:: 39 weeks ::

Well, here it is! I can see my due date so close ahead. Only 4 more days!! Hopefully Easton will make his appearance within these next 4 days, but I'm thinking he's going to be a few days late. My midwife determined at our last doctor's appointment last week that I have not dilated at all yet. His head is REALLY low though, so hopefully that will make pushing his little head out a little easier.

We have had several doctor's appointments over the past 2 weeks (including 4 ultrasounds). I have had to get so many ultrasounds because my fluids have been a little low. The doctor wants a pregnant woman's amniotic fluids to be between 5-25cm throughout the entire pregnancy. And although it's normal for the fluid levels to decrease as the baby gets bigger, they have been monitoring me to make sure they don't get too low. At one point they were at 6cm, which is on the low average. In the last 2 weeks they have increased to 12, then 9.5, back down to 6.5 and are now at about 7cm. They won't induce unless the level goes down to 5 or lower. We have another ultrasound on Tuesday to see what my levels are at, but at this point, they're hoping that they won't have to induce and that I can go into labor naturally.

At the last few ultrasounds, Easton has measured a little on the smaller side. The doctor's are predicting that he will be somewhere around 7lbs at birth. They are monitoring his weight to make sure that he keeps putting on weight.

A little over a week ago, we went to the CHP to have our carseat installed and we put together or last piece of "furniture", the baby swing. So we are officially now ready for the arrival of our little boy. We are VERY excited to meet him.

I have been on maternity leave for the last 2 weeks. It has been really nice to relax and continue to get things ready for the baby. The last 2 days I have had a cold, so that has not been fun at all. I'm hoping that it goes away soon... especially before I go into labor!

Well that's all for now. I will try to update this one more time, closer to my due date. And have one last picture at 40 weeks!

:: 37 weeks ::

Only 17 days to go! 17?! 17!!!!!!! Wow, where has the time gone?

This past Friday (Oct. 9th) was my last day of work! I have officially started maternity leave for the next 4 months. My tentative return date is February 2nd (which is all dependent on the actual day I deliver).

Last weekend we got together with my friend and photographer, Amanda Bordonaro, for our maternity photo session. Although we are waiting for the complete package of pictures, you can see a few of them here... www.amandaraeblog.com. Just scroll down to the blog titled: Michelle & Dusty (Prego). She did an amazing job and we had a lot of fun shooting with her!

In the past week we have had 2 ultrasounds and have another one scheduled for tomorrow. We had a little scare with my amniotic sac fluid levels, but in the past couple of days I have been able to get the levels back up to normal. A huge relief, that was initially a little bit of a scare. During that same appointment, my blood pressure had increased a little bit, but has gone back down to normal.

Right now, Easton is an estimated 5lbs 3 oz. And because of that, we are getting another ultrasound tomorrow to monitor his weight. Apparently that's a little small at this point in my pregnancy, but they aren't to worried about it. They just want to make sure that his weight progresses over the next 2 1/2 weeks. They are estimating him to be about 7lbs at birth.

So now is just a waiting game. Easton could come at any time. Our bag is packed and we're all set for that mad dash to the hospital :)

:: 34 weeks :: Only 6 Weeks Left! ::

The last two weeks have been very eventful. We are now officially ready for Easton's big arrival. My co-workers through me a baby shower on September 14th, which was really nice! Lots of good food, friends and memories! We got our pack and play where Easton will sleep for the first couple months, lots of good clothes and gift cards. I feel pretty darn lucky to work with some pretty amazing people!

This last weekend Dusty and I attended birthing classes at the hospital. We did the weekend crash course with our 2 friends, Nicole and Mike, that are expecting 2 weeks after us. All 4 of us had a great time and learned a lot about labor, delivery and life after the baby is born.

We have a doctor's appointment this afternoon where we'll get to meet with Dr. Diesfield for the first time. We'll then schedule our final ultrasound for 2 weeks from today. And after that, we'll meet with the doctor weekly! It's getting so close! And we're SO excited to final meet our little boy!

:: 32 weeks ::

There are just eight short weeks left until we get to meet little Easton Reed.

This past weekend we had our co-ed baby shower (family expansion party :) ) with lots of friends and family. We had a great time seeing everyone and got a lot of great things that now pile in our baby room waiting for the weekend where we can organize and finish up with his room! We started washing clothes and putting a few things together, but we'll continue to work on it the next few weeks until it is completely done! We'll post pictures soon.

We have another doctor's appointment this Friday. We probably won't find out much, but it's always exciting to hear his heartbeat and know that everything is still going well. Our next (and last) ultrasound will be at 36 weeks.

:: 30 Weeks ::

66 days and counting!

Last Friday we had our monthly checkin with our mid-wife. From now until about 36 weeks we see the doctor every 2 weeks. At 36 weeks, we'll start to go in every week!

This one was a fast appointment. She checked my weight, measured my belly, checked the heartbeat and chatted about a few things with us. She let me know that I passed the glucose test, which is really good news! My weight gain continues to be about 2 pounds per week (and has been for the last 9 weeks or so), which is a little more than average at ths point, but the mid-wife indicated that my body was making up for the no weight gain for the first 21 weeks. So now I get to gain it all at once! Yippee :-/

In 3 weeks we will be taking the birthing classes at the hospital with another one of our couple friends that is expecting. The pre-registration paperwork is filled out, so I will turn it in to the hospital when we go in for our classes. The countdown is officially on... 10 more weeks!

We're really excited to see all of our friends and family at our baby shower this weekend! We have a lot of people coming, near and far, and are excited to spend time with them!

That's about it for now. We won't have another ultrasound for another 6 weeks or so, but as soon as we do, I'll post more 4D pictures of our baby boy!

:: 29 Weeks ::

27 weeks





As I opened up this blog, I looked over at the Baby Herman countdown and it reads.... 77 days! In 2 1/2 months we'll be meeting our baby boy for the first time. WOW!


A lot has happened in the past month. We have put the room together as much as we can now. The crib, dresser and glider are put in place and the room looks so cute, I must say! I'm very happy about our purchases and how great the pieces look in the room! We also found a great deal on a used (but practically brand new) BOB baby jogger. We're very excited that we were able to find a used one in such great condition and save ourselves a good amount of money.


Our last doctor's appointment went really well. Our baby boy is right on track. As of 3 weeks ago he was about 2 lbs. I have definitely began to show a lot more and have gained a good amount of weight. My belly is starting to get BIG and it's officially now becoming hard to bend over to pick up things.


A couple of weeks ago we officially announced our little boy's name! After a lot of consideration and many discussions, we have decided on Easton Reed. We are very excited to now be able to call our baby boy by name instead of always calling him him and he.


We have scheduled our birthing classes for September 12 & 13th... 2 full days of class. A couple of our friends will be taking the class with us as they are due 2 weeks after us.


I have also worked out my maternity leave and was excited to find out that I'll be able to take 4 months off of work! I will officially be out from October 9 - Feb. 8. I'm looking forward to spending the first 3 months of Easton's life with him full time. We have also met with a daycare in Ventura and have decided to use her. She has been watching kids for many many years and is also a friend of a friend, so we feel really comfortable with her. That makes me happy!


And last, but not least, I have posted a few of our last ultrasound pictures (One in 2D and one in 3/4D). The 4D picture shows his face pretty clearly. We will get more 4D pictures taken closer to term where you will be able to see his face really clearly!

:: 25 Weeks ::

Tomorrow will mark week 25 of my pregnancy and only 2 more weeks of the 2nd trimester! Then we are down to the home stretch!

I have finally began to show a little tummy and I feel that I actually am starting to look pregnant! I'm sure I've gained a few pounds since our last doctor's appointment, so that makes me happy. Our little boy is now about 14 inches long and weighs about a pound and a half!

I am continuing to feel lots of movement inside of my belly, which is a good sign. Dusty hasn't been able to feel him yet though. I'm sure he will in the next couple of weeks!

Our next appointment is scheduled for July 24th, at which time we'll get to see our baby boy again and do a 4D ultrasound. If you've never seen 4D ultrasound pictures, they're AMAZING. As you get closer and closer to term, the 4D pictures are so clear that you can pretty much see what you're baby looks like! So as soon as I get those pictures back, I'll be sure to post them for everyone to see :)

Well that's all for now. Check back in a couple of weeks to see our ultrasound pictures!

:: 22 weeks and LOTS of updates ::

Well we have 129 days to go until we meet out little guy! I am now approaching 22 weeks, which is so crazy to me. It has all gone by so fast! A lot has gone on since the last posting. I am now starting to really grow, even though, as of Friday I had only gained a pound and a half total. The doctor assured me that all of my measurements were right on track, so she wasn't worried about the little weight gain. I had actually lost 3 pounds in the first trimester and have gained 4.5 lbs. since then.

We have picked out, ordered and picked up our crib and dresser set. We ended up ordering them from babies r us. They're prices are pretty average and with them being so close, we just decided we would order both pieces there. We walked out of there with a killer deal and 2 pieces of beautiful furniture! So next order of business is painting the room. We've decided to keep the walls the "nude" color that the rest of the house is, in the event that we decide to move and rent it, we won't have to paint again. So once we do that, we'll be able to assemble the crib and have our first two things in our little boy's nursery!

I have also started our baby registery. Oh man, it's so overwhelming! There is so much stuff we need! In the next few weeks the two of us will go into the store to register for the last final things. The things that we need to physically look at (stroller, car seat, etc.).

We are also working out the details for our co-ed baby shower. I am greatful to have so many loving and caring family and friends that have offered to help out. I can't wait to have everyone together to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our baby boy!

As you all know, both Dusty and I are HUGE sports fanatics. So Grandma Pipkin :) and I were at the mall a couple of weeks ago and I picked out a "My first Lakers tee" shirt and a cowboys bib. SO cute! This little boy is going to be SO sportsed out! Dusty even jokes about how he's going to teach him to throw with his left hand and his left hand ONLY, so that he can become a lefty pitcher in the big leagues! LOL

We have been throwing around names for a while now and have agreed on one so far. We haven't comfirmed it yet, but once we do, I'll announce it to everyone :)

The last couple of weeks I have really been able to feel the "fluttering". It's such a neat feeling to be able to feel the little one moving around so much. He already is so active. I'm enjoying it now while it's so light because I know when he starts getting bigger and really kicking, it will be hard to sleep... oh the joys :)

And I think that's all for now. I'll continue to post more belly shots as I get further and further along. Much love to all!

:: It's a BOY ::

Yep, it's a boy alright!

That's right! Last Friday we had our ultrasound to determine that we are having a little boy! He was showing us his "goods" right at the beginning of the ultrasound, so it was very easy to tell that it was a boy.


So now the planning begins! We have done some shopping for baby furniture and have almost completely cleaned out our second bedroom. We just have to paint and then we're ready to get the furniture.

::12/13 weeks::

April 30th will mark my 14th week, but before that comes up (so quickly!!) I thought I'd post my belly pictures from the last 2 weeks.

I have continued to feel better as the weeks progress and I just hope that it gets even better in the coming weeks. On the 30th I will officially be through my 1st trimester, which is a huge relief!

At our doctor's appointment today (4/27), we got to hear the baby's heartbeat again. That's always really exciting! I still haven't even gained a pound. In fact, I'm still down the 3 pounds I lost while I was sick.

And we also made out appointment for our next ultrasound where we'll get the answer to that nagging question... boy or girl? REALLY exciting! At that time I'll be 17 weeks and close to half way through!

:: 11 weeks and a Belly is Starting to Appear ::

OK, here they are... the first 2 pictures I have posted of my belly. My pants are definitely becoming uncomfortable and I know I'm going to have to start shopping for new clothes soon.

My "morning" (ALL DAY) sickness is subsiding which is a HUGE relief. I am still incredibly tired, but that should go away in a couple of weeks.

::First Ultrasound @ 9 Weeks::

Last Friday, March 27th we had our first ultrasound. Oh my gosh was it amazing! They were able to confirm my due date of October 29th and we were able to see our little baby. He/she is 4.2 cm at 9 weeks. Still super tiny, but we were able to see the baby move it's hands and feet. We were also able to see and hear the heartbeat, nice and loud! It was such an amazing thing to see the little baby that's growing inside of me. Because you don't necessarily "feel" anything in your stomach it's hard to imagine that there is a baby growing inside of there. But as soon as we got to see him/her, it all became real. There actually IS a baby in there :) We got pictures and a video. Both are pretty clear. It's amazing how much you can see, so early on.

Up until this point I have been feeling pretty sick and tired. I am constantly wanting to sleep and feeling really nausious all day long which is hard when you work every day! The doctor gave me a prescription for a nausea drug that seems to help a little. I have also been getting gnarly headaches! That won't go away for anything!! Hopefully just a few more weeks of this and I'll be re-energized and feeling much better!

::It's official::

Sunday, February 22 marked the day that I was officially late, so I decided to take a pregnancy test. Waiting for the lines to show up I noticed that the control line was dark and slowly a VERY faint second line was appearing. Questioning whether or not I was really seeing a faint second line, I asked Dusty to take a look at it. He did... and agreed that there was a second line; however, it was so faint we didn't really take it seriously. I had one more test, so I decided that I would wait until Monday morning to take it. Monday morning arrived, I peed on the stick and waited... After a few minutes, once again, a VERY faint line appeared. That day I decided to do quite a bit of research to see what exactly a faint line meant, although, I had a hunch that I was indeed pregnant. I still had not started my period and I was having a few early pregnancy symptoms. Monday afternoon I called my doctor to set up an appointment to get an official pregnancy test. It is scheduled for Wednesday @ 2:00. So Monday on the way home from work, I stopped by Target to pick up a couple more pregnancy tests, so I could try again on Tuesday morning. Instead of getting the First Response tests that were showing me a faint second line, I decided to get the Clear Blue Digital tests. As I was doing research, many people indicated that they don't mess around with the second line tests (First Response) because of the faint line issue, that they would get the digital tests where it clearly shows "pregnant" or "not pregnant". So 3:30 on Tuesday morning comes around and I wake up with the urge to pee. Since you're supposed to get your "first morning urine" on the test, I decided to take the test then. I pee on the stick and wait less than a minute then the words............... PREGNANT................. showed up! After testing for 3 days and agnozing over the fact that I couldn't get a real confirmation, it's finally official!! We are expecting! (I couldn't wait to be able to say those words!!) We are both SO excited. I'll update this blog as much as I can and will post pictures of my growing belly! We still have our appointment for tomorrow, so we'll get 100% confirmation then!

::We're Embarking on an Incredible Journey::

So, as of late 2008, Dusty and I officially started trying to have a baby! This is a big step for us and we wanted to make sure everything was lined up before we took on this exciting journey. So we are officially at that place. We both have great jobs, we've been married for 2 1/2 years and have been fortunate enough to travel to many different places. We've done everything we wanted to do before we started "trying". So now it's been a couple of months and we're just patiently waiting for two lines to show up on that test! :) I'll update this every so often and hopefully soon we'll have some very exciting news!