Our Anniversary

Here are a few photos from our anniversary last weekend, June 18th, 2011. We enjoyed the day by relaxing by the pool and then headed home to watch our wedding DVD before we got ready to head into the city for dinner. Dinner was delicious!

At Grill 23 for dinner..

After dinner we decided it was time to taste the top tier of our wedding cake that we froze after we got married last year.  I had taken it out to thaw earlier in the day and we were nervous to try it, ha!

The bag that it  in (the cake was in 2 large freezer bags after being wrapped in plastic wrap!) I remember writing on that bag and thinking how far away 6-18-11 seemed! How time flew! I literally feel like our wedding just happened yesterday!

Here it is in all it's glory! Sorry the picture is so yellow, our camera is AWFUL! We're planning on getting a nice DSLR camera when the baby arrives. The top tier's flavor was coconut, my favorite, of course! We didn't get to taste the coconut at our cake tasting we did with Montilio's so we were hoping it was good!

And it was!! I couldn't believe it! Here is my HANDSOME hubby just about to take a bite!

And me! (Please excuse the nightgown and bathrobe, lol!)

This year we decided against gifts for each other with everything going on with the baby and move and all.  We did exchange cards, and my hubby is just the sweetest man alive.  I'm so lucky!

Back from the Doctor's

So today I had my weekly appointment.  I was excited to go since I had been super crampy since yesterday and wanted to talk to midwife about it.  Today I saw a new midwife, Nicole, who was pretty nice.  When I first got to my appointment the nurse came to get me and bring me to my room, when I got to the room I realized that someone else was in the room shadowing/training.  Turns out I went to high school with the girl who was training, such a small world! Nothing like not seeing someone in 11 years, and then them having access to your health file and having to get weighed by them! :-/ Anyway, I told the nurse about my cramping and swelling that I've been having in my ankles/feet for the past week and she checked my blood pressure and weight.  BP and weight were normal. Then she did a urine check which showed an elevated level of glucose which hasn't ever happened to me before.  Immediately she asked me what I had for breakfast, to which I told her just Kashi cereal with 1% milk.  To drink? Water.  The nurse asked me if I thought I may be leaking fluid (which I didn't think I was) and I told her that I didn't think so, but that I spent a majority of the day yesterday in the pool so I couldn't be certain. They wanted to do an internal to make sure that my bag of water didn't have a slow leak (which could be the cause of the elevated glucose in my urine) and could be the start of early labor.

When she left the room I got a little nervous.  I thought to myself, "could it be early labor?" I texted T and let him know what was going on.  I know that I mentioned him wanting to come to my appointments after last week, but this week is super hectic for him at work being end of quarter and all, and I know he's able to make it to my next appointment next week, so I didn't want to stress him out by missing work (even though I know he wanted to come!).  So today I was riding solo, and for the first time I imagined what it's going to be like when I finally do go into labor.....nerve wrecking!!

When Nicole came in we were able to talk about some things that I had questions about before my exam.  First, my group B strep came back NEGATIVE, thank goodness! The thought of having to given antibiotics in an IV during labor didn't sound like such a good time.  Second, she was able to clarify that Baby Girl was measuring in the 68% percentile for height/weight (when I had that ultrasound 3 weeks ago) for babies at her gestational age (34w2d at the time), not the 11 days ahead age (36w at the time).  That's good news! Maybe she isn't a gigantic baby after all.  :-) My fundal height was measuring at 37 weeks, which is totally on track since their due date of 7/18 puts me at 37w2d today.  Nicole told me that she could tell Baby's position by feeling my belly. Although she is head down, she is head directly on my pubic bone putting tons of pressure down below and that's probably why I'm in so much pain at night and peeing 5 times a night.

My internal showed that my cervix is totally closed and high still :-( so I'm not dilated at all, although she could feel the baby's head (if you can believe it!). Baby Girl is sunny side up right now, and in order for her to get in position for labor and delivery she needs to flip over and twist her body down into the birth canal.  Right now, she's still kind of diagonal if that makes any sense,  hence why I can feel her feet and knees poking out of my sides which is why my stomach will go from round to totally lopsided at any given point.  Nicole suggested that I get an exercise ball and do lots of squats to try and coax the baby down.  Um, I'm not sure about that.  I'll do my prenatal yoga DVD which helps stretch out the hips and get the baby in a favorable position for labor, but I just don't think that I'll find it comfortable to be sitting on a ball watching TV at night.

Nicole told me that it's very common that FTM (first time moms) go late, and that they'll let me go 2 weeks past my EDD of 7/18.  That would put me at August 1st before an induction!!!!!!!! Everyone else that I've met with in the practice hasn't mentioned this 2 week thing, and I'm almost certain that Beth said 1 week.  Please say prayers that Baby Girl gets her act together and makes her appearance by mid-July! Nicole didn't say that she thought *I* would go late, I think she just was setting the precedent.  I have my next appointment on Tuesday, July 5th and I'll have another internal exam them.  T will be with me at that appointment! :-)

Before I left Nicole told me to stay off my feet as much as possible to drink lots of water today (because of the cramping).  She gave me the schedule of which midwife is on what day for the month of July in labor and delivery.  I guess they do 24 hour shifts. It's nice to have so that when I go into labor I can know who is going to be delivering little Miss thang!

37 weeks- FULL TERM

How your baby's growing:

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

1. How Far Along? 37 weeks (as of this past Friday, June 24th) FULL TERM! We're ready for you Baby!!

2. Total Weight Gain/Loss? Ugh, I'm skipping this question. I don't want to gain anymore weight!!

3. Maternity Clothes? Yes! I finally caved and bought a pair of shorts since I'm convinced that my doctor's are going to let me stay pregnant forever.  I was really trying to get by with just dresses and capris.  Oh well, these were on clearance for 16.99 and they are cute (well, as cute as maternity shorts can be!).  They're olive colored linen and go great with tanks.

4. Gender? GIRL! :-) 

5. Movement? Yes, still constant.  I know her sleep patterns well now.  Baby Girl is most active from dinnertime until bedtime and then again in the morning.  She gets hiccups mostly after I eat or drink.
 
6. Sleep? Miserable.  I'm up 4 times a night to go to the bathroom, and I am in so much pain from laying down that I can barely get out of bed.  I almost am tempted to wake T to help roll me over! 

7. What I miss? Being able to walk without feeling like Baby Girl is going to come out.  
 
8. Cravings? Fruit, and bagels from Perfectos. I'm also loving anything cold- frozen yogurt, ice cream, etc.
 
9. Symptoms? Swollen feet at the end of the day- this started last week and has continued.  I am still wearing my wedding rings though, and have no swelling anywhere else as of yet. Extreme pain at night while sleeping.  Lots of pressure. Painful movement from Baby Girl if she gets a knee or foot in my side or ribs.

10. Best moment this week? Painting the nursery- HOORAY!!! T worked so hard on it Tuesday & Wednesday night, and my mom came to finish the job on Thursday.  It looks amazing- I can't wait to share pictures, but you'll have to wait until we hang the mirror, paint the rocking chair, and get curtains.  My mom and I are planning a trip to PB Kids next Thursday to hopefully purchase some curtains and hardware.  My mom is treating us and we are SO thankful! Curtains can be expensive and we are really trying to watch our spending. I think we are going to go with a pink polka dot curtain and a glass pink knob for hardware.  Since the walls are yellow, I wanted to do either white or pink curtains.


T and I also talked more about names last night and one of the names that I originally loved is back in the running.  T heard it and really liked it! We are definitely not sharing because every single name (with the exception of Reese) that we've shared someone has said something about that I can't get out of my head.  It's driving me crazy!!! It will definitely be a game time decision at this point- we've not made our mind up and we mine as well see her before we name her! ;-)

Back from the Dr's

So I just got back from my doctor's appointment and am totally discouraged.  I had the Group B strep test, but they didn't/wouldn't do an internal so I have no idea if I've made any progress.  Apparently they won't do that until 38 weeks and right now I'm 36w3d by their calculations. My next appointment is Wed which would put me at 37w2d so I doubt I get an internal next week either.  My frustration is that most everyone I know that's recently had a baby started getting exams at 36 weeks. Exams can sometimes help speed things along, not to mention give the Mama piece of mind.  It would be helpful for me to know if my cervix has softened, and if I'm dilated at all.  Even if I'm not dilated, I want to know.  I hate the unknown.   I was told that they would NOT move my due date even though Baby Girl was measuring 11 days ahead at the last ultrasound- so we are back to July 18th for the date.  The midwife I saw today, Pat, told me that Baby Girl was only in the 68% percentile at the ultrasound- um, that sounds big to me.  And btw, do they mean that she was in the 68% of babies at 36 weeks which is what she was measuring at (and apparently isn't- she should have only been 34w3d) or if they go by 34w3d she must have been at least in the 90th percentile.  Ugh.

Pat told me that my body wouldn't make a baby that I couldn't deliver.  Oh, really? Is that why c-section's are at 33% in the US right now? She also told me that I could have trouble delivering a 6lb baby if the baby's position was wonky. So how having a 10lb baby would be any better is beyond me.  I think that the trouble here is that midwives are way too holistic in their practice, and T and I are just way more forward thinking and realistic.  With my next pregnancy, I plan to see only doctors, not midwives.

I told Pat how I'm up 3-4 times per night to pee, and that I am EXTREMELY uncomfortable at night.  The past week my ankles are swelling at night and I cannot get comfortable.  The baby feels so low like she is going to come out at any minute.  When I sleep my hips and ribs just ache.  :-( I even took a bath last night (for the first time throughout this entire pregnancy) to see if it would help with my pain and swelling.  No such luck.  Pat told me that I could take Tylenol PM or Unisom to sleep.  Really?! I cannot believe that they would condone a sleeping aide while pregnant.  I'm definitely NOT taking a sleeping pill.

After sharing the news of this appointment with T, he plans on being at all of my appointments from here on out.  He knows I get way too emotional and don't push back when I get told certain things.  I'm still just praying that Baby Girl comes on her own sometime early July.  I cannot even imagine being pregnant past their WRONG due date of July 18th.

36 weeks!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

**Sorry, no picture of me this week! Although, I don't see a change from last week in the belly department.**


1. How Far Along? 36 weeks (as of this past Friday, June 17th) although the baby measured at 36 weeks on June 9th.

2. Total Weight Gain/Loss? Haven't weighed myself since last week which had me at 30lbs total.  I have a Dr's app. this Friday, so I'll be sure to update for next week's post.

3. Maternity Clothes? Yes.  My favorites are these capri leggings from A Pea in the Pod- I have them in gray and in black.  I typically pair them with a long tank top and go! Truth be told though, I've been living in my bathing suit and dress cover ups.  I do want to make mention that the tank tops I've bought from Motherhood are becoming TOO SHORT, and I have much better luck with non-maternity long tanks from NY & Co. believe it or not.  Plus the NY & Co. ones have some spandex in them which is an added bonus. ;-)

4. Gender? GIRL! :-) 

5. Movement? Her elbows and/or knees are killing me lately! 

6. Sleep? I've been getting up 3-4 times per night.  I cannot even remember the last time I slept through the night.  I know, I know, once she's born I doubt I get a full nights sleep for MONTHS! You don't have to tell me that!

7. What I miss? Being able to move around quickly.  After working this past week I've realized how slow I do go!

8. Cravings? My favorite is still watermelon, hands down.  I have been enjoying a bagel from Perfectos every weekend day with my hubby though! I love the french toast bagels with light cream cheese and the everything bagels with chive cream cheese. Although not healthy, they are quite delicious!

9. Symptoms? THIS----> Anything that requires me to be standing and then lifting my legs is painful, it's just the wrong angle for me.
  
10. Best moment this week? 


Pregnancy related? Getting the car seat installed which makes things so much more real now that I'm driving around with it in my car.  Also, I finally chose a paint color, so that's good because now T can start painting! He says he's going to start tomorrow night. :-)


Not pregnancy related? Celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary at Grill 23. I love my husband!!

So, although we have made great progess on our To Do list that I posted here, we still have some things left to do before Baby C's arrival.

-Paint the nursery

-Paint the rocking chair & order cushions

-Wash and assemble bedding

-Wash all newborn and 0-3 month clothes and put them away

-Assemble bassinet, swing, stroller, car seat, and infant seat

-Have car seat installed at Fire Station

-DECIDE ON A NAME!!!!

Some new ones:

-Hang mirror in nursery

-Purchase an end table for nursery

-Pack hospital bag

-Make play list for hospital

-Start Baby Book

1 year ago today...

I was getting ready to get into the limo and head over to the church to say I DO and marry my best friend.  I cannot believe it's been 1 year since I walked down the aisle and married T! How time flies when you're having fun! Seriously though, this has been the best year of my life thus far and things just keep getting better and better.  I never believed that you could continue to fall deeper in love with someone after all of these years together.

Tonight we are heading to Boston for a celebretory dinner at Grill 23, our favorite restaurant that we've been celebrating our July 2nd 'dating anniversary' for the past 4 years.  This year, we're changing it up to represent our new June 18th wedding anniversary.  T is taking our top tier of our wedding cake out of the freezer as I type for us to enjoy later tonight.  Hopefully coconut cake tastes good 365 days later. ;-)

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our fairytale wedding day!

Okay, that will be enough, thanks!

I'll give you one guess at what I'm talking about.  Okay, give up? Pregnancy.  That's right folks, I've officially hit the mark of being completely uncomfortable, emotional, and swollen.  I worked the past two days, then hosted a girls dinner at our place and by last night my ankles were definite CANKLES! :-( My feet have never been swollen like that before...not fun! I'm running out of steam here and need to take it easy.  This whole week getting up in the middle of the night has become extremely painful.  I feel like my insides are falling out and I get these sharp shooting pains when I waddle to the bathroom.  T says that I wince as I try to get myself comfortable in bed after.  No good.

Everywhere I go people ask, "how are you feeling?" and I usually answer that I'm feeling pretty good, am starting to get tired, but can't complain, yadda yadda.  Truth be told, I want to tell them that I'm in pain, anxious about pushing a watermelon out of something the size of a kiwi fruit, and that I'm done with being pregnant.  I want my body back.  I'm sorry to be such a Debbie Downer in this post, but I'm just keeping it real and want to be able to look back and see when I officially lost it! ;-) I know this will all be worth it in the end, and I cannot wait to hold this precious little baby girl in my arms, but being pregnant isn't easy! Today I am 35w2d by the doctor's original due date, 35w5d by my guess, and 36w5d by baby's measurements.

And because I hate posts without pictures, I'm going to leave you with 2 of T and I from a wedding we went to this past weekend in Portsmouth, NH.  The wedding was for T's friend and it was beautiful.  Too bad the weather was awful (rainy & cold!).

My hubby is so handsome! How did I get so lucky?1

Look at that belly, ha!! Large!

Lots of Baby Updates- Dr's Appointment & Ultrasounds

Okay, so the last I left you with in this post was that Baby Girl hadn't cooperated at Goldenview Ultrasound and that we were scheduled to go back again to try and successfully get some pictures.  Hubs and I went in this past Monday and had some success! Baby Girl still had her hands by her face, but put them down long enough to get quite a few pictures and a DVD.

We had the same ultrasound tech, Michelle, that we had back when we went in April around 25 weeks.  As soon as she put the wand on my tummy, Michelle said "Look at those chubby cheeks and full lips! She is definitely a good size baby!" I asked her how much she guessed Baby C weighed (I assumed around 5lbs since that is what 34 weekers were supposed to weigh) and she answered with "at least 5 1/2 lbs".  While there, Michelle also said that she definitely thought I'd deliver by 38 weeks and wouldn't make it to full term because the baby was running out of space.  She even pointed out the very little amounts of black space around baby, basically saying that the baby was taking up all of my uterus.

When T and I left I was excited but nervous! If what Michelle was correct in her guess, that would have only left us with 4 weeks to prepare for baby.  I decided that I would tell my midwife what happened at Goldenview later in the week at my regular appointment just for her to have on file.

Fast forward to Thursday at my regular appointment.  Everything was normal, I went in got weighed, had my blood pressure checked, peed in a cup and had that checked for sugar, and waited for Beth to come in.  When she did, I explained to her that T and I went back to Goldenview and told her what Michelle had said about the baby coming early and running out of space.  Beth responded with, "What do you mean she is running out of space? Did she say that there was not a lot of dark space in your uterus or was she talking about LOW AMNIOTIC FLUID?!?!" I was surprised at how concerned Beth was.  I explained that Michelle never said that she had concern for anything major- and that low amniotic fluid was never discussed.  Since Beth wasn't there and couldn't confirm exactly what Michelle meant, she was annoyed.  Beth mumbled something under her breath about this is why they don't suggest people get these elective ultrasounds in 3D blah blah blah.  Beth then announced that she HAD to order me an emergency ultrasound to check the babies growth and fluid.  Had I been there by myself I probably would have gotten panicked, but my mom was there which made me feel better.  I texted T to let him know what was going on as he was at work and off to the ultrasound my mom and I went.

This ultrasound tech, Patti, was the same woman T and I had when we found out we were having a girl.  Patti took a look at Baby Girl and assured me and my mom that Baby was just fine.  Fluid was good and she looked healthy.  Patti did say that Baby was measuring ahead (by 11 days!!!!) putting the measurements at 36 weeks and weighing in at 6lbs 1oz!! Apparently Baby Girl has chubby cheeks and a chubby belly but is very proportionate.  I asked Patti what was going to happen now that the baby was big- and it seemed as though my due date was so off (the monitor changed my EDD from July 18th (34w 3d) to July 7 (36w)).   Patti said the same thing that I have heard before-- they will NOT change my due date unless it's 14 days or more off.  Ugh! What now??!?! If Baby Girl gains the expected .5lbs per week for the next 4 weeks means that she would be around 8lbs 1oz.

I haven't had a chance to speak with Beth since the ultrasound and my next appointment isn't until June 23rd.  T and I were talking and we've just decided that we are going to wait and see what happens.  Hopefully Baby Girl decides that she is ready to come out on her own by July 7th.  If we go past that date, then I am going to really push for them to do another growth ultrasound because I don't want to deliver a 12lb baby!

35 weeks!

How your baby's growing:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

1. How Far Along? 35 weeks (as of this past Friday, June 10th).  This is the 35/35 week- 35 weeks pregnant and 35 days to go!

2. Total Weight Gain/Loss? 30lbs. (only 2 lbs in a month!) 


3. Maternity Clothes? Mostly, but still wearing some things that aren't (some shirts and dresses). 

4. Gender? GIRL! :-) 

5. Movement? She's an active one folks. Little Miss has the hiccups as I'm typing this.

6. Sleep? Ehhhh. Gone are the days of being able to get up and just walk comfortably to the potty.  I now ache and have cramping in the middle of the night.  Oh joy!

7. What I miss? Date nights with my Hubs where we split a bottle of wine and then have an after dinner drink.  I want to be able to go out on date nights again! I miss my hubby!

8. Cravings? watermelon and frozen yogurt.  Loving all things cold!

9. Symptoms? Just pain down below because she really feels low to me.  It's hard for me to put undies and pants on, as well as bend over to tie sneakers etc.  Anything that requires me to be standing and then lifting my legs is painful, it's just the wrong angle for me.
  
10. Best moment this week? Pregnancy related? Hubby has gotten so many things put together, one of them being the swing.  I love having it set up in the living room---just makes it all so much more real waiting for baby! 

34 weeks!

Please excuse the fact that I have ZERO make up on in these pictures.  We were on our way out the door to birthing class this morning.

How your baby's growing:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

1. How Far Along? 34 weeks (as of this past Friday, June 3rd)

2. Total Weight Gain/Loss? Still at 28lbs.  I've not gained any weight in the past 3 weeks.  Part of me is happy, but it also makes me nervous as I know the baby is supposed to be gaining a lot right now! T tells me not to worry, because I'm eating healthy and still working out.  I guess I'm burning more calories now just growing this baby.  Maybe all of the stairs in our new place are playing a role, too, ha!

3. Maternity Clothes? Mostly, but still wearing some things that aren't.  I just realized that I don't own a pair of maternity shorts.  With only 6 weeks left, I think I may just skip it and wear dresses and Capri's.  I'll spare everyone by not baring these thunder thighs! I will admit that I did wear a regular bikini to the pool last week! :-) Tankini's stay wet wayyy longer and I feel attract the sun more than having a bare belly with lots of SPF.  I'm more comfy in a bikini with a cover up!

4. Gender? GIRL! :-) Double checked at our last ultrasound and for the first time I actually SAW her girl parts.  Every other time the tech would go to point it out, I had no clue what they were showing me.  Thank goodness she's still a girl, otherwise we'd be in trouble!

5. Movement? Constantly.  Actually, on Wednesday night she was quiet for an hour while I was on the couch and I got nervous, so I started poking my belly.  Once she woke up and started moving, the poor thing got the hiccups and then I felt bad! Ha! I do think she is starting to run out of room.

6. Sleep? Depends on the night.  Last night I only got up once, others this past week I've gotten up 3 times to go potty.  The more I'm up, the more uncomfortable I am.  My belly/lower parts just ache from all of the pressure.

7. What I miss? Having no line on my belly. :-) For the longest time, my line only went to my belly button.  Although, in the last month, I've noticed it goes all the way down.  Hoping that fades quickly after I give birth.

8. Cravings? WATERMELON, WATERMELON, and more WATERMELON.  Honestly, If I could I would eat it 3 times a day.  For now, I settle at once a day. ;-) This week I've also gotten the egg white veggie flatbread from Dunkin Donuts.  It's just so yummy- and low in calories. Score! 

9. Symptoms? Just pressure.  I think I've really lucked out not getting heartburn, swelling, or carpal tunnel like so many women get.
  
10. Best moment this week? Pregnancy related? Washing our first load of itty bitty baby clothes last night.  Best load of laundry I've ever done!

-This weekend we have our birthing class, and for some reason I'm not all that excited about it.  I just feel like it's going to freak me out having the visuals after watching the birthing videos, and hearing about everything that can go wrong.  Hopefully Hubs is excited!