Life with the Fraziers

Well this post is a little bit late.  I meant to put it up last weekend when I got to be 33 weeks.  The weeks have been so busy lately with birthing classes, breast feeding class, and a hospital tour after work.  It has been exhausting but worthwhile.  We are now officially done with classes and I feel like we have taken care of a lot of what we need to do  logistically for when the baby comes.  Colleen and Joel have been working diligently on the nursery for the past two weekends.  It is exciting to see it all coming together.  We have been gradually putting together furniture for Baby Fraz and have the crib, one dresser, and the pack n play ready to go.  Next step is finding a pediatrician for Baby Fraz, washing Baby Fraz’s clothing and blankets, and packing a bag.  Yikes!  Things are happening fast. 

We had a fabulous baby shower at Matt’s Aunt’s house this weekend.  Colleen, Christine, Vickie, Margaret, and Ellie really worked hard to put together a really special shower.  We brought everything home last night and piled it in the living room.  Once the nursery is done we will be able to find a place for everything.  Having more and more baby items in the house makes it all seem so real!  We are super excited to meet Baby Fraz!!  We can’t believe Baby Fraz is coming in less than 2 months!  I plan on posting pictures of the shower  and the nursery for you all once I receive them. 

Work has been harder and harder for me.  Being on my feet, squating down to the floor and just sitting on the floor with the kids has been challenging for sure!  I am definietly slowing down and having a hard time maintaining the steady pace that I used to.  But luckily everyone is very supportive of me.  I plan to keep working up until either the doctor says stop, Baby Fraz arrives, or I just can’t take it anymore.  Don’t know which one will come first.  I am just hoping that staying as active as I can will help me in the long run.  For now I will leave you with a picture of the “baby bump”. It is much more than a bump now!  I feel like I must be running out of room in there but somehow keep on growing to accomodate Baby Fraz’s ever growing little body.  I will try to post again soon!

Until next time…

Erin:)

Hi there!  Can you believe it?  Today I am 30 weeks pregnant!  It seems to be flying by.  I do hear that the next 10 weeks seem to take forever though.  Probably because things just start to not feel so good and you get to the point that you are just ready to have the baby?  So far so good.  I have aches and pains here and there, especially after I am on my feet at work all day.  I have the occassional (am experiencing as I write this post) heartburn.  I definitely move much more slowly and find that my endurance/activity tolerance is slowly decreasing.  But finally by week 30 you will be happy to know that I am now listening to my body and legitimately trying not to overdo it!  The discomfort is just not worth getting things done in a speedy manor.  The baby moves all the time.  I often find it poking out of my stomach in various areas and rolling around in there.  I try to guess what body parts I am feeling but never really fully know for sure.  I now go to the doctors every other week and so far they say that things look great and are “uncomplicated”.  We will hope that it continues that way up through delivery!  According to the books the baby now weighs around 3 pounds and is about 15 inches long!  Pretty neat!  I do feel it taking up more room in there daily. 

We have had a lot of exciting events recently!  The last weekend in January we had a really nice baby shower in upstate NY for family and friends that are far from Baltimore.  It was really relaxing at the McCarthy’s house with the wood stove and the fireplace roaring.  The temperature was chilly up there!  I am so thankful to have such wonderful family and friends!  It made me so much more excited to meet our baby and to introduce him/her to our family and friends. 

Then last Friday we had our carpet installed which means that the basement renovations are 99% done!  Yay!  They came just in time to beat the big snow storm!  We were really happy that they were able to install the carpet when they did because shortly after they left we officially became stranded due to the storm!  Scroll down to one of the initial posts where I have the “before” basement pictures.  Then take a look at these for the after!  It is like a totally different place down there.  We are so happy to basically be done!  Now on to the baby’s room!!!  

Then finally here are some pictures from this weekend’s storm!  We were house bound Friday, Saturday, and finally got out on Sunday afternoon!  Now we are sitting here watching part two of the storm occur outside our windows.  We are stuck at home once again.  On top of the 27 inches that we currently have they are predicting another 10-20 inches!  Maryland is going to take a long time to fully recover from this!  I have never had 2 blizzard warnings in one week!!!

Until next time…

Erin 🙂

Hey there everyone!  We are on the final stretch!  I have officially entered the 3rd trimester!  Things are moving along so quickly.  Reality is really settling in that Baby Fraz will be here before we know it.  We are getting so excited for his/her arrival!  We are really looking forward to find out if it is a boy or a girl.  I feel great so far, just slowing down a little bit.  Work is getting a little bit more difficult because it can be physically demanding.  On my longer days my back tends to get pretty sore.  In fact the other night I decided that it would be a good idea to soothe the back pain with a hot bath.  Much to my chagrin, however, my belly did not fit in the tub!  My whole body got warm but I had a big old cold belly sitting outside of the bath.  Plus once I laid down in the tub, I almost got stuck!  I had to be creative and roll to my side to then transition up into sitting.  Phew that was a close call!  Needless to say I have officially made this note to self: next time you have back pain during pregnancy, try a heating pad!!!

On the home front, Matt is finishing up painting the basement this week and then our carpet will be installed next Friday in the basement and the living room, yay!!!  Then the process of cleaning out the guest bedroom/”storage closet”/nursery and painting/decorating begins.  It couldn’t have come a moment sooner because in about a week or two the crib and dresser/changing table will be ready for pick up thanks to Nannie!!!

As for the baby, it weighs just over 2 pounds and is almost 15 inches long from foot to head!  Crazy right?  He/she rolls, kicks and is now hiccuping regularly!   I have actually been thinking recently that even though I will be so incredibly happy to have Baby Fraz to hold in my arms after he/she is born, I will miss having him/her in my stomach all the time.  It is really nice being able to have the baby with me everywhere that I go!  My constant companion.

Before I sign off, check out Matt’s No Meat Athlete Blog.  Due to popular demand I wrote a little post to update his readers on the pregnancy.  In it I have more pictures of the giraffe but this time he’s dressed in a one-of-a-kind No Meat Athlete onesie that I had made.

Until next time…

Erin 🙂

Just wanted to share with you my latest project!  Colleen and Joel gave me a neat knitting book for Christmas that gives you patterns to make knit animals, dolls, etc.  I took it upon myself to make a giraffe for the baby and it came out pretty cute!  I cant wait to put it in his/her room.

I think a bunny will be next!  Stay tuned!!!

Until next time…

Erin 🙂

Hi there!  It has been a busy time of year for all of us!  The holidays are always especially busy.  The picture to the left is from Matt’s birthday.  He bought me a juicer for Christmas and we have been experimenting with many concoctions of juices.  I believe this was a beet, grapefruit, and lime juice.  Not our favorite one but still tasty!  Since the last post the basement contruction is coming to an end, we had our front door and door frame replaced, we celebrated Matt’s 29th birthday, Matt ran his first ever 50K, and we started registering for baby gear (which nearly gave me a nervous breakdown because I hate shopping and felt like I didnt have a clue as to what I was supposed to get)!  Also the dogs ran away 2 times and, one of the times, I took a big fall and got pretty banged up.  It took about a week to recover but am feeling better.  As expected the doctor does not recommend falling so I will do my best to avoid this again:)  Wow a lot can happen in 2 weeks!!! 

It’s funny, I think that in the back of my mind I was very calm and relaxed about Baby Fraz’s arrival thinking that I wouldn’t really have to kick the planning into gear until 2010.  Lo and behold it is 2010!!!  Only a few more months until his/her arrival!    Can you believe it?  So as the hormones kick into full force I have had some little meltdowns.  Ryan, Bryce, Joel, Christine, and Matt have put together a great effort to help expedite the basement renovations.  It looks like we will be hopefully painting then getting carpet sometime this week, and installing the toilet, shower door and sink next weekend!  You would think that then we could kick back, relax and enjoy this but there is the little issue of Baby Fraz’s room posing as a storage closet right now:)  So next plan is to clean out that room and organize the stuff that we have so that then we could begin painting and organizing Baby Fraz’s room before his/her arrival in April.  To make sure that we are documenting all that is occuring in the preparation for Baby Fraz, Matt bought me a great baby book where I can write down everything.  I took time the other day to start that and it was really fun to reflect back on the past 6 months!  Can you believe I have been pregnant for 6 months?!??!? 

As for Baby Fraz, he/she is moving around all the time!  I feel a ton of kicking, sliding, maybe rolling etc all around.  In the past the movement was really low but now I feel it all over!  It is really fun for all of us!  Baby Fraz’s aunts, Christine and Colleen, were both able to feel the movement over the holidays and Baby Fraz did not disappoint!  Just the other day we were trying to listen to the baby with this monitor that Matt bought for me, we could hear kicking but then the baby went wild!  I don’t know if there was a sound wave omitted from the device that got him/her moving but the device was just bouncing on my stomach because Baby Fraz was kicking so incredibly hard!  You could see the movement clearly just by looking at my stomach.  Another pretty neat moment for us. 

So now as we have entered 2010 I can’t help but think about all of the wonderful blessings to come, many of the wonderful “firsts” that will happen this year.  We can’t wait to meet Baby Fraz, give him or her a proper name, and for all of you to share in our joy!  It looks like it is going to be an amazing year! 

So without further ado……  Here is a picture that we took at 24 weeks of my growing belly!  It seems like every day it gets a little bit bigger and rounder! 

Until next time…

Erin 🙂

It seems as though a lot has changed in the last two weeks!  Shortly after my last blog entry Matt was able to feel Baby Fraz moving for the first time.  The movements initially were few and far between and now they are getting stronger and more frequent every day!  Today Baby Fraz moved more than ever!  I feel like it’s his/her way of letting me know he/she is there.  If I try to bend over too far it almost seems like he/she goes nuts and says, “hey mom you’re squashing me!!!”  It’s also really fun to be able to share the movement with family and friends.  Last week Pop and Gigi (Tim and Margaret) were able to feel the baby move for the first time.  It seems as though Baby Fraz is enjoying going over to see Pop and Gigi because everytime we are there, he/she seems to “put on a clinic” and moves around a lot.   

Baby Fraz is growing rapidly!  I now officially feel pregnant!  There is no denying it!  In the past week especially, my stomach has “popped” out and maternity shirts are starting to fit much better.  Just today, I put on a shirt that last week seemed too big!  Also I have noticed that the way people look at me has already changed.  Instead of greeting me by looking me straight in the eye, they greet me by staring at my stomach then glancing at my face!  People are also now alerting ME that I have popped and look pregnant.  Phew!  Glad they can keep me posted on the changes going on in my body!  Ha ha!  Also my stomach has officially become public property.  People always talked about it happening and the time is here.  It’s like my belly has a hand magnet inside of it because everyone is touching it!  All kidding aside, my favorite part about all of the changes is the increase in movement from Baby Fraz throughout the day.  It serves as a constant reminder of the miracle inside of me and helps me focus on the positive things going on in life.  Baby Fraz has a way of making a stressful day much better.  I have also thought a lot about what it will be like to meet Baby Fraz and I just can’t wait! 

Oh and before I forget, Baby Fraz is about the size of a spaghetti squash, weighing in at about a pound.  They say that the baby looks more like an “immature infant.”  It’s pretty amazing.  So without further ado, here’s the belly shot!!!

Until next time…

Erin 🙂

It’s funny to think back on when we found out I was pregnant and thought that each week was going by so slowly with minimal changes.  Now it seems as though things seem a little bit different every day!  Some days I feel bigger than others and I definitely get bigger after eating.  I just read that the baby is the size of a small cantelope in my melon-sized uterus.  It weighs around 10 ounces now too and the uterus has crept up to the level of my belly button.  The biggest changes I have noticed in the past two weeks has been my stomach popping out, increased need for maternity pants/shirts, low back pain, and decreased sleep (from the back pain).  As for the maternity pants, I woke up last wednesday and realized that would be the last day for me to comfortably wear my own pants.  I knew this day would come and here it was staring me down:)  Since that time, I have been in maternity pants but am definitely still a little small for some of them…guess it’s that inbetween phase.  All I know is that there is no going back to my other pants until after Baby Fraz is born!  The movements of Baby Fraz have become more distinctive in the past week as well.  There are no more butterly fluttering feelings.  Now it feels like real movement inside!  It still isn’t palpable to Matt but he is monitoring Baby Fraz closely.

On the home front, the drywall is almost completed thanks to Ryan!  Estimated finish date is before Christmas!  I can’t wait to see it all completed.  On Thursday, we had a great Thanksgiving with lots of veggies and all in all a very relaxing time spent with family.  I am very thankful to have so many wonder people in my life!

Until Next Time…

Erin:)

It’s a………healthy baby!  We stuck with our gut feelings and went into the sonogram today with our game faces on:)  When the opportunity came to find out the sex of the baby, Matt and I turned away and kept it a surprise!  It was pretty tough to not turn around in the moment but now that the experience is over I think it will be easier to not think about it!  We really look forward to finding out what we are having when she/he is delivered.  What a great surprise it will be! 

The sonogram was really incredible.  We got to see the baby in 2D, 3D, and 4D (the 4th dimension is real time).  According to the technician and the doctor everything looks great!  They said that the baby is measuring around 19 weeks but that could give or take a few days because it isn’t precise.  I will find out if the due date will change at my next appointment in 2 weeks.  As for now we are sticking with April 19th!  We got to see the blood flow in the umbilical cord, the heart beating, kidneys, and the brain.  Baby Fraz was moving their right arm a lot and bringing it to the face.  The left hand stayed somewhat under the chin.  I don’t have a scanner so I took pictures of some of the sonogram pictures.  Hope you enjoy seeing Baby Fraz!

2D Profile picture with the head on the right, facing up

2D profile picture with the right arm up in the air near the face

3D Picture of the face with the right hand up near the face

3D picture of the face with Baby Fraz smiling a little (placenta is on the left-looks like a pillow:))

It really is amazing what they can do/see with these sonograms!  We are so happy that things look good and are looking forward to a few months from now when we get to meet our little Baby Fraz in person! 

Until Next time…

Erin 🙂

I bought Baby Fraz his/her first piece of clothing today at the Irish Festival in Maryland!  Check it out:)

Since my last post physically there haven’t been many changes other than my gradually thickening waist line!  I did go out and buy one pair of maternity jeans to have on deck just in case I woke up one day and my jeans didn’t fit!  Wanted to be prepared for that moment.  I am still fortunate to be wearing my regular clothes although I am sure that in the near future they will be set aside to make way for maternity apparel:)  Buying maternity clothes right now is tough because I am just not pregnant enough for them now so I almost have to guess how I will be in a month or so.  Plus I hate shopping!  That is why I came home with just one pair of jeans.  I think that today I may take the plunge and try it again. 

As for Baby Fraz, she/he is the size of a turnip this week weighing in at about 5 ounces and measuring 5 inches from rump to head!  Getting bigger and bigger!  I actually noticed today that when I lay down flat on my back my stomach has a slight bulge that no longer disappears!  Plus it is firm.  Pretty exciting!   I went to the doctors around week 16 and was able to record the heartbeat on a tape recorder.  I will try to get it downloaded so that I can share it with you all.  Not the best recording but it will do for now right?  It is nice to have it though so that I can listen to the heartbeat at my leisure:)  The biggest news of the week is that last Sunday I felt Baby Fraz moving for the first time!!!!!!  I wasn’t sure at first if it was the baby moving, it just felt like a tingling/fluttering feeling.  Then it persisted on and off throughout the day.  Also each day this week I have been able to feel it again and again!  Pretty exciting right?  I think it will be a while before the movement is noticeable outside for Matt but I hope that it comes soon for him! 

Until Next Time….

Erin