33 weeks - Sprout is as big as a Honeydew Melon

Honeydew - that's more like it!

We had our drs appt with ultrasound - Sprout is a growin and a growin!  The ultrasound tech said that they are a lot less accurate at this stage but it did put Sprout at a due date of 1/22.  We are keeping the old one for now (2/1) which is just fine with me - anywhere from 6 - 9 wks to go is great!  The great news is that Sprout is now head down!  All systems are ready now!

Sprout has started to drop and definitely pop out.  I look a lot larger now (i know i know) but still feel great.  I am definitely more tired as we get closer to the 8th month and acid reflux is kickin in with ALL food but other than that everything is just fantastic!

I think I am going to try to keep working until January 21st if possible.  The longer I can work on the front end the more I can stay home once Sprout is here. 

We had our hospital tea and tour last weekend which was great.  The hospital is really nice and the people that work there are great.  We are having Sprout at Little Company of Mary in Torrance.  All of the things we have on our birthplan are part of standard procedure there so we are in good hands. 

We are officially to the point of going to the Dr every 2 weeks.  Our next appt is the 21st and afterwards we hope to be able to meet a Pediatrician.  We sure have put that off til the last moment!

On a very exciting note, one of our birth class couples had their baby!  Its the first one from our class.  They have sent us all updates and pictures - they had a boy named Milo.  Adorable!

Sprout continues to move and kick with incredibly force.  Our favorite is when Sprout knows Daddy is around - the shifting of an almost 4 1/2 lb baby in my belleh to get closer to their Daddy is a sight to behold!  Sprout is getting daily hiccups which is cute and a bit disconcerting (although truthfully it's more cute than anything!). 

We are all looking forward to Christmas completely aware that this is our last one without a teeny one.  We will be lucky enough to get the boys for most of their Winter break this year but unfortunately, this year is not our year for Christmas morning/day with the boys.  The boys will be spending Christmas eve with us and Christmas day with their dad this year so we will have a fairly quiet holiday this year.  It's exciting to think that next year Sprout will be with all of us for Christmas morning (of course not quite understanding what the fuss is all about)! 

We are incredibly excited to have confirmation that Grandma and Grandpa are definitely coming for the baby shower in January.  Thankfully we have a bigger place and a large pull out couch now!  :)  It will be a short trip but one that will make the short wait til the baby comes more bearable.

Well, that is it for now.  I am sure there are tons of things that I am forgetting but honestly, with pregnant brain I am amazed that I have written as much as I have!

32 week pics:

33 weeks:

We love you!
Sandra and David

MUCH better Sprout's corner pics ... and my 31 wk pic

Owl Wall and our neato Rocking Chair (plus a beagle butt)

Owl Wall

Parker catching up on his Dr. Seuss

This is how you rock 31wks ... word.

31 Weeks - Sprout is as big as 4 navel oranges (not sure how to figure that but there you go)

I find it fairly appropriate that Sprout is now big as 4 citrus fruits that I cannot even be in the same room with anymore!  :)  We have entered single digit weeks of Sprouts impending arrival!

Sprout has definitely grown this past week and is working on my back, hips and belleh (acid reflux extravaganza going on).  It is exciting to know that very shortly we will be meeting this little one.

Sprout hardly keeps still anymore, which is great.  Somehow I have been able to sleep through most earthquakes and fight clubs going on in there.  :)  Dave has a great time just watching my belleh go nutso all night.  Sprout still loves to have Daddy talk and read but has also decided that they love hearing all sorts of voices (although Daddy's will always be the fav).

We finished up our birthing class last week.  It actually ended on a great note, with a pediatrician coming in to speak who ended up giving us the name of a pediatrician in our area that we will be meeting in the next couple of weeks.  We are very excited!  Two of the girls in our class will be delivering within the next 2 weeks!  YIKES! 

We have our next doctor appt tomorrow (Tuesday) which will include another ultrasound to see if the baby is bigger than they anticipated for our due date (which they have now moved 3x).  Dave is still holding to Feb 1st and I am a bit torn since I think Sprout may come earlier now.

We bought Sprouts coming home outfit this weekend ... Daddy was very excited to pick it out and it's PERFECT!  :)  We have also received a very cute AC/DC onesie from my Sales partner and his wife.  It's adorable.

We went to dinner this past weekend with Jon & Alex and I actually stayed up quite late (1:15am) just hanging out and chatting.  It was really nice, but of course it proved to be my downfall for the weekend and I was quite exhausted the rest of the time. 

The boys are getting very excited about Sprout ... they want to know everything that we buy and look over all of the things that we want to get for Sprout.  They are going to be such great big brothers!

Well that is all for this week.  I will post a pic that I took of the room that looks better than the last one and also a pic I took of my belleh this weekend.

Love to you all,
Sandra and David

30 Weeks - Sprout is as big as a Basketball

So we have officially surpassed fruit sizes.  Not that I wouldn't know considering I have that basketball inside my belleh rolling around about 18 hrs each day!

Sprout is officially quite active and, from what I can tell, happy and willful.  Sprout does let me know when I am at an angle that they do not like and definitely gives me quite the little push into getting myself up when they are hungry and have had enough of my lolly-gagging.  It is quite adorable and we are very excited to meet this little person with the amazing personality.

We had our first Thanksgiving with Sprout in the belleh.  Dave's turkey masterpiece actually had me wanting to try a bite (I HATE fowl normally, in case you didn't know) - and it was amazing.  We also had homemade mushroom tarragon gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and cranberry sauce - we also had store bought pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie and brownies.  The morning and afternoon was filled with the smells of cooking and the afternoon was filled with the sounds of our lovely boys.  We are also watching our friend Kim and Matt's beagle Carlin ... so it was also filled with extra dog barks and licks.  I can't imagine a better small intimate Thanksgiving dinner.  Typically we have a much larger Thanksgiving with Shaena and her family but this year it was good to have it small as one never knows when pregnant ladies need to lay their heads down for a nap.  :)

I am so thankful for everything that my life is ... I know that sounds so cliche and pollyanna-ish, but I am.  There is nothing I would change.

Dave put together the rocking chair that we ordered and it is really cute!  It will be very comfy for the late night feedings!  We are going to put up the owl/tree wall decal that we bought on etsy this weekend too.  I will put up pictures of both as soon as its done. (EDIT - DONE ... bad camera phone pic sorry!)

Just found out that BOTH Grandma AND Grandpa will be coming for the baby shower!  We are so excited to have them out for the weekend!  Hopefully I won't be too terribly big to take them around our neighborhood.

This weekend will be fairly low key, errands and such with the boys.  We will make sure that we take 30 week pics this weekend.

For now, I still have a bit of the turkey coma inducing stuff in me so I must log off.

Love to you all,
Sandra & Dave

Sprout is as big as some kind of autumn squash.

Hello all,

Dad here. So as expected Sprout continues to grow unabated, reaching what we believe is around 2.5-3 pounds and 15 or so inches in length. Last week's ultrasound put the little one at slightly larger than expected, but who really knows. All Sandra and I know is, the belly continues to grow. :)

Speaking of ultrasound, we got to view Sprout in 3d and 4d last week. It was pretty darned incredible to say the least. Even though Sprout was rather uncooperative by attempting to hide the face, we got a pretty good look and needless to say, Sprout is super cute. We got to see little hands, little feet, eyes open and close, mouth open and close, and due to some very clever maneuvering by the ultrasound tech, we did not find out the baby's gender. :)

Sandra seems well, most of the back pain episodes that go from nothing to intense have normalized into a dull constant sensation. Of course, you'd never know it...I only find out when she needs help putting on shoes. Other than that, all is exceptionally well.

Also, last week we got to visit our niece Ashley at her pre-school for special persons day. Sandra got a custom made bracelet and I used up most of the paint on my hand print, and Ashley was all smiles as we hung out in her classroom. It was great.

This week of course we'll be inhaling as much turkey as possible. I am attempting a beer and malt brine with a malt barley glazed bird. If it fails, we have several cans or Skyline Chili as backup. I can't decide if I should succeed or not. Anyhow, happy Thanksgiving to all as we make our way through week 29.

28 Weeks - Sprout still as big as an Eggplant but weighs as much as a head of Cauliflower!

Hmm, I don't like either of those veggies.  But Sprout is getting so big!  The books all say that Sprout can be somewhere around 2lbs - 2 1/2 lbs at this point - holy smokes!

We officially hit the 3rd trimester today.  3 more months til the bebe is officially here! 

We have been fairly active these last couple of weeks just with regular life things.  Birthing classes are going along well and we have had our friends Tory and Jeremy over for dinner so we are still keeping a somewhat normal adult life so far!

I have cleaned up our registry on Amazon so its almost ready!  I think we plan on having the bebe shower the middle of January ... which is fairly close to the due date but honestly, with the holidays coming up, it really seemed the only time we could!  We are planning on having a co-ed party at our friend Kim & Matt's home in San Pedro - we are super excited to be having it and are incredibly lucky to have such great friends who will be hosting it (Kim, Shaena, Kim and Sharon).  The other exciting part of it is that we believe that Grandma will be coming from Ohio for the shower!  YAY!

Sawyers bday is today (the big 18!!) so we will be going to his bday dinner tonight.  Sawyer is still reading up on all of the things that happen week to week for Sprout. 

Dakota has been able to feel the bebe boxing going on in there and has finally been able to read his book to Sprout. 

Parker was able to feel a small kick the last time he was over and we are hoping that he will be able to feel the more vigorous ones that we have been having lately!

Sprout really loves the sound of all of the boys voices!

Dave continues to be amazing.  His continuous talking, reading and playing music for Sprout has been fantastic and always seems to get an excited thrashing about session after he stops.

Speaking of thrashing about sessions; we officially know that Sprout wakes at about 6am, goes back to sleep about 1/2 hr later then is awake by 9am every morning.  It's really fun to know that the schedule may be the same once we deliver!

We had our glucose test (well two of them) last week and it seems that everything looks a-ok so far.  The drs appt went well ... measuring according to gestation and such.  We will be going back next week for our 3D ultrasound as well as having another normal ultrasound on December 7th (our next appointment).  After this next appointment it is more than likely that we will be going back every 2 weeks til the last month when it is weekly.  whew!  Back has been off and on painful as has the acid reflux that has come on strong all of a sudden.  My appetite is ok but lately other than burgers, nothing sounds good.  I am sure this is a temporary state and will continue to eat whatever gives me the least heartburn!  Other than those 2 things I continue to feel amazing!

Well, that is about it for this week.  My brother, sister in law and Ashley will be coming over this weekend to hang out. I believe they are bringing the bebe furniture that Ashley used so that's exciting!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Week 27 pics

Week 28 pics

xo
Sandra & David

26 Weeks - Baby is as long as a bunch of Celery

Yup ... my promises amounted to NOTHING!  Oh well, this weekend was a bit crazy so I will just use that as the excuse!

So we have yet to take an official 25 or 26 week photo ... yeah I know.  Sprout has been a busy little baby in there, crazily kicking and punching at regular intervals.  Sprout is now so big that it's a lot of actual moving the entire belleh ... we can definitely feel exactly where Sprout is!

My back isn't really getting any better as time progresses but I imagine that it really won't considering that I am just going to be getting bigger from now on!

We went to our first party this weekend at Sharon and Dan's house for Halloween.  It was fun to see everyone before I decide that I won't be going out for a while!  We decided just to use Shaena's costume instead of going out and trying to put something together - so we were a pregnant nun and a priest (sorry if that offends anyone out there).  Actually I think I looked more like boa constrictor that ate a couple of pigs but Dave disagrees!  :)

I will upload a picture from the boys as soon as I have them ready.  We also got to see my brother, Karin and Neo on Halloween.  She looked ADORABLE (she was the Mad Hatter) and was so excited to see the boys, the Sprout and her beloved Unca Dave.

I had my glucose test today to get us ready for our next appointment on the 9th.  Sprout had a grand ole time with the syrup and I did NOT puke -win/win!

Other than that the weeks are just FLYING by!  Sprout will be here before we know it!  Dave got to be the guinea pig during our class last Tuesday to try on the Moby Wrap ... he really is the best guy.  He said some funny things before but his "OH this is just like my ninja costume" line, cracked everyone up!

We should hopefully have a good photo of the 26 week belleh to post this week.

love to you all!
Dave and Sandra

Sprout is as big as an eggplant

Hello everyone, dad here.

First off, eggplant is delicious.


That said, the excitement is growing at the casa de Moeggenberg as mom enters the third trimester this week. Time is simply flying by.

Mom is doing well, in spite of her recent flair up with new and unusual back pains. The Dr. thinks lil' sprout is kicking on the ol' sciatic nerve, causing mommy some undue pain. I don't think sprout realizes there may be dishes in his/her future if things don't improve ;). Other than that, we've been ahving a ton of fun. Sprout now gets daily reads from various Dr Seuss classics and will sit patiently until I stop reading, where upon the kicking resumes. Also, sprout has taken to stretching out and you can feel the hands and feet pressing on momma's belly. Too cute.

Anyhow, a short update this week, but we'll have mom back for the next installment. Dad out.

WOWZERS Sprout is waaaay bigger than a Banana - 24 weeks

ACK, so sorry but I have been fairly lazy in my posting as of late.

22 - 24 weeks Sprout is as big as a Papaya!

We started our birthing classes (The Bradley Method) which we find to be both informative and somewhat amusing (well, the people in the class are amusing).  I forget that most people that take the classes haven't had bebe's before!  Thankfully I know (for the most part) what is coming so at least I can enjoy the class without the Deer caught in the Headlights feeling/look that most of the parents attending have.  I am convinced that Dave and I will make such a great team that I am quite confident we can have Sprout at home ... convincing Dave is taking a bit longer than I thought! The classes last until the beginning of December, so by the end of it I will be quite ready emotionally, educationally and physically to have Sprout!

Sprout went to their first Uberband concert which was so much fun!  It was the first time I have been out in quite a while and we made the most of it by staying out until the late hour of 12:30am!

We had another doctor appointment and everything is baking together rather nicely.  I have grown quite a bit although to be honest I really think I have gotten more 'dense' than bigger.  It's like my belleh decided to get down to business instead of being all spread out and willy nilly.  :)  well that's what I like to think but it could be that I'm just well ... bigger.  We discussed the back pain and the dr checked me and said that I have a compressed Sciatica which is probably even worse because of my spinal fusion.  Not really anything I can do so we are just making the best of it!  It's not every day and at work I have built a tetris type area of my desk so if I have to stand for a few hours I lift my keyboard and mouse up and if I can sit I have them normal.  It's not that bad.

We are still working on the registry as I honestly forgot really important things the first time through ... like car seats, crib/bassinet sheets and the like.  ha! Honestly, I dove right into the pregnancy brain portion of this whole thing.  I forget simple words, I forgot to update the blog and the other day, totally left my keys in the fridge.  Took me a good 20 minutes to find them too.  :)  I keep myself sane by saying that this just means that Sprout is going to have a big brain!

Sprout is growing incredibly fast.  The kicks I feel are now a lot harder and most nights I am entertained by the show that is happening outside of my belleh.  I can actually see the movement!  David is so happy that each and every time he speaks to Sprout our little one gives him a kick or a high five.  Sprout loves Daddy so much already!  Dave put the earphones on my belleh and had Sprout dancing to Bach for 20 minutes.  It was wonderful.

Other than that life is just going on as amazing as always.  We are getting ready for Sawyers 18th bday in November.  He is going to have a party early so he can have a Costume-Halloween party.  I am busily trying to put together his Han Solo outfit and also Parker's Frankenstein on vacation outfit.  I've become fairly handy with Styrofoam (yeah I know its not the most environmentally friendly but you try making a blaster and bolts!).  Dakota isn't sure what he is going to be yet but he doesn't seem that concerned - which means that I will be trying to help him at the eleventh hour.  Sharon and Dan will be having their last Halloween party out here in Redondo so we'll be going to that!  Dave and I are fairly certain we are dressing up as Brad Pit and a preggo Angelina Jolie.  I will post pics of the completed costumes after the celebration but below are some just as a place holder.

Well I promise to try to update every week from now on ... of course I also promise to not leave my keys in random places but I have no idea where they are right now ...

And here is my attempt at 24 weeks:

xo
Sandra and David

3 pics for the price of 1!!!

Cantaloupe Sprout (this is why pics of the belleh are taken from the neck down ... I don't take good face pics)

The Moeggenberg Clan at Montgomery Inn:

Banana Sprout

(hmmm - i think we will need a wide angle lens soon!)

Sprout is as big as a Banana - 21 weeks

Well we are back from Ohio and had a grand time!  The plane ride was not a happy way to travel 1/2 way to baby, but I can imagine that it is better than with a newborn!  We realized that Sprout does NOT like acceleration.  During the flight Sprout would curl up as tiny as possible at the back of my body and then every so often would swim up to the front and kick me really hard.  Little stinker!

Ohio was so much fun.  Had a lot of great times showing off the belleh to relatives.  Grandma and Grandpa felt Sprout move so thats a plus!  Dave did not use his designated driver card at all, which makes me think he may try to just build them all up and cash them in at a later date. 

Friday morning we were picked up at the airport by Grandma, ate some Goetta and took naps.  After Grandpa came home he raved about a place that was on Food Networks Diners, Dives and Drive Ins.  We had AMAZING hamburgers at Terry's Turf Club.  wow - believe the hype!  And that ain't just the preggo woman speaking.  Dave was speechless.  Then it was on to UDF for fantastic milk shakes!  MMMM!

Saturday we had more Goetta and then went to Oktoberfest.  That was SO fun!  A whole festival dedicated to food!  (ok ok beer too but that doesn't involve me even non-preggo)  Had Brauts, Mac&Cheese with Goetta and a GINORMOUS creme puff. mmmmmmmmmm!  We went home and took a nap again then went out to hang with the cousins (Sarah, Justin, Jill, Kiernan and Mark), Aaron and Brian.  The bar had the most amazing Fish and Chips ... and fairly horrible karaoke - which made it all the more fun!

Sunday we had Mark and Erins wedding which was held at a really beautiful Nature Preserve.  It was great seeing them and hearing their vows made even Dave choke up.  We then went home and napped yet again.  (see a pattern?)  We went to dinner that night with the family at Montgomery Inn.  They have the most amazing Ribs!  yum!

Monday we woke up, had lunch at Skyline (our first for the trip - amazing!) with Grandma and Andy, went to Bed Bath and Beyond to look for a pillow that would allow me to not be in pain on the trip back and then had a trip to Graeters for wonderful ice cream!  Grandma and Grandpa had taken down toys that Dave had as a child and we got to look through them and decide which we were going to have for Sprout.  Dave even found his very first teddy bear "Tenny" that he was incredibly attached to as a little one!  I am so excited to have all of those for Sprout!  Grandma and Grandpa made us dinner before we left and Katie and Andy joined us.  We were fairly early for our flight which was great since we didn't have to rush.  The flight was uneventful and less uncomfortable than the flight in.

Dakota's 20th birthday was Tuesday so we had a family birthday dinner at Big Wok.  It was nice to have all of the boys around me after our whirlwind flight.  Sawyer came home with us to spend the week with Dakota so we have an almost full house! 

Wednesday was low key but I did get to have dinner with just Sawyer, which hardly ever happens!

On Thursday my back was acting up again (it doesn't happen very often so I hate to complain) so I was out of commission for the first half of the day.  Dave has a show tonight where both of his bands are playing which is exciting but unfortunately a long night therefore meaning I may have to sit this one out.

This weekend will be fairly busy with us having all the boys and watching Carlin while Kim and Matt are out of town.  Dakota and Sawyer will be busy with bday celebrations for Kota and Parker will be busy with rehearsals for his upcoming play.  I think my brother, Karin and Neo are coming over this weekend also which is exciting!

I will try to post a picture from last week that we took with the family and will also get Dave to take one of my 21 week belleh.

xo
Sandra and David

Halfway there and Sprout is as big as a Cantaloupe - 20 Weeks

Woohoo!  20 more weeks to go (give or take a few days)!  I can definitely feel the growing happening again.  Sleep is still coming at me hard and fast - of course it is broken up about 20x during the night but that's just getting us ready for lil Sprouts arrival!

And yes, we are bloggin early as we are leaving tonight for Ohio.  A fast and furious 4 day trip to visit family and friends.  It will be lovely and we cannot wait!

This week is a bit of a blur ... mostly spent getting ready for the trip.  We did have a doctors appointment on Tuesday which mostly consisted of - weigh in (holy COW!), blood pressure (NICE!), checking with the Dr on flight safety and the Dr trying to locate the heartbeat ... which got him a nice hard kick from Sprout.  That'll show 'em!

Had more time with the girls on Wednesday night, which was nice.  Jax showed off his new verbal skills and let us all hold him at least once.  He is getting so big!

I should have more to post next week as I am sure the weekend will be filled with lots of designated driving and fun!  I am so looking forward to eating all the German food and getting lots of love from the family and friends who we don't see as much as we would like.

We will try to post a family shot with the belleh!

xo
Sandra and David

Mango Bebe' pic(s)

and one with Bourbon who was very upset that we had closed the door:

Sprout is as big as a Mango - 19 weeks

Look Dave ... a week just for you - yay!

Thanks love.

Hey everyone, it's dad here. You can tell because this update is two days late.

So, as you can see from the title, sprout is as big as a mango, one of my most favorite fruits. Let me be the first to say, this is one kicking mango, literally. More often than I expected at week 19, Sandra will get a look on her face, immediately grab my arm, and press it firmly onto her belly. Lo and behold, there's a kick or three. :)

Now, mind you, these aren't your ordinary kicks, they feel like very light taps at this point, but if ever there was anything that could bring a smile to my face, this is it. Sandra often describes sprouts movements as 'swimming', stating that she feels the little one moving across its little kinderhaus with Olympic zeal. Perhaps sprout will be a butterflyer...lord knows I wasn't.

This weekend Sandra and I played it low key for the most part. We spent Saturday morning at Hugo's for brunch, catching up with Sandra's high school friend Michelle and her dad and friend Jim. Wonderful food and lively conversation were the order of the morn, and then, a nice long nap. I am getting a lot of freebie naps on account of Sandra's freebie naps. Win win.

At week 19+2 days, Sandra and I are officially sinking into the new place. We've purchased and had delivered a couch that will properly seat a hockey team and we are unpacking our last official moving box. From here on out, it's 21 weeks of leisure, netflix, guitar noodling, reading, sleeping, sleeping again (Sandra still gets the insta-sleep), and generally storing up energy for the sprout debut.

Future Grandma and Grandpa get to see the kinderhaus this Friday for the first time as we fly back to Cincinnati for a friend's wedding. In addition, my rather large and always wonderful extended family will also be getting together, and I'll cash in some more of my free designated driver chips. Until then, I leave you with an updated belly picture. Enjoy!!!

Sweet Potato Sprout - 18 week pic

I think it may be time for me to buy some more maternity shirts!  :) 

Sprout is as big as a Sweet Potato - 18 weeks

Happy Sweet Potato week! mmmm, sweet potato *drool*

Fairly low key week this week and honestly nothing much to report.

I am back and forth extraordinarily tired then fairly awake.  My sleep has been interrupted because of normal pregnancy things in the middle of the night (uncomfortableness, small bladder, etc) but its been a bit better now that we got a pregnancy pillow.

Kim, Sharon, Shaena and Jackson came over to visit on Wednesday.  Jax was very interested in my belly for about 5 minutes - I think he thought I was hiding something from him since he tried to peek under my shirt!  :)  Girls night now consists of more juice and early nights than before but they are still so fun to have.  Shaena brought over a basket of goodies that she had been saving since we told her we were preggo!  So many cute items! 

We have been so excited with the test results that we finally feel a rush to look at baby stuff!  We bought our diaper bag (the one I have been drooling over)  http://www.skiphop.com/product/20000.html in Uptown Stripe.  I just think it looks so much like our purses that I bought for the girls and myself for the wedding!

We also bought a new sectional couch that has a full sized sleeper!  We are so excited that we have adult type stuff for when Dave's family comes to visit when Sprout makes their appearance in Feb.  The couch will be delivered a week from today.  We are also in the market for a breakfast nook type dining table and should have that before the family comes out too!

We have a long weekend ahead of us filled with Family (the boys are with us for the weekend - yippee! and my brother, Karin and Neo are coming over on Saturday for dinner) and wonderful Friends (Sharon & Dan are having a bbq on Sunday!). 

Wow, for nothing to report that was looong!

As always, David will be taking a side view of the Sprout belleh this weekend.

Much love to all,
David and Sandra

17 week Onion Sprout pic

Yup this is Sprout in Onion mode ... of course we don't look any bigger :)

So, the tests all went amazingly well.  We had an ultrasound which showed that we indeed had a baby swimming around in there dancing up a storm.  Sprout has all 10 fingers and toes (adorable) and also has a really strong heart and brain.  The heart beats were anywhere from 140 - 150 beats a minute. 

All of the old mama tests came back incredible - in case anyone has any need to know the specifics:

1. Downs Syndrome Risk was less than 1 in 12,000 (my age bracket is given 1 in 200)
2. Trisomy 18 was less than 1 in 100,000 (my age bracket was given 1 in 100)
3. Other chromosomal abnormalities is less than 1 in 10,000 (my age bracket was given 1 in 250)
4. Neural Tube Defect was negative.

AMAZING!  We are so very happy!

Also, while doing laundry late on Sunday night we BOTH felt the baby move.  It was amazing.  Of course I have a bruise from where I pushed Dave's hand into my belly so he could feel but ... eh!

xo
Sandra and David

1. 
   

Sprout is as big as an Onion - 17 weeks

This week started out pretty easy, just cleaning up a lot of the boxes and stuff still on the floor from the move.  Our home is coming together really well!  Shaena and Jackson came by on Saturday to hang out and share fries.  I am super excited to have our babies be able to play together in the future!

With all of this moving I must have tweaked something because my back decided it was having none of it and went out on me on Monday.  I stayed home from work and looked up pregnant yoga which I did a bit of that night.  It did feel better after that.  I think a big ole pregnancy pillow is on our list of shopping items!

Kim Klemmer, Shaena and Jackson came over on Wednesday to hang out for a little bit.  Jackson and Bourbon played like crazy running around and around the living room.  It was adorable!

I am a bit nervous about the meeting with the geneticists and the tests today (Friday). I am sure everything will be fine, just nerve wracking. Oh to be under 35 again! :) haha  We will post all the news and results when we have them.

This weekend will be fairly low key.  We have Matt and Kim's housewarming party on Saturday and Parker's 15th Birthday on Sunday.  We are in the midst of putting together a registry on Amazon for those who are inclined (it is definitely NOT necessary though ... however we have gotten asked questions already so we figured we better put something together).  It's pretty low key ... mostly cloth diapers, organic clothing and all that hippie stuff you knew we would register for.  I have ordered a diaper bag from Skip*Hop that should be in shortly and we do have 2 baby slings (one for me and one not so girly for Dave).  Shaena and Steve are letting us borrow Jackson's cradle and my brother & Karin are giving us Neo's crib, changing table and strollers.  We are incredibly lucky to have all of these people in our lives!

I am still poking my belly to try to get Sprout to move but I haven't felt him/her yet, darn those stubborn babies! 

Dave will be taking another side shot picture to keep you all up to date on the hugeness that is Sprout!

xo
Sandra and David

First Sideshot of Sprout in Belleh

This is what 16 weeks Moeggenberg-style looks like!

Sprout is as big as a large Hass Avocado - 16 weeks

Happy guacamole week!

Sprouts tests came back pretty darned great for the first trimester!  The chromosomal abnormalities came to 1/2000 (typically in a 40 year old it is about 1/200).  We gave our 2nd trimester blood for the second part of the test so those results should come in right on time for our genetics appointment on the 27th. We will get to see Sprout again at that time too!

We also got to hear the heartbeat, which is an amazing sound.  I think the heartbeat sounded a bit slow (which all signs indicate a boy) but Dave said it sounded great (of course he has a feeling of a girl). 

I should be feeling the flutterings soon, I can't wait.  Actually, I am a bit more excited to have Dave and the boys be able feel the movements ... which we are about a month or so away from.  Dave is so very cute with the whole thing, touching and talking to Sprout whenever he can.  The boys have been so very sweet - they are all very concerned with how I am feeling and Sawyer can't keep his hands off of "the Belly". 

I am feeling pretty good right now, a bit tired but nothing like the last few months.  I actually had a couple of days of staying up til midnight!  Of course after that I have been out by 9pm ... as Dave says "Making a baby is hard work".

Food wise, I haven't been craving as many things as I was in the first trimester (tacos, pickles, pumpkin bread, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches) so I think my eating hasn't been as voracious.  I gained 2 pounds this month, which helps to even out the first couple of appointments of 4lbs each - gah, slow down Mama!  I am fairly large for being only 16 weeks - but Dave reminds me that the Dr. didn't say anything so I must be doing great!

The move went well - we have some super human friends and family (and husband)! There were a lot of things I couldn't do because of Sprout but I did unpack the kitchen and put away our gazillion books.  I am sure I did more but can't think of anything outside of all ... those ... books.  We love our new home, all the boys now have space to be themselves and not knock into each other at every turn.  We finally feel like we can breathe! 

That's about it!  We'll be spending the weekend with the boys - breaking down boxes, finishing up the last of the unpacking and putting together of furniture, laundry and possibly the beach!  The weather is gorgeous and we are super excited to be about a 10/15 minute walk to the ocean. 

Dave will be taking a picture of the belly this weekend I promise ... we finally have the interwebs up at the house for us to upload our pictures to!

xo
Sandra and David

Sprout is as big as a Navel Orange - 15 Weeks

So we figured it was about time we start a blog for those of our loved ones who are far away and can't see the progress that is the amazing Sprout.  But if you are close and want to read, please feel free ... but know that I will be probably be retelling you these stories when I see you so pretend you haven't heard them. 

In case we haven't made it clear to you yet, we are calling the baby Sprout as we are not finding out the gender til they are born.  Dave made this request and so far I've been fairly good about sticking with it ... time will tell as we get closer how much more difficult it will get!

We are officially 15 weeks today ... 1 week into our 2nd trimester.  It has been a fairly uncomplicated pregnancy so far - a few days of morning sickness, some back aches and above all extraordinary tiredness.  Acid reflux and heartburn have snuck up on me like you wouldn't believe in the last week or so but over all I feel great!

I honestly feel like Sprout just spread out this last week.  I finally look fairly good and pregnant.  I don't get the confused, hmm, do you have a beer gut or did you eat a big meal looks anymore.  As Shaena has pointed out, I've been getting the very cute "oh look its a pregnant belly" looks.  In case you feel you are missing out, don't worry!  Dave will be taking weekly side views of the belly so you'll feel more a part of the magnificence that is Sprout.

We've been packing and moving boxes to get ready for the actual move to our new place in Playa del Rey.  It is a fantastic 3 bdrm apartment about 1/2 mile to the beach.  We are in love with all the space and are so glad that the boys will finally have room to spread out!  This will also give Sprout plenty of places to play in as we plan on being here for a while!

So we have our August Dr appointment on Tuesday 08/17.  They will go over any issues with the tests we just took (if there are any ... which we are sure there are not!) and we will more than likely get to hear the heartbeat!  Yay!

Well that is it for our first post ... thank you for reading!

xo
Sandra and David