induction, labor, baby...oh my!

So, yesterday my doc decided to induce me on Monday!!! Jeff and I will head to the hospital by 6am Monday morning, April 9. Baby Ben weighs about 8 lbs right now according to yesterday's ultrasound and since I am already dialated 1cm and am 50% effaced with a soft cervix, she decided to go ahead with an induction. We don't want him to get too big and at this stage babies gain about 1/2 lb a week. And also, his head was measuring about 1.5 weeks ahead, so we want to go ahead and get that thing outta there!! :-) When the doc told us that it would be Monday, I thought Jeff was gonna pass out! But he held it together. :-)

Anyway, I was planning on working through today, but with this new development, yesterday was my last day. :-( I am gonna miss working at UGA and in Student Affairs very much, but I will mostly miss my wonderful, awesome friend and boss, Jan. She has been such a blessing to me. Thankfully, she will be coming to the hospital on Monday to help me and Jeff. :-) She just had a baby in Novemebr, so she has fresh memories of how all this works.... She'll be there to hold both of our hands!

Well, as soon as we have a baby, I will tell you all about him and post his pics for the world to see!

Baby Days Are Coming Soon ...

On Saturday, I'll be 36 weeks. Even though 37 weeks is technically considered "full term," at this point, Benjamin can come at any time.

I had a baby shower at work today and it was totally and completely awesome. Jeff came and that was super fun because this is the only baby shower that he'll be able to attend. We were blessed to recieve a lot of really big, expensive items such as our stroller, our monitors, a boppy, and a cute personalized onsie that says "Made by Heather and Jeff in Athens, Georgia" or something like that. It's very cute. My boss Jan was so sweet to plan and execute all of this.

I have another shower on Sunday from some of the ladies from my church, and I think that it will be fun and intimate. I'm really looking forward to it.

I started putting all of Benjamin's stuff away today when I got home from the shower and Scout was completely overwhelmed with new things to sniff and explore. She may be jealous of Benjamin's growing stash of belongings. But, she'll be a good big doggie sister. I just know it.

Jeff feels poopy because he has a cold as well as a bad case of hay fever. So I am trying to take care of him so his pouty bottom lip will go back in :-) Right now, he's my baby to take care of. I'm happy to lo0k after him because he's been doing such a good job of looking after me.

The house hunting saga has been a long and arduous trial. We put an offer in on a home that was almost immediately taken off the market by the owner. We've not put a second offer in on a different home and hope to hear something positive early next week. We had no idea that finding a home to buy would be so labor intensive. Please keep us in your prayers.

Well, I think that's it for now. I'll try not to be so lax in updating my little spot on the web. But once Benjamin Lang Newberry makes his appearance, there are no guarantees.

due date change

So the doc decided to move my due date forward to April 21 -- my original due date and coincidentally the date I was due to be born on as well! With the change of due date that means Ben is only measuring about 1 week and a few days ahead, so that's not so abnormal or scary. :-)

Jeff and I completed our Childbirth class and the Baby Basics class and just have one more left: Breastfeeding 101. I think we learned a lot. We got to take a tour of the Family Birthing Unit (or whatever fancy name they call it!). It is very nice. This is an exciting time and its so hard not think 24/7 about Ben and what having him (in all senses of the phrase - labor, delivery, bringing him home, living with a newborn day-to-day, etc.) is going to be like. I am so glad that we will have family and friends around to help us after Ben is born.

We have two more baby showers coming up - one is being thrown at work, and one by some friends from our church here in Athens. I am sure they will both be great!

Anyway, sorry if you wanted to learn about things other then the baby...there simply isn't anything else in my head!! :-)

lots of love for lots of baby

Well, Ben is a big baby. We had an ultrasound on Tuesday (28wks 5 days) that confirmed that he is still growing ahead of schedule...2 weeks and 2 days ahead to be exact. They estimated that he weighs about 3lbs 11 oz right now which puts him in the 81st percentile...he should weigh about 2lbs 10oz. Dr. Rosemond thought that by the time we get to 37 wks Benjamin will be over the 90th percentile. If that is the case, then they may want to induce me to ensure that he does not get too big. I go back for another ultrasound on April 5 to determine how big Ben has gotten and whether or not we need to do anything to bring about labor.

In anycase, we got some great shots of little Ben that we want to share!

Ben's face and arm - 3d/4d

Ben's foot - 2d

Ben's profile (he looks like he is laying on his back with his hand over his head) - 2d

Enjoy!!! :-)

healthy after all

My Doctor's office called yesterdy to say that I don't have Gestational Diabetes! Yay!!!!!! What a load off my mind! Here are my numbers vs what they needed to be under:

Fasting/75/105 or less
1 Hour/141/190 or less
2 Hour/117/165 or less
3 Hour/91/145 or less

:-) Yay for me!!!!

In other news, Jeff and I bought a new bed! A king size Sealy Posturepedic with a pillow top. It is awesome and we can't wait to get it. It will be delivered on Wednesday! We are very excited for that first night's sleep. Now we have to buy some more king size sheets. We have one set right now and actually the quilt we bought over a year ago is also king sized because we knew that we eventually wanted to get a king size bed. :-) I'll let you all know how well it sleeps for a full-night!

hello there

My state of mind is much improved today compared to my last post and even to how I was feeling yesterday. I was supposed to take the 3 hour gestational diabetes test today (I failed the 1 hour test by 1 point!). However, because of the winter weather forcast which included sleet and freezing rain, my doc's office called yesterday to move my appointment to next Tuesday. If I do have it, which is not the end of the world but won't be fun either, then I will likely see a nutritionist who will establish a new diet for me...

Anywho, things are trucking right along with the rest of my pregnancy. I am 26 weeks today and I have been feeling Benjamin move quite alot in the last few days. I think he is getting stronger and starting to get more cramped in there! Jeff has even felt him kick on three different occasions! Its been pretty cool. The only concern right now is that Ben may be a ginormous baby! When we had our 20 wk ultrasound he was measuring almost 2 weeks ahead. So...we have to have another ultrasound on Feb 6 to find out if he is still growing at that rate or if he just hit a growth spurt sooner than the average baby. If he is still as large, my docs may consider adjusting my due date. However, biologically speaking, I don't see how they could move it ahead of April 21, but we'll see!!

I also feel as if I have neglected to post some of Ben ultrasound pics for you all, so here you go!

Ben @ 8 weeks (2D)

Ben @ 8 wks (3/4D)

Ben @ 19wks 6days (3/4D)

Ben @ 19wks 6days (2D)

I will post again soon! Y'all hang onto your horses until then! :-)

tired and worried

I got very little sleep last night as a result of being unable to get comfortable and not being able to turn my brain off. I finally moved to the couch at about 5am and got some sleep then. I was (and continue to) worrying about money, Ben, buying/settling into a home, moving, my pregnancy, and money (again!). I am trying not to stress too much, cause that will just make things worse. Still, it is difficult to stop once you get started.

It has been a slow day here at work. I have gotten a lot done, which is nice. Jan, my boss, will be back from maternity leave next week. it will be nice to have her around again!

At this moment, Jeff is sitting in the very first day of his very last course. I hope that it is going well!

a new year

Happy 2007 everbody!

This year promises to be a memorable one for our little fam. We hope to buy a house, have a baby, perhaps replace my car, and move back to Tifton all by the end of May. In the mean time I will continue working and making baby Benjamin while Jeff will be finishing up his final classes, studying for a Portugese reading comprehension/translation test, and reading/studying for his Comprehensive Exams! Whew! What a semester this will be!!

I hope that you all have a great year and that it will not be near as hectic as our year is shaping up to be! :-)

its the holiday season

We are looking forward to Christmas this year...our last Christmas without the pitter patter of kiddy feet (we will, of course, continue to enjoy the pitter patter of Scout's feet!). It is kind of crazy to think about, really. I wish we could see more family and friends this year. Ted and Kim are coming after Chirstmas, so we are excited to see them. I am sure Ted will be giving my stomach noogies in a continuing effort to perfect his technique. :-)

Baby Benjamin seems to be growing right along. I still haven't felt a lot of movement, but I think that, just maybe, I have felt some...its so hard to tell what it is. I am sure that as he gets stronger I will long for the days when I could not feel him! :-) He is supposedly about 10.5 inches long now and weighs 3/4 lb. -- who really knows though. His legs looked mighty long in his ultrasound so I would bet he's a tad longer at this point.

it's a...

BOY!!!!!!!

We found at on Wednesday that we will be welcoming Benjamin Lang into the world this coming April and we are very excited!

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

You paid attention during 91% of high school!

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concert madness

My weekend was packed with musical activities. I had two dress rehearsals on Saturday (the first was 2 hours long and the second was 2.5 hours). Then both concerts were on Sunday. The Athens Master Chorale concert went really well. My duet was great (except 1 tiny timing issue...but we fixed it quickly). Immediately following that concert, I headed over to church for our Lessons and Carols concert. It was awesome! Overall, the weekend was wonderful...and completely exhausting.

howdy

Hello there! There is not a lot going on these days, but I thought I should post anyway! Work has been good. My boss and friend, Jan, gave birth to her baby girl last week and they are both doing well. Sydney, the new addition to the world, is a beautiful baby!! My weekend is packed with dress rehearsals since both the Master Chorale and church performances are on Sunday. I think they will both be really good and I am looking forward to both...although I am not looking forward to standing so much! Ahh well...

Jeff and I went to look at a used glider rocker yesterday that a lady in the English Dept. is selling in an effort to downsize. It is really nice and Jeff is on his way to pick it up right now! Its kinda of exciting! This is our first big item to purchase for the baby! :-)

Anyway, I promise to update next week after our ultrasound!

happy turkey day!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you have a great day, don't eat too much, and enjoy the company of family and good friends. :-)

Love,
Jeff, Heather, Scout, and Baby Berry

baby stuff

We had a doctor's appointment this morning! We got to hear the baby's heartbeat and all is going well!! I have gained 1.5 lbs, but I am okay with that. My blood pressure has been good and they didn't say anything about my hemoglobin or urine, so that must be okay too.

Now that I am fully into the second trimester (16 wks on Thursday) I am beginning to enjoy the benefits of feeling like a normal human being again. I can eat normally (not eating 20 bowls of cereal a day anymore!) and I feel pretty good most days. I still have my tired days, but overall, I have had more energy to do stuff again - like help cook dinner or do my share of Scout walking.

Jeff has been an absolute trooper and has really made this experience a great one so far.

We go for our ultrasound on December 6th. With any luck, the baby will cooperate and we will be able to see if we are having a Ben or a Madison!! :-) Everyone say a little prayer for us that morning!

On a slightly different note, Jeff and I have started registering for baby stuff!! So far, we are registered for most of the basics at target.com and at babiesrus.com. It has been an interesting process trying to figure what you actually need and what is just extra crap they try to sell new and unsuspecting parents. The book Baby Bargains has been a tremendous asset.

Jeff's cousin, LeeAnn, is letting us borrow their crib, so that is one thing we don't have to worry about! Also, we have picked out the crib bedding we like and the 4 peice set is on the way (thanks mom and dad)!! You can see a picture of it here. I was thinking about getting the canvas art and the mobile too. We may still get the mobile, but I have decided it would be more economical and more fun to buy the wall paper border and make my own art!

In anycase, things are slowly but surely coming together! Now we just have to figure out how to buy a house, give birth, take care of a newborn, and move...all in about 1.5-2 months. That should be easy...right?

happiness

Chip and Shannon are married and on their honeymoon as I type. The wedding was great and the reception was a fantastic party. I even got Jeff to dance...multiple times!! We had a blast. :-) It was awesome to be able to see the whole family and to meet Shannon's fam. They are all pretty cool! (As an aside I think I should mention that Jeff thought that Shannon's grandmother's name, which is actually Oma, was Old Ma. Hysterical!)

Anyway, I have entered the second trimester and all seems to be going well. I have not suddenly been blessed with an abundance of energy, but I do not feel quite as tired as I had been. I am pretty tired today, but I attribute that to the weekend of wedding festivities! I go get a flu shot this afternoon and then tonight I am auditioning for an alto/tenor duet in the Bach piece that we are performing in the Athens Master Chorale. Hopefully all will go well!

sick and tired

...literally. I have had a cold for over a week now, which I just can't shake. I am really tired today and just feel icky...mostly due to the cold, I am sure. The only light at the end of the tunnel, is that if I still have a cold in two weeks, once I am into my second trimester, I can take Sudaphed! Yay :-)

Other than that, things have been going well. I was in Pensacola two weekends ago for my friends' Ray and Dixie's wedding. It was awesome. I got to see old friends and even hang with Chip and Shannon some!

Chip's wedding is two weekends from now. I can't believe it! I am looking forward to seeing the whole fam. This will be the first time we will see some folks since we have announced the coming of baby 'Berry! :-)

Baby preparations are coming along. I'm not really sure what you are supposed to figure out in the first trimester, but we have picked out a crib set (which my mom has so wonderfully already ordered), we are borrowing a crib from Jeff's cousin, and we have started registering for stuff at Target.com and BabiesRUs.com. I think things are moving right along! Jeff and I have decided we will start packing and cleaning the apartment in December, while I can hopefully still participate in the process! We hope to begin looking for a house in Tifton in February and then we'll see what happens!

hunger

I have been ravenous today. I ate breakfast at 7am, had a snack at 8:30, a snack at 9:30 and by 10:45 I was ready to eat my hand. This hunger thing is getting out of control!! I decided to go to Chick-fil-A for lunch at 11 and my coworker gave me a coupon to buy a combo and get one free. I was like, what am I gonna do with two combos?!? Well, I got back to the office at 11:40, ate my nuggets and fries and was finally satisifed...until 2. Then I ate my other combo (more nuggets and a fruit bowl). And I am sure that by 4:30 I'll be ready to eat again!

Anyway, I just had to tell all of you how crazy this whole hunger/frequent eating thing is making me! Cereal has become my best friend at home. Jeff and I used to go through 1 gallon of milk a week. Last week, "we" went through almost three whole gallons simply because of the loads of cereal I have been eating!! Nuts, huh?

Okay, that's all I have to say. I hope you all are having great days and that you are not near as hungry as me!! :-)

pregnant

In case you don't already know...Jeff and I are having a baby!!!!! It is due on April 26, 2007. If my Mom has her way it will be born on April 27 just to keep the weird number thing alive that me, my brothers, and two of our cousins have going (i.e.: I was born on the 20th in 1980, Chip was born on the 1st in 1981 and Ted was born on the 3rd in 1983). Mom hasn't mentioned this yet, but I can just hear her saying it with her nose all scrunched up the way it gets when she is being cute! :-)

Anyway, the pregnancy experience has been interesting so far. I have not had morning sickness yet but have been pretty nauseous. I never thought brushing my teeth would make me want to hurl...pregnany has enlightened me. I also never thought water could give me heartburn...learned a new one there too! I have been EXTREMELY tired and Jeff has been fantastic at picking up the slack for me. Oh and here's a tip: don't talk to me about food -- it will likely cause me to make a horrible face...that kind of face that you don't want to associate with the fabulous edible item that you are trying to tell me about.

I already have something to blackmail my future child with, too! I somehow picked up a stomach bug two weeks ago. I was out of commission for 2 days and on the first and worst day of the illness I fainted. And I don't mean that I swooned in some chick flick romantic kind of way. I mean I blacked out and fell from a sitting postion onto the floor face first. I rug burned my face!! The wounds are slowly healing, but I have a feeling they will be pregnancy battle scars (the beginning of many to come, I am sure) that will never fully go away.

All in all, things have been interesting. My family is beyond excited and that makes me so happy! Jeff has been awesome so far as I am sure he will continue to be. :-)

I will try to update more frequently (but no promises)!

drowning inside

I have drunk so much water in the last week, that I feel as if my insides are drowning. It's good for me though, right? :-)

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Jeff is coming to have lunch with me again today! He came on Mon and Wed too and we had a blast entertaining all the financial aid folks in the break room with us! Jeff is such a hoot when he is in his element...and honestly, what's more fun than commiserating about students?

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It is quiet in the office today. Jan is out this morning undergoing the three hour gestational diabetes test. I hope all is well. I am sure she'll call in a bit.

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We are having some friends over for dinner tonight. Jeff is grilling a porkloin (mmmm...meat cookies!!) and we are having a deep dish apple pie for desert! Woohoo!

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I am looking forward to Sarah coming next weekend. We are going to Dragon Con together...which is not necessarily my thing...however, I will do anything to hang out with Sarah. Maybe I'll get some good pictures for my Dad. He is a big sci-fi person.