The Lottery

I have decided trying to guess when our little Annaka will arrive is like picking numbers in a lottery. I have never played the lottery before, but I would think this is what it would feel like to contemplate and try to pick the winning numbers.

We have a house pool going on. Clint guesses June 3rd, I guessed June 5th, Taylor guessed June 10th and Jess guessed June 20th. The winner gets free Ritas Water Ice....which is a pretty great prize...but I think I get to win no matter what. Not because I want Ritas, but because I get to a) not be big and pregnant anymore and b) get to be a mom and have a little baby girl in my arms:)
**note this photo was taken before Clint and I changed our date guesses...its not cheating as long as we guess before labor begins:)**

Someone guessed today which has now come and gone. Well, not officially gone since it is 11:30 at night, but believe me there is no baby coming in the next half an hour!

I want to know what day...or at least a ball park day that she will come so that my mom can buy a plane ticket....so I can be sure to have everything ready....and so my mom can maybe come a day early to help me know what I need to get ready.

I did my first load of baby laundry the other day. Sheets, outfits for coming home, receiving blankets, cute little socks, oh my nose could just permanently stay wrinkled up for how many times I stop to swoon over how cute everything is. Clint even went to get the laundry out of the dryer and I could hear him comment how cute the little tiny outfits and socks are! Just hearing him make that comment, unaware that I was listening, brought tears to my eyes! I dont know what I will do when I see him holding our little girl:)

For now, the waiting game continues.

Check List...36 Weeks

0 Birth Classes Complete
0 Baby Showers Finished
0 Shopping for Last Minute Baby Needs Done
0
0 Pediatrician found....ummm
0 Bags Packed....uhhhh
0 Baby Items Washed...hmmm

Some details are just still not done. Yes, we have finished birth classes at the Birth Center


have had fun at several baby showers,



and have been blessed with many wonderful things for our little girl.

We have used out gift cards to get the last minute items and have all put in our guesses as to when she will grace us with her presence. There are a few things that are still left undone. First of all, we need to pick out a pediatrician. I have called several and none of them have called back which many people tell me is a bad sign. And the obvious question everyone asks me is "Do you have your bag packed yet?" Nope... I dont yet. I started it but have not finished. It is on my to do list for this week.

We went to get our stroller (with a coupon:) ) only to find out they had discontinued it! How can they do that to such a big ticket item? Its not like something little we pick out because it is 'pretty' but something we research...find out what the consumer reports say...etc. It sent us on a wild goose chase. The new one we found is not available until June 1st. With the midwives saying that early delivery is a side effect of the gestational diabetes...we need to get a stroller/carseat now. We ended up buying our second choice stroller and matching carseat with the plan to keep it in the box until the first week of June. By then our first choice should be available. We can hopefully get it and return this second choice stroller. Sounds confusing, but if she comes really early or if it gets too confusing or difficult to exchange then we will just keep this one.

#2nd Choice Stroller

Welp, here is a 36 week photo....when is your guess as to Annaka's arrival:)?












































I could not resist putting in this photo showing Annaka making her presence known at the shower thrown by some friends at work....Does this look like a baby that wants to wait over a month to have room to move around?

35 Weeks

It has been quite the busy few weeks! Baby showers, completed our birth classes, setting up the nursery, the list goes on and on!

First of all, here is a picture of Annaka and I at 35 weeks...



This gestational diabetes has taken us for a roller coaster the past month and a half or so. Very glad to get good news from the midwives, we were so excited to hear that Annaka is closer to the 'normal' size for this time in gestation! I have actually been loosing weight unintentionally while she is gaining and evening out. It has been difficult, but I am glad that we have been able to get blood sugars under control with diet and checking blood sugars 4x a day. I have my list of things I want as soon as our little Annaka is born though. Clint has it memorized and repeats it to me often:) (Apple Juice, Apple pie, french fries, bowl of cereal, anything bread...etc)
p.s. I will also be very glad to not have bruised up hands and arms from so many blood tests....




Annaka's closet is already more full than mine! I had to put away the few outfits we have in bigger sizes...these are only clothes Newborn to 6 months. I dont know how she will ever wear them all unless we have fun and change her clothes just to take pictures:)















Here is the pack in play my aunt got for us. We were so excited to put it together, but did not realize how complicated it can be. I wish I would have gotten a photo of Clint standing by the window with pieces in his hands and me standing on the other side of the contraption with the directions. We need to work on doing this quicker or it wont be quite as convenient to take it places with us:)

We love it. Its a fun fabric and so cute. I feel wierd with it sitting empty in our room. I feel like I need to put a doll in it or something:) I was very excited when our friend Faith came over for the afternoon and put her little girl Grace down for a nap in it! I got to see it in action and was given a great tip....move it away from the dresser and windows once she can reach things! Note to self!



Here is our crib all set up...well mostly set up. We found the crib at a smart moms sale for $50 including the mattress! It even turns into a toddler bed:) My mom got us the bedding and Clints mom the mobile. I put all the bedding on it and then realized I need to wash it first. Oh well, it was put together for some fun photos:) I love the three patterns....the swirls on the bumpers, polkadots on the sheets and the strips on the bedskirt.
(and we could not leave out a picture of Annaka's first toys:) )

I had better go for now. This post is long enough...and we have one last baby shower tonight (at my work) which I will post about tomorrow.



...something to ponder...


I see the King of Glory
Coming on the clouds with fire
The whole earth shakes, the whole earth shakes

I see his love and mercy
Washing over all our sin
The people sing, the people sing

Hosanna, Hosanna,
Hosanna in the Highest
Hosanna, Hosanna,
Hosanna in the Highest

I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith

I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
Were on our knees, were on our knees

Hosanna, Hosanna,
Hosanna in the Highest
Hosanna, Hosanna,
Hosanna in the Highest

Heal my heart and make it clean
open up my eyes to the things unseen
and show me how to love like you love me
Break my heart for what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause

Hosanna, Hosanna,
Hosanna in the Highest
Hosanna, Hosanna,
Hosanna in the Highest

*If you don't know this song, be sure to look up either "Hosanna + Hillsong United" or "Hosanna + Christy Nockels"* (The Christy Nockels version is my favorite)

Its not a new song, but one that is so worshipful. You would think that the chorus alone 'Hosanna' meaning 'a cry of praise or adoration to God' would be powerful enough of a reminder of how his love and mercy covers our sin. How often do I really get on my knees to pray and seek him truly with 'selfless faith'. Even just that simple phrase, 'selfless faith' stumps me sometimes.

Simply pondering...

Showers, Springtime and 31 weeks

Showers...

We had our first two baby showers last weekend!They were so much fun...and a little awkward at the same time. It is fun to see everyone and to play with fun little things for Annaka, but it is quite awkward being the center of attention. I did not really know what to say or do! Why do we put pregnant people who dont look or feel great in the center of a room and have all eyes on them as presents are opened?! I will never know, but I am very very grateful.

I also learned why I was advised by several people not to register for any clothing. I remember them assuring me that Annaka would be given more than enough without registering for it. They were sooo right! People are so generous with clothing. For every gift we got from her registry, we got four outfits! Here are a few of my favorites...(this little girl already has more clothes than I have ever had at one time...and if you ask me in ten minutes I may choose completely different outfits as favorites since they are all cute!)

"Green "


"Pink ...and a diaper bag"

"Two more favorites I could not leave out and of course a KU shirt:)"

Clint was very happy to see some green. I think he is afraid I will have Annaka in pink every day of her life!



Springtime...

I am soooooo looking forward to warm weather. Not only because that means June 19th is that much closer...but it means we can be outside and enjoy it! No more bundling up or freezing your fingernails off. We celebrated the first warm week by grilling out last night.

Sox is watching Clint's back as he makes chicken tikka, shrimp, and grilled veggies... its a tough job, but someone has to be willing to sit by the grill and smell the aroma:)


Well, Clint gets some of the aroma privileges since he was the master griller. Watch out Barefoot Contessa and Steven Raichlen (BBQ U)...you have competition.


Ready to enjoy dinner outside with the Hagans.



And, I knew I could not get away with not posting a weekly picture...here is Annaka and I at 31 weeks...as I stop to smell the grill:)

Photo Shoot at 29 Weeks

Annaka Zayn Bauman





Saturday we went to center city with some friends the Durlings. Jonathan took some photos of us toward the end of our time there. He is an amazing photographer. Check out his website www.jonathandurling.com

Wisdom Gained (28 weeks)

Weather important or not....here are a few bits of wisdom gained by me through the past few weeks of this pregnancy

1. The value of toilet paper roll size.....

I never understood why some people make a big fuss over the size of a roll of toilet paper. I would just get annoyed when someone would buy the HUGE rolls that dont fit on the holder in the bathroom, but other than that I never thought twice.

Now with as much as Annaka decides to kick my bladder or just the fact that there is not room for my bladder to get very big without hurting, has driven me to the bathroom more often. This has led me to the realization that we were changing the roll of toilet paper a lot! Now I see the value of getting a larger roll!

2. Belly Button Rings.

Why in the world did I find it so important/cool to get my belly button pierced in college? I guess I enjoyed having it at the time, but now it is a stretchy mess. Many have told me that it will be back to normal afterwards but I am in doubt right now.

3. Opinionated little Annaka....

She loves to listen to music...especially Bethany Dillon. I turn on a mix of music from I-tunes and put one earphone in my ear and the other against by belly. I have noticed that she loves it and even begins dancing around in there whenever Bethany Dillon comes on. I thought it was just that she liked music at first, but then noticed a pattern of her dancing whenever that specific song comes on. :)

She so graciously lets me know when she is hungry by kicking and squirming. I hope this is not a pre-stage of a temper tantrum.

She likes to sit on the right side of my belly at night. I dont know if it is to be closer to her daddy's voice as he reads to her each night or if she just likes the right side of the womb better.

3. How much I love food.

I love food. Everything tastes so much better now. Guacamole and Hummus on carrot sticks are my new favorite snack! Its not a jumbled mess of tastes in my mouth...I promise! I can taste each of the three and they taste wonderful!


4. On a serious note, Gestational Diabetes

I have learned last Friday that I have gestational diabetes. What does this mean? That was the million dollar question over the weekend as I sat in tears, hungry, not knowing what I could eat. I am only at 28 weeks and the Midwives said I am measuring at 31 weeks.

Going to a Perinatalogist on Monday helped answer questions, calm me down, and give us a chance to see our little Annaka on a 4D sonogram! I go back to get the finger pricker machine and to learn how to test blood sugar.

Its amazing how the Lord can really turn fear into confidence that He is in control. Just another step in this process of Him forming little Annaka and preparing her for her arrival. I just have to be careful now. Eating a brownie or a bowl of cereal is not worth the risks that are involved for her. (I have to keep reminding myself of that as well)

Im sure there is more, but I will stop for now. I feel I am constantly learning new things every day....so this list could go on and on and on.

(Yes both of these pictures were taken the same day as the one at the begining....)

Spring Treasures (27 weeks)

Annaka Zayn is at 27 weeks now! She is moving, flipping, and kicking like a gold metal gymnast. Yesterday was another first. I was laying on my back and looking at my belly, we saw her move. We could see her move from side to side and then as we stared a bit longer, we saw a definite kick. (Or jab...we could not differentiate if it was a foot kicking or a fist jabbing) Amazing to know, and now literally see more evidence of this little life growing inside. This really is the cool part of pregnancy!

In honor of the first day of Spring we are wearing a shirt that looks like a tablecloth:)

You have heard the phrase "One man's trash is another man's treasure"... well, here it is! I was at the office and happened to sit in this ragged blue chair while waiting for the bathroom to open up. I sat with my arms on the arm rests and began rocking back and forth. Man this chair is comfortable I thought. My head rests perfectly on the back, and then it hit me....this chair rocks AND swivels! We had been dreaming about a glider and ottoman but this chair was wonderful. When I asked about the chair I was told to please take it off their hands. They were looking to get rid of it because they already had another chair to replace it! Now all the little beauty needs is a slipcover and we are set! I have even been taking the basket of kids books (you will see in the photo beside the chair) putting a spare pillow on it and using it as a footrest/ottoman.

The best part is that it was free!

It really was a beauty in her hay day....check out the buttons on the bottom and the green accents. I will be sure to put a picture up when we get a slipcover:)

One last note...Go KU...we won the first round...only a few more until we have another championship title:)

Plethora of Pictures, Food and 26 weeks

This is my new favorite food. Or maybe I should say Annaka's new favorite food! I have enjoyed it so much, it makes the top of the blog today:) Chicken salad made with plane yogurt, honey, grapes and apples. mmmm. I honestly thought I would NEVER eat chicken again seeing as it was the first thing that made me sick and I could not eat it, smell it or even think of it until the past three weeks.

(Today...at 26 weeks)

These past four or five weeks or so have been the best weeks of the pregnancy! I have not felt sick at all, have been able to eat what I want...which now includes chicken as well...and people are recognizing that I am pregnant and not simply gaining weight or liking to rub my belly.


Our appointment Tuesday with the midwives was an interesting one as well. We found out that I have gained about as much weight in the past four weeks as I have the entire first half of the pregnancy! Whoa....not expecting news like that. It definitely stopped me in my tracks! Midwife Kathy told us that the baby is measuring bigger than expected as well. So, either we are having a HUGE kid...or we will be getting to meet little Annaka early. (I'll let you guess which one I am hoping for)


So I guess the moral of this weeks story is.......

When you almost double your weight gain in four weeks....

You must change eating habits to this--->


Which is not quite as much fun as ice cream and mini powdered sugar donuts. (Yes, im a carb queen)

We also met with our friend and Doula, Heather afterward. She is great and talking with her has made Clint and I even more excited! Heather had her little Avy at the Birth Center last year and has assisted several births there and at
local hospitals. Hopefully we will have a normal birth at the Birth Center, but if anything were to go wrong and we would have to go to a hospital, I am glad Heather has the experience dealing with both locations.

(Check out DONA.org if you dont know what a doula is....I didnt at first either)

(I am embarrased to put this picture up seeing as the second it was snapped, the shower curtain fell, but its the only one I have for 25 weeks)

















Sorry, I have not posted pictures in a while....This last one is a picture of 24 weeks. It was my last week in the office as well. (Praise the Lord!) I am now working at home for two months, and will quit working in May. That will give me a month or so to get ready for being a mom.

We think we have it!!!!

Welp, we think we've got it! After months of collaboration and thought....and not agreeing on any names, its settled. We came across this name a while back, but for some reason did not realized we were actually agreeing! When we came across it again last week we both looked at each other and it clicked!

Annaka is a Hebrew name meaning "Grace of God"
Zayn is Arabic for "beautiful"

so Annaka Zayn Bauman it is:)

Thank you for your suggestions!

Name Suggestions....

We need your help. I thought finding a name we both agreed on would be one of the most difficult things we encountered in our marriage. We tend to like the opposite or different variations of a name. For example...Clint loves the name Elle and I love the name Ella. We both are not willing to budge to the other form of the same name though!

Tonight as we were randomly looking at baby names online, we found one we agree on. It is actually a name we had discussed earlier on, but for some reason never went back to it. It begins with A and is three syllables. (No, its not Addison though I am holding out that someday he will agree on that one for one of our children) Paired with our last name, we really need a one syllable middle name. Of course Clint points out the fact that Elle and Scout (two of his favorite names) are one syllable:)

Do you have any suggestions? We are compiling a list so please suggest away!

24 Weeks and Counting:)

I have been searching online to find when the third trimester begins. Some say as early as 24 weeks, and one said as late as 30 weeks. Any way you look at it, our little girl is growing like crazy.

I feel like I have doubled in size the past two weeks, have trouble getting comfortable to sleep, and have still not quite figured out this eating thing. For so long I could not eat anything...then on to random foods....then the hunger struck a few weeks ago...and now, I eat half a side salad and feel like I have eaten a thanksgiving feast! There is just no room for food to go in. Our little girl is taking up all the room:)

The thing that has been so amazing recently is how she moves! I feel like she does barrel rolls and flips mostly, but when she settles into one position, she kicks. Now her kicks can be felt pretty good from the outside so Clint gets to enjoy it as well. He jokes that we should name her Mia after Mia Hamm the soccer player.

It really is a feeling that is so alien it makes me laugh! We were in staff meeting at work when I was sitting with my hands clasped, resting them on top of my growing belly. She must not have liked it so much, or thought it would be funny to claim her space and began kicking my hands so hard I jumped! I began laughing out loud! Its a good thing a director with a great sense of humor was speaking about his fields in Europe and Africa. He tells fun stories and everyone just thought I was laughing at something he said:)

A friend from church had her baby Monday. We went to visit them yesterday. She looks amazing, sitting up and beautiful after a c-section and he is an amazingly handsome little fella. I love how he is so tiny (well, to me a 6 lb baby is tiny) and yet each feature is so clearly defined and perfect. Incredible.

I cannot wait to see our little girl, but for now I am really enjoying this pregnancy thing and am happy just feeling her flip and move.

Outflow of Her Heart

Our time with the ultrasound technician last week got me thinking. She was very patient and caring with us, showing us everything she could possibly find. She took the time to show us the kidneys, the diaphragm, brain, and every thing you could possibly imagine about our little girls heart. She pointed out the four chambers, arteries or direction or something I don't really remember. One thing she pointed out several times was the a picture that showed the 'outflow of the heat'. She told us it was a great picture showing that our little girl has a strong, great, outflow of the heart. She went on to explain how this is when the blood goes from the heart to the lungs and will be essential to our little girls livelihood.

As I was driving into work today, I was praying for our little girl. Praying that the Lord would not only protect her and keep her strong as she is developing and preparing for this world. But that He would be molding and developing her heart and personality to glorify Him. Then I began connecting the two thoughts. I pray our little girl will come to know the Joy of the Lord early in life and that the 'outflow of her heart' will be pure Joy. Joy that shows the Lord to everyone she meets. That she will truly glorify Him.


I am very thankful for ultrasounds:) This week has been a great week of bonding with our baby now that know she is a little girl and can start talking about details and such. I think that we even came close to picking out her name.....but that will have to come in another post.


For now, 22 weeks has been great:)

21 weeks part two...

She's A Girl!!!!!!

We had our first (and only) ultrasound yesterday and found out our little baby Bauman is a girl! I was the only one who guessed girl. Clint, my mother, Karen, a lady who came to buy some of our furniture, everyone was strongly saying they were thinking we were having a boy. I guess we can just leave that to a mothers intuition :0) (or simply the fact I was terrified of the possibility of having a little boy and not knowing what to do!)

Our ultrasound technician was amazing. She used to work in a hospital that specialized in high risk pregnancy and had a great NICU, therefore she spent almost an hour showing us EVERYTHING. (Many of which we did not really even understand but take her word on). Her conclusion was that everything looks great, healthy and strong. Our little girl was kicking me like crazy the whole time! You can see in her debut picture below that her legs are extended kicking. What an action shot.

This second picture confirms her BIG feet. (Just like her parents) I have big feet for a girl, and Clint has big feet for a guy....therefore she had no chance of anything otherwise.
There are so many things flooding my mind now. What will she look like? Will she have red, curly 'Annie' hair like I did or will she be a toe head blond like Clint was? Will she have freckles?

Tuesday we went to a friends house for dinner. They have a little girl who just turned two. She had blond ringlet curls and had quite the cute personality. From stories my mother has told me, she seemed a lot like me when I was younger. Half way through the night, she was tapping Clint's knee and asking him to pick her up. He was going through alphabet magnets with her, and then swinging her in circles. Seeing this melted my heart and really made me want to have a little girl! Clint is going to be one amazing Daddy:)

I could go on and on but should probably stop for now. We are thankful to the Lord that our little girl is healthy and strong.

(This last picture did not work so well....but here it is anyway!)

P.S. Now I dont have to worry about changing the color of my blog page!

21 Weeks Part One

Part one is basically just the pictures of us (baby and I) at 21 weeks. Part two will come tomorrow... :o)

This week signified another big milestone....I am now no longer just bearing each day nausious, but have some more relief! I am feeling a bit better and am now really enjoying this! It is quite an alien feeling to have someone moving inside you...feeling kicks and jabs...enjoying having a shared space with the baby. From what I hear, it may not be so enjoyable in a few months when the baby begins using my "bladder as a trampoline and my rib cage as a punching bag" (Thanks Karen for the quote). I also broke down and really got some maternity clothes. There is no chance of hiding now.


Most of you already know we moved last weekend. We are house sitting for some friends which has also brought on an added responsibility of dog sitting. This is quite a new thing for me. Clint, Taylor and Jess have all had dogs before and are naturals but it is going to take some work on my end. I have to now be responsible and think about feeding him and letting him out. Its probably good preparation for having a child as well. (amazing how I can turn everything into a lesson on having a kid) Sox and I got off to a rough start when the day our friends left, I found him up on the top floor of the house eating one of the baby's stuffed animals! Needless to say, it took me a few days to warm up to him again...dont worry we are friends again now. Check out the dog's blog site;

http://missingmysox.blogspot.com/



I promise tomorrow's post will be much more exciting. I just wanted to get the pictures up tonight.

Whoa! Here we go!

I know I just posted last night, but another first just happened! Tonight I was sitting on the couch leaning forward to use the computer on the coffee table. I felt a definite kick or jab. A few weeks ago I began feeling specific flutters...knowing it was the baby. This time it was different. As I felt my little baby bump I pressed in the same area the kick came from....and the child kicked again! I called Clint over....and he did the same thing. Each time one of us would press on our baby bump, the baby would kick back! How cool!

18 Weeks

It seems the first thing I do no matter where I am, is look for a bathroom and find out about food. Will there be food there? Should I bring snacks? Who am I kidding, I always bring a purse full of snacks now. :) I question if there will be a bathroom nearby. I know what places have the 'good' bathrooms....and have even accidentally gone into the mens bathroom only to come out of the stall to see a man washing his hands. How embarrassing! When I stopped to think, these things can seem like quite an annoyance. One more thing to think about. But maybe it is all preparation. Those are two of the most important things I will have to think about as a mom....making sure the child eats and goes to the bathroom. Or at least changing the childs diaper. (And the large purse full of food might be great preparation for remembering a diaperbag, only it will not be filled with granola bars and water bottles)

This week has brought a few firsts as well. The first time I have been able to go to a restaurant and not be sick(this kid loves taco salad)...wear perfume and not get sick...stay up till 11:00p while waking up the next day at 5:15a and not throwing up from lack of sleep. I could keep going but they are really only interesting and exciting to me.

The biggest deal right now though is that suddenly (at 18 weeks) I am not nearly as nauseous anymore! What an amazing phenomenon...a feeling I thought I would never feel again. :) Dont get me wrong its still there, constant nauseousness, but I am not afraid I will loose it in front of anyone anymore.

Lastly, I was also very convicted this past week. Learning from Job in chapter two where he was brought near death yet he did not curse the Lord stopped me in my tracks. Yes I have been very sick, but no where near death. I have had a bad attitude and have even made excuses for not spending time with the Lord because I was sick. Reality was, I did not want to. I would rather sit in self pity which did not glorify the Lord one bit. I pray this doe not mean I will get pregnant and sick again so that I can practice glorifying the Lord in difficult physical times, but I am looking forward to the Lord rather than dwelling on how I feel. I dont know if I would have come to the realization of this several weeks ago...but for now, this is something I am learning.

Prayer Needed

Please pray for Nathan, Tricia and their little girl Gwyneth. Today (Jan 8th) Tricia will begin preparations for her c-section. Tricia has cystic fibrosis which brings other obstacles to this process. She will be intubated and ventilated and then given a tracheotomy before they move forward with the c-section. After the birth of their little girl, Tricia will have a long road to get her body well enough to get on the list for a double lung transplant.

They are already an example to those around them at the hospital and to others around the world through their blog site.

Please take a minute to read Nathan's blog cfhusband.blogspot.com
and pray for the three of them.