Busy, Busy, Busy

Three years old. It's hard to believe our little baby is so big now and has started school. She still seems too small to me, but the fact is...Natalie's loving school. Today they were dancing in the classroom...and you know that's gotta be a big hit with Natalie. She gets on the bus at 8:35 and gets back home at 11:25. She seemed to enjoy being on the bus. I felt so lonely today, but I know it won't be that way for long! Natalie's going to LOVE having a little brother around.

As for me, I'm waddling around here at 38 weeks. We have everything ready and now it's just the waiting game. We have our last appointment with Dr. Bozeman tomorrow. We're scheduled for the C-section next Tuesday (November 3rd) at 8:00am, but if I start going into labor or my water breaks, I'll go in immediately for the C-section. Honestly, I don't see that happening. I haven't had any real contractions for a while now. I think he's prepared to stay in there until Dr. Bozeman takes him out. I can't tell if he's big or small, so I'm guessing he's around 7 pounds. Sorry for the short update...I need to get some sleep!!

The Homestretch

We're just 26 days away from meeting the newest Olson baby. The weeks are starting to fly by now! We're seeing the doctor every week now, so that's a sign that the end is near. Everything is going spectacularly well so far. The only thing I'm worried about is the baby making an early entrance, rather than going by our set schedule. At this point, they won't stop labor and will perform the C-section whenever labor starts. I haven't felt anything other than Braxton Hicks so far, so I'm not too concerned, but things can change quickly. The baby seems to be getting quite big. He's slowed down his movement throughout the day, but when he does move, it's really big movements. It's always fun to watch my stomach move from one side to the other. Natalie thinks it's funny, too. I'll put her hand on my stomach and she laughs when there's a big kick. The only problem I've had so far, other than some minor swelling, is carpal tunnel. I can no longer write or hold things with my right hand--but for some reason it doesn't bother me when I'm typing. That's good, since that's a source of income for us!

We have officially settled on a new name for the baby--so if you thought you knew what it was--you're wrong. You'll find out in 26 days. Chances are, Mom won't like it. :)

The Name Game

I'm happy that the drama surrounding the pregnancy at this point is concerning our little boy's name...not preterm labor. For at least three years now, we've known what our first born son's name is going to be...that is until a few days ago. I've always had about three backup names, but one has been growing on me over the past few months. It's also been a favorite of Perry's...but not enough to sway him from his original choice. Then, on Monday, I mentioned the name once again to Perry, and...well now we've got a real problem on our hands. Just thinking about this makes me nervous! Naming a child is not a job you take lightly...this is serious stuff! Perry is now convinced that the new name is the one...and although I love it, I'm still not sure I'm willing to give up my original first choice. I think I've stared at this old ultrasound photo from last month way too much, trying to figure out if he's this name or that. Oh, boy. There was no doubt with Natalie...but it looks like this one will be decided in the hospital. STAY TUNED...YOU'LL FIND OUT NOVEMBER 3RD!

Natalie's Pictures

Here are a few of the professional pictures we got of Natalie last week at the lake. There is one that shows off her beautiful curls (in case you're wondering why you can't see her face in it!). Enjoy!

22 Weeks

We finally took some profile pictures! Here I am at 22 weeks...feeling great!

Gimme That Twix!

Here we are at 22 weeks, and we have yet another photo to share of our little guy. I love this picture because it shows off his little turned up nose (just like Natalie and Daddy!). We had our full ultrasound today, where they check all of the internal organs and do lots of measuring. All of the organs look just fine and he measures in at approximately one pound already. We are fortunate enough to be able to SEE how much a baby changes in the first weeks...he's looking fuller and the features are really starting to take shape. He did a good job of cooperating with the ultrasound tech, who doesn't even call my name out anymore in the waiting room area...she just walks in and says, "you ready?" We really like her because she tells us everything she is seeing, which I don't think is technically allowed. The doctor is supposed to relay that information to us...but she realizes that we've been through enough that we shouldn't have to wait for that info anymore. The cervix remains long and shut--and it is becoming increasingly apparent that the baby won't be coming out any time soon! He'll actually wait for the day we tell him he can come out! :) As for me, you can see that I have a slight obsession with Twix candy bars these days. I've managed to only gain 6 pounds thus far, but I'm afraid that my cravings for Twix are going to bump the weight up a bit. Argh. I can't help it that he likes Twix.

Baseball, Baby Boy, and Bea's Hair

Another two weeks have passed, and Baby Boy Olson is getting BIG! There's news about him, but first, I'll start with Perry's big night of baseball. The Vistas held a game at Corbett on June 16th for former Vistas players...and Perry couldn't pass that up! He had a great time competing against his former teammates. He played outfield, caught and even got up on the pitcher's mound for an inning. It was really a fun night. The organizers are hoping to make it a yearly tradition.

Natalie had fun hanging out with Grandpa during the game.

Cousin Meredith still isn't too sure about Uncle Perry...

Now on to baby news! It was ultrasound time again on Monday, and we got to see our little boy kicking around. By the way, there's no doubt now that it's a boy--we checked again and I could spot it without being prompted. The best news of the day, however, is that things are going REALLY well. My cervix seems to be lengthening...it's now up to almost 6 cm. I think the ultrasound tech was just as surprised as we were. I get progesterone shots weekly, which are supposed to prevent any preterm labor. Other than that, things are normal. I like that word...normal. Could it be that we will have a normal pregnancy??? Don't worry...I'm knocking on wood as soon as I'm done typing this. He spends most of the night moving around and kicking--he's very strong! So here are the two pictures we got of Baby Olson on Monday:

His face with his little fist by his chin...

...and his foot.Natalie is just happy summer is in full swing so she can get in her swing!! We spend all morning outside watering and smelling the flowers, taking care of the garden and lawn and listening to the birdies. She is an outdoors girl, and already has a tan to match her daddy's, even though she wears 50 spf sunblock all day. She's certainly not a fair-skinned Miller like me!

And finally...here's a picture of her gorgeous hair. This was from a couple of weeks ago. Why doesn't my hair do this??????

Baby Boy Olson is Getting Bigger!

The little guy is getting a lot bigger these days. Last night, I saw my belly move for the first time. I'm looking forward to the day when Perry can feel the kicks as well. He does lots of moving around, especially when his big sister is sitting on him! Our ultrasound today was spectacular. Everything looks great so far! I can hardly believe it. It was at this point with Natalie that I was put on bedrest. I don't with bedrest upon anyone. While I would have loved to extend it much longer, it was not a walk in the park. It sounds nice at first...but it really isn't. So hopefully we won't have to worry about that this time around! We've officially switched doctors now to Dr. Bozeman. Dr. Madland's last day was on Thursday, and I did a lot of crying when I saw him. Poor guy must have been bombarded with tearful women over the past few months. My belly is getting pretty big now, so we'll start taking some profile shots beginning tomorrow when I officially hit 18 weeks. I'll have those posted in the weeks to come. I finally went out and bought a couple of baby boy sleepers! I can't tell you how nice it is to get out of the pink section of the store. It's going to be strange having another boy around here!

The Big Ultrasound

Well, this is it! Tomorrow (Monday) we have another ultrasound to make sure things are going well. By this time in our previous pregnancies, we had lost our first daughter and were put on bedrest with Natalie. If there are no changes in the length of my cervix at this point, I'd guess that there won't be any changes for the rest of the pregnancy. I'm praying that this ultrasound will help us realize that we did the right thing by going to Chicago for the surgery. It's hard to believe it will work--even though Dr. Haney is so convincing--because I always think that I'll be the exception. Dr. Haney keeps telling me we have nothing to worry about. Easy for him to say!! :) So, if you think of it, we would really appreciate an extra prayer for us tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes!

Natalie Rides a Horsey!

Our little girl is getting so big! Yesterday, she started physical therapy on a horse. I call it horse therapy, but the correct term is hippotherapy. That just sounds like she's riding a hippopotomous, so we'll stick with horse therapy. Her physical therapist, Nancy, rides with her. The idea is that the motion of the horse helps relax Natalie and makes it a whole lot easier to do the stretching and poses that Nancy does on a weekly basis at her office. Natalie LOVED it! The only thing she didn't like was the little helmet they made her wear.

Before riding...she did a little stretching in the barn.

Then, it was time to mount the horse named Lucy...

It was a windy day, but Natalie didn't care!

Lucy is a very pretty horse...
Natalie kept trying to get that annoying helmet off her head!

We'll see Lucy again next week!

It's a Boy!

Perry was able to figure it out without help from the ultrasound technician. I was quite impressed. I was totally prepared to hear, "it's a girl!" So I was surprised when she pointed out the little boy parts! She said she wouldn't have told us if she was not 100% certain, so I don't think there's anything to worry about. I can start buying little boy clothes again! The little guy was doing lots of moving around today--stretching out his little legs. I felt the first movements last week, but not much since. I really have to lay still and concentrate hard to figure it out. I'm sure he'll start kicking much harder in the few weeks to come.

Here is another picture of his face...

...and here is a view from the side. He's all squished up in a ball. You can kind of see his little leg.
The best news of the day, however, was that there is no shortening of my cervix. Everything looks great. That's a load off of our shoulders. Now we wait for the next ultrasound in two weeks.

THE RESULTS ARE IN...

...and it is...a BOY! I'm actually quite surprised that we were able to find out today. He was sitting in the perfect position for us to figure it out. Everything looks great so far! More to come...

Another girl???

Next Tuesday (the 26th), we have another ultrasound to make sure everything's going well. We MAY be able to find out if it's a boy or a girl. If not, we have ultrasounds scheduled every two weeks, so there's no doubt we'll find out soon. It seems as though everyone--not just Millers--is producing baby girls these days. Will we follow suit? Hmmm. I can tell you that I have a feeling it's a boy--but I also thought our other two girls were boys...so my opinion doesn't count for a whole lot. I did, however, correctly predict Katie would have a girl. So join in on the poll to the right and we'll let you know when we find out!

Take Me to Your Leader

We've made it to the second trimester! According to my pregnancy Web site, the baby is the size of a lemon. Unfortunately, my stomach is already the size of a watermelon. Not quite, but close. Yesterday we had the first of 9 ultrasounds I'll have over the next few months to check on the length of my cervix. So, here is the picture, which makes baby look like an alien. The face is on the right, the tummy on the left. His legs and arms are hidden. We don't know yet whether it's a boy or a girl. I'm guessing at our 18 week ultrasound we'll find out. Scott posted on his blog how people think you're a horrible parent if you don't find out the sex of your baby---well guess what? It goes both ways! I love when people ask me, "don't you want it to be a surprise?" I'm pretty sure seeing our child for the first time in the delivery room is just as surprising whether we know its gender ahead of time or not. They act like you're committing some mortal sin or something. Anyway, if it's a boy, we're going to have to figure out a way to paint half the room blue.

Baby On Board

We've made it to 12 weeks with no problems. Imagine that! I'm really starting to show already which is a good sign, but this in-between stage can get annoying. I just look fat, not pregnant. :P The due date is November 10th, although I will deliver a week earlier than that via C-section. No Brian, I can't hold this one in until the 25th. We'll have lots of ultrasound pictures to share in the coming months--at least 8 or so. My goal is to have Natalie sleeping through the night, or at least sleeping in her own bed through the night by the time this baby gets here. I have 6 months to accomplish that!

Team Natter B!

It's hard to believe that this is what Natalie once endured! I memorized everything about that adorable little face. I remember thinking at one point that I needed to burn it into my brain in case anything happened to her. It's a horrible thing to think, but it's reality when your baby is in the NICU! So here is the requested info about our March of Dimes March for Babies walk in Minot. If you can join us for the walk, we'd love to have you here. Let me know so I can get a team shirt for you! And, if you can, please help us reach our goal of $3000 as a team. You can visit the link below and donate with credit card or check. It's really easy and also secure. And like I said on Natalie's CaringBridge site, no donation is too small. Anything you can contribute is very much appreciated! Thanks from the three of us!
http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?w=201021835&u=teamnatterb

Awww...Ain't He Cute?

He just needs the little hat to complete the picture. This picture on the left was taken as we met the newest member of the Lori Olson family--Abby the cat (below).

Natalie loves cats, and they seem to love her; but since Perry is allergic to cats, it's nice that Grandma and Grandpa Olson have cats at their place! Abby reminds me of my cat when I was a child, Butterscotch.

Natalie's working hard to learn how to eat from a spoon! For the past few days she's done really well with minimal gagging!

In other exciting news, we have been named the ambassador family in Minot for this year's March of Dimes March for Babies walk, which is April 4th. I'll have details later on how you can help us raise money...we're hoping to raise $3000 this year as a team. I know we can do it! The gender poll ended in a tie...6 for boy and 6 for girl (2 Dolphins). I had a feeling that would happen!

Wowee!

I didn't realize all of the wonderful things you can put on this Web site! I hope you'll take part in the 'name that gender' poll. Truth be told, I voted boy AND girl, but I think God will spite Scott and give him a girl because He knows it will be a lot more difficult to drag a girl out to some tree grove to spot for deer. Scott's going to be the guest of honor at tea parties instead! Also, I've added Pac-Man to the Web site. Enjoy!

Overworked Mom :)

I realize I haven't posted in over a month. You may be thinking to yourself, "Melissa is unemployed, she must have all the time in the world to do anything she wants!" To that I say---HA! Not in this household! Natalie always keeps me on my toes...and she thinks it's hilarious!