34 Weeks

How have I been feeling?... Actually really good. I think I feel the best I've felt in a long time other than being tired but I can handle that. I think my nesting has kicked in. I wanted to get the whole house in order this weekend (we didn't but I sure tried). My back still hurt and sometimes I get a pain in my right hip. If I crack it the I'm fine. Feet are starting to swell again since I wasn't relaxin much this past weekend.

What am I looking forward to?... The weekend! We're going our Maternity pictures on Saturday and I couldn't be more excited about them!

Any weight gain?... I didn't weigh myself this morning or in the past week since my appointment so I'm not sure. Preston is gaining a half a pound a week so I would think I'd be gaining some but not alot.

How big is baby?.... Your baby weighs five pounds or more, about the size of a bag of sugar. He will continue to gain about two or more pounds in the next six weeks. Now that your baby's brain has formed billions of neurons, it must accomplish the even more complex feat of hooking the neurons and synapses together. Your baby's brain is forming trillions of connections, making it possible for him to learn in the womb. All of this brain development may be the reason that your baby sleeps frequently at this stage. He may even be dreaming—his eyes dart around rapidly just as an adult's might in REM sleep. Your child's development is in no way complete at birth. In the first year after birth, a baby's brain triples in size and becomes three-quarters of its adult size.

How is my body changing??... The volume of your uterus is five hundred to one thousand times larger than before you got pregnant, so it's safe to say you're feeling huge and slow. You're still running to the bathroom frequently and probably will from here on out. Try to drink a lot of water early in the day, so you don't get thirsty at night and make things worse. If you haven't purchased your baby's car seat and installed it facing rear-ward in the backseat of your car yet, do it now. You'll also want to start thinking about what you want to pack in your hospital bag.

Sleep?... Still getting up to pee A LOT but when I'm asleep, I sleep great. I've been having some crazy dreams though.

Health?... Still have a lingering cough from my cold but other than that, great.

Cravings?... Still fruit. I just can't get enough of it!

Food Aversions?... None

New Senstation?... Feeling body parts from outside my belly. I think I can feel his feet alot since I know they are right up by my right rib. I also think I can feel his little bum which I cannot WAIT to see in person!

Next appointment?... April 13th when I have my Strep B test....that should be fun! HA!

Here are my pictures....

PACK MY HOSPITAL BAG?!?!?!

I normally get emails every day from different pregnancy websites; Fit Pregnancy, The Bump, Baby Center, etc. Each day it's different, whether they are giving me a new tip, telling me about baby items I should check out or simply telling me I'm a week further and what to expect from my body and my baby that week.

Yesterday, I got one that just about took my breath away. No, really, I'm not joking.

It read............"Packing for the Hospital". It was actually directed towards Dad and said this, "It's time: Pack the overnight bag for the hospital together. Talk about what personal items she wants included, and double-check that everything is in the suitcase."

No! It's not time to get my hospital bag ready, it's just not. I'm only 33.5 weeks, I still have time, right? RIGHT?!?!? Please tell me I do. I am not ready! Well, I am ready to meet my sweet baby boy but I am not done getting things ready for him to come. We have a big to-do list still for things around the house that I would just cry if we didn't at least get it half way done before he came.

Anyways, I wrote a list of things I need to put in my bag which now sounds like I'll need a damn suitcase.
Here are just a few things I have on the list :

• nursing tanks
• slippers or slipper socks with the little bubble things on the bottom so you don't fall when you walk
• comfy pants
• make up, hygiene products
• my own pillows
• camera (and charger), laptop, video camera
• snacks for both me and Daddy
• cell phone and charger
• going home outfit for Preston including a hat, jacket, socks, and a blanket and my outfit to go home in
• some onesies for Preston
• pads (oh what fun)

I just can't believe it's time to pack the hospital bag. I think I've been in a bit of denial that it was quickly approaching......................

33 Weeks

How have I been feeling?... Pretty good other than getting over a cold I had over the weekend. I'm not sure where I got it from but it's been quite annoying. Sunday I felt TERRIBLE like I had a fever but I didn't...my body ached, I felt hot and then cold, my whole head hurt and I was conjested. I'm finally getting over it. I can also SEE MY ANKLE BONES and I love it. I forgot how skinny my feet were.

What am I looking forward to?... My Arizona baby shower on April 9th. This will be my 3rd shower but my first shower that I'll actually get to open presents and not get gift cards. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE gift cards but it's going to be fun opening things.
Any weight gain?... I had an appointment today and she informed me that I've gained 28 pounds so far. Sounds about right but I think it's a couple pounds more than our scale says. My Midwife said that the weight gain should slow down now if I'm eating right.
How big is baby?.... Your baby's crown-to-rump length is about 11 1/2 inches. He weighs about 4 1/2 pounds and gains about eight ounces every week. Your baby has probably moved to the head-down position (YAY, he has) and may descend into your pelvis at any time in the next six weeks and begin to press into your cervix. This position not only prepares him for birth but allows blood to flow to his developing brain. The dark quiet of your womb is perfect for this activity. Right now, your baby is also in the process of receiving your antibodies. If he were born right now, his immune system would be immature, and extra care would need to be taken to keep her in a sterile environment

How is my body changing??... Tired of being pregnant? Remind yourself that babies are easier to take care of in there than out here! You continue gaining weight at the rate of a pound a week, and it probably seems impossible that your body will find somewhere to fit six more pounds. Your amniotic fluid has reached its maximum density of two to six cups. To get ready for breastfeeding, attend La Leche League International meetings or other breastfeeding classes

Sleep?... Well, lets say I feel like I pee more than I sleep. Exageration? Yes, it is but sometimes it feels that way. I'm still sleeping pretty good though, I've been lucky!
Health?... Getting over a slight cold but I think I'm in the home stretch now.
Cravings?... Watermelon! HA
Food Aversions?... None

New Senstation?... Nothing new, really except some kicks to my right rib! Thanks PGA! :-)

Next appointment?... April 13th when I have my Strep B test....that should be fun! HA!
Here are my pictures....

We also put a wall decal up above Preston's crib. This saying is meaningful to my family. One night as my Mom was putting me to bed she told me she loved me and my response was "I love you AND I like you". Apparently, I wanted her to know I not only loved her but I liked her too and ever since then, it stuck! I can't wait to tell PGA that I love him and like him!

The Need to Pee

I was told around maybe 24 weeks that little Preston was breech and I freaked.

To some, this may be no issue or concern but to someone who wants a med-free vaginal birth, this is a HUGE problem. There’s no way a Dr. will allow me to have a natural birth with a breech baby. What can I do?  I continued to ask myself.

One of the Nurse Practitioners told me about some exercises I could do to help turn him but the one that immediately came to mind was my Chiropractor. When I first told him that I was pregnant he said “Well, if your baby is breech, let me know because I have a simple method I can do to turn him or her.” I was ecstatic. I called him up and made an appointment immediately. He started the Webster Method, which is a very simple and painless method where you lie on your stomach (on a table with a hole in it, of course), he bends your legs at your knee to see which leg is harder to bed. You then turn over onto your back and he massages your opposite hip. Well, my right leg was harder to bend so he massaged my let hip and there was a big knot in it. He massaged it for a few seconds and that was that. He did this three separate times when I went in and told him I thought the baby had moved to be head down. Daddy A and I had gone on a walk one night and towards the end of the walk I started feeling A LOT of pressure in my lower belly and then I felt BIG movement inside my belly. This was Preston moving to head down! We weren’t 100% sure until I had gone for my last ultrasound on March 7^th and the first thing the tech said was “He’s head down” and I just about jumped off the table in excitement.

I can now REALLY plan for my natural birth that I’ve been wanting for as long as I can remember.

THANK YOU my little boy Preston for cooperating so we can have the birth we both should have! Now, please stay that way!

Well, this has caused my need to pee to increase to extravagant measures. I have never been the type to get up in the middle of the night to have to pee….I do now. I have always drank water and tons of it and would maybe go to the bathroom two times a day while at work now it’s more like 10 times a day. Oh yes, it’s quite fun (insert sarcasm here).

32 Weeks = 8 Months....WHOA!

I know, I am a couple days late and I have traveling to blame for that! I flew home on Monday from my wonderful visit back East to visit my family and friends and to celebrate PGA! I will make a separate post about that later.

How have I been feeling?... Great. I honestly can't really complain. Yes, I have some "issues" but they are minor. For instance, my back constantly hurts but what else is new? And my feet swell up all the time. They look like feet of a 600 pound person. It's really sexy! ;-)

What am I looking forward to?... Hmmm, good question. I guess this week I am looking forward to the weekend. We are hoping to go to another Spring Traning game or two and do some stuff around the house. I really want to get Preston's room as done as I can. I've got most of his clothes in his new froggy hamper and ready to be washed. Now, I just need to get free & clear detergent and get to washing.

Any weight gain?... Well, since last week, maybe a pound or 2 since my little vacation. I ate a lot of bad things. The food on the East Coast is a lot better than the West so I took full advantage. MMMMM MMMMMMMM!

How big is baby?.... Your baby weighs about 4 pounds and is about fifteen to seventeen inches tall. Photographs of babies in utero at this stage show their skin becoming less translucent and pinker, as layers of fat are deposited under the skin. Her skeleton is rapidly ossifying (turning from cartilage into solid bone), which means that kicks will become visible through your shirt as the trimester progresses. Well-placed kicks under your ribs can take your breath away!....AND THEY SURE DO!!!

How is my body changing??... From now until delivery, you'll be gaining about a pound a week. About half of that gain is the baby's, the rest is fluid retention. Fight bloat by avoiding high-sodium foods and carbonated beverages. Call your care provider if you suddenly feel puffy in your face or hands; this is a symptom of preeclampsia. If you're still working, you're probably already counting the minutes until your maternity leave starts. (YES I AM) During the next six weeks, you may be trying to decide if you'll be one of the sixty percent of moms who will return to the workforce in the year after having a baby, or if you'll be among the forty percent who stay home. (I wish I could stay home.............:-( )
Sleep?... Still pretty good. I get up at least once a night to pee which I'm not too fond of but I deal and quickly go back to sleep. I toss and turn from left to back all night too.

Health?... Great...no complaints.

Cravings?... Well, I wanted Pudgies Pizza, Spiedies and a Friendly's chocolate milkshake. These are all East Coast things and the Spiedies are just a Binghamton thing. I had them all and LOVED them! I really want another milkshake or two. :-(

Food Aversions?... None

New Senstation?... Tons and tons of movement. He's constantly moving and rolling. Daddy A felt him last night and was blown away. Sometimes it makes me stop whatever I am doing and look down at my belly. It's so amazing to watch my belly move knowing there's a little human in there making it do that.

Next appointment?... March 22nd...I'm not really sure what will happen at that appointment either. LOL

Here are my pictures....

31 weeks

Yes, I am over a week late on this one but I couldn't skip it. I’m sorry, really I am. I’ve had a lot going on this week even though it’s been a short week so far. Monday, of last week, we had an appointment with the new midwife, Belinda, who’s from England, and Tuesday we had our hospital tour. I will talk about those later on in a separate post.

How have I been feeling?... Great other than being tired (from lugging this big ol’ belly around) but is that really anything to complain about? I love my big ol’ belly, I love watching Preston move in there and I love watching my belly grow.

What am I looking forward to?... Since I am a couple days late, again, I am sorry, TODAY is the day I have been looking forward to for a long time. I’m on my way back “home”. Home is no longer in NY but I still call it “home” because that was my home for 26.5 years, all of my family and some of my friends live there. It’s where my home is that I grew up in. It is where I know the ins and outs of the “city” and surrounding towns. It is where I could go down almost any street and know where I am going. I can’t yet do that in Arizona and I doubt I ever will seeing as it has over 6 million people living in it.

I am also looking forward to this Saturday, which will be my baby shower with my family and friends that I haven’t seen in WAY too long. I can’t wait to see everyone and celebrate this beautiful life inside of me.

Any weight gain?... Well, this one makes me laugh this week because I weighed myself on Monday morning, knowing I’d be going to the Dr’s later, and I was up 23.5 pounds total. I started at 116.5 and I was at 140 (wowzers) that morning. I always weigh myself when I first get up so there is no food in my stomach and with no clothes on. Hey, I gotta take all that I can. J Of course at the Dr’s, the appointments are typically in the afternoon, after work where I have been eating and sitting all day AND wearing clothes. NOT FAIR! So, needless to say, there was an 8 pound difference….yes, you read that correctly, EIGHT pounds. I said to Daddy A, there’s NO way I gained 8 pounds today, their scale has to be off. So, I’m going with our scale at home because it’s been nicer to me! hehe

How big is baby?.... You baby weighs between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 pounds. She continues to gain weight at a faster pace than she lengthens, which will give her those cute chubby cheeks. She's about fourteen to sixteen inches tall, although individual growth rates vary. Your baby begins to run out of room as she puts on weight. You should feel about ten kicks an hour. Some care providers suggest keeping a "kick chart" by writing down how many kicks you feel in an hour, so that you are aware if there's a decrease in activity. Other care providers may advise that as long as it feels like the baby's active, there's no need to keep notes. If you do sense a decrease in activity, try drinking a large glass of juice. If that doesn't make the baby energized, or makes her less energized than she usually would be, call your care provider

How is my body changing??... By now your sleep is likely compromised, big-time: You probably need to go to the bathroom several times a night and you're also having trouble sleeping because there isn't a comfortable position that works. The "nesting" instinct is likely to kick in soon, if it hasn't already, as you attempt to get everything done while you still can, from tying up loose ends at work and reorganizing closets to baking cookies and sorting socks. Take advantage of your pregnant form and get others to pitch in,

Sleep?... Pretty good....some nights I toss and turn a lot but for the most part it's still good. I've been getting up a lot more to pee though.

Health?... Still great other than the minor cold I had.

Cravings?... Nothing this week

Food Aversions?... None

New Sensation?... My bathroom visitations have increased A LOT! This is due to Preston having moved HEAD DOWN!!! Now, to some, this may not seem like something to be so excited about but when you’ve been told for weeks that he’s breech, you start to worry just a little bit that he won’t move head down for a natural child birth. I have been going to the Chiropractor for a couple weeks where he has been doing the Webster Method to get PGA to rotate. IT WORKED!!! This has caused some pressure in my lower abdomen AND the constant need to pee. I also think I felt it when he moved. My stomach looked like a roller coaster for just a mere 15 seconds and it felt pretty crazy too. I even said out loud “WHAT is he doing in there?”. I’m so incredibly happy that he’s moved to the proper position so that both he and I can have the birthing experience we both need/want.

Next appointment?... March 22^nd. I’ve graduated to biweekly visits and in 4 weeks I’ll be going weekly. Wow, I just can’t believe how fast this pregnancy is going. I only have 9 weeks until my due date. That is CRAZY!

We are growing more and more excited, every day, to meet this little boy who has made himself a nice, cozy warm home in my belly. I can’t wait to shower him with all the love I have, to show him to the world, to brag about him, to see Daddy A interact and love him, to introduce him to his big brother, Dexter!!

We had an ultrasound on Monday, the 7^th, which was the growth ultrasound. It will be our last time seeing our PGA before he has his big debut into this big world. It was A-MAZING! Immediately she told me that he was head down which is when I screamed a little with excitement. She went on to measure his femur, head, heart rate, the amniotic fluid and then she switched it over to 4D. Let.me.tell.you…….I’m amazed with the technology we have today and it is only growing better and better every day. We got to see him yawn….it was THE cutest thing I think I have ever seen in my life. He put his little head back, just like we do when we yawn, and gave out a big yawn. It must be a hard life inside my belly. *wink wink* He was making the cutest faces and then stuck his hand in front of his face. *little stinker* She shook my belly a little so that he would move and he did.  I have to say, he has the most precious little face, cutest nose and lips and I cannot WAIT to kiss them! No chubby cheeks, so that’s good. I don’t want a big ol’ baby coming out!

They guessed he was weighing about 3 pounds 10 oz’s and will gain a half a pound a week from now on, which would make him over 8 pounds. As we all know, these guesses are merely just that, a guess. I have yet to hear a Dr. tell someone just about how big their baby is and they be right. I was 7 pounds and Chris was 6 pounds and something so my guess is that he will be in the 7 pound range.

Enough of that…………here are my pictures along with some ultrasound pictures. ENJOY!

We caught him yawning and it was THE greatest thing ever.

You Are My I Love You

I’ve read over and over again that my little boy, in my belly, can hear us talk to him. Websites have advised to start reading to him. You can never start reading to them too early.

Since we have gotten the nursery pretty close to being finished, I’ve walked in there just to look around or sat in the glider and dreamt about what it would be like sitting there with my little boy in my arms. It’s such a surreal feeling but I love dreaming about him and what we’ll do together, the bond we’ll form with each other, the love that will grow even deeper in my heart for this little boy that his Daddy and I have created. We already love PGA sooooooo much, I can only imagine my heart aching because of the love we’ll have for him once he’s actually here. We talk about him and to him all the time. We tell our pup, Dexter, that he’s going to be a big brother and that he’ll have a play buddy soon.

Ok, enough of me blabbering, that wasn’t the point of this post.

The POINT of this post is to talk about reading to our boy! We’ve already got about a dozen books from Preston’s Grandma and we only plan to get more. I don’t love to read but I want my children to love it. I want to have story time every night before bed and I want them to look forward to reading instead of looking at it more like a chore.

So, I sat in the glider in his room with Dexter on my lap and read You Are My I Love You by Mariann Cusimano Love. Not only do I want my child/ren to love reading but I want them to know HOW much we really love them. This is just the beginning of our little dates for reading.

Every parent says that a child doesn’t know how much their parents truly love them until they have their own child. I believe this to be true even though Preston isn’t here yet. I love him more than anything, already. He’s my little boy, my miracle, my hope, my shining star, my future….I could go on and on. I want him to feel loved and cared for. I want him to have a good relationship with me and his Daddy. I want him to feel comfortable coming to us when he has a problem with anything. I WANT THE WORLD for this little boy. I want it served to him on a silver platter. I want him to know he can do and be anything his little heart desires and that we will support him in his adventures through life.

I am going to have a little boy…………I still cannot believe it! I can’t wait for that mother/son bond everyone talks about!

Preston – Your Mommy and Daddy love you to moon and back. We can’t wait to show you the world and show the world how wonderful YOU are!