Baby Beal World

Newborn           1 month              2 months           3 months

4 months           5 months           6 months           7 months

8 months           9 months          10 months         11 months

April 17th – nine month checkup

No shots at his nine month appointment but they prick his finger to check his iron levels.  Henry is still doing great and on the tall side but now he’s at least back on the charts in the 97th percentile.  He crawls everywhere and fast, pulls himself up and besides being in his high chair, he hates being confined.  The biggest changes the last few months are his teeth and eating.  He now has 8 teeth (3 bottoms and 5 tops with a lot more on the way)  and has started to eat table food with us.  He still sticks to a pretty much organic diet and now loves meats, beans, pastas, cheese, dairy and especially tortillas and toast.  We don’t think he’s too close to walking because even though he loves to stand, he isn’t cruising around much.  He babbles a lot and waves and claps.  He definitely has a high self-esteem because he loves watching videos of himself and looking in a mirror.  Here are his 9-month growth stats: (he’s about 1/4 shorter than Kurt was and almost 2 lbs heavier)

Weight: 21 pounds, 14 ounces (85%)

Height: 30 1/4 inches (97%)

Head circumference: 45 3/4 cm (55%)

January 17th – six month checkup

We went back to the dr’s to get more shots and measurements.  I was amazed that Henry was off the charts for height!!  Kurt didn’t have a six month checkup so I didn’t have anything to compare Henry to.  Kurt was already crawling by 6 months and 1 week and Henry was still just scooting backward on his belly getting stuck under chairs and Brownie’s bed.  That’s not surprising though since babies these days are crawling much later since they sleep on their backs versus bellies.  Henry has become much more vocal and will imitate you if you scream loud and he’s also started to cuddle and hug when he’s really happy.  He still loves his jumperoo and now likes to ride around on a scooter but he needs help.  The dr also said his top 2 teeth are ready to come out very soon so no more cute gummy smile.  In addition to his regular vaccines, Henry got the first part of the infant seasonal flu shot.  He’ll go back in one month and get the 2nd part and the H1N1 vaccine.  Here are his 6-month growth stats:

Weight: 19 pounds (75%)

Height: 29 inches (off the charts!)

Head circumference: 44 cm (60%)

November 17th – four month checkup

Henry had another round of 4 shots which weren’t too bad.  He may look about the same size as his 3 month picture but he no longer has the inserts in his car seat which give him a lot more room.  Henry is still on track to be the same size as his daddy.  He has started to grab things a lot better with his hands, can almost situp, stands up leaning on something, mumbles alot, started a weird grunt-like yell at us, puts his hands up to our faces, tries to hold his own bottle, rolls over both ways but prefers to just lay where he’s at, smiles, giggles and drools A LOT, loves the jumperoo, is about over the bouncey and still on the fence with the swing.  Here are his 4-month growth stats:

Weight: 16 pounds, 9 ounces (80%)

Height: 27 inches (97%)

Head circumference: 42 1/2 cm (60%)

September 17th – two month checkup

We got a big boy on our hands.  He got four shots and although he didn’t like them, took ‘em like a champ.  Whenever most people meet him now they comment on how much older he looks than 2 months.  I’m not sure if it’s because of how long he is, his full head of hair, or both but I’ve started to call him my little man-child.  Here are his growth stats from his two month checkup:

Weight: 13 pounds, 6 ounces (80%)

Height: 24 1/2 inches (93%)

Head circumference: 40 cm (50%)

August 17th – one month checkup

We all officially made it through our first month as a new family.  Henry is growing right on track.  Here are his growth stats from his one month checkup:

Weight: 10 pounds, 10 ounces (75%)

Height: 22 3/4 inches (75%)

Head circumference: 39 cm (not sure of the %)

I think we are most surprised that he grew over 2 inches in the past couple weeks and is gaining almost 1 pound per week.  He likes his milk shakes!!

July 24th – one week checkup

Today we headed to the pediatrician’s office for the first time to get little Henry checked out.  The biggest concern is to get him back up to his birth weight by week 2 so we know he’s getting enough to eat.  We aren’t too worried though because Henry actually started gaining his initial weight back before we even left the hospital which the nurses told us that babies never do.  He’s a good little eater and luckily we never had any problems starting to breastfeed.  Here are his first week growth stats:

Weight: 7 pounds, 13 ounces (50%)

Height: 20.5 inches (60%)

Head circumference: 37 cm (55%)

Friday, July 17th – Henry’s Birth Story

Kurt & I checked into Fairview Hospital on Wednesday evening to induce lab0r.  At our doctor’s appointment on Tuesday I was still not dilated or effaced so we knew it was going to be a long process.  We arrived at 7pm, got settled into our labor & delivery room and by 8:45 started on Cervidil.  We were under the impression that Cervidil would just get my cervix ready for labor and at the most would cause some mild cramping.  We watched some tv, surfed the internet and talked to a few friends on the phone.  Around 11:30 as we were getting ready to go to sleep, I started feeling some pretty intense contractions that continued non-stop all night long.  It was a lot more “uncomfortable” than it was described to us.  A few hours into the process they gave me some Demerol which apparently Baby Henry liked a lot too and we slept for about 45 minutes.  That was to be the only rest we got until delivery.

The next morning, after 12 hours, the Cervidil was finally removed and I had a short break before starting on Pitocin.  The Pitocin was not nearly as bad but I knew it was going to be a long day.  Before starting the Pitocin I was still only 1/2 cm dilated.  Luckily the nurse told me that my doctor had told her that I was allowed to get an epidural when I reached 2 cm (normally they make you wait until 4 cm).  Finally by about 1:30 in the afternoon I was at 2 cm!!  They broke my water and called anesthesia for the epidural.  Thursday is now pretty much a big blur in my memory.  It was so long and I was checked so many times but fortunately although it was slow progress, I continued to dilate.  Also my and Henry’s vitals stayed strong and stable throughout the entire labor.

At midnight the nurse told me I was 10 cm and called the doctor while we started practice pushes.  When the doctor arrived I was feeling pretty good and ready to go but we then found out that I was only 8 cm.  Needless to say the doctor was furious to be woken up and called in during the middle of the night for nothing.  I was happy at that point they re-dosed my epidural but it was another long 5 hours before I was actually at 10 cm.  One of the main reasons it was taking so long is that my IV was never in good so I wasn’t getting a good drip of the Pitocin.  I pushed for 2 hours just to get the baby’s head turned the right way and at that point the nurse and doctor decided to re-do the IV and anesthesia had to be called again because it was very difficult for them to get a good vein.  By 7:30 the IV was in again and I was finally receiving the maximum dosage of Pitocin.  I was beyond exhausted and hadn’t eaten in almost 48 hours and with almost no sleep in just as long.

I really didn’t think I would be able to do it since I couldn’t even think straight but Kurt was so supportive and encouraging the entire time.  After a little over 2 more hours of pushing, Henry Konrad Beal, finally made his big entrance into the world at 9:40am on Friday, July 17th.  He was 8 lbs, .2 ounces and 21 inches long but had quite a big conehead!!  I was so proud of him that he stayed so strong though the long labor with all the induction drugs and pain medication.  I was also so thankful to my doctor for sticking with me for so many hours and to all the wonderful nurses at Fairview Hospital.  I’m really hoping if we are blessed to have another baby down the road that I won’t have to induce from zero and that the whole process will be a little shorter.

Tuesday, July 7th

So we are trying to not take it personally that Baby Henry has no interest in meeting us anytime soon.  Kurt thinks I’m just not letting him out so I can continue to enjoy the good life of taking it easy while I’ve been pregnant.  At our dr’s appt today we were told I’m not really close to being ready for labor and my dr didn’t seem to think that I would be in the next week either.  So we went ahead and scheduled an induction date if Henry decided he’s not coming on his own.  We are planning on checking into the hospital at 7pm on Wednesday the 15th.  So looks like we should meet Henry in no more than 9 days!  Although he may surprise us and just show up on his own.

Everything still looks great with both baby and momma.  Heart beat, blood pressure, size, etc. is measuring right where it should be.  Henry is now the size of a small watermelon.

Tuesdays, June 16th AND 23rd

After 2 more weekly appointments these isn’t much to update.  My GSB test came back negative which is good.  Baby Henry is still head down and I’m not dilated at all.  Dr said “he is not ready or willing to come out yet”.  We are both still doing good and measuring right on time.  She did say they won’t let me go much over a week past my due date so looks like the latest we’ll meet him is July 17th.  The biggest update is that we are officially full term so his lungs are fully developed and ready for life on the outside.

Wednesday,  June 10th

Quick update on our doctor’s appt today.  At 35 1/2 weeks it was time for the Group Strep B test and now I start going in for internal check ups every week.  This makes me really feel like we are close to the end.  My doctor said his head is already down low and ready to go.  So far, I’m not dilated at all though.  Mommy and baby both checked out okay on blood pressure, heart beat and measuring right were we should be for this far along.

Monday, May 18th

Today we went to Fairview Hospital for an ultrasound.  Baby Beal is 32 weeks, 2 days.  By their estimates he weighs 4 lbs, 13 oz. which is the 53rd percentile very average.  His head is big (they checked it four times to make sure they were doing it right) and his legs were measuring a few weeks ahead.  So it looks like we have a skinny, bobble-headed baby!!  Like always, his heartbeat was in the 140′s, it never changes.  Everything looked good with mommy and baby and the pregnancy seems to be moving along just fine.

Baby Henry didn’t seem to like the ultrasound too much and tried kicking the tech away a few times.  The tech said she’s never seen such an expressive baby, he smiled and frowned a lot.  This is the month that his brain is growing the most and he’s as big as a pineapple right now.

Friday, March 13th

Here are the initial results of our Baby Name Poll:

1. Leonard   (13 votes) – 19%
2. Truman    (11 votes) – 16%
3. Henry       (10 votes) – 14%
4. Lawrence  (6 votes) – 9%
5. Abraham  (4 votes) – 6%
6. OTHER    (25 votes)

Other suggestions are: Alvin, 2 for Simon (we almost have all the Chipmunks), 4 for Samuel,  Thomas, Nathaniel, 2 for Konrad as the first name, Damon (hmm, we wonder who did that), Auto, Frank, Connor, Coen, Garfield, T.Boone, Jack, Cash, Lyndon, Dayton, Travis, Clint and Colt.

Tuesday, March 3rd

We (baby & momma) had another regular monthly checkup today with our doctor.  Baby Beal’s heartbeat was still in the 150s and the doctor told me my “belly is growing beautifully!”  I got a prescription to take my gestational diabetes test in a few weeks and we’ll have another regular appointment and sonogram before the end of the month.  At 21 1/2 weeks, he is now being measured head to toe vs. head to rump, has eyebrows and is the about the length of a carrot or spaghetti squash.

Here’s a 20 week picture of momma and baby:

Tuesday, February 3rd

Kurt, the baby and I headed to the doctor’s office this afternoon for our 2nd sonogram.  The first thing they asked us was if we’re interested in finding out the gender and we both gave the tech an enthusiastic “yes”.  Right away she typed on the screen “I’M A BOY” and printed out the sonogram picture for us.  It was so exciting and the first thing I said was “Well that makes things a lot cheaper for us!”  Our four most recent nephews: Max, Alex, Gus and Asher are all boys so we should have some hand-me-downs coming our way.  So now we are starting the short list of boy’s names we can agree on.

The doctor took lots of measurements of him and although he couldn’t get a good measure on length since he was all curled up the entire hour, he said he was about 12 cm from his head to rump and if we added about 1/2 to that for the legs then we could guess he’s about 18 cm long.  He is measuring right on track for a 7-11 due date and his heart beat was 146.

Baby Beal (17 weeks 3 days)

Tuesday, January 27th

We got a call today from our doctor’s office regarding the NT testing we have been doing.  The integrated testing is relatively new and tests the baby for a few genetic disorders including Down’s Syndrome and Tay Sachs.  We did the sonogram and blood work at 12 & 16 weeks and the doctor let us know that everything came out negative, which means nothing is wrong.  It was great news for us and we are getting very excited to find out if we are having a boy or girl.  At 16 1/2 weeks, the baby is now developing a sense of hearing and is about the size of an avocado.

Also, momma got her first pair of maternity pants last week and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to regular.  They are so comfortable!!

Friday, January 2nd

Due to the holidays, our first sonogram got pushed back to today.  We are officially 12 weeks, 6 days.  The doctor said he/she was measuring just the right size for that time (about 3 inches long right now). They wouldn’t let us know if they thought it was a boy or girl yet so we’ll have to wait. The heart beat was a good 149 and the baby moved around a lot. Like Baby Rexing though, the technician said he was “uncooperative”.   We should be able to find out in about 3 weeks if we’re having a boy or girl.  At 13 weeks, the baby now has fingerprints and is the size of a medium shrimp.

Christmas 2008

We traveled to Kansas City, back to Cleveland and then to Chicago over Christmastime.  It was so great to finally tell our families about Baby Beal.  No one was really surprised but everyone was very happy for us.  The baby even received got some Christmas presents already including KU gear and 2 Jayhawk binkies from Daddy.  We’ve also started to tell our friends and extended family via email and I’ve been saving all the lovely well wishes for his/her baby book.  Most surprised out of everyone was probably my friend Jeanette for not realizing I was only pretending to drink the whole 4 days I spent with her in California.  At 11 and 12 weeks, the baby now has reflexes and is the size of a fig or lime.

Monday, December 1st

Today we had our first doctor’s appt.  It was long and they told us all the things I can’t eat (and drink-vodka was on the list) and asked a ton of questions.  Our due date is now July 11th.  Sounds like a lucky date.  The doctor confirmed I was definitely pregnant.  The absolute best part was hearing the heart beat.  She used a doppler sonogram and said everything sounded good for eight weeks.  We didn’t ask what the heart beat was though.  The whole appointment was very reassuring for us.  We should have our next appointment right around Christmas time.  At 8 1/2 weeks, the baby has webbed fingers and toes and is about the size of a kidney bean or grape.

Monday, November 10th

What a day we’ve had. We just got back from a weekend wedding in North Carolina and found out this morning we are expecting a baby!!! We are surprised, excited, cautious as well as a million other things right now. We called the doctor right away and she gave us an estimated due date of July 12th and scheduled our first appointment for December 1st. That’s 3 weeks away! We’ve decided to try and keep it as our secret until we see both of our families over Christmas but we aren’t sure how well that will work. Most people know how much I love my cocktails so I’m sure some people may catch on sooner. Right now in week 5, we found out that Baby Beal is the size of a sesame seed, looks like a tadpole and is trying to grow a brain. Kurt’s been calling the baby “she” and I call it “he” but we’ve decided the best name for now is BRDB, Baby Real Deal Beal. We are just praying and hoping that BRDB stays healthy and that we will able to share the news soon with friends and family. We are also very excited that Baby Beal will be so close in age to Baby Cousin Rexing.