Letters for Cullen's Room

I found this lady who does custom hand-painted baby letters on etsy.com. I have all the colors and designs picked out for each letter, but I'm having trouble deciding on a font. The colors will be similar to the painted letters pictured above. Please tell me if you like whimsical, chalk, or ravie font better for Cullen! Examples:
Option A - Whimsical Font
Option B - Chalk Font
Option C - Ravie Font

Thanks for your help! I'll post pictures when she's done with them.

Fruit (Really Veggie) Upgrade: Week 25

Cullen is now the size of an eggplant. He is about 9 inches (crown to rump), 13.5 inches (crown to heel), and 1.7 pounds. My little man is growing so much these days. He is still kicking the living daylights out of me all the time and the kicks are just getting harder. I definitely don't mind because it really is a constant reminder of the miracle that's inside my belly. Andrew and I are getting more and more excited everyday to meet him!


Week 25 Summary: I'm going to skip the part that talks about what happens to pregnant women this week, since it's all about 'a pain in the ass' - haha.  Your baby is growing by leaps and bounds, reaching nine inches in length and passing the pound and a half mark. Under his skin, capillaries are forming and filling with blood and by week's end, air sacs (also lined with capillaries) will develop in his lungs, getting them ready for that first breath. Mind you, those lungs aren't ready for prime time just yet — but they are developing surfactant, a substance that will help them expand after birth. And speaking of breathing, your baby's tiny nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, are starting to open and his vocal chords are getting ready to roar. Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

Baby Bump Update: 24 Weeks

Like I said in the last post, it seems like I've just 'popped' in the past week. Well that was confirmed when a STRAIGHT GUY co-worker of mine today said "your stomach has just popped out this week!" Haha. These pictures are proof. I'm still carrying low, and because I have such a short waist, my stomach is just growing straight out. It's still weird to walk by a mirror and see my belly. I have to do a double-take. I do like the belly and this size is not making my back hurt too badly. I am getting some carpal tunnel syndrome, mainly at night. My fingers just get tingly, but that seems to be normal during pregnancy. I think it would actually be abnormal if I didn't get this symptom, since both of my parents had to have surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. And can I just vent for one second - why hasn't my bra size changed at all - I mean NOT ONE BIT! How am I not benefitting from the one positive side effect of pregnancy? Hopefully soon. 

Too-da-loo Toile

I have a weird obsession with toile. I just love the French look and I think it's so elegant. So naturally, I always thought I would get toile bedding for my baby's room. I found some cute blue toile, but after looking around, I decided it was a little too feminine for a baby boy. So I have found another cute bedding set that I think I'll go with instead, and the toile will just have to wait for a baby girl. We have not ordered any stuff for the nursery yet, mainly because I'm waiting until we officially take our condo off the market March 1st, but here are some pictures of the stuff I've picked out.


Espresso wood sleigh crib and changing table/dresser combo

And though it's not essential,  I would really love this rocking chair glider, because my mom always said the rocking chair calmed us down more than anything. You are able to pick your own fabric for the cushion!

And here is the bedding I like. Any and all feedback you have on these crib bumpers would be greatly appreciated. I think I'm going to keep the bumper out until Cullen is able to lift his head on his own, but there are so many mixed reviews on bumpers, I'd love to hear your thoughts. The best thing about this bumper/quilt/bedskirt is that it would go with so many different sheets. I've also posted the toile bedding I liked. 

Fruit Upgrade: Week 24

Thursday night Cullen was upgraded from the size of a papaya to the size of an ear of corn. He is about 8.5 inches (crown to rump) and a foot long (crown to heel)! He is about 1.5 pounds...getting so big! He is still very active - I feel him moving around all the time. Because he's getting so much bigger, I can see my stomach moving. It's really exciting.

In the last week, I feel like my stomach has just popped. I am looking really pregnant and am really gaining weight now. I've gained about 6-7 pounds since I got pregnant, and half of those have been in the past few weeks. My belly button hasn't popped out yet, but I'm guessing that's coming next. 

Week 24 Summary: If your former innie is now an outie, welcome to the club. Almost every expectant mom's pregnant belly button pops at some point as her swelling uterus pushes on everything in its path. Things should return to normal after delivery, though your navel (and some other parts of your body) might look a bit, well, stretched. Just think of it as one more badge of honor that only moms get to wear. As for your baby, he's about eight and a half inches long and one and a half pounds, gaining steadily at a rate of six ounces per week. Much of that weight comes from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones, and muscle. By now, that fabulous face is almost fully formed, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair. Is your baby a brunette, a blond, or a redhead? Actually, right now his locks are white since there's no pigment yet. 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.

Fruit Upgrade: Week 23

This post is a little delayed, but things have been so busy! Last Thursday, Cullen was upgraded from a spaghetti squash to a papaya. He is still about 8 inches long (crown to rump), 11 inches (crown to heel), and weighs 1.2 pounds.


I've gotten one pretty horrendous calf cramp, but the heartburn seems to be getting better. No sign of stretch marks or the linea nigra (mentioned below) yet. 

Week 23 Summary: If you're suddenly sporting a dark line down the middle of your tummy, say hello to the linea nigra. That line has actually always been there, but you probably never noticed it until pregnancy hormones caused hyperpigmentation (the same phenomenon that may have darkened your areolas and the area around your forehead and cheeks). Other (less than delightful) skin changes on your body may include red palms and soles, bluish blotchy legs, heat rash, and skin tags. In happier news, you're now in your sixth month and your baby is about to chub up a bit. His saggy skin will start to fit his frame as fat deposits fill things out. Beginning this week, he'll start to pack on the pounds (which means you will, too!) and by month's end he'll be double the weight he is now (though you won't be — whew!). Right now, your baby's organs and bones are visible through his skin, which has a red hue due to developing veins and arteries beneath. But once those fat deposits settle in, he'll become less transparent, too. 

Baby Bump Update: 22 Weeks

Just some pictures of my bump. They were taken on my computer, so they aren't very clear. Baby boy is kicking away tonight. I can't wait to meet him!

Hyper Like His Daddy

We went in for our 22 week ultrasound today. They confirmed that the baby is 100% boy, as you can see in the picture above. Everything checked out well and he is healthy! The ultrasound technician was getting very annoyed that Cullen would not sit still. She made me stop the ultrasound twice to walk around and try to get him to calm down. Cullen kicked me throughout the entire hour long ultrasound. Someone is already super hyper like his daddy :)


He has a healthy heart with 4 chambers that was beating 144 beats per minute.

He has 5 fingers on each hand and 5 toes on each foot. The doctor pointed out that he has very large big toes as well.

 

 

His femur bone.

He does not have a cleft palate or cleft lip (in this shot you're basically looking at his nostrils to the right of the mass on the left).

And his brain and spine looked great!

It was hard to get a full body shot of him since he's getting big, so this was the best they could do. They could not measure his length because he wouldn't sit still and doesn't have the room to stretch out, but he weighs 1 pound 2 ounces! 

His size and measurements are all on target for the May 20th due date. This will probably be our last ultrasound unless we run into any complications. He is fully developed at this point and now just needs to get bigger. We are so blessed to have a healthy baby!

I Can Feel it Now!

Just a quick little follow up on my post that complained of not feeling the kicking... MAN, can I feel it now! Cullen is kicking mommy like crazy. When I put my hand on her stomach, it feels like a severe muscle spasm type twitch. It's the coolest thing. He kicks consistently every night when we're laying down in bed so I've been able to enjoy it almost daily.

Baby's Name Revealed: Cullen Benjamin Juge

Yes, that's right, his name is going to be Cullen Benjamin Juge. Elizabeth and I went through a master list of all the names we liked, and Cullen was one we both agreed on. There's no real exciting reason or story behind the choice of his first name, just that we both liked it! Perhaps it's a little early to be dead set on a final name, but right now I think we're pretty committed to it.

Benjamin, however, which will be his middle name, has a bit of a cool story behind it. If you've been reading the blog for a while now with any regularity, you'll know that we were convinced we were having a girl. So much so, in fact, that we already had a name picked out! I guess it's pointless to reveal that now, but we'll perhaps save it for a future baby. Anyway, my grandfather calls my parents up one day and says "well you must be excited about the news!"... my parents don't follow. He says "oh, Andrew texted me and said it's going to be a boy. He told me the name too but I can't remember". This is news to my parents. Of course, they immediately call me and ask me if I have something to tell them, like maybe perhaps the sex of their grandchild. That's followed by criticism that I would share this information with anyone other than them first. I reply, "What are you talking about? This is news to me!". Not only have I never texted with my grandfather in my life, I'm fairly confident he's never texted ANYONE in his life, PERIOD. So after further probing my grandfather acknowledges it must have been nothing more than a vivid dream of his. Well, fast forward to our ultrasound that revealed the baby was indeed a boy, and my grandfather is boasting to the tune of the "I told you so" routine.

Once we realized we'd need to pick a new name, we struggled for a very long time coming up with Cullen. Forget a middle name. Elizabeth at one point decided (and I only found this out later) that she'd name her son whatever Tom Brady and Gisele named theirs. It turned out to be Benjamin, so it was stored away in her head as a possibility without telling me. Meanwhile, we keep probing my grandfather to remember what "my text" said the name of the boy was. Alas, he could not remember despite constant jockeying. Finally, on Christmas day at about 2:30am (so it has been Christmas for about 2 hours at this point and everyone is asleep) my grandfather calls my mother. My mother is half asleep as she answers, and he tells her "I remembered the name, it's Benjamin!". Interesting. He says that he had another dream and in the dream he heard a voice, on Christmas day mind you, that said "he shall be named Benjamin". Now yes, it's a little intense/religiousy and I don't mean to freak anyone out... But I'm not one to mess with my grampa's dreams, especially when they occur on Christmas day and he was already right about the sex when everyone told him he was wrong. There was no way we couldn't include "Benjamin" in the name given all these signs. After my grandfather remembered the name, Elizabeth revealed to me the Tom Brady story. I'm not sure from where, but it was a sign, or at the very least an incredible coicidence.

So there you have it: Cullen Benjamin Juge.

Fruit Upgrade: Week 22

Week 22 we were  upgraded from a banana to a spaghetti squash. The baby boy is about 8 inches long (crown to rump), 11 inches long (crown to heel) and weighs one pound. I'm starting to get a little bit uncomfortable if I've been standing too long - belly feels full, lower back gets a little achy. Literally everything I eat gives me indigestion. Old wives tale says that pregnant women with indigestion will have newborns with a head full of hair. We'll see.

Week 22 Summary: As if an ever-expanding belly wasn't enough — now your feet are getting in on the act! That's because the pregnancy hormone relaxin, which loosens your pelvic ligaments when you're expecting, loosens every other ligament too — including the ones in your tootsies. In turn, the bones beneath those ligaments spread slightly, which results, for many women, in a half or whole shoe-size increase. So if you haven't already stashed away your stilettos, now's the time to bid farewell — at least for a while. Besides, you need sensible shoes to help you balance that big belly and your changing center of gravity. This week, your baby weighs in at a whopping pound and measures nearly eight inches, about the size of a small doll. But your doll is a living one who can now perceive light and dark. He can also hear your voice, your heartbeat, your gurgling stomach, and the whoosh-whoosh of blood circulating through your body. 

 

Baby Bump Update: A Very FULL 21 Weeks

I officially have a very big tummy. I don't think there is any mistaking the fact that I'm pregnant. I start my 22nd week of pregnancy tomorrow! I went to the doctor on Tuesday and all went well. The baby boy's heart rate was in the 150's and I've gained 3.5 pounds during the pregnancy. I don't know how this is possible - especially considering the fact that I ate THREE king cakes on my own over the holidays. This is no exaggeration, I literally ate three on my own in one week, so go figure. Baby boy is still very active and kicking me all the time. He likes to kick the most between 9 and 11 pm (he's kicking me like crazy right now), but I can feel him intermittently throughout the day as well. We're looking forward to our ultrasound next week!

Back To Charlottesville, Back to Braving the Cold

To the left is a picture of Charlottesville. Ok, so maybe it's the picture of a glacier, but you get the idea. It's so unbearably cold outside it's hard to suffer through. Good thing our little baby boy bump has a big layer of mommy covering him from these brutal temperatures. I'm glad he's coming in May so he won't have to deal with this weather right at birth. May is a good time to enter the world, I think, as spring temperatures in Charlottesville tend to be perfect. Right now we're lucky when we top 32 degrees, and it's been that way for the last month or so. Not that it was warm in Louisiana while we were down there as we mostly experienced cold fronts, but this is a whole new brand of cold. The highest temperature will see for the next 7 days is 38 degrees. The lowest will see, by contrast, will be in the mid teens. Yikes! We'll be hanging out inside as much as possible keeping the mommy warm and fed over the next couple months :)

New Year's Eve 2009

We had a great New Year's Eve. Andrew and I went with my parents and Anne to a lovely dinner at Ralph's on the Park (great idea Anne!). The food was delicious! We were home by 8 pm and watched football at the Juge's. Andrew drank champagne for two of us...I have to admit, I was a little jealous. My first sober NYE in quite some time!

Pictures before dinner

Pictures of Andrew feeling the baby boy kick for the first time