Week 23

Hello! Hello! :) Well it's 23 weeks already and today has been 5 months being pregnant...only 4 more until Raelin gets here. Lots of things are happening and I'm thinking it will just start flying by as the time gets closer.

 I'm soaking up all the time I can with Trevor while he's home.He'll be leaving soon for a 2 month deployment, mostly doing Helo Ops (playing with helicopters lol) and some other training. As a late birthday gift he got me a gift certificate for a couple massages while he's gone since he won't be here to rub my back or neck. I'm excited about that but would definitely just trade it in if that meant he could stay here with me :)

(picture taken the day after our last winter storm)

I had another doctors appointment today and everything went well. Her heartbeat was 140 and my tummy is measuring out normal and gaining the right amount of weight. No need to put numbers to either of those, everyone just needs to know everything is normal and positive lol!

I know I keep saying doctor but really I'm seeing a midwife and am looking forward to a natural/ drug free healthy birth of Raelin. I also just signed up for Hypno-birthing classes which start in April. I'm sad Trev won't be here to take classes with me but my mom is happy to fill in until he gets back.

(sorry no dancing pomegranate this week *sad face*)



Current facts of the week:

Raelin is the size of a pomegranate and weighs a little over a pound. Her ears are fully formed and can hear sounds. I'm listen to more music now and she kicks most of the time especially when I sway back and forth.

Her pancreas is maturing quickly and she also has developed sweat glands (who would have thought).

(This is just a picture of me being a dork, trying to get everything out of the crib box that we needed to put it together last week)

 (And this is a picture of Trev testing out all the carseat/ strollers at BabiesR Us. I think at one point we had 3 different ones down and were messing with them. People were walking by, looking at us probably thinking now there's a couple that wants a good stroller lol)

That reminds me about the Baby Registry....Trev and I have it mostly done, we think. It was really difficult to find bedding that would go well with the theme so while Trev is gone I'm taking on sewing a few things myself and also another Coastie wife. I'll post pictures if it turns out as awesome as I'm hoping it will be.

Also I have started volunteering to take up some of my time specially when Trev is gone. It's at an adult daycare center for the elderly, most of them have some form of Alzheimer's/ dementia or just need to get out and socialize. So last week was my first time going and it was pretty fun. They have a guy who plays piano, they sing songs, do exercises and also have a drumming class. It's nice to get out and volunteer a couple times a week especially since I'm not working right now.

I think I included everything that's been going on this week. I hope everyone had a great week. Trev and I have plans for this weekend to go to Vermont but you'll have to wait til next week to hear about it. Hope you all have a fun weekend and be careful if you're driving anywhere.

xoxo Trevor and Misty

Week 21 & 22

Hi everyone, hope you are all doing well. Trev and I are loving the whole pregnancy process. Together we are learning lots of baby stuff and getting to experience all the pregnancy firsts. I know Trev will be getting underway next month for 2 months so every day that he's here is a blessing. I love that he has been able to make it to all my appointments, been there for the ultrasounds, been able to feel Raelin kick and this week we have been able to watch and see her kicks on my belly. :)

So this last week was fun. I turned 27 :S not sure how I feel about that lol but Trev was awesome and made me yummy lasagna and homemade icecream cake, which was beyond awesome :) On Valentine's day we were able to fly out to Indiana to see my dad for a long weekend. It was great visiting with them and can't wait for them to visit after Raelin gets here :)

Current facts of the week:

Raelin is the size of a carrot and will be a papaya soon. 

Her tastebuds are starting to form on her tongue.

She is starting to suck her thumb.

We should be able to hear her heart beart with just a stethoscope.

She is also developing visible eyelashes, eye brows and a head of hair.

Trev and I were able to put the crib together today and it couldn't look better.  Just with the crib together, the room is getting us super excited.  We are expecting it to come together with the nautical designs we are planning in the room.  The colors are neutral with splashes of purple. 

We also have been working on the registry.  We are not completely done yet, but have a good start through Babies-R-Us and Target.  Being new to all of this we are hoping to have everything on the list we need, but if you notice anything that you had that was important that we don't have, please feel free to let us know!

Hope everyone has a great week and we'll have more to share next week :)

xoxo Trevor and Misty

Daddy's Corner

Happy 21 weeks everyone! 

This week the future Daddy is the author of the blog.  Misty thought it would be a great idea for me to give my two cents about how my life has been changing and my excitement as that eventful day in June comes closer and closer.

First off, when I found out that I was a father to be, excitement came over me like it has never done before.  That was quickly overshadowed by my new job... taking care of my morning sick (all day) wife!  From early November through... now, Misty has been sick as could be.  At one point she was so sick, I thought I was going to have to take her to the hospital.  She started to come around by Thanksgiving but not well enough to make dinner for the guests.  As part of my new job, I took over and made it all for the first time EVER.  Misty has gotten better over time though.  She wasn't as sick on our Christmas vacation in SLC. 

Excitement continued to grow as things progressed.  In December we were able to hear the babies heart beat, even for only a split second.  We went in one more time to listen to the heart beat before going to SLC and could hear it a lot stronger the second time around.  It was an amazing experience hearing my baby alive and well.  We continued to set up more and more appointments with the midwives and doctors.

As you know just two weeks ago was the most amazing part of my life so far.  I got to see my future daughter waving at us through the ultrasounds.  I can not wait till I get to actually meet her in person. but for now, I get to just enjoy feeling her through Misty's belly.  After the ultrasound Misty was able to start feeling her kicking, just a flutter.  Not two weeks later, she is using my hand as a soccer ball, but only during the night hours when Misty is trying to sleep. 

I still do my best to take care of my pregnant wife, but it is all on her when she has to wake up in the middle of the night to pee, about 5 times a night.  The rest of this weeks blog may continue, but you may have to wait till next week after we get back from our little vacation.

        
R                A                E                L                I                 N                    

R                O                S                E

Week 19 & 20

Wow, what an eventful and exciting 2 weeks. Trevor and I are happy to announce we are having a baby GIRL! Raelin Rose Aikin :)

Trev and I had a really fun time doing this cake idea. It made everyone wait a little longer but it was a different way of sharing the great news with our family and friends :)

Last Thursday (Jan.31) I had my first ultrasound and then a doctors appt right after. Her heart rate was 154 bpm and the tech said she was weighing about 12 oz now. I will be having another ultrasound on Monday so the tech can get some measurements she couldn't take last week.

Here are some pictures of our baby girl :)

       (She had her hand in front of her face a lot and the tech had a little difficulty trying to get a pic)

She was waving to us while we were trying to get the pictures. That was really neat to see her moving her hands. Every time we saw her move I was concentrating on if I could feel it or not. Since the ultrasound I have been able to feel her pretty much every day usually when I'm laying down or right before bed.

When I saw the doctor he said everything is normal and going well.

I did gain 5 lbs but baby is starting to grow faster. The nice thing is I have my appetite back now and am eating more regularly. I'm finding myself more hungry at night. I'm still drinking lots of milk and am on a Blueberry mini wheats kick (they taste like blueberry muffins).

She is about the size of a banana. After 20 weeks they start measuring head to toes instead of in the previous weeks where they measured head to rump.

During this week baby maybe able to start hearing voices also is learning how to swallow more. Another interesting fact that I found out is babies can even dream while asleep in the womb. (Who would have thought?!)

So tomorrow will be the 1/2 way mark. Only 140 more days to go. It's crazy because it feels like it's flying by now. I have been so thankful that I have such an amazing husband and that we can share this together. He has been helping me so much thoughout this whole experience. He is a pro at making me breakfast or whipping up something to eat when I get a craving. He has been to all my doctors appt so far. He helps with the baby registry even though we both are overwhelmed sometimes. He deals with my pregnancy brain and crazy mood swings :) He gives me great back rubs and doesn't yell at me when I get up for the hundredth time to go to the bathroom lol.

This week he has been in California for an SK class and will be back on Saturday. It has kind of prepared me for when he leaves next months and will be gone for 2 months. I know everything will be fine and I can send him pictures and talk to him on the phone when he's in port but it's definitely not the same. All we can do is share as much as we can with each other and he knows I'll be in good hands while he is gone.

Thanks to my mom, my close CG friends (Mary Jo, Jess and Michelle), my family and friends that I can call any time and I definitly can't forget my friends in Manistee. There are lots of miles between some of us but thank goodness for facebook, texting and just an old fashioned phone call.

We love you all and thank you for all your support :)

xoxo Trevor and Misty



18 Weeks

It's Saturday and I've been a big slacker. I wanted to have this posted on Wednesday but I wanted to wait til Trev got home. He had to go down to Baltimore, MD for 3 days for work so I was a little out of sorts. When Trev got back he brought 2 presents back for baby. Here they are :)

(its 18m size but it'll sure look cute once it's on baby)

When Trev and I were in Boston we saw a simillar onsie and I fell in love with it because it's a play on the Coast Guard Motto Semper Paratus "Always ready"

(this is a replica of Trev uniform only in a small kids size)

We probably will have to wait a couple years til baby fits in it but when Trev found this he was so excited.

It's been 18 weeks and in a few short days we'll be hoping to find out if we are having a Boy or Girl. We are both VERY excited to find out, and hoping Baby Aikin cooperates so we can see. Here a couple facts before we get to the fun part.

Baby Aikin is about the size of a bell pepper (5 1/2in) and weighs about 7oz. The baby's heart is starting to build up muscle and pump 25-30 quarts of blood a day. Earlier this week I also started noticing I'm able to feel the baby just a bit, mostly in the middle of the night after getting up 100 times to use the bathroom. I guess my body is making me get up so much just to get used to the fact I'm not going to get much sleep when baby comes.

Now here's some fun stuff. BOY or GIRL? What are we having? Here are some old Wives Tales and here's what they say.

Chinese Gender Calander                 BOY

Ring swinging over belly                    BOY

Carrying baby low and in the front     BOY

Spouse indulging in my cravings too   GIRL

Dry hands and cold feet boy              BOY (but I had both before I was pregnant lol)

Lots of morning sickness                   GIRL

Craving meat and starches                 BOY

High heart beat                                  GIRL

Trevor's Prediction   BOY

Misty's Prediction   BOY

Please feel free to text, comment, or Facebook your predictions and if you have any other fun wives tales please feel free to share.

We stopped here yesterday and got some catalogs to start looking. In the next week or two we'll start on our registry. (Trev was excited we finally get to park here. I felt a little bad because I'm not too overly pregnant yet lol)

Here's me only 2 more weeks and I'll be at the 1/2 way mark.

We hope everyone is having a good week and we're hoping to share baby's gender next week :)

Love you all!!!     xoxo-Trevor and Misty

17 Weeks

Happy Wednesday and Happy 17 Weeks!

I wanted to share this funny video, every time I watch it, it makes me laugh :)

So what's going on this week? Well baby Aikin is about 5 in. long now and about 5 oz in weight. About the size of an onion or turnip. I don't know if I want to compare it to an onion because those are all different sizes so I guess we'll go with turnips.

.

CRAVINGS

The last week or so I have been craving peanutbutter/ jelly sandwiches and also milk. I probably drink 2-3 glasses a day. It's strange because I really never enjoyed milk a lot before but now we are buying it like crazy. Then when I read up on the baby developments of this week it all made sense. Right now the baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone. It keeps amazing me that even if I don't know what's going on, my body still does and knows what it needs and finds a way to tell me.

WORK

As most of you know I have been working at Dover Children's Home. It's a home for abused, neglected and delinquent kids 12-18. The work was tough even before I got pregnant emotionally and physically. Now with being pregnant I have to think of not just my welfare but my baby's as well. So last week I went and talked to my supervisor and she was very understanding and supportive. I took a leave of absence but am keeping busy with other things.

I have started crocheting again, mostly my "plarn" purses and am hoping to do a few craft shows with another Coast Guard wife. I also signed up to start volunteering once or twice a week at an adult day care center. I can go and visit with them, do arts and crafts and other fun activities. I'm looking forward to this so I'm not cooped up in the house, specially when Trev is underway.

(here's one of them I had previously made)

Ok back to baby stuff :)

There are only 15 days and a wake-up until we find out if we are having a BOY or GIRL!

I didn't think I would be getting this nervous. All we want is a happy healthy baby and it's going to be great either way if we have a boy or girl :) The last 4 months have gone relatively slow but these next 5 are going to fly by. Trying to schedule birthing classes, baby registry, Trev getting underway, setting up the nursery...thinking about it is a little overwhelming. The nice thing is I have a lot of awesome support from Trev, my family and friends (near and far), and of course other Coast Guard wives. Instead of trying to get it all done at once, just taking it as it comes :)

PREGNANCY PICS

What you all have been waiting for :) I'm not too terribly pregnant yet but I am starting to show more. It's fun and I'm hoping between now and when we have the ultrasound I'll be able to start feeling the baby move.

(this is me at 12 weeks)

(and me at 16 weeks)

I will start taking pictures more regularly and posting them. Oh and one more thing before I forget. I'll be updating this blog on every Wednesday just to let everyone know.

Hope everyone has a great week :)

xoxo Misty and Trevor

16 Weeks

Hi everyone :) I started this blog so Trevor and I can share what's going on in our lives and specially keeping everyone up to date on how the baby is doing. It will also come in handy when Trev is underway and wants to share his fun stories. We will be posting pictures periodically.

So the highlight for today is I just reached 16 weeks pregnant. The baby is the size of an avocado (4 1/2 in) and weighs about 3 1/2oz. I really like having a phone app that keeps me up to date on how big the baby is and comparing it to different foods, lol!

I had a doctors appt last Friday and they said everything was going fine. I have gained 3 lbs. which is really good since I have just been losing weight because of morning sickness (all day sickness). I'm still on an anti-nausea medication which is helping out a lot and haven't gotten sick in over a week. Fingers crossed that it stays that way. The fun thing about every doctors appt is that we get to hear the heart beat every time now. The baby's heart rate was 149. This is the 3rd time we got to hear it and every time it still amazes us.

So what's next? At the end of this month we will be having an ultrasound done to find out some things including if we are having a boy or girl. Hopefully baby Aikin will cooperate and let us find out so we can share with everyone :) Trev and I have been talking about baby names even before we were pregnant so I feel lucky in that aspect that we have already decided.
                                 Boy: Robert Charles               Girl: Raelin Rose

The boy name is after Trevor's grandpa Robert on his dad's side who lived to be 92 years old and great grandpa Charles on his mom's side. Both of these men were amazing and accomplished so much in their lifetimes, we only can hope if we have a son that he can be just as amazing.

The girl name is a mix of my family's names. I had a grandpa Ray who always worked hard but made time to see us when we visited. Lynn is my middle name so I mixed the 2 and got Raelin (this is the Irish spelling of it) and Rose, well we just thought it flowed together nicely. :)
                           
                                                     Birthing Classes

I'm only 16 weeks into pregnancy but Trev and I have to start thinking about what classes we are going to take. I'm going to have to take them early because Trevor is getting underway for 2 months (sometime in March til sometime in May). I'm hoping we can get into a hypno-birthing class in Feb sometime. That will give a chance for Trev to come to 1/2 of the classes and then when he leaves my mom can fill in and go to the other 1/2 with me. Then they will be both prepared in case Trev is out on the boat longer than scheduled. But **fingers crossed** he will be here :)

I think that's all the highlights for now. As we get more news we will be updating this more. I hope everyone has enjoyed reading :)

 xoxo  Misty and Trevor