Kick Counts

I've started counting the baby's kicks each evening. So far this is pretty fun! =)

Last Monday I had another check-up (all is perfect, btw) and the doc told me I should be counting baby's kicks each night. In fact, when I finally read the recommended reading (oops, I forgot) it turns out I should have been counting since week 28. No biggie, there is an easy chart to print off, which I did, and now I eat my dinner and sit/lie back to record the start and stop times of how long it takes the little man to reach 10 kicks.

Often it's in about a 30-minute window. Once this week it was an hour and last night it was a record of 15 minutes! Active little dude.

The purpose of kick counts is two-fold: 1. healthy babies kick more (although there are always quiet times) and 2. since each baby is different, my job is to notice what my little one is doing and see if, over time, there are changes worth bringing up to the doc.

All in all, kick counting is pretty cool since I get to focus my attention on my baby. I like that.

Chiko's Baby Shower

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending a baby shower for my friend Chiko. As I left the camera at home the only photos I managed to snap were of the balloons as I was leaving. When I got home I also took a snap of the gifts I brought home with me.

When I walked in the door I was pinned with a blue diaper pin that I wore around during the party. Everyone else had one too, and if they said the word 'baby' you got to take their pin. Well, a lot of mental taxing energy later... I won! I had 7 pins. I got a lovely prize of some body lotion and strawberry mentos. yum!

Chiko got many wonderful gifts and it was fun to think about my own shower coming soon. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but Chiko and I are both due at the end of October. You can follow her blog here.

It's really fun to go through this with someone. We're at different hospitals and it's fun to compare notes of what our different experiences are. We're fully expecting our husbands to text each other when the race for baby delivery is on. :)

Ripples and Bongos

Until I became pregnant, I only had the what-is-pregnancy-like? knowledge you get from reading, watching movies and listening to women who have gone through it. Now, I have the inside scoop on so much more. I also know I only know my story, as every woman, every pregnancy is different.

For instance, you'd think something like feeling a baby kick would be pretty straight-forward. I can kick, I played soccer as a kid, I know the definition of 'kick.' But I'm finding much of the baby's movements are more like ripples and bongos.

The ripples are when my insides feel like a ripple has just gone through it. On the outside, it's kind of like a wave across my skin. I find it hard to explain other than to call it a ripple.

Bongos are when the kid seems to be playing bongos in my uterus. There are rarely just single, little kicks like I thought I'd be feeling, like all those TV shows and movies prepared me for. I have had a few of those single kicks, but mostly it's a whole set of movements that I can only describe by saying the kid is playing bongos.

It's all pretty cool!

Belly pics

My good friend Lori keeps reminding me to take more photos of pregnant Naomi. It's a good reminder, and so while we were out on our home inspection this week I found an opportunity to snap some self portraits in a mirror.

I can't say these are the best photos ever taken of me, but at least I have a recording of when my belly looks like at 29 1/2 weeks!

Cheers!

Zoo Outing

Yesterday we went to Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo with my in-laws. The day began beautifully with blue skies peppered with my favorite fluffy white clouds (see link to photo album below).

At the zoo it took a little while for all of us to assemble, but once we did we enjoyed a day filled with butterflies and gorillas and lions and hippos.

One major highlight for me was the brown bears. Two, huge, fuzzy bears, walking back and forth in their little pond, heads partly submerged as they looked for fish. The bears were so cute! One even got a bright, green leaf on his nose and stood up on his hind legs to brush it off. It was amazing to be so close to the bears.


The red panda was adorable! I was too awestruck to take a photo of the real thing, so I had to settle for the sign next to his exhibit. oops. :)


The one disappointment in an otherwise great day was that the baby gorilla was nowhere to be seen. I think there were too many humans pressed against the glass before we arrived, and the mama walked the little one over a little hill and out of sight. oh, boo.

Of course, this is Seattle, and while we've been blessed with terrific, summer weather as of late, our zoo outing was eventually drenched in a downpour. It was kind of fun, really, not too cold or warm, just right, but it did make it hard to stare as long at the hippos as I would have liked. I love those hippos!

Lots of photos -- click here for more.

The Breaking Dawn Experience

Last weekend, Aug 1, I was in Forks, WA for the book party launch of Stephenie Meyer's fourth and final book in a saga that began with 'Twilight.' These books are much fun, especially since they take place in my hometown. Around 11 PM on Friday night my mom and I gathered with the over-sugared teenagers and their parents at the Chinook Pharmacy in downtown Forks.

Everyone was bouncing with excitement! Many people were not from Forks - we met a mom and daughter from Phoenix ... the teen wore my favorite shirt of the night, which read, "I'm betting on Alice." Which, if you've read the books, know exactly how funny that is going into that 4th book!

The store offered free lemonade and scones and while we wandered the aisles and eavesdropped on the kids claiming loyalty to either Edward or Jacob, we waited for that midnight stroke. At 12:01 AM the first person happily ran from the bookstore, presumably out of excitement to get home to read (and not due to being bitten by something or someone... oooh, thpooky). By 12:20 AM mom and I had our copies and drove home quickly to break the binding.

We read for an hour maybe that first night, but that Saturday was completely devoted to reading. It's a good thing it was overcast because in a town like Forks it's really hard to stay indoors when the sun is shining. By Saturday night our vision was blurry, the alphabet swimming on the pages before us. I'm pretty sure we stopped to eat meals, as my mom made a yummy chicken dinner. Hmm, I *think* I put the book down for that. How rude if I didn't!

Around midday on Saturday, my sister Katie came to claim her book. My mom kindly pre-purchased 2 books, one for me and one for Katie. When Katie arrived I could see my mom torn between seeing her darling daughter and not wanting to give up the book. :) Luckily for my mom, Katie's high school reunion was that day so my mom plowed through the book just in time to hand it over to Katie Sunday morning.

So, yeah, my fast-reading mom finished Sat night. Jealous! I had to drive back to Seattle with the unfinished tome teasing me on the passenger seat. I was, for the first time maybe, thrilled to have an hour wait at the ferry.

I finished the book on Sunday at 7 PM. Katie finished a few days later. We all loved it. This book was as good as any of the Harry Potter books!

Click here for more pictures.

Sammamish House

When we started looking to buy a house in the very recent past I was sure we would go a little north. The one thing I was certain of is not wanting to go any more east. East felt like I was getting trapped away from my family, away from the fun city of Seattle.

Well, what's 5 miles, really? :)

We took a second look at a house last night, which happens to be 5 miles east of where we are now. It's a pretty cute little place, and we're strongly considering making an offer on this one. We can see our family grow here. The backyard is fantastic!

If you're so inclined, please say a little prayer for us that all goes well with this process, that we can afford it (gulp) and that we enjoy the experience without too many headaches.

The Glucose Test

Happy news, I do not have gestational diabetes. Woo hoo!

I completely stole this image from my friend Chiko's blog - see here.

I am, however, a little bit anemic so I've added an iron supplement to my daily routine. It's normal at this time to be a little anemic as the baby needs more and more iron. I hope this new intake of iron will lift my energy just a bit. :)

What a kick!

Yesterday Aaron got to feel the baby kick for the first time. The baby has been kicking pretty steadily for a while now, but we never seem to time it right for Aaron to experience that.

Aaron was giving me a hug good-bye in the morning and BAM! kick #1, followed quickly by BAM! kick #2.

What an exciting milestone for our family. :)

What's in a weekend?

I love weekends. You could say I'm a fan. I love the idea of freedom to do as I choose, even if just for a couple of days, and this weekend is bound to be full of excitement!



I'm heading to Forks, WA, in part to hang out with my mom, but also to arrive in time for the midnight launch party (tonight) for the book release of Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final book in the Edward-Bella-vampire saga. The stories take place in my hometown of Forks, WA, so what better place to be? By the way, if you haven't read these books I highly recommend them. They are fun, easy reads. If you liked Harry Potter, chances are you'll dig these tomes.

Also going on this weekend in Forks is Relay for Life. It's a 24-hr, walking relay to benefit cancer research. I won't be participating this year, but I have in the past and it's a pretty powerful event. The best part is after dark on Friday night when they place candles in paper bags around the track circle. The bags are lovingly adorned with pictures and names of cancer survivors and those that did not survive. My mom is going to sing during tonight's ceremony.

Last but not least, my friend Stef will be in Forks with her brand new baby boy! I can't wait to meet him and ask Stef all sorts of scary questions about labor. eek.

Enjoy the weekend!