Merry Christmas!!!

It has been awhile since we have updated Harli's blog. We have been quite busy with this little girl. She is currently 9 weeks old. She had her two month check up on December 23rd. She weighs 9lbs 2.5oz and is 22 inches long. Dr Fackrell said this was great and was very pleased with Harli. She did have to have her first round of vaccinations. This was more painful for me than it was her. She took the shots like a champ and we were so proud of her. I just wanted to get out of the doctor's office as soon as possible so I could hold and snuggle with her to make the pain go away.

Harli had a great first Christmas and received lots of fun new toys and cute clothes. Her Uncle Duff and Aunt Shelby spent Christmas Eve with us due the weather. She had a lot of fun playing with them.

Harli is finally able to start wearing 0-3 month clothing. I thought she was going to be in Newborn forever!! She is getting to be such a big girl!! At 4.5 weeks, I had to give up breastfeeding. Harli was just spitting up too much. We switched to soy formula and it has helped with the spit up SO much. She still spits up a little after each feeding but it isn't an all day long thing. Harli seems to really enjoy her soy formula. I can also each Grammy's chili without worrying about a big blow out diaper hours later from Harli.

Last week, Harli slept through the night for two nights in a row. She then decided that she had had enough of that and has not slept through the night again since. She does a good job of sleeping for four hour intervals throughout the night, though. It all depends on how her naps go during the day. Towards the end of the day, she likes to fight sleep and can get a little cranky. She doesn't want to miss out on anything! She likes to know everything that is going on and is always looking around to make sure she has an eye on things. She is continuing to do a great job of holding her head up. We started doing Tummy Time but Harli is not a fan of that.

Harli had her two month check on the 23rd and is now 9lbs 2oz and 22 inches long. We are so happy that she is gaining weight and continuing to be such a healthy baby. She did have to have her first round of shots. She took the shots like a champ....I on the other hand was miserable. I might have Kory take her next time so I don't start crying. We go back to the doctor in February for her four month check and second round of shots. Harli loves Dr Fackrell and is such a good baby at the doctor.

Three weeks old

Harli is now three weeks old. She is gaining weight and even has two chins!! We are hoping that when we go to the doctor on the 23rd that Miss Harli is up to 7lbs. We know that might be a slight stretch since she would have to gain 13oz from her last appt. She has been spitting up so much that we are afraid she will lose weight again. We might start supplementing a little soy formula at each feeding to make sure she is getting enough to eat. I usually only feed her 1.5oz if I give her a bottle but this morning Kory fed her 3oz. He thought she was still hungry after the first bottle.

This was Harli's first week of errands. Since I still have pregnancy brain, we had to go to Target three times because I kept forgetting things. She also went to Fareway. Apparently, I spent too much time in the freezer section and she let me know. That brought many people over to see who was making that noise. Harli was the talk of Fareway!! On Thursday, we went to lunch with Nana at Palmer's. And, of course, Harli was the talk of Palmer's.

Harli is starting to learn that we (ok, so me) like to sleep at night. She fights all day to stay awake and then goes to bed around 8p and wakes up around 2a to eat. The last two nights she hasn't wanted to go back to bed at 230a. So I haven't been getting much sleep. Now if we can just get her to realize that we need to go back to bed until about 8a or so. I have to remember that she is only three weeks old and isn't going to be sleeping through the night right away.

Two weeks old

Our baby girl is two weeks old already. Harli had her two week check-up today and she now weighs 6lbs 3.5oz and is 19 inches long. The doctor was VERY impressed with her weight gain! This means no more formula supplement...woohoo!!! She didn't have to have any shots today, but will in two weeks at her one month check up. The doctor had only great things to say about Harli. He said that she was perfect. We, of course, already knew that one! Kory and I were so relieved that she had such a jump in weight gain. Harli and I are off to take our second nap of the day. I could really get used to this lifestyle!!

Harli's first doctor's appointment

Miss Harli had her first doctor's appointment today. We are seeing Dr Fackrell since that's Kory's doctor and he sees babies. We thought we were only going to be able to see him for our newborn appointment but he sees patients birth and up. This was great to hear because Kory really likes him. The appointment today was mainly to check her weight and make sure that she was gaining weight instead of losing more. She left the hospital weighing 5lbs 7oz and this afternoon she weighed 5lbs 11.5oz! The doctor said that everything else looked good. I brought along my list of many questions. Luckily the dr answered most of them before I could ask them and he didn't mind he asking the other ones. I figure I'm a new mom and Kory hasn't done this in 15 years so we are bound to have MANY questions. The doctor kept commenting on how great she was doing. He was surprised that she was able to hold her head up so well and move around as much as she did for as small as she is. He said that she will just be a small baby. We go back next week for her two week check up and to once again check her weight. Harli was the talk of the office today! Kory thinks its because her name is so different but I think its because she's so cute!! Dr Fackrell said we make cute babies! I attached a couple of photos of Harli before her first doctor's appointment. She did so well and only cried when we had to strip her down to her diaper. Hopefully next week's appointment goes just as well.

Harli Grace Madson is finally here!!!

Harli Grace Madson was born at 923a on Thursday, October 22nd. She weighed 6lbs 1oz and measured 18.5" long. We were scheduled to have the C-Section at 7a but there were two emergency C-Sections that came in, so we were bumped. Surgery went great and Kory was able to be in the room. Once Harli was out she was having difficulty breathing on her own so they had to give her oxygen through a bag. It was scary to look over and see them doing this. They weren't too sure she was going to make it because her amniotic fluid was significantly low. Once she was able to breathe on her own, the NICU team was called in to evaluate her. Kory was able to be with her when they were running their tests. After thirty minutes, I was able to hold her. She gave a big cry and was able to clear out some fluid from her lungs. After that, she improved and was able to be in the room with us. She had to be under a heat lamp for a couple of hours. After four hours, she was taken off the heat lamp and was good to go. She has really thrived in the last few days. When she was visiting the pediatrician on Thursday she held her head up on her own. The doctor was very impressed. She had to be checked for jaundice twice a day but passed all those tests. All the other tests they have to do she always passed. Like most babies, she dropped weight after birth. On Friday, she was down to 5lbs 13oz. On Saturday, she was down to 5lbs 6oz. Once the baby gets under 5lbs 8oz they have to do a car seat test. After a feeding, they put the baby in the car seat for one hour to test how well they hold their head up and monitor their oxygen levels. She of course passed with flying colors and was cleared to go home. When we checked out of the hospital, she was 5lbs 7oz. We have to supplement 1/2 oz of formula with each feeding and we check in with the doctor tomorrow. Tomorrow's appointment is mainly to check her weight and see if she is losing or gaining weight. If she is gaining weight, we can stop the formula. Sunday night was our first night at home. It was a little rough since she still isn't on a schedule. Today she did much better eating on a schedule. I also didn't nap at all on Sunday so I was VERY tired during the night. My mother-in-law is staying with us for a few days and I was able to take a couple of naps today. I just need to remember to nap when she naps.

The wait is over...well almost!!

We had our last ultrasound this morning. It went ok. She was sleeping so they had to wake her up. The device they use looks and sounds like a fog horn. They put it right up to your belly. Well lets just say Miss Harli does NOT appreciate being woken up!!! It completely startled her! Kory said he could see my stomach move. They had to do it again because then she stopped moving. Well the second time she definitely gave them what they wanted because she would not stop moving! The ultrasound started with me almost passing out. I was on my back and I all of a sudden got real hot and the room started getting dark. I had to sit up and take a drink of water. That just made me feel off for the rest of the appt. I also felt very apprehensive going into the appt. They did a Bio-Physical Profile which she got 8 out of 8 on, so that is good. She only gained 1oz in two weeks…that is NOT good. She is supposed to gain 1/2lb per week. She currently weighs 5lbs 12oz. The doctors are going to go over all tests they did today and decide whether or not they should take her before Tuesday. As the ultrasound tech said “There’s no reason to keep her in there since she isn’t gaining any weight”. She would gain more being outside, in the NICU, and getting breast milk. So we are just waiting to hear back from the doctor. I took the news really hard. I kept it together until we got to the car and then I just lost it. I think it was a combination of hormones, almost passing out, and knowing that she isn’t growing that just set me off. Kory kept telling me to focus on the positive and reminded me that we are almost done. I know that he was only trying to help but at that time I just wanted to cry and be alone. I know that God will make sure everything is ok but I just wanted to have a good appt because I feel like each drs appt we have there is a new complication.

Around 2p this afternoon, my doctor called to go over the findings of the ultrasound. She said that Baby Madson simply doesn't have any room left in there. So....drum roll please....we are having Baby Madson TOMORROW!!!! The doctor doesn't forsee her having to be in the NICU. She might have fluid in her lungs but that is common with babies that are breech. So Baby Madson is just going to be a small little thing but as far as they can see she is very healthy. Kory and I are excited and nervous. I thought we were prepared but then being told you're going to be a parent in twelve (ok a little more than that) hours definitely changes things. I know that everything is packed and we are ready to go. It just seems so weird that the time is finally here! We will keep everyone posted after she is born and try to send some photos!!!

The date is set!!

Tuesday, October 27th at 7a we go in for the C-Section. We are pleased that Dr Shaw will be able to deliver Baby Madson. I have another growth ultrasound on October 21st. Dr Shaw and Dr Drake will go over the results of the ultrasound and decide if Baby Madson needs to come before the 27th. Kory and I are very happy to have a date set and to have a plan!!

Finally a plan

We had our ultrasound yesterday and Harli is still breech. She does however have both legs down (much more lady like). She has her head under my right rib cage and her bottom by my left hip. Her legs are crossed and bent under her. The dr's appt today went good. Dr Shaw wants to move the due date back to Nov 3rd…but since Harli is still breech I won't go that late. We discussed doing an external version (the dr physically moves the baby) vs a C-Section. We went over the pros and cons of both. If something were to go wrong during the external version, a C-Section would be done. The success rate of an external version is only 56%. Kory and I weighed the pros and cons of each and have decided we will do the C-Section. The external version just isn't something we are comfortable with. They will do a C-Section at 39 weeks (which conveniently is Oct 26th). Dr Shaw wanted to push the due date back so that would give Harli an extra week to gain a little more weight. Right now, she is 5lbs 9oz. She will gain 1/2lb each week. By Oct 26th, she will be roughly 7lbs. Dr Shaw said that I can go into labor before Oct 26th and they will just take her at that point. I am starting to have contractions, but they are nothing time able. Many women have contractions for weeks before they go into labor. Dr Shaw was pleased that the contractions had started because that means my body is making progress. We go back next week to finalize a date for the C-Section. I will keep you posted on when that is. Right now, we feel that we will just stick with Oct 26th since that's the due date we were originally given. We feel very at peace with our decision and it's nice to have a date to look forward to instead of not knowing. We are also aware that this could change at any minute, but having some sort of a game plan works for us!

FULL TERM!!!!!

Baby Madson is officially full term!! Even though she's not due for another three weeks, if she comes now her chances of spending time in the NICU are lowered significantly. Kory and I had a chat with her and let her know she can come at any time now. She is no longer grounded! We have another ultrasound on Wednesday. We were originally scheduled to have one on October 21st, but since this is five days before her due date they wanted to see us before then. Hopefully after Wednesday we will have more news as to when they think she'll be here. Baby Madson is still breech, though it does feel like she now has both legs down. If she is still breech after the ultrasound on Wednesday, we will discuss with Dr Shaw on Thursday what she would like to do. Many doctors don't do external versions (they manually move the baby to be head down) because the baby ends up going back to the breech position. It can also cause the cord to get wrapped around the neck.

I finally painted Baby Madson's name on the wall. Now we just need to do a little more decorating and add more color to her room. Its nice to be pretty much done with the nursery except for last minute things. The hospital bag is packed. All the necessary items have been purchased. Now we just wait for Baby Madson to make her grand entrance. I will have a Baby Madson update after Thursday's appointment.

"That's the most hair I've seen!"

Last weekend, Kory had Boys Weekend with a bunch of his friends up in Clear Lake. They golfed and drank and hung out. It was his last Boys Weekend before Baby Madson's big arrival. I laid low all weekend and worked on stuff around the house. Saturday, Harli thoroughly enjoyed the Hawkeye game and was dancing around as usual during the game. This made it a little difficult for me to nap, but it all worked out. Sunday, I had my first shower. It was wonderful! Everything was great and I had an excellent time. We received many great gifts. Baby Madson will not have a shortage of clothes, that's for sure!! Monday night was our first chance to see how she responded to Colts football since they played that night. Well, as suspected she is a Colts fan. She was dancing throughout the whole game!!! This made me very happy...Kory didn't really comment on it. We'll see how she does this weekend when we watch the Vikings game. Wednesday, we had our monthly ultrasound. Baby Madson is 4lbs 11oz and she has gained 1lb 8oz in 4 weeks. The ultrasound tech said that she is right on track and looks perfectly healthy. She then followed up with "That's the most hair I've ever seen on a baby!!" The picture attached to this post is what she was referring to. Apparently, Baby Madson has a full head of hair. We were pretty shocked that you could see that on an ultrasound. Her hair is over 1cm long. Baby Madson now has one leg down and the other by her face. She is practicing her splits already!! Thursday, we had our follow up appt to the ultrasound. Dr Shaw said that Baby Madson will more than likely stay in this position and doesn't anticipate her moving. The swelling in my ankles has gotten significantly worse and has become quite painful. Dr Shaw wants to keep an eye on it and we'll see where I'm at next week. For the time being, I am to lay on my left side for at least six hours a day. I'm only to work part-time and try to work from home. We're still waiting to hear what my work will do about this and see what compromise we can come up with.

I am at the end of my 35th week which means I have a little over 4 weeks to go. This all depends of course on if Dr Shaw wants to take Baby Madson early or not. We should know more next week once the ultrasound report is finalized and I have gone back for my check up. So far, Baby Madson is perfectly healthy and we are counting down the days until we get to meet her!!!

What a great start to the football season

I should start off with...GO HAWKEYES!!! I had to work on Saturday but was able to catch the game on the radio. Baby Madson moved liked crazy throughout the whole duration of the game. She didn't even stop for half-time. She is definitely a football fan and Hawkeye fan already! What a great start to the weekend. I had to work Sunday also so there was no way of listening to the Colts game. I watched it online but there was no sound so Baby Madson didn't move as much. I think she likes to hear the game. We'll see what she does next Monday when the Colts play next. The Colts and Vikings both won on Sunday. Its a great start to the football season!!

Last night, Baby Madson and I got to play our "punching game". She starts to punch and I tap where her hand is and she either punches harder or moves over a little bit. Last night I was able to actually feel her fist. It was amazing!! This game went on for about 30 minutes. Then she gave one last powerful punch and that was the end of the game. :-) According to thebump.com, Baby Madson Baby can recognize and react to simple songs...time to start practicing your lullabies! In fact, baby will recognize frequently sung tunes after birth and probably find them soothing. Less cute news: She now urinates about one pint per day. Get the diapers ready! Now we just have to find some lullabyes to start playing for her. Only 6 more weeks to go!!!

Thursday, we had to make another trip to Labor & Delivery. I was having severe chest pains and pressure on my chest. The left side of my face and down to my arm were tingling. They couldn't figure out what the problem was so they ordered an EKG. I went back to the dr a couple days later for a follow up and they found a small blockage. I will see a cardiologist in a couple of weeks to see what the next step is. This doesn't effect Baby Madson. She is doing just fine.

8 months and a hawkeye game

Kory and I celebrated our second anniversary last Monday. Instead of going somewhere for our anniversary this year we decided it best to stay at home and just enjoy the day. We got massages, saw The Time Travelers' Wife, and went to The Cafe (where we had our first date). It was a wonderful day! I had the week off so I spent the rest of it cleaning and organizing. Kory and I painted the nursery and put all the furniture where we wanted it. It looks great so far, but we still have to add more color and finishing touches. We are excited for Baby Madson to see it. I realized that Nesting + OCD = no fun for anyone having to share a living space with me.

Baby Madson enjoyed her first Hawkeye football game yesterday. She was very active during the whole game. She had a lot of fun and had her fair share of walking. Some man even gave up his cushioned seat for me to sit on so I would be more comfortable. I ended up fried on my right arm and face. The only place not fried on my face is where my sunglasses were. It's a new look I'm going for!

I am officially 8 months pregnant! Baby Madson is the size of a honeydew. According to the bump.com: Things are heating up inside as well: Baby may grow up to a full inch this week alone, and his brain is developing like crazy. Pretty soon, he'll be able to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. Also, his bones are hardening, and he's started to keep his eyes open when he's awake.

Very well behaved baby

We had our ultrasound on Wednesday. Baby Madson is right on track for fetal growth, which was a HUGE relief! She is still breech and her legs are up by her face. She currently weighs 3lbs 3oz. Baby Madson was very well behaved this time. She didn't flip us off or stick her tongue out at us. I think she was on her best behavior after last week's festivities. The ultrasound tech tried to get a 3D image of her face, but Baby Madson kept moving her face. The tech said we can try again at our next appointment. All in all, it was a great appointment. Kory and I left the dr feeling much better about things. We had our follow up appt on Thursday and Dr Shaw said that things were looking very good and she was happy that we have made it this far. She said that after the next ultrasound we will see what Baby Madson's position is and go from there.

I am currently 32 weeks, which only leaves 8 weeks left until we get to meet Baby Madson (if she is on time that is). I am on vacation for the next week and a half. I took the week off for our anniversary last November. We thought we were going to go somewhere tropical for our anniversary. Since that clearly isn't going to happen this year, we are just hanging out at home. Kory is still going to work, which will give me plenty of time to get things finished and spend lots of quality time with the puppies.

Practice run in Labor & Delivery

Baby Madson thought she should be born on August 20th. At 630a, I started having cramping. Each minute it got worse. I figured I'd go into work and hope it got better. Around 815a I was in enough pain that I thought it validated a call to the dr. They had me come in right away. I called Kory on my way and told him he needed to meet me at the dr's office because something was happening. We get to the dr and the cramping is getting worse and I was now feeling contractions. These were not the fun Braxton Hicks contractions that are not painful. They were full on contractions with lots of pain. My feet and hands were also EXTREMELY swollen. My feet were pouring out of my shoes. The dr did an exam and found that nothing was progressing (which was very good) but they had to figure out why I was still have contractions. They ran some tests and hooked me up to a monitor. I had a severe bladder infection, which was causing some of the contractions. The monitor showed that Baby Madson's movement was causing contractions also. The dr came in and said we were headed to Labor & Delivery. Kory asked what the worse case senerio was and the dr said "Your daughter is born today". So we head to Labor & Delivery and get hooked up to more monitors. The contractions were getting worse. After monitoring them for an hour, they finally decided the safest option would be to try and stop the contractions. So they gave me an injection and said the contractions would stop soon. We were sent home and told to stick to bedrest until all my test results were back. Friday, my dr called to tell me the main test they need to come back was negative. This meant I would not deliver in the next two weeks. She said to limit my activities the remainder of the pregnancy and to make sure and test it easy. I can go back to work on Monday. Kory and I had a little chat with Baby Madson and let her know that she grounded to the inside world for at least 6 weeks. Ever since our fun filled adventure on Thursday, Baby Madson has had a full on dance party. She has not taken too much of a break from said dance party. As our friend Katie said, "She is done in there!" We are just hoping that she stays put for at least six more weeks. We would like to her to stay put until she is 40 weeks, but we highly doubt that will happen!!

Nursery and some football

Well the nursery has officially been started! All Baby Madson's furniture is in the center of the room so we can start painting this weekend. We are sticking with a gender neutral theme. The walls will be a light tan and then we will use other colors to accent the room and bring some color to it. I am very excited to have a nursery and be able to finish this project. I will update with photos when it's finished.

Not only do we have all the furniture for the nursery, but we now have the stroller/car seat combo. It was quite interesting to put together. Detailed instructions would have been better than what we were supplied compliments of the stroller/car seat company. There are far too many red buttons that we had no idea what we were doing or not doing. We did get it put together and it looks wonderful!! Buddy thought he would remind us how excited he is to no longer the baby of the family by chewing on one of the wheels. Luckily you can barely tell and we are working to get the tire replaced. We had to have a little discussion with Buddy that those actions will not be accepted and that's not how we treat our sister's toys. He just looked at us like we were crazy and walked out of the room. I'm not sure where all of our children (real and canine) get their attitudes from! When I showed him some of Baby Madson's clothing, he thought biting them was the appropriate move. Granted he sniffed first, like he was instructed, but biting was not something he was told to do. I am hoping that once he meets Baby Madson he will be love her and be protecting and not use her as a chew toy. We shall see.

I had to have a chat with Baby Madson the other day (Friday to be exact) about how sometimes our team doesn't win and we have to accept that. It was more of a pep talk for myself because I do not appreciate when the Colts loose. Thankfully the game was not televised here because Baby Madson would have heard some very colorful words that I don't think she is ready to hear yet. Now I just have to remember to use my "Big Girl words" instead of naughty words when watching football. We would prefer her first word was not a four letter word!! Today may have been the best day of Kory's life so far because Brett Favre decided he was not acutally retiring and instead he wanted to sport a Vikings jersey. While I am not a fan of Brett Favre, I will support the Vikings only because Kory likes them and I have to show Baby Madson that it's ok to like more than one team. If she happens to cry very loudly when Mr. ICan'tMakeUpMyMind takes the field, I won't ask her to be quiet. I will more than likely encourage it!!

7 months...only 78 days left!!

We finally made it to month 7!! According to thebump.com: Baby's now the size of a squash!Baby's energy is surging, thanks to white fat depositing beneath his skin. And since he's growing so fast (weight will triple by birth), things are getting kind of cramped in the womb. What all this means for you: Get ready for some more kicks and jabs to the ribs.

We are trying to get as much remodeling down on the downstairs this week so we can finally start the nursery. We should have the new carpet down tomorrow and the tile down on the bathroom floor by Wednesday. This weekend the trim on the two downstairs floors should be put up and finished. I am getting anxious to get started on Baby Madson's nursery. I washed all her clothes that we have bought and received so far. I am in absolute shock as to how little these clothes are! Now its just a matter of putting all the clothes away and waiting for 2 more months.

Kory's parents bought us the stroller and it should be here this week. We are looking forward to putting it together and seeing the finished product. Things are all coming together and we're very excited to meet baby Madson.

We get to spy again!

We found out that Baby Madson is doing great and is growing at a normal rate. Dr Shaw called to let us know that even though everything with Baby Madson looked well, we needed to check on her fetal growth in 4 weeks. August 26th we get to spy on her again! We are very happy to hear that she her fetal growth is good. We pray that it stays that way. We will have more updates at the end of August.

Our August and September project is to start and finish Baby Madson's nursery. We are going to do a gender neutral theme and use accents to make it more feminine. I can't wait to get started!!

No spying!!

We went in for our second ultrasound today to check Baby Madson’s growth. The ultrasound tech said things looked good. We will know more detailed information when we meet with the dr next week and the final report has been finished. We are back to October 26th as the due date. The ultrasound tech said they go by the first ultrasound from the first trimester because that is more accurate. The dates given in later ultrasounds are usually off by one to two weeks. In other words, it’s a guessing game! J She kept sticking her tongue out at us, which is par for the course! We needed to get a better look at her heart but whenever we were able to see it Baby Madson thought it would be fun to move her arm to cover her heart. She is butt down with her arms and legs by her face. It doesn’t seem like the most comfortable position, but she stayed there the whole time and didn’t move. She has plenty of time to move to be head down and not breech, but with our luck and her sassiness she will stay in this position. Obviously she can be not be delivered naturally this way and it will have to be done by C-Section. Kory and I are going to have a chat with her that she needs to change positions. She also preceded to use me as her punching and kicking bag for the rest of the day. She REALLY does not like to spied on!

After 16 years, we are having to put Sophi to sleep. She has been very sick the last few days and just isn't bouncing back. The vet said its really our only option. We are very sad to have to make this decision but we know that it's what's best for her. It's not fair to keep her alive just because we don't want to make a difficult decision. This has been very hard on me since I have had her since I was a little kid. I just can't imagine what it will be like to not have her around. I know that it is best that this is happening before the baby comes, but it doesn't make it any easier.

Baby Madson makes a trip to Pella

Kory and I went to Pella last night because he had to return something to a partner hotel there. Since we had a free stay, we decided to spend the night. We got there around 9p and most of the town was closed up. We were able to find a restaurant that was open. I was more excited for the Dutch letter for breakfast than anything. We had a whirpool suite and had a nice relaxing evening. It was fun to get away for the night, but I wasn't ready to go back to work this morning. We ended up not stopping for Dutch letters because we didn't think we would have time. I guess that means that I will have to have THREE Dutch letters at the Farmers Market this Saturday!

It was a pretty laid back week in the Madson household last week. Kory and I are still trying to get stuff down on the rest of the house so we can start on the nursery. We (well, I think me more than him) are VERY excited to get Baby Madson's room all ready. As each week passes, I realize our time is quickly running out and we are going to parents in no time.

One sad thing that happened this week is I had my beloved flip flops taken away from me. I tripped going up the stairs and landed on my hands and knees but that was enough for Dr Shaw and Auntie Allyson to say NO MORE FLIP FLOPS!! I went out and bought a nice pair of tennis shoes to wear to work. They just aren't my flip flops and I have to get over it and realize I will not be getting them back anytime soon! Baby Madson is ok after her trip up the stairs. Dr Shaw thought I might be going into labor because shortly after falling I had terrible back pain. I was terrified she was right, but after a day and a half I started feeling better.

Baby Madson's 1st movie

Baby Madson went to her first movie in movie theatres on Friday night. We had a little family outing to the new Harry Potter movie. Now, I'm not a big Harry Potter fan and fell asleep the last time I went to one of these movies (about five years ago) so I wasn't sure how I was going to like the movie. Baby Madson was disappointed in the movie. Luckily, the rest of the family felt the same way. Sure there was a love story (which did not go well with the boys) and magic-like stuff...but it didn't live up to all the hype. Granted, Baby Madson and I may have been more into it had we read a book or two or seen the movie before so we had a slight idea about what was going on. Baby Madson did not appreciate how long the movie was. All in all, Baby Madson gives Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince one star. She really wanted to see The Hangover or The Proposal. Those are a little more up her alley (and her mommy's). She will just have to wait and see both after she is born! Wonderful parenting, I know!

Kory and I are very excited that we get to meet Baby Madson in 99 days!! It's great being down to double digits!!

Bump photo

Here is the first official bump photo. I think that I actually look pregnant. I am hoping this pleases my lovely friends that ask each day where bump pics are. Sorry for hiding them!! More photos will follow in the coming weeks!

*please disregard my man hand that is in the way!!

6 months - 105 days...oh and we have a name!

We are six months pregnant! It's exciting to be this far along! Only 105 days left. Time seems to definitely be flying. Thebump.com's explanation of Baby Madson this month is: Let your spouse put an ear to your belly -- he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required). Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. Baby's also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.

We have finally decided on a name. We actually already knew what we were going to name Baby Madson, it was just a matter of the spelling. Baby Madson will be Harli Grace. Harley was Kory's grandfather's name and Grace was my great-great aunt's name. I was named after her and my grandfather; she was Grace Kelly and he was Emmet Kelly. Too bad neither of them were the famous names! Since my mother changed the spelling of my name ot be more feminine, I wanted the same thing for my daughter. Kory's mom and her sisters' names all end in "i" also, so it will be keeping with tradition on both sides. Kory's mom is very excited we are using her father's name. It was her recommendation in the begining and I LOVED it! Kory really wanted to keep the spelling the same as his grandfather's name, but after we realized the "i" at the end of everyone else's name, he changed his mind. We are very excited to be able to call her Harli Grace more and more instead of Baby Madson.

16 weeks and counting...

Only 16 more weeks until we get to meet Baby Madson. We realize it could be less (or more), but for now we're going with 16 weeks!! Baby Madson was a little sassy at the dr's appt yesterday. She once again reminded us that she does not appreciate being spied on and gave the nurse trouble when she tried to find her heartbeat. I wonder which one of us she gets the sass from! Her heartbeat was 150bpm, which the nurse said was really good. Dr. Shaw had good things to say, which was definitely a huge relief. We learned last Thursday that there was an accessory lobe on the placenta. This alarmed us right away, but Dr. Shaw said that though it is rare she has seen it before. Out of all the babies she has delivered with accessory lobes on the placenta, all of them have turned out healthy. Most times this accessory lobe isn't found until after delivery. Now that they are aware of it, this means they can watch it and keep an eye on it. We get another ultrasound on July 29th! We're not sure if it will be a 3D ultrasound or a regular one. We're just happy Baby Madson is healthy...and that we get to spy on her again!!

Happy 4th of July!!

Baby Madson enjoyed her first 4th of July in Clear Lake. We headed up to Clear Lake bright and early Saturday morning. We got their just in time for the parade. We always sit at the Finnegan's (Kory's parents' friends) which is right on the parade route. There is always a wet bar where Grandpa Gene (Kory's dad) is the bartender. This is the first year I was unable to drink. So instead of downing many Screwdrivers and Bloody Mary's, I chose to eat many cream cheese filled strawberries. Boy were they good!! Kory was kind enough to continue to bring me them when he went to fill up his drink. We sat with the whole Glaser clan and enjoyed scoring lots of candy thanks to all the little kids! After the parade, we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's house so the boys could get together and leave for the annual Dad and Son golf tournament they play in. Bobbi and I did what we do best and went shopping! After we all met up for a great dinner (thanks to Geno), the boys headed downtown to go to the carnival and Gene, Bobbi, and I hung out at home to watch the fireworks.

In the last week I have developed a nice set of cankles! They are quite the sight...especially after I have been on my feet for a while. Kory has made sure that I sit with my feet elevated so eleviate some of the swelling and soreness. This helps the huge swelling but I have to grips with the fact that I won't be seeing my ankle bones for a while and I'm ok with that!

This is my last week of Baby Madson being a Papya. Weeks 25-28, she will be the size of an eggplant. It's crazy think how big she is getting! These weeks are going by very quickly. In the begining they seemed to drag a little, but I know that's just because we wanted to get back the first 12 weeks and now things were moving along good. Now I can't keep track of which week I'm on because they go so fast. We will get to meet Baby Madson in 16 weeks!! That doesn't seem like much time at all. I think it's about time her mommy and daddy get their butts in gear and get her nursery ready!!

We hope everyone had a safe and wonderful 4th! We have a dr's appt tomorrow morning and will make sure to post an updated tomorrow night!

Baby's First Trip

Baby Madson made her first trip this weekend. She went to visit Uncle Chris and Aunt Gina in Indianapolis! It was a 7.5 hour trip there and 7.5 hour trip back. It was definitely worth it, though! It was nice to get out of town (ok, the state) for a weekend and just relax. We got our hotel room two hours before arriving in Indy and got the last room at the Crowne Plaza. The Crowne Plaza is RIGHT in front of Lucas Oil Stadium (home to the Colts) so I was pleased!! When we got to our room (at around 1145p) we found two full sized beds. Kory barely fits in a full size bed himself, so we had to sleep in seperate beds. The next day we asked to switch rooms and the Front Desk Rep said all they had was a king facing the railroad tracks. We didn't care where it faced as long as we could share a bed! We walked over to Lucas Oil Stadium so I could show Kory around. He was more than thrilled to see the home of his rivals (he's confused and is a Vikings fan). We went into the pro shop to get Baby Madson her first Colts jersey. She now has a pink Peyton Manning jersey (that's her favorite player). She also picked out a blue Colts onesie.

Our tour of Lucas Oil Stadium was AMAZING!! We went on a tour of the regular seating, Press Box, Quarterback Suite, the Visiting Locker Room, and then the field. I'm not sure why we weren't allowed in the Colts Locker Room...I think they know I would hide in Peyton's locker!! Being on the field was wonderful! Kory and I got a great photos of the end zone. Kory even took a tiny chunk of the end zone! He's a keeper. Baby Madson had a great time on her tour of Lucas Oil Stadium.

We spent the rest of the day walking around and then we out for a nice dinner. After dinner, we met up with Chris and Gina and their friends on a pub crawl. I thought being the only sober one wouldn't be fun but it turned out be a lot of fun. We left at 8a and got home around 3p. It was a long drive, but we had a lot of fun on our "babycation". It was nice to get away for a weekend and just relax. We probably won't be able to do that much after Baby Madson comes!

*please notice the first baby bump pic...this should make those wanting me to post a bump pic happy!! :-)

22 Week Update

I am 22 and a half weeks today. According to thebump.com: Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop. Baby is the size of a papya. Baby will stay around this size for the next couple of weeks.

Baby Madson is going to make her first road trip this weekend! We are heading to Indianapolis to see my friend, Chris, and then heading to Starlight, IN, for Ryan and Stephanie's wedding. It is roughly a 7 and half hour trip to Indy and 9 hours from Starlight back to Urbandale. I need to get out and walk around every two hours (helps prevent blood clots) so this trip make take a little longer than we'd like, but what can you do?! Kory and I are very excited for this road trip. He has never been to Indy and I'm excited to show him around. Well mainly where Lucas Oil Stadium is because he needs to see where the greatest team every plays (in case you're lost...that would be the Colts). We haven't been on a long road trip before, so this could be interesting!! This will be our last road trip before Baby Madson graces us with her presence. We will have updates on Sunday or Monday on all the fun details of our trips and some photos.

Have a great weekend! Hopefully you are able to enjoy the Arts Festival or the Hy-Vee Triathlon.

It's a ....

GIRL! We had the ultrasound this morning. I let Kory know that it was 100% his decision whether we found out the gender or not. He surprised me and said we could find out. I was very happy! The ultrasound went really well and Baby Madson looked healthy. We were very relieved. She doesn't appreciate us spying on her so she stayed curled up in a ball until the ultrasound tech got her to move. We got a clear shot that she is indeed a she. She also flipped us off, which was pretty funny. The due date was moved to November 3rd. This is the day before Kory's mother's birthday so she was happy about that. We were able to get the pictures of the ultrasound put on a CD so they would last longer than the printed out ones. The rest of the day Baby Madson kicked and punched me. I don't think she was pleased we found out.

Baby Madson's first concert!

Baby Madson went to it's first concert last night compliments of free tickets from my work! Baby Madson was very excited that Aunt Allyson was able to come with. We had good seats which then turned into EXCELLENT seats (see the photo Allyson was able to take above) of how close we got to Coldplay when they did a set in the audience. It was an amazing concert! On the way out, we even got free CDs.

On Thursday night, I went out and bought a Heart to Heart Prenatal Listening System. It is similar to the Doppler used at the dr's office to hear the heartbeat, but not as high tech. According to the package, you can hear the heartbeat between 21 to 28 weeks. Since I am at 21 weeks, I thought I would give it a try. I could very faintly hear Baby Madson's heartbeat, but I did hear plenty of kicks and punches. I agree with Kory....Baby Madson does not like to be spied on! At one point, Baby Madson kicked so hard that it moved the monitor. It was amazing to hear Baby moving. Now Kory and I can hear Baby whenever we want or at least when Baby Madson wants to cooperate!

Half way there already

I am officially half way there! The weeks are going by so quickly. According to thebump.com, Baby Madson is the size of a cantaloupe (that seems pretty big to me). What's Baby Madson up to this week you ask? Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed! Doesn't that sound exciting? :-)

I have been feeling Baby Madson moving more and more each day. Kory isn't able to feel the baby from the outside but should be able to in the coming weeks. It always catches me guard, but it's the greatest feeling! This weekend the dogs gave me a sneak peek of what no sleeping through the night is going to be like. Kory was out of town with this friends for Boys' Weekend so he was lucky enough to miss out on this sneak peek! Buddy does not appreciate thunderstorms and informed me of this every 5 or so minutes during the night on Friday and Saturday. Baby Madson, on the other hand, moves like crazy when its storming.

Kory surprised me yesterday with the baby's furniture! He went and picked it up and put it all together for me. I was running late and walked into the spare bedroom and there it was! It was the greatest surprise! It definitely made my day...ok month! He definitely got brownie points for this one!!!

Yup...this is definitely our baby!!

Today, I had another monthly check-up. Baby Madson thought it would be fun to kick the doppler and then hide so the nurse couldn't find the heartbeat. This game went on for about a minute, but then s/he chose to play nice and let us listen. This baby is already acting like Kory and I!! Baby Madson's heartbeat was nice and strong at 148. The monthly check-ups are pretty low key. The nurse listens for the heartbeat and the dr asks if Kory or I have any questions. This time I had to write down my questions so I remembered what I wanted to ask. With Kory not being there, I knew I would forget what I wanted to ask. Kory and I wanted to know when we should be taking the Childbirth and Breastfeeding classes offered at the hospital. Dr Shaw (the best dr in the world!!) said waiting until the third trimester was perfectly fine. We were nervous and thought we were behind. Dr Shaw said that would be a good time to take the hospital tour as well. I did forget to ask when we should start looking into finding a pediatrician. Pregnancy brain is in full swing, that's for sure! We have the ultrasound on June 19th and will see the dr again on July 6th. Four weeks in between appts is a long time, thankfully this time we can see/hear the baby in two weeks!

Welcome!!

Welcome to our baby's blog. We will keep you updated on the happenings of this little guy or girl. Kelli is currently 19.5 weeks along or almost 5 months. It's so exciting to be half way through! Time is definitely going by fast. Kory has made the decision to not find out the sex of Baby Madson. We have our ultrasound on June 19th and we'll see what Kory tells the ultrasound tech when they ask.

This week baby is the size of a mango. According to thebump.com update for this week: Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature. Baby is causing Kelli to not enjoy many of her favorite foods pre-pregnancy such as broccoli, green beans, NY strip, and Cherry Pop-Tarts. Baby is enjoying oranges, chocolate (this is a new one for Kelli), soft pretzels, and applesauce. The weird/random cravings are starting already!!

We are still working on putting baby bump pictures up. By working on it, we mean Kory has to convince Kelli to take them. Todd is patiently await these photos to add to his website for the Kelli Belli Watch. (here's our plug to check out http://www.shortarmguy.com/)

Stay tuned for all the fascinating baby updates!! We know you can hardly wait! :-)