32 Weeks- Labor Scares & Baby Showers

How Far Along:  32 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: holding steady at 18 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Yes, Yes, Yes

Stretch Marks:  I'm staying lucky on this one so far!

Sleep:  Not so great, toss and turn all night and get up to pee every hour- my poor husband!

Best Moment This Week: Finding out that I'm not going into labor yet & my first baby shower

Miss Anything: Being able to sleep how I want and being able to walk normal!

Movement: All the time!! Non stop kicking and moving!

Food Cravings: Nothing really,  I cant eat much at one time- Braxton is taking up my whole stomach!

Anything make you quesy or sick: Nope

Gender Predicition- He is definitely a boy!

Labor Signs:CONTRACTIONS!!!!!

Symptoms:  Contractions, swollen feet, hot flashes

Belly Button in or out: Still flat

Wedding ring on or off: ON!! whoo hooo

Looking Forward to: Baby Classes

Nursery Progress: Its ready!

He is the size of a squash this week!  He should weigh 2.5-3.8 pounds and measure 15.2-16.7 inches long.  He has now developed sensitivity to temperature.  Chances of survival if the baby were born this week is 90%!!

Monday morning I got up and got ready for work, as I was getting ready to leave, around 645am I got another incredibly painful contraction.  The kind that makes walking impossible- this one felt like Braxton was literally pushing his way out.  I couldn't walk, couldnt sit, it was awful.  I rode with my mom to work, the pain was kind of going in and out.  But when I got out of the car to walk into work it went into high gear again.  I couldnt hold it in anymore and just cried and cried at my desk because of the pain.  Finally around 745am it was over.  I called my doctor to tell them about everything from Sunday and Monday- and they said I needed to come into Labor & Delivery immediatly.  (they werent happy that I waited so long!)

So we went up there,  I had my mom and Brian with me- I was still crying off and on because by this time I was pretty scared.  I expected them to take me to the testing room- but instead I went right into a delivery room.  I got hooked up to all the machines and they monitored his heart beat, his movements, and my contractions and blood pressure.  We were watching the contractions on the monitor and I noticed I was going up to the 40's and 50's quite often, but I didnt really know what that meant.  Honestly, since I wasnt having the painful ones anymore I felt kind of silly and bad that I made everyone take off work, because I thought nothing was happening.  Boy was I wrong!!

Next thing I know I have nurses coming in very concerned- saying that I am having strong contractions anywhere from 6-12 minutes apart with some as close at 4 minutes apart.  They gave me a shot that was supposed to relax my uterus muscles to try to slow down the contractions (I am terrified of needles and shots!)  The actual needle of the shot wasnt bad at all, but gosh it burned!  Then they had to do a test to see what my chances of pre term labor was- um uncomfortable!!  And they checked to see if I was dilated-  luckily I wasnt!!!

The doctor came in to check on me- I just love Dr. Hall-  she gave me a lecture about not coming in Sunday- told me I was now on bed rest and that she wasn't sure how long I would be in the hospital.  They needed to get my test results back which would take several hours and I couldn't be released until the contractions were under control.  The shot they gave me slowed the contractions down for about 10 min, but then they came back even stronger and faster.  Now they were only 2 minutes apart!  So time for shot #2-  they could only give me 3 of these shots, and I really didn't want to go through another one, so I was really hoping this one would work.  And thankfully it did, the contractions slowed down in strength and speed.

So, finally HOURS later we were released- home for bed rest! The fetal fibronectin test came back negative- meaning I had a 98% chance of not having the baby for 2 more weeks.  However, it only predicts 2 weeks- so the doctor warned me that at 2 weeks and 1 day- all bets were off again. I had to stay home from work Tuesday but they let me go back after that since my job is just sitting at a desk with no standing or moving.  And then after work hours and on weekends I was to be on bed rest. 

Tuesday I went in to see Dr. Hall for a follow up appointment and she scheduled me an emergency ultrasound that day to check on the baby and see if I was effacing yet.  I love ultrasounds because there is nothing better than getting to see your little one, but they are starting to get really uncomfortable.  I am all baby in my belly, so my belly is really really hard (they comment on that every time)- so when they push with the ultrasound thing its an uncomfortable hurting feeling.  She measured all his bones and his head- once again we got the "oh my gosh he has such a big head" comment and she told us he is measuring almost 2 weeks bigger than he should be- measures at 33 weeks and 5 days and is weighing 5.2 lbs, which is HUGE, he should be about 2.5 lbs- so they are estimating if he goes to full term he would be between 9-10 lbs.  I know this is just an estimation and soooo many people have told me their stories on how it was off- but this is one of my biggest fears.  I knew it ran in Brians side of the family to have huge babies, but I was really praying my genetics would come into play on this one.... The most important thing is that he is healthy, no matter how big he is, but I'm still holding out hope that the numbers are wrong....

his lips all puckered up

his big ol foot- takin after his daddy and papa kj!

He is head down and very very low- this kid is ready to come on out!  She couldn't measure my cervix because he was so low, so we had to do the internal ultrasound to get the measurement.  It wasn't until the next day that we got the results back on this- but we got good news! I wasn't effacing yet!!! So for now they are calling this pre term labor contractions and ordering modified bed rest.

Saturday my mom went garage sale-ing and found some AMAZING baby deals for us!!!  By this point I was getting really restless and there was a small consignment sale right down the street so we all 3 went and found some more awesome deals- I'm telling you I dont know what we would have done without Consignment Sales, Garage Sales, and CraigsList- they have been the biggest blessing to our teeny tiny budget!

Sunday was our first baby shower-  we did a co-ed baby shower because I just dont understand why only the mom would want to have the fun of getting things for the baby- its OUR baby, not just mine.  It turned out perfect- my friends Taylor and Penny  and my mom hosted it for us- the theme was She's About To Pop!  The decorations were adorable and Penny baked all the yummy food!  We had popcorn cupcakes, pop rocks, ring pops, popcorn, soda pop candy, and colored soda in blue, green, and orange!  It was kinda difficult for me because I wasnt able to get up and mingle with all my friends- I sat seated in the same spot the entire time.  But it was so fun- we got some great and cute gifts and Taylor came up with some really fun games.  We played Who Knows Mommy & Daddy the Best!  Betsey knew me the best and Shannon knew Brian the best (with Britt in a close second- way to go Weaver Family!)  And we played How Sweet It Is- a game where you match candy bars up with things in pregnancy- it got lots of laughs :)  And we did How Big is My Belly- everyone tore off some streamers the length that they thought would wrap around my belly- Miss Sarah got 1st place with her sister Kacie and my friend Kenzi in VERY close second!

While we were opening gifts I started to have contractions and got really really hot- so Brian finished opening them all for us. Thank you to everyone who came over to celebrate with us and for being so patient with my contractions and hot flashes! We have some pretty amazing friends and family :)  And a HUGE thank you to Penny, Taylor, and my mom for putting the party together, doing all the before hand and afterwards cleaning, and all the decorating!!! You guys ROCK and we are so  blessed to have you in our lives!

mommy & daddy!

brian opening the gifts for us while i had contractions/hot flashes!

my lovely hostesses!

31 Weeks.. Let the Contractions Begin...

How Far Along:  31 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: 18 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Yep, and now I have the best OSU Maternity shirt too!!

Stretch Marks:  Not bad

Sleep:  Getting difficult- I just cant ever get comfortable.  When I lay on my side it feels like my side muscles are literally tearing- its so painful. And I think God is preparing me for motherhood- I can sleep through ANYTHING, no storm will wake me up, no noise is loud enough... but lately any little thing and I'm awake.  It stormed this week and I was awake the entire time :(

Best Moment This Week: Maternity pictures!

Miss Anything: Cuddling up with my husband and being able to work out!

Movement: Non stop, hes getting stronger and stronger! And moving up to my rib area now

Food Cravings: Bananas and Chocolate Milk .....and still mexican and chocolate and root beer!

Anything make you quesy or sick: BLEACH!  They used Bleach for an activity in Konnect this week- I was so sick for the rest of the night. It was absolutly awful.

Gender Predicition- hes a sweet boy!

Labor Signs: CONTRACTIONS!!!

Symptoms:  my left foot is swollen, get out of breath easily, and  extremely tired- like back to 1st trimester type tired!

Belly Button in or out: Still almost flat- hasnt popped yet!

Wedding ring on or off: ON!! whoo hooo

Looking Forward to: Our next baby classes, baby showers, and ultrasound

Nursery Progress: Its pretty much ready for him!

Braxton is now the size of a pineapple!  He is 15.2-16.7 inches long and should weigh 2.5-3.7 pounds.  He should gain half a pound a week from here on out! His brain, nerves, and eyes are all going through major development this week.   His irises now react to light!

I haven't gotten sick from smells in a long long time- but Wednesday night at Konnect they were using bleach for a project with the kids (which just doesn't sound smart to me at all)- but I didn't know it and as I was walking my girls to the room the smell overcame me and I was sick instantly.  I had to have someone else cover my group and had to go outside to get fresh air-  I ended up being sick ALL night from the smell and just felt miserable.  I think that has been the worst smell hands down this entire pregnancy!  My husband was so sweet though- he came outside and took care of me and took over taking care of my girls and he got me out of there early that night so I could go lay in bed and be sick.  I am so well taken care of, its such a blessing!

We had our maternity pics with the amazing Randy Coleman this week too! It was soooo much fun- time just flew by.  Me and Brian were just laughing and having fun the entire shoot- it felt like we were on a little date.  We went to a little park area in a neighborhood that had green grass and a lake and a little swing set.  I cannot wait to see how they turned out!!

I was feeling really great this week!  I had energy and I felt that pregnancy "glow"- things seemed to be on the up and up and finally getting easier for me!  That is until..... Sunday we went to the mall to look at some things we needed- Things were going great, and then out of nowhere  I started to get what I thought was a side cramp.  I told Brian I needed to slow down on walking because it was hurting pretty bad, but I still thought I could walk it out.  Well, it ended up getting so bad- about a 9 on a scale of 1-10 that I could not take another step- walking was impossible.  We were really close to a bench, so somehow Brian got me to that bench to sit.  The pain was awful and I started to get really really hot.  I just wanted out of the mall at that moment.  Finally after about 15 min the pain had died down to where I thought I could walk again and try to get to the car.  About 2 steps into walking the pain started again in the exact same spot on my side, only on my other side.  It was just as painful.  I didn't want to stop though, I just wanted to get home.  The pain caught up to me and walking once again became impossible.  I had to stop on the rail and just breathe out the pain.  People were looking at me like I was crazy.  I finally made it to another bench that was close to our exit so I sat there while Brian got the car and brought it up to the door for me.

I really didn't know for sure what these were- I knew they weren't Braxton Hicks contractions because those aren't painful and they go away with walking- but there is no way I was having real contractions at 31 weeks- right??!?!?

We went over to my moms from the mall to relax and let her know what was going on.  The pain hadn't come back, so I just kind of thought well that was weird but maybe its normal for this time in pregnancy.....

Little did I know what I was in store for come Monday morning.....

30 Weeks, The Nursery, and OSU Football!

How Far Along:  30 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: 20 pounds (per the dr office, 18 by my scale)

Maternity Clothes: Yes! :)

Stretch Marks:  Just a few, trying to keep them to a minimum- nothing bad yet

Sleep:  Pretty good!

Best Moment This Week: The nursery being done and  the first OSU game of the season

Miss Anything: Nope, so happy being pregnant!

Movement: He is doing sumersaults, kicks, punches- non stop action going on in there!

Food Cravings: Chocoloate Milk, Chocoloate, Mexican

Anything make you quesy or sick:  Doing good in this dept- havent gotten sick in a while!

Gender Predicition- Hes a boy!!!

Labor Signs: Some Braxton Hicks contractions, nothing bad yet

Symptoms:  Contractions, swollen feet

Belly Button in or out: FLAT! looks like it could pop any time now!

Wedding ring on or off: Its on, Im hoping it can stay on the whole time!

Looking Forward to: The next ultrasound! those are my favorite :)

Nursery Progress: Its all put together!!!

30 Weeks!!! I feel like we are in the final stretch!!!!!  Baby is the length of a cucumber now- about 15-16.5 inches long and weighs 2.5-3.8 pounds.  He is now strong enough to grasp a finger!!!

My  checklist this week says to get the hospital bags ready!!! Woah!!! That was kind of scary to read- that means we really are getting close! We got all our toiletries packed- we got travel size ones- now we just need to pack our outfits and lil Braxtons!

I went in for my bi-weekly doctors appt on Tuesday-  it went great!  Braxton HATES the heart doppler- every time the nurse puts it on him, he kicks so hard that it literally bounces the doppler off my stomach. It is so funny to see. He got so mad at it, his heart rate went up to 152! That is the highest its been in a long time! He usually holds steady at about 146. I dont understand why he hates that but then falls asleep during all of our ultrasounds!  Silly boy :)  The doctor said everything looked perfect- she measured my belly and I was right on where I should be.  I asked her if I was too small-  seems like other people are just so much bigger than me I had started to get worried.  She kind of looked at me weird and said not at all, you are literally perfect just how you are growing.  That made me feel good!  Then I asked her about having a big baby- she just laughed and said wait you were just worried you were too small and now you are worried about having a 10 pound baby- to which I replied YES!  She said not to worry, that she cant estimate his birth weight yet, but that I am right where I should be and everything should be okay.  She said that she would have a better idea at the next ultrasound and that it was normal for me to start worrying about this- but she really does think I'll have a normal weight baby!  Whew!!!  They also weighed me in and I've offically gained 20 pounds so far- she said that was right where I should be too!

We had a major scare this week with my mom-  We were out shopping for Braxton when I kind of noticed her walking like she was in pain.  I asked if she was okay and she said she just had a cramp in her leg. But that "cramp"  turned in to a paralyzing pain.  All of a sudden she couldnt move at all and was in so much pain. People around started to notice something wasnt right and came to check on her, but we couldnt get her to the truck to get her to the hospital.  Brian went and pulled the truck up right to the door and somehow ended up basically carrying her out to it.  Getting her in the truck was just as difficult, she couldnt put any weight on her legs.  We boosted her up and got her in, but she was still in agonizing pain. Brian drove so fast- gave him some good practice for when labor is here-  we got her to the ER and of course by this time the pain had gone away.  They checked her and hooked her up to the IV's and ran a bunch of tests, but couldnt find anything.  Doctor ended up saying it was just a cramp.  However, we all know it was not a cramp, something went terribly wrong and it was frustrating to not have answers.  Praying that it doesnt happen again! Such a scary moment for all three of us.  Thankful for Brians ability to stay calm and take care of me and my mom. 

The nursery is offically painted and all the furniture is put together!!!!! We couldnt be happier with how it turned out.  Our friends, The Beards, painted for us- we did gray walls with 1 wall having gray stripes- its so perfect! We didnt want to go with a theme for the room (animals or sports or anything) so we just went with colors- and did Orange, Green, and Blue.  Taylor made the Braxton name sign and Brian and my dad put together all the furniture, my mom handmade all the bedding (pillows and quilts too)- it was just a family effort to get it all done and on a budget.   The quilt and bedding my mom made is absolutely perfect- I remember the things Oma made me when I was a baby and how special they are to me even to this day, so I am so excited she was able to make this for Braxton.  I love love love it!!! We walk in the room all the time and just look around- cant wait for lil Braxton to be here!!! Thank you to everyone who helped us get it all ready for him!

Painting the room!

putting together the dresser

My mom made Braxtons quilt- I am so in love with it!

Taylor made the Braxton sign- it turned out amazing!

We decided not to buy OSU season tickets this year- which was such a hard and heartbreaking decision for us to come to- but we knew it was for the best.   But..... this weekend was the first home game and I was feeling pretty good so we bought some tickets and decided to go! We were so excited!!!  My mom even bought me the cutest maternity shirt for the game- I just love it!! The game would have been just fine, except that it was like 100 degrees outside that day.  Just walking from the car to The Walk and Student Union and I was drenched in sweat and so exhausted.  I felt like I had just run a marathon.  I literally drank like 4 bottles of water so fast just trying to stay hydrated.  We watched the walk and then my sweet husband was so concerned about me he took me to the union and we just sat at a booth, drank water, and talked.  It was like a little date :)  He never made me feel guilty or like I was a pain that we couldnt do all the things we normally do, he just sat and talked with me and made sure I was okay....Have I ever mentioned how much I love him! ;)   Once it was close to game time, we headed in and bought me a seat cushion.  I was really worried about sitting at the game, but with the cushion it was great!  We had pretty good seats, but we were in the sun the whole time.  I just had to keep buying (expensive) waters to stay hydrated. The game was so out of control (we were killing the other team) and it was hot and we were starving so we left a little before halftime- the first time I have ever left early, but hey I'm pregnant!- and we walked over to Mexico Joes and sat in air conditioning, ate a good meal, chugged water, and watched the game on tv.  It was so much fun- I cant wait until we can start taking Braxton with us!!!

With all the excitement of our growing family, me and Brian have had so many talks about what traditions we want to do, what we want holidays to look like for us- its been so exciting to have those conversations with him and just to dream of what our family will be like.  I love that when we talk about it we both envision the same things.  We both want tradition- and we both want holidays to be holiDAYS, not just eat and runs or rush from place to place, but to enjoy the day with family and have fun and make memories being active. I love dreaming and planning with him :)