38 Weeks – Getting Ready for Baby!

I just realized the other day that we have barely taken  any belly pictures this time around. So Andy quickly grabbed the camera and we ran out into the backyard to take some pics before he rushed off to softball. So now we at least have some proof that I was pregnant and that this baby was not adopted :).

I am now 38+ weeks pregnant and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Baby Girl Wind. Time has really moved fast lately and it’s shocking to think that baby can come at any time now. We’ve thought that she is going to come before her due date (August 13th) for some time now and she is really doing her best at working on getting out! She is still very active and push down quite a lot and hits a bunch of nerves that just makes me stop mid stride to try to catch my breath. I have a feeling she will make her big appearance sometime next week :).

Since we only have two bedrooms on the same level in our house we have set up the nursery in a corner of Emmett’s room. Once baby does ok at night without mamma and pappa right next to her, she will move in with Emmett and they will have to share. Hope Emmett doesn’t mind too much :). For the first couple months baby will sleep in a bassinet in our bedroom before she moves to her cute crib corner with the beautiful cherry tree sticker that her pappa put up for her.

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Happy 4th of July

One of my absolute favorite American holidays is the Fourth of July. We always spend it at the lake with the Winds and since we live there now the commute was very convenient :). The day usually consists of a lot of tasty food, yummy drinks and a boat parade that always turns into the biggest water balloon fight you’ve ever seen. This year was no exception, although my drink of choice was a Pepsi Throwback with maraschino cherries instead of the usual mixed drink :).

We were really hoping that Baby Wind would get so curious about the festivities that he would want to join in for the fourth but we had no such luck. One week left till the due date now, seven little days. Still hoping that he will come a little early but I’m still feeling good so I cannot complain. In lack of newborn baby pictures I leave you with a few pics from our fun-filled Fourth of July.

/Annette

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Week 36 – Big Ol’ Belly

Baby Wind is growing like crazy and so am I! Can’t believe that I am going to continue to grow for four more weeks, that’s gotta mean that there is a big baby boy in there. When Andy was born he was over 9 lbs (!!!!) although he was about four weeks overdue so hard to say how big he would have been if he was born on his due date. I was 7 lbs and 7 oz. a little more manageable :). So I think if Baby Wind makes it to his due date he will be about 8 lbs or so.

This week baby weighs about 6 lbs (2721 grams) and is packing on about an ounce a day. He is not growing as fast length wise but should be about 18.5 inches (47 cm) long now. According to the midwife he is in a head down position and my cervix is about 60-70 % effaced (thinned out) which is all normal at this point in pregnancy. We are really excited that we are just a week away from week 37 which would be considered a full term baby. We weren’t even sure that he would stay in there for this long so in a week he can feel free to show up anytime he wants :). We are all done with prepping the nursery and we finally have all the basic things you need to take care of a baby (except for the actual hands on experience of taking care of a baby that is).

Besides getting things ready for the baby this past week has been filled with prep for our move to Sweden. We now have our tickets (including one for a dog and one for an unborn child :)) booked and will be leaving Minneapolis on August 12th and arriving in our new hometown, Linköping, on the 13th. We are also getting close to signing a lease on a one bedroom apartment in downtown Linköping. We were really looking for a two bedroom but it has been very hard to find vacant apartments and we feel kind of lucky that we even found this one that is available in August. It will probably be easier to find a two bedroom once we are on location so we feel pretty good about where we’re at with things. Once we have the lease signed I’ll post some pictures.

Stay tuned!
/Annette

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Week 34 – Tick Tick Tick

Sometimes it feels like time is flying by really fast. We’re already in week 34 which means just 6 weeks to go if Baby Wind makes it all the way to his due date. And yet, sometimes it feels like time is just standing still and 6 weeks feels like an entire eternity. With contractions still going on we are really anxious for week 36 to get here (only 2 weeks away!) because then we would know that it wouldn’t mean any serious harm to the baby if he was born a little early and we could finally relax a bit.

Today Baby Wind is 34 weeks which means that he weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (2155 grams) and is almost 18 inches long (45.5 cm). About the size of a honeydew! Baby may grow up to a full inch this week alone, and his brain is developing like crazy. Pretty soon, he’ll be able to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. Also, his bones are hardening, and he’s started to keep his eyes open when he’s awake. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well.

Last weekend we moved out of our house in South Minneapolis to shack up with the North Winds in Wyoming, MN  for the next two months before we move to Sweden. Andy’s dads family has made the move really easy for us and we love hanging out at the lake. Now we are just waiting for the summer weather to kick in so we really get to enjoy living on a lake. HUGE thank you to Rick, Karen and Hannah for welcoming us into their home!!!

We are starting to get settled in and I have even been able to start setting up baby’s things in our room. It feels good to finally have a place to do that, makes the whole baby-bump-kicking-me-in-the-ribs things feel even more real :).

Baby Wind’s nursery. Thank you to Susan for the cute owl blanket she made, looks great in the cradle!

/Annette

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Week 32 – Spring Showers

We are now entering week 32 which means that the baby’s most critical development is complete. Baby Wind weighs in at 3.75 lbs (1700 grams) and stretches out to a full 16.7 inches (42.5 cm). While I am gaining about 1 pound a week, it makes me feel a little better knowing that half of that goes straight to the baby. There is no doubt that he is getting longer and bigger, cute kicks on the side of my belly are now aimed at my ribs and when baby stretches out I have to as well to be able to breathe.

This video was taken a couple weeks back and features Baby Wind kicking around in my belly!

At yesterday’s centering class we got to do a tour of the hospital and check out the type of room we will be in when it’s time for baby to join us. The rooms were really nice but it still seemed a bit surreal that we would actually be back there sometime within the next 8 weeks to greet the new member of our family.

Last week was our big baby shower week when three out of our four baby showers took place. It was fitting but annoying that it actually rained every single day, especially annoying that it rained on Saturday when we had our baby-themed BBQ with our friends. Regardless of the rain we had an awesome time with all our friends at all three parties. Thank you to Susan for hosting an MCF baby shower at her house, it was nice to have all the people from my work get together for a social event. Thank you to Andy’s work, Target, for celebrating our little baby boy. It was nice to finally get to see where Andy works and to meet everyone he works with. And last but definitely not least, a big thank you to everyone who came over for our BBQ on Saturday and got crammed into our tiny house because of the weather. Thank you for sharing in our excitement for Baby Wind!

/Annette

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Week 25 – Growing Pains

Sunday, March 29

This past week has been one of the most challenging for me so far in my pregnancy. Back aches, ab pains, and foot cramps has kept me up at night. I think I will just have to get used to the back aches, at least I haven’t found anything that totally relieves it but Andy has been helping out with back rubs and heating up the heat pad for me, so a big thank you to my hubby! My abs are finally  starting to hurt less which I guess means that they are done “separating”, sorry for the visual but that hurt a TON.

On a happier note, I guess this means that baby and his living area is growing just fine and this week little baby boy is about 13 1/2 inches (34.5 cm) long and weighs about 1 1/2 lbs (680 grams). Baby is beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat and as he fills out a little more his wrinkly skin will smooth out. Hair is also growing more now and Baby Wind is starting to be able to tell right side up from upside down.

I am starting to notice his movements more and more at night now. Especially when turning from side to side, which I do a lot since my back constantly is waking me up, and I guess when I move baby has to move to get comfy :). He isn’t waking me up from kicking and moving but he definitely is making himself more noticeable.

/Annette

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Little House on the Prairie

March 6th, 21 1/2 weeks

I am big as a house!!! Ok, maybe not quite… just big as a little house :). The funny thing is that I actually am a house, with one little tenant that is planning on expanding his living area for another four months. Can’t believe that I am going to keep growing for another four months! It’s fun to see that things are moving along though and every day his movements are becoming more defined and his kicks more powerful. Can’t wait till we both can feel him moving around from the outside of my belly.

/Annette

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The Baby Bump

February 13

January 15

There’s definitely something growing in there :). I think I will need to invest in some maternity clothes very soon since everything I own is really starting to feel snug. 

The picture on the left was taken on January 15 when I was 14 1/2 weeks pregnant and just starting to feel the belly popping out. The picture on the right was taken yesterday, 18 1/2 weeks along. Starting to look like there is a little more than just too much cookie eating going on :). 

Happy Valentines Day!

/Annette

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