DATE NIGHT BOOK SHOPPING FOR BABY MILES!!!

Jay Jay and I finally had a chance to go out together for a Friday night date night!!! And you all know what kind of party animals we are!!! We started out our rocking night with a tasty dinner at Panera Bread in a cozy table nestled right next to the fireplace!!! Then we headed over to our local Barnes & Noble to do some book shopping for our little boy!!!! We had such a great time sitting on the floor reading through all of the incredible books that there are for children!!! We flipped through newer books and oldies but goodies. We flipped through books we had never heard of and books that we remember from our own childhoods. We were just a couple of big kids giggling at silly stories and funny rhymes!!!! There were so many books that we wanted to get, but we agreed that we could always go back and get more, and that we would select a few for now!!! We grabbed several books that we adored including the ever precious "I Love You, Daddy" and the to die for "Good Night Moon"!!! There are 3 or 4 more that are incredible as well, but I can't remember the names. I am so excited to start reading these books to Miles!!! Jay Jay is going to read "Good Night Moon" to us tonight and we plan on reading baby Miles good night stories every night from now on!!!! By the time he is here and in our arms he will already know these wonderful stories and they will be such a comfort to him as they will remind of him being snuggled up in his mommies tummy!!! In case you were wondering -- we capped off our date night with ice cream, an episode of X-Files, and some late nigh blogging!!!! Like I said -- PARTY ANIMALS!!!! For now, I'm gonna sign off and go snuggle up to my baby daddy!!!!

GRANDMA LINDA'S SPECIAL GIFT TO BABY MILES!!!!

Baby Miles was such a lucky boy this past week!!! His Grandma Koiter flew 1,000 miles out to California from Colorado Springs and he got to spend some quality time getting to know her voice!!! With his newly found sense of hearing he is able to distinguish different voices now and his Grandma's is no exception. And when Baby Miles finally arrives this fall, he will be able to use his other senses to enjoy this incredible play place that his Grandma got for him while she was here!!!! This amazing gift has four walls that collapse into a tummy time blanket and has a mirror and various different hanging animals and rattles to keep baby entertained. Most importantly, it is loaded with tons of bright primary colors to help with our little guys developement and imagination!!! The Play Place is so easy to put together and take apart and it all folds up for easy storage. Jason and I had the whole thing out and set-up the other night and the only thing that was missing was baby Miles. Chicago would disagree, however, as he had other plans for what should be done with the toys!!! He could not keep his eyeballs off of all those rattles and that googly armed bug!!!! He was a good boy, though, and he kept his paws to himself!!!! I can't wait to place Miles in his Bright Starts Play Place!!! Thank you so much, Linda for such an incredibly beautiful and much needed gift for Miles. You're the best!!! xoxoxoxoxox

ULTRASOUND VIDEO OF BABY MILES!!!

We were treated to such a splendid Ultrasound experience this last time around!!! We were able to see Miles moving around, snuggling against the placenta, playing with the umbilical cord and....well.... playing with his.... 3 leaf clover. One of the biggest treats was glimpsing him smile whenever I would say his name and talk to him. I melted when I realized that he loves to hear his mommies voice!!! We were also able to view him trying put his thumb in his mouth and, as you will see in the video, we caught him sucking on his lower lip!!! I think I may have mentioned this before, but this is a habit that his daddy has!!!! Whenever Jason is deep in thought or working on music, he pulls his lower lip into his mouth. I am blown away at the fact that Miles has never even seen his daddy do that, but that he is already pre-wired to do it. I wonder what other things have been passed on to our little guy by his parents!!! The video is very choppy, but you can definately tell that he is suckiling on his little lip!!!!

NANA & GRANDPA BERNERO'S HILARIOUS ROCKING HORSE ADVENTURE!!!!

Before I get into the hilarious story surrounding this gorgeous rocking horse, I want to say Thank You Thank You Thank You to my parents (and my mom especially) for getting this extraordinary gift for baby Miles. What a stunning piece of furniture/toy!!! You really have to see this horse in person to appreciate the full beauty of it. Nana searched the net for just the right rocking horse and she discovered a rocking horse maker located in Canada who hand carves each and every horse!!! The gentleman who made this piece even signed it. It's truly breathtaking. If you ask my parents dogs what they think of it though, they will tell you that it's TERRIFYING!!!! Well, they would tell you that if they could speak. When my parents told me about Jimmy and Lani's first experience with seeing this "ghastly beast" I was in stitches with laughter!!!! Nana & Grandpa thought, with two puppies bounding through the house, that the rocking horse would be safer if placed somewhere up high where the dogs could not get to it. I can only imagine what that beautiful mane would look like once Jimmy or Lani had their way with it!!!! So they placed the rocking horse on the kitchen counter. Now imagine you are Jimmy, sauntering through the house, a ball in your mouth, as you round the corner to enter the kitchen. Your world is as it should be, except...... WHAT..... IS......THAT??????? Apparently, the ball fell from his mouth as his eyes widened and he panicked at the sight of this gargantuan horse!!! As instinct would have it, he began barking like mad, which prompted Lani to come running. Only, when she made it around the bend into the kitchen she immediately tried to put on the brakes, but the smooth tile was no match!!! She slid headlong into Jimmy. Now we have two almost fully grown doberman's falling all over eachother, barking like mad!!! What a sight that must have been!!! Nana & Granpa said that this hysterical display went on for quite some time before they decided that the best place for the horse would be locked away in the closet where it could no longer torture the dogs!!! I love it!!! Not only does Miles have this beautiful gift from his Nana & Grandpa Bernero, but he will also have this great story as well!!! Thanks again, guys!!! We love you!!!

24 WEEK BABY BUMP PICTURE!!!

From the looks of it -- this kid is planning on continuing to get bigger!!! Our little Miles is already almost 2 pounds and the top of my uterus is sitting right between my ribs and belly button. Our midwife measured my belly yesterday and baby Miles and I are measuring at exactly 24 weeks in size which is perfect perfect perfect!!!! I am very visibly pregnant at this point and am totally loving the added bonus of much larger jubblies!!! I am a little concerned that at their current rate of growth I may end up with jubblies in the E range -- slightly horrifying -- but Jason won't mind ;0)!!! Now that I am noticeably pregnant I am beginning to run into the issues that other pregnant women have warned me about -- rude comments about how "HUGE" I look or will get -- unsolicited opinions on how I should behave and what I should be doing to take care of my body and the baby -- many many MANY hands on the belly (some days you just want to be treated like a person and not like a discovery channel exhibit) -- and many more!!! My favorite one so far --(dufus) "Well at least the baby will be here in 2 short months" (me) "Ummmm -- the baby is arriving in 4 more months" ( dufus) "Oh My God!!! If you're this big already, you're gonna be huge" (me) "Thanks." A lot of people that I work with also seem to think that the baby can understand English (or any other language for that matter) and give me looks of disapproval when we are discussing violent story lines. Apparently I am a bad mother for not pumping my uterus full of classical music during such discussions. My midwife and I had a good laugh at this one. The only thing sweet little Miles understands is my emotions -- and when people presume to know what's best for me and my baby -- it ticks me off -- and Miles knows when mommy is mad!!! With that being said -- there is nothing I love more than playing music for our little guy!!! He loves to move to the sounds and I love to feel him moving. He has even gone to a few of his daddy's rock concerts and let me tell you how much Miles loves to hear his daddy play!!!! I swear it gives me fits of giggles!!!! I love this little boy. I love all of my boys!!! Jay Jay, Chicago, and Miles -- MY BOYS!!!! As far as how I am feeling physically -- I feel amazing!!! Being pregnant is such an incredible experience -- and I am so blessed to be feeling as magnificent as I do. I do think it's time for a prenatal massage and a back and hip adjustment -- my back is starting to feel a little tweaked -- but I know just the right practitioners!!!! Love you all!!!!

WE'VE STARTED OUR CHILDBIRTH CLASSES!!!

Now that we are more than half way on our way to meeting baby Miles, we decided that it was time to get educated on what the heck it is that we are doing. We spent a little time researching our different options for childbirth education classes including Lamaze, Hypnobirthing, Bradley, and few others. I thought that we would end up trying hypnobirthing, but our midwife made some pretty convincing arguments for Bradley and we have decided that Bradley will be our method. We also decided that we will supplement Bradley with a book on hypnobirthing and some educational CD's. For now, however, we have begun taking classes with a wonderful couple in Van Nuys and are really enjoying the whole process of learning how to take care of me, the baby, and how to birth the baby. The whole concept of the Bradley Method is Husband Coached Childbirth with an emphasis on relaxation and deep breathing. I really liked the deep breathing approach to childbirth versus Lamaze's shallow and short breaths (the hee hee hew method). I felt that the Bradley method was much more intuitive and I really liked the fact that they also emphasize nutrition throughout the 12 week course. They are also very big on the importance of the husband's role throughout the entire 10 month process and how the father's participation and presence can greatly enhance the childbirth experience. We are already 4 weeks into classes and loving it. It's so wonderful to have these classes to share together. There's something to be said about having those 2 hours a week where we both let go of all of the things going on our lives and dedicate ourselves to focusing entirely on us, the baby, and the process. I'm learning so much about Jason through this process as well. I always knew that he would be a great partner through this process, but these classes are opening my eyes up to the fact that he is the one and only for me. He knows me. He really truly knows me, and he gets me. Just his presence soothes me and when I am feeling unsure or worried about something he eases my fears. He's also my biggest supporter. Know one believes in me more than Jason does and it feels so good to know that he believes in me. And I'm also learning just how much he loves me and the baby. These classes are fantastic and so worth the time and money spent to not only learn about the process and how to respond but to also learn so much more about myself, my husband and coach, and our baby. Tonight we focus on stage one of labor and the coaches role in it. So cool!!!!

WEEK 24: FETAL HEARING

Your baby weighs more than a pound and a half right now and sports a crown-to-rump length of about eight and a half inches (standard letter size!). Wondering what (and who) your baby will look like? If you had a baby cam at 24 weeks pregnant, you'd almost be able to tell by now. That beautiful face (though still tiny) is almost fully formed. What's still missing from the picture is the fat that will be piled on under baby's skin. Until those fat deposits are made, that very tender skin is still very transparent, which means a close look would let you see clear through to all the organs, bones, and blood vessels. Fortunately, that see-through look won't last much longer. Babies at this stage of fetal development are gaining about six ounces each week — with much of that gain coming from fat, in addition to growing organs, bones, and muscle.
What's been playing on your little rocker's stereo system these days? All kinds of sounds can be heard by your baby in your womb: from air exhaling from your lungs (deep breath now), those gastric gurgles produced by your stomach and intestines, your voice and your partner's (which your baby will be able to recognize at birth), and even very loud sounds such as honking horns, barking dogs, or a wailing fire truck.

24 WEEK ULTRASOUND -- 22 WEEKS OLD MILES!!!!

Here he is -- our sweet little Miles at 24 weeks of pregnancy!!! He is simply the most beautiful little boy ever to be concieved!!! In my VERY humble opinion!!!! He has such perfectly proportioned little features and appears to be a gorgeous mix of both his mommy and his daddy!!! He has a sweet little heart shaped face and full lips. He's got the sweetest little button nose and round ears. I love love love his everything!!! He did the cutest thing while we were watching him.... he pulled his lower lip into his mouth and started sucking on it. I swear Jason does this very same thing when he's thinking or working on music. He's already starting to take after his daddy. He also had a small fascination with his penis, which I assure you is not a trait that belongs to his mother. All in all he is a beautiful and healthy little boy and I can't wait until the day that I can hold him in my arms and gaze at his sweet face!!! I love you Miles Alexander-Bernero Koiter!!!! I will love you always!!!

EXPERIENCING MILD CONTRACTIONS!!!!

So we have recently had a scare that thankfully turned out to be nothing!!! I began experiencing contractions and pressure at my cervix that was very alarming!!! I called my midwife and she examined me and I am relieved to report that there is no sign of dilation. The baby is still safe and sound in his uteran bubble and we were able to hear his heart beating once again. He even kicked the doppler twice. My midwife suspected that a urinary tract infection may be the cause of the contractions and pressure, but a visit to my back-up OB confirmed that there is no infection present. I am relegated for the time being to staying off of my feet and drinking plenty of fluids. I'll do whatever they want me to do as long as I know that it will keep my sweet little baby Miles safe and sound.