34 weeks

The doctor told me this week that at 34 weeks, if I were to have the baby early, he would have less than 5% chance of having complications. It's a kind of a relief even though I'm not expecting him to be early. Baby Wassmer is moving around a lot these days though I suspect he'll soon run out of room. I am starting to feel all the little discomforts of pregnancy. I have a hard time sleeping now, more than before, my back really does hurt and regions around my tummy make it hard for me to walk sometimes. I plan on pressing through and talking daily walks.
I also suffer from the horomonal changes that probably leave Tom thinking he married a bi-polar stranger who walks like she's pushing a wheel barrow infront of her that carries this belly. I'm already tired, so I can't imagine what the first few weeks are really going to feel like. Sometimes I wish I could pre-pump my milk, save it, then hand the bottle over to Tom the first night. Ha! I'm sure I'll actually want to be with my new baby boy in the middle of the night.
And even though I have anxious thoughts about labor and motherhood I still can't believe that he's only a few weeks away from joining our family. It is exciting. One comfort Tom and I have is knowing that the Lord has very specific plans for this little man. It was He who planned when the baby would come, not Tom and I. There's no feeling like knowing you're not in control than the feeling of being with child. There's not one thing I can do to make sure his heart beats or that his brain will work or that his spine is in the correct spot. All I do is harbor the baby, but the Lord has designed him, He knows how many hairs are on his head already and what his fingerprints are like. I do not. I can't. And I don't need too. Giving up control to God is so much more satisfying than trying to do it on my own, and reassuring. I only pray that I can remember that from day to day as I face the struggles of motherhood.
Tom and I are closer to chosing to a name. We have it narrowed down, but we are still letting the names marinate before settling on the one. I don't know when that will be, but I am hoping soon. Soon as in before July.

A 3d picture of Baby Wassmer

Tom and I went to have a 3d ultrasound done on May 7th as my Mother's Day present. I've wanted to have one of these since I knew I was pregnant. It turned out okay, but the ultrasound tech said I should come back for another round of photos because the baby was asleep and his face was right up against my placenta. So on May 14th we returned. He was still asleep, but some of the pictures came out much better. We surprised our mother's, aka grandmas, with a framed photo of this young lad. And if you're still wondering about names, so are we! We have it narrowed down to a couple of names that we like, but the ball is now in Tom's court. He knows my choices but he wants to make sure he's looked at all the options as well. Here are a few pics that came from the ultrasound. These ones are some of the best. The foot picture was included because the tech kept saying, "this baby has some big feet." If you didn't already know, Tom has size 13 feet and an even longer middle toe. To me it seems that he will look like his father and hopefully be tall, and yes, he will have his daddy's big feet. We also got a DVD of the action taking place, but we didn't have extra DVD's to burn it to for the gift for the new grandmas. The DVD is really cool because you can see all four chambers of his heart and watch it beat.

A Weekend of Fun

This weekend started off with a little celebration of my completion at San Joaquin Valley College. I received a letter in the mail on Friday that stated whether or not I passed my certification exam. Not only did I pass, but my score was a 96%! I was quite surprised, but very pleased. That evening I had my graduation ceremony where I received awards for a 4.0 GPA, Perfect Attendance and AMT Membership. With this being my 3rd graduation for me, I probably wasn't as "excited" as some of those there were, especially since it may be their only degree. It was still fun, however, and I got to enjoy one last goodbye with a few of my classmates.



Then on Saturday it was off to Monterey, CA to celebrate our 1st anniversary! Tom booked us a room that had a fire place in it. Good thing, Monterey isn't exactly known for being a warm area of the coast. It was cloudy, but it wasn't freezing. We spent Saturday exploring Carmel, CA, which is only 5 minutes south of Monterey. We walked the Ocean Ave shops and restaurants and ate dinner at Forge in the Forest. It is a nice restaurant surrounded by ivy and other trees and plants. We sat on the outdoor patio by the large fire pit and listened to live music as we ate fabulous yet affordable food! This place also allows dogs to dine with their owners, but we did not have Payton with us. She would've loved it. We finished the evening with a stroll to the beach and then back to the hotel to eat our anniversary cake. We had it specially made by the same lady that made our wedding cake last year. It was the same type of cake (chocolate and mint filling), and it was just as good as we remembered it! Tom gave me one calla-lilly (representing one year) and a ruby pendant necklace. The ruby is the birthstone for July which is when our baby boy is due. It's beautiful!

Sunday was spent walking throughout Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row. We just did some sight-seeing and then left for home. It was a nice retreat and wonderful time of walking and relaxing, and a great one-year celebration.

Happy Easter!

This past week has been challenging. I've been experiencing a stuffy nose for about a month now, and last week it turned into a cold. Now I'm truly suffering, and it doesn't help that I can't sleep well. I praise God for medicine, and that my nasal spray hasn't backlashed on me yet. I hope that it doesn't.

Today is Easter! Praise the Lord, for He is risen. If Christ had not risen, then we are much to be pitied. I thank the Lord every day that He chose me and saved me, as well as Tom. May we never take it for granted.

I made Tom an Easter basket, as I do every year, and this one tops them all so far. Since we are now into planting things, I made it look like a planter with growing things. Interpret as you like. Inside this wonderful basket includes the following: Brach's jelly beans, Mike & Ike's, Reeses pastel eggs, Robin Eggs, Reeses chocolate covered eggs, green M&M's and peeps.

We also took a couple of pictures when we got home from church to show off my 27 week belly. Forgive the shadows on our faces - not quite the professional photographers here. The pics are more for my belly anyway. Enjoy!

First Maternity Pics

These are our first maternity shots taken when I was 22 weeks, on March 8. All photography is Veronica Campbell Photography, the same lady who did our wedding! These are a few of the good ones during our bloom season. I just love the blooms. Some of our engagement photos were taken in the blooms. Enjoy!

My First Shower

Spending time at the Children's Museum

I just returned home from a few days in Colorado where my friend Jen threw me my first baby shower! It was fun, except for the fact that within a couple of hours of arriving the blizzard of the year blew in. Talk about some white-out conditions! We still had to run some errands though, so off to Walmart we went - and then back home because the roads were so bad.

Me and Ashtyn (4 months) in the snow

Me and the girls awaiting to run errands

When Saturday rolled around the sun was out and the roads were clear. I got to see some friends that I haven't seen in years, and it was a blessing to be around such a diverse group of women. My guests included friends from high school & gymnastics, 2 Florida friends (from different places and groups of people, but both now live in Colorado), the moms I grew up with, Jen's sister (practically my sister) and the one and only Lammie (Jen's grandma). Oh, and of course, my dad who was Hailey's play date the entire time!

Standing by the awesome food and trying to put a diaper on a baby blindfolded

Coming soon will be Tom and I's first set of maternity pics. They were taken a few weeks ago and we are awaiting the email so we can post them! Stay tuned...

Pics from the Ultrasound

Here are some new pics of our baby boy, and a couple of my belly. For some reason, I feel like I just can't get a good pregnant photo...perhaps it's the angle. Anyway, enjoy the pics.

It's a Boy

We had our 19 week ultrasound yesterday and the tech was able to confirm what Tom and I had been suspecting, that it was a boy! I asked her if she was certain and she pointed out the parts that only boys could possibly have, and let me tell you, they are quite defined. Tom is proud. The baby also came away with a comment about his little feet - they are skinny and long, just like Tom's.
Tom was relieved because he said if it was a girl he wasn't sure what he'd do with her. I giggled, but I understand the panic. I am not sure I know what to do with a boy, but I know plenty of people who do. The pics of the ultrasound are on their way, I wasn't able to transpose them this quickly. I will also try to include a new belly pic if I can get one.
Next is seeking out a name. I think this will be a longer process than I hope, but we'll see! Tom and I are not sure we're going to reveal the name when we do have one either. We haven't discussed that, so even if we settle on a name, we may not tell you! Ha ha!

Two more weeks!

In two weeks we will have the ultrasound that will determine what our baby is, as long as baby cooperates! Tom and I are getting anxious to know what we're having and I am anxious to start with the naming process. My belly had grown a bit and I am beginning to feel new things. I have not felt the baby move yet, at least, not that I've been able to recognize. The books all say any day now. Right now, at 18 weeks, Cletus is about 5 inches and 5 ounces. The things I do feel are new pressures on the belly, tightness in certain areas (which I think is internal, not my skin yet), and it's really a neat thing to be able to feel my uterus. It's also kind of wierd.

I am heading into week 3 of my internship at Children's Hospital. I've been working in the Plastic and Neurosurgery office, working as a Medical Assistant. I get to assist in some minor procedures, which I really enjoy. It really doesn't freak me out that all I see are babies who have had deformities and have had surgery. I know deformities happen, and I see many cleft palate babies. Most of them have already had their surgeries and are in different stages of recovery. I like it there, but it will end in two weeks. After that, I will start looking for a job. Actually, I already am, but there's not much out there right now, so we'll see!

Stay posted for the next round of ultrasound pics, and the annoucement of our baby boy or our baby girl!

Ultrasound Pics of Baby Wassmer

Last night as I was volunteering at the Children's Hospital I was told that the Ultrasound Department was looking for volunteers for some of the Image Techs because they are trying to get their NTS certifications. NTS stands for Nuchal Translucency Screening, which is a detailed ulstrasound that allows the tech to measure the space behind the baby's neck. It's the measurement of this space that allows doctors to see whether or not the baby is at risk for Down Syndrome. This is also usually combined with a blood test, but they did not do that here since I wasn't really testing for it. FYI, Baby's neck space is within normal range, and the tech kept saying Cletus has a "nice spine." Yay! The measurement of Cletus also detected that he might be a couple days older than originally thought. Cletus kept moving around, and moving his hands up around his head. It was neat to see a real baby shape and to see movement, since the last thing we saw was a little blob. Instead

of being 13 weeks, 5 days, it said he was 14 weeks, 1 day. Not a big deal. We tried to see if we could see the gender, but the tech could not tell either way, so we will have to wait until our next real ultrasound with our doctor. That will probably be a few weeks from now. Tom and I are anxious to know what we're having and to give Cletus a real name. Until then, enjoy the pics!

Above: Me at 13 1/2 weeks. Clockwise: Baby Wass facing downwards, you can see his arm and fingers; Baby's belly, the shot is from above looking down, you can see his legs too; Baby's profile; and Baby's spine from the back (his head is down and butt up top).