33 Weeks and vacation time!

My husband and I are on our way out of town in just a few minutes. We are heading to the mountains for a few peaceful days to rest and enjoy being together. I hope it's just what we need - to celebrate our life together before adding to our family.

I had an appointment yesterday and my blood pressure is a bit elevated. I'm going to have to go in again next week and then weekly, unless it goes back down. I'm hoping it was just a fluke because of the heat and some dehydration. I guess we'll see. It wasn't high enough for anything more than extra monitoring, so I'm grateful for that. I'd sure hate to miss our vacation. The doctor told me to go and have fun. It would be good for me and us.

I've been having a pretty significant amount of pain at my pubic bone. It's gotten pretty debilitating at times, but seems to have gotten a little better in the last two days. My doctor says it's normal, but it hurts! I've started going swimming at the YMCA and it's been heavenly. Why didn't I do this sooner? They have a warm water therapy pool. I feel like I could stay there all day. I started swimming when walking was too painful, but now I'm hooked. I think I'll keep going for as long as I can!

It's been a hard week on the Internet. Some beautiful people who are having to cope with illnesses and losses of their babies. I just keep talking to our Little Sprout and crying tears and prayers of gratitude for her little life inside me and tears and prayers of sympathy and hope for those who are going through such difficult times. My brain can't process it all.

What a week!

I began my 30th week with the fantastic 3D ultrasound experience, but the next day, I took quite the tumble in a parking lot when I was with my mom. I stepped wrong coming off a curb and landed on my hands and knees. I still look like a 10 year old that just fell off her bike. I should post a picture of my scraped up knees. I landed pretty hard. The sunglasses that were in my hand were totalled.

I called the doctor and they had me come in. I was an hour away, though. My mom followed me back. I really wasn't terribly worried at first because I hadn't hit my belly and I knew that falls like that usually don't cause harm to baby, but my mom was a nervous wreck. Of course, the whole way home, I kept poking at the baby, trying to get her to move and she was being stubborn, so I started to get a little nervous.

I called my husband as soon as it happened and told him, "your klutz of a wife just fell." He's laughing about that now. I didn't realize how worried he was until he came to the doctor's office to meet me when I was there. I wasn't expecting him and I could tell by the look on his face that we was very concerned. He told me later that just a few days before there had been a baby at the hospital that they lost due to a placental abruption and the mom was about as far along as I am now, so that probably had him a little edgy.

Anyway, they hooked me up to monitors for awhile. It took the nurse quite some time to find the little Sprout's heartbeat, which about gave her mom a heart attack, but once they found it, she did NOT like the monitor at all and started wiggling and kicking. It was great to just lay there and listen to the heartbeat and feel her moving again. The doctor came in after awhile and confirmed that everything looked good. He said that basically, it's extremely rare for a fall like the one I had to cause any major problems, but when they do, they can be devastating, so that's why they always suggest getting checked out after any kind of fall.

So, I rested most of the weekend. I had my regular OB appointment on Tuesday. I'm a little ahead of where I should be in the weight gain department. I was really depressed about it for a few days, because I feel like I've been trying so hard and doing so much better than I was pre-pregnancy, but it doesn't seem to matter. I'm a little more rational now, but I still feel like I'm a bit of a pregnancy failure this week. But, our little girl is doing well and moving around like crazy, and that's the important thing.

30 weeks - I'm such a slacker

So, I've been waiting to post until my wonderful husband took another bump photo, but I can't seem to pin him down. I guess I should just use my point and shoot in the mirror like everybody else!

I cannot believe that I am 30 weeks. When did that happen? We had our 3D/4D ultrasound today and it was amazing to actually see her face. She was folded up with her legs in front of her face, so we mostly got her profile and her

legs/foot, but it was still amazing. The tech had us reschedule so that we could get all the measurements she wanted, so we go for another one in a week and a half. I hope she's in a better position. She would not budge at all!

Now that I know

that she is in that position, I understand why I haven't felt her movement the same way in a few days. I still feel her move, but not in the same way. I'm relieved that it's just her position and not anything wrong.

She weighs about 3 pounds, 10 ounces and they said she measured 31 weeks 4 days. My husband says measurements at this point are +/- 2 weeks. So I'm trying not to panic about a big baby!

We've been doing some baby shopping and now have her bassinet and car seat and few other bigger purchases. We went through things and decided that we have everything that we really need before she arrives except a few smaller items. Of course there's still plenty to do and we're still waiting for our nursery furniture.

School starts in 2 weeks and I won't be starting. It's going to be very strange to not be wrapped up in the school year. I've been having lunch dates with teacher friends to stay apprised on the latest gossip and facebook is great for that stuff, too.

So, 10 more weeks to go. It doesn't seem that long any more!

July 21

We went baby shopping today and ordered our way-too-expensive stroller and did some other shopping. When my husband was signing the receipt, he asked for the date. July 21. Wow. It hit me hard. I didn't even realize it was coming. July 21st was the due date for my first pregnancy.

I can't say that I haven't thought about that loss. It's still with me often and, as much as I wish I could say otherwise, it has shaded this pregnancy and caused me to worry. It was much worse early on, but part of me still waits for the next shoe to drop, for something to go very wrong. I can only imagine what it must be like for those who had later or multiple losses. I only knew I was pregnant for a few days, but it was enough to have dreams realized and dashed.

I'm not sure how to even express my feelings about it right now. I started to say that I should have had a baby this month, but no, that's not right. It was not meant to be. But there is still a real feeling of emptiness today. It is, of course, tempered by the joy of the little Sprout dancing around my belly right now as I type, but it is there. I feel guilty that I didn't recognize that this day was coming, as if I have somehow not honored it properly.

So, I'm paying special attention to the little girl I have now, and thinking about those months ago when I was ready to give up hope. Every little life is a miracle and I've experienced two of them. The first was only with us a short time, but continues to bless us with greater appreciation for what we have, a stronger marriage, and much more empathy for those around us whose struggles we do not know.

Hello Third Trimester!

Wow! I can't believe I made it this far. It just gets more exciting every week. I've been awake since 4am because the little Sprout doesn't want me to sleep, but I've been enjoying her gymnastics. It's so nice to have that consistent reassurance that she's doing okay. DH and I both watched my belly wiggling this morning. It's the first time I could actually see her moving a bunch from the outside. Wild, for sure!

It's been a busy few weeks. First 9 of my in-laws came to visit. Then DH and I had a wonderful anniversary trip to Maine. The weather was crummy for most of the time, but it was wonderful nonetheless. Now, my father and brother are here visiting. I'm glad for the opportunity to see everyone, but DH and I will both be very happy when we can get back to some sense of normalcy.

While in Maine, I had the first stranger ask me when I was due and have had a couple more since then. I'm glad that I'm looking obviously pregnant now instead of the maybe-she's-pregnant-but-maybe-she's-just-a-little-round phase. Yay! I'll post a belly pic eventually when things calm down around here.

I've gained too much weight in the last couple of months. My doctor didn't say anything, but I know. I haven't been good with all the craziness and travel. I actually had a bit of a meltdown last night because DH said something to me about the whole bowl of cherries I ate (at least it was fresh fruit, right?). He didn't mean anything by it, but I just felt awful that I haven't been better about my diet when I know how important it is. He's vowed that we'll both do better from here on out. It's been kind of difficult with my dad and brother here since they are some of the worst eaters out there. I'm sure they feel like I'm depriving them when I feel like I'm completely indulging because I have things around I don't normally keep in the house.

Anyway, I'm really glad that I'm not working right now, but I don't feel like I've had much time to relax since school got out. When my relatives all leave, I'm looking forward to some time for myself and for getting serious about the baby preparations.

She's viable! And the family invasion

24 weeks now and a special milestone. Of course, we definitely want our little Sprout to keep cooking a lot longer. DH dealt with a delivery of a 24 week preemie yesterday and I could tell that it really worried him. But everything seems to be going beautifully right now.

I had a great trip to visit with college friends over the weekend. One of my friends has a 2 and half year old. She was the happiest, most agreeable two year old I think I've ever met. She definitely had her moments, but I was so impressed with my friend and how well she dealt with it all. I hope I can be as patient!

I've been having some strange aches and pains, but nothing terrible. My tummy hasn't been very happy over the last few days. I guess it's just all part of the fun. It makes it harder for me to prepare for the throng of people that will be arriving this weekend.

DH has invited his whole family to visit us every summer and his brother and his family (wife and 3 kids) usually come along with his father. Well this year, at the last minute, his two sisters and their families decided to come, too! There will be 14 people in our house. It's going to be interesting. We'll have 8 adults and 6 kids (ranging from 6 months to 7 years). At least it's only a weekend! I'm stressing out, but I know how much it means to my husband to have his whole family together. It will be a very special time, I'm sure. I hope. Pray for us, okay :)?

23 Weeks

So, I'm not thrilled with this picture, but my belly is definitely getting bigger! DH just called and told me to come outside because he had his tripod set up. Doesn't he know a girl should have time to prepare for a picture? Oh well.

It's been a lovely week of recovering from the school year. It's such a relief to be finished. I've watched way too many baby shows on TV and gotten very little accomplished, but that's okay. I have to be more productive this week. I'm leaving Thursday to go to a friend's bridal shower out of town. I'm still a bit nervous about flying, even though I know I don't have a good reason.

I'm debating between two different sets of prenatal classes and I need to sign up for one of them this week. There's a free one through a community organization that is longer (7 two hour sessions) and includes some breast feeding and child care topics and there is a shorter one (5 two hour sessions) through the hospital that basically only covers labor and delivery ( and is not free). It seems obvious, right? But I absolutely HATE being in a class/workshop/seminar that is not well done and I'd hate to be stuck. I can't find anyone that's done either class to give me a recommendation. The free one starts earlier, so I'm thinking we can sign up for that one and if it's bad, we can hope there's still room in the hospital class that starts 2 weeks later. DH is not terribly excited about any class but is willing to do whatever I decide.

I'm feeling pretty well these days. I'm starting to have a little trouble getting up and bending over. I know that it's only the beginning, though! I'm feeling her move a lot now, which is so much fun. I still sometimes feel like an alien has taken over my body, which I guess it has!