Welcome Harper Marie

I think most of you that check this blog are already aware that Harper Marie Bailey arrived on December 1, 2008 at 10:45 pm. It was a long day, but worth every minute!!!! She is beautiful (we are of course biased a bit :)) Both of her grandparents were at the hospital when she arrived so mommy and daddy were able to show her off right away! She was sooo wide awake we couldn't believe it. Children are true miracles. Being a parent is truly amazing and Jace and are learning more and more everyday.

We came home on Wednesday afternoon. We were definitely ready to have our lil' bundle home and start our life as a family! We were very lucky to have Grandma Diane here at the house when we arrived. There were already chocolate chip cookies baking when we walked in! :)

Harper definitely has her days and nights a bit mixed up..but that is understandable. We are learning all together on adjusting!

Here are a few pictures of our little one--enjoy!

Week 35 and Dr. appt.

Well we are down to about 4 1/2 weeks on our count down until our little girl arrives :) We are getting sooo excited. Today we had a doctor's appointment and ultrasound. Her heartbeat sounds good at about 132. We also had the tech. check to be sure we were still having a girl--IT IS!

She has pretty long legs and a fully belly. The tech. said that she is weighing about 6 lbs 15 oz. This means that if we are to go full term, she could be a big 8 lb (almost 9--eek!) baby. But everything else looks healthy and normal!!! The tech. also said that it looked as if our little one already has a head full of hair--we are curious if it is red or dark like her daddy! I am attaching a couple photos, so enjoy! The top two she is looking at you with her hands right in front of her chin. During the ultrasound it looked almost as if she was sucking away at the back of her little hand. The bottom one is a profile, she looks to have beautifully plump lips!

One more update, they did say that I am almost dialated to 1 cm. This really doesn't mean much in terms of going into labor or progressing. Some women are dialated at a 1 for weeks prior to actual delivery.

We are now on weekly check-ups and appointments so we will keep you updated.

Lots of Love

Baby showers

This past weekend we made a trip out west to see Jace's family. They threw a baby shower for us at Grandma Knight's house! It was great! They definitely spoiled us and our little one and we can't thank them enough! They certainly are excited for a little girl to be joining the clan.

Thank you to all!

34 weeks! :)

We are down to approximately 6 weeks before our little one enters our lives!

Our weekly update from babycenter.com indicates that she should weigh about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. (We'll know more about her measurements and size we hope after next week's ultrasound!) 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.

Doctor Appt.

Well I must have eaten well in Utah because I am measuring a little bigger now than even before. I am just over 33 weeks and today measured between 36 and 37 cm. The doctor ordered an ultrasound to be done. We will do that along with our next appointment in 2 weeks (11/12/08). The heartbeat was right around 128 (Dad thinks that the old wives tale of the heartbeat indicates a boy and not a girl :)) We shall see!

The due date will not change at this point, we will see how big the baby is measuring and hopefully get an idea of how much fluid is also in there with her. Either of those, or the combination could be attributing to my BIG belly! The next visit will involve a pelvic/cervical exam. I haven't experienced any signs of pre-term labor, and everything else seems normal so all should be well--just BIG!

Week 33

We are on the count down--7 (ish) more weeks until are little girl is scheduled to arrive!!
This week she should be weighing a little over 4 pounds (for those of you that have seen our puppy, she is 4 lbs 6 oz!) and has passed the 17-inch mark. According to Babycenter.com she's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together quite yet, which allows them to move and slightly overlap. This is a good thing, b/c it makes it easier for her to fit through the birth canal!

Week 32

In general, our baby should be weighing about 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is approzimately 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in my tummy! Although after seeing the doctor, our baby could be much bigger! :)

In the next 7 weeks, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

We can't wait to meet her!

P.S-she has now taken her second plane ride (her and I went to D.C. in May). She was quite squirmy during the second leg of the trip and Mommy was very uncomfortable! We arrived in Utah safely but already can't wait to be back home with Daddy! :)

Doctor Appointment

We just had our doctor's appointment. Starting with this appointment we will see the doctor every other week. Today I measured at 34 cm. The general rule of thumb is that you should measure in cm what you are in weeks! So I am measuring a bout a two weeks (and a couple days) bigger. Doctor says this means I am probably growing a healthy (aka BIG) baby! She said that if I am measuring progressively bigger at our next appt. in 2 weeks, she will order an ultrasound so we can get Baby G's measurements. Our little girl's heartbeat was 133-138 while we listened :)

That's all for now, I'll post on Sunday with the BabyCenter.com weekly report and then I'm off to Utah for the week!

A few pictures

a few pictures from the nursery so far...

A couple pictures of Aunt Amy and the twins :)

Baby shower

Our first baby showers! Friday, October 10 we had a baby shower. For those of you that don't know, my older sister Amy is expecting twins in March. We had a combo baby shower and it was so much fun. We were blessed with adorable outfits, blankets, diapers, wipes, books, and much more!!! I will try to get some pictures up of the moms-to-be!!

Thanks everyone! :)

Week 31

This week, our baby should be measuring just over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's moving a lot these days, which makes it a little more diffictult to get a good nights rest for mommy. I won't complain about the tumbling and kicking--this means she is a healthy and active little girl!

Week 30

How our baby's growing:

Our little one is about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day.

She is still very active, kicking and tumbling inside my tummy. Daddy has been frustrated since he has such a difficult time feeling her movements. That changed a bit last night though!! She was really kicking late last night and Daddy felt her numerous times. His face lit up! :)

It is hard to believe that we get to meet our little girl in approximately 10 short weeks! Mommy and Daddy have a lot to get done with work, school, and baby prep so wish us luck!

Love to All~

Week 29

How our baby's growing:
Our baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, mommy needs to be sure to drink milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice--does ice cream count :) ). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in our baby's hardening skeleton each day.

Week 28

How's our baby's growing:
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.

At the 28 week appointment last Friday, Dr. Roles confirmed her heart rate sounds great! I can certainly feel her moving around an awful lot these days. However, when I call for daddy to come and feel she suddenly stops! It must be that she is calmed by him being near ??

NAMES?

So we are having one heck of a time with finding a name for our daugther. We welcome any and all ideas!! Be creative :)

Starting Off...

Well this is our first post so bear with us! We decided to start this now and get a jump start and hopefully we can keep up with blogging once the little one arrives!

We have finished up the nursery and just a week or so ago managed to put together the crib, changing table and dresser. Now we just need to move on to the wall decor and filling up the dresser with cute clothes! I'm sure that won't be all that hard :)

My goal is to post at least once a week for now (unless something comes up in between). Just to keep you updated on how our little one is growing inside, how mommy and daddy-to-be are doing and so on. Once she arrives, I'm sure I will be posting more and uploading pictures for all to see!

We can't wait for our little one to arrive and for all of you to meet her! We hope that all of you are doing well --

Love,
The Bailey's