Thanksgiving

4 generations

Great Grandpa

"The kids"

all smiles!

2 months old

One month!

Meeting friends and family

1 day old with Uncle Yann & Auntie Kate

2 days old with Molly

6 days old with Grandma & Papy

5 days old with Michelle & Aren

2 weeks old with Nona

2 weeks old with Auntie Becca & Allie

3 weeks old with Auntie April

2 weeks old with Lauren

4 weeks old with Bella

4 weeks old with Katurah

4 weeks old with Ana

36 weeks, 1 day... she's here!

Cora Mae Oates was born 4 weeks early on September 23rd at 11:41 pm. She was 5lb 15oz, 18 in long, perfectly healthy with a head full of brown curly hair.

My water broke Sunday at 8pm. Matt was at the airport about to leave for a business trip! But luckily I caught him, he came straight home and we went to the hospital. I couldn't have asked for a better birth experience...everything went according to "plan" and the nurses and doctors were amazing. I went into labor on my own with only a little meds to help thin my cervix and some acupuncture to keep things moving. Matt was AMAZING! We were able to labor and deliver with no pain meds and I know I could not have done that without his support. 

Here are pics of our new family in the hospital..

36 weeks

We had a busy weekend the days before Cora was born!

Saturday, Molly and Michelle threw a great baby shower for Oregon friends and family (thanks Nicole for coming all the way up from CA to help celebrate!)

And Sunday, our very talented friend Nicole took maternity photos in the rhododendron garden next to our house. Her cute family was here too :) Little did we know what would happen this evening...

Tim, Bennett & Nicole

34 weeks

How far along: 34 weeks. Our baby is about the size of a cantaloupe, weighing approx 4.75 pounds and about 18 inches long. Baby is getting chubby and the lungs and central nervous system are continuing to develop. Last ultrasound, the tech thought she could see hair on the head :) 

Total weight gain: Up 34 lbs. 

Maternity clothes: Maternity everything, plus Matt's t-shirts and shorts for around the house.

Stretch marks: Couple more on the boobs.

Sleep: Really rough. It's uncomfortable to sleep in one position a long time, but it's uncomfortable to change positions. Plus I'm up once or twice to pee. Pretty exhausting, but I'm getting prepped for a newborn I guess.

Best moment of this week: I got to see Chantel who was visiting from London! Matt and I drove down to Humboldt and got to spend 2 days with the fam, Chantel, Boo and Ora. Soooo worth the long uncomfortable drive! Love these girls!!

This weekend, Matt and I spent a night on the Oregon coast in Newport. Allie got to go crazy on the beach and we had a yummy seafood dinner. Nice to get away just the 2 of us before this baby comes.

Miss anything: Sleeping.

Movement: I think things are getting tight in there for baby, as s/he isn't moving around quite as much. It's interesting that baby usually hangs out on the right side of my belly, never the left. Makes for a lopsided belly.

Food cravings: My appetite is picking up, but no specific cravings. Baby must be fattening up! Still more sweets than usual...didn't buy this jug of Nutella, but Matt did just go get me icecream :-P

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Can't miss this belly! It's getting huge and heavy!

Boy or Girl: I think it's a girl, but there's still a 50/50 chance ;)

Baby gear: Got the crib! Thanks Grandpa Dave and Grandma Yo!! We also scored an REI hiking backpack and activity mat at a garage sale this weekend. Mamy sent us a cacoonababy - a French newborn bed that kind of cradles the baby as they sleep.

Labor signs: Nope

Belly button in or out: Out, but starting to flatten as the belly stretches more and more.

Wedding rings on or off: Off :(

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy! Of course get grumpy when I'm tired or particularly uncomfortable.

Looking forward to: Baby shower here in Portland next weekend! Final ultrasound on Sept 26th. Last one showed improvement... it's no longer placenta previa, they are calling it low-lying placenta now. But the baby's head was way down so they couldn't make a confident decision about delivery, so we're hoping baby will cooperate and we can see everything.

32 weeks

How far along: 32 weeks. Our baby is approx 17 1/2 in long (44 cm) and weighs close to 4 1/2 lbs (2 kg). Most of our baby's organs are working well now, except for its lungs, which remain immature. The baby is fattening up more and more, starting to look pinker and lose its wrinkles! The brain is developing rapidly at this stage. 

Total weight gain: We have a dr. appt. on Tuesday, but I'm guessing I've gained 30 lbs. so far.

Maternity clothes: All maternity all the time! I've even started growing out of some maternity clothes and had to buy bigger underwear too :-P

Stretch marks: They're starting.... just two tiny ones on my boob

Sleep: Still getting up at least once to pee and have been sleeping on my back more because it seems to help with the new rib pain I've been feeling. I started taking calcium magnesium to help with leg cramps, which seems to help.

Best moment of this week: Matt got a new job!! After about a year of applications, he'll be starting at Leatherman Tools as a packaging specialist on Sept 16th. 

In baby news, we toured the hospital where we are delivering and started our childbirth classes. This is getting real!

We're at the end of all of our summer plans, but it's been great! Here's some photos of what we've been up to...

Aunt Pam and cousin Jenna came for a weekend! We played tourist in Portland and took them to the coast.

Becca, Darren and Lauryn drove all the way from the desert to spend a week with us!

I went to Huntington Beach to celebrate Heather's bachelorette party! 

Miss anything: Sleeping on my stomach

Movement: Lots! It's less kicks now, more rolling around and shoving me in the ribs and belly button. My belly gets some weird shapes nowadays! Baby definitely moves more when I'm hungry, having been sitting awhile and in the evenings.

Food cravings: Still more sweets than normal.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Can't miss this belly!

Boy or Girl: What do you think it will be??

Baby gear: Becca brought the glider chair and ottoman that she used for her kids. Sooo comfy! I'm looking forward to feeding and rocking my baby in it :) thanks Becca!!

Labor signs: No

Belly button in or out: All the way out. 

Wedding rings on or off: Finally took it off :(

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy! 

Looking forward to: Ultrasound tomorrow. This is the last chance for the placenta previa to have moved out of the way. If it hasn't we'll be doing a scheduled c-section around 37 weeks. That's only 5 weeks away!! Ahhh! Hoping the placenta has moved and we can go forward with a natural birth. I'll keep you updated!

27 weeks

How far along: 27 weeks and a few days. Officially starting the 3rd trimester. Our baby is about 15 inches long and weighs about 2.25 lbs. Baby's brain is quickly developing and it can see more light and hear more sounds. The eyelids are opening and baby is starting to blink.

Total weight gain: At last week's doc appointment, I was up 20 pounds, which is almost exactly on track to 1 lb a week since my last weigh-in. Should gain at least 10 more before baby comes.

Maternity clothes: All maternity all the time! Loving dresses and skirts... thank goodness it's summer. Makes dressing the belly slightly easier.

Stretch marks: I'm using Burt's Bees Belly Butter every morning right after the shower. Not sure if it's the lotion or the good genes (thanks mom!), but still no stretch marks!

Sleep: Pregnancy pillow is a life-saver. Sleeping well on my left side, but if I roll on by back or right side I feel like I can't breath or my liver is being squished. Starting to get up at least once a night to pee... yipee. Also been having some charley horses if I don't drink enough water during the day.

Best moment of this week: We're still busy busy (hence the lack of posts) and having a great summer! We spent 10 days at my parent's house in California. It was so relaxing and wonderful to spend time with the family. Highlight was probably our baby shower! It was more of a BBQ with lots of belly touching, baby presents, and onsesie decorating :)

Maple Creek - beautiful swimming hole... too bad Allie is terrified of water

She did love fishing for the first time though!

Baby shower!

The whole crew - thank you everyone for coming!!

Lovin on the belly

April and Taya decorating onesies

Van Dolah family

The fam (we missed you Kate!)

Miss anything: Sometimes a cold beer sounds really good!

Movement: Everyday, all day! Baby had the hiccups for the first time last week! Kicks and rolls are sometimes really strong and sometimes I can see my belly go lopsided if baby is stretching out. Weird, but so cool!

Food cravings: Not really, still wanting more candy and icecream than pre-pregnancy.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Have you started to show yet: Oh yeah! I've had a few people ask if I'm due soon... nope, 3 more months to go. I can only image how big the belly is gonna get.

Boy or Girl: Still going to be a surprise. What do you think it will be?? :)

Baby gear: Lots of gifts and hand-me-downs! Everyone was so so generous at our baby shower. I feel so much more prepared already!

Labor signs: No

Belly button in or out: Way out! Seriously, it's ALL the way out. I considered buying belly button covers, but settled for a bandaid cover up. haha

Wedding rings on or off: On, not looking forward to the day they have to come off.

Happy or moody most of the time: Happy! 

Looking forward to: Getting the nursery together. ..we moved the baby dresser into the room and it's ready to put clothes into! And we have another ultrasound on Friday. I'm excited to get some more cute pics of the baby and to see if the placenta previa they saw at 20 weeks has gone away.