Blogging For A Healthy & Happy 9 Months

More Pics From Day 1

2008-10-12T07:10:00.001-04:00

Mason had some more visitors later on in the afternoon Friday. His Aunt Emily and his cousin Taylor came by, as well as a lot of Mandi's friends from work. Some more folks came by on Saturday while I was at work and at Avery's soccer game, but the camera had the day off. Thanks to everyone for all of the well-wishes. Mason's doing really well so far, still eating well and just generally being a chilled out baby. He LOVES to snuggle his mommy after he's done eating, and he really loves to be wrapped up in the blanket his Aunt Carolyn made for him. We'll keep you posted!

Happy Birthday Mason!

2008-10-10T14:03:00.003-04:00

Mason James Slovick was born this morning at 8:00 am. He weighed in at a healthy 7 lbs. 6 oz., a good pound and a half lighter than Lily was! He's 20 inches long, has pretty blue eyes and a FULL head of copper-colored red hair. So far, we don't really see a lot of resemblance between him and anyone else . . except for his mouth, which looks a lot like Lily's. Here's a little slideshow of some photos from his first day!

The Belly Progression, Week 39 - Final Chapter!

2008-10-10T04:13:00.003-04:00

The Belly Progression, Week 37

2008-09-30T15:33:00.002-04:00

The Belly Progression, Week 36

2008-09-18T05:14:00.000-04:00

The Belly Has Corners

2008-09-17T13:00:00.003-04:00

I'm just warning you . . this may creep you out. Take a look at this, and pay particular attention around 50 seconds in to the video. You'll see why young Mason sometimes makes Mandi's belly look like it has corners.

The Belly Progression, Week 34

2008-09-08T07:39:00.001-04:00

The Belly Progression, Week 33

2008-08-31T18:42:00.002-04:00

I really feel like I get worse at this process the more I do it. Meh. Oh well, only 6 to go now!

The Belly Progression, Week 32

2008-08-25T07:50:00.002-04:00

Big Sister Prep

2008-08-23T07:04:00.003-04:00

Lily has not stopped asking about Mason lately. At least once a day she's quizzing me . . "Daddy, when is Mason gonna come out?"

"About 7 more weeks baby", I tell her. "Seven weeks? That's a long time Daddy!"

She tells everyone she meets that she's going to have a baby brother, and she doesn't hesitate to tell them how she's going to be a great big sister either.

Each night before bed, she gives Mommy and Mason hugs and kisses goodnight. Shame on me for not capturing it before now.

She giggles hysterically when she feels him wriggling around in there. I think she really understands that it's a little kid in there, and she's dying to play with him.

"Ni-night Mason!"

"Mwah!"

Single digits now....

2008-08-09T05:00:00.004-04:00

Today is officially the 30 week mark for us! It is SO hard to believe that this pregnancy has gone by so quickly and that in less than 10 weeks we are going to have a little boy joining our clan. Of course we want him to cook a little longer, but as far as being ready I think we are good to go! We still need to turn Lily's lavender room into a safari room for the two of them but that will be done on Labor Day weekend when she can stay at grandma's for the day. We did go and register at Babies R Us for the few things that we do need, but thankfully we have all of the big things and just need some BOY blankets and such as everything I own from prior babies is PINK PINK PINK! I did get super crafty and painted some letters to hang above his crib and Lil's bed to match the bedding and I am pretty proud of that! We are getting so excited and can't wait to meet him!

The Belly Progression, Week 29.5

2008-08-06T16:19:00.002-04:00

The Belly Progression, Week 27.5

2008-07-22T09:01:00.001-04:00

This officially marks the start of the 3rd Trimester! Whoop!

The Belly Progression, Week 26

2008-07-12T05:55:00.003-04:00

The Belly Progression, Week 25

2008-07-06T11:07:00.001-04:00

STOP THE INSANITY

2008-06-17T14:20:00.006-04:00

So now that we know this is a boy and we kinda have a name picked out for him it is very easy to sit and daydream about him and what he will be like. AND it makes me want to get everything ready for when he comes RIGHT NOW. Like I said in a previous post it has been so much fun for me to go into stores looking for little boy clothes- it is SO much different than all of the pink we are used to! However, with everything I have bought and then the things that Meema and Aunt Jaime are adding to it his closet shelf is filling up fast!

Some of the stuff is just hard to resist. We knew he needed an outfit to come home in and Gymboree had the MOST adorable little dog outfit with matching hat so here is what he will be wearing home from the hospital:

And then I have to say my heart melted when I saw this one:

That will definitely be one that Daddy favors with the little owls on it :) We also found a great deal on a bassinet on Craigslist so we got it all washed and cleaned up to go in our room:

We did decide on the crib bedding and it came last week. Here is a link: http://www.babysupermall.com/main/products/lai/lai12006v.html

The plan is for Meema to whisk Lily away for a weekend in September and when she comes home her lavender room will be transformed into a jungle room for the both of them. She is so so excited about a baby brother so I hope that she is ok with that!

I have run out of things to buy that we NEED. The girls at work are going to do a little shower for me so I know I will be all set on clothes and things and we have all the necessities from Lily so now all we do is enjoy this time and wait :) We have been having such a leisurely summer with days at the pool and family time.

Oh, and BTW we had a dr appt last week and will tentatively schedule this guys arrival for October 13th (unless of course he has other plans). Those of you who want to visit around then let me know so we can coordinate all of the help :)

The Belly Progression, Week 22

2008-06-12T07:57:00.002-04:00

HALFWAY!!!

2008-06-01T19:27:00.004-04:00

It is SO hard to believe that we are halfway through this pregnancy- it really is going by quickly! I don't feel like I am even showing at all really- I am not really wearing maternity clothes yet so unless I am wearing a fitted shirt I look like I might just be a little soft around the middle :) Im sure I will pop out sometime in the next few weeks though.

I have been feeling this little guy alot more frequently- I first felt him about 3 weeks ago but it was just tiny flutters. Now I feel what seems to be turns and somersalts in there. In fact, I woke Corey up a few mornings ago because he was literally kicking me awake so I put Corey's hand on my belly and he was able to feel him in there thumping away as well :)

I am trying to truly enjoy this pregnancy and savor all of it- the good and the uncomfortable that is to come. This is for SURE our last one- I will be getting "tied up" when I deliver this one so he will definitely be completing our family. I can't believe how excited I am to have a little boy- I never imagined myself with a little boy but now as I shop for little clothes with dinosaurs and trucks on them I just can't wait to meet this little guy! Lily might be the most excited of us all; she is constantly wanting to kiss "my brudda" and always says goodnight with "Goodnight Mommy, Goodnight baby brudda". Makes my heart want to just explode in a million pieces.

Here is what is going on with little one this week:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).See what your baby looks like this week.

The Belly Progression, Week 20

2008-05-31T17:15:00.002-04:00

The Belly Progression, Week 19

2008-05-26T07:49:00.001-04:00

The Belly Progression, Week 18

2008-05-16T06:19:00.000-04:00

What's that thing between it's legs?

2008-05-13T05:21:00.002-04:00

So clearly from the second picture you can see that we are having a little boy and he ain't shy about it. It is the next morning and I think we are both still reeling from the shock of the U/S tech saying "What would you say if I told you this was a boy?". Excuse me?? But even the doctor confirmed that without a doubt we will be needing to paint Lily's purple room and go out and buy blue and green sleepers to replace the pink ones we have. OH and did I mention he is PERFECT? They spent a good amount of time looking at all of his organs and his spine and reassured us that everything looks good and he is measuring one day ahead (well, plus the eight he was at the initial U/S but I DO make big babies :)).

Now the agonizing name choosing begins! Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers during this ordeal- they are SO appreciated!

Photos From Today's Ultrasound

2008-05-12T19:39:00.002-04:00

Growing and growing.

2008-05-09T05:16:00.002-04:00

Sorry we slacked off the past few weeks with the pictures- I have no real excuse except I had to work on the days we were supposed to take them, or I felt too bloated or I was just plain lazy. I can really see a difference in these though!

After an agonizing week of waiting on results of our AFP screening, we finally got news that they were normal and in fact my numbers were "really, really good". That definitely helps my anxiety some; the big reliever will be seeing a perfect closed spine and abdominal wall on U/S in a few days. Corey is still holding out hope for a boy, and I even dreamt it was a boy a few nights ago but deep down inside I really feel like there is a little girl in there waiting to complete our family.

It is hard to believe that we will have a little baby here for the holidays this year. The good news is that my maternity leave will take me through all three of the big ones and I won't have to work any this year which is REALLY nice! Im glad Corey will be home to enjoy the infant stage; with Lil he was working crazy hours and so sleep deprived on his days off that we were both in "survival mode". Im hoping this time we will really be able to enjoy our time off as a new completed family instead of just trying to make it through it!

The Belly Progression, Week 17

2008-05-08T18:36:00.002-04:00

2cd Trimester- YEAH!!!!

2008-04-20T12:39:00.002-04:00

It is hard to believe that we are 14 1/2 weeks into this! We had a dr appt on Friday and heard the heartbeat again- 160 beats per min (last time it was 161). We are all- including both the girls- pretty sure that we are having another girl. Other than that everything was good, I have gained 4 pounds which the dr said was right on track. I go in next Friday to have my AFP labs drawn- this is the lab that can indicate an open defect so we are very anxious to get this done. It will take a week for those results so Im sure we will be on pins and needles during that time. Our BIG U/S is on May 14th!!

It seems to me that I was showing alot more at this point in previous pregnancies- right now I have a little bump but it could just be questionable pudge lol. Maybe this will actually be a NORMAL size baby and not a gargantuan like Lily was (8 pds 15 oz)! I haven't gotten the burst of energy that everyone says happens in the 2cd trimester yet, but I don't think I have been quite as tired either. Still trying to get in some exercise here and there but I havent really been able to run the past couple of weeks- just haven't has the energy! Here is what is going on with the bean right now:

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

The Belly Progression, Week 14

2008-04-20T08:21:00.002-04:00

The Belly Progression, Week 13

2008-04-16T07:22:00.001-04:00

First test down...

2008-04-07T14:31:00.005-04:00

We had our first big test today and got to see our little bean on the screen and hear it's heart just beating away! It is so strange to see arms and legs just flailing and not be able to feel it yet. As far as the test- it is called the nuchal translucency and it looks for chromosmal abnormalities and our results were great! The perinatologist also took a quick look at the spine and the abdomen and didn't see any issues there either but it is too early for the all clear with neural tube defects. ALSO too early to tell gender, but Corey is convinced it is a girl since the heart rate was 161 and girls tend to be higher :) Our next big Ultrasound will be May 19th. We have decided to go ahead and spill the beans to the girls because by that time I will be showing and I don't want them to be the last ones to know! OH and I measured 8 days ahead of my due date so my new due date will be October 18th. I told the perinatologist I just tend to grow big babies!

The Belly Progression, Week 11

2008-04-07T14:10:00.002-04:00

The Belly Progression, Week 10

2008-03-31T18:54:00.001-04:00

We skipped a week while on vacation, so the difference here is a lot more noticeable.

2 months into the pregnancy..

2008-03-16T07:57:00.002-04:00

And other than a little queasiness every now and then and an overactive gag reflex when brushing my teeth I am still feeling pretty good! We had a stomach bug go thru our house this week and I think I may have a touch of that right now. Having a little trouble sleeping too but when I hear about what other women endure at this point in pregnancy my woes pale in comparison so Im really not going to complain.

We have a dr's appt this week although Im really not sure what the point is- it will be too early to hear the heartbeat with a doppler and I dont think they plan on doing a U/S. So I guess I will just get weighed and he will make sure my uterus feels like it is growing and charge us $110 and send us on our way- kinda pointless if you ask me! We leave for Disney on Friday (YIPEEE!!!) and when we get back we have our first Perinatologist (high risk specialist) appt on April 7th. This one will be a big one- we will have a U/S to make sure the baby is looking good and talk about our testing options in the few weeks following that. So we are definitely looking forward to that one.

Here is what is going on with the baby this week:

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

The Belly Progression, Week 8

2008-03-16T07:35:00.002-04:00

Week 7

2008-03-09T19:40:00.004-04:00

I really thought that these weeks would feel like they lasted forever, but they are actually flying by pretty quickly! Some of that is due to the fact that I still feel great- no morning sickness thus far and I am still working out reguarly. I have also been working extra now while I can so that I can take the full 12 weeks when the baby is born and that makes time pass quickly as well.
The new craving of the week is fresh pineapple- I CANT get enough!

What's going on in my belly this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.

Have a great week!

The Belly Progression, Week 7

2008-03-08T18:36:00.002-05:00

Week 6

2008-03-02T19:25:00.003-05:00

SO for the first time I actually FEEL a little pregnant. Not because my waist is expanding or because I have morning sickness...I am just HUNGRY like you would not believe. This kind of hunger isnt your normal hunger pangs when you haven't eaten in a few hours- it is more like "I MIGHT ACTUALLY DIE IF I DON'T EAT RIGHT NOW" hungry. At my dr's appt last week he told me "Don't worry about calories, just eat when you are hungry". This is the same Dr that followed my pregnancy with Ave and he must have said the same thing then- I gained EIGHTY pounds with her! I was just silently hoping that my inner fat girl didn't hear him this time :) For now I am just trying my best to make good choices (even if they are every hour) and since the only cravings I have had are salad and oranges this hasnt been too difficult.

Here is what is going on in my belly this week:
How your baby's growing: This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.

Pretty cool stuff huh?!

The Belly Progression, Week 6

2008-03-02T18:54:00.002-05:00

The cat is out of the bag

2008-02-26T14:23:00.002-05:00

Well despite our initial thoughts of keeping this pregnancy under wraps until mid May it is now out there for everyone to know! I was talking to MIL this am and she started talking about trips and holidays and vacation time and I almost had a panic attack. SO we decided to go ahead and tell her, and then it kinda just snowballed from there. I mean we CERTAINLY didn't expect her to keep it a secret and if we told her we had to tell my mom, so here we are. Of course we are very apprehensive, and we won't rest easy until we are thru all of the testing (I will talk more in detail about that later) but we are thrilled to say the least! We had our first dr appt yesterday and it went really well- even though I KNEW I was pregnant there is just a thrill to have someone in a white coat tell you congratulations! I am still feeling great but the dr assures me that will come to an end soon :) Will keep you posted on our progress!

The Belly Progression, Week 5

2008-02-23T06:01:00.011-05:00

We're about a week behind getting the first of these belly pictures up, but we'll put 2 weeks worth in this post and then every Friday going forward they'll be updated. I'm putting a poll on the blog, we want to see how soon you think Mandi will start showing. Well, I do at least. As an update of sorts, I'd say the early weeks of this pregnancy are going well. Mandi's been tired, but not to the point where she can't go to work or stay active on her days off. She's been able to will herself to the gym and continue to do her baking and cooking marathons. There has also been some sensitivity to smells, in particular in Wal-Mart a few days ago, but nothing strong enough to induce vomiting . . yet. Anyway, hopefully she'll get motivated to write a little blurb now and then. Until that happens, I give you these photos.

Time to go, the toddler's screaming for me from the other room. Have a great weekend!

Longing

2008-02-15T20:40:00.002-05:00

I miss my pregnant wife. I know it sounds silly, after all she's been out of town for less than twelve hours and there have been at least a dozen text messages since she got out of the car at the airport. But I never really spend nights apart from her, and now that my free time is spent imagining what our next baby is doing every moment in her belly I really look forward to our nights together after the kids are in bed. This post is for you babe. I love you.

The BFP!

2008-02-12T15:52:00.000-05:00

Well, this is it! The big freakin' positive! Two agonizing, heart-wrenching, hand-wringing, nerve-wracking months of trying to conceive have paid off! As you can see, we're 10 days post-ovulation and the line is definitely there. Yesterday's test showed a very faint positive, which led to (if it's possible) even more agonizing over whether or not we'd get pregnant this month. But never fear, the boys went the distance and reached their goal and we are now a scant 36 weeks and 3 days away from our due date, which by our best calculations is October 25th.