WEEK 37...Deja Vu

well little PeA must be quite comfty, because she is not ready to come out yet! i had my weekly check up today with my doctor. i am still 80% effaced and at 3cm. also - i am at a station zero...no...she did not crawl back up, lol. apparently i was wrong last week and was never at a +1, just zero. which is really no big deal - she is still fully engaged in my pelvis and may not hit +1, 2 and 3 until active labor. at this point i am just waiting on strong contractions or my water to break. i am guessing the contractions will come first - but what do i know?!

not much progress for me, but baby girl did make a big turn for the better - literally! she is no longer "sunny side up". her back is against my tummy (good girl!) and hopefully will stay this way. yay for avoiding back labor and thank you to everyone who offered up prayers on this. what a huge blessing and praise! thank you jesus!

the doctor asked if she could strip/rupture my membranes, which was a huge NO for me. sweet little PeA will come when she is ready and i am no where near my due date yet. it's funny how anxious we get isn't it? i mean - of course i may complain here and there and it is certainly rough carrying a baby and going through the emotions and exhaustion of it all while still working full time...but all in all - the pregnancy has not been bad and i consider it a total blessing. and i am certainly not interested in forcing my little passenger out before she is ready!!! i was really surprised to hear my doctor jump to this option so quickly. i know it is common and i know tons of people do it. but i have made my desires for a natural birth very clear to her. the first of those being that labor starts on its own! i am just a couple of days past 37 weeks. what's the rush? (well...actually i know what the rush is...she is leaving town! but hey, not my problem)

i think i forgot to mention my 1 lb gain last week. i had not put on any weight this week...so my grand total is sitting at 33 lbs. WHOA! and for the record i had some chocolate blue bell this evening, and then later on some cookie dough ice cream.

anywho...this texas heat is killer and the humidity is worse than that. but somehow, i managed to walk outside for 30 minutes last night and tonight. today i dusted the whole house, yuck! i have to break the house cleaning down into short tasks, because a full cleaning is just not something i can manage in one day anymore. i am officially exhausted and heading for the bed. i won't sleep - because hey, i haven't done that in months...but it's worth a shot...

i go back next wednesday for a check up...unless of course my angel decides to grace us with her presence before that. either way, i am blessed. huge, hot, achey and exhausted - i won't pretend otherwise...but blessed. abs and i are so ready to meet our daughter. we love you PeA, so keep on cookin' and we will see you soon xoxo mommy & daddy

Progress in Week 36

Sweet little PeA is making some great progress. I went in for check #2 on Wednesday – at which point I was 36.5 weeks. I had a 10% increase in effacement, putting me at 80%! And although I had not been feeling contractions, I was definitely having them. LOTS of them in fact…enough to dilate me to 3cm! WOOHOO! I was at a station +1 so baby is fully engaged and has dropped quite a bit. And allow me to withdraw a statement I made a couple of posts back after my 1st check…IT DOES hurt. OuCh! I asked my doctor why it didn’t seem to hurt at all the first time but it was quite painful this time and she said it is because my cervix is slightly posterior…in other words, behind the baby’s head. Fuuun…

She also showed me PeA on the screen. A treat I did not expect…Bummer….she is sitting posterior with her back against mine. For any mom who has labored you likely know what this means…BACK LABOR! I have been doing pelvic tilts this week and trusting she will turn. Many “Sunny Side Up” babies turn even during labor as they “corkscrew” into the birth canal, so she certainly still has time. As I approach my big day with plans of no interventions, I truly hope and pray she does turn – b/c back labor is the most painful there is. I appreciate your prayers with me on this. God has come through for us in so many AMAZING ways already during this pregnancy, I have faith He will again!

Funny thing is, before this check I had some significant lower back pain – which was apparently my contractions (and the result of her posterior position) but nothing in my abdomen resembling contractions – not to me at least…BUT ever since she checked me I am singing a different tune! I have constant cramps and plenty of abdominal pain to boot! My back is still aching, but I figure that is just going to go with the territory from now until delivery. I really don’t mind the contractions at this point. They are not debilitating and with each one I know I am progressing and moving closer to meeting my angel!

I have another appointment on Tuesday so we will see where these contractions have gotten me…IF I make it that long. Which Aunt Amber is hoping I do…she is in Mexico on vacation right now and has begged me to hold baby girl in until her return on Wednesday, June 30th :)  We shall see…I figure she’s going to come when she’s ready! And I really just cannot wait.

Daddy Abby is pretty excited too. I have to say that the other night we had a little “scare” and thought that it might be “go time.” There are really no words to describe his reaction….HYSTERICAL might be a good "summary.” In an attempt to calm him down I said “just go to sleep…I am not having this baby tonight honey.” (of course I had no guarantees – but it seemed like the thing to say). To which he replies…”Really? Are you sure? Cause that’d be great – I am straight trippin’ over here.” To this remark I laughed so hard I think I peed in my pants (which does not take much at this point, I might add) and seriously sent myself back into contractions…Oh my, these are the moments I will never forget. Going blindly into this wild ride with my hilarious best friend. I love you babe!

Baby girl…hurry up! We are just dying to meet you, and I promise we are worth few good laughs! xoxo – your (clueless but eager) mommy and daddy!

37 Weeks – The BUMP…errr…Mountain~

36 weeks

i am one month away from my due date. here’s hoping she comes early :) not too early…but you know…not too late either :)

we love you little PEA! take your time baby girl, just not too much!

a very happy father’s day

thank the lord for daddy’s . where would we be without them?

Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”

i am so blessed beyond words to have amazing parents. my father and my mother have always shown me enormous love and compassion. they love the lord with all that they are and it shows in all that they do. in all the confusion of childhood and doubtful times of youth…i never once questioned the love that they had for me. and to this day – i know that same love is there for me, supporting me and taking pride in what i have become. what a joy it is to bring good into their lives now that i am grown. mom and dad, you are so wonderful! THE BEST, in fact!

happy father’s day to my wonderful dad. a true man of god and a servant of the lord. a man who loves his wife and speaks highly of who she is and how she has made him better. a man who loves his children, and knows each of them in a special way. a man that also loves the fatherless and shows mercy to those in need. a man who has shaped me into the person i am today and who continues to challenge and teach me new things all the time. a man i am so proud to call daddy and who soon will be the grandfather of my little girl. I LOVE YOU PAPA!!!

i would also like to say happy father’s day to my wonderful husband. although i guess next year will be his first “official” father’s day, i think this one is pretty special. i am so grateful to share this life with such a loving and godly man. and i cannot put into words the way my heart jumps when i think of him spending time with our daughter. i know that when i meet her she will no doubt, melt my heart. but i truly think the thing that will bring tears to my eyes is the two of them together. i just know they are going to steal one another’s hearts! i love you SO MUCH abby! you are my everything. you are my hiding place and i couldn’t do this life without you. i thank god for you.

what amazing men god has placed in my life! ..and if that was not enough - i also have a wonderful father in law who is just down the street! he is a godly man and has helped shape my husband into the man he is today. for that i am so grateful! i know that matt is going to be a great father, because he was raised by such terrific parents ! thank you randy and nancy for all you do for us!

each of you are such a blessing in my life and matt and i would not be the people we are today without your love and support. we appreciate you so much! we are so grateful for the guidance you gave us in our younger years and the friendship you provide today. we count each of you among our greatest blessings.

finally, i am SO THANKFUL for my heavenly FATHER! the ULTIMATE DADDY! the man who breathed life into all of us. the man who CHOSE me as his own and calls me  beloved child. the man who gave his own life to save mine. thank you JESUS for loving the unlovable and for washing me white as snow.

John 15: 13 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

i’m not charming

i’m simply not charming. i'm probably not very witty at this point either come to think of it. i want to be. i wish i was. but i cannot find it within myself to smile and say hello to strangers. to have my hair and makeup just so and to follow dress code at work. i just cannot. i am going to burst soon, i am almost positive. i wish to say it was just from excitement and joy, which in part…it is. but mostly it is because i am a huge swollen heap of pregnant mess!

i had my final ultrasound yesterday. i may have said “final” before, and that is because i really thought it was…but we have had 3 BIG u/s at the hospital rather than just the one most folks get. “why?” you might ask – well, i’ll tell you. it’s because this sweet little angel inside my belly is rather stubborn and non-cooperative when it comes to ultrasounds! each time they have tried to get certain measurements they have been unable to capture a good shot of her spine and of the 4 chamber valve in her heart. this time we got the heart and all 4 chambers! WOO HOO! but turns out, 3rd time is not ALWAYS a charm…still no great spine shots, which dr. says is just fine and no biggie. in times past her spine was too curled up and facing the wrong direction to capture. this time however, it is that the bottom portion of her spine, along with her little hiney, are tucked SO far up behind my right rib that you cannot see them on an u/s…yes, it is as it sounds, rather uncomfortable!

other than that – the u/s went well. it is always my favorite thing, to see her up on the screen just precious and so REAL! i think her daddy would agree. we just love to watch her move around and do cute baby things! :) yesterday she grabbed her feet and started playing with her toes. i watched and smiled and thought to myself, “WOW! in just a few weeks she will be lying in my lap doing this!” she rubbed her hands by her face a lot and kicked me non stop, which is no change from when the cameras are off! i remember when she was so tiny that i could see her kick on the screen but not feel it…a big change from that to where we are today! but i wouldn’t trade those kicks and jabs for anything. i love, love, love knowing she is in there and just anxious to come out and meet me and her daddy! her little head was COVERED in hair. there is a picture of it on the slide show below, it is the cutest thing ever! speaking of her head…it was incredibly low and in GREAT position for birthing. PRAISE GOD! in fact, the u/s tech said it best - “wow, her head is really low – she is knocking at the door of your cervix!” i got SO excited when i heard that! we also go to hear her heartbeat, a beautiful 144 bpm. still total music to my ears!

after our u/s we went up to dr. johnson’s office for our appointment. they faxed over the u/s preliminary readings so dr. johnson could brief us on “the good stuff.”  most importantly that the baby looks good and is weighing in around 5.11 lbs right now. she said she thinks by delivery she will be around 6.5-7 lbs! perfect by me! i have to add shamelessly, that I on the OTHER HAND...have put on a whopping 32 lbs. six in just the last 2 weeks. WOW...there is really nothing else i can say to that, lol. oh well! :) dr. johnson asked how i was feeling to which i replied “good. i figure it’s not a total lie. for a woman 35 weeks and 4 days pregnant i think i am doing alright. she asked the typical stuff “is the baby active” (yes) “any bleeding” (no) and then asked how the u/s went. i told her that the tech mentioned the baby was “a-knockin” and she said “YES! let’s check you!” i have to mention that dr. johnson has told us all along that the baby would turn head down (which she did, PTL) and that i would not carry full term…more specifically that i will deliver the baby naturally before she goes on vacation on July 10th (keep in mind my due date is the 18th). so…i stripped down and laid down for the first dreaded “check!” i have heard that it can be painful, but i had no pain at all. it was quick and totally painless….

seconds later and full of smiles she tells me “YEP! you are 70% effaced and at a minus one station." what!? matt and i look at each other a bit dumbfounded. i had bet him that i was moving along quickly, he had bet me that i had no effacing or dialation and that what i was feeling was probably what every girl feels at 34 weeks. (i have been feeling like she’s literally just going to fall out for 2 weeks now). turns out we were both right, sort of. i am 70% effaced so my cervix is thinning quickly and baby is moving down and putting LOTS of pressure on things “down there.” BUT no dialation just yet so i haven’t “opened up.” a minus one station means that when she put her finger inside of me she could actually touch the baby’s head (through my uterus and cushioning of course) but was still able to push her up with her hand. Once the baby drops another 1/2 centimeter or so she will be at station 0 and thus “fully engaged” in my pelvis and not able to be pushed back up at all. At this point i am almost certain to start dialating! she summed it up by saying “walk, have sex, do whatever you want to do at this point. you are not going to have the baby this week, unless your water breaks on its own of course, but i do not think you will not be carrying her much longer!”

YAY! i am so excited i can hardly stand it. i have my hospital bag packed but i need to add just a few more things. matt installed the car seat (finally!) tonight. we are really doing this…

here are a few pictures of our baby girl. her face is chubby, her cheeks are huge (like her mommy’s) and her nose is so precious. her lips are full and pouty (which she did NOT get from mommy) and all 10 toes make mommy and daddy just melt. we love our little girl so much. just this week matt looked at me and said “i think this is going to be really fun".” “what’s that?” i said….”you know, having a daughter…” he replied! lol…i am glad he’s “in” – i just don’t think i could get any more blessed at the moment. beautiful daughter inside of me, an amazing husband by side and wonderful friends and family supporting us through all of it. THANK YOU JESUS for all of my blessings. You are so worthy of our PRAISE!

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oh…and although i am now almost 36 weeks i am behind on my picture posting…so here i am last saturday at 35 weeks. boy oh boy….or should i say GIRL :)

 

car rides are not for preggos

we made our last long road trip this past weekend to frisco where my sister and her family live. my parents drove in from waxahachie friday night and we had a nice cook out at amber's house. it was so nice to all be together and to visit with mom dad, amber dustin and precious skyler. i have to say that i have hands down, THE cutest nephew in the entire world. he is suuuch a beautiful baby. on top of him being so darn cute he is also so well behaved. this kid wakes up and falls asleep smiling and laughing, literally. ohhh he just melts my heart. it makes it hard to imagine loving my own little baby more when i meet her soon. i love her so much already, but i can only imagine the way she is going to flip my world around as soon as i lay eyes on her. same goes for her daddy! we are just so excited. the trip was wonderful and we had such a great time, despite the horrendous car ride! i just don't think women that are 34 weeks pregnant are supposed to sit in a car that long :)

this week has been tough. my lower back aches. my uterus is tightening and cramping with braxton hicks contractions, i'm sleeping very little and light and i am so busy with work. emotionally it is all trying to catch up with me. but i am still holding pretty strong...i think so anyhow :)

matt and i finished our childbirth class on tuesday. we had a little graduation ceremony and our amazing teacher, bobbielynn, even printed us a diploma - so cute! we really are so glad we went to this class. our teacher was incredible and we learned so much about the natural process of birth. i am encouraged and empowered with the knowledge i gained in class and from LOTS of reading i have done in my own time. i know matt feels more comfortable too having watched videos and talked through many different scenarios. i am sure knowing that i am a type A super planning nutcase makes him feel very good too :) speaking of plans...we presented our birth plan to my doctor last week. she was actually more supportive than we anticipated and only had a few points she wanted further clarification on or to discuss options of flexibility. all in all we were both relieved and happy with the discussion and the reaction we received. tonight i packed our hospital bag and this weekend we will put the carseat into the 4 runner...talk about "making it real!" i am sooo excited. 

next wednesday we start our "weekly appointments" until this little stinker arrives. i am going to go ahead and have them check me for dilation at that point as just in the  past couple of days i have started to feel like she is going to fall out of me. if you have been pregnant, you likely know that feeling. i think she must have dropped sometime this past weekend. you can sort of tell even just in the pictures of my belly. i will be 35 weeks on saturday. at the appointment on wednesday we will also have our FINAL U/S. one last time to see our baby angel dancing on the big screen before she is safe in our arms. i am hoping they will give us a "guesstimate" on her size/weight at that time too. it is all happening so fast.

i started reading an amazing book - "bringing up Girls" by James Dobson - it is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. if you are a parent of children at ANY age i would recommend picking up a copy of this or "bringing up Boys" or both! i could blog for days about just the first couple of chapters. but i will not ruin it for you and instead just tell you it is a MUST READ. i am loving it. matthew is definitely going to read it when i am done. it has opened my eyes even more to the incredible responsibility we have as parents to nurture, protect, discipline, teach and above all LOVE our children. what an honor to be chosen by God to provide all this for one of his precious children. i am so touched when i think of how truly special the times ahead of us are...

oh and a couple of preggo facts...

• i gained 1 more lb at my last appt. i think that puts me at a whopping 26lbs!
• baby is kicking, and rolling all over the place. you can see her from across the room when she really gets going :)
• i married an incredible man. he is loving, godly, wise and i adore him. i cherish these times we have together as "two"
• my family is amazing. i miss them dearly and live much too far away from them
• did i mention my nephew is the most adorable little boy EVER?

34 weeks with baby pea and precious Skybear

super happy parents to be :)

handsome men

my 2 favorite boys in the whole world: hubby and daddy

world’s most amazing parents “gigi & doc”

 

LOVE my big sister <3

love love love my family

And a very special shout out to my brother Matt & brother N law Dustin. It is both of their birthday’s tomorrow. I love you very much!!!