Single Digits...

Can you believe it? Just 8 days until our due date! She seems to be pretty comfy in my belly, so I am not sure if we should focus too much on the actual due date. Something tells me she could be a late arrival. But what do I know !?!

I have been feeling great. As much as I love being pregnant though (and I do), I can't WAIT to meet our little girl!

Thanks to my mom for the North Shore shower, Andy's mom for the South Shore shower, my boss Jen for our work shower, and Auntie Debbie and company for our surprise Kilinski shower at Grammies. We are ridiculously lucky and grateful, and are so blessed to have family and friends like you! The nursery is stuffed with the most adorable new clothes, furniture, and other baby necessities, and you've all made this a wonderful and happy (and stress-free) experience for us.

Lots of love!

Almost here...

2 weeks and 4 days left until our due date!

I just got back from the doctor's office and had a normal check-up. I go once a week now to make sure everything is normal. The baby's heartbeat is strong as usual and everything seems fine. I've been feeling well, just the occasional sharp pain in my uterus, but no complaints! She'll come out when she's good and ready:)

The baby is full term now! This means that if she arrives now, her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb. She probably weighs over 7 pounds by now, but there is no way to know for sure.

Anyway, that's the latest!! Stay tuned!

35 Weeks Along & 35 Days To Go!

Today is a milestone for sure! I am 35 weeks along as of today, and I have 5 weeks, or 35 days, left until my due date.

Things are great. Andy and I are still putting together the nursery furniture, and we still have a long list of to-dos, but we're so excited for our baby girl so it's all worth it. I am feeling good and really just can't complain.

We still haven't picked a name (so many of you have been asking) but we promise to name her as soon as we see her. We just want to make sure it fits:) We won't bring her home as "Baby Girl Amato!"

At this point, a typical baby should measure over 18 inches long and should weigh 5 1/4 pounds (honeydew melon), but we know our little girl weighs more than that, since that's what she weighed almost 2 weeks ago! I would guess that she weighs just about 6 lbs.

Because she's so snug in my womb, she doesn't do somersaults anymore, but she is moving around and kicking like crazy. I can feel her movements all through the night, and all day at work. it's so hard to focus on anything but her! Her kidneys are fully developed and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — and she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight, and getting those chubby cheeks even chubbier:) They say she should gain about a half a pound per week!

All is well in baby land:)

Belly Picture!

This is a picture of me and my friend / coworker Regina, who is due on August 22, a month before me!! She is already home on maternity leave, gearing up for child birth. LUCKY GIRL!

Thought you'd all like to see a picture of our little girl!! This was taken on Thursday, August 6, at which time she weighed 5 lbs, 2 ounces. Look at how pudgy her face is!!!

I've angled the picture so she is upright. Her face is right in the middle of the picture. Her eyes are closed, and on the left side of the picture you can see that her right cheek is illuminated. I can't wait to kiss those pudgy cheeks!!!!!

This picture doesn't do justice what we got to see up on the screen during our ultrasound, but at least I can finally share a picture of her! :)

Baby Beats - We're Almost There

We had our final ultrasound on Thursday and found out that the placenta has finally moved enough out of the way that we can expect a normal delivery! We are very excited!!!

The best part is that we finally saw our baby girl's little, tiny pudgy face on the ultrasound screen! It's the first time she's moved her hands away so we can actually see her. We got a picture and I'll post it soon to the blog.

We went up to Maine right after the appointment to spend a nice few relaxing days with Denise and Stephen at their Old Orchard Beach condo. It was our last chance for a vacation before this all starts! It was a really nice time, but of course I left the ultrasound picture on their kitchen table, so it will be a couple of days before I can send it to you, since Denise had to put it in the mail to get it to me.

Anyway, all is well in pregnancy land. :) Just 44 days until our due date! :)

Almost Forgot!! The Tour of the Hospital...

We went on a tour of Brigham and Women's Hospital. That's where we'll be delivering. They have a really nice maternity ward, and they gave us a tour of the waiting area, delivery rooms, and post-partum rooms.

Some things that will be helpful for all of you to know if you plan to come to the hospital:

• No visitors are allowed until the baby is born. I will be in the delivery room before and during delivery, which is on a different floor than the post-partum rooms. No visitors are allowed and no exceptions are made (except Andy and my "support person" which is my mom).
• After the baby is born, we will be moved to a post-partum room where the baby and I will stay for at least 48 hours (96 hours if I have a c-section). Visiting hours are from 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm daily. Anyone is welcome to visit!
• If you come outside of visiting hours, or before the baby is born, you can wait in the waiting area on the first floor of the hospital.

The delivery rooms are all private (thank goodness). Andy will be able to stay overnight with me at the hospital. Most post-partum rooms are private, but I think some are shared. Luck of the draw I guess. The rooms have TVs and some even have DVD players. The rooms also have private bathrooms with showers in them. All in all, they are nice, clean, and comfortable.

The hospital entrance is located at 75 Francis Street in Boston, and there is a parking garage right across the street at 80 Francis Street where visitors can park. It costs money, but its pretty cheap.

Once we're home, family and friends are of course welcome to visit. I have learned through our recent Newborn Essentials class that if you visit us at home, its helpful if you bring me/us something to eat, or something I could easily heat up for later. Cooking for myself will be on the bottom of my priority list! Also, there's a good chance that I'll be low on food/drinks to offer guests since I'll be recovering from giving birth. You might want to bring yourself a drink and snack!

:) Lots of love!

Jill

33 Weeks!!

Hi everyone,

Today I hit 33 weeks on the pregnancy calendar! That means there are just 49 days until my due date. Our baby is just over four pounds and 17 inches from head to toe. A lot has happened since our last post:


Last week, on Friday morning, we had a regular doctor's visit. Everything seems pretty normal and baby is just the right size. The doctor thinks the baby might be breeched, but he said that it's too early for that to be a concern, since there is still so much time for her to move again.


We have our ultrasound on Thursday afternoon, where we'll be able to see the baby again - and where, more importantly, we'll find out if the placenta has moved out of the way enough for a normal delivery. If not, they'll actually schedule another ultrasound so we can keep monitoring it. They won't schedule a c-section just yet. If it has moved out of the way, we won't need anymore ultrasounds and we'll have a normal delivery. We're really excited to see the baby again and hopefully we'll come away with a good picture we can post! :)


Last weekend, Andy painted the baby's nursery. It looks BEAUTIFUL! It is called "TinkerBell" and the color is like a pale, lime green. We assembled the baby's crib and it's perfect! Now we're waiting for the changing table and chest to arrive so we can put those together, and then I'll feel like we are in good shape.

Last night, Andy and I went to a "Newborn Essentials" class with our friends, Timmy and Kristine, who happen to be due just a day after us. It was a GREAT class. It was 3 hours long, and we hung on every word that came out of the instructor's mouth. We learned so many essential things that we didn't know before, that will help us so much in the first few weeks and months.

Did you know that baby powder is no longer recommended? If inhaled, it could cause infections. And a lot of baby powders are now made with corn starch to prevent inhalation issues, but corn starch, when in dark, damp places, can grow yeast and cause a hell of a diaper rash. It does still work to get the smell out of my sneakers though:)

Our baby girl has been moving and kicking like CRAZY, more and more each day! She is so active and I love to feel her move! I only wish Andy could feel her as much as I get to. She's moving around right now! Most of the movement has been at the top and middle of my belly, so she pushes into my ribs a fair share of the day. She's just saying "hey momma, whatcha doing?" so I rub my belly and talk to her as much as I can. Andy talks to her too, and he's seen and felt the tidal waves more and more over these past few weeks. It's a beautiful thing.

We are very giddy soon-to-be parents and can't wait to meet our little baby girl!!! We'll update you again after the ultrasound.

Lots of love,

Jill and Andy

Baby Beats - Week 31

Hey y'all,

No, I have not been hanging out with southerners, nor have I recently visited the southern states, but I have to admit, I think that "y'all" is a very useful word. I think I might start saying it more often.

I am due exactly 2 months from today. Yesterday I was officially 31 weeks along. No matter which way you look at it, I have only 62 days until my due date. I have started to research the whole "giving birth" part of this and I must say it is scary. And 62 days? That's not a very long time. So I am in a bit of a pickle. Can't really turn back now, can I? Nope!

I have decided though that I will bring music for my hospital time to help me get through it. I will have a nice soothing CD for the first part of the labor (when contractions are further apart). It will consist of relaxing music to ease my mind and keep me peaceful. Then, I will have a louder CD for the "pushing" part, where I'll need adrenaline and motivation and a good beat to keep me going. Kelly and Andy are helping me make the CDs :)

Hope everyone is doing well.

Baby Beats

30 Weeks and counting!

Yesterday we hit the 30 week mark. I am experiencing mixed feelings that range from "I need 6 more months to prepare for this!" to "I can't wait to see our little girl's precious little face - come out already!!" All in all, this has been the best 30 weeks of my life and I wouldn't change them for anything.


More about how baby's growing: She is about 16 inches long now, and she weighs about 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). 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. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)


I've been a little emotional these days, which is supposedly normal for the third trimester. I do think that with everything going on, I am feeling a little overwhelmed. I feel great physically for the 30th week (thank goodness) but between getting the house ready, getting things in order at work, and getting myself ready for a baby ... I am exhausted. I have cried at many silly things that probably shouldn't be making me cry - for example, last week I cried at lunch when Andy and I were overcharged in Faneuil Hall for a tortellini dish that only had 4 pieces of shrimp in it (!) and didn't even taste good! Andy’s such a good sport. The poor thing ~ doesn’t even get a warning before the waterworks start. It's all part of the process though and it'll be worth all the stress once she's here:)


At the homestead, Kelly can finally bite into real food again, so we've been celebrating that ... we even went to Big Andy and Ann-Marie's for a meatball feast last night!!! Cafe Amato met all of our expectations and Kelly was very happy:) We have been talking a lot about the nursery and plan to paint it next week and will plan to buy/set up the furniture within the next week or two ... I bought an IKEA cabinet for the kitchen and I forgot to get doors for it, but it looks great so far! Kelly, Andy and I set it up the other night ... quite the bonding experience ... and we've been searching endlessly for Kelly's jeans that she lost. We think someone stole them. It's all very mysterious ... We are thinking of finishing our upstairs this winter so we're looking into that, and we're of course also going through interviews and such for the day care/nanny search. Andy is excited for his next golf outing which he's planning for next weekend ... everything and everyone is good.

This summer is packed with plans - almost every weekend is something. This weekend, Andy and I will be up in Maine with Denise, Stephen, Mom, Dad, and Jeff. And Kelly is in D.C.! We all deserve a little rest and relaxation. So the condo will be empty, if anyone is looking for a place to throw a party. Just clean up before we get back. I don't have the energy to clean! :)

Lots of love,

Jill

Baby Beats

Today is Week 29!!! We are just 11 short weeks away from our due date. Craaazy! Everything is great, and I am feeling great. Lots of baby kicks keep me very happy.

By now, our little girl should weigh over 2 1/2 pounds, like a butternut squash, and should be over 15 inches long from head to heel. I bet she's bigger since we found out at our last appointment that she is in the 74th percentile in terms of size. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. At this stage, she really needs lots of vitamin C, protein, folic acid, iron and calcium so that she continues to grow and develop at a healthy pace, so Andy will be sure to keep me in line with my nutritional needs:) .

We interviewed our first Nanny this past weekend as a first step to our day care research. We are very excited to nail down our day care plans so that we can cross that off of our very long to-do list. We are also trying to finish up some things at the condo before the baby comes, so we have been very, very busy!

This summer is packed with fun get togethers, projects, and plans. Hopefully there will be a little time to relax and soak up the sun as well.

Hope all is well with all of you!

Jill & Andy

Baby Beats

Hey everyone,

Andy and I went to another doctor's appointment this morning, and everything is looking great. We heard the baby's heartbeat again, and it is very loud and very strong! She sounds like a freight train in there! I had to give blood today and I got a shot in my bum! And all without any fainting spells, so all in all a good day.

On August 6 we are scheduled to get another ultrasound to see if things have "adjusted" in my uterus, and hopefully we'll find out that day whether we'll have to do a c-section or regular birth. It'll just be nice to know one way or another so I can start mentally preparing.....

Little girl has been kicking A LOT today, and I just LOVE it! I think we might be brewin' a soccer player in my belly! We're still thinking of names, and we think we might have to see her little face before we can decide. We will start painting the nursery very soon - it'll be a calming green color, with white furniture, and brown teddy bears as a general theme. I'm sure once we have toys and clothes in the room, there will be plenty of pink too:)

We're looking forward to the 3rd (tomorrow), where I am sure we'll see most of you! I doubt the fireworks will happen this year in Danvers, but maybe if we're lucky we can all hop into the Howland canoe and take a ride around the neighborhood.

With love,
Andrew, Jill and baby

p.s. Happy almost Birthday Uncle Jeffrey!!

Baby Beats

I am now at 28 weeks! This means we only have about 12 weeks (or maybe less) to go!

Our little girl can blink her eyes now, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through my womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

I am now officially in the third and final trimester. I'll see my doctor every 2 weeks now, and at 36 weeks I'll switch to weekly visits. We have an appointment tomorrow morning, so I'll be sure to update you on anything new!

Side bar: this weather is ridiculous. I know, I know, who isn't talking about the weather. But seriously - enough is enough! June is over! Let's get some sunshine up in this piece!

Our Roommate, Kelly

Hi All,

Kelly, our roommate, was wondering if she was included in our blog. I said, "no Kelly, you are not."

She said, "oh... it doesn't sound very interesting then."

Surprisingly, I agreed. So I said, "let me see what I can do."

This post is not about our baby. It is about Kelly. Kelly is 5'3", with blonde hair and blue eyes. She is full of math equations. She doesn't like cartoons, but I think Family Guy is growing on her, since Andy and I keep making her watch it. How can you not like Family Guy? Kelly is famous for the one-off hiccup.

Kelly lives with us, and we really like having her around. She gets the mail, she keeps things neat, and she has a knack for buying awesome snacks. She brings us cheap toiletries from New Hampshire whenever she can. She keeps us entertained with stories of late night texts from secret admirerers and her funny anecdotes about life. She doesn't like food that is white and creamy, and she eats EVERYTHING with a knife and fork, including peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It's not her fault, she has dental limitations.

If you'd like to know more about Kelly, respond to this post, and I will be sure to keep you updated. But before I go, I will leave you with our quote of the week from Andy:
"So you were out for 7 hours, and you had 4 drinks. Explain yourself Kelly. We don't understand."

And our quote of the week from Kelly (unrelated):
"One time..."

:)

Baby Beats

Hi everyone!!

So, I am now 27 weeks and 2 days along (which is over 6 months!!) and on Monday, Andy and I went to the doctor for a special ultrasound. We got another ultrasound picture but I am not even going to send it because you can’t tell at ALL what anything is – trust me. Our little girl likes to hide and wouldn’t show her face. She also had her legs above her head the entire time, so she’s very flexibleJ Instead I attached a photo of me and my belly, taken today at lunch. I am actually standing in the same spot I was standing when Andy proposed to me, behind the Boston Harbor Hotel on the Harbor WalkJ

I thought you’d like to hear some things about your soon to be favorite little girl!

She now weighs 2 pounds and 6 ounces. THAT’S BIG! She is in the 74^th percentile in terms of size, and the doctor said anything between 50 and 75% is great. So we’re in good shape! She’s definitely on the bigger size which explains my gigantic belly! Baby’s heartbeat is strong, fluids are normal, and all in all, everything is exactly where it should be.

As most of you know, I was told at 18 weeks that I had “Placenta Previa,” which means that the baby’s placenta was too low and blocking the opening of my cervix (the baby’s way out during delivery). This meant that I might have to have a c-section instead of a regular birth. We were told that I shouldn’t do any real physical activity beyond the occasional walking, to stay off my feet as much as possible, and to go on “pelvic rest” (in other words, we haven’t consummated our marriage yet). So as long as we stick to the doctor’s orders, it doesn’t affect the health of the baby at all, just the delivery method.

The GOOD news: On Monday we found out that we’ve upgraded to “Low-laying Placenta” which means that the cervix isn’t being blocked anymore, which is great, but the placenta is still low. Right now it is 1.6 centimeters away from the cervix, and they’d like it to be 2 centimeters away before a normal delivery is considered safe. We’ll go back at about 32 weeks to see if it improves, and if it doesn’t, they’ll probably schedule a c-section. So it is possible that we’ll have our little girl in early September. Is everyone ready????????????? JJJ

So that’s the update. If you want to know more, here’s some stuff I read online about babies at 27 weeks:

According to pregnancy.com, which is where I go for weekly updates, our baby girl should be sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, her brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. She’s kicking and moving all the time, and I might even start to feel baby hiccups soon (I don’t think I’ve felt them yet though).

Hope this finds you all well!!! Other news: My friend Michelle just found out she’s expecting and she’s about 9 weeks along, and my friend Tori got engaged this morning! We’re all grown up!!!!!!!!! Hope to see you all very soonJ

Love,

Jill

Baby Beats

Fam,

It has been quite a while since I have sent a Baby Beats newsletter, and I’ve received a few requests. Now that things have started to slow down, I thought it was a good time to start back up again!

Today I am 23 weeks and 6 days along, which is just a little over 5 months. We’re well beyond the halfway point now, so you can start the countdown to September 22! Our little girl is about a foot long and this week she’s comparable to an ear of corn. She weighs over a pound now. She has actually about doubled in size since the wedding. Her brain is growing quickly and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her eyelids, eyebrows, and lips are becoming more distinct. With her sense of movement well developed by now, she can feel when I dance, so I’ve been bopping around a little more to try to keep her entertainedJ.

In the past few weeks since the wedding, my tummy has grown a lot!! I’ve had to go out and buy new clothes, which I’m enjoyingJ I LOVE BEING PREGNANT! Even more exciting is all the kicks I’ve been feeling, and seeing!! Andy finally felt her kick, which was a fun milestone. She actually kicked him in the face a couple of times the other day when he was hugging my belly and saying hello! I can even see her moving from the outside now! It is crazy!

We are scheduled for another ultrasound on June 22, so hopefully we will get a nice picture we can show everyone. We have been talking a lot about baby girl names, but we haven’t narrowed it down yet. The only thing for sure is her newest nickname which is “Slider” – since she’s a “little Burger” J

We’re going to have to start putting together the nursery soon, and the first step will be a fresh coat of green paint. Can’t wait!!

J

With love,

Baby momma Jilla

Baby Beats

Friends and Family,

Today I am 4 months along! Andy and I went to the doctor this morning to get a diagnostic ultrasound. We got to see everything on the ultrasound and learned that the baby is 8 inches long and weighs about 8 ounces, has a healthy heart and brain, has ten fingers and ten toes, and all in all our little bundle of joy is healthy and comfy cozy. The pictures we got to take home aren’t the best, but they are attached so you can seeJ The baby’s head is sideways and on the left, and the shot is straight on of the baby’s face. I know… it is really hard to make out.

Oh yeah… one last piece of vital information:

IT’S A GIRL!!!!

A big congrats goes out to the grandparents!!

Other updates are:

Our little lady is a dignified lady: she kept her legs crossed at the ankles for the whole ultrasound. She already has mannersJ

I pee a lot.

Andy is about to be outnumbered by females!

I feel great and healthy and we are filled with GLEE!!

Oh yeah, and we’re getting married in 17 days!!! WOW!

We can’t wait to see you all on May 9^th. Love you allJ

Jill

Baby Beats

I decided that “Baby Beats” is a cool name so I am going to use it for all baby update communicationsJ Think of this as a newsletter you will get periodically throughout my pregnancy.

Just wanted to tell you that today I am 17 weeks along!!! And that one week from today I will be finding out if it’s a little prince or a little princess. J

The baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she's around 5 inches long from head to bum.

Happy Wednesday!

~Burger