Sneak peek - #3 and 4!!

Recently I visited a local university and received a free ultrasound! It was free because the "technicians" were still students. It was thrilling, magical, indescribable! I was on cloud nine the rest of that day, and feeling so in love with this baby!

Bean was very cooperative for the ultrasound, by which I mean he/she stayed very still while the student was trying to capture an image, then would wiggle only when she (the student) was looking for the next shot to take. The professor told me that Bean is very photogenic - "We like it when cute babies come in!" Gosh, someone knows how to butter this Mama up...

Here's an image of Bean's face, at 26 weeks gestation. I flipped the picture so the face is upright, although for the videos (yes, videos!) below, Bean is laying on his/her side. Can you recognize the eyes (the one on the left is in shadow), the little nostrils, the lips and chin?

The videos below are VERY short (3 seconds), but that's because they actually capture short videos for ultrasounds, and then move through the video, frame by frame, and select the shot that best captured the feature they were trying to look at. 

Here you can see Bean's face! (Try viewing the video a few times to better "see" the image - Bean's forehead is on the left, chin is on the right - so the baby is laying down on his/her side) 

 Here's Bean's profile (baby is looking up). You can even see Baby open his/her mouth and swallow! He/she was actually swallowing a lot during the scan - something that is very good to see in little babies!

Just a week and a half later (i.e. earlier this week), I went in for an "official" ultrasound through my doctor. If you will recall, at 20 weeks they noticed I had a "low laying placenta," meaning the placenta was less than 2cm away from the cervix. My doctor wanted me back at 28 weeks (which I am now) to re-check the placenta, hence ANOTHER "sneak peek!" 

Again, Bean quieted down and quit squirming for the "photo session." Someone really likes the camera! The placenta is now nice and high, so no c-section will be needed. 

Bean at 28 weeks

Once again, Baby showed off his/her swallowing skills. Bean also kept opening his/her mouth and sticking out his/her tongue! So cute, let me tell you.

The technician must have liked us because she tried to capture some 3D images (for no extra cost!). This only works if there is enough fluid between Baby's face and the wall of the womb, which fortunately was the case for us. However, as soon as the technician got the scanner into position, Bean curled his/her hands up by his/her face! Camera-happy at times, shy at others... Anyway, we did get these images:

Do you see the two arms curled up on the right? Then the nose is in the middle, with the eyes and mouth closed. (I don't know why the Baby's side of the face couldn't capture) (Also, let me know if I should point out the features of the face a little better)

Here's the profile 3D shot. Once again, you can see the arms are up, and a faint line down the middle showing where Baby's nose, lips, and chin are.

We are so in love with this baby and can't wait for his/her arrival!! Bean looked VERY content in there (loved seeing that little tongue wag in and out, too), but Mama is getting uncomfortable (and the insomnia is getting worse), and Daddy is itching to snuggle Bean! :) Oh, and big-sister Madeline uses her new toy stethoscope to "check" Mommy's tummy. She tells me, "There's a baby in there! Thump thump! Thump thump!" Of course, she likes to listen to Daddy's tummy, too, but doesn't claim he's with-child as well. 

We're into the third trimester now, just 9-11.5 weeks or so to go! But who's counting, right?

Visiting with family

A few days after Madeline's birthday, we drove out to southern Wisconsin to spend a few days in a rented house visiting Caleb's family. We did this last year, too (in St. Louis, MO), but this year his sister Rebecca, her husband Adam, and their kids Kaiden and Risa were able to join us! If you will recall, they live in China, and we hadn't seen them since just before Madeline was born. To house all of the growing families (8 adults and 6 kiddos!) we rented a house so that we could put kids down for nap with ease, let the them play with toys in the great room, and just spend the time visiting. Below is a brief account of the trip (featuring Madeline, of course - sorry for the bias if you're hoping for more pics of the cousins!):

The first night, we celebrated a year's worth of birthdays!

Chase (3 1/2) found the party a bit overwhelming. He hid under the table during the singing. Poor guy!

Madeline (2), Gabriella (2), Chase hiding (3), Graham (4), Risa (6), and Kaiden (8).

Madeline enjoyed the cupcake! At least the icing... :)

Will and Valerie brought an inflatable pool, and we brought Madeline's new sprinkler, both of which provided for some fun for the kids and relief from the heat.

On one of the last afternoons, we took the kids to a quiet spot off the river. It was perfect - not too deep, the water was warm, and there was a sand bar a few feet out. Madeline was able to sit in just two inches of water while she got used to the water.

Eventually, she wanted to sit a LOT deeper! Such an adventurous kid... I kept her between my legs and watched her like a hawk, but she was a pro. Just look at that smile!

Madeline really liked seeing her cousins! Even a week later, she talks about them and asks for them. So sweet! <3

Birthday Bash

Guess who turned TWO?!? I can't believe my sweet Madeline is so big already! Where has the time gone?

I remember when she was a tiny peanut, only minutes old. 

She didn't even cry, just kind of looked at us all in wonder.

So quickly, her happy personality brightened our days!

Before we knew it, she was talking and crawling, then walking, climbing, and running!

She tried our patience plenty of times, but mostly she made us laugh with her babbling and smile with her never-ceasing adventurous spirit. She was grabbing the world with both hands, and finding she loved it!

And now... we love her even more every minute, and she continues to amaze us with her growing personality. She really doesn't seem like a baby anymore - now she's our BIG GIRL! 

For Madeline's birthday this year, my sister (Katherine), her husband (Curt), and my brother (David) came into town to help us celebrate. We didn't do a big party this year, though it would have been a lot of fun for the adults! Truth be told, she's still too young to know the difference between a full-blown party and a simple celebration. So instead we grilled, opened presents, and just had a relaxing evening. Since Madeline isn't one for cake yet (what kid doesn't like cake?!), we had a sundae bar. It was a huge hit!

Katherine and Curt re-purposed an old entertainment center (technically an old TV set!) and turned it into a kitchen for Madeline. She LOVED it!! For a while she kept returning to it to "wash her hands." Who knew that was so fun?

From our friends Nick and Lynn (who also joined us for the party), she received a fun sprinkler (seen below with a red ball, too):

It was especially fun when Daddy ran through it with her!