Baby Hutson 2.0 Gender Reveal

 

Baby Hutson 2.0 at 13 Weeks

Well, you officially get to look at fat pictures of me for the next while, so get excited.



Baby Hutson 2.0 is now 13 weeks old.  We have said good-bye to the first trimester as well as good-bye to the dizziness and late afternoon/evening sickness.  Baby 2.0 is the size of a peach and has a head, arms, legs, a beating heart, vocal cords, and even intestines.

Lila seems to be taking all of this very well.

Baby Hutson Two Point Oh Update

If you're anything like me, you might have forgotten that I am pregnant.  But I indeed am, and as pregnant people are wont to do, I went to the doctor's office yesterday.  I read Entertainment Weekly from May, peed in a cup, and got weighed.  Usually I hate getting weighed as a pregnant woman because every month you just get bigger and bigger, but this time around I actually lost weight from my last appointment.  Oops.  I don't know how it happened; I mean my meals typically consist of Lila's leftover macaroni and a Luna bar and the Veggie Straws that I find on the floor.  Ok maybe it's not that bad, but you get the picture.

So for the last 48 hours I've been eating whatever I want, telling myself that I'm not allowed to lose anymore weight.  I mean when can you ever say that to yourself? (I did, however, get a spam text message today asking me if I was tired of being fat.  I did NOT go to their website thank you very much.) Johnny has been out of town for the last week and a half for National Guard, so I decided to order Chinese food for dinner.  I got some crab rangoon, sesame chicken, and BROWN rice.  We wouldn't want to go too overboard now would we?



Some more fun news from the doctor has to do with my due date.  I don't know if you remember Lila's crazy entrance into the world, but long story short, they broke her collar bone in order to get all nine pounds of her out.  My doctor said that this time around, it's likely that the baby will be even bigger and will have the exact same problem.  Wonderful.  Another ogre child.  Anyway, the good news is that the doctor wants to induce me and will do it as early as 39 weeks if it's a big ol' ogre baby.  No waiting around for 41 weeks this time, Baby Hutson 2.0.  That also means that I pretty much have to get an epidural, so no going back and forth about whether or not I'm a good mom or a strong woman if I get one.  Bring on the pain meds.

So here's my plan for the next 29 weeks: eat, find my box of maternity clothes that I literally just put away, figure out how to wear a Baby Bjorn while pregnant, continue to allow Lila to wave to the new baby and kiss my belly, and don't eat cold lunch meat or unpasteurized cheese.

40 Weeks and Still Pregnant

Here we are.  The end of week 40.  I'm feeling really great minus the swollen feet and trips to the bathroom every thirty minutes.  Our bags are packed, we've got our birth plan, and the doctor says we should be ready to go any day now.  Today is the actual due date, but we have an induction date set for a week from Tuesday.  So if Baby Hutson decides to stay in a little longer, we'll be ready.  Just FYI, we're delivering at St. Luke's on the Plaza, and we'd love to have visitors!  So feel free to come and visit once we're there.

And Another Pinterest Craft

After spending some time this morning snooping around Pinterest, I found this tutorial for how to make fancy burp cloths.  I have a ton of scrap fabric, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.



It turns out that these were extremely easy and only took about 20 minutes a piece to make.  They were also extremely free because Johnny's mom had already given me these burp cloths that she found at a garage sale, and I already had all of the fabric.  Best kind of craft there is.

Now we're ready for all kinds of spit up.

Day 260

Dear Baby Hutson,

        We are now on day 260 of this whole pregnancy thing.  I think that seven pounds is big enough now to warrant you coming out a little bit early.  I know you are having a lot of fun kicking my ribs and squeezing my bladder, but there are a lot of fun things to do out here too.  Also, you have made your mommy get so big that even daddy's shirts don't really cover you very well anymore.  I think we would all be happy if you just came out today.  Then people would stop asking me why it's taking so long for you to come.  And if you came now, Daddy might win his pool at work.  Double points.  Just think about it.

Love,

Your Mother

Last Ultrasound

Baby Hutson got to have his/her final close ups yesterday.  This is a picture of the face lying on its side.  You can see the little arm pulled up under the chin also.  I personally think Baby Hutson looks kind of creepy, so don't feel bad if you think that too.



Obviously, Baby Hutson is running out of room.  He/she is currently measuring 6lbs and 13oz.  Assuming he/she comes on the due date, add 1/2lb each for the next 3-4 weeks, and we're looking at an 8.5-9 pound baby.  This puts Baby Hutson more in the 38 week range rather than 36.  More good news is that I'm already dilated 2cm (too weird to share?).  The doctor said not to read too much into this as far as an early due date, but she did say it's less work that I have to do later down the road.  We're still looking at March 11 which is 24 days away.  My doctor also said that they wouldn't let me go beyond 41 weeks, so we will definitely have a baby in 30 days!  Gulp!

Tonight is our breastfeeding class (definitely weird), and I've got a list of things to bring to the hospital taped to our door.  Anything I've forgotten?

Boy or Girl?

Well, Baby Hutson's bags are packed...



The rocking chair has been purchased...



And I made two little hats.  One for a boy and one for a girl.  Any thoughts on which one we'll get to use?



Here's the pattern I used, by the way.  These are some of the first ones I made, so don't look too closely.

10 Minute Heating Pad

"Ugh," you sigh.  "If only I had a heating pad at this very moment.  But all I have is a bag of rice and a sock, and I have to be somewhere in ten minutes."  I hear you, friend.  So I am going to tell you how to make an awesome heating pad in ten minutes or less.

Step 1: Go to your sock drawer and find a nice, clean, long sock.

Step 2: Get out the giant bag of rice that you bought at Costco this morning.  Note: the rice does not need to be brown nor does it need to be organic...heating pad/socks don't need to be health conscious.



Step 3; Using a measuring cup or a funnel, fill up the sock with rice until it reaches the size that you would like.

Step 4: Sew up the hole at the top of the sock with your sewing machine or with a needle and thread.  Then cut off the extra sock.

Step 5: Heat up the sock in 30 second to 1 minute increments.  Voila!  You just made yourself a heating pad.

I decided to make this today because we're starting to get our hospital bag ready.  I wanted to have some kind of heating pad, but I've been using a hot water bottle at home.  I assume that the hospital won't have boiling water available whenever I need it, so I decided to make something that I (and by I, I mean Johnny) could quickly microwave.  I was going to go and buy one, but this one was essentially free.

My New Wedding Ring

Don't worry; I didn't lose them.



About a week ago, I noticed that my rings were getting a little tighter than normal due to Baby Hutson making my hands swell. I heard a few horror stories from people who almost had to get their rings cut off at the hospital, so I decided to take mine off early. I went a few days wearing nothing on my finger, but it just felt too weird. So a rubberband it is.

The sample lady at Trader Joe's seemed to think I was all hip and cool and not influenced by worldly things when she asked me if the rubberband was my wedding ring. I think I disappointed her by telling her that I had a real one at home.

Our Plan is Working

Back in the good ol' days on Wheaton Crew, our teammates used to joke that Johnny and I would eventually have nine kids to fill an entire boat, and we would call that boat "The Putsin' Hutson."



So far our plan seems to be working.  I went to the doctor today for one of my check ups, and after measuring the baby, the doctor informed me that we have one big baby on our hands.  It seems that Baby Hutson is measuring a little larger than an average 35 week old baby, but we'll be able to guess the weight better in two weeks when I go in for my last ultrasound.  This doesn't change the due date, so it's possible that Baby Hutson could be Mitchell-sized, 10 pounds. Sigh, I knew our baby would be advanced.

Baby Mail

Just got the cutest package in the mail for Baby Hutson.

Thanks Cousin Shana and Cousin Tommy.  Murphy too!

34 Weeks

Gulp!

Baby Hutson is currently 34 weeks along.  He/she weighs somewhere around 5 pounds and is around 18 inches long (according to thebump.com).  He/she is moving around like a mad person and enjoys sticking his/her feet right under my ribs on the right side and pushing really hard.  Baby Hutson also likes to move all of his/her arms and legs at the same time and has been getting the hiccups lately.  Mommy Hutson can't sit for more than 15 minutes at a time without getting horrible back pain from all the extra weight up front.  It's all worth it, though, because in just a few short weeks we'll be on our way to the hospital!

**I do apologize that all of my recent posts have been baby related.  I'll do my best to get some variety in the future.

Don't Believe the Lies

Johnny and I met with Baby Hutson's pediatrician yesterday.  She's did a great job of answering all of our questions.  One question I asked was whether expensive baby laundry detergent was necessary.  She said, "Absolutely not."  Apparently there's nothing super different about baby detergent.  So as long as you already use detergent without scents or dyes, you're good to keep using it.  A penny saved!

The Hutsons Go Old School

It's true.  We are attempting to use cloth diapers with Baby Hutson.  I mean how could we resist something so cute?  Johnny did the research, and we will have 12 different cloth diapers at about $15 a piece. 12 x $15 = $180.  It seems like a lot up front, but when a pack of 50 diapers costs about $15, and you're using ten a day...it will only be 60 days until we break even.  And look at all the cute colors they come in.




I am also going to make my own baby book for Baby Hutson.  It's been awhile since I've scrap booked...basically since Johnny and I got married because all of our pictures only have us in them, and that gets boring.  But Hobby Lobby was having a 40% off sale on all their scrap booking stuff, so I decided to go for it.

And finally, stay tuned for this DIY.  You know those Moby Wraps that moms wear to carry their babies in?  You know how they're also $45 for what is pretty much a long piece of fabric?  I'm planning to turn the fabric below into a few of these.  Mama Williams, you want one?

Baby Hutson's New Crib

Allow me to let you in on a little secret: Cribs are expensive! Johnny and I decided after our first trip to Buy Buy Baby that we would most likely be looking for a crib on Craig's List in order to cut costs with all of the new baby things we would need to buy. After just a little bit of time spent looking around, I found a brand new, never before used crib and mattress on Craig's List for $200. All in all saving us at least $300.



We took my mom's minivan to pick it up from the seller. After dropping Johnny off at work, I decided I would drive it home, put it in the house, and then give my mom her car back. I got all the way to my driveway when I realized that my keys to my house as well as the garage door opener were with my car at my parents' house. So rather than drive 20 minutes back there to get the keys, 20 minutes back to my house, and then 20 minutes back to drop off the car, I knocked on my elderly neighbor's door and asked if I could stick it in her garage until later. She kindly obliged.

And look how cute it is!  Daddy Hutson did a very good job of putting it together.  Next on the Craig's List list is a rocking chair (no way I'm paying $600+ for a new one).

The Walking Pregnant Woman Strikes Again

Ever since I reported these events I haven't had a problem with sleepwalking...or so I thought.

The last few days, I have been waking up and doing chores around the house and noticing that someone was using the guest bathroom and not flushing the toilet.  Now I would normally blame Johnny for something like this, but boys don't use toilet paper.  This could only mean that I had been doing it and not remembering it.

I mentioned this to Johnny, and he said, "Yeah, I heard you open and shut the bedroom door really loudly the other night and go into the bathroom.  I just assumed you didn't like our bathroom since the toilet wobbles."  So apparently, my unconscious, sleeping self prefers to use the guest bathroom at night.  The really weird thing is, though, that I also wake up in the middle of the night and go to the bathroom in our room, consciously.  

Johnny has decided that he's jealous of me because he thinks it's a pretty sweet deal to be able to get up in the middle of the night, in the dark, without tripping over everything on the floor, and go to the bathroom, all without waking up.  I'm just hoping I don't decide to go outside or something. 

Baby Hutson's First Quilt and Our First Class

I finished Baby Hutson's first quilt yesterday.  I had to use the iPad for the pictures, so forgive the quality.



It's flannel, and the light green color matches the color of his/her room.



In real life, the light green is a lot more green and less ugly tan.



We're ready for you, Baby Hutson!

Speaking of being ready, Johnny and I went to our first birthing class on Tuesday night.  We were supposed to bring two pillows and a blanket...which we didn't really use, so I'm not totally sure what that was about.  But we found our way to the hospital and figured out where to park when the baby comes.  The class itself was good and informative, but we couldn't make it out without seeing a closeup video of a birth...yikes.  And I'm not sure what the women were thinking who allowed photos of themselves during labor to be used in our PowerPoint.  There will be absolutely no photos of me during labor in existence.

Now we have breathing exercises to practice, and we know what signs to look for to know when it's time to go to the hospital.  I'm also starting to think about what to put into our overnight bag as well as the baby's.  Any suggestions?

Baby Pictures!

Baby Hutson was working it at his/her 20 week check up. We got to see our huge baby (14 oz thank you very much) on the ultrasound wiggling around and having a jolly good time. Meriahna came with Johnny and me and was absolutely inthralled with the whole thing.



Here's Baby Hutson's tiny little face over there on the right, lying sideways. His/her right hand is pulled up next to his/her face.

In this picture the nurse made an especially big deal that the baby was praying. See the little hands pulled up next to each other sideways on the right side of the middle? When telling Sydney about the ultrasound later, Meriahna said, "Oh my gosh, Syd, it was so cute! The baby was kneeling and praying; Rachel and Johnny taught it well."

Here's the side view of the baby.  I had no idea that we would be able to see through the baby's skin to the bones.  Very good for Halloween.  But you can see its little spine all along the top with its little knees tucked in on the left and the head down on the right. The whole time we were watching it, the baby kept sticking its little skinny butt up in the air; so adorable. (We didn't want to find out the sex, but even the nurse said that she couldn't tell because the baby had modestly crossed its legs the whole time.  Good job, baby.)

Upon looking at this picture, Meriahna's reaction was, "Wow! That is so cute!"

Sydney's reaction was, "It looks like a horse."

Can't please them all.

Four Months

Congratulations to Baby Hutson for making it past the four month mark!  We are officially at 18 weeks, and everything is going well.  I think this picture makes me look bigger than I actually am, but very few of my clothes fit anymore and poor Johnny has lost more than one pair of shorts and sweat pants to his crazy pregnant wife.  Even though Sydney likes to tell me, "You're not fat, you're pregnant!," I think I might be on my way to a life of permanent obesity if I make these again:

Why yes, those are giant apple cider doughnuts.  I've been saving this Smitten Kitchen recipe for a nice fall day, and since we've been working on relaxing and enjoying our Sundays more, I made these this Sunday.

They turned out way bigger than I planned.  But for being a person who has never really fried much beyond my own brain, these doughnuts were awesome.



Johnny enjoyed them as well.  I realize that this picture looks like Johnny ate all the doughnuts on the tray, but I promise these are not before and after shots. Though, people who have picked apples with us know that Johnny can shovel a few of these down pretty easily.  I hope Baby Hutson is okay with reading the newspaper and eating doughnuts all day on Sundays...