It's been some time since we updated you last on what's going on, and a lot has happened since then. Aaron had his last day of work at Ameriprise last week and enjoyed "celebrating" at a Happy Hour with many of his co-workers. He's had two interviews for a Human Resources position at Ameriprise and has also applied for one of the new positions that they've created in the reorganization. So we're keeping our fingers crossed.
Last week also brought about a change in my appearance - and I'm not referring to the size of my ever-growing "belly bump." As some of you know, I've been letting my hair grow so I could donate it, well it was finally long enough & I finally grew tired of it, so I got it cut last week. The ponytails that will be donated were about 11 inches in length. It definitely changed my looks, Aaron kept staring at me for for the first few days - I think he felt like I was a different person! It was kind of weird to lose something that's been apart of me for a while now, but it's kind of cool to think that it's going to help someone else. What I think struck me the most was that I feel like I lost all my blond. Everyone tells me that I'm definitely not a brunette now, but that my light blond hair is probably gone for good.
We went home this past week to Pennsylvania. It was great to see all of my family - my grandma, all of my aunts and many cousins - as well as good friends. While we were there mom & Dena organized a baby shower for us - they did such an amazing job. Mom prepared some awesome dishes and Dena's attention to detail in the decorations were pretty cool - rubber ducks were the theme. And everyone was so generous - we couldn't believe how much we received - everything from diapers and wipes to a jumper, swing, and travel system (stroller), with everything in between. We were able to bring a lot of it back with us on the plane, but mom & dad will still have a full car I'm sure when they come out after the baby is born. I really liked all the books we received, especially all the notes. Even though Baby Menke may not be able to grow up with all of you as I did, it's kind of cool to think that baby will still have some familiarity with you through your notes and books!
Last night we started our birth and parenting classes. The class meets once a week for two and a half hours for 8 weeks. There are twelve expecting families that are in the class, all of whom are due between the end of September and early December. Last night we learned about the different phases of labor, how the baby moves through the birth canal and began to learn some relaxation techniques. It's great to have so much information, but I've been trying to avoid thinking about labor, and this class is forcing me to deal with my fears related to the actual birth. I just keep trying to tell myself that millions of women have done this before me and that I can do it too, but it still freaks me out.
And then today we had another doctor's appointment. Aaron's parents accompanied us as we wanted them to be able to see the ultrasound and their grandchild. I think they were struck by what you could see, but the ultrasound was definitely quicker than the last and the technician didn't take as much time showing us everything and telling us what everything was. The purpose was really to check on the baby's growth. The baby is now in the 86th percentile, meaning that it's bigger than 86% of other babies of the same age. The legs were measuring normal, but the abdomen was measuring at about 31 or 32 weeks (and I'm not quite 29 weeks) and the head was a little over 33 weeks! They estimate the baby's weight to be 3 pounds, 11 ounces right now as well. They're going to continue to monitor the baby's growth with another ultrasound in a month and then if it continues to hover around the 90th percentile, I think the doctor will want to discuss delivery options. We're to start doing kick counts, which is to make sure that the baby moves at least 10 times in an hour during an active hour. They also did some blood work as I've been experiencing some nausea/queasiness to test my electrolytes and a few other things, but hopefully that will all be normal.
I think that's all there is to tell at this point. Sorry to have so much to tell all at one time. I've added the latest ultrasound pictures to the bottom of the blog, they're not as clear or exciting as the last ones, but we thought we'd share them nonetheless. I've also included a few photos from our trip to Pennsylvania and the big hair cut. Hope you enjoy them!
As always we look forward to hearing from you and we'll keep you posted as there's more to tell.
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