Update and Baby shower!

Apparently, I've been slacking in keeping my blog up to date, so here's what has been happening lately. 

I'm currently 33 weeks pregnant and more ready than ever for baby girl to hurry up and arrive.

I had my every two weeks check in at the doctor's office last Wednesday with a different doctor this time.  We are trying to follow the rules and make our rotations through the doctors like the midwife said to do.  This time I met with Dr. Nguyen and she was very nice. Granted, I only spent about 5 minutes with her but she seemed nice and friendly.  She told me she gained 50+ pounds during her pregnancy which made me feel better about what I've gained, which is way less than 50 pounds! Baby's heart beat was 156 at my last check up and she was head down.  The doctor said not to bank on that though since it's still pretty early and she's still moving around a lot so she may not stay head down. I was curious how they could tell where she was, but the doctor said she could just feel and tell where the head was located.  After looking at my chart she said that every thing looked great except the fact that I failed my 1 hour glucose test.  That doesn't really matter though since I passed the three hour test- Thank God!

In the past few weeks I've had 3 or 4 people tell me I've "dropped".  It seems like it is still too early for that to happen, but it is kind of odd that so many people have said the same thing.  Whenever people ask when my due date is, they can't believe I still have so long to wait.  I guess when you are short there is no where to go but straight out.  My belly is huge!  It's also getting a little uncomfortable.  I feel like she's bouncing on my bladder whenever I'm standing up, which is all day at school. Sleeping is a challenge as well.  I sleep for about 30 minutes on one side and then turn over to the other side.  I can not wait to be able to sleep on my back again!

Lately I've had mommy-brain like crazy.  I can't remember anything.  I feel like my brain is either way too overloaded with stuff (pregnancy and school related) or it has just stopped working.  I need to make my birth plan, but the thought of it makes me totally overwhelmed. 

This past weekend was my baby shower.  My best friend and my momma did a great job of coordinating everything.  It was pumpkin themed since the fall is my favorite time of the year and I LOVE all things pumpkin! We played lots of silly games and I got tons of baby goodies.  Check out the adorable cloth diaper cake Amanda made for me-

And here is me and my momma (the super excited Grandma-to-be)

Two of my co-workers were also pregnant this year.  One was due at the end of October and the other was due some time in November, and then there's me- due at the beginning of December.  Well both of them have gone into labor early.  The first one went into labor like 3 weeks early and then the one who was due in November had her baby today.  Yikes... now I'm the only one left and apparently the trend is for it to happen early.  Maybe it's from being on our feet all day or maybe it's just the stress level.  Who knows... I'd be very ok with my little one coming early though (although not too early).  I'd love for her to have a November birthday rather than a December birthday.  I'm planning on working until November 16th which would put me at 37 weeks 5 days along.  Let's hope I can make it! 

That's about all that has been going on since my post last month.

Hello third trimester

I had my last monthly appointment with my midwife at the beginning of this month.  I'm still measuring right on target even though you might not think so by looking at me.  The other day Michael and I were at the mall and this woman that didn't know asked when I was due.  I told her that I'm due the first week of December.  She looked at me and said "wow are you having twins?".  No lady, I'm not having twins and thanks for telling me I look huge.  I told her as nicely as I could "No, I'm not having twins and I'm measuring right on target."  Ugh... what is it about being pregnant that makes people think it is ok to say things like that?  As if dealing with all the changes that happen to your body isn't enough, now you have to deal with total strangers telling you how huge you look.  Awesome. 

Here's a picture of my huge self at 27 weeks:

Anyway, my appointment went well but I left feeling a little confused.  My midwife told me that the doctor's office where she works had a meeting recently and they don't want patients just seeing one doctor exclusively any more.  So my midwife said she would introduce me to a few of the other doctors before I left.  This made me worried and I asked, "You're not leaving are you?"  She said that she wasn't but I was still a little confused as to why I would need to see someone other than her the next time I come in.  She introduced me to another doctor in the practice, who I will be seeing at my next visit.  I asked if I'm supposed to see a different doctor every time or if I can still go to her.  She said to just have my next appointment with this other guy and then schedule my following appointment with her.  I have to go in every two weeks now, so I'll be in and out of their office pretty frequently I guess. 

My midwife also took me into her office and explained that she's not super thrilled with how often the doctors in her practice induce their patients. She recommended a few supplements to help prepare my body for labor in hopes that I won't have to be induced.  She recommended Dr. Christopher's Birth Prep, red raspberry leaf tea, 5W Natures Sunshine, and evening primrose oil.  She told me to research each one and then decide which ones I'd like to try and begin taking them around 35 weeks.  I googled all of them and found mixed reviews for all of them.  Some women swear by them and others say they didn't think the supplements really helped.  I don't know... I'll have to ask her more about them before I start taking anything. She also recommended a chiropractor who specializes in the Webster Technique (in case baby is breeched) and cranial-sacral massage for infants.  I still need to do some more research on both of those.

I had my 1 hour glucose tolerance test this past Saturday.  I got the nasty orange liquid down with out any problems and sat around for an hour waiting for my blood test.  My midwife called me today with my results.  She said "The good news is that your iron levels were great.  The bad news is that you have to take the 3 hour glucose test."  She explained that my results were at 153 and anyone over 140 has to take the 3 hour test.  I was so disappointed that I didn't pass the first test.  I know that it is pretty common to fail the first test and then pass the second test, but everything has been so smooth with this pregnancy so far I just assumed that I'd pass the first test with no problem.  Oh well... I scheduled my 3 hour test for next Friday so I'll have that first thing in the morning and then head in to work when I'm done. 

Between work, getting through all these appointments, getting things ready for baby's arrival, and having something almost every night of the week, I've been feeling super overwhelmed and stressed out lately. I feel like there is too much going on for my brain to handle.  I can't remember anything.  I'll walk across the room to do something and forget what it was I was going to do by the time I get to the other side of the room.  I feel like I can never get caught up with everything I need to do at work which is not normal for me... I like to be way ahead of the schedule at work, but I guess it will just take time to get used to the new administration and all the changes that are being made this year. It's just stressing me out!! Only 47 school days left (if I can make it that long)...

That's about it for now.  I'll post again after my next doctor's appointment. Pray that my 3 hour glucose test comes back normal.  :)

Goodbye Summertime and back to work!

I've been slacking in the blogging department, but thankfully all things pregnancy related have been uneventful lately so I wouldn't have much to write about anyway.  Summer vacation has ended and that means I'm back at work (until maternity leave time which is 60 school days from today but who is counting? haha!) and things have been super busy trying to get everything ready for back to school time.

Since my last post the rest of the stuff for the nursery finally arrived.  Pottery Barn Kids finally shipped me the bumper that I should've gotten back in June and now the crib bedding is complete.  I was a little disappointed after putting it all together because I didn't absolutely love it like I thought I would, but after waiting so long and the hassle of getting it here I'm hoping it will grow on me.  I don't hate it by any means, I just don't absolutely love it like I was hoping.  The glider also arrived, but unfortunately the ottoman that went with it was broken in half when I opened the box.  There were footprints on top of the box so I'm guessing that the UPS man probably used my box as a step to reach something else in his truck.  After a phone call to Albeebaby.com to explain my predicament I was told to email them a photo of the broken ottoman along with the product number information.  I really didn't want to have to ship everything back and then wait another few weeks to get a new one shipped in.  Luckily, they told me that all I needed to ship back was the broken ottoman (and I could keep the actual glider).  UPS came to pick it up a few days later and about a week later I had a new, not broken ottoman delivered to my door.  Now all I need to finish up the nursery is a changing pad for the changing table, some decorations for the walls which I have already found on etsy, and Michael needs to paint the dresser that is currently occupying space in our garage.  I'm glad to have all the big stuff done though even though baby won't be here for (hopefully) another 15 weeks.

I had my monthly check in appointment with my midwife a few weeks ago.  She said that I was measuring right on target, which was good to hear since I feel like I'm so huge already.  Baby girl had a good strong heartbeat of 156.  I told her that I had chosen the bradley method classes rather than hiring a doula and she said "Oh the pressures on me then to be there during your labor".  She has only missed two of her patients births during the time she's been practicing.  Let's hope I'm not the third name to get added to that list.  She asked me what pregnancy books I had been reading and I explained that I got halfway through three or four books and then stopped reading them all together because they were making me so paranoid about every little thing.  I figure if something is really wrong, my body will let me know.  I don't need to read a bunch of books that make me freak out about every little thing that happens during pregnancy.  I'd rather just deal with things as they happen than be worried the whole time.  She recommended the book "A Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" and I've also had a friend recommend "Hypnobirthing" and "Birthing from Within".  I have them all in my cart on Amazon.com but have yet to order them since I'm not sure when I'll actually get the time to read them.  I was also scheduled for my glucose test at my appointment, which I was happy to be able to schedule on a Saturday morning so I don't have to miss work.  Hopefully that test will go well so I don't have to do the lovely three hour glucose test later.

We start our bradley method classes tomorrow night and I'm interested to see how it goes.  I told Michael that he has to try to take it seriously and not joke around the whole time, but I'm not sure what to expect yet. 

School started on Monday and I've been exhausted the past two days when I get home from school.  Teaching kindergarten is such a challenge because you literally have to teach them everything... how to walk into the classroom, how to sit on the carpet, how to walk in line, how to use the bathroom (apparently my boys think peeing all over the floor is acceptable... I'll be chatting with them about that tomorrow!), how to work together with other students, etc. They don't quite understand that they don't get to play all day and that we actually have work to do so I'm constantly getting asked "When are we going outside?" or "When do we get to play with the toys?" which gets pretty annoying.  On the first day of school, someone asked one of my little girls "Who is your teacher?"  She replied with "I don't know but my mommy said she has a baby in her belly."  They are pretty funny about the whole pregnancy thing.  I hadn't mentioned anything to them about it, but they have told me that I have a baby in my belly and keep asking me if it is going to come out tomorrow.  My former students are very excited for me though... especially the girls since I told them I'm having a little girl.

We still haven't started taking the weekly belly photos and I kind of feel like now it's too late to start.  I know my belly is going to get bigger but we've already missed the past 25 weeks so I kind of feel like what's the point? As long as I get a few photos of my huge preggo belly before baby comes I'll be happy.

That's about all that has been going on lately.  Not much coming up in the next few weeks either.  Hopefully I can get back in the routine of waking up early and working all day before too long.  Hopefully I won't feel so exhausted every day once my students get their routines down as well.

House projects and week 22

While I was on vacation my sweet friends and husband painted two rooms in our house and our garage.  I knew that they were working on the baby's room and the office, but the garage was a something Michael had up his sleeve and didn't let me know.  Painting the walls in the garage was on my list of things to do while not working this summer, but after finding out we were expecting I put that project on hold.  It was nice to come home to everything all freshly painted.  We put together the crib and bookshelf/changing table and we also had a new window installed in the baby's room.  One of the windows had the outside pane busted out since before we moved in so it was nice to finally get that fixed.  It's funny how having a baby can make you get stuff done so quickly! Our little fixer-upper of a house is coming along nicely with only a few projects left (we still need a new roof- next on our list, and we have one more bathroom to redo).

I've been searching high and low for a white glider rocking chair with a cushion in any other color than the green that is available at BabiesRus. Oh sure, there are plenty of cushion colors if you want a dark or light wood finish glider, but apparently the white one only comes with green. I was even willing to buy one on craiglist and then have it reupholstered, but the only things I could find on there were either really old or just plain ugly. I finally found one online from Albeebaby.com that is white with a light pink cushion (not exactly the same color pink that goes with the bedding but it has to be better than the green). Hopefully I'll like it when it gets here since I've never seen it besides on my computer screen.  Why are gliders so expensive?  Sheesh... the one we got was on sale from $350 to $279 but I still feel like that is pretty pricey.

Baby girl must be growing a ton, because my belly is getting huge.  She's been moving like crazy lately... to the point where I can now see my belly move when she kicks me. My belly button is slowly beginning to get more and more shallow and I'm sure it will pop out in a few short weeks. Pregnancy and my body are still getting along pretty nicely.  I never had any major morning sickness (just a few times that I felt a little car sick around week 7) and no other big issues. The only thing I'm not loving is that all these crazy hormones are making my face breakout.  I've been pretty lucky and always had pretty clear skin with just a few pimples here or there before my period each month, but these pregnancy hormones are not getting along too kindly with my face. My mom came over the other day when I was getting ready (before I had on any makeup) and was kind enough to say "Wow, your face looks like your a teenager!".  Thanks mom, that helps with my self esteem!

I signed up for Bradley method birthing classes which start in the middle of August. It was a little more expensive than I was thinking it would be (I guess I thought it would be roughly the same price as the lamaze classes offered through the hospital but apparently I was way off). My midwife had recommended hiring a doula, but I couldn't justify spending $500 on a doula and then another $400 on bradley method classes so I had to choose one or the other.  After talking with a mommy friend, she reassured me that I should be fine with just the bradley method classes. I'm sure Michael is super excited about 12 weeks of birthing classes :)

My next appointment is next week for just a normal monthly check up. I'm hoping that I can get my glucose screening appointment done before I head back to school but I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I'm getting nervous about going back to school, more nervous than normal after finding out we will have a new principal this year.  I keep having dreams that I can't remember my students' names or that I take them to lunch and forget to pick them back up. I'm hoping to work until thanksgiving break which would put me at 38 weeks pregnant, but I guess we'll have to see how things go. This is getting a little lengthy so that's enough for now :)

Week 19

I had an appointment with my midwife on Wednesday to go over the rest of my blood test results and have my monthly check up.  Everything came back normal on my blood tests for which I'm thankful.  She said I was measuring right on track.  I asked her if she had a preference between the Bradley Method and Lamaze classes since I'm trying to decide what childbirth classes I want to take.  She said that she didn't really have a preferred method, but that you can get good things from all of them.  Then she said "What I'd really recommend is hiring a doula that way if I'm unable to be there or if I have to be in and out during your labor, she can help you."  She also recommended hypnobirthing (I told that to Michael and his response was "Oh gosh, they are going to hypnotize you?" lol).  She gave me a few phone numbers for doulas that she recommends and told me to check them out.

On Thursday I went back for my anatomy ultrasound appointment.  Little girl decided to be nice and still for the ultrasound tech, unlike my gender appointment where she was bouncing all over the place! The ultrasound tech confirmed that it is for sure a girl (I was worried that she was going to tell me it was a boy and then I'd have to take back the nursery stuff! Thankfully that didn't happen!).  She measured her arms, legs, abdomen, chambers of the heart, brain, skull, and other things that I don't remember.  She said that baby girl is measuring right where she should be at this point and that she weighs about 10 ounces.

Here's the little one:

I'm still waiting on the correct item to come from Pottery Barn Kids to complete the nursery bedding.  Everyday I was anxiously waiting for the UPS man to bring me a package and he visited both of my neighbors closest to our house, but never brought me anything.  I finally got fed up and called customer service again.  Of course I couldn't get a hold of the guy I had spoken with before, so I had to explain the whole situation to a new lady and walk her through their website to show her how the mistake was made (they have two different sets listed for the same item number in two different locations).  First she was like, "Oh well you just need to send back the quilt and we'll send you the bumper that you were supposed to get".  I had to explain to her that they were supposed to send me the bumper for free and that I get to keep the quilt since it was an error on their part.  After waiting on hold for a few minutes she came back and said that I was correct, that a supervisor had already looked at this order issue, and then told me that the bumper is on back order until August 1st which is why I haven't received it yet. Oh man, that's not good! I need that bumper to pick a paint color so Michael can paint while I'm out of town next week.  The bumper is the only thing with the paisley pattern.  I asked her if they had a fabric swatch or something in that pattern that they could send me.  She said that they didn't, but to try one of the local stores to see if maybe they have a fabric swatch.  I called the local store but of course they don't have it because it is a catalog and internet only item.  So I guess I'm going to just pick a color and hope that it works.  If you know me and know what a perfectionist I am, then you can understand how nervous this makes me.  Michael was sweet about it and said "It's fine... if it doesn't match, I can just repaint the room again." Hopefully he won't have to do that.

I leave for my annual week at the beach with all the girls in the family tomorrow morning.  Things around the house are almost ready for the painting party while I'm gone.  Our sweet friends in our bible study offered to come over on Tuesday night and help paint rather than doing our normal study this week.  The guest room is mostly ready- I've taped off the baseboards, taken down the blinds, taped the windows, and covered the floor.  My goal for today is to finish the office, although I won't be able to do everything since I'm not allowed to move the furniture out I'm just going to have to work around it.  Our poor doggie, Cooper, is probably wondering what in the world is going on in our house lately.

I know that I'm going to face some resistance from my family when I explain that I want to use cloth diapers.  My mom has already told me that I'm crazy and that it will probably last for two weeks before I start using pampers instead.  Yesterday, I bought a cloth diaper like the ones I will be using so that I can show them and explain it to them because when they think of cloth diapers, they think of what was available 30 or more years ago and like everything, things change over time.

Anyway, that's enough for today.  I need to get to work finishing up preparations for painting and I also need to pack for the beach.

Week 18- Nursery and Dancing Baby

We've been trying to get things around the house ready for baby lately, which means cleaning out closets, moving furniture, getting rid of some furniture, buying new furniture, and painting two bedrooms. We currently have our home office in one bedroom and a guest room/storage room in the other bedroom and we are going to be moving the office to the guest room and making what used to be the office the baby's room. I've gone through the closets in the bedrooms and I'm trying to get rid of things and downsize all of the stuff that has been stored in there.  In the process, I packed up all my skinny clothes which made me really sad.  I didn't get rid of them because I want to get back in them someday after baby but it was so sad to pack them all away.  I also found some pretty funny stuff as I was going through the closets like my old planners from high school, boxes of notes written from friends, and my old journals from middle school and high school.  Looking through all of that stuff made me glad that my life is no longer so dramatic! 

I ordered the bedding for the nursery last week from Pottery Barn Kids and was so excited to get it in the mail on Tuesday so I could start picking out paint colors for the bedroom.  Unfortunately, there was an error on their website and they have two different nursery sets listed for the same pattern and so they sent me the wrong combination of items.  The one I ordered included the crib bumber, crib sheet, and crib skirt.  The one I received included the quilt, the sheet, and the crib skirt.  I called their customer service and explained the situation and now they are sending me the bumper (which would've cost $99) for free with rush shipping, so it should arrive today.  I don't even have to send back the quilt (which also runs $99).  Wow! Thank you Pottery Barn for having fantastic customer service.  Here is the set I ordered:

Baby girl has been moving like crazy lately.  I first felt the little flutters a week or so ago, but yesterday I was able to put my hands on my tummy and feel her kicking away.  Michael hasn't been able to feel it yet though.  Every morning after breakfast I feel like she's dancing around in there.  She is really active in the morning. 

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday to finish up my blood work for my NT scan or quad screen (I'm not sure which it was for) but the nurse was really good and was able to draw my blood on the first try.  Usually it takes a couple pokes before they find a good vein. I go back this coming Wednesday to get my results and schedule my anatomy ultrasound. 

Weeks 16 and 17 - Gender time!!

Since my last post, we've been to Vancouver, Alaska, and back home to Florida.  We flew to Vancouver, spent the night there and then boarded our ship for our seven night northbound Alaskan cruise.  It was beautiful but very cold!  I'm a wimp when it comes to cold weather.  I ate way too much delicious food and took lots of naps (since my body didn't like the 4 hour time difference very much). It was nice to get away from the world for a while.  My favorite part of the trip was our helicopter tour which took us to a glacier that we hiked on for 2 hours.  Here is a picture of us on the glacier in our lovely glacier gear:

Today I had my gender determination ultrasound at Little Life Imaging.  I don't know why, but I still get so nervous everytime I go to the doctor or have an ultrasound. I'm terrified that I'm going to go and get bad news or that there will no longer be a baby in there.  My mom, Michael's mom, and Michael's sister came with me.  Michael wasn't able to go because of work stuff, but I thought it would be fun to do it with just the girls in the family anyway. 

The baby was moving all over the place and the sonographer had a hard time getting the baby to sit still long enough for her to see the goods to determine the gender.  Once she was finally able to get a good look, she said without any hesitation "It's a girl!".  She pointed out the three little dots to indicate a girl, but to me it just looked like three little dots.  Thankfully she does this every day so I'm sure she knows what she's looking for better than I do.  After that was finished she let us watch the little munchkin move all around, took some measurements, let us listen to the heartbeat (158 this time around), and did a 3D preview for us.  We got to see her hiccupping, making sucking movements with her mouth, and she was a fiesty little thing punching me (I don't think she liked when the lady pressed on my tummy with the wand).  According to the measurements today, she is measuring a little bigger so maybe she will come early and not be a December baby after all *fingers crossed for that!*.

Introducing Elizabeth Grace:

And here she is looking like a little alien baby (in 3D) with her hand covering her face: