34 weeks....are you kidding me?

How far along? 34 weeks.....omg. (pics to come)
Total weight gain/loss: 20 lbs thank you very much
How big is baby?: 17-18 inches, almost 5 lbs
Maternity clothes? Yep...only because I have to. Ready for my old clothes.
Stretch marks? Oh, definitely. This is seriously ugly, people. But so worth it!
Sleep: up 2 times a night to pee, toss & turn every 15 minutes to either get rid of leg/arm numbness or to alleviate my left SI joint pain.
Best moment this week: Someone actually told me I look great, not tired, and NOT HUGE!
Food cravings: rice krispie treats
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: a few Braxton Hicks here and there
Belly Button in or out? still innie....we'll see.
What I miss: good sleep, tying my shoes (easily), bending over, working out and actually sweating.
What I am looking forward to: Bedtime every night. :) Oh, and finishing the nursery.
Milestones: Katelyn is head down, locked and loaded!

4D is amazing, especially when it's free

Yikes! I have been so behind on blogging! I'm packing for a weekend trip with the hubs, but just wanted to check in quickly since I won't be back until Sunday night.

Lots has happened this week...I had 2 incredible baby showers last weekend that I'll eventually post pics of, and today I had my 32-week OB appt. I'll officially be 33 weeks tomorrow, and my next appointment is in 3 weeks. My BP and everything else has been normal, my weight gain has been "perfect" (per the doc), and Katelyn (yes, in case you didn't catch my slip-up here last month, that's her name) is measuring a full week ahead! The U/S tech said she is measuring 4 lbs 14 oz, in the 55th percentile, with her head measuring the largest. Go figure. (of course I know this is only an estimate, and that she is likely a bit smaller) I need to prepare myself for her cantaloupe-sized head! We did get a nice surprise...the tech allowed us to see her in 4D, and it was amazing! Of course, it only lasted about 30 seconds or so, but she did give us a printout of Katelyn's gorgeous face that I'll have to scan and post. She is so cute!!!

I hope you all have a safe and restful weekend!

Bedrest Follow-up

So my blood pressure held at a low/normal range all weekend...I was a good girl on Saturday, rested all day with my feet up, drank 100+ oz of water. Sunday, did a little laundry, cleaned house (just a little), and went out to eat with the fam for MIL's birthday. Plus another 100 oz of water.
This morning: bp 118/70. Perfect. Turned in my urine sample (all 2500 mL) of it---freakin huge!!!!----saw patients all morning, and went back to see the midwife at noon.
I unbelievably "dropped" 4 pounds since Friday (all that water helped,eh?), bp 122/80, everything "looks great". Still waiting on the urine results, but I am officially allowed to continue working (thank goodness for that paycheck) for now.

I appreciate the concern from the midwife, but I am so glad everything was a "false alarm". I just can't enjoy all those salty things I've been craving lately. Those veggies are way less appealing without the processed dip. Ok, ok, I'll be honest. The tortilla chips and queso/salsa were likely the culprits. ::face blush::

I thought things were running smoothly

And they were....until today. I had my 31-week checkup today with a midwife (Dr was out of town), only to have gained 8 pounds in the last 4 weeks and with a high blood pressure of 156/90. So I had to have bloodwork done, and they will call me tonight to let me know whether or not I have to do a 24-hour urine collection. Fun. She also put me on bedrest for the entire weekend and suggested I reschedule our baby care/breastfeeding workshop we were supposed to go to tomorrow. Then, I have to go back in on Monday at lunchtime for another check, and to see if work is elevating my pressures. Knowing that I'm on my feet 8-10 hours a day 5 days a week, doing massage/manual therapy on patients and also exercising, she thinks I might be overdoing myself. I really hope they don't take me off of work completely, because I can't afford not to work right now. Don't get me wrong, I will do it to keep this baby packed away for at least another 6 weeks, but I worry. I really don't want to have preeclampsia! Too bad we don't have any say in that matter.

Let's hope this was just a fluke hypertension. (I can dream, right?)

Enjoying the Moment

Slept in 'til 9, had a yummy latte made by my fab hubby, leisurely read the paper/clipped coupons, perusing the internet....soon, Sundays will never be like this again.

Now I'm off to dig out the fall decorations and turn our home into a cozy retreat for the rains soon to come....

Updates/belly pic later today! :)

Random thoughts on a Sunday night

It seems that time is flying...I just can't keep up with sleep, laundry, housecleaning, work....and I don't even have a newborn yet. I'm becoming more and more nervous internally, considering I have 10 1/2 weeks until my due date. Have I really done everything I need to do? No, I haven't. Well, not everything I WANT to do.

If this baby came tomorrow, the only things we would need are diapers and baby bath items. I am OK with that. My shower is in 3 weeks, so those things are coming! Really, the thing I want is a bigger car, and we are looking but can't settle on anything. I want a mid-sized SUV that would accomodate kiddo in the backseat and our furbaby way in the back. I'd love 7-8 passenger seating to prepare for 2 adults + 2 carseats/kids + dog + other potential passengers, but we'll see. Unfortunately, we don't have a clunker to trade in and take advantage of the money our government is offering (apparently Obama thinks it grows on trees, but most people know I'm republican and can't stand the guy's financial management of our money)....another topic for another day.

The hubs and I had grandiose intentions when we bought his new Silverado 4 years ago...that he was getting his new car, and I would get the car of my choice after it was paid off. Well, his truck has been paid off for 6 months, we now have a mortgage + more bills that we didn't have 4 years ago. So unfortunately, the plans of buying the shiny new car of my picking (with heated seats and XM radio) are somewhat altered. I'll be lucky if I get a car built in the last 5 years that both he and I agree on. In case you can't tell, I'm a little bitter.

I suppose if that's all I have to complain about, I really need to stop complaining, right?

Battle Wounds

I am in denial. As I finally showered and dressed for the day today, I looked in the mirror, and to my horror I was not-so-kindly greeted by my own entourage of stretch marks...full-blown fringes of them about 4 inches below my belly-button, 2+ inches long and spanning about 8 inches across. I knew it was coming. I'm a fair, red-headed woman who has had stretch marks on her back and hips since puberty. I am no stranger to this, but the fact that I catch a glimpse of their purpleness in the mirror every time I go to the bathroom is a constant reminder.
I know, I should get over it. What a small price to pay to have a child of my own. After all, this will be nothing compared to the wrinkles this girl will cause me when she's a teenager....
I love this little girl so much already.

Houston, we have hiccups

Milestone: hiccups! They only lasted about 10 minutes or so, but little one did an encore of back handsprings to extend the show. This part of pregnancy is uber-awesome. Too bad it comes with heartbearn and constipation. :(

27 1/2 weeks

How far along? 27 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: 15 pounds on my scale, 13 on doctor's
How big is baby?: 15 inches head to feet, a little over 2 pounds
Maternity clothes? Yep...all bottoms except stretchy pjs. A few tees, too. I can still wear some non-pg camis and tees, but I'm slowly transitioning to my big,comfy stuff. Just got a new pair of secret fit belly jeans from motherhood....awesome.
Stretch marks? Ummm, yeah. Those dots from last week turned into zebra stripes this week.
Sleep: Getting some here and there, but not at my best. Lastnight I had the sharpest left SI joint pains I've felt yet.
Best moment this week: FINALLY finding someone who could draw blood from me for my one hour glucose test. I had to repeat the one-hour test because the chick at the doc's office took too long. Also, my great friend Megan just found out yesterday that she's having a baby girl too!
Food cravings: hummus and sugar snap peas...something healthy for once!
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: Nah!
Belly Button in or out? Innie, becoming more shallow by the day.
What I miss: Being able to stand up from our comfy couch in one try, sleeping on my stomach
What I am looking forward to: my 1st baby shower on Oct. 10th! Milestones: We have rolling, people! I was able to confirm Katelyn's booty anatomy as she was finding a comfy place to settle in for the night lastnight. :)

In other news, I finished the cherry blossom tree, and I sewed the curtains for the nursery over labor day weekend! A pic of the tree:



I want to paint a few little birdies here and there, possibly on the opposite wall where I'll hang her name letters. I still need to iron and install the curtain rod to hang the curtains, but progress is progress!

Here's a shout-out to Jeanie, my friend IRL who is in the same childbirth class as I am! (It's so much easier having a familiar face there!) Luckily for you, you will see your Evie sooner than I'll see my little girl.

Back to School

We're having our first of six childbirth education classes tonight! I almost forgot, considering I went to Target after work to register for "just a few things" and ended up with 70. Oye. Let's hope my fam/friends don't think I'm greedy...I just picked the 'necessities'. I'll probably go online when my registry is updated and whittle it down a little. Anyway, I'm regretting the hour-plus window shopping, because now all I want to do is stay on the couch, prop my feet up, and catch up on Big Brother!