And it begins...

My apologies, but I wanted to get a belly shot in here.

I had an appointment with my OB yesterday morning and it was decided that I'll be induced tonight, November 24th, which is exactly my due date.  We'll likely meet our son tomorrow.  Oh my…

After getting the news of our impending parenthood, Devin and I decided to have a night to ourselves.  Mom and Jill stayed at our place and hung out with Yeti, while we booked a room at the Hyatt downtown and made a night of our "last night."  It was a lot of fun and I'm so happy we decided to do it.

Dinner at the Tadich Grill - a San Francisco institution.

(Thanks Stan!)

View of the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge from our room.

Of course Devin left the door closed.

We slept in this morning and had breakfast at a place we'd never been - Little Griddle - before coming home.  Now, our bags are packed and we're hanging out at home, waiting for a call from the hospital telling us it's time...

  

39 Weeks and Counting

I don't have much time left, and I really want to get a few more pictures up before our little guy graces us with his presence…

I've had a few more ultrasounds than normal with my pregnancy because I'm in the "high risk" category of pregnant women.  Why?  I have borderline high blood pressure, which has been controlled with medication, but has still been watched closely by my primary doctor, my OB and my Perinatologist.  Seriously.  (I can't complain, I've had fabulous prenatal care.)  Here are a few pictures from our 28 week (papaya) ultrasound.

Our little guy has been looking good all along - average for weight and good movement.  I've heard that a lot of women miss feeling their baby's movement in their belly, and I believe it.  I'm thrilled to meet him, but it's nice knowing he's safe and sound in there.

It can't all be about Baby...  

Mom has made 5 trips to San Francisco since June!  (Her 5th is currently in process.)  Each visit has been filled with checking-things-off-the-list.  She has helped shop, build furniture, make food, clean, and she painted the little guy's room!  Mom, we can't thank you enough...

Our 32 week (winter squash) ultrasound.  He continued to look good!  (We had another ultrasound at 36 weeks (honeydew) but no pictures because he was being shy and stubborn and didn't want to have his picture taken.

Working on his room...

His buddies...

Susie Bear, Dean the Giraffe, Stacey Face, and Yeti

Devin - practicing…

My belly...

In non-baby news, Yeti, dressed as "Devin" for Halloween again this year.

"Is this really necessary, Mom?"

At the end of October we went out to dinner with a group of friends - 5 couples in total.  All the guys are in class together and the women...we were all pregnant and due within a month of each other!  (One in early November, two late November, and two early December.)  As I write this one baby has been born and my due date is next on the list!

The next time we all get together we'll have a 50% population increase.

And now, we wait...

Minnesota Showers

25 July - 30 July (week 22-23: eggplant)

It's raining, it's pouring…(since becoming pregnant I've started snoring.)

Devin and I made a quick trip to Minnesota this summer.  When we originally decided upon a trip to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, I envisioned spending my time doing nothing but floating in a tube on a lake.  My dream came true, but only briefly for two reasons: the weather was not awesome and, as always, we were busy!  Three baby showers were thrown in our honor over our 5 day trip!  Each included family and friends, and were a fantastic way to see everyone!

One.
The first was planned and executed by Brandon, Nikki and Stan on Friday, July 26th.  This party took place at the Park Tavern in St. Louis Park and was attended by the majority of the Christiansen side as well as a few honorary members of the family, i.e. Stan's friends.  It was wonderful to see everyone, including the 3 newest members of the family: Opal (Emily & Josh), Crosby (Brandon & Nikki) and Addy (Anne & Justin.)

We hung out in a private room off the main restaurant, eating pizza and cake, opening presents and catching up with everyone.  It was nice, simple and relaxing - just the way we'd wanted it.

I have no pictures from that evening, but I promise it happened!  Also to be believed, although no one saw it, was the giant stork balloon that Stan brought.  It blew/flew away before we got there...


Two.
The second shower, on Saturday, July 27th, was for the ladies and hosted by my aunts, Patty and Kathy at Patty's house in St. Cloud.  It was a fantastic gathering of some of the most important people in my life and I felt the love.

We spent our time in conversation about pregnancy, birth, parenthood, the deliciousness of my aunt Beth's queso dip, and the awesome cake that Kathy's friend made.  Seriously, it was amazing!  But not really a surprise - we never hurt for outstanding food when my aunts are involved.

Laura asked Devin to answer a few questions about my pregnancy and she read his answers at the shower…

___________________________________________________________

Devo,
Here are the questions for you to answer.  Don't tell Emo :)

What smells turned Emily's stomach in pregnancy?

No logical triggers (or easy fixes...to my dismay).  Just 4+ months of nonsensical vomiting.  Pretty cool.

Did she avoid certain foods in any part of pregnancy?

Water (yes, that with which without, there would be no life), Salad

What foods did she crave?

Egg rolls, Peaches

Would she says she’s carrying low or high?

Low.

Who will be more nervous when labor has started?

Me.  She's Dwayne Johnson (the rock).

Did dad gain weight in pregnancy too? 

I am bloated and distended.  Yes, check, I am fat.

Who will be stricter with the baby?

We'll see-saw it, in our typical Jekyll and Hyde style.  Get ready to be confused, baby.

Who gets to pick the baby’s name?

Yeti.  Pretty sure it's going to be 'beach'.  The decision will be consensual.

How long will labor last?

Too long.  Her poor lady parts.   # guess: 6 hours.

Who was right about the sex of the baby?

Em-o

What will Emily's first post-baby meal be?

Sushi, chased by a stein of Gnarly Wine (beer).

Who will enforce the rules of the house?

Me, duh.  Have you seen how strong I am?

What is one word you would use to describe about how you are feeling about this upcoming experience of being a parent?

Surreal.

Thanks!
Laura

___________________________________________________________________

Our reaction to his answers.

Meanwhile.
Devin, Adam, Christian, Brandon, Pete, Cha, and Bubba spent the day at the Iten's cabin on a lake near St. Cloud.  Judging by the pictures, they fished and maybe enjoyed a beer or two...

Christian caught the only fish they kept.

Oh, and Ringo was there too!

Three.
The last gathering was a Sunday brunch that lasted until after dinner!  Of course it did - it was at Palmer's house with the girls: Jess, Jess, Stace, and our amazing mothers.  We just talked and talked and talked; I don't think anyone planned on staying as late as we did, but it was so nice to spend the day together.

We had a lovely breakfast, followed by hours of chatting outside in the sunshine, then some time on the lake, followed by surprise egg roll making courtesy of Jeanne Wittrock (YUM.), and gifts.  It was all so wonderful…

I always thought it would be so much fun to go through pregnancy with a friend, and I am, but of course I live 2,000 miles away from her.  Our due dates are one month apart, November 24th and December 25th.  Jess has been an amazing support throughout my pregnancy; answering questions, offering advice, talking me off the ledge - being as supportive as she can from so far away.  I love you Jess and I miss you… 

Perfect.

The two pregnant women wanted to go tubing!  Don't worry, it was more like a slow cruise around the lake, but it felt so good to be on the water!  Thank you SueP for humoring us!

The BEST egg rolls…ever!  Thank you Jeanne!

We had such a fantastic trip home.  It was great to be able to see so many people in such a short amount of time.  The love and support that Devin and I have streaming from Minnesota is simply awesome and we truly appreciate it.  Thank you to everyone for the fabulous gifts, the words of wisdom and encouragement, and for making such a great effort to treat us so generously.

Love, Emily & Devin 

Positive +

Backing up a bit… 

In March I started to feel tired.

Although we'd been trying to get pregnant, Devin and I decided to wait a full week (which felt like forever) after I'd missed my period to take a test - we didn't want to get our hopes up too soon.  And actually, even after the positive test we remained cautiously optimistic about the result.  But as I became increasingly tired and sick it was pretty evident that something was happening.      

Positive test from March 25th!  

When I took the test I was 5 weeks and 1 day pregnant and the little being was the size of a sesame seed.  Devin and I were both home, making dinner, and before we sat down to eat I went and peed on the "stick."  About half-way through our meal I went to the bathroom to retrieve said stick and returned with the positive result.  We were happy but quiet - we'd gone through this before.

____________________

As a side note, I would recommend to all women taking a pregnancy test: use a digital test.  The (+ /-) thing is just too damn confusing.  "Is the line there?  Is that a plus sign?  What does the line mean?"  Just go with something that will tell you "pregnant" or "not pregnant."

_______________________

We told our parents they were going to be GRANDparents around week 7 (blueberry.)  Earlier than we'd planned, but it was really hard to keep quiet about such news.  Once we told them we started to let our own excitement bloom a bit.  (Jill was informed right away - you can't keep things like this from your sister.) 

We went in for our first OB appointment on April 20th, at nine weeks (grape), and heard the little heart beating for the first time.  I had tears streaming down my face and that's when it kicked in - if things continued to progress, Devin and I would be parents before the end of the year!

May 6 ultrasound - 11 weeks - fig.

Our first ultrasound was on May 6th and everything looked good.  Based on size and dates, my due date was set for November 24th.  Our little person would be a Sagittarius if on time, or a Scorpio if a few days early.  Being as it is my child, the chance that the baby will be early are slim.

I started to notice physical changes in May and I was showing by June.  I was not the "glowing" pregnant woman from TV and movies, that's for sure.  I was nauseous all the time and throwing up at least once every day.  At that point I was only slightly emotionally attached to the little thing because I couldn't feel movement and I didn't know how to think about it; the fetus was just a little thing growing inside me, making me tired and sick.  (My "morning sickness" lasted until mid-August.)

Emotional changes began on July 3, at 19.5 weeks (grapefruit), when we had our "anatomy" ultrasound and learned that we were going to have a baby boy!  As soon as the ultrasound tech told us the news I started crying and crying - I couldn't stop.  I had no way of knowing, but up to that point, whenever I thought of us with a child, I imagined a boy.

I still have no clue how she knew... 

After this appointment we hopped on a plane to Alaska, now knowing that we were going to have a little boy.  I could think about "it" as "him," and for me, that made all the difference in the world.  No matter how sick he made me, I loved him.

We shared our "it's a boy!" news with family and friends while we were in Alaska (week 20 - mango), and then really got the reality ball rolling with THREE baby showers when we went home to Minnesota at the end of July…

ALASKA (part II)

8 July - 15 July

Juneau

Devin, Yeti and I got into Juneau (on Monday) a few days before my parents (Wednesday), but the same day as Laura, Adam and Isaac.  (Beth and Matt got there there a week earlier to take care of wedding details.)  Pete wasn't planning on coming but surprised us by showing up with Bubba on Thursday.  Do you care when everyone got into town?  Probably not, but it'll help me organize pictures and details.

The first thing Devin and I wanted to accomplish upon our arrival was to get a good picture of Yeti next to the tiny pair of Xtra Tufs we'd purchased in Anchorage.  Why?  The day we left for Anchorage - back on July 3rd - we'd had our 20 week ultrasound and found out we were going to be having a BOY!  But we hadn't told anyone yet, so we created little cards to give to our family once everyone got to Juneau…

We took Yeti and Letti to Sandy Beach for the photo shoot.

Devin was taking this picture…

…while I took this one.

Yeti photo shoot.  I have about 80 pictures similar to the following:

No.

Not bad, but no.

Nope, not these.

The winner!

And that was the end of that.

The final product!  

We had the cards printed at a great little place in town.

(We told everyone on Wednesday, July 10th)

Adam, Laura, Isaac, Me, Devin
(Yeti and Letti couldn't be bothered with the camera.)

Devin, swinging in Jill's living room.

Tired dogs.

Crabbing.  9 July  

Jill lives with a great guy - Matt.  Matt's dad, John, took a few of us crabbing out on his boat!  It was awesome!!  We caught about 25 Dungeness crabs - roughly $500 market value!       

A HUGE thanks to Matt and his dad for taking us out that day!

Matt, baiting one of the rings with the frozen head of a chum salmon.

We would drop 3 rings, wait, and then go pick up the first one.  We'd pull up a ring, make sure the crabs where male and mature (big enough), throw the keepers in a cooler, toss the females and small guys back, drop the ring, and proceed to the next ring.  Repeat, repeat, repeat…

We also did a little fishing.  Matt's trying to remind me how to cast.

 

I love this picture!

 

We were visited by a few Humpbacks.

Auke Bay Harbor

  

We figured that since we were going to eat these crabs, we'd better be the ones to kill them.  

Messy work, but it made the next evening that much better…

Crab feed.  10 July

Matt and John Kern and lots of crab legs!

No butter needed.

Jill.  Riding in the back of her truck with the dogs.

Fishing.  12 July

The next fantastic outing Jill planned was a day of charter fishing with our immediate family.  We were ALL there!  It's hard to believe!    

Pete takes this business very seriously.  ;)

Nice work, Suz!

Silvers

Me, Pete and a fish eye.

Christmas card? 

Even our little guy is in there, hidden by the 3 jackets I had on!

Wedding.  13 July

(The picture above is courtesy of Beth, taken by her wedding photographer.)

Mother Nature was smiling on Beth and Matt that day - the weather was beautiful!  The ceremony and reception were held at the top of Mt. Roberts, one of the mountains that provides Juneau with it's amazing backdrop.  Guests took a tram up to the Timberline Bar & Grill and the views were spectacular.  

Adam did a wonderful job officiating the ceremony - it was short and very sweet.  Isaac carried the rings and provided comic relief when he sprinted down the aisle.  Matt cleans up wonderfully ;) and Beth… she looked gorgeous!!

The food was great - I especially remember the cake - and the music was fun!  We were a small group, but the energy was high and everyone had an awesome time!   

The Rev and Laura

Isaac and Bubba

Juneau, from the tram after the reception.

Looking across from Juneau to Douglas Island (where Jill lives) and Mt. Jumbo.

The reception on the mountain had to end early due to the tram's run time, so the dance continued at a bar in town.  I think the wedding party took up the majority of the space that night.

Laura and a tired Isaac.  And Adam's picture of the ladies - he centered us nicely, don't you think?  ;)

 

Dancing Dad - he was sore the next day!

Thank you, Beth and Matt!  Well done!

Neature walk.  Jill's backyard is pretty amazing.

The day after the wedding, Pete, Devin and I took a walk to the creek that runs near Jill's house.  We really lucked out on the weather during our time in Juneau - it was another glorious day!

From their back porch.

Pete, looking at nothing.

We had such a great trip!  Alaska continues to amaze me with its incredible landscapes and I've only seen a small section of the state.  Even more wonderful is spending time with family in such a beautiful setting.  

A very special thank you to Jill, who put her life on hold to make everyones trip memorable…