If you haven't heard...

We picked a name for our new little boy :)

Countdown time!

Its been countdown time for a while now, which of course makes things go slower than normal. We are at 38 weeks now, so he is welcome to join us any time now. Especially now that he is where he is supposed to be!

Forever he was in a breech / transverse position. He loved hanging out up high in my belly, with his butt on the one side and his head on the other. We started getting really concerned about it around 35 weeks, because that meant decisions would need to be made in regards to his birth sometime after 37 weeks. So, I started spending time in an incline position - with my hips higher than my head to try and encourage him to swing that way. "Is it upside down time?" Tyler and Nathan would ask. They found the whole thing pretty amusing. I also went to a chiropractor several times - this one specialized in a technique that would adjust your hips, making it more optimal for baby to want to go down there.

Nothing seemed to be making a difference and at our appointment 36. 5 weeks, we decided to schedule a technique (called a Version) where the doctor manually turns the baby in hopes that he stays that way so we can avoid a c-section. I was pretty bummed out about the possibility of having a c-section instead of the birth we had been preparing for.

A day after we hit 37 weeks, we checked into Labor & Delivery to have the Version performed. I had been super anxious about it and not slept well. BCH was feeling horrible and had just been diagnosed with strep the night before. Lets just say we were not in good shape that morning.

Our midwife Lindsay came in and said the doctor would be coming shortly, but lets first ultrasound and see where he is. I just KNEW he was still transverse - he hadn't felt like he had shifted much to me. Shockingly though, she looked and found his head down by my pelvis. I couldn't believe it! I even said that to her, I could not believe what I was seeing on the screen. We joked about how he must have needed the threat of being physically moved to actually do it himself. What a stubborn little bugger!

He has stayed head down and we are hopeful that he won't move again. So now our focus has been on getting completely ready for him to come. When he was transverse I wasn't anxious for him to arrive because I knew it meant a c-section. Now, we are both really looking forward to it, and to hopefully having the birth that we want. I think it will still be a little while, but I anticipate he will be here before his 'due date' - if history counts for anything.

lil monkey update

We had a follow up ultrasound about a week and a half ago, so I wanted to share some pictures. We were able to get some decent 3D shots as well as take a look all over and measure him to check his growth.

Look at that cute face! He was sleeping for most of our appointment, all curled up with hands and even feet up by his head. He did wake up and yawn for us, which was pretty cute. BCH's parents came to the appointment as well and his mom said that he "looks like Brandon". :)

In this profile shot he is touching his foot on his forehead! He literally was rolled up in a ball, which did make it a little hard to check out some of the essentials. She still managed to do the measurements needed and he averaged in the 75th percentile for size at 29 weeks along, and had an estimated weight of 3 pounds 10 ounces (with +/- 9 oz margin error)! Crazy - he is a total chunker already!!

He is moving like crazy, and the hiccups have started. At my last OB appointment on Friday, I was measuring about 32 weeks along even though I am currently 30 weeks. Hopefully he will either come a little early, or slow down in his growth. We dont need him to be a 10 pounder!

Name update: We dont have one yet, although we have a short list of names we like. And no, we really haven't picked a name and are just keeping a secret. I promise.

More pictures, more names

This is another profile shot, similar to the one that I put on the last blog. My mom said "oh he looks like Nathan", which made me giggle.

Here is a 3D image we got at the ultrasound last week. Its looking down at baby Hanson; you can see his nose and his lips really well. He has his arms at the sides of his head so his elbows are poking out. He moved quite a bit during the ultrasound (I think he was pretty irritated by it all) once he woke up.

This is a view looking up at his privates - you can see his legs going out and his very definite boy parts in between. No mistaking it, for sure!

Cute shot of the bottom of his feet. Awww, precious!

Nathan is bound and determined to give this boy either his first or middle name. He has come up with quite a few suggestions. Some of my 'favorites' are: Sylvester, Quentin, Novak, Zephen, Sokka, Murray, Roger, and BeK (you spell it like that - capital B and capital K).

When we first got pregnant, we came up with a girl name we both loved without a lot of discussion. So it was a little sad to find out its a boy because we had not agreed on ANY boy names at all. We do now have a few we tentatively agree on, but nothing has been settled. Which is just fine, considering we are only half way there anyway.

Boy!

Apparently I am just awesome with boys, cause I am having another one! I feel mixed about it, but mostly I am just really happy that everything went really well with the ultrasound. That was such a relief! He looks great, all his parts were there and he measured on track if even a little bigger.

We have no boy names at all at this point (other than oh-so-helpful suggestions from my sons like Hoover Dam Hanson, Stanley Steamer Hanson, and the new one: Peyton Manning Hanson) and a barrage of names from my helpful coworkers ;) . I'm sure we will come up with the one that seems perfect for little boy Hanson when its time.

6 days

We had another doctor appointment today. Everything looks good - the babies heart rate was 150, and I was measuring maybe a little bigger than almost 18 weeks, but still within what would be considered normal for now.

I love going there and hearing the heartbeat, and I realize I find myself getting a little paranoid a few days before my appointment. I start thinking, what if there is no heartbeat? What if the flutters I have been feeling really are not the baby? Its paranoia, I know, but not completely unfounded. Although miscarriage is less common this far along, it happens. I can see why people get those home dopplers that you can rent or buy, although I could not justify for myself.

I was really hoping to have our anatomy / gender ultrasound this Friday. My midwife said no, that she does not want us to go until I am exactly 18 weeks - which is Saturday. I called and tried to schedule it for then, but they were full in the morning so I scheduled it for next Monday. I'm a little bummed out right now about having to wait six days, but in the long run it will not seem like a big deal (...I know this, but still its killing me). I am just DYING to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. I know what most people are rooting for, but at the same time I suspect its going to be the other.

I admire anyone that can wait for birth to find out the sex, but it will really help me with some planning and reduce some anxiety when we do find out. So far, the only thing we have bought is a crib. You cannot buy clothes without knowing the sex, there is very little that looks gender neutral. So, now I wait 6 days...

second trimester

I've officially been in my second trimester for a couple weeks now. Other than being really tired today and yesterday (circumstantial, is my guess) I feel great. I still hate that my body is in this in-between stage; my pants are too tight (yay belly band and bigger size pants) and my shirts selection has gotten smaller. Since I finally told my boss about the pregnancy on Monday, I wore a maternity shirt to work today. It was comfy, but again makes me look bigger than I really am. I am fascinated by the fact that my waist and belly are changing, but my weight has not changed at all the last few weeks. I guess everything is getting re-allocated.

Our last doctor appointment went well. Heard the heartbeat again which is always exciting (and a relief). We should be able to find out the sex in about 4 weeks!