Merry Christmas to You!

Right: the entire Scott J. Hodges family. By next Christmas the family will have officially doubled its original size. I'm thinking eating out with 16 people (5 toddlers and infants) is not in the cards. Sorry Melissa... you had eyes closed or funny faces in all my pictures :-(

Here's the first few Christmas pictures. We'll share more over the next few days, since there are so many to go through. We had lots of fun visiting family and friends over the holiday, but it was pretty tiring!

Here is the pregnant bunch. From left to right: Courtnie (sister-in-law) due July 4th, Melissa (sister) due July 4th, me due April 14th, Sarah (cousin) due February 19th, and Laura (cousin) due January 25th. We also did the belly measuring and Laura and I were tied. Sarah has a couple inches to go to catch up with us. I'm hoping to stop expanding or I am going to win the biggest belly of the year contest in this family.

Abby was wonderful the entire trip. We didn't really have any major behavior issues to deal with, she used her manners, and she slept like a champ. She had so much fun opening presents once she figured out what the process was. And she really enjoyed all the new things she received. We have her pretty worn out though, so she's working on 12+ hours of sleep right now. She even rode down and back with only minimal crying and only one dumping of the snacks onto the floor. That's got to be about a record for us.

Abby's Been Busy

Abby was trying to sit next to Grandma Mary, but getting a big hug was more fun. Abby really loves her grandmas and grandpas. She talks about all of them regularly and we practice their names with our picture books. She really likes saying Lorraine, since it is the longest name she has to remember.
Abby also likes to give her baby kisses. Hopefully she still enjoys the baby once it arrives. This is 13 1/2 weeks - I'm already much bigger with this baby than I was with Abby at 13 1/2 weeks. Things seem to be going well and we are going in Wednesday for our next appointment with the doctor. We are going to let Abby come this time so that she can hear the new baby's heart beating.
This is our snow from yesterday. It got a little deeper on the deck, but only lasted until around 9 am. Abby was pretty amazed by it. Apparently she doesn't remember the piles and piles of snow we had around here last winter. I can't wait for more snow so we can enjoy playing in our own winter wonderland of a back yard. We are going to try and build our own little sledding hill so we can enjoy some winter sports in our own yard.
Abby likes checking herself out on the camera now and is a major ham. Grandma Mary will have some very funny pictures of Abby in hats and wild pony tails. She is super interested in having her picture taken.
Abby is demonstrating how to lock Maize into a dog crate. She thinks it is the best toy in the playroom now. Maize does not agree, but has also been sleeping in the crate without too much whining. And I haven't had to clean dog accidents off the floor in 5 days. Nice change.

We are waiting for our 1 inch of snow to fall this afternoon and tomorrow morning. Abby really enjoys watching it fall out the back door. She usually watches it rain too, but that is a lot harder to watch than big fluffy snowflakes.

Week 38 - "Maize Week"

It's week 38 of being pregnant - hopefully we are very near the end of this journey. I've basically reached the stage where there is no possible way to be comfortable and where sleeping is nearly impossible. Last night I was up every hour on the hour to either use the bathroom or stretch the charlie horses out of my legs. It makes for a very long night.

We decided this week was going to be "Maize Week", where we do the things that Maize likes to do since the rest of her life she will have to be a normal dog instead of a spoiled rotten "human" dog. We've been doing lots of walks in the park and around the neighborhood and fetch and sleeping on the couch. Today it was in the low 70's (a great change in our Michigan weather), so Maize and I spent a couple hours outside - I read and she slept on her dog bed which we took outside for the afternoon.

We have all of the baby gear clean and ready to go - hopefully the doctor will decide that Sparky is done incubating and will evict her at the end of the week. We'd like to make it at least through Thursday so we can enjoy some end of dental school festivities before our addition makes us homebound for a few weeks.

Week 37 - Almost Done

We had a third baby shower on Saturday - Sparky is certainly a very lucky, very spoiled little girl. Our Sunday School class put on quite the party and I had a great time visiting with all those friends. They are all great ladies and Steve and I are both really going to miss our church family here in Ann Arbor.

Somehow my waistline is back down to 45 inches. Apparently Sparky has been sinking or is getting smashed or something. Not that it's slowed her down any - she is still wiggling away, mostly when I am wanting to nap. I am finally at the tail end of the head/chest cold that I have been battling. Just a few rouge coughs every now and then. Even though I've been feeling better, my discomfort level is about a 9.5 on a scale of 10. There is just not room for this little wiggly girl inside me and she just can't stand to be still. Hopefully she will be a little less active when she arrives so we can get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Steve is off to Dallas on Wednesday, so I am hoping and praying that Sparky will be cooperative and will stay put until at least Friday. As hard as it is for me to sit around doing nothing, I've been trying really hard to do just that. Today's projects include trying to get this condo sold (I spent all morning typing a sales contract to give to an interested party) and trying to get a house in Sault Sainte Marie purchased. Last night Steve did some major cleaning for me and I double checked the bags for the hospital. We should be all set, but since the hospital is only 5 minutes away I haven't been too worried about making sure I have absolutely everything packed up.

The "Day to Day" List - and Week 35 Update

In basketball they list players as "day to day" when they have an injury. Sparky has landed us on the "week to week" list. This week, we are clear for another week of being pregnant, unless Sparky decides to come on her own terms. I talked to the doctor today and he said Sparky is at the high end of normal, but every week counts. So we'll re-evaluate next week and probably have a day or two notice for when labor will be induced. Maybe Sparky will do us all a favor and decide she is ready to evict herself before the doctor has the chance to pick a birthday for her.

Sunday was the start of a not-so-amazing new phenomenon - incredible discomfort. When the doctor asked me with morning how I was feeling I told him I felt like I had a baby elephant riding around, not a baby girl. As my good friend Sue put it, I have a one bedroom apartment, not a three bedroom house, for this girl to live in and she is taking up all of the available space. The poor little occupant is also having a very difficult time moving, so I've had to help her out a few times when she gets stuck halfway through moving around.

My waistline is up to 45 and 1/2 inches, but somehow I've managed to lose another 5 or so pounds in the last couple weeks. That was a slight cause for concern at the appointment this morning, but since Sparky seems to be doing well the weight must be coming off me, which is just fine with me. I'm hoping that by the time that we head to Steve's graduation I can fit back into my normal clothes.

This week Maize decided that she is scared of the kicking belly, so she's taken over Steve's personal space. She prefers his lap, but if he fills it with the computer she just takes over his shoulders. Someone needs to let the dog know that she is not a lap dog or a small kitten.
We are headed to Hastings this weekend to visit family for Easter and for the second of 4 baby showers. We are really excited about visiting family and getting out for a weekend. Happy Easter to you all - we hope you get to eat the share of the Easter candy that I can't have.
A pictorial recap of the expanding baby belly - weeks 8 through 35.

Week 33 and Counting

Well, if you voted for Kathryn Ruth, you may want to change your vote because Sparky's name is not Kate. We both really loved the name Kate, but we didn't want to fight with people who would have wanted to use Katie, which we didn't like. And, Steve's family already has an Aunt Kathy and a cousin Cathy, so we didn't need to add another Kathryn to the mix.We've now survived 3 weeks of the diabetic diet. I have to admit, it's not as terrible as I thought it would be. It is expensive to buy all the fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grain products, but we have had a good variety of food and there are only a few things I want that I can't have (mostly in the baked goods category - like donuts, waffles, and cinnamon rolls). I've figured out how much I can eat of sweeter foods and what to pair with them to make sure my sugars stay in the acceptable range. I can't wait to have a big glass of chocolate milk and a cinnamon roll when this is over.

Steve and I did a lot of home improvement kind of things on Saturday and I did a lot of packing, which was not such a great idea in retrospect. I had quite a few contractions on Saturday night, but after laying low on Sunday things are back to normal. From my perspective it seems like Sparky is riding a lot lower since last week (and actually since yesterday), but that is based only on the fact that I can see my belly button again. Those of you more experienced baby bump watchers will have to tell us whether she really did drop a bit lower this week. My belly is still 45 inches around, so I haven't gotten any bigger in the last week. Since starting the diabetes diet I also haven't gained any weight (in other words I weigh the same now as I did in early February).

Dr. Sammarco says we are doing a great job managing the diabetes. Steve is going to try to come to this week's appointment so that we can get a better guestimate of Sparky's arrival date. It will also be Steve's first time hearing Sparky's heartbeat, since she would not cooperate for that the last time he came to the regular appointment.

So now for Sparky's estimated size. According to our friends at webmd.com, Sparky should be about 19.5 inches and 4.4 pounds. She is basically stuck in place (I can tell you this because we can feel most of her bumps and lumps now and can feel her whole back). Apparently Sparky is going to gain over 1/2 of her weight between now and birth. We hope that the 1/2 is less than 4 pounds, because if she is already over 4 pounds and gains much more than 4 pounds I may not be too happy when it comes time to evict her from her current home.

Check back Wednesday for more details about the timing of Sparky's arrival (we hope). Safe weeks to you all, especially those who live up here in cold Michigan with us and who are expecting another winter storm this week.

Week 32 - 8 Weeks and Counting

Well, first off, to the person who voted for Chelsea, that is not Sparky's name.

Week 32 is off to a so-so start. I have a terrible cold and I cannot take any over the counter medication because it raises blood sugar. So, Sparky is getting the normal diet to keep her from getting too big while I am sipping hot tea hoping it will help somehow with the congestion, sore throat, sneezing, cough, and earache. So far it is day 4 with the cold and it has been no fun. Being sick apparently raises your blood sugar naturally, so I've been struggling to keep my sugar levels down and having to be extra careful about what I am eating.

My waistline is still at 45 inches, although I seem to be rapidly changing shape and I am assuming a big expansion is on the horizon. I have lost about 5 pounds since starting the diabetic diet, but the doctor isn't too concerned about it so I am sure that Sparky is doing just fine. She should be about 19 inches long and around 4 pounds this week. She is now pretty thoroughly stuck now and we can feel her back pretty well, along with feeling her little rear end frequently pushing up into my ribcage. I can't complain too much, though, now that we are regulating our sugar Sparky is much better behaved and I've had a much easier time sleeping and working.

We are back to the doctor on Wednesday, but I don't expect it to be much more than listening to Sparky's heartbeat and checking my sugar levels. Hopefully the cold does not linger much beyond this week.

The Last Quarter - Week 30

Well, week 30 is off to an eventful start. Sparky is about 17 inches long and should be weighing in around 3 pounds. We say should, because yesterday we got the results of the glucose tolerance test and the waffles were not the cause of the high reading. Unfortunately, I have gestational diabetes. On the bright side, if we can control the diabetes there are minimal risks to Sparky, the biggest risk being excessive weight gain by the little squirt, which may make a early c-section necessary. Hopefully the doctor will be able to answer most of our questions this morning at our appointment (which will now be a weekly event to make sure the diabetes is under control). My waistline went up to 45 inches, so I am sure she is growing well and she is getting quite a bit stronger (we can tell from her kicking).

I've made it to the last third of the baby afghan, so hopefully we will have that ready in time for Sparky to use it. We've also started to get our hospital stuff around, just in case. Other than that we are both growing bored with pregnancy and the aches, pains, swelling, and discomfort. Steve's been wonderful at helping me deal with it all (so has Maize by being remarkably calm most days).

Hoping you all are having a good week. Needless to say we've been a bit overwhelmed with the influx of information and the major changes that the next 10 weeks will hold, but we are deciding to remain positive and trying not to stress over things we can't change anyway.

The Week 29 Update

Well, we've made it to week 29. Another uneventful week for the most part. Unfortunately, I "failed" the one hour glucose tolerance test - so this Friday I have to take the 3 hour version of the test. This is not going to be a fun day - 4 blood draws in three hours. And... I have to fast for the 8 hours before and the three hours during the test.

Sparky is up to about 16.7 inches and around 2.7 pounds. She's still very active and hopefully is going to be moving to a head-down position. I've been trying to sleep at night, but she is getting to be big enough to push down on my bladder, so that I have to get up a few times at night to use the bathroom.

So Friday is the big day for the tolerance test. I am not surprised that I failed the one hour version - waffles right before the test probably didn't help my blood sugar. I will be quite surprised if I fail the three hour version and have gestational diabetes.

Stay tuned for the results...

Week 28 - Finally the 3rd Trimester

Well, we've officially made it to the third trimester - 2/3rds of the way through the journey. At this point I think pregnancy and aging are pretty similar. The first bit is exciting, but with lots of learning to do (like what causes morning sickness and all the shoulds and shouldn'ts of pregnancy). The second part is smooth sailing and the most comfortable part of the trip, and then there is the end where everything starts to get achy and you seem to be headed to the doctor all the time.

Week 27 went pretty well. Steve and I officially "graduated" from childbirth class. We both agreed that childbirth class was worse than any single day of our graduate studies. Steve said his head hurt even worse than it did at the end of his 8 hour days first year of dental school. I'd have to agree that no class in law school was as dry at times and as unbearable as watching way too many births (not the cleaned up discovery channel variety either). By the end of the day we were wondering what we'd gotten ourselves into. Yesterday I had my first bout of pregnancy related "freaking out" - I still don't know what was causing my extreme agitation, but I just couldn't get calmed down. The end result is a boxful of things to go to Goodwill and another square for my afghan halfway done. In the end I managed to get myself calmed down enough to get to bed at a reasonable hour and woke up this morning feeling fine. Hopefully my hormones will regulate themselves and I won't have too many more incidents of freaking out. Luckily Steve is pretty levelheaded and just let me have my issues without getting himself dragged into the situation.

This week Sparky has made it up to almost 16 inches long and weighs about 2.5 pounds. My belly, unfortunately, is just a hair over 44 inches (about 44 1/4). I've grown just a pinch, but Sparky's grown a lot, so I am feeling more and more of her movement. She's very, very active and I am sure she is still breech (head up) since all of the kicking and wiggling is centered on the lower half of my belly. She has definite periods of being awake and asleep, but even in her sleep I feel a lot of moving. Lately she has been getting the hiccups quite often - it is a rather odd sensation. I am back to the doctor's on Wednesday for the beginning of the every other week checkups. This visit I have to get the Rhogam shot (since I have O negative blood) and have to take the glucose tolerance test (the one hour version) to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes. Since I was tested for ultra-low blood sugar in high school I am hoping the screening comes back negative to low so that I don't have to do the three hour version of the test.

I finally took a little "Jen time" and got my haircut the other day - I was hating the layers in it and the time it took to make myself look nice each morning. The new haircut is pictured above, but Sparky seems to dominate the photo. Check back Wednesday night to see if Sparky decides to cooperate for the doctor this time (it would be a first...)

Week 27 - the Last Week of the 2nd Trimester

Well... with only one week left of the second trimester, I believe huge would be the word that best describes how I've been feeling lately. On Friday night I tried to put on the top from the photos in the week 15 update. Being a maternity top and a size large (my pre-pregnancy size was a ladies small) I figured it would be no problem. Boy was that a bad assumption. While the shirt went on (with some struggle), getting it back off was near impossible. At this point my only option is t-shirt material that has lots of stretch. So unfortunately, there goes 1/2 of my maternity tops. The bottoms are going much the same way - they are getting so tight around my belly that I'm thinking about just wearing dresses all day (something that I am not too excited about).

Sparky is still being very active and wild - my mom claims she told Sparky to act this way. On the bright side, Sparky has been getting wild mostly during the day and has been doing much better at sleeping through the night. It has made the work day much more difficult to get through - lots of kicking, wiggling, and flipping. My belly has gotten so big that it sits on my lap when I am sitting at my chair. This phenomenon creates an interesting activity for Sparky - she now kicks through my belly and into my leg. This is perhaps the creepiest part of being pregnant so far. While feeling her move is nice, because I know she is still healthy and doing just fine, feeling all that movement is not really on the top of the list of things I'd like to feel during the day (or night). I'm pretty sure I'm not one of those women who just love being pregnant. I know that Sparky will be well worth it, but I can't say I'm too excited about the thought of doing this too many times.

Well... on to the relevant data for the week. My belly is expanding again (ouch...) and is up to 44 inches. My belly button is being rather stubborn and is still an innie - but it is getting more and more sensitive and painful by the day, so I'm sure it's on its way to being an outie soon. Sparky has broken the 2 pound barrier and is around 14 1/2 inches. She's getting pretty regular in her sleep and wake habits. Her biggest wake times are between 7 and 9 am, 1 and 4 pm, and 5 and 8 pm. She also now has more clothes than any one baby could possibly wear, including 5 or 6 Christmas dresses.

Only 13 weeks to go...

Week 25 - Only 105 days (and then some) left

Things are "growing" or going nicely for Sparky. My waistline expanded by a whole painful inch (up to 43 1/2 inches). All week I've felt like my belly was going to split right down the middle. Sparky is up to about 13 inches and is around 1.5 pounds, but after walking all around Ann Arbor tonight she feels more like 1.5 tons.

Not only is my belly getting big, I've also started retaining extra fluids in my legs and I've got some extra weight in my face. Other than that I've been feeling pretty good, except for leg pains during the night and waking up a whole lot (5 or 6 or 7 times each night). I guess it is good training for all of those late night feedings that we will be doing soon.

Steve and I are taking Sparky on her 3rd trip to the Upper Peninsula this week. We are leaving Thursday morning for Sault Ste. Marie and Steve's second interview with the Chippewa Tribe for the open dental position. We've been assured that the job is his if he wants it, so Sparky and I are going to focus our efforts on finding suitable housing while we are up there. We may also try to catch the Lake Superior State hockey game on Friday night. Sparky's favorite dog Maize is already safely in Hastings - so we will have to make a stop there on the way back on Saturday.

Below are samples from the baby afghan that I'm making for Sparky - I have 4.5 of the 9 squares done. 5 of the squares are going to be different and 4 are going to be solid yellow. Hopefully we will have this done before Sparky's first appearance.

Pictures from Sparky's Florida Vacation

It's week 22...

Well, week 22 is off to an uneventful start. We get to visit Dr. Sammarco tomorrow morning, but other than that, life has been rather boring, not that I am going to complain about boring. I think Sparky may have made the move to the head down position since I've been battling a bulge that is frequently stuck right up under my rib cage. The kicking hasn't stopped and I'm sure the 11 or so inches of little girl must be bent up in someway or another resulting in her bottom in my ribs and her feet kicking away below my belly button.

Speaking of that - my belly button is mere days away from disappearing. Everyday it gets a little shallower and shallower. My waistline is 42 inches as of this evening and I've gained 3 pounds in the last 4 weeks. I'm sure the weight gain will pick up as Sparky starts growing faster and faster.

As for this week's photos - Steve says this depicts the exhausted, right out of the shower after work version of my pregnant self very well. Maize is already feeling very sad now that she can't sit on my lap anymore, she's been stuck laying on the cold, hard wood floor doing dog things. She will be very sad when Sparky comes home and she can't sit on Steve's lap either.

Week 21 - The Second Half

This photo was going to be really cute this week ~ I had a cute little top and had been all fixed up from work. Then I decided to boil and egg in the microwave for dinner. I had it in water, so I figured it would be fine. However, when I took the egg out it exploded everywhere (mostly all over my face and cute new shirt). So... after the shower and putting on pajama's this is Sparky's week 21 photo.

My belly made it up to 42 inches this week and I've been avoiding the scale for the last couple weeks, so I'm sure there are a few pounds that could be added to the previous total. Sparky is getting to be a very active girl - she's been kicking and punching me all day long. According to the websites we've been checking out, she's around 10 inches long and just about a pound.

We brought home a bassinet for Sparky this weekend. It was up in Grandma Lorraine's attic, so we aren't quite sure where it came from or who has slept in it, but it is sturdy and white, and should withstand a very curious basset hound. Unfortunately with an old bassinet comes an old mattress of a size that isn't made anymore. I went out to Hobby Lobby today and purchased material to make my own sheets, since we couldn't find a single store that carried 13 by 28 bassinet sheets. When we get the sheets done and the bassinet cleaned and steamed, we will post the pictures.

It's only 12 days until we take Sparky on her first airplane ride to sunny (we hope) Florida for a week of fun at Vero Beach. We are very excited for a little rest and relaxation before Sparky gets here and turns our lives inside out.

Week 18 - Almost half way there...

Now that Steve is home again, we can get back to the weekly photographic update. I am back down to 40 1/2 inches around (down a half inch from last week). I am blaming the loss in circumfrence on the flu bug that I had last Friday. I was definitely knocked out - I ate lunch on Thursday and didn't eat a real meal again until lunch on Saturday. It was a very long couple days...

We are going to see the doctor on Wednesday. I'm sure it will be rather uneventful, but I am looking forward to hearing the heartbeat again. Now that I've felt Sparky moving it is much easier to get worried that you haven't felt movement in a while. I'm sure the little kicker is just fine, but it's nice to feel the little guy every once in a while.

Our family is all trying to get healthy so we can travel to Hastings for Thanksgiving. After my big sickness on Friday, Maize got really sick and ended up going to the vet for kennel cough. We had a whole lot of dog cough up and puke to clean up this weekend, but we are finally getting that under control too.

Other than our little adventures, things are going well. I feel good and haven't had a problem doing any of the things I've wanted to do. I survived the last football game of the season, including the really long walk from the dental school to the stadium and back. Unfortunately Michigan couldn't make our last football game as students a win - but then again you can't win them all.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family who we won't be able to visit with this holiday season! With love - Jen, Steve, Sparky, and Maize :)

Week 15

According to the Mayo Clinic, this is what Sparky would look like if he were a drawing and not a real boy (or girl).

My belly grew a half-inch this week and Sparky went from about 1.5 ounces to about 2.5 ounces. Some day soon we should start feeling Sparky moving around. Other than that, it was a very uneventful week.

Sparky was the only person who got a present from Grandma Lorraine's trip to China. He is now the proud owner of a small stuffed panda bear from the Chinese Panda breeding facility.

Week 13 Update

Tomorrow (or today, depending on whether you listen to the nurse or the doctor) is the start of week 13 - the end of month 3 of pregnancy and the beginning of month 4. Lots of big changes for Sparky this week. We have now officially gotten past the most critical part of pregnancy (and most of the risk of miscarriage). Sparky's primary teeth have all formed by the time this week starts, so I've been getting extra calcium and keeping up on floride to give our little one the best teeth posssible (for his father's sake).

Sparky received his first gift from someone besides his grandmas and great-grandmas. Today a co-worker brought me a very cute little chicken suit. Of course, she didn't have any idea about our little chicken thing - so it was even better. After all, one doesn't really advertise that they were the champion chicken showman at the Barry County Fair. We will have to make Sparky wear his chicken outfit on a visit to the farm next spring to see his Aunt Emily's little rooster.

And now... for the information you've been waiting all week for. My belly is 39 inches around during the evening. I still lose an inch or two during the night, but it only takes an hour or two for the belly to pop right back out the next morning.

We survived the Cirque Du Soliel, the Michigan football game, and the baby shower for baby Roth last weekend. Next weekend will be Sparky's first trip to Hastings and his first Hastings High School football game. We are looking forward to seeing all of our friends and family and a weekend of some rest and relaxation.

Teaching Sparky Some Things

First, Sparky is learning that he already has a very nice dog named Maize who would very much like to play. Maize wants to be by Sparky as often as possible.
Second, Sparky is learning that Maize does not always pay attention to her "Mom." Sparky is being told not to learn this habit from Maize.

Finally, I am trying to convince Sparky he would rather work with his mother than his father. Wearing the Toledo gear may be an important first step.

The Belly at 9 Weeks

Note: not flattering pictures
Pregnancy acne is in full swing this week. Unfortunately the face wash I have used for years is on the banned medication list. Hopefully my face will adjust quickly to plain soap and water. And no, this is not a maternity dress, I was just hoping I could wear it a few weeks longer now that I am back to working in an office - I don't think I will be wearing it outside of the house though.
Oh for the good old days, back when my stomach looked flat while laying down...