Week 35

This last week we had an awesome birthing class with Nurse/Aunt Ruth. It was so helpful and I feel like we are a little bit more prepared for the birthing process. She taught us what to expect with the first signs of active labor and what to do to make it through contractions. It was nice being able to have a class with someone we know so well and can ask all our questions to. We learned that I may have had a few contractions already. I wasn't sure what they were but when I explained them to Ruth she said they could have been contractions. I have been woken up 3 different times by that tight feeling in my belly accompanied with pain. I usually can't stay in bed when they come, or at least it is easier to deal with when I get up. So I try to walk around and do the hip sway thing.
Nana Newton sent a package for the baby this week. She made this adorable blanket!Baby is going to love it, but in the mean time, Daddy is enjoying it! We can't wait to wrap her up in her blankets and rock her to sleep! She's going to be here SOOOO soon!! Yay!!

We have been researching strollers these past several weeks and had pretty much decided that we wanted a BOB. We went to REI last weekend to test drive them and the employee told us that the REI yard sale was only one week away. So on Saturday morning we got up at 5am and waited in line for the store to open at 10. It was one of those fun things that we got to do together for the baby. We were in the first group of people to be let in and Jimmy immediately saw a double BOB.Obviously we don't need a double right now but we got such a great deal on it so we decided to get it. We are SO happy that they had one there. You just never know what they're going to have at those yard sales but we got lucky! The BOB has so many great features especially for where we live. It has the large, all-terain wheels that will work well on our dirt/gravel roads out here.

The baby and belly are growing! My belly button is very close to popping all the way out! We can't wait to go to the doctor on Wednesday and see what updates we will get about this little girl!

Week 34

What a great week! We are getting SO excited for this little cutie-pie!
A new thing for this week is that I just realized I've been experiencing Braxton Hicks. I was talking to my sister on the phone and she helped me identify that crazy tight stomach feeling as Braxton Hicks. It's funny because I've been having them for weeks but I thought it was just the baby causing it. In fact, I mentioned it in week 32 or 33 as the baby pushing her back against my stomach. But it's definitely Braxton Hicks. How exciting! However, it can be a sign of dehydration so I've been trying to drink more water, just in case.
The other new thing that has started up is that pain you get in the ligaments in the upper thighs just under the baby belly. I asked Jimmy's aunt (she's a baby nurse) about it and she told me the name but I forgot. When the belly gets bigger it's more for the ligaments to handle so you get lovely pains when you walk, stand, move- anytime really. It just hits you out of nowhere and makes you want to curl in a ball on the ground. But it comes and goes quickly. No big deal. It helps to not be on your feet a lot.
This next update is somewhat related to the ligament issue. Our doctor, who is usually quite good with his words, referred to our sweet girl as "hefty" at our appointment on Wednesday. Needless to say, this is not a term that we will be using to refer to her later in her life. What girl wants to be called hefty? But chubby is cute for a baby! The other bit of info is that her head measurements are "generous"- another choice word from our doctor. What were my feelings as I left that appointment? Fear, anxiety, worry. I am so excited to see this little (hefty) girl, but now I'm a bit hesitant about her evacuation plan. But there's only one way out so I'm coming to grips with it. Of course there is always c-section. Anyway, we'll see. I'm just going to go with the flow. We have another appointment on the 22nd so we'll see what the doc has to say then.
Lately I've been feeling like Barbara Stiesand in Funny Girl- the part where she puts that pillow in her dress to sing, "His Love Makes Me Beautiful". I love that movie! I always die laughing at that part. She does the awkward dance so well with that huge pillow under her dress. That's pretty much how I'm starting to feel. Now if I could just sing like her we'd be set!I ask my looking glass, "What is it??!"

Week 33

I think Jimmy is gearing up for this little girl... it took hardly any coaxing at all to get him to wear pink to church! He looks so handsome!
It has been a great week! I have been sleeping almost 6 solid hours which hasn't happened for months! I usually wake up around 2 am, then 4 am, then 6 am- but this week I have sleep all the way till 5 am! I feel like superwoman!
For several weeks I have been noticing rhythmic movements in my belly. I could not figure out what's going on in there! I was starting to get a little worried. I thought maybe she was having a seizure or something! Then a couple days ago it dawned on me that it's the hiccups! She gets them every night around bed time and usually one other time during the day. Now that I know what they are I think it's cute. I do feel bad for her though. Hiccups are annoying to have!
We've been very productive in the evenings this past week. We continue to work on the rocker and also bought a cute little antique dresser from craigslist that we are redoing. I'm pretty positive it will be done this week. I did have a little crazy moment last night while trying to decide exactly what color everything should be. You just want everything to be just right for your first baby. Really the baby has no clue what's going on so it's all in my head. Anyway, before I bought the crib I really debated whether it should be black or white. I went with the black one but yesterday I had serious doubts about it. Jimmy almost started boxing it up for me but I told him to just wait and let me think about it. I'm sure as soon as I get the white one here I'll wish I had kept the black. I could go back and forth forever! After a good night's sleep my logic has kicked in and I realize that it doesn't matter if it's black, white, or lime green. All that matters is that she's coming and we get to be with her and take care of her! But we're having fun planning and working on everything together.

Week 32

I think this is really happening! This baby is really going to be here someday! I was reading back through some older posts and remembering when I didn't really believe that all of this was real. But here we are, 8 weeks away from the beginning of this little one's life! And I'm looking forward to this next step in my life- a time when I will learn and grow in ways I can't imagine. But I think I'm ready for it. Well, I don't know how ready I'll ever be, but I know I'm willing to give it all I've got.
This has been a really fun week! We put together Baby's crib and have been working on reupholstering a rocker for the nursery.

The official reading of the instructions!

The final product!

Below is the rocker, made at some point in time when vinyl was very in! There were only about 2 billion staples in it. But we got them all out and we're almost ready to paint it. We have officially entered into a BIG stage! I guess it's just big and bigger from here on out! It seems like some days there is more growing going on than others. Yesterday was a growing day and I was feeling kind of uncomfortable. Moving from a seated position was way hard- if it wasn't so hot, I may have never gotten out of the car!

Luckily today it's feeling more manageable. One thing she has been doing all day long for the past 3 days is pushing her little back against my belly. It's hard to explain but I'm sure if you've been pregnant you know exactly what I'm talking about. The right side will go out and turns super hard! I can tell exactly when she's about to pull this move without even looking now. What a funny girl!Since the beginning of this pregnancy I was a little worried that I would have trouble breathing the larger I got. I think it must be a blessing from Heavenly Father- he knows that I would have had a really hard time with that because of past issues. I'm grateful for those tender mercies.
I felt a tinge of nervousness this last weekend about the actual birthing process. I expressed those feelings to Jimmy and he was good about reassuring me. I'm glad he's going to be there with me to remind me that I can do this. He's going to be a great coach.

Week 31

With only TWO months to go, I am in the middle of my first craving! I am craving a kolac! If it weren't Sunday I would be in the car screeching around corners to the nearest kolac shop. I want one so bad that I'm willing to bake it from scratch. Even though it's 7:30 pm I searched through my mom's recipe box for Mamo's kolac recipe- no luck!! How depressing! It's just my luck to crave something on a Sunday and then not be able to find the recipe! I didn't know a craving could make you feel this desperate. Fortunately I was able to keep my head and remain somewhat rational. I'm settling for a biscuit (we had some in the fridge) and raspberry jam.
Besides the near-death-craving, things are going great! The baby has been moving like her previous self today. I think she was just so sad to have her daddy gone all last week and was too depressed to move! It's been fun to have her move around- we watched my belly move around all during church today- when we weren't staring at the adorable newborn girl who was sitting in front of us.
We're expecting the crib to get here this week and then we will be moving forward full speed ahead!
p.s. a kolac is a Czech pastry. My Mamo always made them and she passed the recipe on to my mom. We grew up eating them but it wasn't until we moved to Houston that we discovered that other people know about them too. There are so many Czechs in the area that kolac are sold in gas stations, donut shops, etc. They are very tasty!

Week 30

Week 30 has been great so far. She has been pretty quiet the majority of the week. I don't understand why she'll move a lot one day and then she'll be really quiet for days in a row. I wish she wouldn't do that to her mom. I get worried! I just have to remind myself that she's been fine till now and that she's still fine.
I have heard a lot of stories from mothers who encounter very "helpful" strangers. I had my first experience with a helpful stranger this week. I was at Hobby Lobby buying fabric to make the baby's crib bumper. I was talking to the nice lady at the fabric counter and she was helping me figure out how much fabric I would need, when a lady next to me turned around with the biggest look of shock on her face. She looked at me then looked at my fabric and said, "You can't use that fabric for a crib bumper! It has not been approved for baby bedding! It has to meet a lot of standards to be used for that!" I didn't really know what to say. I felt like the world's worst mom and I don't even have a child yet! It just goes to show how much I have to learn! I didn't even think about that kind of thing. There I was buying fabric just so my baby would have a cute room. I'm learning really fast that function is more important than fashion. Oh, that's a hard concept when it comes to decorating!

10, 9, 8, 7...

I'm so excited to begin the 10 week countdown! Tomorrow I'll have to work on my paper chain!

What the Doc says goes...

Well we had a great appointment yesterday and learned a couple little things. The first is that we do get to have at least one more ultrasound thanks to this little girl's measurements in our last ultrasound (that night I was scared and we went to the OB observation). Our doctor said that he would like to do another one in 3 or 4 weeks so that he can compare data. It could have been that she was just measuring big at that time, but if she is continuing to measure a lot bigger than average then he will know something is up. We will just have to wait and see. I see a little chubby cutie-pie in our future! Oh yay! I love the baby rolls!
The other thing that we learned is that our doctor does not like to wait much after the due date for the mom to deliver. This info helps a lot because my mom gets to come home for a visit to help when the baby comes!! I'm so happy that she'll be here. She's such a great mom and LOVES babies- and they LOVE her! She's a baby whisper! Anyway, both she and my sister have gone 10-14 days over with their babies so it was hard deciding when Mom should come. But now we know that even if this girly doesn't want to come out (I don't blame her, it's so nice and comfy in there), she can't stay in much longer after October 22nd.
Thanks for all your answers to the last questions. My next one is, have you found an infant car seat that is better than others?

Week 29

This week baby girl has been practicing for her ballerina days! She is spinning and turning all over in my belly! It was so crazy a couple nights ago that I could not sleep. I have read that the baby can move a lot at night and keep you up but I never thought it would happen to me. Her moving has never really bothered me before. But I guess she is getting big enough now and when she gets moving it feels so strange! It's like there is a huge bowling ball in my stomach and it's turning and moving my insides around! Such a crazy feeling! But I love it- knowing that she is alive and growing makes me so happy!
We have an appointment in a couple days and I can't wait to go in and hear her heartbeat! I have been wondering if we get to see her again (in an ultrasound) before she makes her grand entrance in October so I will have to ask our doctor. I have also been thinking about taking a birthing class or something. I have time, and it couldn't hurt, right? Have any of you ever taken any birthing classes or anything of the sort?
And what is your opinion on rockers and gliders? I have heard that some people don't like the gliders because it doesn't give them the rocking motion that they want. On the other hand, some people like that a glider is more smooth. Maybe it's just personal preference. And maybe neither of these is a big deal. Is a stationary, comfortable chair just as good?

Week 28

We made it to the 3rd trimester!!! I can't believe we're here already! I am SOOO excited!
On Saturday evening I got to hold a new little baby and that put me on cloud 9!! It was the first time since becoming pregnant that I was able to hold a newborn and it really made this whole thing so real. The beautiful little baby girl that I held was 8 pounds and absolutely the cutest thing! I cannot believe that we get to hold our little girl in 80 days! It makes me cry just thinking about it!I'm so happy and feeling so great!
New development in week 28: Heartburn. I have never felt it before! Luckily, it was really mild and only slightly uncomfortable. I'm sure it wasn't as bad as most people have it. It has come back really briefly two more times, but no big deal.
With my mom being gone and the fact that we're new to the area, I didn't really plan on having a baby shower. But Jimmy's aunt, my sister and another friend from our ward are going to be throwing us a shower in September. I think it will be so fun, even if they are the only 3 that come! We'll have lots of fun looking at all her baby stuff and eating yummy food!