Babysitters Beware

We had our perinatologist visit today regarding the baby's kidneys.  After a super long ultra sound checking every centimeter of his little body, everything thing looks great except there is just a bit too much fluid in the kidneys.  Three things could cause this: 1. "kink" in the tube from the kidney to the bladder, 2. reflux from the bladder sending fluid back into the kidney, 3. he's just "special" and will grow out of it before he's born.  If it is either 1 or 2 and it does not resolve by the time he is 9 mo to a year old, they will do a surgery to fix the problem.  The good news is that this is relatively common and no cause for serious concern. During the visit, we got some great pictures of his feet and profile.  He was quite rambunctious and the doctor warned that we have a wild one on our hands.  Oh dear!

I have started to do some online shopping.  Thank goodness he is a boy... if it was a girl, I would already be looking for a second job to subsidize the spending.  Here's a cute shirt I ordered from a vendor on http://www.etsy.com/.  <UF is Eric's university and Georgia is my university (our teams are rivals).>>

Banana Baby

The little guy is as big as a Banana now and weighs over 10 oz!  Of course, that does little to help explain my 13 lb gain, but oh well.  I just ordered a newborn "House Divided" (UGA/UF) onsie from www.etsy.com, my new favorite shopping website.  From adorable knit hats to custom signs, this website is an online arts and crafts fair!  I love it. 

It is hard to believe we are at the half way point today... only 140 days left.  Keep the name and nursery ideas coming.  Thank you all for your love, prayers, and support! 

Its a BOY!

We had our 20 week appointment today and it is official... little Hitch is a BOY!  I'm sorry I cannot get this picture to rotate left; however, you can see the "full moon" (his little bum), two thighs, and his manhood in the middle.  Eric is proud of his son for representing so well at only 5 months.  The ultrasound found that his heart, spine, and brain all look great.  The baby's little kidneys are actually not as little as they should be (too much fluid) and we have to go to a specialist to get things checked out.  It is a relatively common problem with boys and is detected early due to great ultrasound technology.  The doctor expects the issue to resolve on its own, but we are going to pursue all follow up now and after he arrives as a precaution.  Please keep our little man in your prayers!

Let the buying and nursery design begin!!  Golf anyone... Lars, as my dad affectionately has called him, will likely have a golf themed nursery.  Since we are seriously considering the name Ryder (Ryder Cup reference, thank you Lindsey U), it is only fitting.  Of course, this could all change (no monogram purchases yet)... we shall see.  I will keep you posted.

Hugs to all!



Happy Birthday Eric!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIC!!!  Well, the picture is 6 months old (from our ski trip in Austria), but in honor of Eric's birthday and the opening weekend of Der Biergarten (downtown), I thought it was perfect!  We celebrated the big 34 by going to the Falcons game yesterday with Brian, Liz, Justin and Brandy and followed up today (his actually birthday) with yoga and dinner at Joe's (thank you Justin and Brandy!).  Eric does not like to make much fuss over his birthday, but I encourage you all to email him (elarson55@yahoo.com) and send him well wishes!

Der Biergarten... Atlanta's newest German restaurant: http://www.derbiergarten.com/

Countdown to gender confirmation!

First... HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY CHARLIE!!!  My adorable nephew turns 3 today.  Everyone send super hero sized birthday wishes to Charlie.

Everything is going well as we complete week 19.  Some chest pains yesterday, but as usual, Eric may have been right that it was stress.  After a quiet night and a long walk this morning, I feel better.  No weight gain to report... must have been the fact that the previous week was a whopping +3!  I think this is the last we will see of my normal jeans... sad, but true.  The hair band holding the button to the loop seems as stressed as work has me!

Hitch got a few new outfits for Eric's birthday from Britt and Lindsey... ok, you can tell they are from Lindsey.  Aren't they sweet!  I bought Charlie a shirt that said, "My Aunt Rocks," a few years ago... being an Aunt is so much fun!! 

Our big 3D gender confirmation appointment is on Wednesday.  Look for a post on Wednesday night!  Have a great weekend!

Name the bell pepper!

We are at 18 weeks!  The baby, according to babycenter.com, is the size of a bell pepper (about 5-5 1/2 inches) head to bottom.  My Friday "weigh-ins", where I log my weight for the week, are becoming less fun.  I'm at +11.5 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight.  I started walking more this week with some other moms in the neighborhood.  Hopefully, that will curb the speedy weight gain I'm experiencing.  Labor Day weekend filled with bratwursts, burgers and BBQ probably did not help matters either.

We are wide open to name ideas!!  Please, email me or add name ideas in the comments.  Some popular selections (could be middle, could be first) thus far are August (Eric's great-grandpa), Ryder (as in "Ryder Cup", Lindsey U's suggestion) and William (after Dad).  Yes, all boy names.  Motherly instinct (if I can have that yet) has led me to believe this is a boy all along.  We find out soon!

Put on your big girl pants!

Gone are the days of tucking in shirts and sitting comfortable in my normal clothes.  Its hard to believe that 8 lbs (3.6 kilos for my friends in Germany) can put you into maternity clothes, but I am almost there.  I made it through the week with my bigger sizes, dresses and today a stretchy skirt (God bless casual Friday).  I found a good shirt (deep in the closet) that I plan to wear for each "belly shot" so we can see how this little baby grows. 

Apart from the expanding waste line, which Eric constantly reminds me is a good thing, everything is going well.  The office is about 50% complete- new desk painted, file cabinets purchased- now we have to paint!  Once we know what this little baby is, for sure, we'll move to the nursery project.

Happy Labor Day!