32 WEEKS

How far along? 32 weeks, starting month number 8!!
Maternity clothes? It's still a mix....jeans and most shirts are maternity, but sweaters, sweatshirts, and comfy pants are still my own :)
Sleep? Ok, here’s the funny story with this...I have to make like 1-5 trips to the bathroom BEFORE I can fall asleep, but then I don’t wake up until morning...kind of weird right?
Best moment last week? haircut...pictures to come
Movement? Kicks are getting stronger and I can feel her just moving
Food cravings? Peanut butter eggs
Labor signs? None!
Belly button in/out? IN, she is different then before, but still no signs of popping out :)
What I miss: My toes...can't see them anymore
What I am looking forward to: Each week is one week closer...
My thoughts:
Seriously I think I am a pretty lucky pregnant woman (thus far, anyway)...I was not terribly sick and besides having a runny nose and some nose bleeds, not much has changed for me. I have not (knock on wood) had constipation, heartburn, or swelling; those were the things I was dreading the most! I may still have some of those, but I still feel pretty fortunate that so far, so good :) I did notice this week that I am getting a bit winded at times. Justin has also stated in a very loving way that, ‘things have changed!’

Since about the second trimester Justin and I have been practicing reading to Rose. We have the collection of books that my parents read to me and my brother and have been working our way through the collection. Justin usually reads the story at night, last night was Beauty and the Beast, I think Rose really enjoyed that one ;) I usually read her a story during the day while sitting in the nursery. Usually I read Guess how much I Love You because I really like that book and it makes me feel close to my baby.

Our birthing class this week was on breastfeeding...Justin was a trooper :) Honestly, I am a little nervous about this, it seems there is so much that goes into getting everything working right and I really want to do it well! We plan on solely breastfeeding for the first 4-6 months before introducing any baby foods such as veggies and fruits.

Justin and I have also been working on our birth plan and coming home plan...nothing is set as definite since there are sooooo many variables, but we are talking about preferences if we have choices and planning for what we can control. We are on the same page about our first choice if all goes well for the birth and have started to discuss what life will be like after Rose arrives. We are going to try and keep everything as calm and low-key as possible afterward, since we will probably be totally overwhelmed anyway!! After the birth and we call the grandparents to meet Rose, Justin and I will head home with Rose to start our journey in parenthood. We realize many people will be excited to meet her and EVERYONE will have a chance to share in this special time, but it is also really important that Justin and I have time with our baby to bond and learn all about her. SOOOO, if you call or send us a message, please understand if we don't reply ;) Give us some time and we will let people know when we are ready for visitors :)

31 weeks

How far along?  31 weeks

Maternity clothes?  It's still a mix....

Sleep?  Good...once I am asleep, I am OUT!!

Best moment last week? Getting to open up some windows and be in the sunshine!!

Movement?  Yup

Food cravings? I am ready for some fresh spring produce :)

Labor signs? None!

Belly button in/out? IN

What I miss: Moving furniture...it’s kind of weird, but with the house projects we are trying to finish up it would be so much easier if I could just help move stuff rather than have to track someone else down to help Justin

What I am looking forward to: March, because then when people ask ‘when are you due?’ I can say ‘NEXT MONTH!’

My thoughts:

My 30 week appointment went much better than 28!. No concerns with Rose’s heartbeat and my weight was up! A shout out to Weis’ bakery in Oley for delicious donuts and Rita’s in Blandon for opening ;) but I am hitting up the farmer’s market this weekend, it takes a lot of vegetables to put on weight, but I think my body will be happier with me!

Justin and I attended class number two this week. Although he hadn’t thought too much of the first class, he did say this one was better. It focused on laboring and birth positions and ways of support (aka we pregnant women got messages throughout the class!). So far from what I have tried at home when I was uncomfortable and what we tried in the class, I think water and a yoga ball will be my first options for some relief....I haven’t tried the yoga ball in the shower...we’ll see how desperate I get!!

Also it’s kind of funny, but as the big day gets closer and closer I realize how much less of a priority other things are...since this mostly means easier house projects Justin is also very appreciative. Since Justin will only be taking about a week off and I will have about 8 weeks before returning to work full-time, I really want to make the most of the time we have together as a family. I know we will not be glued to each other every spare minute ;) but I want to have lots of opportunities to make memories together. We are only going to get to enjoy Rose’s childhood once and I want to have LOTS of wonderful experiences for her! So if you come to visit us and the yard doesn’t look like it was mowed in 2 weeks or there are dirty dishes in the sink...BUT there is a laughing and smiling little baby, you’ll know why {heart}

 Our Valentine's picture :)

How far along?  30 weeks
Maternity clothes?  It's still a mix....
Sleep?  Good...
Best moment last week? Justin and I got upgraded to the iPhone 4
Movement?  Yup, but luckily still no rib kicking
Food cravings? Rita’s :) Luckily the one in Blandon opened this weekend and everything is 50% off ;)
Labor signs? None!
Belly button in/out? IN
What I miss: NOTHING!
What I am looking forward to: Melting snow
My thoughts: So I definitely passed my glucose tolerance test, I had a 113 (I didn’t ask what the cut-off was, I was just so happy to not have to take the 3 hour test!). However, my iron level was low (no surprise there really I have been turned away from donating blood before for low iron levels...), so not a big deal, I am just taking an over the counter iron supplement :)
I am also very good at navigating the RHMC as I got to go back this week...this time it was for an ultrasound of my right leg to check blood flow due to a small lump I noticed a few weeks ago. Well long story short, I have textbook veins and no blood flow obstructions. The very nice ultrasound tech also wanted me to know about Shady Maple, as ‘you are such a tiny pregnant woman.’ Ahhh well, guess I didn’t pack on any record weight gain this week either :)
As I mentioned above, we had our first birth class. We have three more birth classes and a breastfeeding class. There were 9 other couples in the group from a variety of backgrounds which made for fun discussions. During this class we learned about anatomy (fun fun), the signs of labor, the stages of labor, and breathing. Our instructor taught us how to time the contractions and how labor can start and stop... She also gave us ideas on how to conserve energy and stay comfortable during early labor. I also really like breathing :) This is a relaxation technique that I have learned much about during my studies and that I have used to help others during times of stress. I have never really used it for physical pain, but I am game to give it a try!! And I guess that is really my answer to people who seem surprised at my plan to have an out of hospital birth without drugs...I want to give it a try. I understand it is not for everyone and I support a woman's choice of how she wants to birth, but I want to just give it a try :)

29 WEEKS

How far along?  29 weeks
Maternity clothes?  It's still a mix....
Sleep?  Good, despite Justin blowing his nose all the time, poor guy :(
Best moment last week? Unexpectedly getting to hear and see Rose again :)
Movement?  I feel her everyday and now that I know more where she is at hopefully it will be easier for others
Food cravings? I am just trying to eat all the time...
Labor signs? None!
Belly button in/out? In, who knows, maybe she won’t pop!
What I miss: NOTHING!
What I am looking forward to: Hitting 30 weeks, because then I feel like the countdown can really begin :) Also Thursday we start birth classes!!
My thoughts: I don’t have too much to report since the update on Wednesday...
The really nice midwife who did my ultrasound suggested some stretches for encouraging Rose to move off my bladder (mostly it was the cow and cat positions) and that seems to have helped a bit as I am making a few less trips to the bathroom :) I was also reading more about having an anterior placenta...there really is no medical concern. Some places say the baby has more of a chance of being face up or of having back labor, but lots of woman also report having absolutely none of these... and the placenta can still move before birth, so who knows!
I also have new confidence in referring to my baby as ‘she’. I really thought I was going to be having a little boy, mostly because Justin is one of three boys and then a girl. So the 20 week ultrasound kind of caught me off guard. Also I kept thinking maybe *it* just wasn’t in the correct position or the doctor didn’t get a good shot... Anyway at 29 weeks, if she is still looking like a she, I feel I should go with it!! Bring on the pink, bows, little dresses and everything else girly :)
Things are moving along with house projects... The nursery is *almost* completed and I will try and post some pics soon! Justin also needs to post some picks of the refinished floors because he did an amazing job last weekend while I was pampered at my parents :) We also created a corner in the living room for the changing/napping area. I was able to get items together to start my baby scrapbook (thanks mom) and we have booked a photographer for infant photos...and I really can’t think of anything else to do right now!

What a day!

Today was my 28 week visit (although tomorrow I am 29 weeks) and my glucose test. My appointment kept getting pushed back due to the weather and so finally I arrived at noon and got started. Honestly, the sugary drink wasn't so bad, kind of like a sweet 7-UP and that didn't bother me. The fun started after this...
SO my weight was only up two pounds. On the positive side I didn't loose anything, so that is good, but they still want me to gain around 15 lbs by week 40, that is more than a pound a week!! I AM EATING, I promise, but I will be doing my best to eat more. The baby is measuring right on track, so there is no concern with her size, but I need to be healthy too.
Then when they were listening to the heartbeat there was a drop. They said this could be due to different things and did not necessary mean there was any concern, but to be safe they asked that I go to the hospital for a fetal non stress test. By this time I was 10 minutes from being done with my glucose test, so I waited for my blood to be drawn. Well never has this happened to me, but when she went to take blood from my left arm, about halfway to finishing the first tube, it just stopped! So then I had to get the other tube taken from my right arm!
Ok, then I headed over the Reading Hospital, where I have not been a patient since 2005, so all my medical information was waaaaay off. I was hooked up for the stress test and really enjoyed getting to relax and just listen to my baby's heartbeat, but it did drop again...just a bit, but just to be safe, they gave me an ultrasound to measure my water levels. I was a little nervous this whole time, but all the nurses at the hospital were really nice! Anyway, so I got to have another ultrasound and we discovered a couple things...I have an anterior placenta (which is just were my placenta is located, but would explain why I feel movement a bit differently then people with placenta's located in other positions), also she is laying on my bladder (which explains my increase in trips to the bathroom), and finally that she really is a she!! So after the ultrasound they tabulated my water and I got a 10.6 which is in the normal range and apparently there was even more area, but something about the cord being in that area so they couldn't count it, however, if the baby would move then they could have counted it....I didn't really follow that. Also after all this fun she seemed to have woken up because when I was back on the monitors she was moving all around giving them the rise in heart rate they were looking for and then she settled back down to her baseline...all within normal ranges.
So my one hour glucose test turned into a 2 hour hospital visit, but I got to hear and see my baby and she is fine!! JUST GET OFF MY BLADDER :)