Madeline Grace is 6 weeks old!

http://www.madelinegracehartfiel.shutterfly.com/

Hello! Check out the site above for pictures of Madeline. I haven't had time to update the blog, but I did get pictures up. Enjoy!

Love,
Mom, Dad and Maddie

Happy 40 weeks TODAY!

Well, we started the day at 10am with a Dr's appt .... and ended up at the hospital! When I went to the Dr. for my routine weekly check up she said my bp was elevated and there was protein in my urine and I am dilated to 3cm. So, we did an ultrasound to make sure the fluid and everything was good with the baby - and it was. Fun to see baby again, and again the tech mentioned the full head of hair! So funny.

My Dr decided to send me over the hospital just to double/triple check everything ... which is fine by me. She wanted them to monitor baby and me and do blood work. So, we headed the hospital and they hooked me up to see the baby's heartbeat, my contractions and bp. That was cool. Apparently I am having contractions but I don't feel them yet. Too bad it won't stay like that. We got to listen to the baby for a long time! Just kicking and moving all over the place. My bp averaged normal and the blood work came back good too. They said if something was off they would have induced today.

All I could think was - I need food ... #1 and - I have lots of stuff on my list to do today. All Matthew could think was - YEAH ... we are about to have a baby! :) He was super excited and I was super nervous. He was amazing though all day just keeping me calm. He spread the word asking for prayers and his mom and dad ended up at the hospital to wait with us for the results. So great to know that family and friends were praying for us. Such a peaceful and calming feeling.

The baby will come anytime now. We have a scheduled induction on Thur morning ... early if the baby decides not to come. I am not going to try and predict anything anymore ... I seem to always be wrong. God has a little plan - we are just going to wait to see what it is. That's the update. Long day - now we are ready for bed!

The next update will probably be - BABY! Ya hooooo!

39 Weeks .... and counting!

Well ... 39 weeks and still no baby! The appointments have been every week so far and I look forward to them. At 36 and 38 weeks I was dilated but not a single contraction. My appt on Monday was uneventful - no changes. My doctor expected to see me NYE weekend, but ... nope. So - this baby and God have a little plan, we just don't know what it is yet.

I am just keeping busy this week and waiting patiently. I laugh at women who try all of the tricks to make baby come sooner - eat mexican, eat pineapple, walk a ton, etc.! They don't work ... but, don't think I didn't try them too! HA! Pineapple was on sale at HEB. :)

Everything is ready to go. Baby is still kicking around in there - enjoying the nice warm space for a bit longer. Our due date is the 11th and if baby doesn't come by the 18th ... we will be induced. Hopefully baby will decide to join us before then. Please keep us in your prayers during the next few weeks of the unknown.

We did take maternity pictures a few weeks ago and that was fun. Here are a few.

We had a great time taking these pictures. Now we will know what we looked like when our first little miracle was born.

36 Weeks ... Baby is almost ready!

Baby's skin is getting smooth and soft, her gums are rigid, her liver and kidneys are in working order, and her circulation and immune system are basically good to go. Her lungs are the only organs that still need to fully mature, but every day she gets a little closer to breathing on her own.

How far along? 36 Weeks
Total Weight Gain? 23 pounds
Baby's Heartbeat: 152 bpm (36 weeks)
Maternity clothes?
Movement? YES! All day ... all night. They say you will notice sleep and awake patterns ... hmmmm. Not sure much - mostly awake patterns.
Food cravings: Not really. Waiting for those to kick in. Come on!!!
Gender: Still don't know. No dreams ... nothing! People are really getting into guessing though. Fun!
Labor Signs: The doc said I was 1cm at my appt last Friday and baby is in position. It still may be a while though.
Belly Button in or out? Still in there ...
What I miss: Anything that I once missed will be back soon enough.
What I am looking forward to: My last week of work ... this week! And starting my new job as a mommy!
Weekly Wisdom: Continue to trust in God that everything will work out just perfectly according to His will. Excited to see what He has in store for us in the coming weeks!
Milestones: We have completed our Childbirthing class and it was awesome! A little long for one day, but great info and our instructor was hilarious! Very cool class and we feel very prepared now. Ready to have this little baby!!!!
Daddy-to-be thoughts/Comments: There was just one part of the class where he had to look away when we were watching a video ... but, so did I! I have an idea of what goes on down their when giving birth ... and that's about all I need ... an "idea." Yikes!
 

Baby's first SNOW DAY!

 

The neighbor kid worked really hard on this little guy:

And the mommies to be - 30 weeks and 36 weeks!

 

And the soon to be parents!!!

 

 

And .... not sure what to say here ...

 

34 Weeks ....

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. 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!

How far along? 34 Weeks
Total Weight Gain? 21 pounds
Baby's Heartbeat: 140-150 bpm (33 weeks)
Maternity clothes? Still only have one maternity shirt that I haven't worn. The others are normal shirts, they just have a lot of material in the waist ... or they stretch real nice!
Movement? YES! Everyone can see and feel the movement now. And then they look at me with these big eyes ... like wow! And I say ... I know! It's crazy!!!
Food cravings: Nope. Just like ice cream!
Gender: It's getting closer ... 6 more weeks and then we will know. I still have no clue. Lots of guesses from everyone though. That's fun!
Labor Signs: Nope!
Belly Button in or out? Still in there ...
What I miss: Sleeping on my back or stomach. Now I can't do either for sure ... if I am on my back - legs go numb and back hurts. And haven't slept on my stomach since week 12!
What I am looking forward to: My last day of work ... in 12 days!
Weekly Wisdom: Everyone tells you to walk ... walk walk walk. Well, it just gets a weeee bit harder to walk when belly is big, back hurts, and baby is kicking and jabbing you while you are trying to walk - the kicks that make you stop, bend over, and re-adjust baby so you can continue. So, I am trying to WALK!
Milestones: We have the nursery done, except for a few things we have to buy. And the changing table and bassinet are in our room ready to go! Looking forward to our Childbirthing Class this weekend. I am sure I will have stories after this one. I have heard a bit about the videos we watch ... Mattie may have a hard time with that. HA!
Daddy to-be thoughts/comments: "What is that baby doing in there???" Exactly. I have no idea. My belly just bounces and jumps all around like something is trying to get out.

Thanksgiving Weekend:
 
At Karen and Jim's ... all of their pets behind us!

And baby bump at 34 weeks:

32 Weeks .... 8 months!

All About Baby
Just like you, your unborn baby will establish a daily routine. You'll notice at times your baby is active and wiggly, while at other times you can't feel her movements. Once your baby's born, she'll most likely continue with her in-utero pattern. Along with a routine, your baby has favorite positions too. A favorite of many unborn babies is to have their heads down, rumps up towards the ribs (conveniently, the perfect position for labor).Your unborn baby weighs around four pounds and stretches to over 11 and one-half inches in length (crown to rump). And 17-19 inches long (crown to feet).

How far along? 32 Weeks
Total Weight Gain? 19 pounds
Baby's Heartbeat: 152-156 bpm (31 weeks)
Maternity clothes? Maternity pants are nice!!!
Movement? YES! The baby likes to stretch out .... feet are coming out of one side and the head out of the other. My belly is always a different shape than it's supposed to be. Little rascal ...
Food cravings: Still nothing. Just keep eating my ice cream!
Gender: Still no clue. Had another dream and it was a little girl. Only 8 more weeks ... and then we will know!
Labor Signs: Nope!
Belly Button in or out? Still in there ...
What I miss: Nothing really. Just enjoying 8 more weeks of pregnancy bliss!
What I am looking forward to: My last day of work ... in 17 days!
Weekly Wisdom:
Milestones: We took our first class at the hospital - Infant Care. It was hilarious! Or atleast for me it was ... watching Matthew figure out how to dress the baby, diaper, swaddle, and burp the baby! So cute. We were having our own little party in the back row. That poor baby went through a lot.
Daddy to-be thoughts/comments: I think he is past the panic stage ... now on to the excitement of it all. Yiiippppeeeeee!

Pictures to come soon of baby bump and showers!

29 Weeks ... and a Squash!

Your baby measures about 10.4 inches from crown to rump, or a total length of about 16.7 inches from head to toe, and weighs about 2.7 pounds. At this stage a fetus' eyes are almost always blue and can distinguish bright sunlight or artificial light through the wall of the uterus. Pregnancy is performing fewer acrobatics as conditions in the womb have become cramped now that he is getting bigger. Your uterus is about 3.5 to 4 inches above your navel.

How far along? 29 Weeks
Total Weight Gain? 13 pounds
Baby's Heartbeat: 142 bpm (at 29 weeks)
Maternity clothes? Maternity pants are nice!!!
Movement? YES! Kicks, punches, flips, rolls ... you name it, baby can do it!
Food cravings: Not really. Still using pregnancy as an excuse to eat ice cream ... often!
Gender: Maybe a boy .... maybe a girl. Had a dream that we had a boy ... but when the baby was born - he was a 2 year old. Weird. Not sure if that counts.
Labor Signs: We will learn what that is in our Child Birthing Class coming up!
Belly Button in or out? It's just getting a little wider.
What I miss:
What I am looking forward to: Our upcoming baby showers!!!!!!!! :)
Weekly Wisdom: All the books, articles and stories from people about back aches, and feet hurting, hungry, tired, potty breaks all the time, and all that pregnancy stuff ... it's all true!
Milestones: According to our last ultrasound on Friday - baby is 3 whole pounds!!!! I keep imagining and little bitty teddy bear size baby in my belly ... like the size of a Beany Baby ... but not the case. Baby is 3 pounds and almost 17 inches long!!!!! Yes .... 17 inches! So baby only has a few more inches to grow before birth. Crazy!
Daddy to-be thoughts/comments: "Are you sure we're ready for this?" - Matt.

I decided recently that I am really glad I am doing this blog thing. When baby is born I plan on printing it out and putting in his/her baby book. Then I can look back and see what was going on when ... because I have already forgotten so much! The trick will be to keep records for each baby if we are blessed with more.

The past 4 weeks have flown by. I only have 30 more days of actual work left and about 11 more weeks until baby is born. Unless baby comes early ... then it will be less. Ahhh! I am trying to prepare myself mentally for all possibilities. Wowzers.

Here is the latest belly picture at 29 weeks.

You know you are pregnant when .... you are laying on your side on the floor and your neice brings you a book to read. She hands you the book and sits on your protruding belly like it's a chair! Yes ... she did.

I feel like baby is growing everyday! And for the first time ... my back started hurting yesterday ... and my feet. What the world. But, who knew that Matthew's secret talent was feet rubbing? He has a true gift!!! Amazing. I told him I am more than happy being pregnant ... if he rubs my feet. :) Seems to be a good trade off ... for him. HA!

And, that's the latest. Our dr's appts are getting closer together, so that is fun. The last appt was the glucose test and all came back normal. All that really means to me is that it's still ok to eat ice cream. The dr mentioned I was measuring small, so she had me do an ultrasound. I didn't mind that one bit! Everything came back normal on the ultrasound ... baby is just fine. It was fun seeing the little rascal again ... kicking away!

This weekend we are going to Lake Texana for the day with the camping crew. Should have pictures for next week! Have a great week!