Cailin talking to daddy

June 22, 2009

A whole month has gone by. In some ways it has flown and in others it hasn't. Cailin is growing every day. 2 weeks ago she was diagnosed with acid reflux which has made night times (and some daytime hours) challenging as it hurts her to lay on her back. She sleeps best on her stomach, so she sleeps on our chests a lot just so we can get some sleep.
This is the 3rd week Nick has been back to work. Last week wasn't bad as my sister, Darbi, was here a couple of days and then Nick came home on Thursday because his cousin came to visit from Seattle. The 1st week was really rough for me as I had his help for 2 weeks. I hope this week goes better. And FAST! I've never hated Sundays more. Cailin and I both miss him tremendously.
The sunday that my sister was here she took Cailin's newborn pictures. You can see them at
http://blog.darbig.com/

May 27, 2009

CAILIN FRANCES HERGENRADER

BORN MAY 21, 2009 at 7:38 pm

8 lbs 7 oz 20 inches long

She is absolutely the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my entire life. She is healthy. Had a bit of jaundice, but it is working its wayout of her now that she is getting breast milk...finally. She ended up losing 10% of her birth weigh in a matter of a couple of days, but she is now gaining it back.

I had to have a c-section because my labor wasn't progressing and the doctor didn't feel comfortable with it. Getting that news devastated me. Of course, I wanted to do whatever needed to be done to keep Cailin safe, but a c-section was just never an option for me. I won't go on too much about it, but I'm still having a tough time with it. Luckily I have a beautiful baby to cuddle and love to get me through it.

Nick has been fabulous. He's taking care of me and Cailin whenever I can't. I think he may be more enamored with her than I am, which I didn't think could happen. He had a tough time watching me go through the surgery. He hates seeing me in pain, plus he knew how upset it made me. But he has been so great. He's a great dad and is so stinking proud of his little girl that I didn't complain when he went and bought 25 "It's a Girl" cigars...at $2 a pop! If you had seen how he disappointed he was when we found out we were having a girl and not a boy, you wouldn't have complained either :). I've just never seen such a proud daddy.

April 30, 2009

Hopefully this works...it took me 15 minutes to get her to move around. Well, she would move around until I hit record. I can't tell you how many 15 second videos got deleted because she has a 6th sense about camera...quite annoying. I hope that changes since her aunt Darbi is a photographer. http://www.darbig.com/

CHECK OUT MY MATERNITY PICS!

http://www.darbi.exposuremanager.com/g/baby-h-maternity

April 13, 2009

34 WEEKS!!

Our baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. She urinates nearly a pint a day. In fact, the urine, along with sweat and other fluids from the baby, help to make up the amniotic fluid. This amazing amniotic fluid completely replenishes itself every three hours!

My sister found an amusing website: http://3dpregnancy.parentsconnect.com/. On this site is a quote for week 34 that pretty much sums up my life right now....
"It's a good thing there is a Starbucks every two blocks because that's how often I need to pee."

I went through an entire double roll of t.p. yesterday...BY MYSELF!!!

This website also gives this info on the baby:

Our baby kind of looks like she's coated in a layer of cream cheese these days. The thick, white substance that protects her skin from pruning in the amniotic fluid is called vernix. When she's born you'll probably see some vernix lingering in her "hard-to-reach" places like under her arms, behind her ears and around her va-jay-jay, if she's a she.. Other news from the womb this week:The soft fur, lanugo, that covered your baby's body for much of her stay in the womb is now almost completely gone. Our baby begins to develop her own immune system, instead of relying solely on antibodies received through the placenta. This will come in handy when some grubby relative manhandles the baby without washing his hands first.This week, our baby measures about 17¾ inches, as almost as long as an American Girl Doll (!) and weighs almost 5 pounds, as heavy as a bag of sugar, minus the cup you put in your decaf this morning.

6 weeks to go!

April 2, 2009

I don't have much to post today. My internet is still not working so I have to sneak this in at work. Shhhhh. Don't tell.

Things are going fairly well. After having 3 really good nights of sleep last week, I am back to waking up every hour or 2. Last night I woke up and my right side of my belly hurt so bad. I could tell that's where she'd been for awhile. When I started walking towards the bathroom I almost fell because the pain in my belly hurt so bad I couldn't put weight on my right leg! I had to walk along the wall. I bet that would have been funny to see.

Baby Hergie's been moving quite a bit. She moved all day yesterday and nothing hurt...until I got home. She must have grown some muscles between 4:30 and 5:30 yesterday! All of a sudden all her movements started hurting me. And it lasted 4 hours! And today has been about the same. Little stinker. I think her goal is to push my belly button out.

My last doctor appt went well. Baby's heartbeat is in the 140's. I'm not measuring right on, but it's close.

Next week I'll hopefully get to post pics from the nursery that is finally done. But not until next week because I want my mom to see it in person first.

March 20, 2009

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING!!!

Only 9 1/2 weeks to go. There haven't been any updates lately as my internet at home is not working. I am not happy about this.

This is our little Loopy. I had this ultrasound done on March 11 at my last doctor's appt. I just wanted to see my baby again...I missed seeing her. Isn't she adorable. I keep telling her I can't wait to pinch her cute little cheeks.

I had the glucose screening done last time, and I tested high "for their standards". So I had to suffer through the 3 hour glucose test. Luckily, I passed with "flying colors". I was extremely worried...it wasn't just me that could be affected. So I was a basket case the 2 days before the test.

She's been moving quite a bit lately. Last Friday it was cute. We had errands to run before Nick started to take the border off in the room so we did quite a bit of driving. Loopy was quite the mover! I think she knew it was her daddy. She'd been fairly "quiet" all day until he called when he was an hour out. Then she just started moving constantly...and she didn't stop until we were home. I think she's a daddy's girl already! So we were driving and Nick's got his hand on my stomach. A few weeks ago his friend, Greg, told us that he had always been freaked out by feeling Sam and Drew move. So I think Nick kind of got it in his head that it should freak him out too...it didn't really stop him from trying to feel her but he slightly lost interest...until Friday. I don't know what happened, if someone said something to him, or what. But he'd feel her move and if he didn't laugh he'd get a grin on his face. Then we were at Mike and Shauna's Saturday night and he was talking about it saying it is so cool. I'm glad he's getting a little more excited. It takes Nick awhile to adjust to things...and this is a BIG thing, so I was careful not to push him. He just needed time and I'm glad it worked! He still has a few freak out moments, but who doesn't?!

My good friend, Lucy, started painting the nursery last Saturday. Tomorrow she is finishing up with the "details". I'm excited. Things are finally starting to get ready! I will post pictures when my mom sees in in person first, but then I have to also wait until my stupid internet is working again.

MARCH 3, 2009

WOO HOO!!! We made it to the 3rd trimester! 3 months...or Twelve weeks...or 84 days. It's going to go fast. Thanksgiving was 3 months ago and look how fast that went! And once the weather gets nicer, time will just go faster. Then I can finally meet my daughter.

By this week, our baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

February 23, 2009

27 weeks!!

This week, our baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her.

Yesterday I had some Braxton Hicks contractions. These weren't the first I've had, it's just been the first time I've had more than one in a day. I got 1-2 every hour. They didn't really hurt, just more uncomfortable. She was also beating up on all my organs yesterday. I'm sure my organs are all nice and bruised today.

13 weeks to go...!!!

February 10, 2009

25 weeks!

The picture of me was taken at 23 weeks, but I'm only 1 inch bigger so I decided it would work. Especially since I have broke one of my nice cameras trying to take it. I don't want to break my nicer one.

Head to heels, our baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.




Our baby's ears are fully functional now, and he or she may even blink in reaction to a loud noise. The brain is growing rapidly. If you could look inside your uterus, you'd see a well-proportioned head and body.

January 21, 2009

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, our baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. There is fine hair (lanugo) that covers her body and the deep wrinkles on her skin, which she'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside her belly, her pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.


Our baby's senses are developing daily. She now has a full complement of neurons in the brain and is learning about her body and surroundings through touch. Touch is one of the first senses to mature and our baby may stroke its face or feel her arms and legs.

This week she--Loopy--has started to kick fairly hard. Sometimes if I put my hand on my stomach when she kicks I can see my hand move! That is so cool. I always knew being pregnant would be an experience of a lifetime, but this is cooler than I could have ever expected. Whenever she kicks I find myself smiling. I love feeling this life moving inside of me. It is the greatest thing I'll ever get to experience in my entire life.

January 14,2009

It's a GIRL!!

And she's healthy. Everything looks good.

I am 21 weeks...due May 27th.

The 1st picture is her little foot and is Nick's favorite. The 2nd picture is a 3-D ultrasound of her precious little face, her hand is underneath her chin. (can you see it Aunt Darbi????)

January 6, 2009

1/2 way there!!!

Our 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).

January 1, 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

IT'S 2009

Happy New Year everyone! I have never looked forward to a new year as much as I am this one. For one thing, we are getting a new President that will hopefully turn this country around...or start to...during his term.

But the most exciting thing is that I get to become a mommy! I still can't believe it's happening. I don't know when it will become more real to me. I thought feeling baby Hergie move would do it, but not quite.

Anyways...I hope everyone's 2009 is as happy and exciting as mine will be.