40 Weeks, a Due Date, & NO Baby? What?!

This week, baby is the size of a jackfruit.

Baby is continuing to grow hair and nails.  Lung development continues too.

Appointment Update
Another appointment down and still no Ella.  Julie made a TINY bit of progress with dilation and effacement but nothing serious.  We had a different practitioner this week and next week will be a different one as well; at least next week will be one Julie has seen before when the Captain was unavailable. We are officially on the books for an induction July 5th if she doesn't come on her own. With it being a holiday week, it sounded like a good idea to make sure we were scheduled, especially with the Captain gone this week and next week.  After this week, we definitely missed the Captain!

Julie
Julie is still doing well, just trying to keep busy around the house and relax. She has been very productive with getting lists together and last minute organization to hopefully make things easier for us when we head to the hospital. She seems pretty confident that Ella will be a little diva and arrive late.

Curtis
Curtis "graduates" from C School tomorrow and will return to his squadron on Monday.  Looks like Ella was being a good little girl and letting her daddy finish school too!!  Curtis will greatly miss the laid back schedule and coming home for lunch but it will be good to be back working on qualifications. It should be a fairly easy week back for Curtis since there is a command picnic on July 3rd and perhaps an extended weekend. On top of that, the eviction of Ella/baby leave if she doesn't arrive before then. A random piece of information, we believe Ella is the ONLY girl being born out of the squadron at the moment. There are at least 4 other couples, all expecting boys.

Poll Results for Ella's Birth Weight and Length
Here is what you voted on....

Last of the bump pictures?
Could these be the last 2 bump pictures?!? We shall see!

39 Weeks

40 Weeks

Welcome to the world Eleanor Faye!
We are very excited for our friends Randy and Amanda as they welcomed their first baby into the world!!

Eleanor Faye

Eleanor was born on June 25th at 8:30 AM (CST).  She was 8 lbs. 3 oz. and 19 3/4 inches.

Mom, Dad, and Eleanor are all at home and doing well!  

CONGRATULATIONS AMANDA AND RANDY!!

Schoooool's out for summer!

This week, baby is the size of a watermelon!
Those watermelon seeds that were accidentally swallowed as a kid finally grew...into a baby!

Baby will be able to flex limbs, brain is still rapidly developing, and nails may extend past the fingertips.

Appointment Update

Tuesday we had another appointment with the Captain and she checked Julie for dilation. Ella is pretty much staying put right where she is and is still pretty high up. Her heartbeat is still very good. Julie actually lost a pound since last week and her BP was a little higher but still in a good range. Usually Julie has more down time before vitals are checked so that could be it. Nothing to worry about which is great news! The next two appointments were made since the Captain will be gone on vacation and we got refreshed of when we might have to go to the hospital and alternatives if the tunnels are backed up which is always good info to know!!  In the mean time we continue to wait and get ready to be put on the books for an induction in the event Julie gets to week 41 and Ella is still being a stubborn princess ;)

Julie 

Julie's first week without work went well, nothing too exciting. She got some cleaning and crafting done. Our small stash of cloth diapers are prepped and ready.  We will be doing part time cloth diapering since the day care on base will more than likely not allow cloth when school starts back up. She's also looking into this whole IL certification transition that is taking place back home so she can keep her IL certification valid. It sounds like a headache and thankfully it was brought to Julie's attention before the end of the month.  Sleep is slowly going out the window for Julie but Béla has been snuggling up after Curtis leaves in the morning to keep her company. :)

Curtis

Curtis is doing very well in school and is currently one of the top students! He also had an evaluation done with his squadron and it was very good! Nothing too out of the ordinary to report otherwise but that's okay. Still keeping fingers crossed he can finish school before Ella arrives!

Béla

Béla is feeling a little left out of the blog world...she stopped sleeping in our room about a week ago and is back in her bed in the hallway. That was a switch because she hasn't done that since before we found out about Ella. She knows when it's bedtime and gets ready and lays down like she used to. She really wants to go in Ella's room anytime we step in there even if only for a minute. She's getting ready to be big sister and taking advantage of mommy and daddy time by snuggling and playing fetch. We love watching her come back with her toy mouse in her mouth and a little pep in her step!  One of these days we will have to get it on video but she's sneaky and knows when the cameras are on her. :). Béla is doing a great job of keeping Julie company and will be spoiled the next couple months having her home!

This will probably be true! haha  Thanks Celeste!

Now to wait and see what another week brings!  Keep on guessing in the poll and we will see what Ella decides to do as her due date approaches!

It COULD be any day...

Week 38, baby is the size of a pumpkin!

Her head is about the same circumference as her abdomen.  She may have an inch of hair and is slowly shedding the white goo (vernix caseosa) on her skin.

Appointment Update
Julie and Ella are still measuring on track at 38 weeks.  Ella still has a nice and strong heartbeat and decided to show off a little bit and let it speed up while being monitored.  Julie has not had ANY contractions, real or braxton hicks, at least none that she has felt.  The Captain said this is normal, some women never feel/have any until the real deal is about to happen.  Next week the Captain will be checking to see if Julie is dilated or if there is any "progress" but it is mostly just informative and nothing to really say when Ella may really arrive.  We also got to see Ella and the picture Captain took was of her looking straight at us.  This picture was probably the most difficult to see and figure out without the help of a little imagination.  Next appointment is on Tuesday!

Julie
Julie had her last day of school on Friday which turned out to be a rather interesting one!  They started the day off without power but why not go out with a bang?! ;)  At least it was cool unlike the previous two days when we were in the 90s.  Julie's co-workers surprised her with some gifts and a homemade coffee double crumb cake.  It was completely unexpected and a VERY sweet thing for the ladies to do.  They have treated her so well this year and we are both glad Julie was able to find such a lovely group of ladies!  Julie is already planning on a visit to school over the summer with Ella a.k.a. Baby Linda by the office staff.  It is hard to believe that the school year is over; time flew by.  Until next year Marlins!  We are also thankful that Ella allowed Julie to finish out the school year.  :o)  Julie's plans until Ella arrives?  Read, enjoy the pool while she can, HOPEFULLY sleep in, and probably prep a little more around the house.  Summer break, here we come!

Curtis
Since Ella was kind of enough to let Julie finish school, we are hoping that she will allow Curtis to finish school as well!  Curtis is still scheduled to finish C School on June 28th.  There isn't anything exciting to report for Curtis but he is continuing to study for his wings and for his mini tests at school. 

Poll Results
The poll results for when you think Ella will arrive are in....

The majority think she will be here between June 30th and July 6th!  Let's see what happens! :o)

Don't forget to keep voting for your weight and length predictions!  Select 1 weight and 1 length when you vote :o)


Week 37 and 38 Pictures
Since we don't know what Ella plans to do, here are the next 2 bump pictures! 

37 Weeks

38 Weeks

"It's the final countdown..."

This week, baby is the size of a winter melon.

She is practicing inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping, and blinking.  She is also getting her 1st poop (meconium) ready.

We are officially "full term" this week and Ella could arrive any time now.  We are hoping she will wait until her due date though :o)

We added a SECOND poll for you to guess Ella's height and weight.  When you go to vote, select one answer from the weights and one answer from the heights!  We will leave this poll open until her due date.

Don't forget to cast your vote for when you think Ella will arrive on our original poll.  We re-opened it for another week and it will close at midnight (EST) on June 14th.

Julie
Julie has her next appointment on Tuesday and will go weekly after until Ella's arrival.  There are only 5 days left of school.  This school year has gone fast but well!  Testing is over which Julie thinks Ella appreciates.  Testing seemed to be the time that Ella moved the most so Julie just figured Ella didn't like testing and the quiet time.  That could be a problem later on but let's just go with the fact that she probably wants to be social!  Other than school, there isn't much going on for Julie which is okay!

Curtis
Curtis is in his next week of C School and like Julie, hopes that Ella arrives on time so he can finish his school and take his baby leave as soon as she gets here.  C School is definitely a major "break" for Curtis because he isn't running around launching/recovering jets.  At school, he actually sits in a classroom and will have the occasional lab.  Nothing too exciting for Curtis either but he will welcome the change of pace for the time being.

Monthly Bump Progression
Let's take a look back on some of the bump pictures starting at the 4th month (16 weeks)!

4 Months (16 Weeks)

5 Months (20 Weeks)

6 Months (24 Weeks)

7 Months (28 Weeks)

8 Months (32 Weeks)

9 Months (36 Weeks)

20 days and counting...let's see what Miss Ella decides to do!  Next week we will include pictures of Week 37 and 38 baby bumps just to be on the safe side :o) 

Welcome to the world Emilee Mae!!

Julie's cousin Kim had her baby girl...

Emilee Mae Seames

Photo from Kim's Facebook

May 31, 2013 at 9:55 PM(PST)

7 pounds, 8 ounces and 19 inches

Emilee's due date was May 23rd but she decided she didn't want to come out quite yet.  Mom gave her a 2 week eviction notice and she must have been listening! 

Emilee is Grandma H's 23rd great grandchild (Ella being the 24th)! She is Julie's 2nd cousin and will be Ella's 3rd cousin :-D 

Mom (Kim), Dad (Sean), and Emilee are all doing well and at home.

Congratulations Kim and Sean!

We will be joining you shortly! ;)