Sorry!

This is not going to be a real posting...but we wanted to let you all know that we do intend to post a real entry as soon as we can. Right now we are both doing a rotation at St. Mary's hospital in Duluth. We are at the hospital from 8am-6pm most days, so we now have a real "job" like real people.
Baby is doing very well, getting bigger by the day. The countdown has begun. I think there are 25 days until the due date!
We'll post an entry for real in the next couple of days. Thanks everyone for checking in with us so faithfully!

Week 31 - Onward and Outward!

We apologize to all of you out there who compulsively check our blog for new info... it has been sadly lacking recently. Thats why you find above in growing order the past 3 belly shots from the last 3 weeks. You may have thought they were the same picture, but look closely and I think you'll find a bit of an expansion in each one!





Here we have a few shots from our end of the year med school banquet held at the beautiful Greysolon Plaza Ballroom. Thats right, we are done with medical school in Duluth! We still have 2 years of school left which will be spent in the hospitals in Duluth, Buffalo, and Minneapolis, but we are done with the classroom forever!



This is shot from our first baby shower. Our fellow med students and faculty threw us a pathology-themed party where each person brought a food to share representing a certain pathological process in the body. We brought a pony-shaped cake with a tick on it for our "western equine encephalitis (look it up on www.answers.com)." One favorite was a very nice representation of a caseating (cheezy) granuloma... really just a big cheese ball. Two of the pathology doctors came and judged which food best represented its pathology. We love our classmates and faculty. Many friends enjoyed helping us out by "sponsoring a diaper" and they all chipped in to purchase our set of 24 cloth diapers! So we are ready and set for years of diapering to come. (Yes, it is a bittersweet blessing). Little Foot gots lots of new clothes and books to read and all those goodies too.



We are trying to solve a mystery. Does anyone recognize the Little Foot (from the Land Before Time movies) plush toy you see above? It just showed up mailed to our doorstep one day without a return address or anything. It looked so pitiful we just had to take the little guy in. No tags, we dont know if he's had his shots yet and we dont know the owner, but he seems to answer to the name Little Foot. So if you would like to own up to this mystery gift, or turn in the giver, feel free. We are stumped.

Baby's Day Out (29 weeks)

28 weeks down, 12 to go!

Baby and belly are getting bigger! Baby is about 2 1/4 pounds and 15 or 16 inches long! Baby is in the peak moving stage these days--very obvious to mom, dad, and anyone who puts their hand on the belly. A lot of the movement is stretching arms and legs out, evidenced by elbows and feet visibly protruding out of the belly! Little Foot is going to get too big for his/her space soon and the movement will calm down then. Sometime soon Baby should figure out whether he/she wants to be head down (vertex--this is the right way for babies to come out) or feet/butt down (breech--this is the wrong way for babies to come out). Then Little Foot will most likely stay in that position for the rest of the pregnancy, just kicking and punching to remind us he/she is there.

We are continuing to accumulate a pile of baby stuff in our bedroom. It now includes a stroller and a bathtub, a bunch of clothes and blankets, a musical giraffe, and a couple of toys. Soon it will have to be split into two piles when we can't open our closet door anymore. We are expecting to add a giant pile of cloth diapers to it soon. Our medical school class is hosting a baby shower for us on April 27th and they are pooling together to purchase all the cloth diapers we will ever (hopefully!) need! If you want to see the fancy-schmancy diapers we are going to be using, check out www.cottonbabies.com. The diapers are called bumGenius! one-size diapers. We think they are pretty sweet. And Cotton Babies is a neato company run by a mom and dad who love cloth diapering. My favorite thing about their company is that they support overseas missionaries who have young kiddos by giving diaper grants to them. How cool is that?! Anyway, check out our awesome diapers.

Mom: The picture above on the right is what I see looking down at my feet. I actually have to lean over to see my feet a little bit. That is a new development.

I am amazed at how strong Little Foot is these days! He/she seems to like stretching out and then staying that way. I do a lot of "encouraging" him/her to move over (translation: pushing back to make the big lump go away). :) At night when I wake up Little Foot is usually awake too, making it hard to go back to sleep sometimes. I haven't been sleeping very well for the past few weeks--I usually wake up at least once or twice and have a hard time falling asleep again. I suppose this is just getting me ready for many sleepless nights with a crying hungry baby...

Yesterday we went to a friend's birthday party where there were 4 babies under 4 months and 2 pregnant ladies! I guess it's the age when people start to have babies (though admittedly we are the youngest of our friends in Duluth who are having a baby, so don't worry St. Olaf or med school friends--you're not behind schedule). It was so funny with all these babies around, moms breastfeeding in the living room, carseats overflowing in the porch, and diaper changing left and right. Hard to believe this will be us in less than 3 months! Perhaps we'll have to start a countdown one of these days.

For those of you who are interested: I have gained 15 pounds so far. This is right on track--I am supposed to gain 15 pounds in the first and second trimesters. We enter the third trimester this week! The home stretch (or at least the last 1/3 of the pregnancy) is here!

Dad: Meanwhile, while all the preggos were chatting it up inside, the boys were out playing and grilling. I can't wait to spend our last summer in Duluth in this fashion. We will have 2 and a half months "off" starting July 7th when our affections will shift from medicine to some much needed R & R. So feel free to drop in anytime if you're not afraid of Baby.

By the way, the delicious looking cheesecake in the photos above is homemade by our favorite neighbor Svetlana who hails all the way from the Ukraine and just happens to be a pastry chef! She likes to bake us little nuggets of goodness periodically, and we are happy to take them off her hands for her (and put them in our bellies! and on our bellies, hips, butts, etc...)

Well, spring has sprung and its time to get out!

April in Duluth - 26 1/2 weeks

When I say April, what do you think of? April showers? Spring flowers? Young lovers skipping through the park? Pick-up games of ultimate frisbee? 10 inches of new blowing snow!?

Thats right, just when we were preparing to welcome the blooming of the early spring crocuses, we get hammered with a heavy cover of white. We have already put the snowshoes and shovels in the basement! Whats the deal!?

Sorry to all of you who have been anxiously awaiting new belly pictures. We took a break from posting them so Kristi's family would be surprised, which they were, but as you can see above, now we're back in full force. As Kristi's belly continues to grow and defy gravity, we are all loving to feel the baby moving, hear the heartbeat, and play the musical giraffe for Baby. We recently received a "fetoscope" from our doctor here in Duluth. Its an ancient piece of obstetrical equipment that docs used to use to hear Baby's heartbeat back in the day before the doppler machines (the electronic heartbeat monitor). It looks like a regular stethescope, but the bell of it is connected to a tube that leads to the doctor's forehead. It is supposed to enhace the sound and allow the doc to "hear" the heartbeat transmitted through the bones of his/her head. But I have to say that one looks ridiculous using it! (We'll post pictures later).

Baby is almost 2 pounds now and 14 1/2 inches long. We are approaching the beginning of the third trimester (in a couple weeks) and Baby is working on putting some meat on those bones, but he/she isn't too preoccupied with growing the length much these days (pretty much the same thing Kristi is up to!).

Spring is Coming!

Little Foot continues to grow this week. At this stage of the pregnancy Baby is just growing growing growing! It is difficult to know exactly, but he/she probably weighs about 1.5 pounds and is about 14 inches long. It is starting to get crowded in the uterus!
Baby has fingernails and hair now (maybe we've already announced that, but I can't remember). He/she is working on forming the first poop, called meconium, in the intestines. This will hopefully stay in the intestines until after Baby is born, otherwise it can be a problem for Baby's lungs (obviously breathing in or swallowing your poop is not a good thing). Baby is big enough now that you can hear the heartbeat with a stethoscope--you don't need that special doppler thing in the doctor's office. Matt can even hear it just by putting his ear next to Kristi's belly if Baby is positioned up next to the surface! Recently, Baby likes to "freak out" every once in a while, where he/she flails his/her arms and legs and does some complicated swimming movements in rapid succession. This is startling and hilarious to feel and watch! We are having fun interacting with Little Foot--we like to push back on feet and hands when they poke out, and Matt talks to him/her all the time.

Mom: The belly is growing surprisingly fast. Every time I walk past the mirror I am surprised at how far it sticks out. And speaking of sticking out, my belly button has decided that it doesn't want to be an innie anymore. It visibly sticks out through some of my shirts...I am afraid for how far it will stick out by July 7! I have been feeling good, with just a little heartburn now and then. This is common in pregnancy when the uterus starts crowding out the stomach and pushing acid up into the esophagus. Other than that, I'm just feeling pregnant! I've pretty much transitioned to all maternity clothes now. Thank you to all the friends who have shared theirs with me!

Dad: I enjoy our pregnancy. I think Kristi should always be pregnant. Always. Grandparents, get ready for lots of babies. Just kidding, but seriously, its exciting to see the changes developing in Kristi and the baby every week. I have been reading through some information on deliveries and learning how to coach a successful delivery and create a birth plan and what-not. Things need to be learned such as: the different stages of labor, what the uterus is doing during each stage, the causes of different aches and pains in the laboring woman and what I can do to help eliminate them, different body positions for labor/delivery, relaxation and breathing techniques, and the like. I am excited for this opportunity, but its a little intimidating for the both of us. Any suggestions from experienced parents??? Thanks for continuing to follow our pregnancy during the "plateau stage." If you are reading this now, you are one of the dedicated ones! By the way, don't forget to make your BabyPool predictions! (see previous post for instructions)

Growing up (and out!)

Baby is getting bigger (and so is Mom!)! Little Foot is now almost 1 whole pound and is almost a foot long (11 or so inches). At 22 and a half weeks, Little Foot is going through a gigantic growth spurt that will pretty much last for the rest of the pregnancy. This is becoming exceedingly more obvious as Little Foot's movements are surprisingly strong and visible (both from the inside and the outside perspectives). At this point in development, Baby has fully developed eyelids and eyebrows, fingernails that go all the way to the end of the fingertips, and the brain is entering a period of rapid growth. If Little Foot is a boy, his testes are beginning to descend into the scrotum, primitive sperm are beginning to form, and his body is producing testosterone. Baby's liver is starting to break down bilirubin, a waste product from red blood cells. This is an important function for Baby in order to avoid jaundice (yellowing of the skin due to a buildup of bilirubin). Little Foot can also hear a lot better now; his/her ears are quite developed. They say that in studies where babies were read the same book throughout pregnancy, as newborns they sucked more vigorously when they were read that book again (a sign of recognition in babyworld, since they can't voice their thoughts). So maybe we'll have to start a nightly reading program for Little Foot. Any suggestions on what we should read?

Mom: This is an active baby! He/She moves so much; yesterday I felt like there was never more than a half hour between awake times. I love feeling him/her move and remind me that there is a little baby in there! It's hard for me to believe sometimes that I'm growing another human life inside of me--what a miracle it is! I am in awe that God has given us the gift of bringing another life into the world. I know that I am definitely not capable of raising this child the way it should be, but with God's help I hope that Matt and I will be able to bring up Little Foot to be who God wants him/her to be. Parenting seems like a daunting task. Any major suggestions from those of you who are already parents?

Dad: I've been feeling Baby moving and grooving in its little womb-fortress for about 6 weeks now and try not to let a day go past without interacting with the little one. I like to push while Baby pushes back. I'm still stronger for now, but Baby's getting bigger fast! Often we are sitting in class and I hear Kristi give a little startle and a smile comes across her face. Baby likes class alot. So we are almost done scheduling our clinical rotations for 3rd and 4th year. We will be living in Duluth at our current place until November and then we move to Buffalo, Minnesota for 9 months for RPAP (rural rotations). Then on to the big city (Minneapolis) for a year. Any ideas for childcare in Duluth for one month in Sept/Oct? Or in Minneapolis for July2008-May2009?

Please make a guess on our "Baby Pool," where you can guess the baby's gender, birthdate, birth time, weight, and length. This friendly little game was set up for us by our friend Jose Sturgeon (a good friend from Matt's hometown Delano, MN). All you have to do is go to www.expectnet.com and enter the game name littlefoot2007 on the lefthand side of the webpage. Then you enter your best prediction for all those categories. A suggested entry fee of $5 should be mailed to: Jose Sturgeon 915 Haywood Drive Howard Lake, MN 55349 (unless you live in Duluth and you would like to hand-deliver the money to us). The total money pot will be divided between the winner of the predictions and us (lucky us!). The winner will be the person with the least number of points (like golf). You will be given penalty points for each wrong guess (400 points for the wrong gender, 5 points per hour off on the birthdate and time, etc). This "Baby Pool" is going to be open until June 20. May the best guesser win!