Quick Update

Jimi had his two month check up on Thursday. He weighed in at 11lb 6oz and was 23.2 inches long. He also got a round of immunizations. I was nervous about how he would react but he took them like a champ. He cried for a minute and then went down for a nap.

James' band 20 Riverside had a show in Ellensburg over the weekend. Jimi and I made the trip over with him so we could spend time with our friends Dan and Zita and meet their adorable little one Miles.

Jimi and Miles hanging out on their boppies

These two little guys are 6 weeks apart. They don't know it yet, but they are friends.



Zita and I with our babes



There weren't many moments when both boys were awake and happy at the same time... but they still got a few good looks of each other. We had a lot of fun and it was great to meet Miles! Thanks for having us Dan and Zita!

Two Months Old!

It's amazing how fast time really does fly with a newborn in the house. It's hard to believe that Jimi has already been here for two months.

It's amazing to watch Jimi become more alert and aware of the world around him everyday. He's also becoming more and more interactive with us and his toys. He has a little conversation with the animals that hang from his car seat each time we go out. He is currently letting us get about 7 hours total of sleep with one feeding in the middle of the night. Jimi is also learning the art of throwing a good fit. He can be quite a grumpy butt when he thinks he's not getting his food fast enough and when he's fighting going to sleep. Overall though, he's a happy little guy.

The last few weeks have been pretty fun. We celebrated James' 27th birthday by going to the Diamond Knot Brewery with some friends, had a great Thanksgiving dinner at James' Dad's house (and again on Sunday at my sister's house), spent time with friends visiting from out of town, and went to a Silvertips game.... Oh and we survived the snow (although my car almost didn't, it went into one ditch and got stuck on a small icy hill).

 James, Jimi, and I on Thanksgiving (Jimi was passed out)

The beginnings of holiday baking

Piles of baby laundry

James and I at the Silvertips game

Tummy time almost always ends in spit up

10pm

Nearly every night no matter what state Jimi is in (eating, sleeping, crying, etc) at 10pm he decides it is time to be alert, happy and ready to play. This can be pretty frustrating, as we're usually trying to go to sleep around then and it can take an hour or more to get him to sleep. His adorable smile and "talking" makes it pretty easy not to get too upset though.

This last week Jimi has really been starting to show his personality. So far he's a pretty goofy guy. He likes to talk and smile a lot. However, he's made it clear not to come in between him and his food or he'll let you (me) hear it.

Cuddle Time

Memory Foam and Leavenworth

During my entire pregnancy I complained about being able to feel every spring in our mattress. After Jimi was born, sleeping got easier but the middle of the night feedings were not so comfortable. So we finally broke down and got a memory foam mattress topper (under $50 on overstock.com).... Let me tell you, it is amazing! No more uncomfortable pokes for me (James never noticed the springs). I highly recommend it to everyone.

This weekend we took a day trip to Leavenworth with my dad to get Jimi a first Christmas ornament and to do some wine tasting. Jimi did great on the long trip, but spent most of his time sleeping instead of sight seeing. We had a great time and successfully completed all of our missions of the trip.

My Dad with Jimi

One Month

Jimi is still doing great. He's getting bigger and stronger every day. He's still waking up every few hours at night to eat. We're hoping he'll start sleeping for longer stretches at a time soon.

 Jimi is one month old today!

Poor guy was a little cold from his bath and didn't enjoy the photo shoot very much.

 We took a tour of the Redhook Brewery with Jay and Karen (James' dad and step mom) and had a great time! We thought it was a good way to celebrate Jimi being a month old, even if he didn't get to enjoy any of the liquid goodness.

A few days ago James and I decided to go on a walk around the neighborhood with Jimi and Penny after I finished doing some laundry. I came back from doing the laundry to find this:

I had to wait about45 minutes before one of them woke up so we could go on our walk.

2 Weeks

We have survived our first two weeks and with only minor sleep deprivation. So far we've only had a few all nighters, we're keeping our fingers crossed that those will be few and far between. 

Jimi is growing at an amazing rate. The doctor said they look for a gain of an ounce a day... in 8 days Jimi gained 18 ounces. At his two week check up he was weighing 8lb 12 oz and was 21.5 inches long.

 A few days old... deep in thought

2 Weeks

He's Here!

Introducing:

James Theodore Orr

Born Sept. 30th at 9:49pm

7lb 15oz
21 inches

After several weeks of contractions and one long night a serious contractions on the 28th (they died off by the morning), I FINALLY went into labor on the evening of the 29th, my due date. I like to think it was because I slid (very slowly, one at a time) down a set stairs on my bottom, trying to get things jump started. But it's likely that Jimi was just ready to be born.

Here's a break down of how the labor and delivery went:

 5:30pm- slid down the stairs

6:00pm- started having contractions while at dinner at the Olive Garden

10pm- Finally decided I couldn't sit through the end of Top Chef to see who got kick off and needed to go to the hospital

12am- Admitted to the hospital from triage- dilated to 4cm 100% effaced

12am-5:00am- walked around delivery floor. Dilated to 6cm, doctor broke my water.

8am- Dilated to 8cm.

1pm- STILL at 8cm.

At this point Jimi was facing the wrong direction which was making my body take longer to dilate and was creating incredible pain on my pelvic bone. Not knowing how much longer it was going to take I decided to get an epidural.

3pm- My epidural failed.

5pm- Got a second epidural- it got blocked some how.

6pm- Got a third epidural.

7pm- I was allowed to begin pushing. (My third epidural failed)

9:49pm- Jimi was FINALLY here!

They only let you push for three hours so Jimi just made it before they sent us to the Operating Room, which was a possibility the whole time because of how he was positioned. Thankfully Jimi decided to turn himself to the correct (face down) position as I was pushing. Other than the three failed epidurals all of the labor and delivery went great.

After being sent home from the hospital on Saturday morning, we had one of the scariest evenings of our lives that night when we had to take Jimi to the ER. After being circumcised you're told to watch for certain signs of complications...One of those being if they don't urinate within 8 hours. Jimi had not urinated in 24hours which is another problem. We were instructed to take him to the ER, where they gave him an IV of fluids and did blood work. It was honestly the heart breaking thing I have ever seen. After 5 hours Jimi finally went pee and his blood work came back ok, so they sent us home.

He's been doing great ever sense.

We, of course, think he is absolutely perfect! He sleeps pretty well throughout the night, only waking for diaper changes and feedings and he's pretty content to just sleep or hangout during the day.

In the car on the way to his first doctor's check-up

39 Weeks

We had an ultrasound to check Jimi's size yesterday and our weekly check-up at the doctor's today. At the ultrasound Jimi was weighing around 8 lb 1 oz, which is still big but not huge. The doctor decided it'll be best to wait for labor to start on it's own rather than induction.

We also learned that I am currently between 2 and 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced, which are good signs that labor is progressing. So it could be any day now .... or... it could still be weeks....

Hopefully for my body's sake he'll be here sooner rather than later.

Waiting

I will officially be at 39 weeks tomorrow. Now that we are moved and settled Jimi is welcome to come whenever he is ready... until then we're just playing the waiting game. Some days it feels like we're getting close, but after a few weeks of frequent contractions I'm starting to think he won't be coming any time soon.

However, he may have the option of when he's allowed to arrive taken away from him. I am still measuring weeks ahead of where I'm actually at. The doctor isn't concerned about my fluid levels, but is now concerned about how big Jimi is compared to how big I am. We have another ultrasound scheduled for Thursday to measure his size again to see if I should be induced.

Our new place only has one bedroom but there is a little "nook" in the living space that fits Jimi's furniture.

View of the "nook"

 Jimi's crib

Dresser

(not sure what the marks on the wall are- they're not actually there)

A cross stitch that was made for James by his great grandpa

Stress

Last week after my ultrasound we were informed that my amniotic fluid levels looked high so they wanted me to get another ultrasound to monitor the fluid levels. Of course that sent me into a panic as I researched all that having high fluid levels could mean. ..

The second ultrasound showed that my fluid levels had gone down some and I was back to measuring one week ahead of schedule. However, this week I am once again measuring three weeks ahead and they have ordered another ultrasound to take place tomorrow. Needless to say, all of this has been causing me a great deal of stress. I just keep hoping that he is just a huge baby (his measurements were in the 88th percentile last week) and that nothing else is wrong.

In other news:

37 weeks

I have been having pretty steady (only mildly painful) contractions for the last couple of days... but I don't know if any other progress has been made.

James and I are moving to into his mother's "mother in-law" apartment this weekend. I've been filling the boxes and he's been moving them. It's not the best time to be moving but it does get me out of doing most of the work ;o)

Oh Baby

At our last check up I was measuring 3 weeks ahead of schedule so the doctor had us get an ultrasound just to make sure everything was progressing normally and that they weren't wrong about the due date.

The ultrasound tech didn't tell us much (we'll have to wait until our next appointment), however, she did tell us that Jimi is around 6lb 14oz right now. Which puts him on track to be a big baby if they're correct about the due date.

3-D image of Jimi's face, with part of his arm/hand in front of it. He had it up there the entire time.

Side view

I used to think these types of ultrasounds were creepy but it is really exciting to see what he is starting to look like. He's come a long way from his pork chop days.

34 Weeks

34 weeks - 6 weeks to go!

So far everything seems to be progressing normally. Jimi continues to measure a week ahead of his due date at each check up and still has a strong heartbeat. At our last appointment Jimi had moved from the head down position into a breech one. We're not too concerned yet, he still has plenty of time to flip back. Also, there are exercises and procedures that can be done to encourage him to stay in position.

James and I were finally able to get the rest of Jimi's room cleaned out and the crib set up.

James building the crib

I painted the letters to go above his crib

We can't paint in the nursery so we're trying to find other means of decorating for now.

In other news, James' band 20 Riverside finally released their first cd. Their show to celebrate the release was great! There was over 200 people there and they were able to sell a lot of cds. I highly recommend ordering one from us if you don't have one already!

Dancing Belly

Here is short video of my dancing belly. It's a little hard to see from this angle, but I think you can tell what's going on.

I swear it looks like he's doing the wave in there.

I only recorded this for a minute.... he went on like this for about  15 minutes.

30 Weeks!

Here are some photos of the belly at 30 weeks:

We think Penny knows what's going on by now, we're just not sure how she'll react once Jimi is actually here.

Only 10 more weeks to go!

Progress

James and I have finally made some progress on Jimi's room.

We've got most of the room the room cleared out and have put together the dresser and changing table.

The first of Jimi's clothes to be put away

The stroller (which my mother so graciously purchased for us) was easiest to put together so far.

We still have a lot of work to do but it feels good getting something accomplished (and to get some of the huge boxes out of our living room.) At my last appointment I was measuring two weeks ahead of schedule.... so we've either got a big baby in there or they were wrong on our due date.

Third Trimester!

I am now at 28 weeks, which means we have made it to the third trimester! Time is flying by fast! Everything seems to be going along well. Jimi is getting bigger and so are his movements.. .. We now have three months to get Jimi's room ready and we have a lot of work cut out for us.

The room is currently being used at a guest room/ office/ James' practice and "man room". Now we have the fun challenge of packing all of this up to set up the room.

My dad was very generous and purchased Jimi's crib, dresser, and changing table for us. I can't wait to start setting them all up once we get the room packed up.

The 2nd was my 25th birthday. James and I celebrated by taking a camping trip to the Hoh rain forest in the Olympic National Park for two nights. It was absolutely beautiful and we had a great time.

James and Penny in front of the "Big Spruce Tree"

James, Penny, and I at Ruby Beach

Biggerness

We just had our monthly check-up appointment at the doctor's office. Everything seems to be progressing normally. Jimi's heart rate has slowed a little from 150 bpm to 140 bpm. I'm measuring a little big already, 27 weeks.... and I'm 26 weeks. I have a feeling he's going to be a big boy. My belly button has been sticking out for over a month now.

We got to schedule the rest of our appointments for the duration of the pregnancy... including one after my due date (just in case), James is really hoping it doesn't go that far though.

James' last day of school is tomorrow. He's more than excited to be done with his first year of teaching.

24 Weeks

I can't believe how fast time is flying by. I'm already at 24 weeks. It seems like not long ago I was only 12 weeks and wishing that I looked pregnant to other people.... now I don't think there is any doubt about whether or not I'm pregnant or just packing on the pounds...

I was pushing forwarded a little bit.... but not much. James really needs to stop taking these at an upward angle. Not flattering.

Everything is still going well. Usually Jimi (we're still working on deciding on a nickname) waits until I'm awake to start kicking. However, last night I was jolted awake by a series of kicks to the ribs from 3am-4am. That combined with multiple trips to the bathroom has left me quite tired. I'm not sure why everyone says it's just getting me ready for when the baby is born..... shouldn't I be getting rest now for when the baby is born? Oh well, I know I will survive. Thank goodness for naps.

James and I went to Folklife for the first time over memorial day weekend. It seemed to be just like Bite of Seattle but with a lot more hippies. We had a good time and the rain managed to hold off the entire time we were there.

We found this awesome hat while we were there. I think James should have gotten it.

CPC

About a week after our last ultrasound appointment we learned that the baby had a very small cyst, called a Choroid Plexus Cyst, on his brain. This cyst does not affect development or thinking and is not dangerous (it is just a small build up of fluid). They also usually disappear on their own before birth. It's thought that 1-3% of all fetuses have one or more of these.

The problem is that CPC's are considered soft markers for genetic disorders Trisomy 18 and rarely Trisomy 21 (Downs Syndrome). About 1% of fetuses with CPC are found to have either T-18 or a few have T-21. Most of those fetuses have more than one soft marker for the disorder.

Our doctor informed us that everything else with baby James looked normal (they did not see any other markers) and there was no reason to be concerned about him having one of these genetic disorders.  Especially since we have already undergone genetic screening and our risk of developing one of these was deemed extremely low.

We're trying to stay positive, as our doctor doesn't feel there is any need to be alarmed but we would appreciate it if you could keep baby James in your thoughts and prayers. We won't know if for sure that he does not have one of these genetic disorders until he is born.

On a lighter note, James and I went to two Mariners games last week. Unfortunately, they lost both games. We have tickets for another game in June. Hopefully the team is able to get it together before then.

James and I after one of the games

And me at 22 weeks

Also, baby James has started kicking up a storm in the last week. His kicks went from just barely being able to feel them from the outside to moving my whole belly almost over night. It's exciting to feel how strong he's getting, although my ribs aren't so thankful.

Half Way!

We have officially reached the 20 week mark! I really hope the second half of the pregnancy will go as well as the first half.

I can't believe how big my baby bump as gotten in the last several weeks. I have a feeling James is going to be a big baby.

My first Mother's Day was great (and probably much quieter than it will be next year). James made me breakfast and took me to Starbucks. We then headed over to Babies R' US to start our registry.

It only took a little convincing to get James to try on the baby carrier.

We finished the day by having a nice bbq dinner at James' mom's house.

In other news, James had his spring band concert at the high school last week. The kids sounded great! You could definitely tell how much they have improved since the beginning of the year.

Oh BOY!

It's a boy! After our mid-pregnancy ultrasound we were delighted to find out that we're having a boy. I wasn't too surprised, as I had a feeling all along that it was going to be a boy. Needless to say James is ecstatic. I can't wait to start shopping and planning for the nursery.

The doctor said that everything looked great so far with the baby's growth and development. We are going to name him James Theodore, which is my grandfather's name.

I'll spare everyone from the picture showing us the gender. Instead here is a picture of James relaxing with a glass of wine... while wearing my snuggie.

Aloha!

About two weeks ago I went to Maui to be a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding. This was my second trip to Maui and I absolutely love it there! The weather wasn't as nice as it could have been, but it was still beautiful there.

My bridesmaid dress just barely fit!

After returning to work for a week the company I worked for relocated to CA. So now I'll be enjoying some time off relaxing at home while I look for another job.

My belly bump at 18 weeks.

We should be finding out the sex of the baby in a couple of weeks!