Bump to Birth: 9 Months

It's hard to believe that this will be my last pregnancy update prior to our little man's arrival. Time has flown! I know they say that pregnant women never say that, but seriously, where has the time gone?

Size:  Honeydew Melon

Gender: Beautiful Baby Boy

Name: Loved and ready to be announced at his birth!

Symptoms: sinus pressure, fatigued, strained muscles, lots of low pressure, nausea, back pain, contractions

Emotions: excited, anxious, slightly overwhelmed

Doctor’s Visit: 

May 22nd-BP was excellent and the baby performed beautifully.

May 26th- Eye appointment: one of my goals upon hitting 30 this year was to take intentionally better care of myself. I have not had an eye checkup since maybe high school (embarrassing). After my eye exam, it was determined that I have a very slight astigmatism in my left eye. It's so minor at this time that she said any type of corrective lens would be too aggressive. I'll have it reassessed at my next appointment.

June 5th- My BP was slightly elevated. The baby performed very well on the NST and had a beautiful heart rate of 130.

June 12th- Ultrasound: The high risk doctor checked the current position of my placenta and PRAISE JESUS it has moved more than enough! I am no longer at such a high risk for hemorrhaging or C-section. This was music to my ears. He is weighing in at approximately 6lbs 2oz and has detectable hair on his head. He's measuring in the 50% percentile and at this rate, will probably weigh close to what his sister did. His heart rate was 134.

June 12th- Yes, I had two appointments in one day. My OB appointment was not nearly as fun. They performed the Strep B test and I'll get the results back soon. My BP was elevated again. Because of continued concerns regarding my BP, my doctor mentioned induction. This is not surprising based on my numbers. I am very confident that they will make the right decision. They are a practice that are adamantly against induction unless it is medically necessary. I'll be discussing this  more with the doctor at my next visit. If this happens, we'll definitely be having this baby in the next 2-3 weeks. I was also on the NST for over an hour because he was being lazy. Not cool. I'm sipping some orange juice before my next visit. Good news...I've only gained 17lbs with no weight gain in the last week!

Movement: He moves regularly. His movement primarily consists of him pushing out and down...and the down can be quite uncomfortable. I've been having contractions on and off as well...a lot is going on.

Cravings: pizza, donuts (until last week), chili dogs and fruit

Aversions:  Mexican food and donuts

According to Big Sister: She gets so excited with every piece of baby gear we pull out. She has laid claim on the car seat for Bella and has attempted to get in his swing and bouncer. She's learning that these things are for the baby. She has been super helpful with sorting baby clothes and seems to be grasping that change is coming.

Practicing being a big sister

Memories:

 

-Movie Night with the girls. I got together with two of my gal pals for a night of movie watching. We enjoyed watching The Fault in Our Stars and Divergent.

 

-My mother-in-law and husband painted the nursery. (I hope to post on the transformation soon.)

 

-I had to endure a horrible sleep study...fortunately my results were normal.

 

-I was treated to a sweet baby shower to celebrate our little boy.

Our Shower Cake

 

-I've been trying to soak up some extra time with G. We've been playing outside a lot.

Park time

Lots o' Bubbles

 

Sunshine Sweetie

-I took G out for her first movie theater experience. We watched Home. It's an adorable movie and she did great!

 

-We've got G's bag and the baby's bag packed for go time. Our bag is almost together.

 

-I had a date day with my hubby...it was wonderful!

 

-I put together a Big Sister bag for G from the baby for when she comes to the hospital.

 

-I scheduled a prenatal massage for the 16th.

 

-Our maternity pictures are scheduled for the 18th.

 

There is still a lot to do. I have maternity sub plans to complete, a house to finish cleaning and a nursery to put back together. Not to mention the car seat needs to be installed asap. I can't wait to meet our sweet miracle!

 

Bump to Birth Back Posts

 

 

 

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Life Lately (Pardon the picture overload)

It has been ages since I last posted...primarily because life has been moving at warp speed. I'll try to play a little catch up in the following lines...

Everything lately has been about "End of Year" in the work world and "Baby" everywhere else. School finished for me on the 5th. Since then I've been trying to complete all of my maternity leave paper work and prepare maternity plans for the beginning of the year. Maternity leave has been a much larger challenge this time around. I'm not going to be able to take the amount of time I had hoped, which completely breaks my heart (I cry just about every time I think about it) and I am not allowed to set up my room for the start of the year, which poses its own challenges. Things are just not going according to plan. Regardless, I'm grateful for the time I will have at home with our new baby and our daughter. I'm looking forward to it...just not the extremely tight months ahead.

We recently had a 3D/4D ultrasound done and I am smitten. The cheeks on our sweet boy melt my heart. I can't believe how much he already looks like his sister!

 

 

 

 

We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, along with another ultrasound to check on him and my placenta. I had a small amount of movement and we're hoping to see even more this time around. I've been having a ton...and that is not an exaggeration, of pressure and I've been having contractions on and off. Of course I know that these things could be nothing or something so we'll see what the doctor says. The results from my sleep study came back normal as I assumed they would, although I'm grateful for proactive doctors. Otherwise, we've just been monitoring my blood pressure and trying to maintain my steady weight-gain. I'm super proud that as of two weeks ago, at about 34 weeks, I was at 17lbs. I was stoked! Hopefully I can keep this trend going.

I've been busy trying to clean the house and transition G's room into the room that she and her brother will share for as long as we are in this house. More to come on that later, but I am making some progress.

Last weekend our sweet friend threw us a darling baby shower. It was so fun to celebrate the coming of this new little life.

 

Otherwise, I've been trying to soak up this extra time I have with G. I've shed some tears as I think about how things with her are changing. She is growing up so quickly and I don't want to miss a thing.

 

 

Bump to Birth: 8 Months

I'm a couple days behind getting this up since I turned 32 weeks on Sunday. We've had a lot go on in the pregnancy world as of late, which just reminds me that we are that much closer to meeting our sweet little miracle.

Size:  Jicama

Gender: Sweet Baby Boy

Name: Picked and ready to be announced at his birth!

Symptoms: tired, cramping, sinus pressure, Braxton hicks contractions, headaches, tingling in my face (which according to my doctor has most likely been caused by the amount of pressure I've been having from my sinuses), peeing A Lot more often, a lot of low bearing pressure (and as I'm typing this I have experienced several sporadic contractions today, most of them being small but noticeable...but one good one that took me out of my chair today.)

Emotions: eager to make progress, excited about all of the things we have coming up, overwhelmed, anxious, excited

Doctor’s Visit: 

 May 8th-my BP was slightly elevated, urinalysis (came back negative for proteins and glucose), require a screening for sleep apnea

May 15th-Ultrasound to check placenta...it has moved 2cm! This is good and lowers my risk of hemorrhaging a great deal but it will be up to my doctor as to whether or not this is sufficient to forgo a C-section.  The baby was measuring right on and weighing in at about 4lbs (50% percentile).        

May 19th- preliminary sleep screening...recently there have been a couple cases in the area where people have died after not coming back from anesthesia. It was apparently discovered that they were at a higher risk for sleep apnea. I had no idea what this was and/or what it had to do with me delivering a baby until this appointment. There is a rating scale that my practice now uses to determine if you are at a higher risk for sleep apnea. I have just enough (and I mean barely) to put me on the low end of the higher risk end. Should I need to be put under for an emergency C-section or any other procedure, they want to ensure that they are providing the best care based on possible conditions. The NP that I spoke with said that if I had anything it all, it would be very benign. She did not appear worried and ensured me that if there was any diagnosis, no matter how mild, I would be well cared for should anesthesia be necessary. While the thought is a little terrifying, I trust my doctors and I am scheduled for my sleep study on May 31st.

*Super pleased that I've only gained 13lbs so far!

Movement: He may be little but he packs a punch. He has his more active times of day, especially at G's bedtime. Story time is always interesting. He is directly pressed up against my bladder and with his almost constant downward pressure these days, I'm always feeling the urge to go.

Cravings: pizza, breakfast foods, hamburgers with pickles and ketchup, chicken finger wraps

Aversions:  mayo and Mexican food

According to Big Sister: She may be coming around...she picks up some of his things as we're going through them and lovingly holds them saying "Baby ****'s" She loves to rock her babies and she likes to tell people that Mommy has a baby in her belly. We may just be okay.

Memories:

-Celebrated G's 2nd Birthday!

-Made a nice little chunk of change at a local consignment sale...well worth the effort.

-G's 2 year check up went really well.

-We found out two of our dearest friends will be expecting in December!

-We had a our baby shower at work.

-We celebrated Mother's Day (the last one as a Mommy of 1 (I really count both babes but for dramatic purposes...)

Bump to Birth Back Posts  

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Bags of Blessings

Last week the sweet folks at work threw us a little baby shower for our sweet boy. I can't begin to tell you what a blessing this was. I've been personally freaking out about what we'd need starting over with a newborn...and a boy at that.  I know girls lol. We have everything for another girl but instead we were blessed with a boy. While I am so grateful and so completely in love and excited, I was a little overwhelmed with starting over with a totally different gender.

As always, the Lord provides.

We were given several bags filled with goodies. We can't thank everyone enough for showering us with such thoughtfulness.

As the weeks wind down I'm becoming more and more eager to meet our little man...not much longer now!

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Snips and Snails

::via::

Today my work family at school will be throwing us a baby shower for our sweet boy. We are so blessed to have their continued love and support.  His arrival is getting so close and this shower is another precious reminder of that. I'll post photos soon!

We also have another growth scan and ultrasound tomorrow.  They'll check his size and the position of my placenta.  It's my hope we'll know more about what type of delivery we'll be having after speaking with the doctor. Think happy thoughts :)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;   in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

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When You're Not a Mom on Mother's Day

This quote popped up on my TimeHop app the other morning and as soon as I read it, I knew exactly why I had shared it.

The quote came during a time in our infertility struggle that I was losing hope, tired of the fight and could only hope, pray and dream that one day Mother's Day would hold a new meaning for me. Of course I celebrated my amazing mother. I would not be who I am without her...but as I sat in the church pew that Mother's Day morning, I could only think about how much my heart ached to be a mother. I was not envious of the flowers or cards. I was not jealous of the recognition. I was sad. My heart longed to know motherhood.

That Mother's Day came and went. I shed the same tears that I had shed the year before and I prayed desperately for the Lord to answer my prayers. To our unexpected joy and delight, He did answer that prayer later that year.

I'll never forget the moment I held our little girl for the first time. It was at that moment that I knew everyday would be Mother's Day. I would celebrate this joy forever. The Lord had heard my prayer and answered my request with a blessing beyond our dreams.

Mother's Day 2013

As I type this, I am currently 31 weeks pregnant with another miracle...another answer to prayer. We ran into similar issues in trying to conceive this sweet little boy and I cherish God's blessing. I rejoice in what He has done. As my heart rejoices over this little life that is growing inside of me and over the fiery redheaded little girl that calls me "Mommy", I cannot help but remember those years of longing and sadness...those years my heart felt so empty on Mother's Day.

For those of you who find yourselves feeling that same ache and feeling that same frustration, remember you are not alone. While you stare longingly at the little ones around you, remember that there is a special plan for your life. I had to be reminded of that daily. I also had to be reminded that God has great plans for the little lives that He brings into this world and that those lives will be conceived in the womb and delivered into the world at His appointed time for His miraculous purpose. While these truths are real and are meant to be reassuring, we won't always feel their comfort.

I say these things to encourage you to not lose hope. Open your heart to what God has for you and daily prepare yourself to accept His blessing when it comes. Be open to how He may bring children into your home. Our sweet little ones don't always come from our own wombs.

I say these things to also remind you that just because you are not a mom (yet) on Mother's Day does not make you any less of a woman. You were designed with a purpose and your story is far from over. It took me a long time to grasp that God was developing and furthering a part of my testimony that would later used to help others. I have since been able to share my battles of infertility and the hope that the Lord gives in the midst of the ache with others. I have seen God fill wombs that once were barren. I have cried and laughed with women who never thought joy could be found in such a painful plight.  I have seen true miracles occur and I have seen what faith can do.

May 2015
 

Mourn this Mother's Day if you must. It's okay, but please, please don't lose hope. Find a way to keep looking forward. Keep dreaming. Embrace the now while anticipating the future. Your miracle may be just a moment away...

 

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10 Weeks to Go!

We no longer need fingers AND toes to count down our due date. I can hardly believe that we're almost in the single digits! We have so much to do and that is not an exaggeration. We've got pieces of the nursery in various parts of the house and that does not include the current state of our home...chaos. As many of you know, we've been trying to pack things that we won't need in the near future in order to make progress towards putting our home on the market. Whew.

30 weeks

My husband has been sensing my urgency. I've gently reminded him that our daughter's nursery and the deep cleaning of our home were finished while we were in the hospital with our firstborn. She came a week and a half early...I'd like to be ready this time around. This remains a point of discussion regularly, at least until our appointment on the 15th. At that point we'll have a better idea of what my delivery will include based on the placement of my placenta. It has not been cooperative up to this point.

Back to this "sense of urgency"...We made a pit-stop at Lowes on Saturday and picked up paint for the nursery. My darling hubby has taped off the hallway and has plans to repaint it and install the new light fixture this week. The bathroom and nursery will hopefully be next...at this point the order isn't really important as long as it gets done. Eventually we'll finish up a few things in the kitchen and leave the rest for after when Baby Boy gets settled at home.

I've been trying to get little things done that make me feel accomplished. I completed my baby shower invite list for the sweet friend who will be throwing a shower for our sweet boy. I coaxed my hubby into installing new blinds in our bedroom. We dropped off several bags at Good Will and I'm steadily filling boxes and bags that will work their way out of our home for good.

I'm also making a conscious effort to savor these fleeting moments with my daughter. I love to stare at her face and brush back her hair as she drifts off to sleep in the evenings. I love watching what are still firsts for her...like blowing bubbles, counting, recognizing colors, etc. There is an ache in my heart that yearns for these moments to stay. I'm not ready to give them up. I am struggling to be okay with my two-year-old working her way into true childhood. Her infancy was fleeting. Her first year of life whipped by. Her second year of life was but a vapor. I keep grasping but yet end up with empty hands. This reality increases my desire to make the most of my time with just her while I can. It also makes me acutely aware of how quickly things will go when our little guy arrives.

 

 

God has made my life so full and I want to take complete advantage of all He has given. I am humbled by His choice to make us parents to these two little lives and will continue to strive to point them to our Savior.

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