Christmas

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Originally uploaded by ajgould

Here is a video from Jamison's first Christmas. He received a Jumperoo and he absolutely loved it. He also got a holiday Elmo and many other toys from family.
On Christmas eve we did venture out to Great Grandma Thelma's where we had chili and chicken noodle soup and opened up gifts. On Christmas day we stayed home due to the weather. We had a great time opening up gifts and playing with our gifts. I was glad that I went out and bought a roast as plan B in case the weather got bad. So we had a big breakfast in the morning and then a road with all the fixings for supper. It was fun to watch the snow come down. We had a record of 8 inches of snow just that day...20 inches of snow with the whole storm. We celebrated our Gould Christmas yesterday and we had such a great time! We missed seeing everyone Christmas day. This week my family is coming in and we will be celebrating our family Christmas on New Year's Eve. I am so glad we planned it that way because now everyone should be able to make it in this week.

There are a ton of pictures on our flicker website. Here is the link. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegouldfam/

I hope everyone that reads this blog had a Merry Christmas and has a Happy New Year's!

Jamison's first experience with rice cereal

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Originally uploaded by ajgould

Last Monday Jamison had his 4 month appt and Dr Brenner told us that he is able to get rice cereal now so we started him on it last Monday and the video shows his first experience with it. He has been doing well with it so far. I think it might take awhile for him to get used to it!

We also found out at his appt that he is 11 lbs and 15 oz. and 23 3/4 inches long. The doctor said that he is between the 10th and 25th percentile. I had wondered if he was too small but the doctor said that he has been growing on the same percentile curve. She also said that babies that run smaller will be more physicall developed. So I guess there isn't anything to worry about. He also got his 4 month shots and it wasn't as hard this time as it was last time.

Jamison has been smiling a lot more and laughing. It is so much fun to watch hime grow! He rolls over on his side a lot now. When we walk in to his nursery in the morning, it seems like he is always on his side or has moved some way or another. He holds his head up all the time now and is trying to sit up. Well his next appt is in 2 months and then we will start him on solids. I am super excited for solids! For Christmas Roxanne got us a steamer/defroster/puree so we can make our own baby food. We are super excited to try it out! Thanks grandma!

Christmas Tree Decorating

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Originally uploaded by ajgould

This is one of our pictures from decorating the Christmas tree. We went out and got a real 9 foot Christmas tree. We are having my family Christmas at our house over New Year's. This week we are having our own Christmas at our house in the morning then going to Andy's parent's house and then Andy's Grandma's house. On Christmas Eve we are going to church and then over to Andy's other grandma's house. It will be a busy week!

Tomorrow Jamison gets his 4 month shots so hopefully it goes well. Last time I cried so I hope it is better this time. In other news Jamison has been using his hands a lot more now. He can bring them together and grab things. He also loves to "stand up". He also loves to "talk". Sometimes in the evenings he can chatter for hours! It is so cute.

Well I am sure we will post some pics from the holidays. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's!

Here is the link for our Christmas tree decorating pics. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegouldfam/sets/72157623037446966/show/with/4200281003/

Thanksgivng!

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Originally uploaded by ajgould

It was Jamison's first Thanksgiving and it was a great time. We went over to Roxanne and Steve's house for Thanksgiving. We had Turkey with all the fixin's.

Last week was also Jamison's first day at daycare! He did really well and Sue said that he was smiling and watching all the other kids. He only went for two days so it was a good week to transition him into daycare. The first day I didn't cry when I dropped him off, but it was really hard. I miss the little guy when I am working.

There are some new things that Jamison has been doing lately. He is really good at keeping his head up. He is starting to put his hands together. He is starting to "walk" when we stand him up. He is starting to hold onto objects and bring them to his mouth. It is so much fun to watch him grow and see all the new things he can do. Due to going back to work I may not write weekly on the blog but I will try to keep writing every other week.

First Day Back at Work and Jamison is 13 weeks old!

Today was my first day back to work and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It definitely helped that Andy is staying home this week so I don't have to drop him off at daycare because if I would have had to drop him off I think that I would have cried. Actually I was pretty excited to come back to work. I like my job and the people that I work with. We were super busy today so I pretty much just had time to work and take a few breaks to pump and eat. Before I knew it the day was done and it was time to come home to Andy and Jamison.

Last week we had Jamison's 3 month pictures taken at Harold's. Here is the website to go to http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/store.aspx?p=27762. Find Andy Gould and the password is Gould. We took a few of the fam and some of just Jamison. Well I am getting pretty tired but I just wanted to do a quick post.

12 weeks old

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Originally uploaded by ajgould

In this video Jamison is holding a rattle. He has been starting to do a lot of new things like suck his thumb, and he is starting to roll over on the couch! He is doing so much.

I am a little sad that I go back to work next week but I know I need to do it sometime. Andy might take off next week so it is easier for me to go back to work and I don't have to worry about him being in daycare. It will be good to have a trial period so we know if I am pumping enough breastmilk at work before he goes to daycare.

I also took him to the weigh clinic at St lukes and he weighed 10lbs 110z so he is gaining weight still. Steve and Roxanne have an old scale that I am going to start using so I don't need to go to the weigh clinic. Well I will post another entry next week about how going back to work goes!

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Originally uploaded by ajgould

Here is Jamison in a halloween outfit and he is standing on his feet!

11 weeks!

I took Jamison to the weigh clinic yesterday and he weighed 10lbs and 8 oz...that means he gained 6 oz from last week. That is great to hear because that is exactly what he should be gaining! The reason why he didn't gain any weight last week was because he grew an inch. He is now 23 inches long. This such a relief to know that he is growing normally.

As all of you know last weekend was Halloween. Roxanne's birthday is also on halloween so we had a halloween party. Andy made wings, spinach salad, sausage pumpkin pasta and pesto pasta. It was amazing! He is such a great cook! I made apples and caramel fondue for dessert. Everyone dressed up and it was a great time. Jamison was a little hot dog and I will post his pic on the blog.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegouldfam/sets/72157622703775066/show/ This is a link to our pics of halloween.

Week 10

Last weekend we had a great time with Aunt Renee coming to town. On Wed we went over to Thelma's and had spaghetti with the whole fam. It was a great time. On Friday night Andy and I had a date and we went to Rebo's and had martinis at Bada Bings. It was nice to have a little mommy and daddy time. On Saturday we went to Amy and Ron's house to watch the Iowa game. Andy smoked a brisket all day and it was amazing! Sunday we went to Steve and Roxanne's house for an open house for Renee. It was a family filled weekend.

So this week Jamison is 10 weeks old! I took him to the weigh clinic and he weighed 10lbs 2 oz which was the same weight that he was last week. The nurse said that I shouldn't be concerned because he has steadily gained weight up until now. I will definitely take him next week to make sure he has gained weight.

Jamison has been doing new things all the time. It is so amazing. He is now watching the mobile, he looks at himself in the mirror and he is fascinated. He has also started to try and suck his thumb. He is smiling and cooing a lot more. I think that he will be a morning person because he loves the morning and he is super talkative.

We have also planned Jamison's Baptism at Sunnybrook Community Church and it will be Jan. 10 if anyone is able to make it. I am sure we will post pics on the blog if you are unable to make it. Well I hope everyone has a good Halloween I will post pics from our halloween on my next post.

2 months old

Jamison is 2 months old now! I can't believe how fast he is growing. On Monday I took him to the St Luke's weigh clinic and he weighed 10lbs 2 oz and on Tuesday he had his 2 month appt and he weighed 10 lbs 5 oz and he was 22 1/4 inches long. Since it was his 2 month appt he had all of his shots too. He was not happy after he got his shots and it made me really sad...I cried with him. On the plus side the doc said that he is developing normally and she even called him the perfect baby. He has been sleeping 7 hours every night and it has been nice for me. I haven't needed a nap in weeks.

Today we are excited because we get to meet Great Aunt Renee for the first time. We are going to Great Grandma Thelma's tonight for spaghetti. Also at 4 we are meeting Sue Stanek our in home daycare lady. She is really excited to meet little Jamison. I have posted a pic of Jamison in a cute halloween outfit. We got him a hot dog costume for halloween.

8 weeks

Last Tuesday Jamison was 8 weeks old. I can't believe how fast he is growing! The last time I took him to the weigh clinic he was 9lbs 12 oz and he was 22 inches long! He is also starting to grasp things because he likes to pull mommys hair and necklaces. He is also holding his head up really well now but not all the time quite yet. I can also tell that he really likes to listen to people and he is smiling more and saying words like ah-goo. I love it when he talks to me!

Last weekend we went to Ohio and it was an amazing trip. It was an 18 hour drive on the way out there and on the way back with all the stops we had to make for Jamison to be fed and changed. We stayed the night both times. On the way out we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in Le Roy, Illinois and on the way back we stayed in Iowa City with Rick and Gail. (Andy's aunt and uncle) The drive went really well...Jamison only cried the last hour when we were driving to Ohio and he was a little more fussy on the way back but he was a busy little boy last weekend. He got to see both sets of my grandparents and all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins on my mom's side. He got so many cute clothes. We had such a great time and it was really good to see my family again. Everyone loved meeting Jamison!

While we were in Ohio Andy and I got to see the Wright Brothers Mansion in Dayton, OH. It was huge and it was great to hear about the history of the Wright Brothers. We also saw the world's second oldest plane that the Wright brothers had made. The world's oldest plane is in the Smithsonian in DC.

Next week we have Jamison's immunizations appt so I will let you know how that goes. Oh and I am going back to work Nov. 17 so I'm sure it will be bittersweet. I really think that I will have the so called "mommy guilt". I will always wonder is someone else taking as good of care as what I did and when he cries is someone attentive to his needs? I know that eventually I have to go back to work and I'm sure it will be hard at first but hopefully it gets better as time goes on.

6 weeks!

Our little boy is 6 weeks old this week. I can't believe how big he is getting! I took him to the St Luke's weigh clinic on Monday and he was 9lbs 7 oz. On Tuesday I had my 6 week doctor appt and I finally have no more restrictions. That is really nice to be able to lift more weight and finally go workout! Today Andy is getting home early from work so I can go workout at four seasons while he watches Jamison.

Jamison likes to go shopping with mommy. Yesterday we took our first shopping trip to Gap and old navy and of course the little guy got a few new things. Today we went grocery shopping and he did very well with both outings.

I have also noticed that Jamison has been cooing and really listening to us when we talk. It is so cute! Last weekend was our first road trip with the little guy and he did awesome. It was a 5 hour trip to Pierre, SD and we only had to stop once on the way out to feed him and once on the way back. He was so good at the wedding too. I was a bridesmaid in my friend Sara's wedding and Andy really helped out when I wasn't able to be there. He is an amazing dad! This little road trip helped prepare us for our next road trip to Ohio next weekend. We are super excited to go out there and see all of our relatives and my parents.

Tonight is Steve's birthday so they are coming over for pizza and to see Jamison. Tomorrow night we are going on a date and Grandma and Grandpa Gould will be watching him. We will go eat somewhere and probably go to Octoberfest. Well I will try and post some pics later. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

GI Test

Jamison had his GI Series test today and he was the best baby! He couldn't eat anything after 6:30am for the test so I fed him before 6am and the test started at 9:30am. He didn't even fuss very much even though he was really hungry. The GI series was testing for pyloric stenosis or a narrowing of the pyloric muscle that is between the stomach and the small intestines and also any other abnormalities of the upper digestive system. In the test I gave Jamison barium in a bottle and the barium showed up on x-rays as it went through his upper GI system. I happened to know the Doctor and the x-ray tech because I used to work at St Lukes. That definitely helped because the doc told me the results of the tests. He said that everything is normal and he has some reflux so Dr. Brenner may start him on medications. This was great news.

Also Jamison has been really good at night...the other night he slept 8 hours after he ate. He ate at 7pm and woke up at 3am. Last night he slept from 11pm to 4 am. Andy and I both enjoy these extended hours at night. You don't realize how important sleep is when you don't have consecutive hours of sleep. Well I will update you on how this weekend goes...baby's first weekend away from home.

One month old!

On Friday our little boy was one month old...I can't believe it. It has been on of the best months of our lives. We love to watch him grow and do new things everyday. In order to celebrate we had a party Saturday night with Great Grandma Thelma and Great Grandma Rosemary, Grandma Roxanne and Grandpa Steve Gould, and Aunt Liz. We had tasties which are maid rites or sloppy joes depending on where you are from. Andy's mom had made them awhile ago and we put them in our deep freezer. We also had one of Rosemary's famous apple pies which was amazing. It was a great time.

Also last week Jamison got weighed twice. Once I went to the weigh clinic and he was 8 lbs 10 oz and then at the pediatrician's he was 9lbs 1 oz with his clothes on. We went to the pediatrician because he has a cough so the doctor thinks that it is reflux but we are going to be doing a GI series tomorrow morning just to make sure that is what the diagnosis is.

Last weekend was the first time we had someone watch Jamison and it was for about an hour and a half. Grandma and Grandpa Gould watched him and I almost cried when Andy and I left. We went out to eat at Minerva's.

On Monday Jamison set a milestone and he smiled at me for the first time. It brought so much joy to my heart! I was making coffee and holding him in my arms and talking to him when he looked up at me and smiled. It was so amazing.

Next weekend we are going away for the weekend because I am a bridesmaid in a wedding. We will be bringing the baby with us so I'm sure it will definitely be an experience. We will be going to Pierre, SD and that is about 5 hours away. I will let you know how it goes...I will also let you know what the results of the GI series are. I have also posted some pics of Jamison one is of him in the bumbo chair. He seemed to like it!

3 weeks old!

This week Jamison is 3 weeks old. I took him to the baby weigh clinic at St Lukes ealier this week and he was 8lbs even...he is getting a lot bigger. This makes mommy happy so she knows that he is healthy!

His umbilical cord has completely fallen off so I gave him a bath in his whale tub with water in it. After I was done I put him in his "monster towel" and he looked so cute in it that I had to run downstairs and grab the camera! After I took some pics I lifted him up only to realize that he pooped while I was getting the camera! He stands up to his nickname that Andy and I call him sometimes...our little poop monster! It was so cute.

Andy and I also decided to put a security system in our home this week since we have our new addition. Now we know that our family is safe when we are sleeping. It also calls the fire department when our smoke detector goes off that is another great safety feature for our family.

Well tomorrow is the Iowa State vs. Iowa game so I plan on putting him in his Iowa State outfit that Aunt Liz got him...I hope that it fits. We will take pics if he is able to wear it. Tomorrow is also the Ohio State vs. USC game and I can't believe we don't have an Ohio State outfit for him. We will have to get one soon.

First walk!

On Friday the baby and I took our first walk outside...he slept most of the time but it was nice to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather! I posted a pic of Jamison before we went on our walk! Also that night mommy and daddy went out to eat with Andy's parents Steve and Roxanne at Outback and Jamison was really good. It is so nice to finally be able to get out after being home for that last couple of weeks.

Also at Jamison's last doc appt he gained a whole pound since he has been born. He was 7lbs and 9oz. We were amazed. Also he has been doing pretty good with sleeping through the night...most nights he goes about 3-4 hours in between feedings but some nights it is less. Mommy tries to take a nap in the afternoon with Jamison so she doesn't too wore out. Also we will be sending out birth announcements and thank you notes soon so check your mailbox!

2 weeks old!

At 2 weeks old we had a scare...our pediatrician's office called us and told us that something on Jamison's newborn screen came back positive for cystic fibrosis and we would need more testing to find out if he has it. Yesterday we went to Sanford Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls and they preformed a sweat test. They put 2 electrodes on Jamison's arms. One was a "hot" electrode and the other was a ground. They developed a current between the two and it would make him sweat. The nurse said that it would feel like his arm was falling asleep but it shouldn't hurt. Jamison did great he didn't fuss at all during the test...he is such a trooper! Then later on yesterday we met with a pediatric pulmonologist and he told us that Jamison did not have Cystic Fibrosis. (what a relief) However he is a carrier of CF which also means that either Andy or I are carriers too. We found out that about 1 in 25 people are carriers for CF. Also this test hasn't been checked until about 5 years ago so that is why we have never heard about it on either side of our families. In order for a child to have CF you would need two parents to have the gene and then your child would have a 25% chance of having CF. Andy and I both had lab work done to check and see who the carrier is...if it happens to be both of us then we may have to rethink having more children. It has been a hard last couple of days and we have had a lot of people praying for us. We thank everyone for their prayers and are glad that everything turned out ok. Yesterday also happened to be Andy's birthday as well so it was one of the best birthday presents he ever could've asked for.

I also had my post op doc appt this week on Tuesday and everything is doing well with my incision. I can actually drive now but I still can't lift anything over Jamison for a couple of weeks. Well we sure hope that all the medical drama is behind us so we can be healthy and focus on our new addition. We love our new son and my how our life has been changed, in a good way, since he was born!

Urgent Care Visit

Last Thursday night Andy and I made a trip to urgent care. I had chills and felt really achy starting around 5. After I fed Jamison and changed him I took my temp and it was 100.8 so we went to urgent care. At urgent care my temp was 102.7 and the doc diagnosed me with mastitis or inflammation of the breast. It can be caused by bacteria from the baby's mouth getting in sore or cracked nipples. I was started on antibiotics. I am still super tired.

In other news Jamison is doing really well. He is definitely getting bigger and he is starting to fill out. Also his umbilical cord fell off. He has been starting to lift his head and he can grasp our finger. I can tell he is trying to focus on people's faces becuase he goes a little cross eyed when he is trying to focus. We love little Jamison and he is so amazing.

Andy has been a huge help these last couple of weeks by doing laundry, cooking (he is an awesome cook), and cleaning. I have added a super cute pic of Jamison and daddy! Also thanks to everyone who has brought over frozen meals. So far we have had Rosemary's hot dish and we cooked my lasagna. I am so glad that I made a whole bunch of meals ahead of time. They have really came in handy.

Oh what a night and Baby's first doctor's appt!

I know now that we are definitely being broken into parenthood! Last night we got up 6 times to feed our precious little boy. He spit up twice and the rest of the times he was just hungry. He doesn't cry very much he just whimpers. I felt bad for the little guy cuz he must have had an upset tummy.

Also today he had his first doctor's appt. We had great news..he has actually gained weight! He was 6 lbs 9 oz at birth and today he was 7 lbs and 4 oz. I couldn't believe it...that means that he is definitely eating well enough! The doctor also said that everything else checked out and he is very healthy. We really enjoyed going to Dr. Brenner because she was very helpful and answered all of our questions. We have had problems with him soaking his clothes when he pees and the doc told us to make sure that his peepee is down instead of up. Pretty common sense I know but the doc said she had the same problem with her son and they tried all kinds of different diapers until they figured it out. Now I don't feel so bad. ;) Our next doctor's appt is in October and that is when he will have his 2 month shots.

One week old!

Jamison is one week old today. Wow what a week it has been! Seeing our little boy for the first time, surgery, recovery, learning to breastfeed, being discharged and learning how to take care of baby at home. Now we couldn't imagine life without Jamison!

Tomorrow we have his first doctor's appt! I am excited to find out his weight but I expect that he may have lost weight since that is normal in the first week.

Also the little guy seems to like to pee when he has his diaper off! One time he peed into his eye...I felt so bad for him! Now I use the peepee teepee which is so nice for a little boy.

Also over the last week we have had so much help...my parents came out from Ohio last Wed and stayed until Sunday. They helped with meals and buying things that we needed and it was so good to see them! Dana also came and she was a big help as well and we loved seeing Kaden again, my he looks like a little boy now! Also Steve and Roxanne have been a big help with bringing meals and tonight they are coming over to make supper. We thank everyone for the gifts and congrats that Jamison has recieved. I will keep you updated on his doc's appt tomorrow! I have also put a pic up of Jamison at one week old.

Welcome to the World Jamison Richard Gould!

On August 18th at 2:25 am we welcomed our son into the world. I will tell you how it happened...On August 17th I started having contractions around 4pm. They weren't quite regular so I wasn't quite sure if I was in labor. Then about 9pm I started having contractions that were 5 minutes apart and lasted about 45 seconds so then I knew I was in labor. We headed to the hospital around 10:30PM. We went straight up to labor and delivery they put me in an observation room and monitored my contractions and vital signs. By that time I was 3.5 cm dilated. Then they checked me after 30 minutes and I was 4 cm dilated. The doctor was called and I was admitted to a labor and delivery room. My contractions were getting really bad and it was super painful. I was given Nubain which did take the edge off but the contractions still hurt. Then Jamison's HR was decelerating or slowing down with each contraction so Dr. Eastman who was on call was called. He told the nurse that he would come in and break my water. So he came in to break my water and found out there wasn't hardly any amniotic fluid. They started an amniotic flush and an internal monitor on the baby's head. Then Dr. Monk was called to do an epidural...woohoo relief! He happened to be next door doing another epidural so that was great that he wasn't at home. By that time I was 6cm dilated and I got the epidural. The baby's HR was still deceleration with every contraction so Dr. Eastman who was still in house was called and he wanted to do a stat C-section because he was afraid that if we waited any longer the baby may not make it. So I was prepped for a stat C-section and the anesthesiologist was contacted. (ie the secretary ran down the hallway after him) Andy changed into his scrubs as I was whisked away to the OR. I knew what to expect from seeing surgeries so I wasn't scared. I was given a ton of drugs through my epidural and draped. Andy came in to watch the surgery but really didn't want to watch because he said that it was too hard to watch. After a few minutes we heard our baby come out and start crying! His apgars were 8 and 9 and the baby was healthy. In fact the doc told me that he had a ton of hair! The doc also told me that his cord was wrapped around his neck and I asked if he was going to be ok and the doc said that he would be fine. I got to see Jamison for the first time and he was an absolute doll! Then he was taken to the nursery for his assessment and immunizations and I was taken to recovery. I recovered well and I was moved to the Ob floor where I got to be with Jamison. Andy's parents came in the room and got to see Jamison as well. My parents were called earlier and drove from Ohio to see Jamison. They got here on Wed and will be staying until Sunday. I will write more later I just thought that I had better put the birth story up since I haven't posted it yet. Here is a link with pictures of our little boy http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegouldfam/sets/72157621951355443/

39 Week Doctor Appt.

Today I had my 39 week doctor's appt. We had great news...I am 80% effaced and 2 cm dilated! I was so happy that I am progressing. The doctor said that she thinks that I will go within the next week. That is so encouraging! She also pushed my cervix to help move things move along a little bit. Everything else was good too. My urine didn't have any glucose or protein and my BP was 122/70 with a HR of 72. The baby's HR was 144 which is consistent with what he has been. The doctor also said that she thinks he weighs between 7 and 7.5 lbs.

Last night I started having contractions and they have been happening throughout the day. My mom thinks that it may be the start of labor because that is how her labor started out. We will soon see. I can't wait to meet our little boy! Andy and I are so excited! My next doctor's appt is next Monday and hopefully I won't make it until then. Andy is predicting that I will have the baby tomorrow and Roxanne thinks I will have him on Thursday. I guess we will find out soon!

Contractions!

Today I have been having a lot more contractions but I believe that they are just false labor because they are not regular or getting longer and stronger...but maybe this means that labor will happen soon!

Andy and I would be so excited if we got to meet our little boy this week! Every day I wake up and wonder if today will be the day. My sis wanted me to have the baby today since it is her birthday. I think that Baby Gould wants to pick his own day! Well I will keep everyone posted!

38 week appt.

Today I had my 38 week appt. Dr Aldrich is on vacation so I saw Dr. Hunt. She was really nice and answered all of my questions. She said that I am still 70% effaced and a fingertip dilated. I was kind of disappointed to hear that there were no changes. On the bright side our baby is healthy and his HR is 144. We are so excited and sooo ready for our baby. We have our bags packed for the hospital, the baby seat bases are installed in both cars, and I made lasagna to freeze last night for maternity leave. I think we have at least 7 meals in the freezer which will be nice when we are really tired. Well my next appt is next Monday so hopefully there will be some changes!

37 week appt!

We have great news! I am 70% effaced (which means my cervix is thinning) and a fingertip dilated! The nurse said that is really good for my first baby. My blood pressure and urine turned out good and I am negative for Group B strep. That is a bacteria that can be found when cultured and about 30% of women have it. It isn't a big deal it is just treated with antibiotics at the time of birth. The baby still was approximately 6.5 lbs and HR was good. His head is also still down!

Last night I started having false labor at about 3am and it went on for a couple of hours so that must have been what did it. I thought the visit would show status quo but I was excited to hear the new findings. Andy and I are ecstatic to see our little boy soon!

Also last night my cuz Lori and her hubby Dave spent the night on their drive out to Portland for their big move. It was great to see them. Well my next visit is next Monday I will update you if anything happens.

Almost 37 weeks!

We are so excited for our little bundle of joy that Andy and I are starting to get a little impatient...we can't wait to meet our little boy for the first time! We have installed the car seats in both cars, packed our bags for the hospital, and froze food for maternity leave. All we need is our little baby.

We are still discussing the baby name and have 3 really good names picked out. We are still going to wait until we see the little one to decide what his name should be.

This week I haven't had time to post a lot on my blog because I have been working a lot of hours at my job. We just opened up our new plasma center this week and I worked about 50 hours. It has been a tiring week and I am really glad that it is over. I know next week will probably be busy as well but hopefully not as crazy as this last week. I have filled out the paperwork for maternity leave and I plan on August 22 being my last day of work if I haven't had the baby yet. I am also planning on taking 3 months off and I told my manager that I may come back sooner but I want to fill out the paperwork with 3 months just in case. Andy will also be taking some time off after me. He is not sure how long but if he ends up taking a month off then we may not need daycare until January! That would be great! I am also planning on taking a trip to Ohio so I can see all my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins and they can meet our little boy. I can hardly wait!

Tonight my cousin Lori and her hubby David will be staying at our house as they are driving through on their way to Portland, Oregon for their big move out there. We are planning on smoking ribs and making all the fixins. It will be fun to spend some time with them and hear how their wedding went. Well I will post more tomorrow since I have my next doctor's appt.

36 Week Appt.

Yesterday I had my 36 week appt. My BP was good and there was no glucose or protein in my urine. Dr Aldrich also checked to see if I was dilated. I am not dilated but she did say that the baby's head is down. She also said that he is approximately 6.5 lbs. I hope he doesn't get too big! My next appt is on Monday I will keep you posted!

Last week of baby classes!

Tonight was our last night of childbirth education classes. We learned about newborn CPR and what to do if a newborn was choking. I already have taken clasess on this as part of my RN background but it is always great to have a refresher. Andy thought it was beneficial too. We also watched a video on how to soothe a baby. That was really helpful! The guy on there was like the baby whisperer so we will try his tactics when baby is fussy after we have done everything we could for the baby. After our classes we usually go get Mc Flurries however this week they didn't have any ice cream...bummer. That's alright I ate string cheese (something a little bit healthier).

I don't know if I have said this on the blog yet but I have really enjoyed being pregnant...it is amazing to think that in only a few weeks we will have a beautiful baby boy. I think the best part is feeling the baby move. It is so cute when we look at my belly and watch it move. It seems like there is always a foot or knee sticking out. Well my next appt is next Thurs so I will let you know how it goes. =)

35 week appt

Today we had our 35 week appt. Everything was great. The baby's heartbeat was 140 so he is doing really well. Next week we start weekly appts! I can't believe we are so close to having Baby G. in our arms.

This last weekend we decided to go to Omaha for my birthday. We had an awesome time. We went to Ribfest and met Hugh there. They had a whole bunch of BBQ places from all over the country and Andy tried 3 different kinds of ribs and I had a beef brisket sandwich. The food was amazing. Then we stayed in a hotel in the Old Market and we went to an italian restaurant for supper. Then the next morning we went to Amato's and this was on an episode of Diners, Drive-in, and Dives. They make their own sausage and ricotta cheese. Andy had blueberry pancakes with ricotta cheese and sausage and I had eggs, hashbrowns, toast, and sausage. We both highly recommend this place if you are in Omaha! It was fun to have a little getaway before Baby G.

Yesterday was my b-day and we had Steve and Roxanne over for Fredo's pizza and Andy got ice cream cupcakes from Cold Stone Creamery. We also highly recommend these as well. So as you can tell Baby G. has been busy and he has been fed well.

The super nice thing is I thought this was going to be a really hot summer but it has been absolutely great temperature wise. The weather is definitely tolerable for being 35 weeks pregnant.

Andy and I also like to sit and watch my belly cuz you can see little body parts moving around in it. We try to guess what we are seeing...if it is a hand or foot. He is a really active boy!

Tomorrow night is our last night of childbirth education classes and it will all about baby so we are super excited. I will let you know how it goes.

Breastfeeding Class

Yesterday I went to a breastfeeding class at St Luke's and it was very informative. They taught the benefits of breastfeeding for mom and baby. They also had some pumps to check out. The instructors also gave me a great idea that some insurances will pay for a breast pump and I checked mine and they will. I am super excited because I plan on breastfeeding and then when I go back to work I would like to try and pump so baby can still have breastmilk. Oh and of course after the class I got a McFlurry from Mc Donald's. Baby G likes ice cream!

I have also noticed that he is dropping. It is easier to breathe and I am not having heartburn like before but the bathroom trips are more frequent. Well I have another appt next Tuesday so I am pretty excited for that!

Andy and I are looking forward to the weekend because there isn't anything planned and this is the first weekend in 3 weekends that we don't have anything going on. I think we are planning on doing something for my birthday...we may even go somewhere and spend the night.

33 week appt.

I just had my 33 week appt. and everything was great with baby. The baby's heartbeat was 158 which is really good. My BP was great and urine was negative for glucose and protein. One of the nurses did tell me that sometimes the doctor may give you the choice to induce at week 38 and that definitely may be an option. I may have to think long and hard on that one if she offers it!

This week Andy and I went to our 2nd childbirth education class. They talked about labor and delivery and breathing techniques while in labor. We also got a tour of labor and delivery, postpartum, and NICU. When we went into postpartum area we got to see a baby..he was so cute. Our instructor unbundled him and he woke up a bit and started shivering. His feet and hands were so tiny. It made me so excited to see our litte one for the first time! After the class I was craving some ice cream so we went to Mc Donald's and got Mc Flurries. Yum!

Today Andy left for Colorado. He is meeting Kendall and Reed and going fishing, backpacking, and hiking in the mountains. He has been ready for a vacay for awhile since we weren't able to go to Mexico. We sure will miss him this weekend. Baby G. enjoys it when daddy's hand is on my belly...he likes to kick daddy's hand.

I have a bridal shower tomorrow night and a bachelorette party Saturday night so it will be a busy weekend for both of us.

Daycare and 10 year high school reunion

Well in my previous blog I told you that I was going to interview in home daycares, I did in fact interview two great daycares last Thursday. I did decide to choose Sue Stanek. She lives pretty close to us and she has an assistant which makes the caregiver to child ratio 1:5. That is pretty good! Also she lives out in the country so as our child gets older there is a really big backyard to play around in with a lot of playground equipment. She is CPR/first aid certified and has 19 years of experience as well as 7 children of her own. She stated also that sometimes they like to babysit on the weekends...Bonus! I also observed her interactions with the kids and I could tell that she is great with children. I think that she will be a great fit for us.

Also this last weekend we had our 10 year high school reunion. We had a great time both nights. Friday night we all met at a local bar called Eddies and then Saturday night we went to Aggies and had a buffet style dinner with a local band. Andy works with the guitarist at Long Lines and the band was amazing. They have been number 1 in Sioux City for the last 3 years. I will post some pics from the reunion. Although it did make for a tiring weekend with staying out late each night!

This Wednesday is our first birthing class. We have them every almost every Wed night in July. We will learn breathing techniques, pain relief, newborn care, and get a tour of the nursery. I also mailed the paperwork in for pre-regristration to the hospital so when the big day comes we won't have to wait to register. This week I am going to work on finding a good pediatrician and washing some more baby clothes. I had bought a few more baby clothes at a friend's rummage sale for a really good price!

31 Week Appt

Today I had my 31 week appt. Everything is going great with Baby G. My BP was great and I didn't have any protein or sugar in my urine. Also the baby's HR was 144. I asked the doc a few questions today and one of them was about at what point do they induce labor. She had told me one that I would be induced around 41 weeks if I hadn't gone yet. That would be around Andy's birthday...that is if I don't go into labor before!

Also today I have two great potentials for in home daycares. I am going to interview both of them on Thursday and I will let you know who we end up picking.

Baby Shower!

A lot has happened since my last blog! I had another appt last monday and I have just been super busy with family in town to report what happened. We had our 3d/4d ultrasound and it was amazing! You could actually see the baby's face. Some people say that he looks like Andy and some people say that he looks like me. We will find out when baby G. comes out in 10 weeks. That is right today we are 30 weeks! At the appt I was also checked for gestational diabetes and it was negative. Actually my blood sugar was 97 even after drinking a bottle of glucose. I also had a great hemoglobin of 11.1 which means I am not anemic. My doctor was surprised because she said that usually people don't pass both. We also heard the baby's heartbeat and it was 145. My next appt will be next week since I am now on every 2 week appts!

I also had my baby shower this last weekend and it was great. We had about 25 people there and it was held at the Bluffs Area Family Center. Roxanne, Liz, my mom and Kelly helped host. Roxanne and Liz made the food and they made meatballs, fruit skewers, chips with 3 different salsas, cake, iced tea, and coffee. Sue Flom made chocolate covered strawberries and kiwis! We played a game where everyone brough a baby pic of themselves and we had to guess who was who. Maria Williams won with guessing 11 people! I got second with guessing 10. We also had to guess how many chocolates/ mints were in the plastic baby bottle and Nikki Huygens won that game. For gifts I got a ton of stuff and now Baby G. is set! He got a pack n play, baby monitors, baby swing, tons of bath stuff with a "whale" bathtub, clothes, infant travel bed, toys, and soothing baby sheep that plays sounds and a soothing sounds machine that fits on the crib just to name a few. You can view pictures of the baby shower at http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegouldfam/sets/72157619763440709/

Also there were party favors that were impatients in a pot of soil that had the poem " We planted these seeds Now watch them bloom, Just like Baby Gould who will be here soon!"

Third Trimester!

We are now in the third trimester! Today I am 28 weeks along. The baby weighs 2.25 lbs right now according to baby center! We can't wait to see him!

In a couple of days I get to back to Sioux City! After 4 weeks of being in Virginia Beach, VA it is time to go home! I can't wait! Our baby boy misses his daddy so much! He is still kicking like crazy too. I will post some pics of me down at the beach. It was really nice here last weekend and me and some of my coworkers went swimming in the ocean! We all got really sunburnt but yes we did wear sunscreen!

Virginia Beach!

Well the baby and I are in Virginia Beach and we will be here until this Friday. We miss daddy so much, but I am learning a lot for my new job at International BioResources. We have been training (mainly reading and presentations) for the last week and this week we will finally be able to do some hands on type of stuff.

I also went swimming the other day with the baby for the first time. They have a pool in the hotel so I have been taking advantage of that and the workout area while we can. The baby has also been eating a lot of crab cakes and he seems to like them cuz I haven't felt nauseous.

Today we went down by the beach and saw the first government owned lighthouse...it was pretty cool. It was on a military base so they had to search our car thoroughly before we could get in. We also went to a naval museum and we were going to get on the battleship Wisconsin but due to the rain we were not able to so we will definitely see it another day!

Well the baby is definitely getting bigger and he is very active...I love it when he kicks! I have been able to see my stomach move when he kicks now. I can't wait for daddy to be able to feel the baby kick again when I get back!

Jason Mraz Concert!

This week we were supposed to go to Playa Del Carmen Mexico for Dusty and Megan's Wedding...However due to the swine flu we decided not to go. There is no need to put our baby at risk right now since he is so vulnerable at this point. Since we didn't go, we decided to go to a Jason Mraz Concert! We went last Tuesday night and he was amazing. He was so good live and he even had a brass section, which made it even better. Before the concert, we went to Brewburgers which was a really awesome burger place in Omaha and we met Hugh there. I had their beef brisket sandwich which was amazing and Andy had their portabello burger with gorgonzola cheese. If you are ever in Omaha we highly recommend this place! (We found it on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives...the best show ever.)

Also when we were at the concert, I think the baby liked the music because he kept kicking. Either he liked it or it was too loud...I am not really sure!

Ob Appt

Today I had another Ob appt and everything is going great! My BP was really good and no protein or sugar were found in my urine. They also measured my belly which is getting bigger everyday! They checked the baby's fetal heart tones and baby's HR was 155. It was really funny because when the nurse went to put the doppler on the baby to check fetal heart tones he moved! He is a mover and a shaker...I wonder where he gets that from?! =) Recently I have felt him kick a lot and Andy loves putting his hand on my belly to feel him kick!

My next Ob appt. I will take a glucola test that checks for gestational diabetes. I hope it is negative. I really haven't had any signs or symptoms of gestational diabetes but I guess we will find out next appt.

I also had to pick up all of my medical records up until this point so I can take them with me to Virginia Beach, VA. I am going to be there for 4 weeks for my new job. I turned down the Sgt. Bluff Clinic job and took this one instead. It is full time and I will be working at Plasma Donation Center that will be opening June 16. It is only a couple blocks away from my house so that is really nice.

In the meantime I have been looking for good daycares and I have a found a few but if there is any in home daycares that anyone knows about let me know!

Nursery and Maternity Pics!

Yesterday we went up to Sioux Falls and we got our dresser/changing table. Today we took some pics of our nursery and a few maternity pictures. Here is the link if you want to watch as a slideshow. http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegouldfam/sets/72157617259738677/show/. I hope everyone enjoys the pics!

Daddy felt baby kick!

Yes it's true. Last night Andy felt our little boy kick! He had his hand on my belly and the baby kicked at least 8 times. He is an active little boy! We can't wait until August! Also I am adding a picture of our crib. Our theme is frogs and ducks and we love our nursery! Tomorrow we will go pick up our baby's dresser/changing table in Sioux Falls. Now all we need is our recliner and our baby room will be complete.

Last weekend we also went to Target and registered for our little boy. Our baby shower will be June 13 and my sister Dana is working on getting the invites out! I hope everyone can make it!

Good News!

I had great news the other day...the doctor's office called and they got my AFP result back and it was negative. AFP stands for alpha feta protein and it is checking for down syndrome, spina bifida, and other neural tube defects. That is great to hear that our baby is healthy so far!
On a side note I just got a new job at the Sergeant Bluff Clinic as a RN and this job will be great for when the baby comes! I am so excited and I'm sure the baby will be too!
Also I put a pic of my pregnant belly at 20 weeks...we are halfway done with our bun in the oven!
I also wanted to say thank you to the people that have been following my blog. (Sylvia)

Mid Term Pregnancy Ultrasound!

Yesterday Andy and I had our mid term pregnancy ultrasound! It was amazing to be able to see the baby again. We saw everything....the feet, hands, heart, brain, kidneys, knees, spine just to name a few. We also saw that the baby is going to be a boy! We are so excited! We found out that this ultrasound rules out 80% of problems and the Doctor said that everything was normal.

The baby boy was also moving quite a bit and he kicked when we looked at this feet! It was so cute. Also when we went to listen to the baby's fetal heart tones the nurse had a hard time getting them becuase he was moving so much. Finally he stayed in one spot long enough so she could get them.

Andy added the DVD of our ultrasound to our website. Go to http://www.thegouldfam.com/ and right click on 19 week ultrasound. Then hit save link as and you can save it to your desktop and it will download. After it is done being downloaded you are ready to watch!

I will also be adding a few of the pics later on today. We can't wait for our little bouncing baby boy to come in August.

Baby Furniture

Yesterday we bought some baby furniture for our nursery from Kid's Supercenter up in Sioux Falls. We bought the baby's crib which is chocolate brown and we bought a matching dresser/changing table. We will get the furniture sometime in May or June. We will post pics when the nursery is all put together!

Another Ob visit!

This weekend I was having some complications and I called the doctor on call and thank God it was Dr Angela Aldrich. She told me that it wasn't an emergency but she still wanted to see me in the clinic today. They checked the baby's fetal heart tones and they were 144. Then we got to do an ultrasound..I was so excited and kind of scared. Everything was fine with the baby and we got to see the baby's brain, spine, stomach, heart, fingers, femur among many other things. However we did not get to see if the baby was a boy or girl! I guess we will have to be patient and wait until my next ultrasound on March 31. The baby was facing towards my spine so it's little bottom was towards us. The baby was also in a kneeling position as you can see on the ultrasound picture. We were so excited to hear that everything was normal and it was pretty exciting to see our little one!

Ob visit

Today I had another OB visit! Everything is doing great! It was more of a social visit. They checked my blood pressure, urine for protein and glucose, wieghed me, and checked fetal heart tones! Everything turned out good and the baby's heartbeat was 158! It was so much louder than the last time! I am so excited for the next visit....it will be March 31 @ 10 am and we will hopefully get to find out the sex of the baby. There will definitely be some pics to follow from the ultrasound.
Another update is we have been looking at baby names and can't wait to narrow them down when we find out the sex!

2nd Doctor's Appt

We had our second doctor's appt this week. It was an easy one. They took my weight, blood pressure, and urine. Everything checked out ok. The nurse also doppled the baby's heart beat and it was 155. It was so amazing to hear our baby's heartbeat!

Nursery!

Today we bought the baby bedding! You can see it by copying and pasting the link...http://www2.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6E.aspx?DeptID=62438&CatID=62730&GrpTyp=ENS&ItemID=14e9ece&attrtype=&attrvalue=&CMID=62438|62644|62645&Fltr=&Srt=&QL=F&IND=1&CmCatId=62438|62644|62645|62730. It is from JC Penney and it is frogs and ducks! We wanted our nursery to be gender neutral so we can use it for future children as well. Today we also bought a beige shag rug for the nursery. We will put pics on when the nursery is all done so you can see it!

Also I have noticed that clothes, mainly pants, are getting a little too tight so baby is definitely growing! We are almost 11 weeks along and so excited!

1st Doctor's Appt!

Today was our first doctor's appt.! The doctor had us do an ultrasound and we got to see our baby. The baby is very small; quite like a jellybean. We got to see the heartbeat, which was a little flicker, and the baby's heart rate. The heart rate was 120! We also found out that our due date is August 25, 2009 which is actually the same due date that Andy had when he was supposed to be born! Maybe the baby can wait a few days so it can be born on Andy's birthday of Sept 2. We will have to see.....I will be posting a pic of the ultrasound once I get it to the right size to post.