35 weeks preggo.

Well, we've made it another week! We've only got about 2 weeks until we're considered "full-term" - although theres argument on whether it is 37 or 38 weeks. I would really just like to make it to 37 weeks at this point, especially considering we have been having contractions and scares since what, 28 weeks?

From what I can tell, baby is still breech. I tried the hanging upside down on an ironing board idea and got a horrible headache and acid reflux. I've been trying to get on "all fours" throughout the day today and am going to try to remember to do it a few times a day. I go in on Wednesday for my appointment and if he is still breech, which I am pretty sure he is, they will schedule me for a version. I won't lie, I am really nervous about the version and the possibility of getting a c-section. Guess what will be, will be, and I will do my best to make the best out of the situation.

Yesterday was Christmas and it was nice. I've been wanting a KitchenAid mixer for years and always said that I would get one when we have a kid so that I can bake, bake, bake. So, this year I got one! :) Morgan got a lot of motorcycle stuff, which he is is very excited about. Our favorite BBQ place was closing and yesterday was their last day. We stood in like for about 2 hours and by the time we got home, made a 3 hour trip out of getting BBQ. But, it was worth it. We both got 2 meals and made the second for dinner tonight. Sad that he closed doors, but I guess after being the only worker for 25 years and reaching that age, it is time to retire. After lunch, we came home and I finished preparing Christmas dinner. We had our friends Ethan and Liz over for dinner. I wasn't feeling the best so I was a little bit of a party pooper. I couldn't eat much either as my stomach was hurting and overall just felt really uncomfortable.

I've had good and bad days this last week. Some days I feel really good and energetic and others I feel like I am 90 years old and about to go into labor any minute. Today has been a mix. I've been feeling pretty emotional and lonely this evening. I feel as though any minute I could start crying - maybe it is needed. I wouldn't be surprised if I had a crying fit before I fall asleep. I am having tightness and a little pain in my tummy and some typical girly bits pain.

I am looking forward to another 4 day work week. The 5 days are a bit much for me these days. I get really tired after working 8 hours and often just want to come home and go to bed.

I wrote up on our list of things that we need to pack for the hospital and things that we need to grab last minute when I do go into labor. I didn't get around to packing it, though. I hope to have it done by the end of the week. I hope to get all of the bedding and some of his clothes washed as well. I feel like I have so much more to do and its a little overwhelming. The nursery isn't done yet, either. We still have to paint and prime the shelves which is up to Morgan and he also needs to complete the art work for the nursery as well. I think once those two things are done and I have all of the washing done, I will feel a lot better. Perhaps I will run some laundry tomorrow after work. I think I am just reaching the nesting phase and I can only do so much without feeling completely worn out and unable to move, that it is hard for me to deal with. I want to do it all but am unable to because of the pain and my contractions. I guess I do what I can and that will have to be enough.

Well, I am tired and want to get to bed at a decent hour so that I am not super tired when I wake up in the morning. Hopefully I will be updating next week with a turned baby and still preggo.

Till then,

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

34 weeks preggo.

Not even two weeks ago, it seemed impossible that we would make it to 34 weeks and now we're at 34 weeks, 2 days! I am excited that we've made it to this point. We no longer need to worry about him needing steroids if he decides to come early and they would not worry enough to stop labor at this point. Very exciting and promising. About 30 weeks ago, we didn't even know if the pregnancy would stick, we had a 1 in 2 chance of miscarrying, 5 weeks ago we were in the hospital thinking that there was no way that we would stay pregnant for more than a couple weeks, and here we are, 34 weeks and still pregnant. We've beat the odds so far and I have a feeling that I will be updating my blog when I am 42 weeks pregnant talking about how I am getting induced because I've gone 2 weeks over my due date. Wouldn't that be something.. but at this point, with our history, it wouldn't be surprising!

We had an ultrasound this past week on Thursday to measure growth. Unfortunately Morgan wasn't able to make it so I went alone. This was my first ultrasound at University and it was much more of a pleasant experience than my previous ultrasounds at Rose. Not that they were bad at Rose, but they this last one was just that great. She was very thorough and took her time with the ultrasound. At the end, she did some pictures in 3d which was a real treat. He has definitely filled out more since 27 weeks when we had our last 3d ultrasound. He is a big boy. He weighed in at an approximate 5 pounds, 5 ounces. This was so reassuring for me. If he does decide to come early, he is likely at a good weight already. Granted, I'd prefer to have like a 7 pound baby, but close to 5.5 is better than 3 or 4. :)

Here are some of his stats from the ultrasound:

Head circumference: 37 weeks, 1 day (yikes!)

Abdominal circumference: 34 weeks, 2 days

Femur length: 33 weeks, 3 days

Humerus length: 32 weeks, 1 day

Average ultrasound age: 35 weeks, 1 day

Estimated fetal weight: 2408 gm

Fetal weight percentile: 55%

So anyway, you can do the math. He is approximately 5lb5oz now and he is supposed to gain about .5 pounds until delivery.. if we make it full term, he is going to be a big boy!

I found out at the appointment that the baby is breech. What we've been thinking is his head down near my left hip bone is actually his butt and what we thought was his butt near my right ribs, is his head. This was a bit of a bummer to find out. I met with the midwife on Friday for my normal appointment and she gave me some ideas of how I can turn him. I am also going to ask our Bradley teacher tomorrow what I can do. The midwife said that if he is still breech at my next appointment (36 weeks), they will schedule me for an external version, which is where they turn his body with their hands from outside of my belly. I am nervous for that and would prefer not to have one, but I want a c-section even less, so I think that I will be willing to try it to see if it works.. but I will worry about it more on December 28 at my appointment. Everything else throughout our pregnancy that had a potential bad outcome ended up having a positive outcome so I am trying not to stress about it. We can worry about his positioning later. The only thing that worries me is that I am still having contractions and if we go into labor before he turns, that is an emergency c-section.

My new thing is acid reflux. It is HORRIBLE. I think that at points it is the worst side effect of pregnancy that I have experienced yet. I've been waking up in the middle of the night with what feels like 150 degree sewage in my throat. I am thinking and wondering if maybe that is what made me throw up last week since I have had it consistently since then. During the day, chewing gum and sucking in peppermints really helps but obviously I cannot do that while sleeping, so I wake up with it. I asked on Friday if there was anything that I could take to help it.. she recommended an over the counter so I took that last night and didn't wake up with acid - success!

So yeah, I've still been having contractions and my level of comfort is definitely decreasing. Some days I feel like I cannot walk, others I feel like I could walk a couple miles. It really does depend on the day, but overall, I am declining pretty quick. To be honest, when I am feeling at my worst, 6 weeks seems too long and I tell myself that once I reach about 36.5-37 weeks, I am going to start walking and walking to have him come. I am kind of hoping for a 01/11/11 baby, which would be 37 weeks and 4 days. But, he will come when he is ready and that is okay with me. If going an extra few weeks means that he will be healthier, then so be it!

We have our last Bradley class tomorrow. I am kind of excited for it to be over with. School ended for me as of this evening (submitted my last paper of the semester, YES!) and with these classes ending as well, I will have less on my plate to stress me out. I am hoping to get out my thank you notes to my shower by xmas time. That is stressing me out as well. Its already been 2 weeks so I feel like I need to get them out as soon as possible. It's just been hard with not feeling well, school ending, etc. If not, I will get them done next weekend while on Christmas break.

I think that is about it. Next time I post, Christmas will be over. I can't believe that it is almost that time again, where has the year gone?! I am excited to share my last Christmas with Morgan and our animals and enjoy the moment. But, I am excited for next year as well when we have our first Christmas with the little one. I wish it would snow.. I am not really keen on the whole idea of having 50-60 degree weather on Christmas day.. I like it to be snowy and cold, the way it is supposed to be!

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

33 weeks preggo.

Is it really less than two weeks until xmas? Luckily I finished all of my xmas shopping yesterday (with the exception of the animals!). I may buy the baby something else as well, but we shall see.

I had been feeling pretty good and felt like I was finally back on a good streak. However, last night I woke up after about an hour of sleep and had a bad stomach ache. I ended up having diarrhea over the night and threw up probably more violently than I have since I had food poisoning a few years back. Throwing up this late in pregnancy is no fun. I immediately started having contractions and bad cramping. I felt some of the contractions in my legs but figured that I would give it a little time before going to be seen at the hospital. After about 2 hours of laying in bed restless and in pain, I finally fell asleep. This morning I woke up for work and was still nauseous and had a bad stomach ache with cramping and contractions. I missed work again today. It stresses me out to miss work which makes me feel worse.. its a vicious cycle.

This last weekend we put up the xmas tree. It was weird to think that this year is our last year that we will be putting up the xmas tree without a little one running around. To be honest though, I think both Morgan and I need the excitement of a little one around to put us in the xmas spirit. We were talking about how neither of us are in the xmas mood and how it will be nice to live through the excitement of our son around xmas time. I am excited to start our own traditions with him and follow some of those that we both experienced as kids. I am excited for that; not only for just xmas time but just experiencing all the small and big things in life. It will be neat to see everything through one more set of eyes.

Depending on the day, some days I feel like we will still be celebrating our son's birthday by the end of the year and others I feel like we will be waiting until our due date or beyond to celebrate. Either way, whenever he decides to come is fine, I'd just prefer after the 34 week mark but 37 or after if possible!

Today while I was home sick, I drafted our birthing plan. Morgan looked it over when he got home and was really excited. Surprisingly, I am not any more nervous after writing down all the details of our hopes and dreams of our labor and birthing experience. We've decided that if the situation allows, Morgan is going to catch the baby. I will really need his support and need him near me through most of the labor but I think that it would be very special for him to be able to catch the baby, and he would like to, so I will let him leave me for that moment. :) Hopefully all goes well so that he is able to catch him coming out. How neat would that be? Now that the birth plan is done, we need to work on packing our hospital bag. You'd think that after 2 false alarms it would be packed already.. talk about procrastination.

I am starting to get a little concerned that this little stubborn guy is not going to turn. He is still laying diagonally across my uterus. His head is down near my left hip and his butt is up under the right side of my rib cage. Sometimes he moves up and will be laying straight across but his head never goes down further than my hip area. I am going to have to ask on Friday at my appointment what I can do to try to move him. I am also going to look further into spinningbabies.com and see what I can do. With all of the preterm labor scares we have had, I am a little scared to move him with fear that he will decide to come out once he is turned or that the movements will put me into labor. I really do not want a c-section and would like to do anything that I can do (that is safe!) to prevent one.

I am getting an ultasound on Thursday. This is likely our last ultrasound (hopefully!). They will be measuring his growth to ensure that he has made proper progress from our last growth scan which I believe was at 28 weeks.

We bought frames for the nursery this weekend and Morgan has started his magic with drawing the art for the nursery. How neat that he gets to do all the artwork for his little boy's room.

Well, I need to get some food in my belly and rest so that I feel better for work tomorrow.

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

32 weeks preggo.

Hello, December! Where is the snow?

Well, I updated last week on a Tuesday. On Wednesday, I ended up back in the hospital having contractions and generally feeling uncomfortable. I figured since it had been 48 hours of contractions, I should probably go in. They hooked me up to the monitors and of course, was contracting. They were a lot more obvious on the print out this time around than last time. Last time I went to the hospital my contractions looked like mole hills on the printout. This time around, I had a few rocky mountains. There were a couple that actually went off the chart. I felt a couple contractions in my knees which scared me. When they did a physical exam, they noticed that I was having some active bleeding. Although I went to the hospital pretty sure it was just another scare, I was a little more concerned once I was hooked up to the machines and watching my contractions and noticed the bleeding.

They contemplated keeping me over night to monitor me, thought about doing an amniocentesis to check my amniotic fluid to determine whether or not bacteria was present, whether they should give me steroids for his lung development and medication to stop the contractions. Through my urinalysis and blood sample, they saw that my white blood cells were high. While they were not for sure, they decided to conservatively treat me for a bladder infection with an antibiotic. They ended up letting me leave the hospital and I was on bed rest until my appointment on Friday.

It is now almost a week later and I am still contracting on and off. I also get uncomfortable pretty easily. I do not know how much longer I am going to last at work as I am very uncomfortable while there, especially after about 2pm. I've been having a lot of lower back, vaginal and general pelvic pain from sitting in a chair for so long. As well, my abdomen stays consistently tight throughout the day. But, I am doing my best and will continue working until either I can't anymore, or am told that they won't let me anymore.

I do have to say, after feeling the way I have for the last week, I will be surprised if this baby makes it to the new year. I've been advised that 34 weeks is sort-of our short term goal. At that point, we will no longer need to do steroids to ensure/accelerate lung development of the little one. As well, beyond that point, they will no longer stop labor if it happens. They measured my cervix and said that it was 2.3 and they would like it to be 2.5 or longer at this point. They also said that it was a lot softer than it should be. So, with that information and how miserable I am feeling, I think I will be really surprised to make it past 36 weeks, which is NYE.

We had our baby shower on Saturday. Janine did such an amazing job. I couldn't have asked for anything else for my shower! I am very grateful for all of her time and effort that she put into planning our special day. I was able to spend time with some real quality people and received some really nice gifts for the baby. I was really sure that I would not cry but cried on the 2nd or 3rd gift when I opened a pair of baby Carhartt bibs from my coworker Kathi. Then, I opened a card from Morgan's brother Tim and his girlfriend Jordyn, cried and basically couldn't talk because it was so special to me. I posted a picture of it above. It is all of our animals with the lil one riding Sammy's back. It is so dear to my heart. We are going to get a frame for it and hang it up in his nursery. My mom came out for the shower and it was really nice to have her here for it. We went shopping with gift cards on Sunday and bought some additional items off of our registry. I feel like we are finally starting to get ready but I am pretty confident I will never really feel READY READY.

While I do think that we will be having a baby this month, it is still crazy to think that if not, we will likely have a baby NEXT MONTH! WHAT!? Pretty crazy. I admit that I am not ready on a lot of levels, but am so ready on other levels.

I should be getting a call tomorrow to schedule my ultrasound. They are going to do one last ultrasound to measure growth to ensure he is still on track. I will be curious to see their weight estimation so I can know semi what to expect if we end up going early.

So, at this point my short term goal is to make it to 34 weeks which is December 17th. But a better goal than that is 36 or 37 weeks. Maybe I will have a 01/01/11 or 01/11/11 baby after all! Guess we shall see.

Well, that is about it. Enjoy the pictures from my shower.

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

31 weeks preggo.

This last week has gone by fast. We left last Tuesday and headed off to Iowa to visit my family for Thanksgiving. We arrived on Wednesday and I enjoyed having time with both my immediate and extended family. We left to head back to Colorado on Sunday. We ended up driving the whole drive back in one shot on Sunday and arrived back home at 2am on Monday morning. I think overall between driving to and from Iowa, driving to Madison, Wi for black Friday shopping, driving to see my grandmother and driving to Thanksgiving dinner, we drove close to 2500 miles. On the way back, I didn't think that I was going to make it in one shot and while the last 2-3 hours were pretty close to miserable, it was really nice waking up later Monday morning in my own bed. We ran some errands and had our Bradley classes later on.

I had been feeling pretty crampy since Friday and it was hit or miss depending on the time of day. Yesterday afternoon I started feeling really uncomfortable; lots of tightening, some contractions, headaches and some mild pain in my lower abdomen. I had some contractions in the night last night that kept me from sleeping. I stayed home from work today and stayed in bed all day, not even with the TV on and while I am feeling a little better, I don't think I should be feeling this uncomfortable and tight in my stomach so I will be sure to address it on Friday. I still have a headache as well. I felt a little down after class last night because I am definitely feeling more uncomfortable than anyone else in my class and that is a bit of a bummer.

My mom arrives on Friday and we have the baby shower on Saturday. I am excited for the shower and excited to celebrate the life of our soon to be born son. Janine has put a lot of work into planning for it so I cant see all her effort in action! I will be sure to post pictures.

I can't believe that we have less than 8.5 weeks left assuming we go full term. I am a little mixed on whether or not I will go through till the end. Part of me thinks that I will go by the end of the year. Guess we shall see, eh?

I bought the baby's coming home outfit today while on bed rest. It is 0-3 months so I am afraid that it will be too big for him, but it is what it is. It comes with the outfit, hat and a blanket. I wish that it came in newborn size, but it is what it is! :)

While I feel like my stomach is just growing and growing and looking very big now, I was surprised that no one commented on how "big" I was while we were back in Iowa. None of my family has seen me pregnant, so it went from seeing me before I was pregnant and then at 31 weeks. Most people said that I was small and/or had a cute belly. That made me feel better as I was expecting to freak out telling me how big I was. We were at Michael's the other day buying stuff for the shower and the cashier asked when I was due and when I told her, she felt the need to tell me that I wouldn't be making it that long. Seriously, are manners not necessary when a woman is pregnant? Ah well :)

I am sleepy and don't have much more to update about. So, I will leave it here.. sorry for the boring update!

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

30 weeks preggo.

Well, we're 75% of the way through, baby.

Last Friday we had our appointment with the midwife. The appointment went pretty well. My blood pressure was a little high but I had a really stressful afternoon at work so I am thinking that is why. I was also running late to my appointment and started crying on the way to the appointment because a) my afternoon at work was horrible and b) I hate being late to appointments so I started to stress even more. The midwife assumed that my blood pressure was high for the same reasons I did. I hope that is it and that it's not a sign of things to come, aka preeclampsia. The baby's heartrate was in the 140s, so that is good. Bad news is that he has turned and is no longer head down! The little brat! He was doing so good with being in the right place. Hopefully he turns again.

Speaking of which, I had another episode of contractions on Thursday evening. I felt weird in class, couldnt get comfortable in my desk (by the way, I only have about an inch of growth before my belly won't fit into the desk anymore) and just felt weird pressure throughout my tummy. I got home and had some cramping and ended up having contractions, some being stronger than last time but still nothing too extreme. I drank some water and went to bed. I woke up the next morning with only slight contractions and mild cramping. It went away throughout the day, though. I am hoping we have awhile yet before we experience another contraction episode since we are headed for the road tomorrow evening. I'd really like an uneventful weekend!

We painted the nursery again. We painted last weekend and ended up with dark spots all over the walls. So, we got another batch of paint, this time with a primer in it and went to work. It looks really good now. I just want to get it finished, one less thing to worry about and overwhelm me. I hope to finish it the weekend after our shower.. which is coming up quick, less than two weeks away (totally crazy).

Stomach and stretch marks are still growing. I looked in the mirror tonight and commented on how much I hate them. Morgan says he doesn't even notice anymore.. I do. I have a constant reminder as they are starting to be somewhat painful and they constantly itch. I really need to start walking and start eating a little better. Once we get back from vacation I am going to hit the ground running (only, not literally) and walk a little more and eat a little better. That way, I can take out my last two months (hoping I make it that long) strong and healthy.

This last weekend I had a prenatal massage. It was really nice. The only downfall was the soreness I experienced afterwards. I think there was a major release of lactic acid. I am still feeling a little sore tonight. I plan on getting another one when we get back from Iowa.

Well, it is late and I have to get up early so I can get in and out of work early so I must sleep.

Wish us luck on our journey of 800 miles each way. Please be good to us, baby. We need this last trip together and to enjoy ourselves.

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

29 weeks preggo.

Well we've had quite an eventful week; but mostly weekend.

I dont remember if I felt rib kicks last week or not, but I am definitely starting to feel random rib kicks here and there now. My stomach is getting much bigger which also means the stretch marks are stretching. I remember when they first appeared and they were very short and I was wishing I didnt have them. Now, I just wish they would stop growing. I feel like they're going to be like 8-9 inches long at the rate I am going! It's pretty depressing, I won't lie. It seems like every day they are longer than the day before.

Yesterday was our most eventful day of the week. We went to go look into buying a new car. I don't really feel like telling the whole story again but it ended up with the sales person yelling at me, Morgan yelling at him, them cussing eachother out, me being afraid Morgan was going to get punched in the face by this sales person. Both Morgan and I were not surprisingly worked up. My hands were shaking and I could feel my heart racing. I laughed on the way home saying that I was surprised the situation did not put me in labor. 5 minutes later, I had menstrual cramps.

We got home I went to the bathroom and noticed a little bit of blood. So, I went to lay in bed and drink some water because I felt like my cramps were getting worse and my back was starting to hurt. While laying down, I noticed that I was starting ot have contractions. I just sort of shrugged them off at first because I've had them off and on throughout the last couple months. Well, after drinking a lot of water and laying on my left side, they weren't going away. I started to time them and realized they were coming every 3 minutes. This started to worry me. I knew that it was normal to get contractions here and there but knew it wasn't a good thing to have them forming a pattern, and they were doing just that.

So, I called my midwife and told her my symptoms; that I had a little blood, had been contracting every 3-4 minutes for the last 45 minutes and had some cramping both in my abdomen and lower back. She suggested that I drink more water and take a warm bath and then come in. I took a quick bath and felt better while I was in the water. I thought that my contractions were going away and was ready to call her and tell her I was not going to come in, as I was better. I got out of the bath and started to get dressed and had another contraction. I figured it was better safe than sorry, that I was probably just dehydrated but I should go in.

We got to the hospital and they hooked me up to the monitors. I asked Morgan to look at the printout to see if I was having contractions and I was - so the waterworks started. They were getting worse; the pain, the pressure and the frequency. The midwife came in after about 35-40 minutes of being monitored and the first thing she said was, well you're definitely contracting. I started crying again. She told me that they were going to check my cervical length and if it was short I would be moving floors because I was going to have a baby, if it was medium length they would run some labwork to see if I was going to go in labor within the next 2 weeks and if it was still long, that was the best case scenario and would mean I was not in labor.

Immediately I started thinking about him being born at 29 weeks; how little his body would be, what difficulties he could have, if he would even survive, whether I would be able to stay in the hospital with him for awhile, how we would afford me being out of work if either I was put on bed rest or he was born early, how backed up at work I am and how I need to get caught up before I leave for my maternity leave, whether or not we were ready to be parents just yet, how we didnt even have a diaper at home, how I wasn't ready to be in labor, wouldn't be able to finish my birthing classes, whether Morgan was ready both to be a dad and a support system during labor and delivery, and about every other thought that one could imagine.

So, they did an exam and took a sample to run through the lab if my cervix ended up being of medium length. It was a little painful but wasn't too bad. After that, they called in an ultrasound machine and checked my cervix. The length was 3.2 and both the woman measuring me and the midwife said this was very promising. The midwife told me that I could go home and basically diagnosed me with an "irritable uterus" and that nothing I did or could have done, could've caused this. She said that I may continue to have contractions throughout the rest of my pregnancy and as long as they're not getting more painful, my waters do not break or I do not start bleeding, I am OK. She said it is tricky for me because I was experiencing all pre-term labor symptoms so if I do experience pre-term labor, I will have to distinguish the differences between what I was feeling on Saturday and the new feelings I am experiencing. She said that I can continue on with my activity and do not need to be on any kind of bed rest, which is nice.

I worry now that I won't make it full term, but having an irritable uterus only really increases my chances of having preterm labor about 8 percent more than a non high risk pregnant woman, so that is promising.

But, having contractions that ended up being only a minute to a minute and a half apart was quite a scary experience. I am glad everything is okay and that this little guy is going to continue to bake.

Today I am feeling pretty good and we decided to pain the nursery. We dont have a light in the nursery so I will probably have to wait awhile before I can see how it turned out since it is always dark out when I get home from work! Total bummer.

Anyhow, time to eat and then study my eyes out.

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

28 weeks preggo.

Hello, again.

This week we had two appointments. On Wednesday, we had our growth scan to see how well he is growing. I was a little nervous since at our 3d scan he was saying that the baby was big/chubby/perhaps further along than I thought I was. Well, the scan went well! They predicted that he weighs 2pounds 7ounces, so basically 2.5lbs! Big boy! They can't predict how long he is since they curl up so much inside. But, according to what measurements they did, he falls in at the 41st percentile, which is great! Not only is he not a huge baby like the guy said at our ultrasound, but he is also growing properly and they were worried that he wouldn't. Hopefully he keeps it up so that at our 32 week growth scan, he is where he should be. My fluid levels were great and they said everything looked great! He was head down at the appointment with his butt near my navel on the right side.

On Friday we had our first real appointment with the new midwives. We both really, really liked the midwife that we met with. Her name was Anne and she was just great. She was so warm and just seemed to really take an interest in our lives, story and baby. We had to do the glucose test. Luckily I didn't have to fast during the day, I just couldn't have any sugar. So, we got there and I drank the orange drink they had, we had a one hour meet with the midwife and then they drew my blood. I was laying down on the table when they drew my blood and afterwards I felt a little dizzy. I told her that I felt a little dizzy and next thing I knew, I "woke up" on my side with cold washcloths on my forehead and neck. Morgan said they were talking to me and I was unresponsive and my lips turned blue and I lost all color in my face. Pretty crazy! I am hoping that this meant going into the test my blood sugar was a little low and after drinking the glucola, I had a huge spike and then drop in blood sugar level which made me go unconscious for 10 seconds. Im not sure that I would have passed out of my levels were high, but I guess we will see when I find out this week how I did on the test. I've never passed out from having my blood drawn before, so it was a little bizarre. The midwife told Morgan that he was going to be good at labor and delivery since he remained so calm! I know he'll be great. He's my rock.

Tomorrow I have to call to make my next appointment as well as all my remaining appointments. From here on out, I go every two weeks until about 36 weeks and then I go every week until 41 weeks. Hopefully I go in labor before 41 weeks, though! I am excited to get all of my appointments scheduled!! It's coming up quickly!

The great part of my appointment is that our midwife gave us the definite okay to drive to Iowa for Thanksgiving. It almost seemed like she was encouraging us to go. She just said that we need to stop every 2-3 hours to walk around and make sure that I drink a lot of water. That made me happy. I was scared that she would say no and I would be devastated.

We picked out a paint color today for the nursery. We bought a sample and painted a small section in the nursery. We are going to paint the rest tomorrow. I'd really like to get a move on the nursery so that we are prepared in the case that he decides to come early! Hopefully not too early, though. While I'd love the tax break of him coming before the end of the year, I know that it is best for him to bake until at least January 14th or so. But, I would prefer him to stay in there until he is due.

Physically and emotionally I have been pretty good. I have the same back and hip pain that I've been having the whole time but other than that, doing pretty well. I've been pretty well emotionally lately, which is great. I am concerned about post-partum depression but we will cross that bridge when we get there :) My midwife suggested that I start taking a calcium/magnesium supplement to help alleviate/prevent the leg cramps that I have been having. They're pretty horrible when I get them.

Other than that, not much new to report! Banana bread is baking and it sure does smell great :)

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

27 weeks preggo.

Hello 3rd and last trimester!

So, it's Halloween and it is also our 6 year wedding anniversary! We also got married on a Sunday so this is the first anniversary we've had where it fell on the same day of the week when we wed! Crazy that it has been 6 years already. Makes me realize that time sure does fly by and before we know it, this little guy inside will be in kindergarten and then graduating high school!

This week was kind of emotional for me. I think I just had a really stressful week both at work and school so it took its toll on me. I think even if I wasn't pregnant, this week would have been rough for me.

We had a good class on Monday. Morgan had to wear the empathy belly and he basically broke out a sweat, haha. He had the pregnancy waddle and swears that he wasn't doing it on purpose, that it really threw off his balance that much. It was pretty funny to see and nice to have him feel my pain, even if it was only for 4 minutes!

I've had a lot of stretch marks pop up lately. Its like daisies in the spring time, just popping up left and right.. I won't lie, its a little depressing and discouraging to get that many within a small window of time. I was hoping I would be one of the lucky ones and go through my whole pregnancy without getting them, but nope! I just hope that at some point they kind of come to a stop. I am worried with having 12 1/2 weeks left, how bad they will get.

On Friday night I was laying in bed going to sleep and think that I felt an arm or leg move across my stomach for the first time! It was a weird pressure/movement that spread out about 2-3 inches on my lower abdomen. It was pretty neat :) Also, I borrowed a home doppler from Janine so that we can hear the little guy's heartbeat.. I think that I finally heard it for a few seconds.. haven't been able to find it since, though!

Our excitement for the week was doing our 3d/4d ultrasound on Saturday. I was pretty nervous that the pictures would be horrible or that he would have his hand, foot or umbilical cord in his face the entire time blocking his face. Well, both were semi-true. He had his hand and umbilical cord across his face for the start of the session and by the end, he had both feet, an elbow and the umbilical cord in his face! Thanks for the cooperation, baby! It was still pretty amazing to see. At one point he held up the metal horns with his fingers, at another he opened one eye and he also kind of smirked at one point, moving his lips back and forth. The guy doing the ultrasound said that he is a big chubby baby for 27 weeks and asked if they have my due date correct. Made me a little nervous!! He said that he looks more like a 30 week baby rather than 27 weeks. One of my first thoughts was worrying that I have gestational diabetes and that is why he is a big boy. I surely hope not - mostly for his health and baking time, not for my inconvenience of not being able to eat what I want. Granted, I'd like to continue eating as I'd like, but I don't think it would be hard for me to give up xyz foods if it turns out I do have it. I just want the best for him, so I'll do what it takes if that is the case! Anyhow, he guesstimated that he was about 13-14 inches and about 2.75lbs.

We have a growth ultrasound on Wednesday so we'll find out how accurate his estimation is. I hope that the ultrasound goes well and they don't see anything alarming. I hope that they look at his whole body and make sure everything looks normal. Sometimes I freak out because I opted out of the last test which looked for tube defects including spina bifida. I am excited for the ultrasound but being the freak that I am, I am always nervous for things like this. Also on Friday, I have my first appointment with the new clinic. I will be doing my gestational diabetes test on Friday as well.. fingers crossed that comes back normal. For some reason I feel like it will come back bad and I will have to take the 3 hour test. I feel like since I have been gaining a bit of weight lately and the baby seems "large" all signs are pointing to me having it. Guess we shall see! If so, it's not the end of the world and like I said, I'll do what I need to do to ensure the best health for the baby (and well, me too).

Not much else to report. He has been alarmingly quiet today. I feel like with all of the sugar I have had today (thank you Halloween candy and anniversary breakfast) that he should be pretty active, but he is not. He was really active all day yesterday and pretty active on Friday so I am hoping that he is just tired and sleeping today. It worries me, though. Hopefully he is active tomorrow to make me feel better. I've felt a few movements here and there, but nothing like it has been lately. Perhaps he is pissed off because the ultrasound guy kept shaking him to try to get him to move... oops!

I will try to figure out how to take a few clips off of the DVD we have to upload to my blog for you all to see, but I am not sure that I will be able to figure it out. Till then, enjoy the pictures :)

Time to rest before more rest - bed time.

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

26 weeks preggo.

I'm pretty tired so this is likely going to be short!

So, I mentioned wanting to change hospitals/midwives. We decided to go tour the hospital last Wednesday and we were really impressed! The birthing rooms are huge and the recovery rooms are nice as well. The whole hospital just has a lot more of a welcoming feeling than the last. It did not feel as hospital-ish to me. So, we left feeling pretty good but knew that we had yet to meet any of the midwives from the clinic that would be delivering there. I had my appointment on Friday and it went really well. One of their statistics that really impressed me was their episiotomy rates - 2 in the last year. That is really impressive considering the statistics I've read of other hospitals in the area, including the one I was going to. I was really impressed with the midwife that I met with. I liked her a lot. She was very warm and said all the things I was hoping that she would. So, with that said, I made the switch! I feel very good about it and all of my nerves about switching are gone. I've also been researching a little more on water births as the hospital offers them and it is something that I am interested in.

One big exciting thing that happened this week was I helped deliver a baby! Rather than telling her birth story for her, I will make it short and say that I got a call from her at 5:50am-ish on Monday morning saying that I needed to get ready and come out to get her. Her husband was out of town so I was on baby catching duty while he was gone. She was actually due the 29th but the little one decided to come early! We got to the hospital around 7:00 a.m., checked-in at labor/delivery at 7:30 and little Delaney was born at 10:28a.m. It was super exciting. I thought the whole experience would scare me but it did the opposite.. it made me feel very excited about my birthing experience. I am super grateful that I was able to be a special part of her labor and delivery.

Monday night, we had our first Bradley method class. We both enjoyed it. We've been trying to remember to do our "exercises" but sometimes forget. It usually comes down to us being so tired when we go upstairs to go to bed that we just go to sleep rather than completing our exercises. I do think that as long as we make the classes worth our time and money, we will benefit from them - and that's the point, right? I'm looking forward to tomorrow's class.

Next Saturday we are doing our 3d scan. I am pretty excited about it! Hopefully we get some really great shots and get a semi-decent idea of what our little one looks like! Then, we are going out to dinner to celebrate our 6 year anniversary. :)

We went pumpkin picking this weekend so I posted a picture that Morgan took that I really like above. We've been going pumpkin picking every year for the last 7 years. It's weird to think that next time we go, we will have a 10 month old son with us! Very exciting.

We finished up our registry today. While doing so, I felt super light headed, dizzy and sweaty. I had to sit down in the aisle to make sure I did not pass out. I felt better after I rested. I have felt good through most of the week. I went a good portion of the week without any pain in my back. I sat on the floor this evening doing some stuff from work I brought home and I think that it flared up my sore spots because I am hurting.

On that note, I am off to bed to get my beauty rest.

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

25 weeks preggo.

Driving home from the grocery store tonight I thought back to living at our old house blogging on the back patio about this pregnancy. I remember thinking I was so far into the pregnancy, but couldn't have been more than 13 or 14 weeks preggo at the time. It's funny how our perspective on the progress of pregnancy changes. I am sure at 38 weeks I will look back to now and laugh at how big I thought I was getting and how much progress I was making.

So, I've been considering changing hospitals lately and am still unsure on what to do. When I started going to my midwifery clinic, I really liked all of the midwives I was meeting with. The clinic has a total of 12 midwives and you rotate meeting them so you've met them all by the end of your pregnancy. Initially, I thought this was a great thing. However, throughout time, the meeting midwife after midwife and liking them less and less each time, I began to question if this is the situation I really want. As well, when I go, I never feel as though they really care to know me. I guess I dont know what I really expect; I just thought appointments would be more thorough and want to get to know me better rather than just be a patient, or a number. Then, we did our hospital tour this last week and I was less than impressed. The labor and delivery floor is under construction so it seems a little hectic and fell short of feeling warm and welcoming for me. Im not really sure what I am expecting, maybe 4-star hotel-ish? In addition to both of those factors, I've read some less than positive reviews of the midwifery clinic and their competency.

I've considered some other options, one being a birthing center. While I wish I was ready for that, I'm just not. I feel like maybe after the birthing classes I will be comfortable with that idea, right now I am not, and cannot take the risk of choosing another place and then ultimately feeling uncomfortable in the end. I am scheduled to meet with a midwife from another midwifery clinic, they only have 4 midwives and they also have birthing tubs so if all went well, I could have a water birth. It makes me a little nervous switching but there's a part of me saying that I need to switch, while the other part of me says to stay where I am. I'm still pretty confused. :(

I had an appointment on Friday with one of the midwives. I liked her but she seemed a little less than supportive of a natural birth. While she said it was great that we are preparing through classes, she said not to set myself up for failure. It almost seemed as though she was like, while it is great you want one, dont get your hopes up. Otherwise, things were good at the appointment. I measured at 24cm, so just a little under where I should be, my blood pressure was good, and I gained a decent amount of weight. They scheduled my 28 week growth check ultrasound for November 5... which is also the date of my appointment with the new clinic.. I need to figure things out. When she went to listen for the heartbeat on the doppler, she stated that she thinks he is way far back near my back with his knees and feet out front.. may explain both the low kicks and the back pain I have been having!

We start our Bradley method classes tomorrow. For some reason, I am nervous for them. Hopefully we benefit from them. I really don't know what to expect. I think it is the unknown that makes me uneasy.

Other than that, not much else to update. I have been feeling pretty good other than the typical back and hip pain that I've been experiencing from the very start. I feel like the further along I get, the more emotional and needy I become.. but I think that is to be expected :)

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

24 weeks preggo.

We're moving on up, baby! Or well, you're moving on up. This week I felt you kick in places other than the lower left side of my abdomen. I felt movement up near my navel and near my sides. We also were both able to see you moving from the outside. Last night we sat there for a little while watching alien like movements from the inside out. While a little creepy, it is pretty remarkable! The movements are also a lot stronger, they almost feel like shocks through my whole abdomen rather than a little pokey poke here and there. Sometimes the movements are still light but some of them are like, holy moly! You're supposedly the size of an eggplant this week, measuring in at 9 inches and weighing in just shy of 2lbs at 1.7lbs.

This last week was a little rough for me.. mostly this weekend. I've been pretty emotional and moody and unable to snap out of it. I struggled some through the week as well but this weekend seemed to be especially hard for me. I felt like crying a lot but never did. Perhaps it would've helped to let it out. My appetite seems to increase by the day, seems like my stomach is a bottomless pit, you little parasite, you!

This coming week we have our hospital tour and I have my monthly check-up with the midwife. Hopefully I've gained a healthy amount of weight, not too little, not too much. A week from tomorrow we start our Bradley Method classes, which I am both excited and not so excited about. Not so excited that I will miss my Monday Night Football and also because with school two nights a week, I thoroughly enjoy my nights of relaxation and this will take from that. But, I am excited to learn and prepare for my *hopefully* unmedicated birthing experience!

We had our first round of cool weather this weekend. It rained today and was rather nice. I am so excited about this beautiful weather. There is something so comforting about going out in public and seeing people in boots, scarves and jackets! I am so glad to be out of the 80 and 90 degree weather that Denver seemed to be stuck on. We went to go see a movie on Friday night called life as we know it. I swear, 50% of the people in the room were pregnant! I cried, of course.

That's about it for updating. Hopefully I will have some updating to do after our hospital tour and appointment on Friday. We scheduled our 3d ultrasound for October 30th (day before our 6th wedding anniversary!), so I am really looking forward to that :)

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

23 weeks preggo.

Hello, October! My favorite month of the year!

The baby is showing my Iowa roots this week by being the size of an ear of corn! He should be approximately 8.5" and 1.5lbs! Getting close to a foot! It's crazy, I remember when I thought it was so neat when he was a whoppin .64cm! The little guy is growing, as is my love and the amount I miss feeling him move when he is having a quiet day.

There is some real sense of comfort that he provides to me at times. On days when I am having a bad day, or just having a bad moment in my day, he never fails to kick me, move or just let me know he is there. I'll be honest and say that I have my moments when I doubt my ability to be a great mom or to let go of life as it is, to welcome a big change and new person into our lives. But, during times like that, he lets me know he is there and I feel so much better. Last Tuesday I woke up and did not want to get up early to make it to class in time. He decided to break out in a breakdance and I was again reminded how important it is for me to finish these two classes before his arrival as it will be much harder to finish once he is here. It's just the little things. Last Thursday he was really quiet all day and had been quiet on Wednesday and I began to worry that something was wrong. I drank some soda, ate some sugar and pushed around on my belly but was not able to get him moving. Being as paranoid and erratic as I can be, I immediately thought something was wrong and stressed about it. I talked to a few coworkers about how I was worried and he moved to let me know he was ok. It is bizarre how there seems to be that neat connection there.

I've continued to have contractions on and off. I still only really get them in the evenings and usually only 1 or 2. I read some (probably untrue) wives tales that if you contract early, you'll have an easier labor. Im hoping it is true and hoping that your labor is similar to that of your mother's. Mine went to the hospital at 11 with me and I was born at 11:57 and she was only at the hospital for 5 hours before my older brother was born. I know, I know, wishful thinking!

Assuming that I go on time, we are less than 4 months away from baby's birthday! Pretty crazy to think about, but also really exciting. I feel really good having the crib and changing table together even if we jumped the gun on it. I just like to plan and get things done as early as I can, so it worked for us. Janine is going to throw my shower on December 4 so after that we can go buy whatever else we need and have most of January to relax and wait for his arrival. Speaking of my shower, my mom told me today that she is going to come out for it, so I am really excited about that :) She will be able to be a part of that special day and help Janine out with hosting (and planning, as much as she can being 800 miles away). So, that will be great, I am still very hopeful that we are going to be able to make the trek to Iowa over Thanksgiving so I will see my family then, see my mom a week or so later for my shower and then see my family again when baby comes. Morgan's family plans to come out to Denver after my family leaves. I can't wait to have family out here. I wish both of them could be out here at the same time but it will be nice to have company for longer with separating their visits.

We tried listening to the baby's heartbeat through a stethoscope this past week but had no luck. Hopefully in the coming weeks we will be able to. I'm sure that positioning has a lot to do with it. I have a feeling he is sitting up with his feet hanging low because my "kicks" that I feel are always pretty low and to the left. Hoping this doesn't mean that he is breach!

Well, that's about all I have to report this week.

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

22 weeks preggo.

As you can see, we put daddy to work this weekend.

Yesterday we were sitting around after running a couple errands and seeing Morgan's friend Gerry from Canada (he is touring with a band and was able to stop by for lunch in Denver which was great!) and we were talking about what we could do and I suggested putting the crib together, expecting an "its too early" response, but he agreed and wanted to prove that it wouldn't take as long as it took others in the reviews for the crib/changing table. So, he did just that. Only took him an hour to put together the crib and an hour to put together the changing table. He also agreed to hang up the bamboo blinds as well. After putting the bumper in the crib we realized that with the modern design/boxy look, the ties dont match up correctly on the crib. I've been going back and forth on whether or not I even want to use one, we've decided not to use one. We may get a breathable bumper later on if we feel it is necessary but with all the controversy out there about SIDS with the use of a bumper, in addition to the bulkyness of the bumper (taking away from that sleek modern look, yano!), it helps our decision. So, we'll see how that goes.

Grandma and Grandpa in Iowa said they'd buy the mattress so we went out and bought one today to complete the crib. So, thanks to G&G in Iowa, the crib is now complete and will collect dust for the next 17 weeks while we wait for baby c.'s arrival! We need to get decorations, a rocker/glider and a bookshelf/shelving and the room will be complete. No hurry, we've got awhile go to yet.. or at least we hope, since he's not done cooking.

Speaking of which, I started having contractions this last week. I think that I had my first contraction on Tuesday night. I had a slight wave of menstrual cramps and then my lower abdomen hardened.. probably could have bounced a quarter off of it. The hardening only lasted a couple minutes and that was it. I've had a contraction close to every night since then. I think I went Thursday night and last night without one, but that is about it. I think it's fairly normal, at least I hope it is. I am carrying very low, or so it seems (kicks are really really low) so I hope this is normal as well.

I signed up for our birthing classes this last week as well which is exciting. We are going to do the Bradley Method classes. They start on October 18 and run for 12 weeks, 2 hours every Monday night. I am pretty excited about them. I am hoping to meet some other preggo mommas in the class as they will likely be due around the same time as us. They have an empathy belly that the men can wear - wish Morgan could wear it for a whole day, haha. :) Hopefully we learn a lot from the class and go into labor feeling a lot more educated and comfortable with the situations that will arise. Supposedly, 87% of mothers that complete the Bradley Method classes and go through labor with what they've learned, are successful at having an unmedicated birth which is something that is important to me. If it comes down to me needing an epidural, then it does, but I am going in with a goal and I am going to be prepared as best as I can be to meet that goal. I'm glad that I have a husband that supports me in this decision and will push for me to meet it. I've had quite a few people tell me that I won't be able to do it unmedicated, or that I am crazy for thinking I will be able to; thanks for the support ladies!

I think that I am officially to the point where strangers can look at me and know that I am pregnant. I was at Target this weekend (got a cute maternity coat, too!) and lots of people were staring at me strangely; almost like I had some sort of weird flesh eating disease. Guess it's better than random strangers coming up and touching the baby belly. I'm not sure how I will react to that. Guess time shall tell.

We're still trying to plan some sort of babymoon. A little getaway for mom and dad before the baby arrives. We're considering a few different cities but thinking maybe Austin, TX as we've both wanted to go there. I'd like to go but would also like to go somewhere that is a little cooler. Denver has been SO warm for September. Growing up in Iowa, it was always so nice in September and October, nice hoodie and jacket weather; but here in Denver, its still upper 80s and I am not so much enjoying that. I want Fall weather! We'll need to decide within the next week or two so we get a good deal on plane tickets.

Other than that, not much is new to report. Baby seems to be doing fine and has his days where he is active and others where he is not as active. He responds to sugar about 30-45 minutes after I eat it. Im excited for when we'll be able to see him moving from the outside as we're not quite there yet! Can't wait for our next ultrasound in less than 6 weeks.

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

21 weeks preggo.

The baby is supposedly the size of a spaghetti squash (8 inches) this week and weighing in at about a pound! We had our monthly check-up on Friday. Things were well. Morgan was able to come to this appointment, so that was good. I gained a few pounds (up about 4 in the last month), blood pressure was good (110/80) and the baby's heart rate was 140. She said that I am measuring right on. She suggested that I use some ice on my back for my back pain. I am going to start using that tonight. I hope it helps! She said that because my lab work results were a little haywire with my first trimester screening, they want to do additional ultra sounds at 28 weeks and 32 weeks to measure growth since I am at higher risk for having a smaller baby. While I am not excited about knowing he may not grow as he should, I am excited to see him on ultrasound again and see how much has changed since 16 weeks. Looks like we will see him at 28 weeks, 30 weeks and again at 32 weeks. We're going to do the 3d/4d ultrasound at 30 weeks so we can see him moving around and see his little face. Other than that, the appointment was pretty uneventful.. they're so quick now. 

This week was pretty uneventful. Since feeling him last Tuesday, I feel him every single day, numerous times a day. In fact, he just kicked or punched about 10 seconds ago. On Thursday or Friday, I swear he did some sort of somersault because I felt a lot of pressure and movement in my lower abdomen. This evening we were watching football (go figure) and I said to Morgan that I wondered what the baby was doing because I hadn't felt him all day, seriously 5 seconds later, he kicked. Funny how that works. 

We went to a consignment sale this morning and bought some more clothes for him.  Morgan found some cute Packers jammies which will please his grandma and grandpa in Iowa.. probably uncle Jeremy as well! They're pretty cute.. cost more than I would've liked to spend on used jammies, but oh well. 

Im not sure if I posted about this or not but I think we are going to do a monster theme in the nursery. More like pop art looking Monsters, bold colors, thick lines, etc. At the last consignment sale I went to with Vanessa, I bought a monster and the idea has developed from that. I think Morgan will draw and paint/color in the monsters and we will either frame them or just use canvases. 

For the most part, I have been feeling pretty good. I have been pretty tired and still have consistent back pain, but other than that, I can't really complain. I did have a hormonal pregnancy moment the other day. I was cleaning and the cleaner had a little bleach in it (I know, probably not the safest for a pregnant momma, but I am loving the smell of bleach) and it spilled on my favorite maternity shirt and left bleach marks. I started crying but was laughing at the same time. It's just a bummer to not feel cute in many of your clothes, or not have many clothes that make you feel cute/or even fit anymore, and then to ruin one of them. That puts me down to like, 4 shirts that fit me, which is a little depressing. Also, I felt pretty nauseous this morning and was so sure I was going to throw up but ended up just heaving and gagging in the toilet. I spent most of the day on the couch and slept off and on. Much needed. 

Other than that, not much to report! Enjoy the picture of my 21 week belly and the Packers jammies. 

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

20 weeks preggo; note to baby.

Dear Baby:

Just wanted to write because we had a pretty special day yesterday. During the workday around 4pm I felt you kick from the outside for the first time. It was a pretty amazing thing, I only wished daddy was here to feel it, too.

But, low and behold, during the evening we were watching football and you were moving so I asked him to feel - you let out the biggest kick so far, and he was able to feel you moving as well.

Thanks for cooperating to involve daddy in on the excitement.

Love,

Mommy

20 weeks preggo.

We're halfway, baby!

Very exciting to meet our midpoint of 20 weeks. I've been waiting for this moment. For the longest time, or what felt like the longest time, I did not think we would make it to this point with all the bleeding scares we had at the start.

I've been anxiously awaiting this milestone. It's pretty crazy to think that we have less time remaining than we've been pregnant.

The baby is about the size of a banana now measuring at about 7 inches. I remember when my bestie Janine was pregnant with a banana and I thought that was SO big.. now I'm there and of course, it doesn't seem like as much of a big deal!

This weekend was Janine's baby shower. She is 13 weeks ahead of me and I volunteered to host her baby shower. It was my first time hosting a baby shower and the second one that I've been to. I think that it turned out pretty well, people seemed to have fun and Janine seemed to enjoy herself, so mission was accomplished! I got her and Jeff (well mostly her, I doubt Jeff will be sporting it) a cute Petunia Pickle diaper bag that Janine was eyeing. I want one similar to it, which is a lot cheaper than the Kate Spade diaper bag I've been hoping for. But, the shower and shower planning wore me out and I am feeling it this evening. I will be surprised if I make it past 8pm tonight.

I went shopping this morning with Vanessa to a consignment sale in Golden. Im glad that she invited me to go as I found a few things! I got about 15 clothing items, mostly sleepers, a boppy cover, 2 baby einstein dvds, a music cd that is in French (we hope to learn French someday!), a stuffed monster (starting to believe we're going to do a monster theme for the nursery?) and a swaddler. All of that was only 40 bucks, 10 of that being the monster.

Speaking of baby items, we did the majority of our registry yesterday evening. Boy, was that exhausting! We probably looked ridiculous trying to decide what we should buy and what we need, etc. We were both pretty exhausted after. We still need to register for some stuff but we got a big chunk of it complete. I figured 20 weeks was a good time to start the wish list.

My belly sure is growing. I would say that strangers likely notice that I am pregnant. I am still larger at night but still have quite a bump in the morning before I eat and drink as well. The one pair of jeans that I thought I'd be able to wear throughout my pregnancy no longer button! I still don't think that I really know what I am in for as far as getting big. Kind of scary, but also exciting.

I feel him on a daily basis now, mostly when I lay down to go to sleep. The movements are getting stronger so I am hoping to feel him from the outside soon. I would think by 23-24 weeks we should start feeling him. I can't wait for Morgan to feel him; even if the idea still freaks him out.

I have an appointment this Friday with the midwife. Im excited to go and hear the heartbeat again - it seems like forever since I heard it last. I've been having tons of calf pain, which started out as only waking me at night with horrible cramping/spasms and slight pain in the morning but now lasts the entire day. I would say that my sciatic pain still tops any other discomfort I am having.

Well, I am exhausted and need to go lay in bed. I bought a maternity pillow so I am hoping that helps making sleeping on my side a little more comfortable. I HATE sleeping on my side. I miss belly sleeping. Sigh.. not much longer, I can push through it! :)

I posted pictures above. One is from Janine's baby shower, her at 33w1d and me at 20w1d. The other was taken this afternoon. I think with the shirt not being as form fitting my belly looks a lot bigger than the picture yesterday... dont think it's possible to grow that much over night, right!? :)

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.

19 weeks preggo.

This baby boy is starting to move!

On Thursday night I woke up in the middle of the night with excruciating chest pains. It was really bizarre because it was all on my right side and got worse when I took in anything but a shallow breath. I couldn't move, at all. It was to the point that I couldn't roll my body or arm over enough to shake Morgan to wake up; I had to use my foot to shake him. He woke up and got me some water and listened to me cry and freak out. I had no idea what was wrong and still don't. I immediately thought my lung had collapsed as it was localized and hurt so bad to breathe or move my ribs on that side. I wonder if it was some sort of panic attack?

Either way, when I settled down, stopped crying and was laying there trying to fall asleep, I felt a very obvious thud in my lower abdomen! This was the first time that I felt like it was truly the baby and not a questionable feeling in my stomach. It was pretty exciting. I held my hand on my stomach hoping to feel something on the outside but no such luck. I am getting pretty anxious to feel him on the outside but know that I just need to be patient since I am just 19 weeks and it is my first. Soon enough I will be wishing I couldn't feel his feet jabbing my ribs!

I went to prenatal yoga with Vanessa and her friend Julie on Saturday morning. I really liked it! As I usually report, I have been having horrible low back/hip/butt pain on my left side. It felt really nice to stretch my body out. I am going to buy a punch card so that I can go once a week. I won't be able to go next weekend as I am hosting Janine's baby shower but will go every Saturday after that. I really liked the atmosphere and the teacher, and well, my company! It was pretty weird for me being in a room of 20 pregnant women. The room was fairly small so it was definitely a tight squeeze fitting all those bellies in there. I think it will help me a lot to do yoga and having a punch card and someone to go with will force me to go; sometimes I need that.

After looking at a photo album Vanessa sent me of her pregnancy progress, I realized that I really need to take pictures. I want to have that to go look back on. We are going to take a picture tomorrow and we will take one next weekend at 20 weeks - really, is next weekend already going to be half way? Craziness. And, from there on out, I will take one every 2 weeks to show the difference, maybe even every week once I really start growing.

I've been looking into birthing classes as I should probably start enrolling soon. I am trying to decide between hypnobirthing and the Bradley Method. I think that I am going to go with the Bradley Method but need to find one that works well with our schedules. I want to take one at Mountain Midwifery but the only class they have listed started today and runs until late October-ish. I'd like to find one that starts around the beginning of November.. that way, I won't forget everything in the months before our labor.

Sleeping is really starting to get uncomfortable. I confess that I still sleep and lay on my back. I know that I shouldn't but sometimes its the only position that works for me. I really need to get a better sleeping pillow. I've been putting a memory foam pillow between my knees for sleeping but just end up on my back with the pillow on the floor. Sleeping directly on my stomach is out as it's not comfortable but I almost lay half on my stomach and half on my side, which still seems to work. Im not sure how else to control my sleep position. Oh well, my body will tell me when a position isn't working anymore like it did for my stomach.

As far as cravings, I am still always wanting boiled hot dogs. I think I am on week 4 or 5 now with wanting boiled hot dogs. Also, my appetite is really picking up and every time I see someone eating something, I want it, too. Im still not huge on sweets, especially compared to how I was pre-pregnancy, but my sweet cravings are kicking in a little bit more. I stopped for ice cream today and wanted a cherry dipped cone the other night at 9pm (and got one!).

Hopefully next week I am able to report feeling him from the outside, I can't wait for that.. and even more, for Morgan to feel his son kicking.

I'll try to remember to update tomorrow with a picture of my belly.. how lucky you all are, getting one two weeks in a row with next week being 20 weeks!

See you next week.

xo, mommy to be.