32 Week Belly Photos

Miles LOVES to touch and talk about Baby

He also likes to "hide Baby"

32 Week OB Appointment

Poor Miles gets drug to all of my OB appointments because they are on Mondays, so he does his best to make the most of the time.  Miles is quickly becoming a little artist. Today, while we were waiting for Dr. Allen to come in for my appointment be was having a fabulous time with his new found "paper" to draw on!

I was a littler nervous going intot he appointments, but my anxieties were quickly released...  As today's appointment went exceptionally well, even better than I ever would have hoped for.  On ultrasound, my placenta has continued to grow northward and has even shifted a bit, now only covering about 25% of my cervix, as compared to the 50% 2 weeks ago!  This does not mean that we are clear of having a c-section, however it does take us pretty much out of the "danger zone!"  I spoke with Dr. Allen about the possibility to truly making it to term and she is feeling optomistic.  We will continue getting ultra sounds at every visit for the next few weeks to look at my placenta positioning, and then will have a full blown ultrasound at 38 weeks to make sure at that point the risks are out weighing the odds to continue on.  So, what I took away from the visit is if my body will just cooperate we are a go for an April if not even May delivery!  We are already at 32 weeks, so we should be expecting Baby to arrive sometime in the next 9 weeks, preferably not until 6-9 weeks from now (38-41 weeks)!  As we are not fully in the clear, we will be remaining on the same precautions as before, which aside from this weekend we have done a really good job following.

Miles stayed up on the exam table the whole time this appointment, so Dr. Allen made him a part of the whole session.  She even let him put the doplar to my belly and hear Baby's heartbeat, 144 bpm. Miles was really excited. He even yelled "Baby" when he heard the heartbeat. What a precious moment! He is going to be such a wonderful big brother (once he adjusts that is)!

32 Weeks

At 32 weeks, Baby’s birth still seems kind of far away, but Baby and I are physically ready in a lot of ways, just in case there’s an early arrival. Baby has already turned so they are in the head-down position, poised for their trip down the birth canal.  Intensity is building in the symptoms department, as heartburn and contractions intensify around week 32. But we are  so excited about Baby’s impending arrival, they are not slowing me down much.

Baby's getting ready for their descent -- Baby's is in the head-down position now and probably feeling a even more cramped.

Still growing, Baby weighs in at about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds and measures about 15.2 to 16.7 inches.

How far along: 32 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +16.5 lbs

Pregnancy Symptoms: Unable to see my feet, BACK PAIN!!!, lightheadedness, pregnancy brain, sciatic pain, difficulty sleeping, difficulty breathing when walking up a flight of steps, left foot pain, thirsty all the time, Braxton Hicks, increased urination, difficulty eating as I am full after a few bites, swollen ankles and feet, minimal heart burn

Maternity clothes: Yep

Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep: What is sleep?  Between Miles having trouble sleeping through the night, Daddy and Mommy feeling head colds and feeling uncomfortable, there is not much sleep around here right now.

Best moment last week: We made it another week, meaning Miles and Baby definitely do not share a birthday!

Movement: Baby is really not very active.  I have to eat something sweet almost nightly to get Baby to move around so that I know they are ok.  Sound nice, but I truly HAVE to eat something like ice cream to keep from panicking.

Food cravings: Anything Sweet

Gender: I am definitely thinking Boy right now

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks, oh yea

Belly Button (in or out): I'm an outie!!!!!!!!!!!!

What I miss: Walking up to the 3rd floor without loosing my breath

What I am looking forward to: Making it to term... Fingers crossed!

Milestones: Baby's big brother made it to 2 before Baby arrives

Crazy Mommy

Ok I will admitt it - this weekend I hit the ultime craziest moments for a 32 week pregnant woman.  I am going to stick with this story... It was not my fault!  Today we took Miles to The Bounce Place to celebrate his birthday, and he wanted me to play with him so badley.  Sure, Daddy was a lot of fun, but what about Mommy?  I held out for a long while, but then...

The slide really was fun... All 10 times I think I did it!

But them Miles wanted to do the relay with me...

Miles kept telling me to hurry up... Now that was encouraging!

Break time!

Needless to say, I decided to take a rest after the slide, yet somehow I became a totally awesome climbing post...

All I wanted to say was "What did Baby and I ever do to you Miles?"

And then there was the finale... I had no idea there was no way out but through some boulsters! YIKES!!!

And we survived!  Goodnight!

Taking Care of Mommy

Have I every told you just how wonderful my boys are to me and Baby?  This evening, Daddy and Miles worked very hard to get my new "relaxation station" ready for me so that I can have a place of my own over the next few weeks and beyond to be me and in the short term, give me a place where my back will not hurt so darn bad!

"How do I do this again Daddy?"

Don't think it was all work and no play... Not with my boys!

Miles insisted on trying it out... Looks like it passed his seal of approval!

The finished project!

Thanks so much boys!  I know I will LOVE it and Baby will to!

What a Long Night!

Needless to say, last night was not one of our better nights. Daddy and I laid down to go to bed around 11:30, but almost as soon as Daddy fell asleep, I began experiencing incredible pain. Immediately my mind of course went there... Oh no, we are only 31 weeks and this is it. The more I laid there and made every attempt I could to listen to my body, I realized that the pain was not coming from my abdomen, but rather from my back. Once I realized this I felt a bit calmer, however the pain was not going away, in fact it was getting worse. The pain was beginning rather mild and growing stronger and stronger with time,then letting up again, just like a contraction. Hum, this led me to wonder what back labor was, so I decided it was time to wake up Daddy and get a "second opinion."  Daddy was super wonderful in making every attempt he could to make me feel better.  After what seemed like FOREVER, the pain finally began to subside.  I unfortunately had been in so much pain for so long that I was unable to even get into bed, so I slept in the recliner in our room the rest of the night.  Lets hope we don't have another evening like last night!

31 Week Belly Photos

31 Weeks

We made it to week 31!  It is exciting to know that all five of Baby’s senses are fully developed.  Baby also keeps getting smarter. That’s good to know, since I feel a little dumb these days.   Some say that “pregnancy brain” isn’t a proven physical ailment, but I cannot think of another time in my life when I've had more on your mind than now.  From 31 weeks on, I am bound to feel a lot of the same symptoms -- some may get worse, some may become bearable. And I might start to have more trouble getting around as I get heavier and feel more and more short of breath. I am trying to remember not to push myself too much. 

Baby's going through major brain and nerve development,  eye development, too. Baby's irises now react to light, and all five of Baby's senses are in working order.

Baby's about 15.2 to 16.7 inches long and weighs about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds this month. Baby's getting so big, Baby's crowding my lungs.

How far along: 31 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +15.5 lbs

Pregnancy Symptoms: Unable to see my feet, back pain, lightheadedness, pregnancy brain, sciatic pain, difficulty sleeping, difficulty breathing when walking up a flight of steps, left foot pain, thirsty all the time, Braxton Hicks, increased urination, difficulty eating as I am full after a few bites, swollen ankles and feet

Maternity clothes: Yep

Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep: Laying down for 5-6 hours, although I would say sleeping 3ish hours on a good night

Best moment last week: Making it another week, losing 1 lb and feeling Baby move around more

Movement: All the time, especially at night and after I eat

Food cravings: Sweet Tea

Gender: Boy

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks, oh yea

Belly Button (in or out): I'm an outie!!!!!!!!!!!!

What I miss: Energy

What I am looking forward to: Finding out if Baby is a boy of girl

Milestones: The nursery is ready for Baby... just needs the crib to be raised and clean bedding placed on the mattress and we are ready to go!

Gift for Mommy... Round #2

Miles and Daddy were very excited to come home from Costco to show me that they were able to bring home the chaise lounger this time!  I am so loved!!!  Maybe I will be able to sleep a bit now.

The Nursery is Here!

After much anticipation, Miles and Baby finally have a room to call their own.  Everything is ready to go for Miles and Baby to be the best of friends in their African themed room.  The only things left to do:

1) Raise the crib and put clean linens on it
2) Paint the room a khaki/army greenish color
3) Hang Baby's name on the wall once we know if Baby is a boy or a girl!

I am sure over the next few weeks I will find lots of other changes to make to the nursery, however for the time being, I think it looks great!

Going Home Outfit

When we were pregnant with Miles, Daddy and I thought it was silly to purchase new born sized clothing, thinking that it was a huge waste of money, as babies grow so fast.  With that being said, we really have very little new born sized clothing, and since we tend to have little babies, based on Miles birth weight and slow growth, coupled with the fact that Baby may come a little earlier than originally expected, we decided that we needed to purchase some new born clothing for Baby.  As we do not know if Baby is a boy or a girl, I went out and bought 3 boy and 3 girl outfits.  This way, Baby has a few outfits to wear that are very boy or girl.  One outfit will be for coming home from the hospital!

Here are the results of my shopping spree:

First True Craving!

Tonight on the way home from our small group up in Hunt Valley, I had my very first EVER pregnancy craving, or at least we think.  We were driving down York Road when I REALLY wanted a Chick-Fil-A sweet tea.  Now mind you, I do not like sweet tea and I have never had one from Chick-Fil-A, so that is a bit interesting.  I mentioned to Daddy that it sounded really good, and the next thing I know the car had spun around and we were heading straight to Chick-Fil-A.  Needless to say, this was the moment that Daddy has survived 71 weeks of pregnancy between Miles and Baby and never had the chance to experience, so he was a bit excited!

The entire way to Chick-Fil-A (about a mile) I was trying to reason with Daddy, telling him just how silly this whole thing was, and that I can make it home to get a drink.  Hum, maybe this is why I don't feel I have had any cravings... I reason with myself too much.  Well, whatever the case, Daddy bought me a large sweet tea and I drank the whole thing in about 20 minutes!  It was SUPER YUMMY!

30 Week Belly Photos

30 Week OB Appointment

Today's OB Appointment was absolutely fantastic.  I had unfortunately had a very stressful morning due to a ridiculous work situation.  For the first time ever I was worried that my blood pressure was going to be high... Nope!  It was actually normal 110/74!  Now that is a first... Maybe stress is good for me?!?   I should have know from that point, the appointment was going to go well.  After I passed my weigh in with flying colors (down 2.5 lbs from where I was at 30 weeks with Miles), Miles and I were off to the dreaded ultrasound.  Seriously, who dreads an ultrasound... Just me at this point I guess.  We were barely into the ultrasound when I saw a pretty big smile on my OB's face.  Where things were left at our last visit, the placenta had to possibilities, to grow/shift upwards towards where it is suppose to go or to continue growing/shifting downwards.  Drum roll please... My placenta is growing/shifting upwards.  This in no way means that we are 100% in the clear, but the worst case scenario is out!  My cervix is still 50% covered by the placenta, so we are still a mandatory c-section, but my OB was very enthusiastic about the progress and was willing to at least discuss the possibility of letting me go to 39 or 40 weeks if my body holds out!

We then talked about the possibilities of me ever being a VBAC candidate again, and it sounds very slim.  I never thought to ask, but after a c-section it is not recommended to use pitocin to induce labor as it has a higher risk of uterine rupture, so even if we get the all clear sometime soon to try VBAC, if I do not go into labor myself (which my OB highly doubts), we would be scheduling a c-section anyways.  That makes me feel a little better about the need for another c-section!

The rest of my appointment was a bit of a blur as I was so happy things were looking up (no pun intended).  I did find out the results to my blood work and glucose tests from last week.  My glucose as always is on the low side, so give me some sugar.  The shocker here was that my iron level is within normal limits.  Really?  Wow!  I have been anemic for so long I was just anticipating that I would be put on iron pills, but not this time!  Yes... The less pills the better!

All and all, that was a good visit!  Another 2 weeks until we know if the placenta is still behaving or not;  In the meantime, all the same precautions hold steady... Boo!  Oh well, you win some and you lose some right?

30 Weeks

At 30 weeks, my belly’s doing more than just making it tough to find a comfortable sleeping position. It’s made itself a conversation piece. Everywhere I go, someone seems to have a comment about my physical appearance, which isn’t always so fun. And no doubt, I’ve encountered quite a few people who don’t think before they speak and say something embarrassing or hurtful (what’s up with that?) I am trying not to take those comments seriously.  At week 30, my dreams are getting even weirder -- when I actually sleeping, that is. 

Baby's skin is getting smoother, Baby's brain is getting wrinklier -- to make way for all that essential brain tissue and Baby's now strong enough to grasp a finger!

Our 15.2- to 16.7-inch, 2.5- to 3.8-pound baby continues to grow.

How far along: 30 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +16.5 lbs

Pregnancy Symptoms: Unable to see my feet, back pain, lightheadedness, sciatic pain, difficulty sleeping, difficulty breathing when walking up a flight of steps, left foot pain, thirsty, Braxton Hicks, increased urination
Maternity clothes: Yep, although some of the tops are starting to get a little short in the front
Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep: Laying down for 5-6 hours, although I would say sleeping 3-4 hours on a good night
Best moment last week: Passing my gestational diabetes test and earning that the placenta is beginning to grow in the right direction
Movement: All the time, and loving it!
Food cravings: Ice cold beer
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks, oh yea
Belly Button (in or out): I'm an outie!!!!!!!!!!!!
What I miss: Sleeping comfortably
What I am looking forward to: Finding out if Baby is a boy of girl
Milestones: Our OB is willing to reconsider allowing us to go past 38 weeks again!

Buying Mommy Her Dream... Kind of!

Today we set out to go purchase a chaise lounger for our master bedroom to both help me relax in a comfortable position as well as give me an alternative location to attempt to sleep for the next few weeks.  Of course we also want the chaise for our bedroom long term, it just seems perfect timing right now, so off to Costco we went.  After measuring the box that it comes in and measuring the car, we decided to "give it a try."

Miles was very excited to get Mommy a present!

As we were about to leave Costco, it began to snow... That didn't stop my boys from having fun!  Unfortunately, we must have miss measured the car interior, and it did not fit.  Boo, we had to return it until we can come back with some bungee cords to tie it to the top of the car!

I cannot wait until we have the time to go back and get our new chaise!  It is absolutely beautiful and so comfortable.  My boys are so good to me!

29 Week Belly Photos

29 Weeks

We’re already getting a little preview of Baby’s personality, the more we feel baby move.  I am finally noticing an increase in Baby's playful kicks and jabs, and starting to feel little hiccups, too! At 29 weeks, Baby’s not just moving a lot, Baby’s also plumping up. And as baby continues to put pressure on my digestive system, I'm going to feel the effects: heartburn, pelvic pain and frequent urination are all common at this stage in the game. 

Baby's getting a little cramped in there, since baby's growing so fast. But we already realize that, since I am  finally getting all those jabs and kicks.  Baby's growing white fat deposits under their skin, and Baby's energy is surging because of it.  Baby might even be hiccuping now.

Baby already measures about 15.2 to 16.7 inches long. Right now, Baby weighs about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds but baby's still got a ways to go -- can you believe baby will triple in weight before birth?

How far along: 29 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +15 lbs

Pregnancy Symptoms: Unable to see my feet, back pain, lightheadedness, headaches, sciatic pain, difficulty sleeping, difficulty breathing when walking up a flight of steps, left foot pain from my previous break and left foot overall pain in general, increased urination... Here we go, and the beginnings of ankle/foot swelling
Maternity clothes: Yep, although some of my previous favorite tops are now creeping up on my belly... YIKES!!!
Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep: Laying down for 5-6 hours, although I am not sure what sleep really is any more
Best moment last week: At this point, just making it through another week was fabulous
Movement: Hello kicks and jabs... It is about time!
Food cravings: Ice Cream, Vanilla Bean
Gender: Girl?
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks, oh yea
Belly Button (in or out): I'm an outie!!!!!!!!!!!!
What I miss: Not being in pain all the time
What I am looking forward to: Our next OB visit to see what is going on in there
Milestones: We are getting much closer to being ready for Baby to join our family!