combined with the fact that my class just had its 10-year reunion, have made me feel very old. Anway...
Regardless, yesterday was a great day and it culminated with Dan and I going to Austin for our 3D/4D ultrasound. Here are some of the pics. I may be biased, but I think he looks completely adorable and chubby.
Again, though, he refused to cooperate with the ultrasound tech. His head was buried low in my uterus next to the wall, and his feet were up high on my right side. Because his face was smashed against the wall of my uterus, it was hard for her to get really good photos of his face. I tried walking around, jumping a little bit, even trying to coax him with our voices, but he basically refused. Plus, he was moving like a maniac, which made it that more difficult. Needless to say, we got a few shots. Hope you enjoy. I think he looks a lot like Dan, but maybe with my chin. =) Oh- and she got a great money shot! It was so adorable, about halfway through, the umbilical cord was up by his face, and we got to see him sticking his tongue out. THe tech said he could probably feel it on his face, so he was trying to get it. It was the funniest thing. He also had his hand constantly up by his face, so she really had to work to get any shots. It was definitely worth it though. We also have a DVD, but it's 20 minutes long. Tonight we're going to cut it and post some of it on the blog, so stay tuned.
Go Tigers!!!
Well, tomorrow is our 26 week appointment, just boring routine stuff...But Tuesday afternoon is the 4D ultrasound and I'm thrilled!
Saturday was my 10 year high school reunion. Obviously I didn't go, but it's crazy to think I'm that old.
I know you guys are sick of looking at the little guy, but here he is again. Gettin big. Approx. 1.5 pounds!
Very excited to say Mizzou is off to a great start this football season, 3-0. Can't wait to take baby Aidan to a game. He will be forced to root for them. Right now we're watching the Redskins vs. Cowboys game with some of Dan's friends. Hail to the Redskins.
I had dreams of going into our ultrasound and finding out it was in fact a girl, but nope! Luckily he's still a boy! LOL. I would have been so mad, you hear so many stories like that.
Everything looks great. At first he was turned around the wrong way, so the tech couldn't see anything except his spine. Then I got up and walked around a little bit and coaxed him out of that position. Luckily it worked, and she could see the 4 chambers of the little guy's heart.
Did some shopping today. Have I mentioned how expensive maternity clothes are? 2 shirts, a pair of pants and a diaper bag cost $150. They're out of their minds, but I gave in. I'm so sick of wearing t-shirts and yoga pants. I've already outgrown the maternity clothes I bought a few months ago, which is very frustrating. Never thought I'd say I can't wait to run again. Shhhh-don't tell the Army.
We're planning on making a trip to the Lou sometime in November, probably the week before THanksgiving. I can't travel past 34 weeks because if I was to deliver early, the Army wouldn't pay for anything. And that's the entire reason I'm staying in-so Aidan will be free! (Plus they have excellent child care on post and it'll cost less than $400 a month, which is a complete steal by the way.)Anyway, so if you're in St. Louis, hopefully some of you can fit in a visit with me and Dan (and Aidan of course, we're a package deal.)
I'm so excited to see baby Aidan again tomorrow. I'm sure he's gotten sooo big by now! Our apt. is 8:45 a.m...I was reading in my handy week-by-week pregnancy guide, and it estimates Aidan's weight at nearly 2 pounds. What a big boy. I also scheduled our 4d ultrasound for my birthday, Sept. 26. Can't wait to see the details of his little face.
We're still looking for a house and recruiting people to help us move. I basically will have to be a total bum and sit this move out.
I've read about false labor, and I'm really wondering what it feels like. Will I really recognize it when it comes? Creeps me out a little.
Glad to say things are still going very well. Just a few more months to go until we meet the little fella.
Wow. I can't believe I'm 6 months pregnant. I know I say that at every major milestone in my pregancy, but this one is the weirdest by far. I'm going to give in and post a lovely picture of my belly, fully clothed of course.Aidan is the only one showing any bare skin on here. I took the photo of myself, obviously. Nothing quite like a self portrait. I'm hoping to schedule our 4D ultrasound in the VERY near future, so check back!
People keep asking......so Dan and I just finished registering at Babies R Us and Target. Both are listed under Nikki and Dan Welch.
Yesterday we went to Waco to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame for a story I'm writing for the paper. It was more fun than I thought it would be. Then we ate at Rudy's, Dan's fave BBQ place. Oh- and we watched Mizzou kick Ole Miss' butt! I told Aidan he needs to start rooting for his team now. Can't wait to buy him Mizzou apparel...
Well, these are some of Aidan's new clothes. The bug outfit and the little man outfit I bought at the outlet mall in Austin over the weekend. Gretchen gave him the little Cardinals onesie. He's going to have a lot of clothes to wear! He's kicking more and more everyday....
Sorry I haven't written in so long. Things just seem to get more busy each week. This past weekend was a 4-day weekend and my great pal Gretchen came from St. Louis to visit. We had so much fun. Sat. we went to Austin to the outlet mall. Bought baby Aidan some clothes. Then we went to San Antonio Monday. We ate in the revolving restaurant at the top of the Tower of Americas. Gret and I had been to one before (in Atlanta) but it was Dan's first time, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Won't be going there again for quite a while, as meals are quite costly. Gret bought Aidan his first Cardinals apparel, a little onesie that's totally adorable. She also gave us a subscription to Parent's Magazine, which I'm sure will be quite helpful. I'll try to post some pics from the weekend soon. Only 2 more weeks until our next ultrasound. Aidan is growing so quickly...He is kicking constantly, and Dan felt his taps for the first time last night. Finally!
I have my 24-duty yet again today. I go in at 9 a.m. today (Sat) and get off at 9 a.m. tomorrow (Sun). Oh boy, what an exciting weekend.
The larger my belly gets, the more difficult it is to sleep...Can't believe we're only half way there. And by the way, why do they call it 9 months of pregnancy when it's 40 weeks? Sounds like 10 months to me!
It's hard to believe I still have 19 weeks left to go. It's already getting more difficult to move around, and especially to sleep. Nothing much exciting going on. Work is keeping me very busy. Dan is signing up for some classes this fall. That's about it. Have an OB appointment, but no ultrasound today. That is scheduled for Sept. 19.
Wow. That store is amazing! Dan and I drove to Austin yesterday just to go. (They have nothing in Killeen). The store is HUGE and so much fun. Dan and I looked at every little thing. We picked out the bedding we like, but still can't agree on a stroller. The beds were overpriced and made of plastic, just like they are everywhere it seems. The clothes were so much fun. We loved the little man outfits and the Halloween costumes. I liked the little pumpkin one best. Anyway, we didn't actually buy a single thing, but we definitely plan on returning. Babies sure are expensive. Here's a picture of the bedding we picked. I actually think it looks cuter in person...
Oh, and in even bigger news, during my surprise CQ shift Friday night (basically it's guard duty for 24 hours) Aidan was kicking! He must be growing quite a bit, because they were definitely kicks. They were light and actually kind of tickled. I couldn't help but laugh. Not looking forward to the painful ones.
I finally found time to post pictures from my ultrasound I had last Friday. The one on the left shows his male parts, the right photos shows his face and a little arm in the air. Yes, he now resembles an alien, as opposed to a duck like last time. The ultrasound tech. said it's because he doesn't have much fat on his face yet. We get to have another ultrasound Sept. 19 because she couldn't see everything she needed to measure. He was curled in a little ball sleeping when we first arrived, but he slowly woke up. Then he was moving like a madman. LOL. Dan and I are going to Babies R Us in Austin this weekend. They have really fun boy's nursery things on their website, so hopefully it will be even more fun shopping in person. Hope we don't spend too much money. In about 2 months we're going to have the 4D ultrasound/photos done, then we'll really be able to see what Aidan's going to look like.
Well, after months of speculation, we found out today that we're having a baby BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was very evident in our ultrasound this morning. It was great fun watching our son. When we first got there, he was sleeping soundly and all curled up. He eventually woke up and was waving at us. The tech said everything is measuring normally. She checked his legs, arms, brain, etc. But he was so curled up that she had a difficult time looking at his little heart, so she had us schedule another ultrasound next month. Yay! Ultrasounds are so fun. She said he seems incredibly active. She asked if I could feel him moving yet, and I said "Oooooh yes!" LOL. Well so much for little pink bows, huh? And no, I'm not disappointed at all. I always wanted an older brother growing up, so I think it's a good thing to have the boy first. Dan and I are thrilled, and can't wait to buy him a little Cardinals and Redskins onesies. I'll post the baby's photos Monday when I can scan them at work. He does look more like a baby than the duck he resembled during our last ultrasound.
Well, BW is consistently doing little summersaults in my belly. Right now it's still rather amusing, but I am preparing myself for the eventual kicks, which I hear can be quite painful and disruptive. I'm especially looking forward to a time when Dan can feel the baby. I keep trying, but he says he can't feel anything. Still soft flutters...
I was reading one of my many baby books, and it says BW is a whopping 9 ounces and is the length of a small zuccini. I was also reading about something called round ligament pain. Gone is the slight cramping in my belly, and now simple pain has replaced it. Apparently around the mid-point of pregnancy, because different parts of your body are growing and changing, it can cause pain. It especially hurts if I move too quickly. It's amazing how much your body can change in about 2 weeks. I'm already becoming less mobile, though I continue to walk as much as possible. That's all I do. I made a silly attempt to run a bit the other day and the belly definitely got in the way. That will definitely have to wait. How do some women run marathons in their 7th month? They're nuts.
3 more days until we see BW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry I haven't posted in quite a while. I'm much busier with the new job.
Let me tell you what stupid thing I did recently. Well, my fingers have been a bit swollen lately, especially with the hot Texas weather. My rings were getting rather tight about a week ago, so I took them off. Well, I was sad to no longer be wearing them, so two days ago, I put them back on. Yesterday afternoon my finger was getting a tad itchy, so I planned to take them off. Well, they wouldn't come off. Not just a little tight, but looking like they might NEVER come off again. First I tried lotion. Then it was soapy water. Then it was ice for 10 minutes. Then I held my hand in the air so all the blood would flow out of my fingers. Nope, still wouldn't come off. Then I really started to panic. The last thing I want is to have them cut off. So then I look up some info on the internet, where many people posted ideas about using Windex. That still doesn't work. Then I call in the big guns...aka Dan. I hold my hand in the air again while icing it for several minutes. Then we coated it with Windex and he went to work. It took forever and my finger was turning purple. It started to budge and was worked up to my knuckle. I really didn't think the thing was coming off. My finger was getting more and more swollen by the second. So I gritted my teeth and told Dan to just do it quickly. He did and wow did it hurt. Today I am ringless and my fingers are raw, but at least I don't have to cut the rings off.
Words of wisdom for those planning on becoming pregnant in the future, take off your rings early. Don't wait until the last minute when it becomes a major catastrophe.
Well, we find out the sex of Baby Welch this Friday. My in-laws are flying down this Thursday for a short visit, so they'll be accompanying us to the hospital. This week is going to go by so slowly I know. We're so excited to see the baby again. Hopefully BW will look more like a tiny human than a duck.
That's all for now.
