Week 19 Belly Shot...

Belly shot time folks! Phil's looking more and more beautiful and her belly is getting bigger. Our Lil' Monkey also have been growing and moving up a storm. So much so, that I have felt it also which was just an amazing experience. We have been talking to Our Lil' Monkey for awhile now, but according to the baby sites and medical sites, the baby at this point can hear us. So in the morning, throughout the day and before we go to bed we talk to him/her and play music for him/her. Plus while we play some worship music, it's also the perfect bonding and worshipping time for us. It's great.

Friday we will have our big ultrasound where we'll get to see Our Lil' Monkey for a longer time, not just 5-10 minutes, and a couple of wonderful things are going to happen. 1) My parents will be in town and will be able to come to the ultrasound and see their grandchild for the first time and 2) we'll find out what team, Blue or Pink, Our Lil' Monkey will be joining. Well, we'll be able to see if we're having a boy or a girl, if the baby cooperates and is not blocking those areas. Stay tuned for that. Join in our fun of guessing boy or girl and play along with on Gender Poll.

http://channersfirstbaby.blogspot.com/2009/03/baby-gender-poll.html

37 inches

Lord, You've watched over us and protected us this far and we will forever put our trust and lives in Your Hands. Lord, continue to place Your blessing on this pregnancy and baby and our lives. Lord we thank You for this Gift from You. Thank You. Amen.

Peace Out folks
Chris C.

Our 4th Prenatal Visit

Okay folks, 4 more weeks have gone by and here we are at our 4th prenatal visit. So how did things go? Well, everything went great. It was nothing different to report except we did opt to have the 3 screen or tri-screen blood test done. This is what it is. The test measures the levels of up to four substances in your blood: AFP, hCG, uE3, and inhibin A. Having abnormal levels of these substances in your blood is associated with an increased likelihood of carrying a baby with Down syndrome. Thanks BabyCenter.com. This screen isn't mandatory, but they most at least offer it. Me and Phil had decided from the start to have this done. The test does more times than not comes back with a bad reading when actually there's no problems, and visa versa. But when it comes back good, more times than likely it is. Understand? Either way, you'd just go and have a more detailed screen done. We are not worried, not thinking about it, leaving it in God's Hands. Screens take 1 1/2 weeks. Will keep you posted on that.

Outside of that, it was business as usual. We got the joy of hearing Our Lil' Monkey's heart beat and it was strong. Video? Of course I took a video :) Check it out below.

So what's on the horizon? Well, this Friday is our Big Ultrasound! This is where they do a more detailed ultrasound looking and measuring the baby's head, legs, arms, body length and basically everything and then, hopefully if the baby cooperates, you will be able to know the sex of the baby. Excited!! So, if you haven't done our gender poll, do it!!

http://channersfirstbaby.blogspot.com/2009/03/baby-gender-poll.html

If you post a comment anonymously, then make sure you put your name in the post.

Peace Out Folks
Chris C.

My Body Week 19

I can't believe that we are almost half way there. A lot has happened this week so look forward to see a few posts in the next couple of hours. As for my progress, here is what the babycenter.com has to say about week 19 of our pregnancy. I love the little disclaimer they have each week that each baby develops differently. I'm convinced that we have the text book pregnancy.

Oh wait ... hold on the little monkey is moving around right now ....

Ok so how am I doing this week? I am doing pretty good. A little tired but good. We have been busy working around the house. We are going to be changing bedrooms with my nephew because his room is a little larger and we will need the space. We are still praying that by the time the baby arrives we can afford our own place but just in case we need to start the change over now. Because of that I haven't been able to work out as much as I like but I think with all the work we are doing around the house it equals out.

I have noticed that I am starting to move a lot slower now though. I need to keep myself active so I don't start getting lazy and bummy. But getting up and just walking across the house takes a lot of effort. Hope this doesn't continue.

I have been gaining a good amount of pounds. Great for the baby, bad for me. The doctor said if the weight gain is too much, and not necessary going to nutritious and sustain the baby, I should start by cutting out the sugars ... starting with my juices. I drink a lot during the day but not enough water. She said I don't have to cut out juice all together but drink more water and when I do drink juice, to put a lot of ice or add more water to dilute the sugar some.

That's it really. Other then that I am just excited and looking forward to the weeks to come. Glad things are moving along faster now.

Continue to pray for Chris and I as we are still looking for employment. God has really covered us these past few months and we are so grateful.

Peace Out,
Philippa Channer

It was AMAZING....

Last night I experienced the most amazing thing. I was on the computer while Phil was in the bed and we were talking, Phil gave that tell tale facial expression which I have come to know it as "Baby Movement Face". That's when the baby, Our Lil' Monkey, decides to flip around or just take a lap or two in Phil's stomach and Phil hasn't gotten used to it yet, so she gives this weird face. It's funnier when we are walking because she would literally just stop, then after the baby stops doing it's thing, then she'll start walking again. Well, no matter how much Phil felt it, I was never able to feel it.

Well, last night, for some reason, Our Lil' Monkey was up and around and bouncing off the walls. So I get off the computer to rub Phil's belly down with some cocoa butter and there it happened. I felt Our Lil' Monkey move! I think I have felt little twitches I guess before, but nothing where I could say yes i felt that. This time however, I mean baby was a moving. At one point I mean it was distinct, yes i felt that.

So we get out our little heart listener. What's that you ask? It's a small device that comes with 2 headsets which plugs in and then it has an amplifier that when the baby is in the right place you can hear its heartbeat and you can hear the movements. You can even record it. They say that the third trimester is better to hear, but we have picked up the heart beat and movement on it. Last night, wow, it was a party in there. Our Lil' Monkey was rocking out! I heard him just moving around like crazy. Then this morning again, we woke up and Our Lil' Monkey woke up to. I can't wait to the point where I can see him moving. Oh, I can't wait till we do our big Ultrasound and we see him and find out if Our Lil' Monkey will be on the Pink Team or the Blue Team.

Simply Amazing!

While we were in Ft. Myers, we were in our room and we were listening to some worship music. It was so spirit filling as we laid there together singing and we had the player on Phil's stomach and I was holding them, that I just started crying and just felt so lead to pray for my wife and Our Lil' Monkey and us.

Lord, I know You heard our cry and our prayers. I am still crying out to You to be with Phil and Our Lil' Monkey and us. Protect us, Provide for us, give us wisdom to be great and discerning parents and help us to give Our Lil' Monkey a foundation of Your Word and Spirit. Amen.

Peace Out Folks
Chris C.

Blog Import

Okay so I wanted to try something and see how it turned out. I had another personal blog going before I started this one about the baby. It was started just a few months before this one but I kind of just stopped that one completely. So I decided I wanted to include what my life was like and what I thought was 'important' pre pregnancy. So you may noticed a load of new posts at the beginning of the blog. If you wanna read them some time you can, most are my random mumbo jumbo talk.

My Body 18 Weeks

Okay folks, this is going to be a super duper short post. Chris, the parents and I just returned from an awesome time at Ft. Myers Beach. Had a great time at the beach and at the hotel pool. We turned 18 weeks while relaxing at the condo ... good times. We didn't have too much Internet access ... there was a Wifi signal but it was so weak it would take like 10 minutes for a page to load so we had to wait until we got back to make any posts or read what babycenter.com had to say about week 18.

As for me:

Honestly, this week I am feeling just ... okay. I think I am either coming down with something or I am having some 1st trimester relapse here and there. I feel kinda nauseous every now and then light headed. But it hasn't been that bad. Chris of course being the awesome husband and father to be that he is always does a search on my symptoms to make sure it is nothing serious so we have been taking the suggested advice and most have disappeared.

Oh one weired thing is that I am still tired at times but just came seem to be able to sleep during the days any more. Which I guess isn't too bad because I can get more done with my time ... but is this a sign of something being wrong???


Peace Out,
Philippa Channer

Reality is Setting in and Limitations are Rising

So this may sound weird but the reality of being pregnant is really starting to kick in now. You would have thought that this would have happened a while ago but I guess I am just a little slow. Up to now I have had that out of body type of approach to the experience. I kinda felt as if I was watching this happy couple go through this great experience and I was just an observer. But I am waking up to the fact that it really is me and this really is happening.

I think it helps now that my belly is really starting to grow and the baby is getting much larger now. My ever so cute and loving husband ... LOVE YOU CHRIS ... asked a few days ago while I was getting dressed "... hey Boogie, can you see your bikini line any more?" I of course giggled at the preposterous question thinking 'how silly is my husband,' when I looked down for myself and realized that even if I sucked in my tummy as much as I could, I could no longer see it for real. Not Cool!!!

And while I don't want to admit it just yet, I think this week will be the last time for a while that I will be able to 'comfortably' shave my own legs and do my own toe nails. I am sure it can be done, I will practice twisting my body is different ways to reach those 'not so far' extremities, I just haven't figured them out yet. Any suggestions or advice is very welcome.

Maybe this will be my new friend ...

But hey ... this is all for a good cause right ... the birth of a wonderful baby MONKEY!!!

Peace Out

The waiting game ...

Quick Post:

I woke up this morning just ready to see my baby. I know I know I have a long time to wait but I was just really excited this morning. I am ready to meet my little monkey.

Peace Out,
Philippa Channer

Our Hospital Tour...

Yesterday, we had our hospital tour at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies. What did we think about it? Well, I'm not going to lie, but man the place looks great. The first thing you notice is the architecture. It's very unique. The building is well lit with the use of natural light which comes through the building's many many windows and quite secured. everyone entering the building most go through a security check in. Id's are checked and scanned and a badge is given out. On the badge, it has the name of the person, date, picture, and floor or room clearance. The folks at the front desk and security area were friendly. I liked this.

And so our tour began. First stop we made was the checking area. When the moms come in, they and another person would go to this area, get checked in, and then taken to her room. While in the room, they get the mom tested and hooked up to what ever monitoring machines needed. They only allow the mom and 1 other person during this time. All the other visitors have to stay in the waiting area which is located downstairs. But the waiting area is large and beautiful. Lots of chairs and from what I saw, 2 large flat screen TVs.

Once mom is all checked in and test and all that's done, then they allow 3 people at a time to be in the room. Those 3 people are whomever the mom wants and if you have a number of people, they can rotate. The rooms are a fairly nice size. They all have large windows, full bathrooms, not shared, flat screen wall mounted TVs, the monitoring device is wireless, there is wireless Internet, and the best part, if we wanted to carry our game system to hung up to the TV, we could :). When it comes time to have the baby, then it's mom plus 3 other people in the room.

After baby is born, there is a monitoring area right there in the room where the nurses can do their testing of the baby. After about 2 hours or so, mom and baby are carried to her recovery room. The mom, baby and 1 other person will have a tag and when the baby is carried to the nursery, the mom or the other person can go along. Oh here is the other security that I liked. All the babies' bracelet's has a sensor, that if it gets too close to the emergency exits, an alarm is activated and the floor locks down. Cool huh? Once everything is cleared, then it's back to normal. Other than that, you have to pass the nurses table and all babies are checked to see if they are with the right person.

The recovery room is also nice. Once again, large windows, private bathroom, TV and DVD player with access to free DVDs. Mom can get room service for food or massages or stuff like that. The way they said, was that they didn't want it to feel like a hospital, instead more like a spa.

I think the only thing which I didn't like was the parking. The parking was a little bit of a walk, unless you had it valeted, and since this place is fairly popular, it can be crowded at times. But the $4 for parking you play, covers 24hrs.

Is this where we were going to choose to have our baby? Don't know yet. We have the choice of 2 other hospitals. We have seen one, not on a tour but was there quite a bit. It was cool.

Here are some pictures.

Going thru the front door.Walking under the waterfall.
Inside the waiting area.

Mom delivery room.

Peace Out Folks

Chris C

A Letter To You:

Dear precious child,

As you continue to grow inside me I long to see your face and hear your voice. I think about you daily and wonder what you will be like. I talk to you occasionally but I am not sure if you can hear my voice yet. I had a few things I wanted to tell you but since you can't hear my yet I wanted to share it in a letter.

Baby, I pray that as you grow up

My Body Week 17

Okay time is just flying now. Some days seems really slow but then I turn around and we are at another week mark. I think what helps is that I try to keep myself busy during the days and keeping active.

Here is what the babycenter.com has to say about my babies progress during week 17.

Nothing too exciting to report for week 17 except ... I can feel the baby move now. It is the most exciting and CREEPIEST experience of my life. It is awesome to feel the little flutter movements remind me that the baby is growing and thriving. However, it is when the baby decides the completely flip over ... it literally feels as if my stomach is falling out. Chris laughs at me because if it happens when we are walking it makes me stop until it is done its rotation. Don't know how I will handle it when it starts getting stronger ... I guess I have no choice.

Besides that I am doing fairly well. I really have no complaints any more. Now I am just hanging on for the ride as my stomach continues to grow and I fight to stay fit and in 'shape.'

Peace Out,
Philippa Channer

Daytona Beach...

Sunday was Easter and it was a beautiful day. So after we went to church in the morning, we went to Daytona Beach with the family. It was me, Phil, her brother Jason, his 2 children, and their 2 friends. Like I said the weather was perfect. The sun was shining bright, the crowd was light, and the surf was cool, not too cold like when we went to Coco Beach.

Phil was again in Heaven as she took to the water almost immediately. Me however, well I decided to toss around the football with the young bucks. I realized, I still can slight a football. Next thing I knew, we were in a football game with some other guys, young, fit, healthy, muscular, no shirts, tattooed, college guys...oh and a 7 year old and a 47 year old :). We played a couple games. In the end, there was one pulled hamstring, Jason, and 1 strained instep muscle on both feet, me.

After the game, which was a lot of fun, minus the injuries, I took to the water with Phil. Cool not cold and really refreshing. A really nice Easter evening out with the family.

Check out some of the pictures.

Peace Out Folks

Chris C

Babies R Us Registry...

This morning, early in the morning, Phil, Phil's Mom, and myself set out to Babies R Us for our Scan and Go workshop. The workshop was for those couples who were looking to do a baby registry at Babies R Us. Well, we got there, like I said before early, only to reach there and the doors be locked. Ummm this is not right. Were we there on the right day? Well, the paper we had said yes. The number Phil called to put us on the workshop list said yes. But the store and doors said no. Well, what to do? Well, we sat there until someone came to go to work. It was funny.

The store manager, or assistant manager, one of them, came to the door and when we explained our predicament, she apologised cause well the workshop was cancelled. Cancelled?!? Yup, cancelled. We didn't get even a call. She was cool though. She let us in before the store opened and set up our baby registry account. A short while later, an associate for that department came and gave us our own personal workshop.

Over all, it was great. We spent about 2 hrs or so scanning and dreaming and bonding. We laughed, we agreed, we disagreed, but it was a lot of fun. And apparently our "Lil' Monkey" was enjoying itself because it was moving around enough for Phil to feel it. Here are some of the pictures from it. Check back later for more things. Next week is when we get to go on tour at one of the hospitals. That should be loads of fun :)

Peace out Folks

Chris C.

Week 16 Belly Shot...

Folks, it's that time again, Philippa's belly shot. Cute huh? Well, we are at 16 weeks now and counting, and all's well. We are anxiously awaiting the big ultra sound around week 20. We still have a a little bit more time to go and we can't wait. I think we have a couple of things to help pass the time till then. We have a baby registry workshop at Babies R Us this Saturday. This is going to fun. It'll be me, Phil, and her mom. Basically, we'll be going there and they'll be guiding us on how to do the registering and some key items to get. Okay, all this stuff is what I'm thinking will happen. Then on Wednesday we are going on a tour of one of the three hospitals where we can birth at. We'll be touring Winnie Palmer Hospital. From what we heard, this is the place to give birth. They are recently remodeled and everything there is like new and just great. We'll see. We'll let you know how that goes. Then, well, nothing till the next doctor appointment :)

So, how's Phil doing now? She's doing very well. She goes through these periods of just craving somethings. One moment it's meat, then candy, then grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. It's really funny. We'll be adding her waist measurements with each of the belly shots now, so you can have an idea and see her belly growth. She also says she's feeling the little baby moving around. How cool is that!!! Wow!

Lord, this is the time we remember your sacrifice and Blood shed for us on Calvary. Lord, because of Your Blood, we were set free and we are healed and covered. Lord, I just ask for Your Blood to cover Phil, the baby, and myself. I ask for Your help, strength and health over Phil and the baby, and we claim You as our Savior, Healer and Provider and Protector. Amen.

35 inchs

Peace Out Folks
Chris C.

My Body Week 16

Time is moving by much faster now and it is great. I can't believe that 16 weeks is already here. Our next milestone that we are looking forward to is the 20 week mark. So much stuff will happen then. But there are still exciting and new stuff happening with us now.

Here is what the babycenter.com has to say about week 16. Baby is getting big.

As for me:

My belly is getting so much bigger now. I have noticed more and more now that my stomach is much bigger and you can certainly tell I am pregnant now. Along with that is the feel of the baby also. I am starting to feel the pressure or resistance when I am bending over or stretching now. It is amazing and uncomfortable at the same time. I like to feel the baby that way, just don't like the idea that I won't be able to easily bend and do stuff any more. But it is worth it.

I am starting to gain the right amount of weight now. Before I was pregnant (thankfully I used Wii Fit the day before I supposedly conceived so we know my real weight) I weighted in at 131. I am now at 141 and growing steadily. I am suppose to gain another 15-20 before my due date so hopefully I can progress like I have been so far. Good thing is though since I have been working out and keeping in shape we believe the weight is going where it needs to, right to the baby and I am staying fit.

Oh I am starting to feel what they call round ligament pain. ... It is a brief, sharp, stabbing pain or a longer-lasting dull ache that pregnant women commonly feel in the lower abdomen or groin. The round ligaments surround your uterus in your pelvis. As your uterus grows during pregnancy, the ligaments stretch and thicken to accommodate and support it. These changes can occasionally cause pain on one or both sides of your abdomen ... I started to have some of those pains at the start of my second trimester. It would just come as a pinch that would last only 2 seconds and would come ever so often for about 2-3 hours then stop. I wouldn't feel them again for a few days. But they would come as I moved around (sat down, stood up, twisted). I wouldn't even really call it pain, just a slight pinch. I had read somewhere once that it was just a sign the uterus was growing with the baby so I haven't worried about it at all.

Fun Stuff!!!

Well that is where we are today. Stick with us for more exciting developments with our baby boy/girl/monkey.

Peace Out,
Philippa Channer

FOOD!!!

I hear you go through a huge memory loss after the baby is born and you tend to forget all the different in's and out's of your pregnancy. So my hope with this blog is to be able to document as much as I can so that the next time we think about having a child I can look back and see what I experienced and could possibly go through again. One thing I want to remember is the different 'happy' foods that I have found.

There are a few items that I have been enjoying lately and tend to have at least one of these every day. I wouldn't necessarily call any of these cravings but they just seemed to really taste good now.

1. Fruits & Veggies: If you have known me, you know I have always enjoyed my fruits and veggies but I have been really seeking them out now. There is no one item that I want more but if I had only one of each to chose from here on out I would say corn for the veggie and watermelon for the fruit.

2. Grilled cheese sandwiches: I used to love these as a kid and then just stopped eating them. Chris and I went to lunch a few months back in Winter Park and I had soup and a good ole grill cheese with ham. It was the greatest. Now I would say I have a grilled cheese sandwich at least 4 days a week. Chris has almost perfected the art of the grilled cheese.

3. Popsicles: One thing I noticed that has changed (I thought it would be fixed with the 2nd trimester) is that my taste buds are really different now. Things I used to drink and love just don't taste the same to me any more. There are times even water has a bad taste to me. I have found that Popsicles though tend to taste the same and are a great thirst quencher when I am thirsty but don't want any of the drinks in the house.

4. Juicy Juice: The one drink brand that I found that I just love is Juicy Juice, any flavor. It doesn't have those artificial flavors and added sugar. It just taste smooth to me. I just hope when our little one is old enough to drink it also that I don't drink it all. :)

5. Candy???: I noticed right away that sugar has a whole different effect on me now. I tend to feel uneasy when I eat too much sugar so I haven't eaten as much candy as I used to, but I will occasionally have a snack. The few candies I have enjoyed are: push pops, cookies n' cream chocolate and peanut M&Ms.

6. MEAT: I have always loved meat but man do I want it now, more then ever. If I had to say I had a craving it would be for any type of meat. I think I have wanted a hamburger at least every other day. Which it seems is my bodies way of telling me something because at our last doctors appointment the RN told us that my protein levels were off and I need to get more daily protein. So bring on the meat.

I think that is about it. Besides those I just eat when I need to and whatever is available. I haven't found anything yet that I just don't want to eat. I was never really a picky eater before and that hasn't changed much. Maybe something will come up with time.

Peace Out,
Philippa Channer

Wii Fit & More

So when I am not at a doctors appointment or looking for a job what does this pregnant girl do .... I exercises.

I think I mentioned here that we brought out the Nintendo Wii Fit to help me stay in shape for the pregnancy right. Well it has been working ... and extra good too. I am on almost every day (5-6 days a week) and for at least 30 minutes each day sometimes up to an hour depending on my energy. It is awesome. The work outs include Yoga, Strength, Aerobics and Balance games. I really enjoy the balance games and try to do those often because I hear how unbalanced my tummy is going to make me in the months to come. I am convinced that if I start training myself from now it won't be so bad. There are a few workouts that I can't/won't do now with the baby ... but I know I will to help get my post baby body in shape.

Other then that, Chris and I have been going on walks in the afternoons and whenever I can I like to go swimming. The good thing is that I am still steadily gaining the weight that I need to for the baby so it is all still safe and not excessive. I am sure in the months to come I will have to slow down a little, but I hope not too much.

Peace Out,
Philippa Channer

My Body Week 15 ... oops

Hey folks, so with the excitement of last weeks appointment I completely forgot about my weekly update ... so here it is. I am so relieved and excited to be in the 2nd trimester for many reasons. The obvious, now at 15 weeks my chance of miscarriage now is like 3% ... AWESOME!!! I am starting to finally really enjoy the pregnancy and looking forward to the new baby. I have been hesitant for so long and not really allowing myself to really enjoy the adventure. But I think I can finally relax and start dreaming.

According to babycenter.com our baby pretty much has all it needs now to function, now we just have to let it cook and develop some more. Here is what they say is special about week 15.

As for me ... I am still feeling pretty good. No complaints really. I am starting to get a real tummy now and feeling the effects the addition to me mid-section. I know it will get much harder but I am already starting to feel the problems I will have with simple acts of bending over, sitting down and standing up.

Oh I do have one major problem ... I have a tooth that needs to be seriously removed. The added blood to my system seems to go straight to my head and has cause my problem tooth to go crazy. It is causing some serious head aches and keeping me up at night. I haven't received all the details about the Medicaid coverage I have so I don't know yet if I am covered for something like this. Good thing is I at least have a letter of approval from my OB/GYN to go a head and have it removed. I am hoping to have it solved by next week ... if not I think Chris is going to have to watch some YouTube videos and learn how to remove my tooth for me ... SCARY!!!

Besides that I am good. Looking for some awesome friends and family members with pools that will allow me to take advantage of their water haven for the summer. :)

Peace Out,
Philippa Channer