Merry Christmas Baby Stillinger

Baby Stillinger did well for her first Christmas! As you can see from the PILES of clothing she is outfitted for about her first 9 months of onesies, bibs, and baths... It was actually really fun to do the first load of baby laundry, it is sooo small and cute :)

*A note to Baby Stillinger...as you can see from the color in these piles, if you turn out not to be a girl, I will explain to you later why in all your first baby pictures you are wearing pink :)

23 Weeks

 

How far along?  23 weeks

Today is Christmas Eve AND the halfway point in our anniversary; so today we have been married 4 ½ years and by the time we reach 5 years we will have grown to a family :)
Maternity clothes?  It's still a mix...maternity pants or sweatpants and regular and maternity tops
Sleep?  It kind of goes back and forth...I will have some nights I toss and turn and other nights I sleep wonderfully
Best moment last week? Baby Stillinger and I got to meet Lena!!
Movement?  I feel it more and more, although she hasn't cooperated with other people being able to feel the movement
Food cravings? I did raid the cabinets this week for chocolate :) also I have just been eating more in general...
Labor signs? None!
Belly button in/out? In!!
What I miss: Energy, by about 7pm I am just done for the day!
What I am looking forward to: 2011! Not only will that mean I have reached 24 weeks and viability for our baby, but I can say 'we are having a baby THIS year!' Also the nursery is coming along and I may be able to start decorating in the next week or two.
Milestones: She is about 11 inches long and over a pound!

My thoughts: This week Justin and I had a tour of the birth center where we hope to welcome our baby. My insurance will cover this out of hospital birth center 100% so we feel very fortunate to have this option. I will not be able to deliver there if the baby is breech, I need to be induced, or I need to be on any medications to manage gestational diabetes or blood pressure, BUT so far so good and this would be our Plan A. I have really enjoyed the care I have been receiving from the midwives and look forward to this warm and comfortable environment for our birth experience. Justin and I are also signed up for our birth classes in February and March and then we will just wait for the BIG DAY! We also have a pediatrician and since our mom's our providing grandchild care when I go back to work, we feel pretty set on the big stuff going in to the new Year. We are researching cloth diapers and really feel interested in using them for most of our diapers...I'm sure there's lots more to get ready, but so far so good!!

Andrea and Lena :)

Update on Ben

On Saturday I was able to stop by the MaPaw Farm and visit Ben; he is doing terrific! Ben enjoys therapeutic messages, lots of attention, and is kept comfortable with medication management. He has a bed right next to the heater and a blanket for those chillier days. I think he remembered me...or he just really loves anyone who gives him attention :) Either way it was wonderful for me to see him and see that he is doing so well. If you would like more updates on Ben or to see his video go to: sibes.com.

22 Weeks

How far along?  22 weeks
Maternity clothes?  It's still a mix...maternity pants or sweatpants and regular and maternity tops
Sleep?  Overall not bad, this week I had some pain in my left hip which is the side they tell you to sleep on, so there has been tossing and turning to find a comfy position
Best moment last week? A great friend from college welcomed her baby girl this week and so I am really excited for Lena and Rose to have play dates so Andrea and I can enjoy our girls together!
Movement?  I FELT IT!!! It is still sporadic, but getting more distinguishable.
Food cravings?  I did have my donuts this week :) Right now I am drinking lots of milk (especially with Christmas cookies)
Labor signs? None!
Belly button in/out? In!!
What I miss: Running, that's kind of weird for me because I never really liked running to begin with, but now that I can't do it, I kind of want to...ah well
What I am looking forward to: CHRISTMAS! Although she will not be able to unwrap her presents yet, I am sure Rose will have some presents under the tree.
Milestones: The baby is almost 1lb!

My thoughts: I appreciate everyone who has voted that I will have the baby before 40 weeks, 37 is considered full-term, (I am hoping for 38-39). I have instructed my midwife to just tell me I am having a 7lb baby regardless if they believe she is bigger. Mentally I think I can prepare myself to deliver a 7lb baby (please just let me keep going with that). Also as my tummy is growing I have been warned of roaming hands...well I say “ROAM AWAY!” I have no problem with people wanting to feel the baby...so far it's a little hard for other people to feel anything, but you can try anyway :) As our former neighbor put it 'you zigged when you should have zagged', but now that Rose is on her way we are getting excited and I don't mind sharing it with everyone!

Happy Holidays 2010

Well we have never done a Christmas letter before, but now seems like a good time to start...so here it goes!!

I think we would agree that 2010 was a year of some unexpected (but good) changes. First, Heather got a new job. After two and a half years she resigned from Bethany Children's Home as a social worker and is now employed by SAM Inc as a Service Coordinator for Early Intervention in Berks County. The change was definitely sad at times as Heather really enjoyed her coworkers and kids at Bethany, but the change has been good and Heather is enjoying the flexibility of her new job. The second big change, is the biggest and that is the pending arrival of the third member of our family, I guess really she will make us a family! Rose Elizabeth Stillinger is due to arrive on April 22, 2011 and while unexpected, she will be very welcomed and loved :) To make Justin happy here, we did have another addition to our family this year...Ruby the Red VW.

Justin is still working hard on remodeling our home. Now with a deadline of sorts he does seem to be more motivated! We are finishing up the front two bedrooms and adding a new bathroom. We also plan on refinishing the living room and dining rooms floors before Rose's arrival. If we get all that done we will feel in pretty good shape for now, although there are always more projects to work on...hopefully painting the outside this spring and summer...I guess by next year's letter we will know if that happened!

As this year comes to a close we feel very fortunate for much in our lives especially our family and friends. We are also really looking forward to 2011, after we get through the winter season, it will be spring and our little flower will arrive! We can't wait to share this exciting experience with everyone!

Happy Holidays!!

Love,

Justin and Heather

21 weeks

How far along?  21 weeks
Maternity clothes?  It's still a mix...
Sleep?  Well last night I was tossing and turning a lot, but the rest of the week was pretty good
Best moment last week? The ultrasound and getting to see the baby and count her fingers and toes
Movement?  I FELT IT!!! It is sporadic, but I probably feel it a couple times a day and Justin was able to feel it once

Food cravings?  I think I have eaten most of the raspberry cake we bought to share the news with our parents...when it runs out I will be very sad...I feel like a donut craving is coming on...
Labor signs? None!
Belly button in/out? In, though Justin keeps teasing that it's coming out
What I miss: This coming weekend is the Christmas party at the Allentown Brew Works hosted by Justin's employer...last year I had a really yummy martini, but not this year :(
What I am looking forward to: long weekends for Christmas and New Years
Milestones: We felt the baby move!!!

My thoughts: I am now over the halfway point (the baby is considered full-term after 37 weeks, and I would be fine with her coming a little earlier), but this was a big milestone! It was soooo wonderful to have our ultrasound and get to see our little girl. I guess there is always a small chance that she will turn out to be a he, but the doctor seemed confident so I am just going to run with it :) I also had my regular visit this week and Justin and I are signed up for our childbirth classes this February and March. We were also asked to find a pediatrician, so we will have to start that after the holidays. For those of you wondering I have gained about 7 pounds so far and was told that gaining about 15 more pounds over the next 20 weeks would be good, I will do my best! On another note Justin said he *might* have the nursery painted by next weekend so then I could start decorating!! I have already started one project for the wall behind the crib and can't wait to get things all in place.

FIESTA!!!

Last night at dinner (which was blueberry pancakes that made my tummy smile) Justin says 'Here, you can eat off the Rose Fiesta plate.' AHHHHHHH, in picking out a name I NEVER thought about Fiesta which my mother is helping me amass a huge collections of because well, it makes me smile :) Anyway this story is REALLY amazing because Heather is also a Fiesta color!!! So besides both being flowers we will both be Fiesta colors, this (you guessed it) also makes me smile :) Justin thinks I am going baby girl crazy...he has no idea how bad it's gonna get!!