Our little man!!!

There he is, the sleeping little man! We were SO thrilled to finally get the 3D ultrasound done yesterday, and here is the result. I cannot get over the clarity that you can see, it's just amazing!

The "little" man is weighing in about 5lbs 5ozs (!) already, which puts him a week earlier that his due date (not that you can count on that, but I suspect an early delivery myself...) So he really might be a New Years Baby after all!

Oh, and the real reason for the ultrasound was to see if my placenta had actually moved up - and it has, apparently, so we are all good to go as far as delivery. I see my Ob/Gyn this morning, but doubt there will be much to report. She always listens to his heartbeat, which is nice to hear. I imagine I'll be seeing her more regularly now - no more once a month, time to keep close tabs on this little one! A tummy photo is coming this week, Geoffrey says he thinks it has changed shape. All I see is BIG! : )

Greetings from preggo land...not having the best week of all time - both Geoffrey and I have been very sick with head colds/sinus infections, and I am worn OUT! I am finding that my energy is fading quickly each day, just getting showered and dressed in the morning is a real effort that tires me out. Most recently the heartburn/acid reflux is at a new high, and I find I wake up in the night from acid in my mouth - disgusting, and too much info, I know. Just ranting a little...on the up side, the baby is kicking like a mad-man, which I love as it is very reassuring that all is going well on the inside. He gets calm when his daddy talks to him, which is a good sign of who will be taking him when he screams!
Only another 4 weeks of work to go - lots to do in that short amount of time, but then I will do my best to stay away from the office and leave it in capable hands. I'm realizing just how hard that is going to be for me - who knew I was such a control freak? (Oh, all of you? Hmmm...) However, I will certainly be consumed with my new job as full time mommy, which I am really looking forward to.
Our friends Scott and Sara just had their second child this week - a daughter named Kaitlyn. We are so happy for them and can't wait to get the two babies together for some playtime in the New Year! Congrats, guys!
Photos to come - amidst the renos to the baby's room is our camera, which I have not fished out for a while. You can only imagine how big I am...but it's worth every pound! : )

New Poll!

My students are going to use my pregnancy as a fundraiser...they will ask people to pay for a vote on the date and time that the baby will be born. I thought that I should put a poll up here as well - but a free one! So watch for it and be sure to get in on the action.

Week 29

THIRD TRIMESTER!

The real countdown begins now...

How can there only be eleven weeks to go? I am shocked at how time flies! Here I am in my 29th week, wearing what had become my favorite shirt - more compliments on this one than any other. perhaps it is the vertical (if "curved") stripes! Whatever it is, it certainly doesn't hurt a pregnant woman to be told she looks good.

What's new in the 29th week? More of the same - swollen feet and ankles, load bearing pain in my lower abdomen, varicose veins popping up, fatigue, heartburn and acid reflux.But really, if that's the worst of it, I am not complaining! (Did I mention the hormones and that on days when I'm "up" there's little to no complaining...today is an "up" day. So, no complaining!)

Gearing up for a major performance with my Wind Ensemble this Friday night - should be a good'un. They had a great "moment" today that filled me with excitement. There were many other moments that were not stellar...but I'm sure they are just waiting to peak at the right moment. I'll be sure to let you know!

The Pagel clan in Denver

BRONCOS MANIA IN DENVER!!!!!!

Well, a different take on the belly...this is Baby Pagel's (and mom and dad's) first Broncos home game at Invesco Field in Denver. We brought his little jersey with us just for this photo opportunity - notice that he is Pagel #1! We had a great weekend in Denver visiting our friends Caryn and JR, and witnessing a terrible loss for our team. But we had fun! We also did some damage at the local Target and Kohl's stores...

The trip had a few ups and downs - it began with miscommunication and a bag being left at home with the passports et al inside...luckily we realized it AT the airport (duh), and had just enough time to run home and get back and through the gate. However, we had some "issues" with security - in our effort to take only carry-on luggage, we were forced to give up a few toiletry items at the first checkpoint (most of which were almost empty anyways). However, we were assured that the rest of what we had would be fine. NOT so - a security officer proceeded to yell at me for having a container over 100ml, even though it fit inside the plastic bag, and after trying to explain that it had already been approved at the first point I simply broke down in tears. Hormones, hormones, hormones...this was only 7:15 in the morning and we had already dealt with enough stress that I was DONE. A nicer security lady asked us if we wanted to report such barbaric (well, it felt that way at the time!) behaviour. As we were already close to missing our boarding time, we said no and carried on, with me wiping my tears away. It took most of the plane ride to get my emotions out of my system, as I realized on the plane that my new headphones were not charged. Sigh...woe is me. However, the trip as I said was a good one, we got to eat at several of our favorite places (Uno's Pizza, Sonic, Cheesecake Factory, Village Inn - all yum!) and had a really great time at the game, despite the VERY chilly temperature and snowflakes. Our seats were literally at the very top of the stadium, at the top of the staircase, which meant a mostly unobstructed view of the game. After the many years of college football games, I have to say I enjoyed not carrying ladders or waterbottles or videocameras, or listening to the band at close range. It was fun to be a fan!

So, baby is doing fine - I had another Dr. appt. today and his heartbeat was 140 bpm, quite strong. Lots of movement still going on, which is still entertaining for both of us. I have had some serious heartburn and acid reflux that keeps me up at night, and some pretty sore ligament pain in my lower parts, but otherwise no big complaints. Only 12 weeks to go, if you can believe that, I know I can't!

Keep us updated on your lives too - I'm never sure anyone actually reads this, but it keeps me busy in any case! Love to all!

Week 26

Well, here is the latest on the belly - growing and growing at week 26! It has been one of the busiest months of my entire life, and has left me somewhat exhausted. I have my third concert of the semester tonight, and feel like I have been living at the University whether in rehearsal, class or meetings. It looks like things will lighten up slightly in the coming weeks, which I will be very thankful for. My ankles (er, Kankles) will also be grateful, as the swelling in those puppies is unreal to see.

Everything seems to be very good with the little man though - he is kicking up a storm and delighting his parents to no end. Geoffrey even took video of my belly and you can see it jump.

Who knew it could be so entertaining???

I have had some difficulty walking lately, and can only describe it as carrying around a bowling ball full of water that is constantly pushing on your hip flexors and bladder. I am definitely "waddling" now, but with incredible grace if I do say so myself! Other symptoms: occasional heartburn, very sore feet, sniffles and wheezing at night...really, I am getting off quite easy and have little to complain about. If anything, Geoffrey should be the one to complain as he is doing a myriad of home repair work while I sit on the couch with my feet up. He even rubs them now and again (with a little coaxing). He has been very supportive throughout, and is so cute when he reads and sings to the baby in my belly. It is no secret that he will be an amazing daddy!

Next project: baby's bedroom. We bought a lovely light blue paint, and will be redoing his closets to make them more functional. My mom has a crib for us that will match the hardwood floor, and I have my eye on some items at Restoration Hardware to complement the look. And there is an RH opening in Calgary at the mall 5 minutes from my mom's house! The gods can be kind sometimes...this is our favorite home store, and I imagine they will get a LOT of business from this household. Thanks to Grandma Schroeder and Great grandma "Nan" for the first set of clothing that the boy has received. Before that, the only thing we had was a Broncos jersey that daddy specially ordered - "Pagel #1". We are off to Denver next weekend to see a home game, and will take the little jersey with us for some photo ops!

Must get moving, I am at home this morning for my first morning off in a few weeks, but have some errands to run and then more meetings. classes and rehearsals...no rest for the wicked!

Beaner Photo

SO.... here is a photo of our little guy, MUCH more interesting than a photo of my expanding belly! He is incredibly active, and all tests show that he is at least as normal as his mom and dad...

We were hoping to do the 3D ultrasound, but were told that we have to give them advanced notice to do it. So aggravating, but I will have one more in another 6 weeks or so, and will certainly be calling ahead for the high tech machine.

I am feeling pretty good these days, fewer nightime allergy attacks and little to no nausea or heartburn this month. My biggest issue right now is the swelling in my feet and ankles, caused by long rehearsals and teaching. I have tried and tried to conduct sitting down, but it feels so limiting and ineffective that I end up standing anyways. I have some LOVELY support stockings...I wore them on our plane rides to Hawaii and they worked quite well, but I haven't been brave enough to wear them to school. I think it might be time, as the varicose veins are creeping up as well. Yuck!

The new house is also coming along - Geoffrey has been doing his own minor "demo" of some areas, and we are currently running a dehumidifier to get rid of as much dampness in the basement as possible. So far several gallons in only a day, I can't imagine what a week will do! Will get some photos up soon!