Our New Addition

Colton Michael Bitner was born on June 24th at 12:56pm.



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37 weeks, 2 days

Baby Bitner's now considered full term, yay! He's 6 1/3 lbs and just over 19" long. I told James that it feels like he's 6' tall already and 5' of that are his legs. He's still a super active baby. He has a tendency to want to work his little butt up into my right ribs. I know with as uncomfortable as I am, he has to be absolutely squished in there.

James and I had our expectant parents class this past weekend. It was interesting to learn a little more about what to expect during labor and delivery. The best part was when we were suppose to be practicing our breathing and James kept making me laugh. I was laughing so hard I could do the breathing and think we were being the rowdy couple of the class. Oh well, we had a good time anyway. I think we're both ready for the big day to be here.

Also this weekend, I started "nesting" by washing all Baby Bitner's clothes, blankets, towels...well pretty much everything that could be washed I washed.

At my doctor's appointment this week, I found out I'm 50% effaced and still 1 cm dilated and he's still head down. So good news on his position and I guess I'm progressing. Now that he's full term I really want him to be here already.

I ordered some remaining items from our Target registry, including a reclining glider and ottoman which arrived this week and James put together. I've been sitting in it and hoping for Baby Bitner to be in my arms already. I'm trying to be patient, but that's not exactly one of my strengths :)

36 Weeks

It was great to have a long weekend! We got our travel system (car seat, car seat base and stroller) this weekend. Here's a picture of James putting the stroller together :)He also installed the car seat base in the back seat of his Silverado. He's such a good Daddy already!

Baby Bitner is 8 1/2" long and 6 lbs. At my 36 week checkup, the doctor told me he's head down and I'm 1 cm dilated. I'm starting to get really impatient about still being pregnant and really want him to be here already.

35 Weeks

Baby Bitner is over 18" long and 5 1/4 lbs.

My friends put on a great shower for me. It was so nice to have everyone together and catch up. I am very blessed to have such great people in my life.

Also this week, the ladies at work threw a shower for 2 other girls at work and myself who are all due in June. Everyone was so generous. It was nice to share stories of pregnancy and of course everyone seems to tell you their story about labor and delivery. Some are interesting, but some of the "horror" stories I could do without.

34 weeks

Wow, he's getting huge! Can my belly possibly get any bigger? It's going to have to, but it's hard to imagine.

Baby Bitner's getting bigger and bigger. He's somewhere around 4 3/4 lbs and 18" long. It's amazing how he can possibly fit in there.

I'm feeling some of the lovely aches and pains of pregnancy as my body tries to compensate for weight of my belly. Thank goodness for a good chiropractor and a husband who doesn't complain about rubbing my back and feet :)

33 weeks, 2 days

So this was my attempt to use the continuous shooting function on my camera and take a picture of myself. It turned out okay, but I still need practice :)

I started feeling him hiccup this week. I was taking a bath and thought he was kicking me, but it just kept happening and then I realized that's what hiccups must feel like.

1st Baby Shower

My good friend, Mila, threw me a great baby shower. This shower was for all my family to get together and celebrate. We had a great time. I especially enjoyed the "guess the baby food" game. It was funny to listen to everyone's conversation as the jars were passed around the room. I got to take the baby food home. No more guessing game, I wrote the name on the jars. Thanks to Anita and Micki for helping Mila and to my family for celebrating this exciting time with me!

Here's the location, all set up.

Beautiful flowers from Mila's mom's garden.

The goodies table.

Mila hand stamped the monkey on these napkins.

She's so crafty!

Half of the group.

Think they're working on the "name game".

The rest of the group.

Must have just finished the game.

The Grandma's.

My grandma (Grandma Frame) is on the left.

James' grandma (Grandma Gordon) is on the right.

I'm so lucky to have these ladies in my life!

Mila and I.

I love this girl!

31 weeks

I missed taking a picture and posting last week, but here's a picture from today at 31 weeks. Looks like I have a basketball attached to by abdomen. He's just as active as ever. I've started to have Braxton Hick's contractions occasionally. I expected them to be painful, but it's more uncomfortable than anything. BabyCenter.com says he's 16" long and 3.3 lbs this week and is getting ready for a growth spurt. When I went to the doctor last week I had gained 5lbs in the past 3 weeks. Although I should be gaining around a pound a week, the doctor wasn't concerned since I hadn't gained much in the beginning. I'm now up to 13 lbs of total weight gain.

My parents came to visit the weekend before last. We had a great time just hanging out. James started working on the nursery this weekend. He has the wall framed it, light switch moved, wall insulated and drywall up. He makes so much progress once he sets his mind on something. Once it's done I'll be sure to post before, during and after pictures like I did with the bathroom reno. My first baby shower is this weekend. I'm really looking forward to it!

29 weeks

2.5lbs and just over 15" long

We signed up for our expectant parents class this week.

We have a very active baby! Sometimes it feels like he's trying to get out through my belly button :)

I've been sleeping fairly decent. Wake up 3 or 4 times a night to change positions and sometimes once to go to the bathroom. Not bad overall. I always fall back to sleep right away. I hope it stays that way.

28 weeks

Beginning the last trimester, he's 2.25lbs and 14.8".



Here's what he looks like this week.

26 weeks, 2 days

Yep, my belly as officially popped! I really look pregnant and even have complete strangers talking to me about it. Like the guy re-gripping James' driver at Golf Smith in Indy. He was a grandpa and preceded to tell me all about his kids and grandkids, too funny! I'm finally starting to feel like I'm over the morning sickness...don't want to say that too loud for fear it'll come back. Now I just seem to need more sleep than normal, but am feeling great.

Last week he was At 13 1/2" long and a pound and a half. This week he's 14" and a pound and two thirds. It's no wonder my belly's growing! He's getting larger and I'm starting to feel the rolling movement instead of little jabs.

24 weeks

Five - Five dollar - Five dollar foot long...that's how long Baby Bitner is at 24 weeks and just over a pound. Here's what he looks like this week.

"he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon."

Upstair Bathroom Reno

As part of the renovation upstairs for the nursery, we decided to redo the bathroom. James gutted the bathroom and started fresh. I'm not sure what kind of taste the people who lived here before with the wallpaper and border and the cheap vanity, but like in all the other rooms we made this one match our style. Here are some pictures to show you how handy James is. I should have posted these at the end of December. I'm so lucky that he can do all this and we don't have to hire someone! The next step will be to work on the nursery and the little room outside this bathroom. James should get time for that after his class is done at the end of March. Can't wait to show you pictures of that!

BEFORE










DURING RENO










AFTER

23 weeks, 5 days

Baby Bitner is 11" long and just over a pound. BabyCenter says he can hear loud noises now. I believe it, because as I was flipping through the radio stations today and came to X103, he kicked me as if to say "leave it here, Mom". He's like James already :)

I went to the doctor Tuesday for my monthly checkup. Everything's progressing great. My fundal height is 23cm, right on track. I've only gained 2.2 lbs the whole pregnancy. The doctor doesn't seemed worried about it since everything else looks great. At my next appointment I'll have to take the gestational diabetes & anemia routine tests.

My mom came to visit this weekend. We went to the Columbus Kids Resale on Saturday morning. It was fun, but glad I didn't go with the intention that I HAD to have something specific. We picked up some bottles and toys. Mom wanted to get this lawn mower that made all sorts of noise. I have a feeling James and I will have to have ear plugs to block out all the toy noise. Then we went to BuyBuy Baby where we walked through and I showed her the stuff James and I had registered for last weekend. That store can be so overwhelming with all the selection! We had a great lunch and then went to Target where she helped me register for stuff there too. Of course she couldn't pass up buying a couple cute outfits. It was a beautiful weekend and great to have her to visit.

22 Weeks, 1 Day

20 weeks, 4 days

Happy Valentine's Day!

Since I was under the weather this week, we didn't get a picture right at 20 weeks, but this was taken Saturday before James and I went out to dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day.

At 20 weeks, baby is about 10 1/2 oz and 10" long from head to toe or about the size of a banana. He's already producing meconium which will be good and black tar like for his first poopy diaper his daddy gets to change :)

At 21 weeks, baby is about 10 1/2" long or about the length of a carrot.

He's been kicking around in there like crazy! It's amazing to feel him move. Luckily he's got enough room in there now that he's not hitting my bladder or ribs yet, but I'm sure that's to come as he gets bigger.

The belly is growing to accommodate Baby Bitner. I was looking at the last 3 pictures and noticed I'm wearing blue in all of them. Must have been a sign :)

I'm feeling the little boy kick more and more often. It's such an amazing feeling. It's even been strong enough that James can put his hand on my belly and feel it.

Now that we know Baby Bitner's a boy, we can start thinking more about names and checking out all that blue stuff in the stores. I have to admit I can't help but stop and look at the boy stuff now!

Baby Bitner's size is 8 1/2 oz and 6" long from head to bottom or about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Here's BabyCenter.com's version of what he looks like this week.

It's a BOY!

18 weeks, 1 day

Since I was traveling last week for work we didn't get a picture, but I can't tell a big difference between 16 weeks and 18 weeks. BabyCenter.com says the baby is the size of a bell pepper or 5 1/2" and 7 oz this week, which is considerably different that the avocado or 4 1/2" and 3 1/2 oz which is what it has for 16 weeks. So, although you can't see a big difference on the outside, there's a lot going on inside. The only complaint I have is in regards to these crazy pregnancy hormones which have led to some emotional breakdowns. One minute I'm ready to throw something and the next I'm in tears. I hope this is a spike that will go down soon.

We're looking forward to the gender ultrasound next Tuesday. If anyone has suggestions on baby items you can't live without, send me an email! There are so many options. I'm sure it's going to be hard to choose. Also if you have suggestions on daycares in the Columbus area, let me know. I've been getting some input from people at work which is very helpful.

I'll be sure to post next week so you can hear the "big news" and see Baby Bitner's ultrasound pictures.

16 weeks, 1 day

BabyCenter.com says to get ready for a growth spurt during the next few weeks. Well, I can tell my belly's ready to expand. It's been itching like crazy and I have been slathering on the Palmer's Tummy Butter.

For those of you keeping up with the baby size / food comparison, Baby Bitner is the size of an avocado this week.

Went to the doctor last week and although I have yet to gain any weight, my fundal height is right in line with my week of pregnancy. My next appointment will be my next ultrasound where James and I will find out whether we're having a boy or girl. Then we can start the process of figuring out names and determining what items we need to register for. I've already started to get great input from some friends with little ones of their own. So much to think about.

James has been working diligently on the upstairs bathroom. It looks wonderful and is such a drastic change from before. Once I get the shower curtain and a few things to furnish it I'll post a before and after picture.

James and I will be celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary this Friday and his 28th birthday on Saturday.

14 weeks

Picture taken at 13 weeks, 5 days. It's been a busy few weeks with the holidays. We received 2 Christmas presents for baby Bitner; a Purdue bib from James' parents and a stuffed Pooh from my parents. My brother also got us a baby's first year record book and Your Baby's First Year Week by Week book.

We (mostly James) started working on the bathroom upstairs. We've gutted it and are replacing everything except for the bathtub. It will be so nice when it's complete and then we can move on to the nursery. I'll post before and after pictures when it's done.

The baby was the size of a medium shrimp at week 13 and is the size of a lemon this week. It's growing like crazy. People keep asking if we've started picking out names yet. In case you're wondering, we haven't. We've been talking about it and going through name lists online, but have decided to not spend too much time talking about it until we know whether it's a boy or girl. We should find this out in a little over a month.