Getting closer!

I had another trip to the ob today for a checkup! My blood pressure was good (100/64) and his heartbeat is "nice and steady." He's now measuring at 35 weeks...still a bit behind, but there was growth from last week. The ob is happy that we're going to have an "average sized" baby. He asked if I was having any Braxton Hicks contractions. I admitted that I don't know what they feel like, but explained what I've experienced. Basically, my stomach will get tighter, but I'm unsure if it's a contraction or a stretch. He thinks it's probably BH contractions. GBS screening came back negative. My cervix is getting softer, but no other signs of progression. I go back next week for another check up and ultrasound. It will be with the office's midwife, due to scheduling conflicts.

We met with a potential in-home babysitter this evening. She was highly recommended by one of the principals that works in my school district. We enjoyed chatting with her, her husband, 15 year old daughter, and 11 year old son. I think we've found our babysitter! She has ~21 years of experience, is located very close to our house, and was very kind and knowledgeble. It's a relief to know that we'll have someone to watch him once I go back to work.

Latest pregnancy symptom: Body heat! I'm used to being constantly cold--wearing layers and blankets throughout the winter. Not anymore!

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas was wonderful! We traveled to my sister and brother-in-law's house in Brecksville, only about an hour away--a safe travel distance for this time in our pregnancy. We had a great time! Luckily, the entire family, including my parents and both of my sisters and their families were able to be there. The "kids" (Tobin, 5; Zac, 5; Ava, 4) spent most of their time playing in the basement, while the "babies" (Eliana, 2; Corinne 11 months; Elise, 11 months) were entertained by the adults upstairs. We loved visiting with everyone and watching our nieces and nephews. I often imagined next year, when we'll have another little one adding to the fun and laughter!

On the 26th, the entire gang traveled to our house for dinner. Initially, I was afraid that we wouldn't have anything to entertain the "kids", since we don't have many toys for them to play with and it was too muddy for them to play on the swing set in the backyard. Boy, was I wrong! They loved the Wii, including participating in several Wii Fit activities. The laughter and giggles were nearly shaking the house!


After dinner, everyone headed out. During our goodbyes, I came to the realization that next time we see them, we'll be introducing our little guy!

We hope that all of you also had a wonderful, blessed, and enjoyable Christmas!

Still baking!

Today marked the first of my weekly appointments with the OB! Everything with baby and mommy continues to look good. His heartbeat sounded "great" and my blood pressure is 104/74. No dilation or effacement, so baby still needs some time to bake. He continues to lay head down. According to the OB's measurement, he's measuring around 34 weeks, which wasn't significantly larger than my last appointment two weeks ago. The doctor wasn't concerned about this and said we should expect an "average" sized baby, which he clarified to be around 7 lbs. Later in the appointment, during the question and answer portion, I asked if I would have another ultrasound. I was told by the ultrasound technician several weeks ago that it may be a possibility due to the MTHFR. "Just for kicks", the OB scheduled me for an ultrasound in two weeks to check on the baby's growth, amount of amniotic fluid, weight estimate, etc. Baby continues to move around frequently and especially likes to stretch. He also gets the hiccups several times a day. The OB explained that this is a good sign that he's strengthening his diaphram and moving fluid throughout his lungs.

The nursery is almost complete! We have a few more things to organize/put away, and then all we need is a baby! Pictures to come soon.

Baby Shower!

Our baby shower was this weekend! It was wonderful to be surrounded by friends and family, celebrating the upcoming arrival of our little guy! The shower was held at our house, so guests were able to see our new home. Each guest could decorate a onesie, which turned out great! We also played a Price Is Right game, a baby item memory game, and (of course!) estimated the size of my belly with toilet paper. There was delicious food, fun games, generous gifts, and a wonderful time had by all! Thanks, everyone!

Adorable diaper cake

Blanket/Onesie/Wash cloth lollipops and candy

Cake..yummy!

Sara (23 weeks) and I showing off our "baby bumps"

Jenn and Madison!

Party guests

Beautiful (and upside down...oops) Ohio State quilt!

Wonderful women!

Mommy and Daddy to be!

Our little family!

35 Weeks!

I had another doctor's appointment this afternoon. Everything looks good! My next appointment is in two weeks. Starting at that appointment, I'll have more in depth exams to check my progress, so I'll have different types of stats to report. I'll also start going weekly. Baby remains head down and is very unlikely to flip this late in the pregnancy, which is good news.

I asked the doctor if he would be present for the delivery, or if it would be the doctor in the practice that is on-call. I've had a not-so-positive experience with one of the doctors-basically not feeling like he listened to what I wanted in regards to determining if I have MTHFR. My doctor's response was that I'll have whomever is on-call unless I'm willing to be induced. Depending on my natural progress, he thought it may be a good idea to be induced late in the game because of the MTHFR. After learning about the possible negative effects of inductions, basically forcing your body to do something it's not ready for yet, I'm hesitant to go this route. Right now, I'm thinking I'll wait and go into labor naturally. If I have the non-preferred doctor, Adam and I will make sure that we're not talked into things we don't want to do unless absolutely necessary.

I'm meeting with my substitute at work tomorrow. I'm lucky to have a sub and am very thankful! I know her from graduate school and know she's reliable and will do a good job. I've been working hard to get ahead on cases and prepping my school teams for my leave...but it's impossible to get everything done and predict what will happen while I'm out!

The comments I'm getting from others continue to amuse me. In the matter of a day, I could hear, "You don't even look pregnant" to "You're really popping today!"

Pomp and Circumstance

Adam and I have graduated from Childbirth Education classes! Our class was Friday evening and all day Saturday. It was a small group, only two other couples and our instructor, which was nice. We covered a wide range of topics: the stages of labor, terminology we might hear, anatomy, breathing, positions, medications for pain relief, natural techniques for pain relief, circumstances that may lead to inductions, procedures/medication/natural methods for inductions, ways to avoid inductions, circumstances that may lead to c-sections, what will happen immediately after baby is born, what baby will look like after he is born, items to bring to the hospital, items to bring in our "labor tool kit", postpartum recovery, opportunities to practice positions and breathing, car seat safety, a tour of the labor and delivery floor, and much, much, more. We already knew most of the information, but it was nice to have a review and learn a bit more. It was exciting, eye-opening, and helped to make things even more "real." We'll be back at the hospital again next weekend to fill out our paperwork, etc. so we won't have to worry about it when "the time" comes!

6 Weeks To Go!

I think I've determined that Baby is a fan of Christmas music, thanks to local radio stations playing holiday music 24/7. I've been listening to it on my way home from work, and he seems to move around quite a bit when it's playing. Maybe it's because he can hear it better, because who can resist turning the radio up just a little louder during your favorite Christmas jingle? Or maybe it's because he's trying to tell me to stop attempting to sing along (Admit it, you join in, too!)?

Only 6 more weeks until our due date!