ready and waiting...

 

I am so ready for this pregnancy to be over. Don't get me wrong overall I have enjoyed pregnancy as a whole and can confidently say I will do it again (granted this was written before the actual labor portion of the program). And up until about 3 weeks ago I didn't think it could get any more uncomfortable or that I would want him to come early. We were content and happy and patiently awaiting this guys arrival. Skip ahead 3 weeks later and I AM DONE. After 2 false alarms, constant contractions, working full time (until this week) and a kitchen remodel I am wiped out!

 

I have been having sporadic contractions off and on for the past few weeks but twice now I have had them get to two minutes apart and stay that way for several hours. Both times we went to the hospital and both times after a few hours observation we were sent home. Frustrating to say the least. But in my defense the nurses both said they thought it was the real deal too. They could just say that to all the crazy pregnant ladies though.  Now I tell Jim to be prepared for a home birth because I never wanted to be that pregnant lady who thinks its go time every time she feels a minor twinge. So either my water is going to break, I will be induced, or it will be a mad dash to get to the hospital in time.

 

This last week has really been the roughest. The contractions are more intense and seem to come on the minute I attempt to do anything. Everyone keeps telling me that's a good sign and that things are progressing and then I go to the Dr and he tells me I'm not progressing at all, so that sucks.  I have tried all the old wives tales...walking, bouncing, eating certain foods, drinking certain teas and nothing seems to help. So now I have just resigned myself to give in and and try and relax. Easier said then done of course but I am keeping my fingers crossed he will be here by the end of the week.

 

In the meantime here are my last 3 weeks of belly pics. Here's hoping there will not be another one!

 

 

Baby Stats:

He is the size of a watermelon or you know an actual baby

weighing in between 19-22 inches and 6-9 lbs.

My doctor estimates he is 7lbs 8 oz

He is head down but apparently content to just hang out where he is

He has 5 days to make his appearance or he will be grounded at birth

 

 

 

***the only bonus to him not coming early is that we have had time to get the kitchen functional. Its not done but we can cook and do dishes so I am happy. Still waiting on the floor, and microwave and a few cosmetic touch ups but as soon as its done I will blog about it. 

  

Almost there...

Here are my most recent bump pictures

As you can see things are really starting to take shape...pun intended.

I am at the point now where nothing is really comfortable. Sitting, sleeping, standing, it really doesn't matter.

 

I started having real contractions at week 35. I went to the doctor and was told to take it easy for the weekend and try to get them to stop. So I spent the next two days in bed, doing absolutely nothing besides going crazy. I kept thinking about all the things that still needed to be done and made list after list of what I could be doing. Thank god for March Madness or I really may have gone insane. Eventually the contractions stopped and I am now able to do stuff again. I Just have to be careful not to do too much and to stay off my feet as much as possible.

 

I am now on weekly doctor appointments and so far everything looks good. I am still measuring right where I should be and besides the contractions everything else seems good. I am far enough along now that even if Mr. Man did decide to come early all should be just fine. My goal is to just keep him comfy where he is for the next 4 weeks. We have enough going on that an early arrival may make things slightly more stressful. But that's for another post all together.

 

A couple things to note:

Baby is as big as a watermelon

about 19 to 22 inches in weight

approx 6.5 lbs

As I said I started having real contractions at week 35

he is still most active late at night but I don't think he is sleeping much at all these days

I think he has dropped at least a little and I am feeling more pressure, down low

I have been craving McDonald's french fries and McFlurries as well as any and all ice cream varieties



Gettin bigger...

I just realized it had been quite a while since I posted my bump pictures. I am definitely at the point in my pregnancy where you can tell I am pregnant and not just fat. People at work have even started to comment that I am looking WAY more pregnant in the past week or two and one person even told me I have the pregnancy waddle when I walk. So I got that going for me :)

I really think you can start to see the difference in week 30 and 31. I feel like I doubled in size. 

Don't mind my pajamas :) 

 

Stats:

32 weeks (aka 8 months)

7 weeks to go!

The baby is as big as a honeydew

approx 19 inches and 4.5 lbs but lets be honest we all know our baby is going to be short and fat...and I wouldn't want it any other way :)

 

Other things of note:

 ~ week 26: I took a fall at work and sprained my wrist and cracked a rib. Being pregnant in the winter can be dangerous for a klutz like me.

~ My belly's growth spurt is causing more discomfort in my hips and lower back

~ The fall at work resulted in an Rx for weekly massages...they have done wonders for my back pain!

~ The fear that my 1st trimester nausea was making a comeback proved true. Its back with a vengeance but another Rx from the doctor seems to make it at least tolerable.

~ heartburn is also giving me a run for my money but my trusty Maalox and tums have proven more valuable than my MasterCard...I don't leave home without it.

~ Baby seems to be quite a night owl (like his mama) and really wakes up between 9-12pm, making the last few hours of work a bit more uncomfortable than the first.

~ I have had numerous people tell me that nausea and heartburn mean the baby will be born with lots of hair. 7 more weeks and we will see if that is true. My guess is it will be.

~ Solid, restful, sleep is becoming more and more difficult but i guess I better get used to that.

~ He had his first set of hiccups (that I could feel anyway) yesterday. It was cute/funny but also a little weird feeling.

~ still not many cravings (nor appetite ) besides the fact that I could eat ice cream, milkshakes or froyo for every meal and be 100% happy.

~ I am also loving sweet tarts and carry them with me everywhere. Not sure baby likes them as much as I do though :)

 ~ I am really hoping the weather decides to stay nice soon because putting on shoes is becoming increasingly difficult and I could really go with just throwing on some flip flops and calling it good.

~ all the nursery furniture is here and the walls are almost finished being paintied. I am hoping to have everything done by the first week of April.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bump it up...

Now that I have officially reached the six month mark I thought it was time to post some new bump pics.

I finally feel like I am starting to look pregnant and not just bloated and fat :)

At this point baby is is:

as big as an eggplant

about 9-12 inches long

approx 1.7 lbs (or more!)

has a heartbeat of 157 bpm

 

Sorry for random/ugly backgrounds in these {iPhone} photos as well as the gap in weeks. 1-its awkward to take a picture of your stomach by yourself. 2-we don't have a full length mirror in our house (dogs broke the old one and have yet to replace it) so I have to remember to either take one at work or take one when I'm at my mom's house

A couple notes about the past 6 months:

• 2nd trimester kicks the 1st trimesters ass! If this is what pregnancy felt like the entire 40 weeks I could do it over and over again.
• Around the 13th or 14th week my nausea went away and my energy sky rocketed.
• I have not noticed any significant or weird cravings. There have been times that something sounded real good and if I ate something else instead I was not nearly as satisfied;  however I have not wanted anything I would not normally eat.
• The only food aversion I've noticed is beef. Can not handle even thinking about having a hamburger.
• Smells are definitely more pungent. I can tell when Jim eats or cooks with Tuna fish, peanut butter, or pot stickers for hours afterward. (i really wish we had some sort of kitchen fan)
• I thought I started feeling him move around week 19 or 20. I knew for sure it was him around week 22.
• He is moving and grooving all the time now and it seems like the majority of his body is settled on my right side. At least that's where I'm feeling the most discomfort.
• My celiac disease seems to have virtually disappeared with this pregnancy. Not sure if that is normal or not but I have not noticed any of the side affects I normally do when I eat/drink certain foods. *here's hoping this is a perma change post pregnancy*
• Around week 17 or so i started having severe back and hip pain and it has continued since. I would say this is the most uncomfortable thing I've experienced with pregnancy, thus far. I did get a Dr referral for massages but have yet to find a place that takes my insurance.
• The heating pad and the bathtub are my best friends and constant companions.
• Accomplishing normal, everyday activities are starting to become a tad more difficult: Tying shoes, bending over to pick something up, lifting things, pushing heavy shopping carts, all require a little extra effort.
• I have a suspicion the nausea I felt during the first three months wants to try to creep back into my life. Fingers crossed its a temporary thing  and does not take over full force again in the next couple weeks.
• Winter pregnancy bonus: I don't even have to PRETEND like I would be helping with the snow shoveling this year:)

So there you have it the past 6 months of my pregnancy at a quick glance. We are working hard on cleaning, organizing, and setting up the house. I finally feel like we are making some forward progress and will hopefully have some pictures to update with soon. Oh and if you are wondering what we were up to over the holidays please check out Megan's and Jacquee's blogs and they both had great recaps and I would have just stolen their pictures for my blog anyway :) Hope everyone is enjoying a happy new year...here is to a happy healthy 2013 filled with more blessings than you can count!!!

SO HAPPY...

Jim and I found out on Friday (November 16th) that our little baby is in fact a boy! I think Jim was in a little bit of disbelief at first. So far the first child for each of Jim's siblings has been a girl and of the 5 cousins there is only one other boy so we were a little shocked we got one on the first try :) Everyone else (minus Jim's family) was sure we were having a boy, but I for one had no clue either way. Every time I dreamed about the baby it was a girl and whenever I would accidentally slip and call it by a gender it always was a girl. So much for women's intuition I guess :)  In all honestly, I was hoping for a boy first. Clearly I would have been happy either way, but I like the idea of having a boy to take care of and protect any future siblings. I'm sure it has something to do with having older brothers growing up.

Now that we know the sex I can not wait to start getting things organized and ready for him. I have been making lists and plans of everything I want to do but so much of it depended if it was a boy or girl. Yet another reason I am overjoyed its a boy is: everything I pictured in my mind was for a boy. I just could not wrap my head around pinks and purples and tutu's and hair bows, I mean I would have, and I am sure I would have loved it but in my mind what I pictured was so BOY

I am sure Jim is less than thrilled with the plans I have for the nursery (and the rest of the house) but it's just too much fun to dream and think of what we need and what I want to do and how I want everything set up. I mean you never know if we will be blessed with another child so I am taking this as a once in a lifetime opportunity and planning accordingly. Now, don't get me wrong I am not planning on going all out and spending millions of dollars we don't have on this kiddo. No sir, I am a proud bargain shopper and plan to use things we already have and throw a coat of paint on it to make it like new. I have been checking out blogs, and etsy and pinning away on pinterest for inspiration and ideas. That said, I did find one new piece that I just could not live without. I have been searching high and low for a large dresser that we can also use as a changing table in the nursery. I finally found this guy yesterday and fell in love! Its the perfect size and exactly what I was looking for. I knew it was meant to be when I took my mom to see it and we ran into the owner/seller of said piece and we happened to know each other. She gave me a great deal and I just couldn't say no.  Sorry Jim!



Sienna's shower...

Last weekend I got to head over the mountains for a baby shower for Dawn. Dawn, and her husband Dave, will be welcoming Sienna into the world sometime in Mid December and I for one am so excited. I feel like she has been pregnant FOREVER! This trip was also the first time I got to meet Cooper. I cant believe it took almost 7 weeks to meet this little guy! I took full on advantage of the baby time and pretty much stole him for the entire shower. He was so chill during the entire shower and did not make a peep while all of us girls ooh'd and ahh'd about how adorable he was. I love him! and Harper! and Sienna! Here are some quick pics of all our time together.

 Dawn and I. She is 34 weeks and I am 14. I hope I look that good in 20 weeks!

Auntie Stone getting her first high 5 from Cooper

Harper and Cooper got some quality time together too! Cooper will soon have another girl competing for his attention...

...though I hope Sienna is not as forward as Harper ;)

Almost all of us girls together again. So weird to think that in 6 months there will be two more babes in the mix. 

Me getting some baby practice in. Coop makes it look easy!

It is always a great time whenever any of us gals can get together but adding these babies into the mix has been an such a bonus. We have been through so much together over the years and it is amazing to see where life is bringing us now. I am so excited that we can all share the joy of parenthood together. Watching Megan and Jacquee (and soon to be Dawn) as mom's is incredible and I feel very blessed to be able to observe them, learn from and lean on them when needed.

Finally....

Its been a long journey to get here but Jim and I are happy to FINALLY let everyone know:

we are expecting our first child (Boy or girl?) in Early May!

I have been chomping at the bit to write this post but waited until Jim felt comfortable enough with the whole process. With him things can take awhile. Hence us being married 6 1/2 years before this announcement could be made :) He always joked that it would be 5 years before we even talked about kids and I always thought yea right, 2-3 at the most. Well well well who would have thought Jim was right  (see I can say it)! We started talking about it a year and a half ago, and had some issues once we decided yes we were actually ready to be parents. So fast forward another year and a half after our first discussion and here we are at 13 weeks, 5 days!

Some things to note thus far about my pregnancy:

I found out I was pregnant on August 23rd (day 13).

I woke Jim up from a dead sleep to tell him. His reaction was priceless.

We told our family and closest friends that same day.

The first trimester was not fun.

I have been nauseous and tired since day 3 of my pregnancy.

So far we have had 3 ultra sounds and baby is looking and sounding great!

S/he has a heart rate of 156

The second trimester seems to be going a little better...more energy, less nausea.

Good, solid, sleep has been hard to come by for the past month or so.

We could not be more thrilled to say that we are FINALLY going to be parents!!!