Wednesday, May 30, 2012

T minus 13 days and counting!

Hi All!
I'm still here... still pregnant and still hanging in there. :)

My back was really super bad over the weekend; there may or may not have been more than one public displays of crying that happened. It was highly embarrassing.  I weeded on Saturday at our church property; partly because I wanted to do a lot of squatting to encourage baby girl to just engage and start labor already. :-P  But boy howdy did I pay for it.  I was nauseated the rest of the weekend from the pain in my back it caused.

So I'm learning I just have to take it easy and not push myself.  Not rush things. She will come when she is good and ready, and I will wait.  I'm starting to read stories on BabyCenter about ladies trying castor oil and other things.  Some are successful and some are not.  I am tempted to try it, but then I am assaulted by guilt, so I know I won't. 

I have an appointment this Friday and I plan to have him strip my membranes.  It worked with both boys, and I'm hoping between that and the full moon on Monday that we'll have a baby soon. :-D

I'll keep you posted, and I'd appreciate prayers that she can be fully baked, with mature lungs, and ready to come out in the next week!  The week I'm due is so full of activities that it would be awesome if I was done giving birth, out of the hospital and could just focus on my family that week.  Christian and Kate both have graduation programs, my grandparents are coming into town to visit, etc...  It would just be so great to have a brand new little bundle of sweetness to show off. :-D

All in all I am doing well.  I actually am not frantic to get her out, like I was at the end of my pregnancy with Owen.  I am so excited to meet her, and want her to come ASAP, but at the same time I am content to wait until she is fully ready so we can have a good birthing and nursing experience.

I plan to get the camera out of the hospital bag and take a picture of my baby corner, my backyard, etc... and I'll post them here so you all can see where I spend my days. :)

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Practice

I'll have to take pictures with my camera and show you all the "Baby Corner" I've set up in my living room.  It has my recliner, the bassinet and all the things I'll need within reach once baby gets here.

The bassinet is set up with a blanket and the lovey I bought her.  It's super cute and has an owl on it.  The other day Owen and Christian were throwing it around, so I decided to have a little practice session with them... How to Hold a Baby. :-D

Owen went first and was very gentle and careful:

Then it was Christian's turn.  I'm gonna have to work with him a bit. ;-) He was holding the "baby" away from his body and really flopping it around. So I had him hold the baby over his shoulder.

About 15 seconds after I took this picture he was wildly throwing the "baby" around, trying to hit the ceiling fan. :-O Guess we'll be closely supervising his cuddle sessions with Miss N. ;-)

And last but not least, here I am at 37 weeks pregnant!

Ok, I lied. One more.  I think this is hilarious!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Focus on the Positive

Hi All,
How are you today? I'm... well, I'm here.

I woke up with massive swelling, can't get my rings off and I'm afraid they are going to cut off the circulation in my finger!

I also had a really bad headache, so I called the OB and they had me come in for some monitoring to make sure it wasn't pre-eclampsia.  My blood pressure was excellent, and has been this whole pregnancy, so after a few hours of monitoring I was sent home.  Baby Girl is doing well, her heartrate was good and she was moving a lot.  Despite having regular contractions every 5 minutes, they aren't changing my cervix. :-/

I've had that before, regular, time-able contractions... well, Braxton Hicks really.  I can tell they aren't the real deal.  Anyway, after I got home I went to bed and slept for 3 hours straight!  Woke up  just in time to greet Josh and the kiddos.  He brought chinese food for dinner and it stayed down all of 30 minutes before making a violent reappearance.

So now I'm just taking it easy and laying down again.

There's a lot of negatives that I could focus on... all my joints are hurting, even the ones in my feet.  My hips hurt so bad it wakes me up at night.  My back is still out.  My stomach hurts, and even the BH's hurt because they squeeze everything so tight and there isn't any room left in there.  I'm heavy and tired and blah, blah, blah.

But today, I choose to focus on the positive.  I have a healthy baby girl, just waiting to be born.  I have 3 other healthy, happy children.  I have an amazing husband.  I have the world's best friends and family.  Seriously, I do.

And even if I have to wait 3+ weeks to meet this little gal, it'll all be worth it.  All of it. 

I have another appointment on Friday, so I'll be back to fill you in on if anything has changed. :)

Monday, May 21, 2012

Jinxed

Well, as soon as I posted/talked about how well my back was doing... it went all wonky again. :-p And I had to cancel my physical therapy appt because my OB could only get me in at a certain time, and it was when my PT appt was.  So I don't see my therapist until next week, on Friday. :-/

These days I'm in a fair amount of pain, both from my back, from the baby moving in less amniotic fluid and just aches and pains in general.  I've gained 35 pounds and my body is creaking and groaning under the weight.  I know I've said it before, but this is the absolute heaviest I've ever been, by far. 

I'm really praying that I have the baby a week early.  I'm not sure if I can handle 3 more weeks of feeling like this, but at the same time I'd rather wait until she is fully baked and ready to meet the world so we don't have feeding or other issues.  I don't really have a choice anyway. ;-) 

I'm all ready for her to come. Bassinet is set up, hospital bag is packed, teeny tiny diapers are bought.  I just can't wait to hold her in my arms!!! 

Last night all 3 of my kiddos were begging me to have her.  I was like, "Dudes, I totally would if I could!!!" They even went so far as to cross their fingers.  I'm not sure where they got that, but they ate dinner, got their pajamas on and watched a bedtime movie all with their fingers crossed. :-D  Unfortunately, it didn't work.

I'll keep you posted on anything new.  I don't have my OB appt this week until Friday.  At my last appointment not much was happening; nothing to report really.

Hope you're all doing well!  Our summer weather has disappeared and it's back to raining.  I plan to take it easy and do a whole lot of nothing. ;-)

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

36 week update

I'm back!

I saw the OB and he did the ultrasound. Baby Girl is head down, facing the correct way and looks wonderfully healthy!  She weighs 4 pounds, which is slightly less than most babies at this stage (who weigh 5 pounds usually) but I am A-OK with that! My fears of having a ginormous baby have been put to rest. ;-)  The doctor said he thinks she'll be 7 pounds full term, and I am good with that.

We got to see her little chubby cheeks and perfect little mouth.  She was swallowing and sucking on her fingers. :)  SO cute!!  Sometimes it still feels unreal that I get to have another little baby, let alone a little girl! I can't wait to meet her.

Everything is looking good.  I have gained 30ish pounds and am hoping it slows down now.  My appetite is definitely not as great, especially since it's been hot here.  I am LOVING the hot, sunny weather.  I love our backyard; it's totally enclosed and private so I don't feel self-conscious sitting out there in all my pregnant glory. ;-)  I am looking forward to spending a lot of time back there this summer.

Josh came with me to my appointment today, since we were having an ultrasound and he got to see her too.  Then afterward he surprised me by taking me to buy a new recliner!!! I've been wanting one for when the baby is here; I think I may sleep in it for the first 2 weeks or so, while we get nursing down and so Josh can get some uninterrupted sleep.  I wasn't expecting to get it today, so it was such a nice surprise!


And to top it all off, our absolutely most favorite babysitter is back!! She had moved away but is back now and we couldn't be more excited.  She is going to come once a week to help me mop my floors, too. ;-) 

All in all I feel very, very blessed. 

MB-Thanks for the name suggestions! I do like them; although the name we have now is The One. ;-)

Weekly Check Up

This week marks the week I start seeing the OB every week.  I have an appointment today, and I'll be sure to come back to update after I see him.  I have an ultrasound to check baby's position and size, and I think he may do an internal check as well.

I took this picture today, 36 weeks and still going strong.

No, I'm not wearing a body suit. :-P 

I think the baby has changed positions or dropped lower, because my back hasn't been hurting as much.  YAY!!  I'll find out today exactly how she's laying.

Be back later with updated info. :)

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The Belly

So, here it is.  The picture of my 35 week belly. It's impressive, no?

This is how I feel about it:

I feel huge.  As one of my friends so accurately put it, when I'm pregnant my WHOLE  BODY gains weight.  So, my arms, face, booty, thighs... all bigger.

Thirty pounds is a lot, for me.  I can feel it.  I can see it.  But I've come to peace with it. It doesn't freak me out as much, and I think I know why. 

Right now my plan of attack after I have the baby is to join a gym and go to a class.  I really thrive on classes, with the loud music and everyone working together.  I'm not so good at exercising by myself at home; meaning, I just don't do it. ;-)

Anyway, I am so super duper excited to meet Miss N (we picked a final name!!! It fits!!!) and snuggle her, nurse her, dress her up in cute little pink outfits.  I am hoping she comes a bit early; it certainly seems like my body is getting ready.  I think I get checked at my appointment next week, and although I don't expect to be dilated or effaced (I NEVER AM) I do hope that things are getting soft and ready.  Is that TMI? Sorry if it is. :-P

I slept much better last night and am feeling LOADS better today. 

I hope you all are doing well and that summer is in full swing wherever you are!

Monday, May 7, 2012

Squeezing

Hi all,
How are you? I'm doing pretty good. 

I'm still scared of having a giant baby.

But in the meantime, I'm dealing with other things. Like hormones, frequent and painful braxton hicks, and just generally feeling like I'm being squeezed by a boa constrictor at all times.

Today I'm more emotional than normal, probably because we had a busy weekend and I didn't sleep well last night. I kept getting woken up by contractions, by my back and pelvis feeling like it was being ripped apart, needing to use the restroom and my boys coming in all night long.  Yeah, that could be why I'm teary today. ;-)

I fluctuate between being so, so, so thankful that my baby is healthy and still alive and wanting her out. NOW.  I feel so selfish for even feeling "done" because I talked with my friend who lost her baby this weekend, and I can only imagine the feeling of emptiness she feels, where there was supposed to be a sweet bundle of pink.  But really, I am DONE.  Except, I'm not. I've still got 5ish weeks to go.  And that feels like an eternity.

I keep reminding myself of the verse, "As your day, so shall your strength be." And I know that God won't give me more than I can bear.  But it's really pushing it, currently. ;-) I am dealing with hardcore heartburn, which I've never had before.  Wow, it's painful! I feel like it's burning a hole right through my esophagus.

Eh, I'm just complaining and I don't want to do that. Because I am extremely, deeply thankful for this precious little girl and that so far everything is healthy and whole.  I just wish the pregnancy part was over. :-D

Anyway, I'll take a picture tomorrow so you can see me in all my 35 week, up 30 pounds glory. Bleh.

The sun is shining and is supposed to be out this whole week, so I plan to take it easy and soak up the rays.  Hopefully that will help my attitude. :-D

Friday, May 4, 2012

Only about 5 weeks left!

Hi guys!
Sorry for my lack of posting. I've been insanely busy and just not really motivated to post.  Nothing real exciting going on.

I have a little over 5 weeks left, and boy can I feel it.  I will be so happy when this baby is out!

I'm hoping to keep busy so these last few weeks go by quickly.  My back is still horrible; nothing new there.  I'm back in PT and it helps a bit, but I really need to get back to the pool.  Just not sure when I can fit that in.

I'll take a picture next week so you can see how baby is growing. ;-)

My next appointment I have an ultrasound to check position of baby and get a general idea of how much she weighs. I'm really curious about both! My OB just moved his office to the hospital and my appointments went from being 20 minutes max to waiting for an hour before he even came in. :( He was super apologetic and nice, but I don't have that kind of time! Oh well, only a few more weeks anyway.  Too bad that he had to move now that I have to go every week (after my next appt). :-P

Otherwise things are well.  The kids are healthy and crazy as ever, Josh has been keeping busy.  Now if the weather would just shape up and get with the program! I need to see the sun! Enough with the rain!