Letters to Bug-Week 35

5/7/17

Good morning good morning sweetie Eli!

35 weeks, we are already to 35 weeks! The time is going by at warp speed and I just want everything to slow down. I have realized that our time as just the two of us is coming to an end quickly and it makes me sad in a lot of ways. My favorite thing is to feel you moving inside of me and to be able to talk to you all day every day. I love that I can take you everywhere and you are always with me physically. To stop and think that in just a few short weeks, this won't be the case, is a little sad. I am more happy and joyful to have you on the outside and then I am sad, but it would be unfair to not speak of those feelings too.

Your dad and I have spent the last week or so getting your nursery completely done. Mom just has a few tasks left, like washing all your clothes and diapers and bottles, and cutting off the tags before she washes them on all of your new clothes! Dad's to do list in your room is also getting shorter! The only thing he has left to do is hang your curtains and hang a few decorations on your wall. Otherwise, your room is done! It is pretty much the only done room in our house! We have also really realize how short of a time it is between now and when you come! We need to get your car seat out and set up in our cars, and set your stroller up!

Mom starts her twice a week appointments this week to make sure that everything is going OK with you. Normally, I would only be going once a week, but because of the gestational diabetes we get to go twice! Listening to your little heart and seeing you on the ultrasound will never get old. I absolutely love it. It makes me that much more excited to see how you grow and think about you all look like on the outside!

The app say that you are basically all done growing in length and you will continue to gain about an ounce a day or roughly half a pound a week until just before you were born. That is a lot of weight to gain for a little baby! I know you can do it! Mom is also working to make sure that you only get a good healthy foods so that you have everything you need for a strong healthy body! Five weeks to go and then I will be working on giving you everything you need on the outside!

Well Mr. bug, that is it for today! Know that mommy and daddy love you very much and we literally talk about you every single day. There isn't a day that goes by where we don't mention a hope or dream or a plan or a wish or something for you or about you! Our house is starting to look like a baby will be there soon and that's because you will! Love you baby bug!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Bug-Week 34

4/30/2017

Good morning Little Mr. Eli!

34 weeks! I can't believe that we are just 42 short days away from meeting you! We have been working hard on getting all of your new things put away from your baby shower and getting your nursery set up! It is starting to look finished and I couldn't be more excited! We still have some small things to pick out, like a rug and curtains. But all of the major things are done. It is crazy to think how far we have come! When I walked into your room yesterday, for the very first time, I could envision you in that room. I could think about the fact that I could be coming into that room to pick you up in the morning and get you ready for your day. I was able to envision our life together and that is something that I have really struggled with so far. It was kind of overwhelming, but in a totally great way!

This week we start our weekly doctor's appointments. Because mom has just gestational diabetes, our appointments are more frequent and involve a lot more! We will be going in for what is called an NST, where they basically just measure your heart rate and everything to make sure all is good. We will also be having a BPP, which is an ultrasound that will tell us how well you are moving and breathing and doing the things your supposed to. Then we will meet with the doctor and go over all the results. So while typically it should only be a 10 minute appointment, but ours are looking more like an hour and a half to two hours!

It is so fun to continue to read about your development every week. It truly is the highlight of your dad and my day! The apps say that you could be up to 19 or more inches now and weighing in at well over 5 pounds! I guess we will see how accurate that is on Wednesday! It also says that if you were born today, everything is working and functioning and doing well including your immune system, but not quite your lungs yet! A really cool fact, is that your pupils are dilating and constricting now based on light! Every single week, you become more and more like an outside baby! Your dad and I just can't wait to see all of this when you are born!

Well bug, that is all I know for today. Looking forward to meeting you and continually dreaming about you daily! Speaking of dreaming, I should mention, your dad has been having lots of dreams about labor, delivery, and life with you! I would say that he is getting pretty excited!

Love you little bug!

Love, 

Mommy

Letters to Bug-Week 33

4/23/17


Good morning sweet E!!!

What a week we have had! This week was filled with celebrations and fun and everything to do with you! We went back to our hometown in Minnesota, and got to see all of our family and friends. We started our weekend with a dinner with mom's LuLaRoe friends. They were so sweet and had all pitched in to get you an amazing gift card we will be using for stuff you need! On Saturday, we started our day out bright and early! We went to the 3-D ultrasound and got one last good look at you! You are so precious and amazing and it was so awesome to see your face and get a better picture of what you look like. Now when I think of you, I have a closer version to think of! You are still quite stubborn for ultrasounds, and wouldn't move your foot away from your face, but it was the sweetest thing ever. Apparently you really really really like having your one little foot by your face! You also wouldn't get in a good position to see your cute little nose so every picture we have it looks different!!! Here is my favorite!!!

After the ultrasound, we went and met up with the amazing Tori, who took maternity pictures for me and your dad. We had so much fun taking pictures and thinking about you and enjoying these last few weeks with you in mommy's tummy. Your dad and I can be kind of goofballs, so I hope Tori had fun! We can't wait to see them when they come back! Here are a few from Tori!

 

 

Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon, we had your baby showers! So many family and friends were able to join us, and even those who weren't able to join us sent us well wishes! You are so very loved and people are so very very excited for your arrival. People have been waiting for you to come for a long time, you definitely know how to get the anticipation up! Your aunt Katie made tons of amazing decorations and centerpieces and so much more. It was the best experience I could've ever asked for and I just hope you always know how much you are loved by not only your dad and I, but your whole family and all of our friends!

Panoramic of the Shower room



Mommy in her Sunday and Saturday dresses!

Your cake-including little suspenders!!        



 Gift table with Diaper cake and guestbook                  Cookie Favors for everyone!

Decorations, games, and the advice table for your parents!

Prizes and Books!!!! 

Pictures of the various tables from a far :)


Table Center Pieces








According to the apps, you are basically just working on putting on weight. I know from our ultrasound that you are about 5 pounds! The app tells us that you are about 16 or 17 inches long at this point. Apparently, your head will grow a bit this week to accommodate for that growing brain! And enjoy your space in there, because this is the peak of the fluid around you, and things are about to get a lot tighter!

Well that is it for today baby bug! We love you and we are counting down the days until we see you!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Bug-Week 32

4/16/17

Good morning my little baby bug! We have had quite a busy week and are very excited to announce that your nursery is coming together! The walls have been painted, all the things that we have for you have been put up there, and we've unpacked. Your dad took great pride in building your crib and getting it set up so that you have your very own space! He also changed out all the outlets and covers and light switches so that they look nice and new and updated! Mama spent the day taking out all of your clothes and hanging them up! I also got to go through all of the things that people have already given you and the things your dad and I have bought. We are so excited to see you wear and use each of these. As I pulled out each item, I took a second to just envision you using that item. I can't believe that it will only be about eight weeks and we will get to see you start using them! I am so incredibly excited for you little bug!

This coming week will also be super exciting!! Since I have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes and now have to take medication because diet alone and exercise weren't working, we have an ultrasound where we get to see you! I feel like it has absolutely been forever and I just can't wait to see pictures of you and get a glimpse at how big you have grown! We are also traveling to Minnesota this coming weekend for baby showers and people to celebrate you joining our family. You have been so wanted, prayed for, hope for, wish for, and all other emotions along those lines. Now our family and friends get to come together and celebrate the goodness that God has given!

According to the apps, your height has slowed down dramatically in increasing, so you are still hanging out at around 15 or 16 inches. Your weight continues to grow rapidly though! You are now somewhere between 3 1/2 and 4 1/2 pounds! They say that all of your organs and everything you would need on the outside are ready to go, except your lungs. They still need a little extra time to develop so don't have any thoughts of coming early! Your dad and I have been enjoying all the extra movements that you make on a day to day basis and I can tell you're getting pretty squished in there! Don't worry, soon enough we will be squishing you in love on the outside!

Well that's it for now little bug, we love you always!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Bug-Week 31

4/9/2017

Good morning my lovely baby bug!

31 weeks. That means that we are down to single digits when counting weeks! I cannot believe that in only nine short weeks, give or take because I know you'll come whenever you're ready, you will be here! Nine weeks seems like such a short time and we still have so much to do! I think back to those first nine weeks when you joined us, and how incredibly long it took and how nervous and worried and anxious I was for you every single day. Those first couple of months seemed to take forever, and now the rest of the weeks have just flown by. Here we are at 31 weeks!

We had a very busy and crazy week! We bought our house and you now officially have a room! The room is painted and now it is time to get your nursery together! We had some fantastic people come and help us move and it made everything go so great and so smooth. We are so excited to start getting your things hung up in your room and to really start creating a space for you when you come home. I am so absolutely thrilled to officially be getting ready for your arrival!

You have really become more active in the last couple of weeks and I love just sitting and feeling all your movements. You have become much stronger and I enjoy trying to figure out whether it is a little punch or kick or an elbow that's making those movements! I still think you are doing some somersaults in there and it makes it look really funny on the outside!

According to the apps, all of your senses have officially come online. Even though there is nothing to smell, you apparently can smell now! It says that you are pretty close to being ready for the real world, except you need to gain some weight so that you can regulate your temperature. Don't get any funny ideas, you are not ready yet!!! It also says that your brain is rapidly developing again and you are working hard at putting on that extra fat. Due to the gestational diabetes, they are worried that you could be a big baby, so we have an ultrasound scheduled for a couple weeks away. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty excited to see you since it has been a long time from the last one. I can't wait to see how big you are and what you are looking like now! I am also hopeful that you are getting into position so that we can have the best birth experience ever!

Until next time baby Bug, mommy loves you and is always thinking about you!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Bug-Week 30

4/2/2017

Good morning Bug!!

I cannot believe it, we are 75% of the way to meeting you! I am so over whelmed and excited with the idea of meeting you. Overwhelmed, because soon you will be on the outside and I will have to figure out all of your needs and know exactly what is going on with you. While you are inside my tummy, it is all figured out for you and I just take you wherever I go. But when you come out, the game changes! And I am obviously so excited and joyful and happy and every other positive emotion a person could think of for meeting you! Only 10 more short weeks and you will be here!

We have had a pretty busy week at our house. I met with the nutritionist this week and she gave me some more ideas for how to make sure that I am eating right for you and that you aren't being bathed in glucose all the time. So far, it does not seem to be working so your mama will be calling the doctor this week to see what else we can do. I want you to be as healthy as possible and have the best start in life, so you better believe I will be figuring this out sooner rather than later! We are also getting everything packed up at our house because we move on Friday! Well technically we buy our house on Friday and move on Saturday but it is all the same. I am so excited to finally be able to start setting up your things and getting your room ready. I've told you before how important it is to me that we have a room for you and that it is ready, so now it will be time to get that room ready!

According to the apps, you aren't growing much taller, still 16 to 17 inches, but you are gaining weight and your brain is changing! It says that from here on out, you will gain about a half a pound a week until just before you are born! That is a lot of weight for a little baby to gain! And your brain is developing grooves and creases to have more area for all that learning to happen inside. I just know you're going to be smart, so we better make sure your brain is ready for that!

Well Bug, until next time! Mommy loves you so much and I can't wait to meet you. My dreams and hopes and everything about my day is still and always will be filled with you! Love you baby bug!

Love,

Mommy

Letters to Baby Bug-Week 29

3/26/17

Hello my sweet baby bug!

We are officially in our last week of the month! I can't believe that next week we will be hitting 75% of the way to meeting you! It has been quite a week Bug. This week has been a very scary week and a week of trying to understand and knowing that we can't always understand God's plan. There was a major tragedy that happened in our community, and many good lives were lost for no understandable reason. It has shaken your mama to the core and made me question a lot of things. They say that God has a plan for everything, and I just don't think that I will know the plan on this side of heaven for the events that took place this week. It also makes me very nervous for you to come into this world where even every day tasks and routines can be shaken up. I wish that I could keep you protected forever, but I know that that is just not possible. So I will do the best that I can to make sure that you're protected and safe, while also teaching you to be smart and savvy about the world around you. I want you to know and be educated on so many things, but I never thought I would have to educate you on safety from violence like this. I just rely on God to know that there must be something greater.  

Time for some good news!!! We had our 28 week appointment and you are measuring perfectly and we got to hear that tiny little heartbeat! We also got to ask the doctor dozens of questions so that we can make the most informed decisions around your birth! Unfortunately, I also found out that I have just gestational diabetes. This has been a pretty big shock for me, because I have been eating so well for you and making sure that you have all your nutrients and avoiding things that would be harmful for you like caffeine, coffee, and even lunch meat! Your dad and I have been doing a ton of research and we are ready to do whatever we need to to make sure that you are healthy and strong and safe. We are also working to make sure you grow bag, but not too big apparently, due to this new information. We have learned that there is nothing we could have done to prevent this and it is just part of our journey to meeting you!!!

Next week we will go in for a follow up visit and meeting with a nutritionist to learn exactly what we need for you so that everything goes well. It looks like the first 12 weeks of your life were filled with mama giving herself shots so that you would have everything you need and stay in mama's belly and grow bag. The last 12 weeks will be filled with needles again, but this time I will be taking blood it to check multiple times a day and ensure that you aren't getting too much glucose and growing too big! It's kind of ironic when you stop and think. So here we are, onto our next adventure!

According to the apps, you are somewhere between 15 and 17 inches long and about 2 1/2 pounds! Every week, when I see the numbers, I am just amazed at how big and how fast you're growing! They say you are the size of a Rollerblade or butternut squash or A large cabbage! They also say that your job right now is just to put on fat that will help regulate your body temperature. It is also said that you can respond to stimuli around you such as noises, lights, movement, etc.! How exciting! There is also a high chance that you are able to dream at this point, but I am not really sure what your dreams must consist of. So for now I will just say sweet dreams baby bug and see you in just a few short months!

Love, 

Mommy