It's a BOY!

Not for us, for my brother and his fiancé Tommi! Brayden Michael Woode was born around 3am this morning. At bit earlier than expected, but they were ready and everyone is doing great! He joins big sisters Claire (6) and Kaylin (16 months). Congrats!

Everything we need to know about raising a baby...

...we learned in 11 hours. Well, maybe not everything but a decent amount. We took a two-day Birthing Prep/Parenting class this weekend at Fairview Southdale, the hospital where we will be delivering. It was a nice combination of lecture, video and activities to keep us interested. Topics included: pregnancy, labor and birth and how to care for you newborn. The biggest message we took away (and probably could have save ourselves a $100 fee) was that birthing and parenting are pretty much a crapshoot. There isn't one definitive 'right' answer for anything. Everybody's experience and story is different, every situation and scenario has several solutions. So, although we got a lot of information out of it, we still have a lot of talking and decision-making to do. The rest we'll just deal with as it comes. 

Call Me!

I became the proud new owner of an iPhone 4 today! Existing owners had the option to upgrade for a reduced rate. A coworker of mine was looking to acquire a 3GS version of the phone for a friend and offered me a deal I couldn't refuse. If any of you out there also have a 4, let me know, I'd love to check out this 'face time' application.

More Than Meets the Eye

In non-baby news, Matt is finishing up his stint in Chicago on the Internal Inspection Committee. One of the highlights of his trip is that they are filming the movie Transformers 3 just down the street from where they are working and have been able to see a little and hear a lot of the action. Nothing like the sound of helicopters and automatic-gunfire to make the day go quickly! If you happen to see the movie, Matt says they were filming along the river and in front of the Trump Tower, so keep your eyes peeled. 

Week 32 - Fat and frequent doctor visits

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb.


In our case, the doctor says that the baby could weigh upwards of 4lbs, 15oz. already! Yikes. At that pace, we might be giving birth to a toddler! Baby also has quite the set of chipmunk cheeks too. See photos to the right and note the weight gain over time ; )


Because of the lovingly named 'gestational hypertension' I have been experiencing, it's been decided that mandatory 2-a-week BPPs (Bio Physical Profiles) be performed on the baby. This is to ensure that the baby is growing at a healthy rate and that his/her heart is functioning properly. We are two appointments deep and so far so good! The BPP consists of two sections divided into 5 parts each worth 2 points. The first section of the test is a 30-minute timed ultrasound where baby gets a chance to show of it's skills in large movements, practice breathing, amniotic fluid level and a 4th thing that I can't figure out. The second section is an NST (non-stress test) where I get strapped into a chair with sensors monitoring baby's heart rate. Every time he/she kicks, I push a button. The hope in this test is that baby's heart rate elevates with each movement. As is to be expected, Baby Treds is a natural-born genius acing both Monday's and Thursday test. As the doctor put it today 'an active baby, is a happy baby and makes a happy doctor.' 

Week 31 - Showers and...a Shower

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. 

We've been getting a ton of rain lately. Unusual for this part of the country this time of year (or anytime of year!) Multiple times this summer we have received 3, 4 and sometimes 5 inches of rain at a time, many of these in a very short span of time causing flash flooding in the area. Since we live on one of the higher points in the county, we haven't had any problems.

Our friends hosted a Baby BBQ in our honor on the 10th. We gathered in Burnsville at Anthony and Melissa's house for grilling, games and gifts. A sprinkle of rain threatened our evening on the deck, but didn't last long and we were able to party outside until well after dark. Several of our friends from Wisconsin made the trip up for the party. It was great to see them and catch up. We received a ton of great gifts, we are really blessed to have such thoughtful friends and family.

Week 30 - Final 10 weeks and fireworks

Your baby's 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 in your uterus. 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.)


Baby continues to move throughout the day (and night). Next week begins our rigorous doctor visit routine. 2x a week until we meet this little guy/gal. I have been feeling really good although, I can tell that the 'tired' is coming back. I don't have near the energy after 8-9 hours of work that I did over the past 10 weeks. We're making do though. We have finally made a bunch of progress on the baby's room. Photos to come in later post. 

Happy belated 4th of July weekend! We've never been good at time-management in any aspect of our lives, this blog has been no exception! After a few catch-up posts, we hope to never have to type an apology for no news again. We spent the long holiday weekend with friends and family. We golfed, we shopped, we bbq'd and we fire pitted. The weather was warm but dry and that was gift in of itself. 


When we moved into our house almost two years ago, we were told that we could see upwards of 17 different fireworks displays from our patio. Naturally, we assumed it was an exaggeration. Au Contraire! We were out of town last year but hoped to put the theory to the test this year and right they were! Now, we didn't spend the night counting how many displays we saw, but trust us, it was A LOT. Very cool. So, if you find yourself in Savage, MN next 4th, look us up! We've got fireworks for the masses.