Just waiting on baby

The nursery is finished, car seat is installed, hospital bags are packed...c'mon Baby B!  At my appointment yesterday I found out that I'm making some good progress and Baby B's head is "really low".  Good to know all those braxton hicks contractions are doing what they're supposed to!  My doctor is on call this weekend and she said that hopefully she'd see me at the hospital!  I'm trying not to get too excited, but Matt and I are really ready to meet our child.  Plus, I'd love it if my actual doctor was the one who delivered Baby B.  So now I'm bouncing on my exercise ball, eating spicy food, and walking a lot in hopes that Baby B decides to make his/her appearance soon!

Here are some photos of our finished nursery, courtesy of my awesome husband and his photography habit :)  There is one more thing I want to hang on the wall that I need to order, but outside of that, it's ready for the baby!

The mobile I made, courtesy of something I found on Pint.erest

Don't worry, the bumpers will come off before Baby B. actually sleeps in the crib :) 

A friend did the painting for us based on the fabric from the crib bumpers - which helped us pick the colors for the room

Yay for books!

You can't see it well unless you're up close, but each of those pictures has a Bible verse printed underneath.  I got them from this seller on Etsy.  I'm planning on ordering a button initial monogram from here to hang above the dresser in that little nook.

 Hopefully Baby B. decides to come soon!  We are so excited and ready to meet him/her!

Maternity Pictures

A friend of ours is a photographer, and when he was running a special in November to benefit his family's international adoption of two children Matt and I decided this was perfect timing to book him to take some photos of us.  Micah (of micahbellphotography) did a great job!  Here are a handful of our favorites.

It's nice to have some good pictures of us that are more recent than our wedding 3.5 years ago.  We really wanted pictures of us just kind of hanging out with each other, enjoying being together.  We're excited to have these.  Thanks Micah!

Merry Christmas!

There is something about being 9 months pregnant at Christmas this year that has me really thinking about Mary and how she must have felt.  I know how excited Matt and I are to meet our child soon, and all the anticipation and uncertainties that come along with that.  I can't imagine how Mary (and Joseph) must have felt knowing that the child they were going to meet wasn't just any baby, but was the Son of God, the Savior.  They must have been so excited to meet Him, but I wonder at all if they were nervous about having been entrusted to carry and raise Jesus.  I think about the immense faith they must have had, trusting God that He would provide for them and take care of everything.  And to be chosen by God to be the earthly parents of Jesus?  Wow. 

There's a song that I heard a year or two ago around Christmas that has become one of the songs I love listening to this time of year.  It's called "Labor of Love" and it's about Jesus's birth and what that must have been like for Mary and Joseph, all alone in a stable in an unfamiliar town.  How hard that must have been, not only for Mary with no one else to help her, but for Joseph, who I'm guessing had probably never seen/been around someone giving birth, not to mention having to watch the woman he loved in so much pain.  Here's a link to the song on YouT.ube if you want to hear it:

Matt and I are having a quiet Christmas this year, and I'm actually really looking forward to the rest of today and the next couple of weeks.  My dad and stepmom came up last Sunday, and my mom and stepdad came up Friday and left yesterday.  Matt and I have plans to just hang around the house, watch movies, relax, and open our gifts to one another today.  And we are hoping to spend the next week or two going on dates and just enjoying our time with one another.  Things around the house are pretty much ready for Baby B, with the exception of putting the swing together (which will happen when the Christmas tree comes down tomorrow) and getting our car seat inspected (happening Wednesday).  We are still a bit in awe that within the next couple weeks or so we will get to meet our child.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

37 weeks...aka full term!

It's hard to believe that Baby B's due date is a mere three weeks from yesterday!  The nursery is set up, the car seat is in the car, the hospital bag is mostly packed...we're having a baby, folks!  I have 4 more days left of the semester at school, during which I need to finish up assessments, start and complete 26 report cards, and get stuff together for my sub.  Lots to do, but it'll get done and then hopefully Baby B makes his or her appearance before second semester starts back up on January 9th.

According to my doctor, Baby B has officially dropped.  I can definitely tell that he or she is sitting lower.  Baby B is head down and as of this past Monday I'm dilated to not quite 2cm.  Not much, but hey, progress is progress, right?

How far along? 37w1d

How big is baby? Baby B should weigh around 6 pounds and is roughly 19 inches long

Total weight gain? As of my appointment last week, I'd gained a total of 28 pounds.

Stretch marks? none!

Sleep? Still waking up about every hour and a half, but sleeping fairly hard once I'm actually asleep.

Best moment this week: Hanging out with the kids I've been watching for over 7 years yesterday and seeing their faces when they got to feel Baby B's hiccups.  So fun!

Weekly wisdom: Not sure I really have any this week :)

Milestones: Full term!

35/35 and an update

So today marks a fun milestone - 35 weeks down, 35 days to go!  Hopefully we have at least a few more weeks.  The doctor on Thursday seemed to think so.  After staying home from work Wednesday and Thursday, I went to my appointment Thursday afternoon slightly nervous about what we would find out.  I knew the contractions had slowed down, though, which is good.  Matt went with me, which was great since he hadn't actually met my doctor yet, just some others in the practice.  He really liked her, which is good, since I love her :)  Anyway, she talked with me about how I'd been feeling, how the contractions had been, etc.  She checked and I'm still only dilated 1cm.  She told me that if I was comfortable, I could go back to work and see how it went.  She told me to just make sure I'm listening to my body and if I hit a point where I'm having a lot of contractions or need to rest or take a day or part of a day off work, to do that.  My doc said that some women have more contractions than others, but that it was good that mine had slowed down and it didn't look like I was going to go into labor at any moment.  So I went back to work Friday and did alright.  I took it as easy as I could, but I do teach five year olds :)  But I only had a couple of contractions all day, so I'm hoping that Baby B stays put for at least a few more weeks.  I only have 14 school days until we're finished with the semester, so I'd really like to make it until then.  I'm also really relieved that things look okay and I haven't dilated any further.  I also got a call from my doctor's nurse Friday saying that the labs from the hospital Tuesday night showed just a slight bit of bacteria in my urine, which could be nothing or could be just enough to cause my contractions.  They called in an antibiotic that I started this morning and take for seven days just in case that's what's causing the contractions, because they would rather treat it than let it go. 

Matt and I took some maternity photos this morning with a friend of ours who is a professional photographer.  I think we got some awesome pictures and I can't wait to see them!  As an added bonus, he and his wife are in the process of adopting two beautiful children from Africa and all the money from our session is going straight into their adoption fund.

It's been a while since I've done a survey and posted a photo, so here you go :)

How far along? 35 weeks
How big is baby? Around 19 inches long and just over 5 pounds - definitely running out of room, that's for sure!
Total weight gain? 26 pounds.  Not too bad!  And most of that is belly :)
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep? So-so.  Just waking up a lot to use the bathroom.
Best moment this week? knowing that Baby B is okay
Weekly wisdom: Don't feel silly or like a paranoid first-time mom for calling the doctor during the day or the on-call doctor.  That's what they're there for.  (I was worried I'd call the doctor on call and then the contractions would turn out to be nothing or would stop.  I'm so glad that I called.)
Milestones: Baby B's kidneys are fully developed

labor and delivery visit, take 2

Matt and I made our second trip to labor and delivery on Tuesday night.  The first time we went was the night of November 12.  My mom, Matt, and I were on our way to dinner after my shower before my mom left to drive back home when a deer ran out in front of the car.  It was dark so I didn't see the deer until it was literally right on the side of the road.  I hit the brakes, but we still hit the deer.  (It got up and ran off, so I'm hoping it was okay).  Our car is currently in the shop getting fixed to the tune of $2600 (thank goodness for insurance).  The doctor on call wanted me to come in for monitoring just to make sure everything was okay.  Matt and I spent almost 4 hours in a triage room with me hooked up to the contraction monitor and fetal heart rate monitor.  Everything was fine, just a precaution.

However, Tuesday night was not so fun.  Monday night I started having more braxton hicks contractions than normal.  I'd been told to call if I was having 5 or more an hour, but they never hit that point.  I spent all of Monday evening on the couch drinking water and the contractions subsided after a while.  However, they picked back up Tuesday morning at work.  I had 6 in an hour, so called my doctor during my prep.  The nurse told me to put my feet up/lay down, drink lots of water, and if they didn't let up then I needed to call them back and go home from work.  I spent my prep sitting down with my feet up and the contractions let up.  I stayed at work but sat down as much as possible (this is the last week I have a student teacher).  I only had 4 or 5 contractions the whole rest of the day at school.  The nurse called back around 2:00 to check and see how things were going (I LOVE my doctor's office, by the way.).  She told me to spend the night with my feet up drinking lots of water.  So I came home and that's what I did.  Except then the contractions picked back up again and I had 7 in 45 minutes.  I called the on-call number and my doctor told me to come in to labor and delivery.  So Matt and I drove to the hospital, much more nervous than the last time we were there.

The nurse hooked me up to the monitors again.  Baby B.'s heart rate looked good and he/she was moving around like crazy.  Baby B got the hiccups while I was hooked up, which was kind of funny to hear over the monitor :)  I was having contractions, but there was no pattern to them.  The doctor had the nurse run a fetal fibronectin test, which looks for a protein that your body makes before going into labor.  The good news is, that test came back negative.  However, I'm already dilated to 1cm.  While you can be dilated for a while before actually going into labor, the doctor wasn't super thrilled that I'm dilated this early.  We spent about 2.5 hours at the hospital, and when they checked me again I hadn't dilated any further, which was good.  They gave me a shot of terbu.taline to help stop the contractions.  That stuff stings!  Matt and I got sent home, but I'm on bedrest.  I didn't work yesterday and am not working today.  I have my 34 week appointment this afternoon, and the doctor is planning on checking for any more dilation.  Hopefully I'm still just at 1cm.  I've been having some contractions yesterday and today, but not a lot, nothing painful, and nothing regular.

Here's what we're praying for:
-that I wouldn't dilate any further for a while.
-that Baby B would stay put for another few weeks
-that the contractions would continue to let up/slow down
-that I'm cleared to go back to work (I don't want to use up my maternity leave before Baby B actually gets here; I'm planning to take 12 weeks off, but if I end up having to miss the rest of the semester then I'll only be able to take off about 8-8.5 weeks of second semester before I have to go back to avoid losing my benefits)

In exciting yet semi-terrifying news, my doctor did tell me that if I started to go into labor after the end of next week she wouldn't do anything to stop it.  Yikes!  While I know that we're having this baby relatively soon, there's a big difference between "in 5 or 6 weeks" and "next week!"  I suppose I should finish packing the hospital bag soon :)  But we are really wanting Baby B to stay put until I'm 37 or 38 weeks at least.  I'll keep everyone posted after my appointment this afternoon.

So much to be thankful for

With yesterday being Thanksgiving and reading everyone's blog posts and status updates about what they are thankful for, it also got me thinking about how much Matt and I really have to be thankful for.  And really, these are things that we should acknowledge daily and not just one day out of the year.  We have a healthy marriage, a house that is safe, warm, and that we are able to raise a family in, secure jobs that allow us to pay our bills and then some, great families, and our little one on the way, who we will get to meet in just about 6 weeks or so!  And really, something that trumps all those things, we are also so thankful to know Jesus and for the sacrifice He made for us.

We were lucky to be able to make the trip down to spend Thanksgiving with my family this year.  We weren't sure how I'd be feeling, but my doctor gave me the okay to drive down since "it's only 2 hours and they have good hospitals down there."  Thankfully, we haven't needed the hospital part :)  I spent Tuesday evening and part of Wednesday sick with the stomach flu, but that passed fairly quickly and I felt pretty much back to normal by Wednesday night so we went ahead with our plans to come down.  I'm so glad that we did, especially since we won't get to come down at Christmas.  It was great to see my grandparents and other family members at my mom and stepdad's house.  The food was delicious and we had a good time visiting with everyone.  Plus, my mom coordinated a little bit of a baby shower for us after we ate!  I knew about it ahead of time, but once again, I was overwhelmed with people's generosity.  Baby B now has an activity mat for tummy time, lots of sleep.sacks and swaddlers, some really soft blankets, and some more bath toys, along with some sun shades for the car. 

We also went to my dad's parents' house (yes, I'm fortunate enough to still have all four of my grandparents).  I hadn't seen this side of my family at all since Matt and I found out I was pregnant, though I've talked with my grandma on the phone a few times.  Once again, it was so good to see my grandparents and aunts, uncles, and cousins.  We got to celebrate my cousin's daughter's birthday - she was born on Thanksgiving Day 13 years ago, and while her actual birthday is today, we had cupcakes and sang to her yesterday.  It blows me away that she's already a teenager, and that her sisters are (almost) 11 and 9.  And speaking of blowing me away, I was completely surprised when all of a sudden my aunts and cousins come walking into the living/dining room with bags full of presents for Baby B yelling "Happy baby shower!"  This is not a side of my family that I'm close with, but again, I was completely overwhelmed by their excitement over Baby B's impending arrival.  Baby B got some really cute clothes and sleepers, along with our bottle warmer, bu.mbo seat, and Ang.el.Car.e monitor.  Everyone kept saying how they couldn't wait to meet Baby B and to find out if he/she is a girl or a boy.  Everyone kept making guesses yesterday :)

My mom, sister, and I kept up our holiday tradition of going to see a movie last night, and then my mom and stepdad went out shopping.  I used to go, but didn't last year or this year.  There's not really been anything I've needed or wanted enough to go out and fight the crowds. 

All in all, yesterday was a great day and I'm so glad Matt and I were able to come down and spend the holiday with family.  And I'm so thankful for a family who is so excited to welcome Baby B into the world relatively soon.  This baby is going to be so loved by so many people.  Actually, I think he/she already is.

I hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving, too!

33 weeks

How far along? 33 weeks 1 day
How big is baby? Between 17-19 inches long and around 4.5 pounds
Total weight gain? As of Thursday, I'm up just under 23 pounds total. My doc is really pleased with my gain so far :)
Stetch marks? None
Sleep? Eh, it's okay. I'm waking up every 1.5-2 hours to go to the bathroom. Most times I'm able to get back to sleep fairly quickly, but once it hits around 4:00 or 4:30 I have a harder time getting back to sleep and I wake up more often. This does not lend itself well to sleeping in on the weekends.
Best moment this week: Matt learning how to change a diaper during our newborn care class :) And really working on the nursery - it's so close to having all the big things finished!
Weekly wisdom: It is okay to let people help you or do things for you when you are pregnant. I've had a hard time watching and letting Matt do things around the house to prepare for Baby B., but he keeps pointing out that physically I can't really do much to help him anyway, and that if he can keep me from having to bend over to pick up things, then he will, since that's getting harder and harder for me to do.
Milestones: Baby B.'s immune system is developed enough now that his/her body would be able to provide protection from mild infections.

And my picture. I don't feel as big as I look. Though I do have a couple of maternity shirts that no longer cover my belly.

Baby Shower

Yesterday was my first baby shower. Baby B is already so loved and blessed by so many people. I can't wait for him/her to meet everyone! It was a great day and I had a great time. We got lots of things for Baby B, which I have been organizing and starting to put away today :) Me with my two closest friends from college, Christina and Kathy. They did a great job planning the shower!
Me with Rose, who hosted the shower at her home. I've been babysitting her kids for over 7 years (I took over when Christina graduated), and her family has become like our family here in Indy. Matt and I love hanging out with her, her husband, and their three kids.

Me with my mom. Yes, Christina and Kathy bought her a "Grandma to be" sash :)

Striking a pose with her sash

Delicious food. And how cute is that watermelon carriage?

Yummy cupcakesOnesies hanging as decorations

All kinds of stuff for Baby B.

We got our bouncer!

Cute little fleece with a hood with little ears on it :)
Everyone brought a book in lieu of a card. We got a great start to a library for Baby B. And of course, no baby's library is complete without the alphabet book of important Ohio State things!
Everything we got at the shower, minus the high chair

Mac really likes to lay under the crib. He hasn't tried to jump in it yet, but I feel like it's only a matter of time.

I loved spending the afternoon with friends from all different parts of my life. It was so great to see them all, and we are so thankful for all the gifts we got to use with Baby B.

31 week survey

How far along? 31 weeks 1 day

How big is baby? all the websites and books say Baby B weighs between 3-3.5 pounds and is 16.4-18 inches long. That's probably about right, at least weight-wise, since at our ultrasound 2 weeks ago Baby B weighed 2lbs 13oz.

Total weight gain/loss? I'm up about 21 pounds. Not too bad. The doc is pleased with my gain. They said to aim for 25-35 pounds overall, so I'm on track to fall in that range.

Stretch marks? nope

Sleep? Not good. I wake up every 1.5-2 hours to use the bathroom. Sometimes I have trouble getting comfortable, and then sometimes Baby B decides that it's time for a middle of the night dance party. Baby B especially does not like when I lay on my right side - probably because he/she has been camped out on that side pretty much this whole pregnancy.

Best moment this week: Seeing the nursery really start to come together. I am LOVING the room!

Weekly wisdom: Naps are great. The housework will get done eventually.

Milestones: Single digit weeks until Baby B's due date!

In other news, I had a doctor appointment on Friday. Baby B's heartrate sounded great, and I'm measuring right on track. I knew I had passed my glucose test, and I found out Friday I barely passed it. The doc said the cutoff is either 130 or 140 depending on the doctor. My numbers came back at 131, but she decided not to have me do the 3 hour test because she didn't think it would come back as me having gestational diabetes.

My kids at school are getting more and more curious about Baby B. One kiddo started rubbing my stomach on Friday as I was picking the kids up from lunch. He said, "You have a big stomach!" I asked him why it was big and he told me, "Because you have a baby in there. Let's go have a talk and you can show me what your baby looks like." Then he pouted for a minute when I told him that wasn't exactly possible :) And as Baby B is getting more active and starting to run out of room, his/her movements are getting borderline uncomfortable sometimes, especially when I'm sitting (I've decided my torso needs to be a few inches longer). When this happens, I tend to put my hand over the spot where Baby B is moving - it's usually his/her bottom that's protruding and making me uncomfortable. I have one student who notices every time I do this and she will excitedly say, "The baby's doing something! What's the baby doing?"

I've also been told by multiple people this week that I look great for how far along I am. Several coworkers have mentioned that I look the same except for my belly, and Matt has mentioned this as well. It's nice to hear, since I feel really big sometimes.

I'm not sure there will be another update this week - but I am definitely looking forward to next Saturday. It's my first baby shower! I can't wait to celebrate Baby B with others who are excited about his/her impending arrival!

It's starting to look like a nursery!

The nursery is really starting to look like a nursery! In the 3.5 years we've been in our house, this is the first time I really want to spend time in this room (since we hadn't really done anything with it up until this point). I love how it's all starting to come together!

Matt spent a good part of this past weekend with a tiny little artist brush touching up all the edges of the two small white lines, repainting the orange stripe with another coat, and touching up some spots on the green walls. Oh, and then he went through and covered up all the corners and nail holes in the baseboards. His attention and desire to do a good job just made me realize what an amazing father he's going to be, and how much he loves me and Baby B. I really am married to a pretty awesome guy :)

Our friend Robbie came over on Sunday and helped Matt assemble the crib (Robbie's got 2 kids, so he's a pro at this by now), take all the furniture out of the boxes, and move it all from the guest room into the nursery. And then both guys were patient with me as I played around with where I wanted the furniture to be. I think this is the arrangement we're going to go with. I really wanted to use that little nook as a reading corner, but the dresser is just a bit too wide to put against the wall that juts out, and I didn't like how it looked on the wall to the left of the door. And having both the tall and long dressers and the crib facing each other on two walls just seemed a little much. So we landed on this. It'll work, at least for now. The only other furniture pieces going in the room are the ottoman for the rocking chair (it's in, just needs to be picked up) and some sort of bookshelf. Because you know it can't be my kid's room without books!

So here's the nursery so far. I've ordered a couple prints for the walls, but now it's just the fun organizing stuff that needs to be done :)

Courageous

Last week Matt and I went to go see the movie Courageous (http://www.courageousthemovie.com/). It's been a long time since we'd been to the theater to see a movie, since we're cheap and usually watch movies from the big box that's red. But I'm so glad Matt said he wanted to go see this movie, and I think the timing of it was really good for us as we look forward to welcoming Baby B in a few short months. Basically, the movie explores what it means to be courageous, to stand up for and follow through with what you know is right. The main premise of the movie is what this looks like in the context of a family, what it looks like for a man to lead his family in Godly ways. It brought up a lot of good stuff that Matt and I talked about for several days afterward, and I'm sure we'll continue to talk about as we figure out what it means to be a family with a child.

As we were leaving the theater I looked at Matt and said something to the effect of, "I just didn't realize what a big responsibility you had." I mean, I know that it's Matt's role to lead our family. But I think I just didn't really comprehend what that looked like, what that meant, or what that could be, until seeing this movie. Matt, on the other hand, did a men's Bible study with a handful of guys from our church about a year or so ago, and this was one of the areas that they talked about during their study. He is really excited and really looking forward to being a strong role model and leader for our family. And I know he'll do a wonderful job. I'm so excited to see Matt as a father. I think now I'm trying to think about ways I can support Matt in his role, and help our child (and future children) grow to see themselves as beautiful children who are valued not only by us, but by their Father in heaven, and what that means for their life. It's a big responsibility, and while I'm looking forward to it, I also know that it will be challenging in so many ways. I'm sure we'll not only be praying about parenting and reading about it, but also seeking guidance from our small group at church and from other families in our community.

I would highly recommend seeing the movie if you haven't already. And even if you're not a parent or soon-to-be parent, I think there are a lot of things to take away from the film.

Great news from the doctor!

We had our follow-up appointments with the doctor this past week. Our first appointment Thursday was with the ultrasound technician to check on the location of the placenta. Good news! The placenta has moved up 1.5-2cm, and the doctor said this means we should be able to have a normal delivery, barring any other complications that may arise during labor that may necessitate a c-section. Yay! Baby B is already head down, which the doctor said may or may not change. There wasn't any sign of those pesky choroid plexus cysts, either. Baby B was moving around like crazy and the tech must have been enjoying talking with us because she kept moving the transducer around even after she checked everything she needed to. She even pulled out the 3D one and spent a few minutes playing around with that! Baby B had his/her hand in front of their face the whole time, but we got some great shots of their hand and half their face. On the regular 2D ultrasound we got to see Baby B open up his/her mouth, stick out their tongue, and gulp in some amniotic fluid (great for lung development). It was so fun to watch! We also got to see a bit of hair on the back of his/her head! Baby B looks healthy and is weighing in at 2 lbs 13 oz right now. His/her heart rate was in the 140s (I don't remember the exact number) and the levels of amniotic fluid looked good.

Then we saw the doctor, who said everything looked great and my weight gain was right on track. This was a doctor in the practice I hadn't met before, since mine is out on maternity leave for another few weeks. By the time mine comes back, I'll have met every doctor in the practice except one. This is nice because if it's time for me to deliver after hours or on the weekend, the on-call doctor will be the one delivering Baby B - so any of the five docs in the practice. Anyway, back to the appointment Thursday - after I talked with the doctor a bit, the nurse came back in to give me a flu shot and take some blood for my glucose test. I drank the glucola just before my ultrasound and that stuff was gross! It wasn't as horrible as I had geared myself up for, but it wasn't very good either. I had the lemon-lime flavor, so it tasted like really sweet, really flat Spr.ite. They were also running a blood test to check for anemia. Apparently I'm not anemic and don't have gestational diabetes, because the nurse said she would call on Friday if either of those tests came back abnormal, and I never got a phone call. Woo hoo!

Thursday night we had the second of our childbirth classes, which are also taking place at the hospital. We talked about the stages of labor and learned some comfort measures to practice at home. Can I just say I never knew that tennis balls made such good massagers? Seriously, Matt rubbing my lower back with that tennis ball was awesome. We stopped on the way home to pick up some tennis balls of our own :) We also have a paper with a bunch of different positions for laboring that we're supposed to try before next week so we can figure out what we like/don't like and we aren't trying to figure everything out from scratch when I'm actually in labor. Labor still kind of scares me, but I'm liking learning more about it and what we can do to help me manage the pain when it actually comes time for that (though there will be an epidural at some point).

I'll make another post soon about the little getaway Matt and I took this weekend (our "annual small town fall retreat") but I'll leave you with this 29 week photo from the corn maze we went through yesterday :)

27 week survey

How far along? 27 weeks 1 day
How big is baby? About 2 pounds and 14 inches
Total weight gain/loss? My best guess is that I'm up 14-15 pounds.
Stretch marks? Nope!
Sleep? Still so-so. I woke up Thursday night with an awful cramp in my left calf that had me gasping. I know those happen during pregnancy, but I'm hoping that does not become a frequent occurrence.
Best moment this week? The nursery is painted! And we got to attend a fundraiser cookout tonight for friends who are adopting two beautiful children from Africa. It was so encouraging to hear how God has provided for them thus far, and to see photos of their son and daughter.
Weekly wisdom: When in doubt, call the doctor. That's what they're there for. I had to call on Friday because Baby B hadn't really moved around much at all Thursday or Friday, and that's just not normal for me at this point, so I got concerned. The nurse was super nice and encouraged me to call any time. In the end, I left school right after dismissal (so about 45 minutes early), came home, drank some cold juice and laid on my side to do kick counts. Baby B finally decided to start moving around and we had 9 movements in one hour (I was told to call immediately if I felt less than 5).
Milestones: 3rd trimester! Oh, and I realized today that I can no longer see my feet if I stand normally.

The nursery is painted!

When we bought our house 3.5 years ago, we had plans to paint this room soon after closing. But then we got caught up with a few other house projects, and decided we would just leave it and decide what to do once we had kids. The previous owners had hand-painted this room for their first child, and we knew that it would cost a good amount of money to have someone do something like that, so we didn't want to paint over it right away in case we decided we liked it enough to use it for our child(ren).

Behold, the frogs and lilypads. (And yes, this has been called "the frog room" for the past 3.5 years!)
But then once we got pregnant and started talking about nursery ideas, we decided we didn't really want a frog-themed room. We wanted the experience of getting the room entirely ready for our baby, and we wanted to make it our own. So Matt and some friends of ours tackled this project last weekend. Matt primed on Friday night, and I think that's when it really became real to me - we were painting this room to get it ready for our little one!

We put a stripe along the top of the room. Doug, being the mathematical person that he is, was in charge of making sure the taped lines were straight.

Amy, Doug's wife, is an awesome painter. And has amazing tape-removal skills.

I obviously didn't help paint. I had seen some of the green, but none of the stripe. Matt had his camera ready to catch my reaction when I walked into the room and saw it completely painted for the first time.

The finished paint job! I love it! It's exactly what I had pictured in my head!

Our next step is to get new baseboards up. We had to take them out because one of our cats had decided the baseboards in that room were a nice place to use the bathroom. (That little corner nook used to hold both litterboxes - they've been moved elsewhere in the house now). The carpet cleaning company is coming in 2 weeks, and then we'll be ready to move the furniture in. Only 13 more weeks (ish) until Baby B gets here! Time has gone by so quickly!

Coming home outfits!

My mom has really been wanting to buy gender-specific clothes, which she can't really do since we dont' know if Baby B is a boy or a girl. So, I decided to let her help me pick out coming home outfits, since I wanted to have a boy outfit and a girl outfit ready for when we leave the hospital. Mom and I went shopping and picked out two adorable outfits. And let's just say, I'm fairly certain that once Baby B gets here, he/she will have a full wardrobe fairly quickly. Soooo many cute clothes!

If Baby B is a boy, he will be wearing this outfit home from the hospital:



Isn't it cute? And the little shoes...I love them!

If Baby B is a girl, she will wear this outfit home from the hospital:

Fun colors, fleecy and warm...cute!

Only 14 more weeks (ish) until we know which outfit Baby B will be coming home in!

26 week survey

How far along? 26w1d (picture from yesterday, 26w0d)
How big is baby? All the books say baby is about 14 inches long and weighs 1.5-2 pounds
Total weight gain/loss? I was up 13 pounds total at my appointment 2 weeks ago, so maybe 14-15 pounds total by now. The doc was pleased with my gain so far.
Stretch marks? Nope. And my mom said she never got them with me or my sister, so I'm hoping it's the same for me, since stretch marks are supposed to be hereditary.
Sleep? Decent. I'm getting a few hours in at a time.
Best moment this week: Picking out coming-home outfits (another post on that coming soon!) and painting the nursery (happening today!)
What I am looking forward to: Seeing the nursery completely painted (it's primed right now, and our friends are on their way over to help paint)
Weekly wisdom: People tell you that you "look great." I'm convinced people say this no matter what, as I feel like a huge cow lately. Seriously, the picture this week is enough to show you that I've suddenly become huge, especially when compared to the picture from 2 weeks ago.
Milestones: Air sacs are beginning to form in Baby B.'s lungs, and he/she can now open their eyes.

And here's the picture. I feel HUGE compared to where I was a week or two ago.

update!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! Things have been soooo busy with work that I barely have time to do much else. But the school year is going well and I still maintain that I have an awesome group of kids this year.

In baby-related news, before I do the survey, here are some highlights:

-The nursery is pretty much cleared out! The desk still has a few random things, and then that needs to go, but aside from that (and the litterboxes), the room is empty! We picked up some paint swatches this weekend so hopefully we'll have colors picked and the room painted soon-ish!

-We have a car seat! Babie.s R U.s was running a sale where if you traded in an old car seat, stroller, swing, bouncer, pack n play, etc., you got 25% off a new one. Some awesome friends from church gave us their old car seat and we bought one for our little one!

And, the biggest news...Matt got to feel Baby B kick! I'd been trying for about a week or so, and every time Matt would come over Baby B would stop kicking or wouldn't kick hard enough to feel from the outside. But last weekend Baby B had consistently kicked pretty hard in the same place a few times, so Matt put his hand there - and Baby B kicked again 3 or 4 times before stopping. Hooray! I was laying on my side and couldn't see Matt's face, but he said that it was pretty cool :)

And here's a survey...

How far along? 24w1d

How big is baby? Not sure exactly, but according to the books, Baby B weighs just over a pound and is about 8-9 inches long.

Total weight gain/loss? Not sure. I go to the doctor tomorrow, so we'll see!

Stretch marks? Nope!

Sleep? It's getting better, most nights. I'm still waking up to go to the bathroom, but am going 3-4 hours in between those trips sometimes.

Best moment this week? Baby B moving around a TON, buying our car seat, and (I'm going back to last week) Matt feeling Baby B kick!

What I am looking forward to: Meeting two new babies who were born today to friends of ours (2 different sets of parents); picking paint colors!

Weekly wisdom: Five year olds have tons of questions about babies. Have fun explaining to them why you don't know what your baby looks like yet and why you can't bring your baby to school tomorrow so they can see it :)

Milestones: 24 weeks! Viability! (Basically, if something were to happen and Baby B decided to come sometime between now and his/her due date, there is a decent-ish chance he/she would survive. But Baby B needs to stay put for a good while yet!)

21 week survey

Better late than never, right? :) Things have been so busy with school, and I'm so exhausted when I get home, that posting online hasn't happened much.

How far along? 21w4d (picture taken at 21w1d)
How big is baby? As of a week ago, Baby B weighed 12oz!
Total weight gain/loss? Officially on the doctor's scale, as of Monday, I've gained about 7 pounds total. Not too bad for being 21 weeks in!
Maternity clothes? I think I'm going to stop answering this one after this week - because I'm loving my maternity clothes. Aside from just a few shirts that still fit, I'm only in maternity stuff. And I'm not sure that I ever want to go back to non-maternity pants. The maternity ones are so comfy!
Stretch marks? Nope
Sleep? It's okay. Still waking up every couple hours, but I'm usually able to get right back to sleep.
Best moment this week? Well, I'm going back to last week - finding out that Baby B is healthy and "perfect!"
Movement? I feel something most every day, but usually when I'm sitting still. Baby B seems to be most active (or I feel him/her the most) mid-morning and in the evening.
Food cravings? Not really, just what sounds good at the moment. I'm still liking the occasional root beer.
What I am looking forward to: We are spending the long weekend with our small group from church up in Wisconsin, and I can't wait. We had such a great time last year, all in one big house in the middle of nowhere, just hanging out and enjoying the community we have with each other. We leave Friday after work and come back on Monday.
Weekly wisdom: If the doctor isn't worried, you shouldn't be either. (lesson learned about looking things up online - low placenta can bring up scary things, but most of the time, things are fine. I'm not worrying about it until the doctor seems worried - and neither the specialist nor my regular doctor are worried yet).
Milestones: Baby's eyebrows are present now. And in fun news, according to a pregnancy book I'm reading, baby's hair is all white right now because it doesn't contain any pigment at this stage in gestation.

Ultrasound pictures

Here are some pictures of Baby B from our level 2 ultrasound on Monday. The tech got some pretty good ones for us!

Tiny baby foot! Love it! This is Baby B.'s right foot.

Baby B.'s left hand - we got to see this hand open and close during the ultrasound. I love how you can see the individual fingers. So neat.

Profile shot - we finally got to see Baby B.'s face!

I think out of all the pictures we brought home, this is my favorite. It's from near the end of our ultrasound, and after much pushing, pounding, and other weird manipulations of my stomach so the tech could get the measurements she needed. I love his/her hand up by their head. It's like he/she is saying, "Geez, enough with all the pounding and pushing. Just leave me alone already!"