6 weeks left!

34 weeks! Wow! I am 8 1/2 months pregnant! The realization of the little one coming our way in the next few weeks is really becoming the number one consuming thought for both of us. My last appointment went well. They did give me some medicine to help with this occasional, but sometimes debilitating, nausea that I've been having again. She said at the next appointment, they are going to start checking me to see if I am starting to efface or dilate at all. Wow!

Surprisingly, I have been sleeping better the past week and my pain has been minimal except for when she makes abrupt movements. I took a nap Saturday and today, so I guess I'm still exhausted.

We are having a special gospel meeting series this week on "Family Matters." So far, we've had 3 really good lessons. These topics couldn't have come at a better time!

Other than that, nothing major to report. Let's hope things stay relatively uneventful for a few more weeks. Have a great week!

A Wonderful Baby Shower with the Church Ladies

Two of my good friends from church, Stephanie and Sarah, organized a baby shower for me on Saturday with the ladies from church. It was wonderful! There was probably 25-30 ladies there and my mom got to come and enjoy it with me.
My cousin Brenda made my shower cake. It was so adorable and very delicious! She just makes cakes for fun, but she is very naturally talented!
Sarah made a cute diaper cake... which is very practical since I get to keep and use all the diapers!
They had Sarah's house all decorated up in Classic Pooh with little animals and books everywhere. The whole place was so cute! We got A LOT of really nice gifts including: lots of clothes, burp rags, blankies, toys, socks, hats, books, toiletries and a Classic Pooh pack 'n play. Everyone was so sweet and generous!
Here is my 33 week picture. Seems like I have really grown in the past week. I am starting to have a really hard time sleeping through the night. We are trying a few things to make the bed more comfortable and sometimes I have to take a Benadryl to get sleepy enough. I feel like I wake up like a zombie! The iron pills have been pretty rough on my system too. Lately, I've also been having quite a bit of nausea, sometimes quite severe. During the day Tums seem to help, but the nighttime nausea is only relieved by sleep (if I can get any). She is really getting up in my ribs now, and they are starting to twist and turn every which way, giving me quite a bit of pain sometimes. I had a massage on Saturday and it was the most relaxed and restful I have felt in the last few weeks. The weather has been cooler over the weekend, which has been a nice reprieve. I have another doctor's appointment on Tuesday, so hopefully everything is going well!

Please send up some extra prayers this week for me and the baby to stay healthy and safe as the end approaches. Have a great week!

Watch out for Uncle Jared

32 weeks and moving right along! I am officially 8 months pregnant...and when I say that it seems like the end is getting closer so quickly! I won't deny it, I'm starting to get ready for it. She stays very busy in the belly. Sometimes I think she is trying to make an "Alien" exit because her foot comes 3 inches outside of my belly sometimes. I'm getting a lot more sharp pains now that things are really starting to stretch.
I can't believe the difference in this full picture from the last one I took just a couple weeks ago. I am definitely starting to feel rounder! The doctor said that I'm still "all belly" and so far have only had a 19 pound weight gain. My blood pressure and overall health has been really good. In good news, the doctor said there is a chance she won't induce me and let me go on my own. She still may want to control it some with pitosin once I go into labor depending on her St. Joe schedule, but I was so relieved to hear that.
It's been a busy and emotional week full of projects. Nathan started painting the front room on Monday and I finished up a good portion of it by Thursday ( mostly just trimming) and we got the furniture moved back. We finished the final bit of it yesterday and I am so relieved! Nathan's car broke down on Wednesday (we were supposed to take it in for service on Thursday!) and that made for a hectic Wednesday and Thursday with the driving situation. Thank goodness I don't work on Thursdays anymore! Did I mention that Nathan was running a fever and had a sore throat for two days? Finally, the baby's dresser came in (I saw it just sitting on the porch as I was leaving for work Wednesday morning) and we put it together last night. Her room is finally taking form! My first shower is this Saturday with the ladies from church and I'm super excited to start celebrating with everyone!
Uncle Jared decided to see whose belly was bigger when he brought his girlfriend over for a visit Saturday night. What do you think? I think it's almost even! We went to Outback and we all had AWESOME steaks! Yum! Baby and I love our red meat protein!
Then finally, to cap off the week, Uncle Jared decided to demonstrate what going through labor would be like. I am so thankful for my little brother's wisdom. I think I am going to have to closely monitor what he teaches my daughter! Haha!

This week should be pretty restful. I'm really happy about it and I think I really need it. Not much longer before I won't be able to control my personal rest time and some little lady controls it for me. Have a great week!

Koren's Top 10

31 weeks! Hard to believe how fast time has flown! This past weekend, Nathan and I celebrated (although not yet officially) our 3 year anniversary. What awesome things the last 3 years have done for us and we are so looking forward to becoming parents together in just a few short weeks!

As for how I'm feeling, I'm still having some intermittent nausea and low back pain. Most recently, I've been able to enjoy the onset of some plantar fasciitis in my right foot which has done nothing to help all my other aches and pains. Overall though, still feeling good but not enjoying the HEAT wave!

I don't have anything particularly exciting to report so I've decided to write up my top 10 things I love/hate the most about pregnancy. Enjoy.

TOP 10 THINGS I HATE MOST ABOUT PREGNANCY
1. First trimester morning sickness
2. Low back pain
3. Everyone saying "the best advice is to not listen to anyone's advice" and then giving me advice anyway
4. Strangers touching my belly
5. Affectionate nicknames like "fat elephant" and "waddle lady"
6. People thinking I have the right to eat like a pig and not care about it
7. People thinking that I'm carrying in such a way that I must be having a boy and my ultrasound was wrong
8. People making comments about how small (usually the comment is "You aren't very big for almost 8 months pregnant!) I am
9. Baby kicking me in the ribs
10. Having to wear support hose which make my feet super stinky, as if they weren't gross enough being so swollen

TOP 10 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BEING PREGNANT
1. Feeling the baby move
2. People saying "You look so cute pregnant"
3. The fact my husband finds me sexier
4. Planning the baby's room
5. Trying to pick out a name
6. Having a good reason for being grouchy
7. Looking at other people's newborns and thinking how much I can't wait to see my own
8. Teasing Nathan about having to change poopy diapers and clean up baby puke
9. Maternity clothes that are still cute and fashionable
10. Knowing that all this suffering leads me to meet my little lady and how much I can't wait to be a mom

Doctor's appointment tomorrow! Have a great week!

30 weeks- 3/4 of the way there!

I know this picture overall makes me look bigger because my dress is very loose, but she is definitely a growing girl! My little squash is now consistently kicking me in the ribs and giving me nausea/indigestion because of her pressure on my organs. All 5 of her senses are now developed and her activity/sleep cycles are becoming more regular.

This week I begin my official 3 day work week! After last week, my body was definitely telling me that it needs more rest. I had a lot of fatigue, back pain and swelling last week. On Thursday I was working with a patient and she kicked me so hard that it almost brought tears to my eyes. I am really looking forward to a little more rest, but also getting some nesting done around the house.

In good news, I did pass my 3 hour glucose test so I am NOT diabetic. That was wonderful news! I have been taking my iron pills, but it has been a challenge with the scheduling of them because of the food waiting period and antacid taking. My nausea has made antacids almost a must again.

Saturday, Nathan and I went to our "Prenatal Blitz" at the hospital. It wasn't overly informative above what I've been reading already, but it was nice to know a lot of what the hospital does specifically. It also has made labor seem much more real to me and I'm starting to get nervous about what it will be like. But the thoughts of finally meeting our little one are also very exciting!

We also had some family/friends over to play cards on Saturday. It will probably be the last bit of entertaining that we really do at our house until after the baby is here. It's just amazing how fast time flies!

Anyway, it is time for my piano student to arrive so I must close this post. Have a wonderful week!

Progress

29 weeks!
We have had a good week for the most part. Unfortunately, this past week, my nausea has made its re-entrance. It has happened somewhat randomly, not always along with meals or with being hungry. Sometimes the feeling has been pretty intense and I've had a rough time going to sleep. I have also starting taking my iron pills (no, my nausea is not from these pills) and I have to be careful when I take them. It has to be one hour before or two hours after food or antacid tablets. I also can't lay down for 30 minutes afterward so getting in a schedule has been rough.

I am starting to have a really rough time getting comfortable. My belly is starting to feel like a concrete pillow and I cannot stand having anything touching it. This is like undershirts, panels on my pants or pillows even. I had a really hard time during my massage the other day being comfortable because it was hard to breathe laying on my back (even though I was somewhat elevated) and that was a bummer because I couldn't enjoy it as much.

This weekend we got to babysit for our friends' little boy Gavin who is 5 1/2 months old. We had him several hours on Saturday and Sunday. It was so much fun and a good taste of what it will be like to have a baby around. Saturday we didn't have much planned and he was super content to hang out and play. Sunday, we were all sleepy and we had chores to do, but Gavin just really wanted to be held. It's so interesting how much just "normal" things change when you have a baby. But having him around certainly makes me more excited for my own to come!

I should get the results of my 3 hour glucose test on Tuesday at my next appointment. Then, I believe my friend Stef and I are going to the Baby Depot to look at baby furniture if I have the day off of work. This is my last "full " week of work! Woo hoo! Baby and I are looking forward to some rest before the big day and the house needs a lot of attention before October.

That's the news! Have a great week!

Third Trimester!

The third trimester is here! While some sources will argue whether it begins at week 27 or 28, it doesn't matter, because I am in it no matter what now! Woo hoo! The second trimester went so super fast. Before we know it, in three short months, little girl will be here!

She is getting bigger all the time. Over the last 11 weeks, she has doubled in size! I can tell because she now spends a lot of her time kicking me in the ribs. I try not to complain too much because I take that as a good sign that she is facing downward and hopefully increasing my chances for natural birth. She could be born now and live outside my body (with assistance) and would be just a little bigger than our hands. My mom told me yesterday that she is predicting her to weigh somewhere in the 5-6 pound range... I'm not sure yet. We'll have to see how my growth goes this trimester. She can gain up to a 1/2 pound a week this trimester.

In mommy news, I go in for my 3 hour glucose test on Tuesday. I was able to get the whole day off because my caseload has been lighter so I can devote my whole day to that. Then back to the doctor next Tuesday to find out the results.

I have now been affectionately been nicknamed "BB" by my family because of my weird obsession with playing with my gradually progressive "outey" bellybutton. It has a little ridge on the top of it that I can't stop messing with! I just wish it would go ahead and pop out or stay in. This in between thing is weird!

We have lots coming up in the next few months:
Aug 1st is our "Prenatal blitz" class, Aug 3rd my work schedule changes, Nathan is taking TWO call weekends in August back to back, our 3rd anniversary is Aug 19th, Aug 22nd is my shower with the ladies at church, Sept 13th is my shower with friends and family in Marion, Sept 16th is my breastfeeding class, Oct1st is the end of teaching bible class, Oct 5th is our ladies' lectureship and then I am due Oct 10/11th! This trimester is gonna fly!

We are looking forward to meeting our little lady soon. Have a great week!