Birth Story

I've been told to journal/blog about our birth story A-SAP so I don't forget any details, but trust me- I don't think I'll forget any details any time soon.

I was trying to wait for a time where I was mentally recovered, but I've come to terms that that may be awhile. So here it is.

FYI- This story is more for me than anyone. I just wanted to have something for me & my little family to look back on. I do not blog for anyone else, but myself. I know a lot of our long distance friends/family members like to keep up on our blog, but I do not blog for the ratings/reviews. It is simply for me & other readers, if they would like. 

I will not know if any of you readers read the whole thing (unless you voluntarily tell me), so if you are reading this, I do not expect you to read the entire spill, as a lot of it might be TMI. I will try my hardest to leave a lot of the nitty gritty details out, but again- this is for me. Not anyone else. So the nitty gritty might just have to be in here.

*** You have been warned *** I do not recommend reading this if you are pregnant. Unless you are really brave. (I dunno- maybe my story isn't that bad.)

Having that been said...Here we go...

Friday, March 7th

I had my 36 week OB appointment w/my doctor and NST (Non Stress Test).

We were told we may be induced, and to pack our hospital bags just in case. So we did, and Jake took me to a delicious steak dinner (the night before) at Texas Roadhouse. (We wanted to celebrate and enjoy our last night alone together, before all the madness began.)

Back to Friday...My doctor checked me and said I wasn't dilated yet, but that my cervix was really soft, so things were looking good. We were hopeful in that he didn't want to induce me quite yet, as I wasn't quite 37 weeks. Things were looking good...Except for this one problem I had been having throughout my whole pregnancy...High blood pressure.

I had tests done previously in my pregnancy (24 hour urine samples), and nothing had come up for preeclampsia, so my doctor never fully diagnosed me w/it. It was always in the back of his mind though. 

At our appointment on this day though, my blood pressure was high again and my doctor demanded another 24 urine sample to be done over the weekend. 

Soooooo... I took the big bottle home, and monitored my urine from Sunday morning to Monday morning, like I was asked to do. 

I was on bed rest previously, but my doctor continued to put me on a very strict bed rest, until further notice. (Joy!)

Monday, March 10th

I take my urine in to the doctor's office, go home, then go back to visit w/my doctor at 2:50 to go over my urine sample, and to do another NST on Thumper. 

The results for my urine sample were not in yet, and we were told to wait until Tuesday for them. My doctor said to call in to the office, if I hadn't heard from them by 12 noon. My doctor said if they found protein in my urine, that they'd have to induce me, but that he didn't want to do it quite yet, and that he really wanted to wait for the full result. He had the majority of the test results in, and those looked really good, but before he could make any promises, we had to wait for the full test to come back. Again, we were hopeful in thinking we were in the clear. My doctor seemed so happy w/what he had seen so far on the results. We were certain this Thumper of ours was coming on her own. 

Tuesday, March 11th

I hadn't heard from my doctor's office, so I decide to call in and get the results. My doctor wasn't in (he was off the schedule that day & forgot to mention that the day prior ), so the nurse I spoke with said I'd have to wait until Wednesday (the following day) to get the results. I told her we were waiting to find out if we were needing to be induced, due to preeclampsia, and that I needed the results to be read to me by another doctor, if possible. She said she'd contact the on call doctor, to see if he could do that.

To hell with that- He better. This is a matter of preeclampsia or not. 

I wait for the on call doctor to call me back. He said there was protein in my urine, and just a little bit more than they normally like. So I had a mild case of preeclampsia.

The on call doctor said he was going to call my doctor, to see if he wanted to induce us or not.

Oh great- Here it comes. The big news was just around the corner.

The on call doctor calls me back and said my doctor did want me to be induced, and that they were going to call the hospital to put in our orders.

I call Jake at work, just freaking out crying. I'm home alone, by myself, sitting in bed just crying. 

How did this happen? This was not part of my birth plan.

The hospital calls me back and says we are due to check into the hospital at 8pm that evening.

Oh great- I had all day to sit here and think about this, by myself. 

Jake gets home, we shower, pack, and head to the hospital.

Er… Not that easy.

Jake makes dinner. I nervously tried to eat it. Epic fail. (We were told to eat a big meal before checking in to the hospital)

We try to quickly gather our things for this place that was going to bring our baby girl to life (AKA the hospital that I ever so frightenly feared). I decide now is a good time to dust. Yeah, that's right. Dust.

Jake drives to the hospital and I decide it's too long of a drive, and that I needed to get in the driver's seat. Ha!

I take over and nervously drive us to the place that was going to bring our baby girl to life. 

We walk by the registration desk and let them know we're already in the system, and that we pre-registered almost two weeks ago. The nurse was thankful we pre-registered, and confusingly asked what we were there for. We had so many pillows and blankets, that she wasn't sure if we were there for a sleep monitored test, or to have a baby. Ha!

She lets us know we can go up to the third floor.

Oh man guys- The third floor!

We walk up and all I see are signs everywhere that say "Labor and Delivery." Oh crap- This was really happening.

We take the elevator to the third floor. There's a phone outside the elevator, and you have to talk to the little friendly lady on the other side of the security doors, in order to get in.

I pick up the phone and the little friendly lady answers, "Hello, how can I help you?" I nervously reply, "Uh, I'm being induced tonight and was told to be here at eight o'clock?" The little friendly lady replies, "Okay, come in." ("Dangit", I thought. "They're letting us in".)

We walk through the big double doors and I hear, "You must be Aubre." I look at Jake and am astonished they know my name. I guess the lady downstairs at the registration desk let Labor & Delivery know we were there. I was still surprised.

The young girl who predicted my name, asked how I was doing.

Uh, I'm about to be induced chica. How do you think I'm doing?!?! (Just for the record, I did not say that. These were just my thoughts)

I nervously tell the young girl who predicted my name that I was scared. She asks why and I told her I feared pain and Pitocin. (FYI Pitocin is something they give you to speed up your labor and it intensifies contractions. Yeah- No one likes the P word). She told me I was going to be just fine, and that if I was getting an epidural, that I could have it at any time. (At this point, I kind of calmed down)

The young girl who predicted my name didn't check my photo ID or anything (much to my surprise), but had me sign my life away on this electronic pad. I had no idea what I was signing for, but I did it anyway. 

At this point Jake thinks it's okay to joke, and asks when we get our friendship bracelets. 

Um….

Sooo…. This older woman takes Jake and I back to our room. I was very shocked to see that no one was up roaming the halls, nor did I hear any screaming, thank goodness. Jake and I were a little freaked out and thought "What do they do to their patients?!?" The older woman said normally it's a pretty crazy floor, and that we just got real lucky to come in on such a calm night. 

Yeah okay.

At least we timed that perfectly! Things were looking all right, and I finally felt like something was going correctly.

We get checked in to our room (Ha! I talk like it's a hotel), and the older woman gives me my gown. 

Meh. This has started.

I finish getting in my gown, and am greeted by this ever so friendly nurse, named Sara. Little did I know she'd be my favorite. I let her know my gown seemed a bit small, and that I had trouble tying it on the side, and she said it didn't really matter, and that she was just going to (basically) undress me anyway. 

Oh great- This was happening. 

I nervously get into the hospital bed, and she (and another nice nurse) start getting us all situated.

Within an hour of Jake and I being there, we had our friendship bracelets and I already had my IV started.  

Oh my- Things were already moving along quickly. 

The other nice nurse (whom I forgot her name) comes over to my bed and lets me know she's going to give me a pill that helps soften my cervix so I can dilate and go into labor. 

Yeah, okay. Let's just say you don't swallow this pill…

This was about 9pm on the evening of Tuesday, March 11th at this point.

Wednesday, March 12th 

My favorite nurse, Sara, was about to leave for the day. This was around 4am at this point. 

I was sad to see her go, because I really liked her, but she said she'd be back Thursday morning and that hopefully I would have had my baby by that point. She said if I hadn't, she'd be my nurse again (if I wanted). She also said if I had had my baby by then, that she'd come visit me on the second floor. What a sweetheart!

So…. Sara leaves (sad), and another nurse (Pamela) comes in and inserts a catheter. I had made it very clear I was having an epidural ASAP, so they wanted to get the catheter started. 

I had never had one before, so I didn't quite know what to expect, but never did I think it would hurt as much as it did. 

I started screaming immediately and telling Pamela how much it burned. She told me that was normal, and she continued to put it in. 

Um….. "No" I screamed. "Take it out. It burns! It feels like Icy Hot is down there." She let me know that was normal, and that I (basically) had it all wrong. 

After what seemed like several hours of investigation, she let me know I had some sort of infection (I tested positive for Strep B, so I wasn't sure if that was related or not), but she gave me some numbing cream, and that seemed to help. 

In went the catheter and on she went.

Oh but ew- I did not like this Pamela. She will not be getting a thank you treat from me. 

Instantly after the catheter was in, my water breaks on it's own. Boy what a weird feeling that was. 

Pamela shoved the catheter so (roughly) up there, that it broke my water.

Yeah, that's how not nice she was.

I told Pamela (ew) that it felt like a big puddle of water was underneath me, and again she (basically) told me I had it all wrong. Sure enough, she checked and "Hey look- You do have quite the puddle." Yeah duh. Ya think?!? I tried to tell ya. 

BTW- if you can get en epidural before they break your water, that would be ideal. It feels like you're peeing your pants (or your bed), a lot, and it's this really warm, gushy feeling. It doesn't hurt. It's just weird. I didn't like it. At all. 

But hey, this was nice- My doctor didn't even have to come in and break my water. My body was already doing what it needed to do, on it's own. Again- things were looking up. 

At this point it was about 8am, and I had labored for 13 hours w/o an epidural. I tried asking for one earlier, but the anesthesiologist who was there, went into an emergency C-Section, so I had to wait.

FYI- I didn't know anesthesiologists stayed in the operating room the WHOLE time the C-Section takes place, so I was thinking I was okay to wait. Yeah no. It's like an hour long process for a C-Section and they're in there the whole time. 

Crap. 

So… They call another anesthesiologist and he gets called in to another emergency C-Section.

What the crap?!?!

So I finally get my epidural (thank goodness) but oh wait- it gets worse. The anesthesiologist who did the epidural, was like half asleep. Yeah. So, I felt every bit of it going in. Can you say ouch?!?! And then only one of my legs went numb, and part of my back, so I was just mildly freaking out. Just mildly. I could still feel all of my contractions and I was only dilated to a one. 

What the crap?!?!

An hour later (I think) another anesthesiologist comes in the room and he explains that sometimes the epidurals just don't work. He said he could give someone an epidural, and it wouldn't work, but that the next guy could come in and give the same epidural, and that it would work, so it just depends. I wasn't believing it, but whatevs. Give me the juice.

He takes me bed and makes it higher (super higher- higher than I was last time), and puts in a lot of local anesthesia. The last guy didn't even do that, so already I was feelin pretty good. I wasn't feeling ANYTHING at this point, so he was on the nice list. 

The anesthesiologist finishes up and I look up just in time to see my wonderful doctor peek around the corner. "Boy am I glad to see you," I said. My doctor gently pats my shoulder and assures me everything is going to be okay. "Thank goodness," I thought. Someone who I trust, and who finally knows what they're doing. I knew I was in good hands going forward.

They start me on Pitocin, since my epidural was finally working.

They (first) start it out real low.

Nothing.

They (then) put it at a 24. 

Still nothing.

FYI- I started out at like a 5 for the Pitocin. So that just goes to show how much they were increasing it.

Yeah.

Anyway...I continue to labor throughout the day, and my doctor (who was on call this day) keeps coming in to check me.

Long story short- I wasn't dilating. 

We kept praying and praying (at one time, my sister {Kelsey} was talking to my stomach telling Thumper she needed to get out), and we were hoping I'd dilate.

Nothing.

I was basically dilating a half centimeter every hour and a half. Yeah guys. An hour and a half! That's ridiculous! 

I was getting no where and making absolutely no progress fast.

I labor throughout this day and go into the wee hours of the night.

Side note: My doctor was thinking I'd have her by 8pm that evening. He was saying whenever you're induced like this (at 37 weeks) that you should usually plan on about a 24 hour labor, so with us checking in the night before, 24 hours from then would have been about 8pm the following night. Yeah no. That wasn't happening.

Thursday, March 13th
I hadn't had my baby yet, and knew Sara was back on the schedule, so I asked if I could request her again. And guess what?!?!… My favorite nurse, Sara, was back on the schedule and back in my room!!! YAY!!!!

Another sweet nurse, who I really liked (MaryEllen), let me know that Sara would be my nurse again.

Anyway...My doctor comes in my room in the wee hours of the morning, and tells me I'm still not progressing as much as he had hoped. He tells me a C-Section might be the best way to deliver her at this point. He didn't know why I wasn't dilating, but was sure to find out if we were to do a C-Section.

I obviously didn't want a C-Section, but at this point, I had been laboring for about 32ish hours. Though I wasn't pushing or anything, I was still exhausted. And quite frankly, I was hungry too. All I was able to eat, was Jell-o and chewing gum. Yeah- I hadn't eaten since Tuesday early evening. It was now Thursday morning. You do the math!

So I start signing all the paper work, for me to go into a C-Section. 

Normally one would just insert a beautiful birth photo w/details on their child's weight, height, etc. My procedure was not that simple, though.

Of course.

So…. They give me Zofran (to prevent nausea, since I'm super sensitive to that), and they give me water to take w/it. I was so excited to finally get some liquid in my system (other than Jell-o), that I just downed the water they gave me. They immediately stop me, though, and tell me I can't drink too much because I was going into surgery. 

To hell with that. I'm drinking as much as my body wants!
Yeah, that didn't go over too well. The nurse took the water away from me.

In I went to the operating room. 
I have no idea where Jake is at this point. 

The operating room is cold. 
It's white.
It's big and open.
...I didn't like it.

Jake comes in and sits next to me, holding my hand.
He tells me he's right there for me, and that everything will be okay.

The anesthesiologist is right behind me, talking to me, trying to ask me questions- i.e. what we were thinking of naming our little Thumper and how we came up w/the names we did.

I appreciated his generosity in trying to distract me, but it wasn't working. I really had to concentrate on what my doctor was telling/asking me. He kept poking me w/the knife asking me if I could feel it, and in between, I was expected to answer the anesthesiologist... Mission fail. 

Ten minutes into the procedure, I hear this precious little cry, that I told Jake just "broke my little heart." 

4:50am our little Thumper was here!

I hear my doctor exclaim, "Oh she is so cute!" 

"Good," I thought. "I have a super cute baby!" (Like those were my concerning thoughts at this point hahaha

They take Thumper over to the scale, to weigh her and clean her off.

A little nurse brings over my little baby and asks if I want to give her a kiss. 

Of course!

So, I lean in and give my baby her first kiss EVER! That's right. Her momma was her first set up lips to ever love on her. 

Our little Thumper was then wheeled off to the nursery.

*** Now to the dramatic part ***
They start the ever so long process of stitching me up and putting everything back together. (This is where things go from okay to worse in 2.5 seconds)

I start feeling a lot of pressure (as they explained I would), and it begins to get extremely uncomfortable. I keep telling my doctor "Ouch! Ouch!" (That's the only thing I could manage to get out of my mouth, and my doctor begins to get concerned that I can feel them stitching everything together. Nope, couldn't feel the pain. I just had no other way of expressing the pressure, other than "Ouch! Ouch!" hahaha (not funny actually).

The anesthesiologist asks me if I want morphine. I tell him I'm pretty sensitive to pain medication and that I really am okay. He proceeds to stands behind me and says "Oooookay." Kinda like an "If you say so" sorta thing. 

My doctor is not even half way through w/me at this point, and I'm still screaming "Ouch! Ouch!" so the anesthesiologist is forced to give me morphine. Seconds after he puts it in my IV, I let the nurses (and Jake know) that I feel nauseous and like I was gonna throw up. They tell me to just turn my head and that they got a barf bag for me. 

I'm thinking, "How am I going to throw up, laying down?!?!" I'm completely strapped to this super small, cold table, and my arms are to the sides of me, on this super small, cold table as well. How was I going to do this?!! "Oh well," I thought. "It's comin up whether I like it or not." 

I closed me eyes, and out went all the Jell-o I had consumed in the last almost 48 hours.

I will never eat Jell-o again. Ever. (Mark. My. Words)

So I continue to throw up and Jake's trying to catch it. He caught the first set of vomit with the bag, but the second set? Not so much. It went all over him. (Sorry honey). That's love.

The nurses tell him he can go in the back corner and kinda rinse off (as much as one's able to w/barf chunks all over them).

He comes back (I didn't even know he left my side, I was so drugged at this point), and I begin thumping around. The morphine got to me, and I just couldn't take it anymore. (Really though, I think my body just went into shock. It was a lot for me to handle, having had had no sleep in the last 48 hours, no solid foods, and then being wheeled into this big, white, scary, cold room). 

So I begin moving around so much, that my doctor tells me he has to sedate me. What?!?!

Jake just barely recovers from the whole vomit thing, and sees me sedated on the table, and completely looses it. He has to leave and go to our room. I had no idea he left (again), and he was told he couldn't come back, due to sanitary reasons.

I, later, wake up and am in the recovery room. Jake walks in and I asked where he was. He said he was in the nursery. I had no idea when he went to the nursery, or how long he was there, but he was in my room at that point, and that's all that mattered. 

I was introduced to another team of nurses, one of which I really liked (again). Yes- I had quite a few favorites. This one (little did I know) would end up being the best of the best…. Jianna. Pronounced Gina. 

She helped w/breast feeding and taught a very educational class (that Jake and I had to take before we checked out of the hospital).

Back to the recovery in my room...I was pretty nauseous when I first woke up, and had to have a barf bag on my bed, just in case, but luckily I didn't need to use it. They gave me Jell-o, again, and water. AH! Thank goodness- water. 

I, eventually, was able to get up and walk around (once my catheter was out the next day), and began my loooong healing process.

I still had a lot of water weight I was carrying, so due to that, my feet were so swollen I couldn't walk. I had an extremely rough time & was told the preeclampsia was still in my system, and could possibly turn into eclampsia. Yikes!

This was almost a week after delivery

I was put on high blood pressure medication and am following up w/my doctor weekly. 

I have changed my diet completely, and am on a low-sodium, low fat diet, to help lower my blood pressure.

I have lost almost all of my pregnancy weight, and am ALMOST to what I was at prior to pregnancy. Seriously guys. Just three weeks after delivery.

Other than that, everything went really well w/my recovery. We had a difficult time w/Jovi gaining weight, and had a couple close scares w/a few different things, but now that she's all caught up, we're both doing really well. (Remember, her innitial due date wasn't until April 6th, so she's still three weeks behind).

I'm getting the hang of this mom thing and am still managing to heal quite well.
I've realized though, that I don't love being a mom. 
I love being her mom.

Life got a whole lot sweeter (and busier) when our little Jovi entered into our lives.

Jovi Ann Strain

03/13/14 at 4:50am

6 lbs. 3 oz. and 17 in.

My support system during the C-Section

Jovi hates having her diaper changed and or being naked.

She cries almost all of the time and it is just the saddest.

My wonderful doctor, Doctor Allen.

Our first (awkward) family photo

Jovi loves to snuggle and loves to be right on momma's skin

Pappa is still swooning over our little Jovi

Fun side note:

We didn't want to commit to a name, until we saw and learned her personality.

We were in between these two names in the hospital

The only visitors we had in the hospital, were immediate family.

Her aunties just love her and so does her Uncle Tyler.

(Auntie Carlie)

(Uncle Tyler)

(Auntie Kelsey)

(Auntie Courtney)

(Grandma)

We're still deciding on a name for her. I want Jovi to pick one out though.

I will never forget the day we took you home, Jovi. You are so loved.

We had a five day stay in the hospital (can't wait for THAT hospital bill), and I just could NOT wait to get out of that hospital bed.

It was very hard for me to walk, after the C-Section and all my swollen-ness, but I was determined to do it & to do it well.

It was the hardest, longest 32 hours of my life, waiting to meet our beautiful, baby girl.

It was the longest 9 months I could have ever imagined, but it was all worth it.

I believe Heavenly Father has blessed me w/a fairly easy recovery, and a very sweet, loving, calm, cuddly baby for a reason.

Words cannot describe the love I have for her, or the worry I experience daily. 

I heard the most perfect song awhile ago, and think it's every parent's perfect thoughts: "My Wish"- Rascal Flats

I love you Jovi Ann. More than you will ever know. 

Thumper's Shower

My sweet sisters threw the sweetest shower for this sweet baby girl and me.

We aren't too big on the cliche pink that everyone else does for a girl, so we chose peach.

We welcomed this little peach with these yummy treats:

Sorbet floats

Cake balls

Macaroons

Chicken salad sandwiches and

Pasta salad

My best friend (Kellie) flew in from California and made these delicious macaroons.

She made two different kinds. Peach cobbler & lemon curd. They were yummy!

Here are the delicious cake balls my sisters made. My mouth is watering!

My mother-in-law and Jake's aunt were a huge help in this.

They made the delicious chicken salad sandwiches and boy were they a hit!

The mason jars w/the adorable striped straws were just way too cute!

And, gotta love the peach rings :)

These pom pom balls were just made out of tissue paper.

My sisters were kind enough to let me keep some for our little one's room, since we're doing her room in peach, grey, yellow and white :)

My mom made THE cutest diaper cake I have ever seen.

Of course there's a piano on there, since mom plays the keys.

She already thinks Thumper will play, by the looks of her long fingers in her ultrasounds.

Note the sparkly shoes. My mom loves shoes and is already passing on the addiction. 

And here's lovely 'ol me (insert sarcasm here). Clearly I'm just a few weeks away from our due date.

Look at all these clothes. This is just from the shower.

Notice all the pink? :)

Photo taken on my iPhone

My mom definitely outdid herself when it came to presents. 

This is one of the many.

Can you tell she's excited for us to come to California?!?!

She wants that baby in her pool NOW!

Photo taken on my iPhone

My mom's mom got us these shoes!

She said they reminded her of me.

Maybe because I have the adult version of these?

Photo taken on my iPhone

Here are the matching shoes that I have.

I wore these on our wedding day

and again for our maternity pictures

My (over achiever) cousin made these adorable little baby sandals!

Photo taken on my iPhone

Her daughter modeled them for us

Photo taken on my iPhone

Photo taken on my iPhone

She also made this adorable matching headband and matching burp cloth.

See- I told you she's an over achiever ;)

PS the onesie her little girl is wearing, is one that she gave to us.

Her little girl just couldn't help but model it!

Photo taken on my iPhone

Seriously, how adorable is her little girl?!

Photo taken on my iPhone

I felt so loved all day, seeing all the people in our home.
Our house was definitely filled w/love all weekend.
Thumper and I received more than enough on Saturday & we both couldn't be more grateful. Her dad is especially loving all the pink!
We thank everyone who came in from out of town & who helped participate in some of the larger group gifts.
Everything helps and goes a long way, so thank you all for coming and showing your love and support.
We can't wait for our little (or big, long) one to get here.
Look for a thank you card from us soon! :) 

Maternity Pictures

I was always against maternity pictures. Until recently.

Yeah, I have photos (mirror selfies) of my belly, but that wasn't enough for me.

I knew I wanted nice photos of me and Jake, since we hadn't had photos taken since we were engaged.

And that was almost three years ago. So hello!

Anyway, I wanted to remember how I felt w/Thumper inside of me.

And iPhone selfless were not gonna do.

So I dragged Jake to a local studio and we went shutterbug happy.

Boy am I glad we did!

Here are some of the faves:

I ordered an 8x10 of this one, to hang on our wall

This one didn't turn out AS well as I had hoped.

Had I picked a darker paint swatch, I think it might've worked though.

These aren't just any shoes. My dad's mom sent these to us, as soon as she found out what we were having.

I had to get a photo w/these. Thumper's first pair of shoes!

This is Thumper's coming home outfit. We bought it because it has little rabbits on it :)

Here are the little Thumper's on her going home outfit, since you can't see it in the above photo.

Photo taken on my iPhone

I originally had another photographer booked, but she didn't have a studio and I was a little worried how these would turn out, since we're in the winter season right now.
All the grass is dead, and there isn't really much snow, so I was hesitant.
Until a good friend (Breanne) mentioned this awesome studio!
Special thanks to Camera Shy Photography, in Lehi. 

We absolutely loved our photographer and cannot wait to go back when we have our little one.

We were told to take them back (for infant photos) within the first 10 days.

I've seen their infant photos and they do a GREAT job, so I cannot wait for our little Thumper to be in their studio.

They have THE cutest props, outfits, bows, etc. 

Oh man I couldn't contain myself!
I highly recommend these guys, especially before April 14th. 
They have a referral program where you can save $10 :)

Preggo Eggo Update- Week 32

Hi guys, I'm still alive. Sorry I haven't blogged/updated anyone in awhile. We just moved into our new house & have been busy settling in, so forgive me for not doing an update sooner :) 

How many weeks?: 32 exactly, today! (Still measuring a bit ahead)

Size of Baby: Head of lettuce, 19 inches long, 3.9 pounds.

Countdown: 9 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Not sure about the total, but I know I lost weight between my last appointment and the one after that.

I've been seeing my doctor every week, for the last three weeks, due to some possible complications. My last appointment (last Monday 01/27) my doctor said I lost weight (7 lbs. to be exact) in seven days. He said he normally likes to see his OB patients gain more weight in the third trimester, and that he's never seen someone lose so much weight so fast, in the third trimester. Oops? I promise it won't happen again :) 

Maternity Clothes?: Surprisingly, I'm getting sick of them. I'm currently wearing whatever's comfortable, and not fashionable/warm. Maxi skirts and flip flops have been the usual. Yes, even in the snow. Sometimes I'll wear a maternity shirt, but other times I just wear some of Jake's old Calle shirts, because they're big & comfortable, but don't look too frumpy. They're just snug enough to look cute w/a little zip up hoodie. 

Energy Levels: I was feeling pretty great last week. When I saw my doctor at my last OB appointment (last Monday 01/27) my energy levels were a lot higher than they were the week prior, but they're kinda coming back down again. 

Exercise Habits: Lately I've probably been getting a lot more exercise because we've been running a lot of errands, but other than that, you won't see me coin laps around the neighborhood. 

Sleeping?: Last week they were pretty good, and my doctor was really impressed! The last few days, I've started the insomnia again though. I seem to be up between 2-4am starving. I'll often find myself wandering around our house, but I usually just end up in bed after a drink of water, and a piece of bread. That seems to do it. 

Worst Moment in the past 2 weeks: Lower back problems & realizing they're only going to get worse. Much worse. Bad dreams can be added to that list too. My dreams are so vivid & seem so real. They always have been, in my pregnancy, but they've been getting worse lately. A lot of them have to do w/labor and delivery. I hope none of these dreams/nightmares come true. 

Best Moment in the past 2 weeks: Passing my glucose test, getting settled in our newly bought home together, purchasing a few necessities for the baby (crib, diaper bag, her going home outfit), and getting RSVPs for the upcoming baby shower. 

There's definitely more good moments, than bad. 

Miss anything?: A full 8 hours of sleep (but let's be honest- I haven't had one of those nights since before we got pregnant), getting dressed by myself, feeling like an elderly woman w/how often I have to use the facilities, and being able to move freely w/o this tight basketball in my way. Even brushing my teeth is difficult! Leaning over the counter is NOT fun! Ouch.

Movement: Still, all the time. People have been asking me if she's flipped and I'm pretty sure she has 'cuz I can constantly see her little bumskee sticking out, but I wouldn't know. She's such an active baby, that even if she did flip, I wouldn't know the difference. This active jumping bean finds a way to move, weather there's room or not. I wonder when she'll realize...

I can always feel her little bum sticking out

Photo taken on my iPhone

Morning Sickness?: I'm definitely getting more food sensitive, like how I was in the first trimester. I find myself having to eat more & more often, and get nauseous if I don't. I had to borrow a couple Zofran pills from a co-worther this week, so I figured it was just time to refill my own prescription, just in case. I haven't actually thrown up, but I did catch myself dry heaving in the bathroom at work. I'm trying to stay on top of my water intake 'cuz that seems to help, but other than that, I'm just trying to be real careful & carry more snacks w/me again. 

Food Cravings: Oreo McFlurrys from McDees. Extra oreo :) 

Food Aversions: Anything spicy and or greasy. This is mainly to avoid heartburn, although that has gone down A LOT since she's dropped. 

Showing yet?: I'm just straight out in front. I swear people think I was due yesterday. And I still have two months to go. Oh my. 

Stretch Marks?: They're actually going away and getting lighter in color. I was surprised. I haven't had any real thick, painful ones, and they seem to stick around just on my legs and stomach. Feeling grateful. 

I swear it's because of this awesome cream though:

Photo taken on my iPhone

Gender: GIRL!!! As far as we know :)

Labor signs: Braxton Hicks & they're happening more & more often. I try to just breathe through them, but from my understanding, they shouldn't be THIS painful. Either I'm having pre-term labor signs and don't know it, or I'm just a sissy. 

Moods: I've seen those hormones kick in this last week. I'm getting more & more tired, and my nesting has kicked in full swing. We've been in this house almost a month, so I've been going organize crazy, and have just been wanting to do EVERYTHING right now for the baby. I realize some things CAN wait, and will wait (until after the shower, to see what we get/don't get), but it's so hard to put things off like that, when I'm in nesting mode. 

See- There go those hormones again. Crazy!

Not Looking Forward to: Gaining more water weight. I'm curious to see how much amniotic fluid I have, because my stomach just feels like a giant swimming pool. I had a lot of water weight recently, but I also recently changed my diet & noticed a lot of that went away (ie- foot swelling). I can control my diet and what goes into by body, so if that prevents me carrying water weight, I'll say goodbye to the DP and salt/soy/sodium. If the baby is getting bigger (which I know she will) and I'm just carrying more amniotic fluid- Ugh. That's all I have to say about that. 

Looking Forward To: Painting the nursery next weekend 'cuz that means I get to unpack all her stuff & arrange all her furniture. I haven't been able to do that yet!!!! Hello decorating! Hobby Lobby and I are about to renew our vows and I couldn't be more anxious. 

I go every 2 weeks to the doctor now and at 36 weeks will start going every week. I love my doctor and the staff in the office, but it's nice to go every two weeks, and not every week anymore… Even though I know I'll be going every week soon hahaha It was just a nice break & to know my health is in good standing. Never been so thankful. 

Eek! We're getting close. I'll be going every week at 36 weeks. It's nice to hear her heartbeat every time, and just have confirmation that I'm doing well (health wise) and that Thumper seems to be healthy & active. 

Photo taken on my iPhone

Photo taken on my iPhone

This is the new diaper bag I got. It's Petunia Picklebottom and I've always wanted one.

Photo taken on my iPhone

Preggo Eggo Update- Week 29

How many weeks?: Since we're still measuring two weeks ahead, we're goin with 29 weeks.

Size of Baby: Butternut squash. Weighs around 2 1/2 pounds and is just over 15 inches long. 

Maternity Clothes?: Still mainly wearing boots, leggings, and sweaters. I don't have maternity pajamas, so I mainly wear Jake's pajama bottoms, since they're bigger & looser on my hips. 

Energy Levels: None. This last week has been horrible. All I've wanted to do is sleep and eat. Mainly sleep. I am so exhausted and cannot stand for very long, without my hips feeling like they're going to pop out of my body. 

Exercise Habits: None, other than walking around at the office. 

Sleeping?: Next to very little or none. I'm miserable. The pregnancy pillow helps, but only to a certain extent. I now have insomnia really really bad.   

Worst Moment in the past 2 weeks: Feeling so exhausted that I can't even make it through a full eight hour day at work. I feel bad for not (financially) contributing as much), but it hurts to sit for long periods of time, and all I want to do is sleep!

Best Moment in the past 2 weeks: Coming into the new year 'cuz that means our baby girl will be here in just three more months (exactly) as of tomorrow, and finding out our loan already went through on our house. Now, if we can just get this builder of ours to finish everything, so we can stop living in boxes & move! 

Miss anything?: Where do I even begin?… Um, being able to get dressed by myself. I will never ever take for granted again, being able to dress and undress the bottom half of me. Jake has been so helpful and assists me every morning/night, but it'd be nice to not have this pelvic pain, so I can take my own pants on/off. Also, in case you couldn't tell from previous responses, I really miss sleep. Anything more than two consecutive hours would be nice. And to be able to roll over w/o bumping my stomach and having it hurt. That'd be nice too :)

Movement: She's slowed down. Major. I had a mild panic attack this week when her movement (literally) changed over night. Needless to say, I went in for an ever-so-random doctor's appointment and boy am I glad I did. I got peace of mind & assurance, knowing she's just growing and probably running out of move to kick around as much. She's also going through longer sleep patterns & doesn't have as much energy/time to move as much as she did. 

Morning Sickness?: No siree. I'm not so sensitive to any foods at all, really, other than greasy, spicy, and acidic foods. They all cause heartburn. 

Food Cravings: Uh… This last week I'm afraid to say it's been desserts. I still crave proteins (mainly burgers), but desserts have been #1 in our house. I'm talking cake, pie, and cookies. All in one week. 

Food Aversions: I try to avoid greasy foods, if possible. They cause really bad heart burn, which lead to acid reflux. 

Showing yet?: Duh. I started showing between 10-12 weeks, and have only been showing more & more every day. Thumper wanted her presence to be known at a very early stage, and boy has she done just that! I swear, people think I'm due like yesterday.  Our little Thumper is in the 87th percentile from her abdomen down. She has some long 'ol legs. 

Stretch Marks?: I've been having a lot of hip and lower back pain lately. I woke up one morning to a significant amount of stretch marks on my hips, and to find that Thumper has dropped. Makes sense. My hips are widening & preparing for labor.  

Gender: She's still a she.

Labor signs: Just Braxton Hicks and baby dropping lower. We're one step closer to D-day with those signs! Doctor says to be careful though, so that I don't go into pre-term labor. 

Moods: I've been in the "nesting" stage for awhile now, but I don't think it helps that we're in the middle of packing/moving everything. I think I'm just really sick of being in boxes, to be honest. I'm naturally a really clean/organize person (so is Jake), so this is driving me nuts! I just wanna get settled in to the new house already, so I can start on the nursery :) 

Not Looking Forward to: Still… The glucose test. I'm hearing more & more often now that it's not that bad, but I fear I'm going to fail it, or that something strange will pop up. Better study! 

Looking Forward To: Getting the results of the glucose test over with and done! That appointment is next Monday (a week from tomorrow) and I'm just trying to make sure I do everything possible to pass.