Making room for baby

We realized not too long ago that we needed to start making some room for this baby in our home.  

Our first step was converting the guest bedroom/office into a guest bedroom/nursery. We gave the desk to Goodwill and put the bookshelf into our bedroom to make some space...and then spent the next several weeks just tossing baby gear at random into the room until it looked like a disorganized garage sale.

We finally have everything finished, though. Now we just need a baby to put in there!

Before

After:

My mom made all of the bedding!

Our friends put their swing in their living room a few weeks before their little one was born to get the dogs used to it. I am doing the same thing, but for the benefit of Paul and myself.

She already has more drawers in the bathroom than her dad.

Hospital bag, diaper bag, and carseat are ready to go.

So, technically, I guess we are as ready for this lady as we will ever be! I am 36 weeks today, which means that if she were born today she could probably come right home with us. Crazy to think!

Life in pictures

...not my own pictures, of course. That would be waaaaaay too much work. Stealing funny pictures off of Pinterest is much more my style these days!

 

 Ah, the bed. The place where sleeping happens...theoretically. Paul claims that I am the worst person ever to sleep with right now. He cracked up when I showed him this picture. I can't argue with him, though: I see what the bed looks like in the morning -- and all night long, for that matter, because I am awake. I am constantly waking up because something is numb, some new shooting pain, acid reflux, hot flashes, or because I need three more pillows. Or of course because of:

...potty breaks. All. Night. Long.

 Paul and I have been going to Birth Classes at my midwives' office. We aren't sure if they are useful or not, but the videos sure are interesting. I'm glad I won't be able to see any of that business from my end.

Much like this camel, I am now entering the phase of, "Could that be a sign that labor is near??" The answer, of course, is always: could be, but who knows? Because of course it isn't really that predictable, especially when you've never done it. But when you are desperate to feel decent again (again? did I ever feel well?), your mind just goes there.

35+ weeks

I don't know if I'll do any more of those formatted updates. Long story short, I am pregnant.  Very pregnant, and very uncomfortable. If I can feel it, it hurts. I pee constantly. Walking hurts...but so does sitting...and lying down gives me heartburn...wah wah wah. As uncomfortable as I am, though, I am finding myself surprisingly emotionally ok with everything. I remember back in August, when I was throwing up ALLLLLL day long regardless of how much Zofran I took, Paul would come home from work and I would start sobbing about how I just couldn't possibly feel sick for an entire nine months. But now, the finish line is near....really near...so I think I *might* just possibly make it =) I am getting pretty darn excited to meet this baby, and it is encouraging to know that the aches and pains mean her arrival is getting closer! I think we are about as "ready" as we will ever be, so ... I just keep counting down! 32 days until my due date!

Coming soon: nursery pictures and an update on us moving.

Happy New Year!

We are home from our trip to the Northwest! Since I think I saw all four people who read this blog while I was there, I'll spare the details, but we had a great time. It was wonderful to spend time with our families and relax, to see real trees and breath moist air, and to catch up with a few friends. With that said, it was also really nice to come back to the desert and see blue skies and put on sandals.

After just two weeks in Washington, our Vitamin D levels were getting low so went to Sabino Canyon our first weekend back. There was a lot of water flowing and the trees still think it is fall, which made for a really beautiful walk.

  

Now we are settling back into our old routine. Or rather, Paul is settling back into his old routine, and I am settling into my new one, which involves a lot of sleeping and complaining about my back. In fact, every day is more or less the same, just with a few subtle variations, some more absurd than others. Kind of like a game of Mad Libs...

  

 

 Ok, so maybe I have a little spare time on my hands. But seriously, that is what I do all day. I need to get my rear in gear, though, because I actually have a hefty list of things I need to get done in the next few weeks to (try to) prepare for this little girl's arrival, and I am pretty sure that I am only going to get more uncomfortable as time goes on. Hopefully I'll have something more productive to report to you next time I get on here.

Anyway, here is the latest, big fat belly and all!

 

How Far Along: 32 weeks. Only 8 weeks to go! Or hopefully closer to 7. Or 6 1/2.

Size of baby:Hard to know exactly, but based on the amount of weight I've gained, I'm going to go ahead and guess that she is getting pretty big. Somewhere around 17 inches long and 3-4lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Yes, when I'm forced to leave the house. But really I prefer sweats and pajamas.

Movement: She has discovered my ribs. Ouch.

Sleep: Can't get enough of it. I don't know if I am getting sick, if it is from my pertussis booster shot, or if it is just a "third trimester thing," but I am absolutely exhausted. I slept for 12 hours last night and took a nap this afternoon...and I am still tired.
 

What I miss: Bending over and all that goes with it (shaving, putting on shoes, getting things from low cabinets, not having nasty toe nails, etc), and not having someone's feet in my ribs.

Cravings: Sleep!

Symptoms:Fatigue, heartburn, sore hips/back/ribs...the normal stuff. I'm also becoming more forgetful. The other day, I put on my makeup, finished, and then started all over again. I didn't realize it until I was about to put on mascara the second time. I'm sure I looked like a clown. But it is balanced out by the fact that I apparently misplaced my makeup yesterday (even though I never take it out of the bathroom) and can't find it today. But I did find the milk in the kitchen cupboard. And then I checked the fridge for my makeup, but it wasn't there.

Best Moment this week: I met our pediatrician today. She is super nice and I feel really comfortable with her and everyone at the practice, but it was weird to go to a pediatrician's office! Baby's arrival is starting to seem more real.

(Sorry if the spacing/formatting is weird...website is being goofy and won't let me fix it)

Third Trimester (finally!)

How Far Along: 28 weeks
(Do you remember when you were a little kid and you weren't eight, you were eight and a half? That's kind of like being pregnant for me. I'm not 7 months along -- I am 28 weeks + 3 days, and there are 81 days until I am due!)

Size of baby:I had an ultrasound today because I was measuring small at my appointment on Tuesday and hadn't gained any weight since last month. Turns out that baby is growing just fine. At 2 pounds and 12 ounces, she is actually  slightly heavier than average, so no worries there (I think she just burns through all the calories I eat before I can get any for myself)! She wasn't cooperating enough to get a very accurate length measurement, but around 15 inches. Still has long, skinny feet. I can't believe how big she is already!

Maternity Clothes: Yep! So glad it is finally getting cold enough to wear leggings!!

Movement: And lots of it! Her new trick is to pop my bellybutton out! Sometimes she will repeatedly kick under it and what is left of my innie becomes a temporary outie. It is really funny to watch. 

Sleep: I don't want to jinx myself ... but I have been sleeping really well the past week or two, better than I have slept this entire past 7 months! I think it is because she has turned sideways so her head is no longer bouncing off of my bladder all night long. 
 

What I miss: I'm pretty happy right now. I can't reach my toes very well any more, but that's just a good excuse to get a pedicure!

Cravings: Still chocolate chip cookies...preferably a la mode. Yummmm!

Symptoms:Heartburn, big belly... but feeling pretty good this week over all. Still getting lots of contractions every day, but as long as they aren't causing cervical changes, I'm not supposed to worry.

Best Moment this week: A great ultrasound today! I had the nicest technician. She spent so much time trying to get this kid to cooperate and show her face...but without much luck. Still so great to see her cute little self and know that she is growing really well and seems content to stay in for a good while longer. 

And now for some ultrasound pictures! She was pretty squished in there and the images don't necessarily make a lot of sense if you don't know what you are looking at, so I labeled a few of them. We weren't able to get a cute profile shot, but we got a few partial peeks of the front of her face between her legs (as well as further confirmation that she is a girl!) and a quick view of her little feet.
 

These are her two little feet, one kind of on top of the other, toes on the left.

 I'm so happy to know that our little girl is growing well and to get cleared to travel for the holidays! We are super excited to go home and see our families. And also to eat Christmas cookies =)

26 weeks

Almost third trimester! March can't get here soon enough. 

(95 days until my due date!)

I've still been having a lot of contractions, but not quite as bad as before. At my last appointment, the midwife confirmed that I wasn't having Braxton Hicks contractions, but regular old labor contractions. Generally speaking, that isn't a good thing, but there was the smallest part of me that was relieved to hear that validation, because everything I have read about BH contractions is that they are "mild" and "painless"...and these hurt like hell. I was worried that if those were the "mild and painless" contractions, I was in for trouble when the real thing hit. 

But now, a week later, things seem to be going a bit better. With some seriously restricted activity (but no bed rest!) and antibiotics for a minor infection, my body seems like it is less intent on causing problems. Most important, baby girl is doing great. I still get more contractions that what is normal at this point, but they aren't as intense or frequent, so I am allowed to do more, which is awesome!

Taking advantage of my expanded freedom, Paul and I drove to San Diego last weekend. I always dread the 6 hour drive through the desert, but it is worth it every single time! Plus, we had several good reasons to visit: 

1. We aren't going to have many chances for spontaneous weekends away in the very near future
2. A good friend of both of ours was going to be in San Diego for a day
3. If I have to restrict my activity, I might as well restrict it on the beach!

We had a great time! It was in the mid 70's and beautiful. We split our time between Coronado Island and La Jolla, enjoying the beach and sunshine. 

November should always look like this.

     
 We had a great time meeting up with our friend and his girlfriend, too. Now we are back in Tucson, counting down the days until Christmas. Also counting down until March (or late February if this baby loves me). Here is the latest:

BIG belly!
 
How Far Along: 26 weeks/ 6.5 months

Size of baby:approximately 14 inches, somewhere between 1.5-2 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Yep!

Movement: Still lots of movement. Can't believe how big she is getting! I can feel her up in my ribs, down at my hips, and everywhere in between.

Sleep: Elusive.

What I miss: Being able to bend over, reach my ankles, and access the lower drawers and cupboards in our house!

Cravings: Oranges (but that doesn't exactly help the heartburn)

Symptoms:Heartburn, nausea, sore back, contractions, and a little bit of a waddle.
(I tried going off Zofran for a day. BIG mistake. Very big, messy mistake). 

Best Moment this week: On Monday, I slept through the night for only the 6th time this pregnancy. It was glorious.

6 months!

The latest and greatest adventure for me is an "irritable uterus."  Which is to say, I have recently been experiencing all of the warning signs of preterm labor, except that I am not actually experiencing preterm labor. More than 4 contractions an hour? Check. Contractions that don't get better with water, rest, or changes in activity? Check. Lower back ache? Feelings of pressure? Contractions increasing in intensity? Check, check, check. But, my cervix isn't dilating, is shorter than it used to be but still at an ok length, and baby is happy and as active as ever.

So now what? I am supposed to stay off my feet, rest up, and wait it out. They did a fetal fibronectin test, which came back negative (hooray!!) which means that there is a 99% chance that I won't go into labor in the next two weeks. So the plan is to go in every two weeks for monitoring until these go away or baby reaches term, whichever happens first. I am really hoping to avoid complete bed rest (and be allowed to go home for the holidays!), but ultimately praying to keep this baby cooking for another three and a half months, no matter what it takes! 

Today is day 6 of "taking it easy" and I am already super bored. Expect lots of blog posts and facebook stalking from me. On a related note, any good book recommendations (did you know you can borrow/lend books with kindle for free)? Easy knitting projects? Other entertainment that can be done from the couch?

How Far Along: 24 weeks/6 months

Size of baby:Around one foot long and a bit more than one pound! So big already, but lots of cooking left to do!

Maternity Clothes: I am in stretchy clothes full time. Looooove my maternity leggings (especially because they were only $12 at H&M!).

Movement: Still lots of movement. She is head down now so I am feeling movement in some new places (some places being more comfortable than others).

Sleep: Back to having trouble sleeping, this time thanks to some major heart burn.

What I miss: Plenty of things, but I'm willing to give them up without complaint if this little girl stays in for a few more months.

Cravings: Water, chocolate chip cookies, fruit, and tums

Symptoms: Heartburn, occasional nausea, lots of contractions, and a quickly growing abdomen. BUT I haven't thrown up in over a week!!! Might be able to get rid of the Zofran soon!

Best Moment this week: Negative fetal fibronectin test, feeling lots of baby movement 

Please pray that my body figures things out and that this little baby stays in for a few more months!!

(And if you have a kindle and would let me borrow a book or two, that would be super awesome!) 

Autumn in Sedona

My blog has been a bit boring lately for the simple reason that we haven't done anything very exciting. Between my early bedtime/frequent vomiting and Paul's work schedule taking him away from home a lot, there hasn't been much to share. However, Paul finally had a free weekend last week, so we both took Friday off and left town.

Sedona was the last remaining excursion on our To Do/To See list for the southwest, so that is where we went. I have a hard enough time sleeping these days (I require at least four pillows), so we opted out of camping and found a hotel instead. We got there in the late afternoon, so rather than hiking we just saw some of the town and visited the rock formations that we could drive up to.

Paul has bunny ears from the rocks behind him =)

The next day we got up and hiked out to Devil's Bridge. It should have been a short hike, but some of us (ok, me) are not as quick as we once were. But that's ok, because it was beautiful! Bonus: it was about 15 degrees cooler than Tucson!

One morning hike was about all I could handle, so the rest of the our activities involved short walks, shade, and sources of water. Next stop: see some ruins.

Finally, we made our way to Oak Creek (you may be familiar with their beer). We stopped at Slide Rock State Park to enjoy the water and changing leaves. I think I could have spent all day there!

 

Sunday we slept in a little and then made our way back south. We made a quick detour to see Montezuma's castle on our way out of the area, then stopped for lunch with my grandparents in Phoenix. Now we are back in Tucson and "enjoying" temps in the low 90's.

So that's it! The last place on our Southwestern Bucket List. We've visited the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Moab, White Sands, Carslbad Caverns, Flagstaff, Tombstone, Lake Powell, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Taos and several places in between. What's left? Any suggestions for us?