Christmas and new baby photos!

Hi Everyone! Jan here taking a turn at updating the blog. Well, we had a wonderful Christmas weekend. We spent Xmas eve with our friends, Julie, Johnny and their 1-yr old Sawyer. We had some good food and some great wine. For Xmas dinner we were with Rachel, Brian, their 6-month old Willow, Brian's dad Wido, and the Gunshors. Another great meal and great friends. All the socializing aside, I really enjoy the basics of Xmas the most. For us Koorns this means getting up early and taking a few hours to open presents. This year for whatever reason that meant getting up at 5:30am. Kelly made a wonderful strata for breakfast (bread, egg, prosciutto bake...) and while that was cooking we made our way through the pile of presents.

I have to say that we took it easy on the gifts for one another this year but more than made up for it with gifts for Kelly's belly. Kelly got me a nice new pair of jeans (casual Jan) and a very nice cashmere sweater (dress up Jan). In turn I got my pregnant wife a new vacuum cleaner. It sounds worse when you read it... but she really did want a new one. Our personal gifts aside the bulk of the gifts were related to baby which was just fine with us. My favorite were the books. Arie got us a kid's book by Barack Obama - A Letter to My Daughters. While intended for older kids it is a great exploration of some of the Americans that helped shape this country. Kelly got some flash cards with letters and animals with the corresponding first letter in their name. She also bought me a book called Daddy Hugs... definitely a book meant to be read and experienced while reading. Looking forward to that one. I bought a few Dr. Seuss books - Green Eggs and Ham (probably because I was hungry when I ordered) and Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? (which tells of unfortunate souls of the universe such as poor Harry Haddow who can't make a shadow! Yikes!). We also received several more baby items which I won't detail here.

So, that was our Xmas weekend. Fun and gift-filled as to be expected. But, even with all of those presents we received an even greater gift today... we got to see our little girl! 33 weeks we were checking in to see how she was growing - she's at the 51st % for size at this week and weighs approximately 4lbs 6oz. A good healthy weight. Everything else with her is very healthy. Her heart rate was a steady and mature 145 which is a little lower than 150+ of the early days. We got to see her ultrasound too. She is in the right position head down and even has a foot up that she likes to stick in Kelly's ribs. Brain is big and beautiful and as the doctor said "You can use this scan as photographic evidence that she does, in fact, have a brain when she does something stupid when she's a teen." Below are two photos, one profile and one in 3D. I think she is looking a little more like Kelly now, but you really can't read too much into these scans except that... well... she's perfect. But that's just a Dad talking. Love you all!

Merry Christmas To All!

Instead of posting pictures of me & this growing belly for a change, I'm including some better views for this week's post: Jan & Gary, one of our four-legged babies, enjoying a little play time; our Christmas tree; and one of my stocking, which as you can see is sporting a teeny stocking on the side, much like I am sporting a little extra person on the side these days!

I had a checkup last week and am happy to report all's well with me & the baby. We both have healthy normal heart rates and my uterus is measuring exactly where it should at this point. Interestingly, the uterus should measure approximately the same number of centimeters from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus as you are far along in number of weeks pregnant - so for me last week at 31 weeks I measured right on at 31 cm. Additionally the doctor could tell just by feeling my uterus that the baby is in a head-down position, where she will likely stay for the remainder of pregnancy. A good thing since that's the position she needs to be in for labor & delivery! We have an ultrasound appointment next week, and Jan & I are both so excited to get to see the baby again, for what may be the last time until she's really here.

We're looking forward to celebrating Christmas this weekend celebrated by friends continuing traditions we've shared in the last few years. On Christmas Eve we'll have dinner with Julie & Johnny & Sawyer, then we'll spend Christmas morning just the two of us opening presents, and later Christmas dinner with Rachel & Brian & Willow. We hope all of you have happy celebrations, wherever you are and whoever you're spending the holidays with. Lots of love! Kelly & Jan

Your Baby in Week 32 of Pregnancy
What's up with your baby? She's starting to get ready for her big debut, tipping the scales at almost four pounds and topping out at just about 19 inches. In these past few weeks, it's all about practice, practice, practice as she hones the skills she'll need to thrive outside the womb — from swallowing and breathing to kicking and sucking. And speaking of sucking, your little one has been able to suck her thumb for a while now. Something else to note: As more and more fat accumulates under your baby's skin, she's becoming less transparent and more opaque. See what baby looks like this week.

9 Weeks & Counting!

When I first realized I was pregnant, I was something like six weeks along. With 40 weeks total of pregnancy, thinking I had 34 weeks to go made the idea of an actual BABY seem so very distant. And now here we are, today I'm 31 weeks pregnant, and counting down the remaining weeks in single digits. That BABY is getting bigger and bigger (and the kicks, rolls & punches she gives me all the time confirm that) and more & more of a reality every single day. We can't wait.

Jan & I have been talking about getting some belly shots taken of the two of us, so we can always remember this special pre-baby time in our lives, and celebrate the changes (and then some!) happening in my body. I got extra inspired for belly shots after seeing some of these examples today. Nothing says pregnant quite like a gun & a watermelon, amirite? Anyone?! (Note: sense of humor required when you check the link, please.)

What's our little Primo up to this week? Glad you asked!
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.5 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. You can expect your baby to gain at least three to five pounds, possibly more, before you two meet. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Your baby's brain is working overtime these days, developing faster than ever. Connections between individual nerve cells are growing at a frenetic clip, and your baby can now perceive information from all five senses. Sure, your baby can't smell anything right now, but that's only because he or she is still submerged in amniotic fluid and needs to be breathing air to get a whiff of anything. Lucky for you — and your baby — yours will be one of the very first scents your baby breathes in, a scent that will quickly become his or her very favorite.

Until next time! XO

Spring Gulch

Jan & I went out to Spring Gulch in Carbondale today where we enjoyed a nice long walk. Spring Gulch is a cross country ski area, but since we weren't sure how the skiing would be this early in the season we planned instead just to walk out on the road. It was great to be outdoors moving around and having quality time to talk about - what else? - the baby!

In the last few days I have been experiencing some Braxton Hicks contractions. No, not the real deal contractions, Braxton Hicks are more like practice contractions where the uterus gets really tight just for a short period of time. It's a pretty wild feeling but not anything that made me nervous or too uncomfortable. Click here to learn more about what Braxton Hicks contractions are.

We hope everyone enjoyed a great weekend & thanks for checking in! It's hard to believe Christmas is just two weeks away! Does everyone have a Christmas tree up? Who's been naughty, and who has been nice?!

30 Weeks & the Size of a Watermelon...

And I'm not talking about the baby! I read online today that "my belly is probably the size of a watermelon." The picture above confirms that one! I've said it before & I'm sure I will say it again & again in the next 10 weeks - I am very lucky that Jan loves my growing belly as much as he does. In fact it was his idea to take this picture so that we document the bump! As you can see we've got our Christmas tree up, and with all the snow we've had so far this winter we're enjoying the feeling of the holidays from inside our cozy home.

Today's milestone: I'm 30 Weeks pregnant! Jan says: If I were running a mile around a track, I would be on my last lap. It feels good to have three-fourths of pregnancy behind me and still so much to look forward to. Tonight we are taking our last pre-baby class at the hospital, an infant CPR class. Of course we hope we never have to use what we learn, but we want to be as prepared as possible for anything that comes our way.

At this point in my pregnancy I'm currently a little obsessed with watching the baby move around in my belly. It's one thing to feel the flutters, kicks & rolling around, but it's so wild to be able to really see it. The other night I had a magazine propped up on my belly, and she kicked me so hard it moved the magazine! It's so reassuring to feel and see that she is growing and getting stronger every day.

Baby's development at 30 weeks:
You baby's length is about 16 inches—about as long as a laptop computer—and she measures almost 11 inches from crown to rump. She weighs approximately 2 1/2 to 3 pounds. From now until delivery, every baby will gain weight at a more individual rate. Your baby has doubled in height over the past six weeks, and from now until delivery, she'll gain only a few more inches in length. Don't worry if she's in a strange position (what your care provider might call a "transverse lie"). There's still plenty of time for her to get settled into the head-down position for birth. She's floating in about 1 1/2 pints of amniotic fluid and has some room to move. Your baby's most important organ, her brain, continues to develop at a rapid pace. Her eyes are able to track light, and some researchers have theorized that exposing your belly to light may stimulate development. Try moving the beam of a flashlight slowly over your belly in a dim room, and see if she reacts.

Love to you all & thanks for checking in!

It's All Coming Together...

Thanks Mom for the crib!
We got a crib for the baby's room (previously our office) this week and Jan put it together yesterday. I did a bit of research looking for good cribs for petite moms after being advised by friends to keep in mind that you have to reach in to pick up / lay down the baby. I'm happy to say the crib I found via online reviews seems to be a good choice! As you can see it's waist high on me, and once I don't have this belly getting in the way I should be able to reach in pretty easily.

Week 29: Butternut Squash

I'm in the middle of week 29 today and still feeling good - a little tired, but good! I had a monthly checkup today and everything is right on track. The doctor said the baby sure is growing, and I got to hear her heartbeat, steady at around 150 bpm. At this point I will start going to the doctor every two weeks, until around week 36 when I will go for weekly checkups.

On Monday we finished our five-week long childbirth class, with the last class focusing on what to expect right after the baby is born & infant care. Jan got to practice changing a diaper - I'm happy to say he is a natural! On Tuesday night we attended a breastfeeding class at Aspen Valley Hospital, after which we were able to get a private tour of the maternity wing. As we said in a previous post, AVH remodeled the maternity wing a few years ago, and we were really impressed with what we saw on the tour which included a peek at the nursery, a labor room and a post-partum room.

The highlight of the tour: as we went in to the labor room we could hear a woman in the room next door being encouraged to push. And a few minutes later - a baby crying! It was a little emotional, realizing we were a few feet away from a baby being born and the parents' lives being changed forever. And of course knowing that will be us in a couple of months!

And now, how your baby's growing at 29 weeks:
Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because her bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.