Bring it!

Some great comebacks to those rude comments about your pregnancy...
(Erin~ Use one of these next time those rude co-workers bother you!)

"At least I made somebody's heart and brain today. What did you do?"
"You're huge too — and you don't have the excuse of another person living inside you."
"Go ahead, but I'm not touching yours."


Anyone else got any?

35 Weeks

My clothes are all getting too tight! Ah! What is a pregnant girl to doooo? I only have a few weeks left, so it seems pointless to buy any new maternity clothes. But on the other hand, one must clothe themselves! I am not is such a dire situation that I have nothing to wear, but the choices have become very limited. I am ecstatic to be done and meet our little miracle (and regain a body I can handle!)

It really is a hilarious sight to watch me maneuver and roll, twist and turn and grunt, just to get out of bed. Jared giggles at me daily as I grunt and huff while simply going about very normal daily activities. I have tried to convince him repeatedly that these noises of discomfort that escape me are entirely involuntary, but he just giggles more. I am pretty sure he doesn't believe me. Because then he breaks into a series of grunts himself, and turns to wink at me. It's all in love. He tells me everyday how cute I am, and he loves to help me with any task I may find a little too challenging. Like picking up the sandwich I just dropped on the floor, or putting away a cup that belongs in a shelf that's at eye level. I really am becoming slightly pathetic. I feel like the baby has taken over my body completely. But then when I gaze down at the bowling ball under my shirt, I have a hard time believing that an entire baby actually fits in there!

Let me just tell everyone reading right now: Pregnancy is the union of God's humor and his unspeakable power all wrapped up in one tummy. The things that happen to a woman during pregnancy are hilarious at times, but the end result is one of the most beautiful miracles God gives us. I am so happy that I have had this experience, and been able to laugh at the humor of it all, and anticipate the beautiful gift waiting for us at the end. Without these things, pregnancy would be just unbearable!

Baby Shower!

The baby shower yesterday was wonderful, though it didn't go quite as planned...

I reserved the party room at our community center about 3 months ago for Saturday, August 25th, from 9am-4pm. I arrived yesterday morning at 8:45 to start setting up, but no one was there to unlock the building. No biggie, I was 15 minutes early. I waited in my car until 9:05 and then went back to check the door. Still no one. I carried all my supplies from the car and set them outside the door. Wait. 9:15. Now I am getting panicked, as all my guests are arriving at 10am. My dad calls and I begin to bawl, spilling the details of the situation. I called Jared and he found the phone number of the community services director. I called it, and it rang inside the empty community center. My parents arrived then. 9:30. We do everything we can, but no one is answering any calls, and no one is showing up to unlock the building. 9:45. We make the decision to set up outside next to the pool. As we are frantically running around trying to throw together a make shift party area, guests start arriving. Everyone was so wonderful and pitched in to help set up. By 10:20, we are ready and most of the guests have arrived. Erin started up the games for us, and we all enjoyed some yummy treats, silly games and lots of smiles as the sun shone down on our little gathering.
God really blessed me through this shower. He gave me beautiful weather, reminded me of what amazing and supportive family and friends I have, and showed me that even when things don't go as planned, he still has it under control.
When Erin first arrived and saw how frantic I was, she gathered me up in a big hug and said, "This is going to be fine! This will be a hilarious story to tell your baby some day!" She was right. It will make for some really great memories.

Here are some pictures from the day:


Gift Table

Food Table, Erin starting the games! (Thank you Erin!!)


DIAPER BAG RELAY RACE!!!






WINNERS!


Some of the girlies having a feel!

34 Week Check-up

My appointment yesterday was normal...

• I am healthy.
• Baby is healthy.
• I measured at 33.5 centimeters.
• Blood pressure is 106/56
• I gained 4.5 lbs. (Totaling at 31.5 lbs to date)
• Presh's heart rate was 156.
• I got a prescription for a maternity support belt, which I am not sure can actually be filled anywhere. The midwife didn't know either....hmm.
• And, what could have been a 15 minute in-and-out appointment, took 1 hour and 45 minutes, because this particular midwife is simply not concerned in the least with time. By the time I got out, the appointments desk was closed for the day. Very agitating.

34 Weeks

This week has continued the spiral downward, moving farther and farther away from comfort. I will say though that Jared brought me to get a one-hour massage tonight for our anniversary, and it was PURE BLISS. I have not felt that comfortable and relaxed for months!

As of last week, I noticed that it has become very uncomfortable to lay on my back at all. Sometimes I wake up at night lying flat on my back, with the weight of my belly pressing down on me and it actually gives me a stomach ache. The increasing weight of my belly has been very noticeable to me the past few weeks. Between week 32 and 33, I grew tremendously, and I don't think I have stopped since then! My center of gravity is way off, and I have a hard time keeping my balance, and an even harder time bending over! I believe my walk is beginning to hint at a waddle.


As I said, I have gotten my first stretch marks. Here they are plain as day. Oh poop.

I got a good tip from the lady that massaged me though... she recommended putting pure vitamin E oil on the stretch marks to reduce their appearance. I think I will try it!


As for symptoms this week, I have experienced a lot of heartburn. Sometimes I get it from merely drinking a glass of water. How pathetic! My lower back pain has returned as well, so I have been doing my best to stretch every night. I am filling up faster than ever now. I only need to eat a few forkfuls before I reach "stuffed" status. Then, of course, I am back to starving within two hours. My feet continue to ache as they carry the brunt of the weight;)

No more nosebleeds though! I have not had one in about a month now. That is a nice development!

We went to Mom and Dad's this week to pick up our nursery dresser! My dad told us the history behind the 80 to 90-year-old piece of furniture, and how it was used as a tool box in the garage when he was growing up. Several years later, it was bound for the dumpster, but he rescued it and refinished it. Each of the kids in my family had a turn with it, and now it was sitting empty in the basement. Time to start the cycle all over again! We are very happy and proud to have this final piece of furniture to complete our nursery!

We had our first baby shower this past weekend! It was a family shower, hosted by my Aunt Wendy and Grandma Edie. God blessed us so much with everyone's generosity! On top of all the booties, bath towels, blankets and diapers, we received our travel system, complete with infant car seat, base seat, and full size stroller. What a BLESSING a family's love and generosity is!

My 34 week check-up is tomorrow. I will report on how it goes.

Spontaneous Combustion

Oh my gosh. I think I might explode.

33 Weeks

Jared and I just got back from a weekend at the Wisconsin Dells with the Nourse family!
It was fun to bob around in the lazy river and enjoy the comfort that cool water brings on a hot day. I was not allowed to go on many slides, but I did make it down a few very tame ones riding on a tube with Jared. It was just about as much as I could take anyways! I have not been propelled anywhere that quickly for many months and my body doesn't remember the feeling very well!


I got my first stretch marks this week. They are not very big, but there is a tiny cluster of them just below my belly button. We continue to rub lotion on my belly every night, which both smells good, and is very soothing to my stretched skin.

The comfort level continues to decrease with each passing day. My belly constantly feels full and heavy. It has started to pull on my back now too, which is unpleasant. I have discovered that the only way to gain any level of comfort while sitting down, is by tucking a pillow behind my back for support. I have also added extra pillows and a down comforter to my sleeping ritual. After everything is bunched and tucked in its proper place, I am pretty much engulfed in a nest of comfort! I just can't move then for the rest of the night. ;) If only. Obviously, that is impossible, since the baby likes to play "punching bag" with my bladder. It is just a pretty big process when I do need to move for any reason!

My appetite has significantly decreased as well. I am estimating that my stomach is roughly the size of a small lemon these days, and I fill up after only a few bites. Then I need a few snacks a couple hours later. Then another small meal. This is how my days go.

Tonight we finish the last "Preparing for Birth" class at Woodwinds. We have both learned a lot about what to expect during labor and birth. I am abundantly thankful that we took this class. I feel a lot less stressed, and glad that I know what to expect when the time comes.

Baby's Approx. Stats:
Weight: 4-5 lbs
Length: 17 inches

I read this week in my pregnancy book that Precious would be completely viable outside the womb now. If I were to go into labor at any time from this point on, baby would (most likely) be just fine! All the major organs and systems are up and running! From now until the end of the pregnancy, Precious is just gathering fat to pad its body for warmth. I also learned that the baby lives off these stores of fat during the first few days after birth, while it is learning to breastfeed.

32 Weeks

This week has not been much different than the previous few weeks. Here are my general thoughts:

• Sleep still eludes me.


• My energy level is at Medium. I do not tire quite as easily as before, which is nice!


• I have not had heartburn at all this week!


• I fill up very fast when eating, and often get tummy aches afterwards.


• I miss caffeinated beverages (especially iced coffee!)


• I have not gotten any stretch marks yet.


• The top of my tummy often gets sore. (Which, actually, I believe is from my bra rubbing on it. Sad.)


• Despite everyone telling me how small I am for 32 weeks, I feel huge and uncomfortable!


• Going up stairs at any pace is guaranteed to cause a contraction.


• I have exactly 3 pairs of pants that still fit me. Don't expect much variation when you see me.

We have been preparing for the arrival of the wee babe in several ways. We continue to enjoy the Preparing for Birth class we are attending. We have learned all about:

1. Signs of labor


2. How to properly time a contraction


3. When to go to the hospital


4. Stages of labor


5. Relaxation methods to work through contractions


6. The birth process


7. Informed consent for pain medications


8. How a c-section works

We also got a tour of the maternity care center at Woodwinds, which was very interesting since I had not seen it before. We even saw the exact room in which we will bring Presh into the world (as there is only one waterbirth room). We were told that as soon as I give birth, we will be moved to a regular room, to open up the waterbirth room for anyone else coming in.

We have also been preparing for baby at home. On Thursday, Jared and I worked in the nursery hanging up wall decorations, washing blankets and baby clothes, and packing our hospital bag! There are definitely more preparations to be made, but I do still have eight weeks left. I am pretty satisfied with the progress we have made, especially after listening to the majority of the other couples in our Birth class who have not even started on a nursery yet!

Our Family

Our Family Photos...

Soon there will be three!

Baby Love Daddy's Little Precious