31 weeks 3 days

How far along? 31w3d

Weight gain?  Huh?...oh that.....31 glorious pounds.  I've actually thought about skipping this information, I mean no one really needs to know, or may even care how much weight I'm gaining...but I like to keep it real.  I truly thought, rather naively, that I would not see that number at all over my entire pregnancy.  I still have 9 more weeks to go (give or take a week or two), and likely 9 more or so pounds to go.  I guess it appears as though I have gained a pound a week from the start, however that is so not the case.  I was doing so well until about week 20, and then the weight gain started to really kick into gear.  My doctor has not been concerned with the weight gain, and actually reassures me I'm right on track. 

Stretch marks? Still no stretch marks...I'm hiding from them.  Luckily the weight gain and the belly stretching has been so consistent and gradual, no funky stretch marks!

Sleep:  The pulled muscles in my back have completely healed!  Sleeping has been much better since then.  I can pretty much get comfortable and fall asleep on either side.  I usually have 1-2 bathroom breaks in the middle of the night, followed by one Thor break where I will just throw him in the backyard around 4:00-4:30 am until it's time for our walk at 5:00am.  The weather has recently cooled down and we can sleep with the windows open.  That makes a very big and warm pregnant lady happy, while her poor husband has to bundle up in tons of blankets.    

Best moment this week:  My 32 week doctor's appointment was today!  Got to hear Miss O's heartbeat at a nice healthy 140 bpm.  The doctor was also able to tell how she was positioned.  She is head down with her booty over to the right side of my belly.  It makes me happy knowing she is head down, even though I know at this stage she still has plenty of room to flip and move should she choose to.  I'm measuring a tad big, by about a week, which is how she has been measuring since her anatomy ultrasound at 18 weeks.  I hope this means that she will come a week early, and not that she is just an oversized baby! 

Movement: All of the time.  She really responds to being poked and pushed around too.  She will poke us right back.  Dave thinks I mess with her too much and try and get her to move, but you should of seen how the doctor pushed on my belly trying to find the position she was in!    Olivia has also been getting the hiccups very regularly lately.  She will have at least 2 bouts of them a day. 

Food commentary: I have been craving anything pumpkin!  The change of weather makes me a sucker for eating something fall and festive...I am really craving a good pumpkin pie.  I also have been craving pizza.  I have yet to satisfy either one of these cravings, but I intend to this weekend!

Labor Signs: Zero.  I still do not think I've even had a real Braxton-Hicks contraction yet.  My belly will tighten up a little, but it's usually just from baby rolling around and repositioning herself. 

Belly Button in or out? Out. Still.  And it's starting to really irritate me.  It's so ugly when you can see it through multiple layers of clothing. 

What I miss:  I miss sleeping on my back.  I also miss sushi and oysters, but I've missed both of those from the beginning. 

What I am looking forward to: My baby shower is this Sunday!  I can't wait to see everyone.  I have not been to San Antonio in awhile so lots of my family has not seen me this pregnant.  Should be fun!  Dave and I are also trying to make plans for a day date on Saturday around downtown and the Riverwalk.  We are going to a cousin's football game first, and then going from there. 

Weekly Wisdom: "It does not matter how much weight you gain, so long as you are eating the right foods."  - Christina Barkley, Bradley Method teacher.  Gawd, let's hope this is true!!!

Weekly WTF: We need to find a pediatrician!  It's one of those things that really freak me out.  I've always just had military doctors, so this whole business of actually picking someone to go to is foreign to me!  I also realized that we need to somehow get our baby a social security number.  How the heck does that work?!

Nesting madness:  Heck, yes! So much has been done with so much still to do.  The furniture is in place for the most part, but both the crib and the bed need dressing.  The changing table needs a changing pad and I need to finish painting it.  We are getting a bassinet to borrow from my aunt that we need to transport to the house from San Antonio....the ceiling fans all need to be cleaned, I want to go through and organize all of our closets (who knows the next time I will get the chance to do that), we need to schedule the exterminator for a treatment (we have a lot of baby scorpions in Leander, gross, I know), the dresser for the nursery needs to be bought, Thor's annual vet visit needs to take place, we are getting a dining table from my parents and I need to get the dining ready for it, etc. etc. etc.     

Milestones: Yesterday was the 2 month away date from my official EDD.

Wonderful Weekend

This past weekend was a weekend I could get used to! 

On Friday, Dave and I had a nice relaxing evening in.  I read and watched some T.V. while Dave put together the crib.

Thor's never very much help!

We then watched a movie and called it an early night.  

On Saturday, my sister, my mom and I had a ladies day out and it was so much fun.  Mom and Sarah wined and dined Olivia and I.  We hit up all of our favorite places at the Round Rock Outlets, Target, Ross, Ikea, and Toys 'R Us.  Olivia got about 6 new outfits from Grandma.  At every store we went to my mom would say, "okay, no more clothing for Olivia", and sure enough she would find something Olivia just couldn't live without!  Very lucky little girl.  We also had lunch at one of my favorite places, Mighty Fine Burgers!

Olivia the Pig and Olivia the baby.

Sarah and I in the children's section at Ikea.  Safe toys, they can obviously hold a lot of weight!

Saturday night, after an all day shopping excursion, I came home to an awesome barbeque dinner.  Pulled pork sandwhiches and beef ribs.  We didn't even bother with any side items or veggies!  Dinner, a movie, and Saturday Night Live, and then Dave and I called it a night.   We are really enjoying what I like to think of as the "calm before the storm."  A good, welcomed storm, of course!

Sunday, after my walk with Thor, there were household chores to do and football games to be watched!  The Titans won.  I was also able to get in a very nice afternoon nap, an hour long bath,  and tons of reading in.  And this morning, Monday, when we woke up for work it actually felt like fall!!!  It was only 55 degrees and dry.  Thor and I went for an extra long walk and we even left him outside when we left for work to enjoy the first fall day.  The high is only supposed to be 79 here, and for us Texans that means coats & gloves! :)

I also wanted to include a cute picture of Ava.  Ava is in Chicago right now with her mommy and other grandparents while Jae is away at basic.  My mom had bought Ava a little doll that Ava calls Daddy and she takes him with her lots of places.  Here "Daddy" is watching Ava play :).   





Bradley Method Birthing Class: #3

Three classes down, seven more to go.  The work weeks are flying by right now!  After each class I feel like we have marked a check off of another "baby to-do" item. 

This week's class we focused on nutrition, again.  Christina, the teacher, has let us know that she will not let up about how important eating well is, so she will continue to talk about nutrition a little bit each week to help keep us on track.  We also discussed the anatomy of the womb and all of the important components that are keeping baby and mommy safe right now.  Sure you can totally go through a successful labor and delivery without ever knowing these things, but it's really interesting to learn exactly what all is going on in there.

We also touched on breastfeeding a little bit.  The benefits and some things to expect concerning nursing. 

Another focus in this class was geared towards the husbands/coaches and what their roles will be during L&D.  Christina told the dads to start envisioning the actual day, and start thinking about what sort of things may arise that they need to take care of.   I've, of course, envisioned "game day" for quite sometime and therefore have already constructed a mental to-do list of things for Dave:

1) Make sure Thor gets looked after occassionally for the 24 hours we have to be in the hospital.
2) Contact our family members and let them know we are in labor, and also keeping everyone up to speed.
3) Being my main emotional & physical support system.
4) Take care of the logistical side of stuff such as the drive to the hospital, getting admitted into the hospital and having the overnight bag.
5) Advocating our birth plan to our hospital team for Olivia and I when I can no longer do it for myself. 

Anyone who knows knows me, knows how much I love lists!  I also have a list brewing for our overnight hospital bag, our birth plan, and things we still need to accomplish before O's arrival.  Yes, I'm well aware that not everything can always go as planned, but preparation is definitely key to success.  Plus it gives me a sense of control over the birth of our baby, when in reality baby is the one in total control of the situation.  I can only prepare for potential scenerios.   

We ended class by being assigned a research topic that we will have to present on in a couple of classes.  Dave and I are responsible for researching and presenting on prenatal vaginal exams.  Yipee! Haha.  Dave is thrilled, I'm sure!  Luckily, I already have an idea of what most hospitals do concerning these exams towards the end of pregnancy, the pros & cons of them and several options mom's have regarding these exams.   Our hospital only "requires" one internal exam at about 36 weeks of pregnancy and then they aren't concerned with doing another one until the 40th week or so, if you make it that far.      

Now on to the weekend :).

Work in progress...

My husband is becoming a very handy man around our house!  I swear his nesting instinct can be much stronger than mine at times, but mine is really starting to kick into gear.  Dave is much better at building and creating  things, and I'm much more focused on maintaining, up keeping, and organizing.  So far this has been working out great in preparation for baby. 

Our nursery is REALLY coming along.  I'm in love with little Olivia's room.  At first I was not a huge fan of the color that we picked out for the walls once they were painted, it just seemed so bright!  After Dave added new base boards and crown molding it looked better.  Then we put the curtains back up and it slowly started to come around.  Now that we have added even more pieces to her room, I love love love it.  Which is a good thing, because Dave informed me it wasn't getting re-painted! For this baby at least.

Last week the glidder and ottoman that Reese and Annette bought for Olivia arrived on our front porch!  This past weekend Dave put it together and I have really enjoyed sitting in it in her room.    It's going to be absolutley perfect to rock our baby back to sleep at 2am.   

 This weekend we also got the crib!  My parents came down to Leander and took us out to lunch and then we went to Burlington Baby Depot and bought the crib I had been eyeing.  It has not been put together yet, but I'm dying to get it into the nursery.  (I figured I would give Dave Monday off since football was on last night!)  Hopefully we will have it put together soon.  I still need to get the mattress and the bedding before it's complete.  I'm almost positive I know what bedding we are getting, but it doesn't hurt to shop around a little bit more. 

Another one of Dave's completed house projects was the installation of our microwave above the oven.  Reese and Dave worked on this about a month ago, and I do not know how we lived without a microwave for that long! 

This is the best "before" picture I have.  Oven sans microwave on the left. (And the most handsomest dog, ever, on the right.) Before:

During:





After:



And, lastly, this weekend Dave mounted his precious baby to the wall. 

Before:

After:

The family room has really become a family room.  All in all the house is really coming together and feels like our home.  We are working hard to get as much together as we can before baby comes so that we can focus 100% on her. Always lots more work to do, but it's been a lot of fun so far.  I hope to have the nursery completely completed by mid to late October so that all we will need is our baby! 

Bradley Method Birthing Class: #2

Like our entire lives, my blog has been completely taken over by this pregnancy and the highly anticipated arrival of our daughter.   I would apologize, but I'm not sorry, and I really cannot think of anything else more exciting than preparing for this baby girl.  I know a lot of people feel that it's necessary to maintain some semblance of their individuality as an independent adult when they are entering parenthood.  I do not feel that need at all.  I look forward to being known as Olivia's mommy, and I do not in anyway feel like that will be "stealing" my identity.  That being said, this blog will more than likely become WAY more dedicated to our daughter (and our eldest, Thor) as time passes.  Of course, I will also continue to update about Dave and I and the house and our families, etc. etc.

(My guys on the drive up to Harker Heights last weekend)

Speaking of which something I never mentioned in this blog is that Jay, my brother, is currently at Army Basic training in Georgia!  He decided about 5-6 months ago that he wanted to join the reservist and he was able to get an officer slot rather quickly.  I'm not quite sure his entire schedule, but I believe he finishes his first round of training in November, and then the second one ends in February.  Go Jay!  His ladies are spending this time with Claudia's family in Chicago and then Florida.  They are hoping to be able to travel to San Antonio for Christmas, so that will be an exciting family filled holiday if it all works out.

On to our 2nd birthing class.   It was just as good as our first one, if not a tad bit better because it was less awkward.  It's kinda funny to be in a room full of pregnant women and their husbands.  We are slowly learning everyone elses names and I was a little bit more comfortable asking and answering questions.

This class focused on pregnancy nutrition & relaxation techniques.  The Bradley Method pregnancy diet really focuses on getting in a ton of protein, as well as eating as fresh and nutrient rich as possble.   I had already taylored my diet to a lot of the recommendations, but I realized that I was not focusing on proteins as much as I should.  The recommendation is for 80-100 grams of protein per day.  On a good day I'm probably getting closer to 60-65 grams of protein, so some adjustments need to be made there.  Also, Dave and I both realized that we probably aren't eating as many leafy greens as we should, so we will start incorporating more of those into our dinners.  Other than that just keep doing what we are doing as far as diet goes. 

The main thing is to be prepared when it comes to eating well.  Plan the weekly menus out on the weekend.  Load up on veggies, fruits, lean proteins, and complete protein snacks like yogurt & cheeses and  other healthy snacks at the grocery store on Sunday.  Never leave the house  for work without a packed lunch, plenty of good snacks, and water.  One thing I like to do to prepare for lunches for the week is to buy all of our produce on Sunday and then clean, cut everything up, and portion it out for the week.  It makes packing lunches for Dave and I each morning much quicker, and we choose all the fruits and veggies first because all of the work has already been done.  I've realized that if I do not prepare my lunch and snacks ahead of time, and I'm caught away from home and get hungry I tend to make unhealthy food choices. 

I will mention that even after yesterday's class & being drilled about the importantance of a healthy diet, today has probably been the worst I've eaten in awhile!  My co-workers are trying to fatten me up :).  Oh, and I made this delicious cake on Sunday in honor of football and my inlaws coming over for lunch.  Oh, the shame because I had log in my piece(s) of cake into my food journal, but it was well worth it.   Hey, there was fruit on the cake....coated in butter and sugar, of course. 

Other than that this week has flown by.  On Tuesday, I had my 30 week doctor's appointment and it went well and rather uneventfully.  I got to hear baby, which is always fun.  I'm measuring a couple of days ahead, which is normal. And my weight gain and blood pressure are right on track.  I will have another doctor's appointment a week from Tuesday. 

And just because I love putting pictures in my blog & I take a million....

Thor was a cuddle bug with me on the floor while we were watching the Titans.

Thor napping on our bed.  I love those pillowcases behind him!  My cousin Krystal got those for us at my bridal shower.  I have loaded our bed with every single pillow that we own.  To get a good night's sleep and to find a comfortable sleeping position I literally have to stick a pillow under almost every limb, behind my back, and one under my belly.  I woke up and looked at Dave the other night and poor guy had only one pillow, and it was our flattest one! 

Bradley Method Birthing Class: #1

Warning: Long, detailed blog about our birthing class, followed by adorable pictures of Thor & one of pregnant me!  Scoll to the bottom if he is the one you are here to see.  :)

First, let me say that from as far back as I can remember I always knew that I wanted to experience as natural of a birth as I could.  I  have no clue when this thought originated, I feel like it's just always been a given for me.  I wasn't brought up by particularly green or crunchy parents, and they are in no way hippies.  My mom, however, vaginally birthed all three of us in military hospitals without any pain medication or unnecessary interventions.  She was allowed to spontaneously go into labor almost 2 weeks late with all of us, and then go to the hospital to deliver her rather large babies without an epidural.  Jay weighed 8lbs 4oz, I was slightly larger at like 8lbs 10oz, and Sarah was the big kahuna at 8lbs 15oz.  If Sarah had cooked a couple of more days she would have definitely been a 9 pounder!

So, I have always known that it is absolutely possible for me to birth a baby naturally without any pain medication or induction interventions.  The minute I found out I was pregnant I hit the research and reading trail to determine what type of birthing experience was the best for us.  There is so much information and misinformation out there about child birth, it's crazy.  The Bradley Birthing Method, which I had not been familar with before I started this research, jumped out to me.  Luckily, there are lots of Bradley instructors in our city and we were able to find and register for a birthing class that was ideal with our due date.  Dave then bought me two of the highly recommended Bradley Method books for Mother's Day:  Husband Coached Child Birth by Robert Bradley, M.D. and Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon-Rosegg.  We took turns reading these two books and they confirmed and encouraged my feelings towards the steps we were taking to prepare for our baby's birthday.  I did all of that before I was even out of the first trimester, so the future first class seemed like forever away! 

Last night the first class finally took place.  Typically, Bradley classes take place in a 12 class series, our class is a 10 class series with all of the same information, just in fewer weeks.  I was really happy with our teacher and our class size.  There are 7 couples total and all of us are first time parents!  There was one other lady who was further along than me, and she is due just 2 days before me.  All the other couples were due in December, January, and one in February.  Three of the babies are going to be surprises, and 2 are boys and 2 are girls.  The teacher made a joke about whether or not I will be there for the last class, which is on November 11, as I will be 38 weeks.   She then went on to reassure me that more than likely we will be because first time moms tend to go about a week over their due date.

The first class was a lot of review for Dave and I because we have read those two Bradley books already (dorky overachievers, I know).  This class focused on the goals of the method, the exercises we should be doing, and pregnancy nutrition.  I've been doing a lot of the floor exercises and stretches already, but it was nice to get an in person demonstration and then practice the exercises infront of the teacher.  We also have several "homework" assignments for the week.  I've been given a workbook & student handbook where I'm suppose to log in everything I eat all day for the next week.  This should be relatively easy for me because I usually journal it anyways.  The only possible changes this week will be my food choices, because I know these entries are going to be reviewed!  We've also been asked to practice this butterfly stretch with our husbands, do 50 Kegels a day, and practice one of the relaxation techniques.  Easy enough!  Maybe I just liked school too much and miss it, because my ears seriously perked up when she mentioned homework.  :)

So far I'm happy with our decision about these classes and I'm also so happy that Dave is so on board with all of this.  It made me so proud when he knew a lot of the answers to questions that were asked about birthing statistics in the U.S.!  All in all a successful first class and that is how we will be spending our Thursday evenings for the next 9 weeks. 

Dave took this picture of me this morning;  I woke up feeling particularly pregnant.  

Some other iPhone pictures that I have recently taken of Thor :

   

Crazy dog loves to nap in this position.  If he is comfortable enough he will stay like this for awhile and just follow me with his eyes as I'm piddling around the house. 

New rug, not meant for him even though he thinks it is. 

Dave & I will sit and watch T.V. and Thor will sit and watch us. 

So now it's Friday and I'm looking forward to the weekend!  Filled with house chores and a trip to Killeen to visit my aunt&family, and sister and Dad while my mom makes a quick trip to NYC/Chicago for the weekend.  This is my mom's first flight alone in 28 years!  I'm doing lots of praying for a safe trip for her. 

28 weeks 4 days

How far along? 28 weeks = 7 months!

Total weight gain/loss: Oh my, it's getting up there...I had a doctor's appointment about 2 weeks ago and I did not ask the exact amount.  I did not particularly want to know.  I believe it's about 24-26 pounds right now; that was total amount I wanted to gain the entire time.  I'm only partially bothered by this number because I've (and Dave) been really good about watching what I eat.  I feel like that's just the weight I need to gain at this point without going on a diet!

Maternity clothes? I'm still mixing it up.  I have rummaged through my closet and found a couple of pairs of low rise jeans that I didn't really like any more pre-pregnancy, but they button and fit!  I also have quite a few regular shirts that will make it through this pregnancy I believe.  Of course I also have maternity pants and shirts that I'm wearing regularly. 

Stretch marks? Noooooo stretch marks, yet.  I've been religiously applying that coco butter and Collagen lotion with the Vitamin E.  I know they will happen if they are going to happen, but I love rubbing my belly anyways :).

Sleep: Sleep sucks!!!  It started to be bad about 2 weeks ago when I got a really bad cough.  I would cough all night and toss and turn.  I also pulled some muscles in my back from all of the coughing, which has made my back sore still.  Now that the cough is gone, I still dread going to bed every night because it is uber frustrating.  It takes awhile to get comfortable on my sides because my back is killing me.  Once I eventually get comfortable and doze off a little bit, it is time to get up and go pee.  Then I have to try and lay down and get comfortable again, doze off, need to pee.  It's an endless cycle. I think I have temporarily solved the problem.  I prop myself up on all the pillows in our bed, almost as though I'm sitting in a recliner and I'm able to fall asleep much quicker.  It also makes breathing much easier and my lungs do not feel crushed like they do when I'm on my side. 

Best moment this week:  I was spooning Dave a couple of days ago with my belly pressed against his back.  Dave was able to feel baby kick his back.  That was really cool. 

Movement: She is rather spastic!  She will have regular half hour sessions of somersaulting and strong kicks a couple of times a day.  I've also been able to see her kicking and moving through my shirt.  I love that.  I'm also able to really feel where she is at in my belly.   I often feel a round rump that I like to imagine is her little booty, but of course it could be her back, or head or any number of body parts. 

Food cravings: No real food cravings.  I've been really thirsty and eating tons of fruit to help quinch my thirst.  I'm getting sick of water and liquids in general because I always have to pee.  I know that I need lots of fluids, so I am still downing it. 

Food aversions:  I'm able to drink milk again without an upset tummy!  I have no current food aversions which is nice.

Labor Signs:  I have had a couple of what I believe to be are Braxton Hicks contractions.  It's been really hard to tell if they were BH contractions, or if it was just baby pushing against my insides and making my tummy tight.

Belly Button in or out? Very very out.  It has not stretched out or become any less noticeable.  I was walking around in my sports bra the other day and Thor actually tried to nibble my protruding belly button.  Gross?  Yes, very.  Funny?  Yes, very. 

What I miss: I actually enjoy being pregnant, but there are some things I'm starting to miss.  I miss not waddling when I have a really full bladder and I'm trying to bee-line it for the ladies room.   I miss my back not being sore.  I miss being able to shave my legs without having to maneuvar and perform acrobats in the shower. I miss waking up and really feeling refreshed.  I miss solid nights of sleep that I know I will not get back for the next 18-20 years or so.  I miss my regular sized breasts.  But I do not miss any of those things more than I enjoy feeling my baby move, or knowing that she is growing in there, or anticipating meeting her. 

What I am looking forward to: I'm looking forward to our first Bradley class on Thursday!  We have classes every Thursday from here on out until November 11.  I'm also looking forward to buying our crib with my parents this month and receiving the glider and ottoman that the Copelands bought for us. 

Weekly Wisdom:  I had to take cough medicine last week for my horrible cough.  I felt absolutely guilty about it, and I still sort of do.  I know I can't beat myself up for giving in and taking the meds, but I still do.  The cough went on for about a week, and it was getting progressively worse instead of better.  At first I thought it was allergies, and then once it started to hurt in my chest I knew it was some kind of cough cold combination.  I called my doctor and asked if I should come in and get looked at or what should I do.  She told me to take Robitussin DM or they could write me a prescription for something stronger if I wanted.  I was surprised I was able to take anything like that and I have been so against any sort or meds/interventions.  I broke down and took the cough syrup once or twice a day for a couple of days.  The Robitussin, coupled with a day off and a stream room in our bathroom my wonderful husband made me sit in and I eventually got better.  Wisdom in this?  No point in suffering especially if your OB/GYN says that it is fine to take some medication to relieve the symptoms.  I tried to tough it out as much as I could, but eventually took the medicine and now I'm all better. 

Milestones: Officially officially officially in the 3rd trimester!

{  Will post a picture later. }