Just over 5 weeks to my due date!

Well as of about 33 weeks I have been having daily Braxton Hicks contractions. A few a day, in no regular pattern, but more typically at night time. There aren't painful in any way and I figure my body should practice as much as it wants to! I have had a little more back pain and notice a slight swelling in my hands and feet off and on, but nothing too bad. Still wearing my rings! =) Still another week til I go in to meet another midwife. Then two and a half weeks after that I meet the 4th midwife. Seems like my appointments are so spaced out, but even with my asking for more appointments to get to know the midwifes better - they didn't offer me up any other appointments. I am getting so excited, anxious, and nervous about the big day and after! So many questions - like when he will come, how the labor will be, the length of the labor, will he have any problems, what kind of baby will he be, will clint be here?? ect ect ect I try to keep them in the back of my mind, but the closer I get the more I seem to think about them!


34 weeks 1 day


Photoshop is so cool what you can do with it! 34 weeks exactly here!!


33 weeks


33 weeks and 6 weeks comparison in the same shirt! Look at how much he has grown!

Getting so excited!

32 weeks 1 day


31 weeks 1 day


30 weeks 3 days

Ultrasound on January 31st! 30 weeks 3 days

Conner is confirmed to be a boy yet again!


You can see his little eyelids so detailed!


Conner has his daddy's lips!


Isn't he so cute?? His face looks so defined already!

January 31st I had an ultrasound appointment at Madigan. The ultrasound area is on the same floor as labor and delivery, but in a completely separate area from the OB clinic. I didn't actually see a midwife, but just an ultrasound technician. The lady was so nice who did the ultrasound. She seemed so knowledgable also! His weight estimate was 4 pounds 2 ounces. This was exactly 2 weeks ahead for the averages - but that isn't too bad. All of his bones were checked and measured. All parts of his brain were measured to make sure they were growing correctly. They measured how much spinal fluid he had and that all his vertebrate matched up with eachother. They checked the circumference of his head is right about 30cm, and his diameter was 8 or 9cm. They checked to make sure the placenta wasn't too close to the cervix. They checked to make sure there was the right amount of amniotic fluid for him in there. They did a really thourough look at him, and gave me a lot of pictures. I didn't get them from there, wink wink, but they did a 4D ultrasound for me where we could see his face! He is so adorable to me! I can't wait to see him and hold him! He has hair too! You could see the hairs all sticking off of his head just floating in the fluid!

Almost 30 weeks!

Wow in two days I will be 30 weeks along! Sometimes it seems like time has flown by. So I am all set up to be seen by the midwife team at Madigan. There are 5 midwives there. I have already met one and I am scheduled with two other ones in the next two appointments. I have an ultrasound appointment scheduled for this week also! Normally they don't do ultrasounds in the states, but they are doing a transfer in ultrasound to make sure they have the information they need. When I come in to the hospital for labor and delivery, the midwife who is on call will be with me the whole time. They aren't like doctors where they just come in and check on you every so often. This way they can help explain more what's going on and help with more natural ways of pain management and techniques. I really like how all of this is sounding. I signed up for an intro to labor and delivery at Madigan, like what to expect there, ect. I also signed up for a prenatal breastfeeding class that is put on by lactation specialists. Why not take the free classes they offer if I have time? I am looking into signing up for a breathing type of class, but haven't signed up officially for anything yet.

I discovered at around 27 weeks I could feel hiccups. It feels like a heart beat pulsing down very low in my abdomen, at least a few inches below my belly button (apparently indicates he is head down most of the time according to the midwife I saw last week). I feel him move all the time, multiple times a day, and he seems to be getting stronger everyday. 10 weeks left to go!


29 weeks 1 day


28 weeks 4 days


27 weeks 1 day


27 weeks 1 day ultrasound - profile view of Conner's face


27 weeks 1 day 4D ultrasound showing Conner's face, umbilical cord is near the left side of his face


27 weeks 1 day 4D ultrasound showing Conner's face, right eye is open and left eye is covered by his hand

Update before a busy month!

23 weeks 5 days flowers were delivered from Clint while he was deployed! My favorite flowers! He is so thoughtful! I love him so much!


24 weeks 1 day New shirt I found on sale at Kohls for like $6! I am a good shopper for maternity clothes I think! He is really starting to make his appearance!



25 weeks Little Baby Conner in there!! Christmas Eve!


26 weeks! New Years Eve! Jessica's Wedding Day! Lot's of fun little events for Conner! and lots of belly rubbing might I add too by everyone, haha!

I had an amazing shower with tons of family and friends. I felt really showered with things for Conner it was great! Thanks so much to everyone for everything. I feel really blessed! Well in just a few days I fly back to Germany. I need to get some things taken care of, check on our place, and all that before coming back home for 7 months! It will be great to be here with my mom and family and friends when Conner is born. He is moving so much! Since he is getting bigger his movements seem to be more like real movements than flutters or just kicks. Like an arm moving across that segment of my stomach or something. It almost feels like the area tightens up right before he moves so sometimes I have some warning! Doctor appointment again in less than a week! I can't wait to see him! I know he will look so much bigger!!

Appointment in Olympia

23 weeks 1 day belly shot!


23 weeks 1 day ultrasound profile picture!

So today was my first appointment in the states! It was my first appointment with an American doctor. It was a small little office, and everyone there seemed really nice. They had me pee in a cup, took my weight, and blood pressure. Everything seemed fine. I have gained about 10 pounds at this point (with shoes and jacket on - kind of weird she didnt have me take it off). My mom went with me and we were lucky to get an ultrasound! They wanted to check out the little guy and make sure everything was ok. We saw all his arms and legs. The placenta seems to be on the left hand side, and he likes to be with his main body on the right hand side. I always feel him here, especially at night. Sometimes he feels like a little rock. Then I can feel kicks down below my belly buton and occasionally punches or arm movements up by his head in the upper right hand side. The movements I feel all seem to go along with the ultrasound, so he must be nestled in there and like his spot! My mom stood up and watched the bigger screen with the doctor, but I got to watch this tiny little screen. Still was amazing to see him of course. I love to watch him move around on the webcam. My mom thinks he looks like Clint, then my dad later even said from the one picture he thought he looked like him. The doctor kind of laughed thinking...he is still so small to really tell who he looks like! I think this doctor will be good. I get to choose which hospital I want to have the baby at. So I can call each one and go on tours of each hospital. I will call soon to see if they have any tours they already do each week so I can go check them out. Then I can arrange to take a birthing class (with breathing and relaxation techniques, ect) at that particular hospital which is 4 classes (one a week in the evenings), a breastfeeding class, and an infant care and cpr class. So I figure whatever I can do to feel slightly prepared, even if just mentally, is a good thing!

22 weeks!

Belly at 22 weeks!

I did get a doctor appointment scheduled. Only two Tricare providers to chooes from in Olympia that are civilian - one had a first name of James. So I called them first and they could get me in! Let's hope things go well and little Conner is doing great!

New Belly Pictures - Starting to Show!

This was a picture I took of my laptop screen of a short video clip my doctor made for me. He was flexing his head and swallowed in it! You could see his heart fluttering and his stomach. It is amazing to see all his bones forming! This was at our 19 week appointment!


This is a another picture of a different short video clip the doctor made. He kept turning his head, so this was the only way we could catch a side profile! Silly boy! This is a great shot to be able to see his stomach. The stomach is the dark black hole in the stomach area. This was at our 19 week appointment!


This is me at exactly 20 weeks! I am back home at my parents house!


This is me at 21 weeks and 1 day pregnant! Conner is starting to push his way out showing a little belly on me finally!


A close up at 21 weeks and 1 day that my sister, Shery took! I thought this looked really neat and really showed him sticking out!

Conner is sooo active. He kicks around or turns or who knows what all the time! I love to feel him move. It doesn't annoy me or hurt me in any way. It is so cool to know he is alive and moving around inside of me!

So I had an appointment set up at Madigan, then Tricare called and said they canceled my appointment! So now on Monday I have to go through the hassle as soon as they open at 7:30 am to try to get a new one rescheduled since there are no new ones available within two weeks. They say I need to just see a nurse first, and not even see a dr or have Conner checked! This makes me so mad! They should have told me this two weeks ago when I made the appointment. I specifically made it for this week because it is the week before my mom gets chemo and usually the week she feels the best! I really hope everything works out!