Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Top 5

5 reasons why today is a good day!

  1. My blog friend, Laura, who was due around the same time I was, and whose 30th birthday is right around my birthday (my 30th)...gave birth to her baby boy today (1 month early!). I am beyond estatic for her!
  2. Heather and Ryan are going to come for a visit! :) It's been awhile since we have seen them and I'm excited they can spend a day or so with us! They are going to come May 9th! Woohoo!
  3. I have 7 more days of teaching!
  4. We are getting a water softener...finally! :)
  5. We scored our reading tests today and ALL of my kids went up levels! This is a huge accomplishment and I'm so proud of all my kids for working hard!
What made your day so special???

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Doctor Visit

I feel like all I am thinking about is this baby! :) So sorry that my posts haven't been too interesting! The doctor visit went well today. I am 1 cm dilated and Evan sounded good! He still wants me to take the medicine through Sunday and then I can go off of it and let nature take its course. The only reason he wants me to continue the medicine is because Mike and I are going to a wedding this weekend and it's about an hour away. I'm surprised he said I could go, hence, the reason I need to stay on the meds to keep these contractions low! We have our hospital bag packed and Evan's bag packed just in case! :)

Monday, April 27, 2009

36 week belly pic

36 weeks

Your pregnancy: 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.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

week ahead

Had a relaxing weekend and hoping for this week to be relaxing as well with NO trips to labor and delivery! I have our doctors appt. on Tuesday so we'll see! :)

Friday, April 24, 2009

Friday at the hospital...

This morning, what I thought would be a normal Friday, didn't turn out that way. I had a lot planned today, as did Mike who was off work. We had some reading tests to complete, had our big sock hop 5th grade party tonight at school, and then was headed to a friend's birthday party. It was around 9 am this morning and I was having contractions...that hurt....and they were about 7-10 minutes apart. I called my doctor after a few teachers told me to. My doctor told me to head on in to the hospital to get checked out since it had been over 40 minutes of me having these pains. I call Mike to come get me, throw some sub plans together, and head on out. We arrive at the hospital and sure enough, there are real live contractions. At first, I didn't want to call and be that "first time mom" who wasn't sure if there were braxton hicks or the real deal. They hooked me up to a monitor for awhile to track them and make sure the baby was okay. After 40 minutes or so, they called my doctor to see what he wanted to do. My contractions were irregular but were about 2 minutes apart, so he wanted the nurse to give me a shot to stop/lighten the contractions. We waited another hour to see if that helped. I am not sure the name of the shot/medicine, but man, I felt like I was on drugs...I was SO jittery, my hands were shaking and my heart was racing. After an hour I was still having contractions just not as painful and not as regular. My doctor wanted me to have another shot, so I had another hour of waiting with a racing heart and shaky hands. When we finally left, the pains and contractions were really low and things looked good, so they sent me home with a prescription to take every 6 hours until I see the doctor next Tues. So...nothing for me tonight....just my couch, laptop, and maybe a movie. The good news is that Evan is still cooking away! :) Hope your weekend is starting off well!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

35 weeks

Your pregnancy: 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.

See what your baby looks like this week.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:



Your uterus — which was entirely tucked away inside your pelvis when you conceived — now reaches up under your rib cage. If you could peek inside your womb, you'd see that there's more baby than amniotic fluid in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your other internal organs, too, which is why you probably have to urinate more often and may be dealing with heartburn and other gastrointestinal distress. If you're not grappling with these annoyances, you're one of the lucky few.



From here on out, you'll start seeing your practitioner every week. Sometime between now and 37 weeks, she'll do a vaginal and rectal culture to check for bacteria called Group B streptococci (GBS). (Don't worry — the swab is the size of a regular cotton swab, and it won't hurt at all.) GBS is usually harmless in adults, but if you have it and pass it on to your baby during birth, it can cause serious complications, such as pneumonia, meningitis, or a blood infection. Because 10 to 30 percent of pregnant women have the bacteria and don't know it, it's vital to be screened. (The bacteria come and go on their own — that's why you weren't screened earlier in pregnancy.) If you're a GBS carrier, you'll get IV antibiotics during labor, which will greatly reduce your baby's risk of infection.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

35 week belly pic


Don't mind the sickly face...ugh!

update time...

  • First of all, thank you for all of the comments on what to bring to the hospital! We are slowly getting that ready and are now headed in the right direction on what to take.
  • I've been sick the past few days. I have some sort of virus and possibly bronchitis. Definitely not fun. There isn't much that I can do except wait it out. I took off today to hopefully get some rest and slept in till 10...so it was definitely worth it. I guess I did need the sleep! Hopefully it will go away soon!
  • Mike has been busy working, both at his job and in the house. He is finishing up the basement and has done a great job with it! Here are a few pictures of the laundry room...remember that it is not complete yet, but so far I am loving it! He's done an amazing job! He put up the molding and we now have a working sink down there! woohoo! I love the little things in life! :) Once it is totally done, I'll put up the before and after pics...
  • I'm excited about the weather we've had this week....70's and sunny! Love it! Can't wait for summer! What are you excited about for the summer????

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

35 weeks and sickness

I went to the doctor this morning and Evan is growing! :) His heartbeat was 159 and now I am heading to the doctor every week. I can't believe there is less than 5 weeks left. The bad news is that I am sick. It started Sunday night with just a runny nose and sneezing and a little bit of a cough. Well, yesterday it was still that way and a sore throat. Last night I was feeling pretty yucky...throwing up, headache, the whole 9 yards. I headed to the doctor this morning for our 35 week visit and he said it is probably a virus and possibly bronchitis. I am on an antibiotic and cough medicine. Definitely not fun! I took tomorrow off so hopefully I can get some rest and this goes away quickly! I'll try to put up a belly pic soon!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Question for you...

Leave a comment and let me know what were the essential items you needed/used for the bag you took to the hospital for the birth of your baby! I am trying to get that organized this week and realize that I have NO idea what to put in there! So...I need your help! THANK YOU!!!

Mike's work shower










Mike's work threw us a fantastic baby shower yesterday. Evan got some great gifts and is definitely already spoiled! We played some great games and ate a delicious cake that one of his coworkers made. It was fun to hang out and relax with them since most of them are on different shifts. We are so blessed with great friends who are as excited as we are about Evan's arrival! Thank you Mandy and JP for throwing this shower for us!!! We really appreciate it!

Home stretch

It seems all I have time for lately is getting things at my school prepared for my sub (3 weeks left of teaching), trying to get things I need to sell to other teachers and things I want to keep since I will be taking the year off, getting the baby room ready with everything put away, and finishing my grad school work. With only 5 weeks left until Evan makes his arrival, Mike and I have been in work mode trying to get everything ready. We had his work baby shower yesterday...we had such a great time (head over to our pregnancy blog to see some pics) and today we are relaxing after church trying to get all of those gifts put away. Mike has been working hard on finishing the laundry room and waiting for the rain to stop long enough to get our deck put back together. Other than that, there isn't too much to say! :) Hope you had a great weekend!!!!

Monday, April 13, 2009

34 weeks

Your pregnancy: 34 weeks


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.

See what your baby looks like this week.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:

By this week, fatigue has probably set in again, though maybe not with the same coma-like intensity of your first trimester. Your tiredness is perfectly understandable, given the physical strain you're under and the restless nights of frequent pee breaks and tossing and turning, while trying to get comfortable. Now's the time to slow down and save up your energy for labor day (and beyond). If you've been sitting or lying down for a long time, don't jump up too quickly. Blood can pool in your feet and legs, causing a temporary drop in your blood pressure when you get up that can make you feel dizzy.

34 week belly pic

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Family Shower

Head on over to our pregnancy blog to see pictures from our wonderful family/friends shower on Saturday! We are completely blessed and a tad overwhelmed by all of the fantastic gifts for Evan...

Family Shower

A little overwhelmed and blessed with all of the gifts...
Peggy, Jenny and Lizzie : Grew up with these gals...love 'em! Peggy used to babysit us!
Pat, Kendall, Ashley and Heather: neighbors growing up
Jamie, Kelli, Natalie, me, Jordyn, Jamee, and Christy: high school soccer friends
Family: Lyndsay, Aunt Lisa, Angela, Katie, me, baby Julia, Jennifer, Amanda, Austyn, and Aunt Sharon
Family: (front: Michelle and baby Hayden, Michelle, Kim and me; back row: Grandma Fergy and Aunt Linda)
Aunt Beth, Hannah, and me
Aunt Sandy: who helped get the party set up! Thank you!
Lili and Pat: our families grew up together and their girls couldn't make it, but were missed!
Heather, me, Heather, Christy, and Erin
me, Jackie, Mrs. O'Malley, and Jordyn
Family: Dawn, Wauneda, Hattie, Shirley

Grandma Merritt and Grandma Fergy...
My mom and sister: Thank you both for throwing a fantastic shower! We are so blessed...

Can you believe it all fit???!!!!
The aftermath....trying to get it sorted out and put away! Evan is already so spoiled!!!!

It was a great shower and Mike, Evan and I are so thankful for wonderful friends and family who made it out to the shower. It was great to see everyone and catch up!!!

Happy Easter!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

33 week belly pic


33 weeks

Your pregnancy: 33 weeks


How your baby's growing:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.




How your life's changing:

As your baby fills out even more of your belly, lots of things might start to change: Whereas before you were sashaying, you may find yourself waddling. Finding an easy position to sit in — let alone sleep — is becoming more of a challenge. And bumping into chairs and counters is par for the course.

You may be feeling some achiness and even numbness in your fingers, wrists, and hands. Like many other tissues in your body, those in your wrist can retain fluid, which can increase pressure in the carpal tunnel, a bony canal in your wrist. Nerves that run through this "tunnel" may end up pinched, creating numbness; tingling, shooting or burning pain; or a dull ache. Try wearing a splint to stabilize your wrist or propping your arm up with a pillow when you sleep. If your work requires repetitive hand movements (at a keyboard or on an assembly line, for instance), remember to stretch your hands when you take breaks — which should be frequently.

Congrats!!!

I wanted to say Congrats to my wonderful husband!!!! He has worked really hard and accepted a position within the department to become an investigator/detective starting June 1st. I am SO proud of him and so excited for this great news. His hours will be better (M-F 8-4) and this also means that I get to stay at home with Evan next year! We are so thankful that God has had a plan for us all along and we are so blessed.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Happy Easter!!!!

This guy is obsessed with a bunny hole in our yard...we think he might have gotten one this morning and ate it, but we are not sure. argh! Bunnies are too cute...Jack should know better!!!!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

PB & J

Inquiring minds want to know.... How do you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?????

  1. Do you put peanut butter on 1 piece of bread and jelly on the other piece? OR
  2. Do you put peanut butter on 1 piece of bread and then jelly on the same piece? OR
  3. Something totally different???
I want to know! :) I'll let you know how I make mine later...