38.5 weeks

38 and a half weeks....still no baby girl. Apparently she is super cozy and happy right where she's at but that's okay. This picture is a little blurry but it shows how much she's grown since just last week. Yikes! But hey, still no stretch marks so praise Jesus! The belly butter has been working!
I still feel really good although my poor bladder is getting worked into some serious overtime. I feel like I need to pee at all times and my bathroom trips during the night has now increased from once a night to now 2-3 times. It's great...it's like I'm 80! LOL

Everything is ready and waiting in her room. All we need now is her! I have a doctor appointment today and he told us last time that we can pick a day for her to get here if I haven't had her by the appt. I think we are going to but then I have moments when I think no, we should just be patient and let her pick the day she wants to meet the world. So....we'll see what he says today at the appointment!

38 weeks - Sept 18, 2009

Still waiting....38 weeks and 2 days. Jared was really hoping the little one would show up yesterday on the 17th since his birthday is June 17th and mine is August 17th. Cheesey I know...but we thought it might be kinda cool. I still feel great although I'm much larger now!

Wed at the doctor appointment he said I was still dilated to a 2 and my cervix was super soft. Which he translated to mean she could show up any day and we are super ready. He also could still touch her head so she's down nice and low. Which everyone around me has been noting already. I can tell she's lower too. I seriously can breathe better now and I feel like my stomach lays on my legs now when I'm sitting down. So come one little one!

Thanks to all my friends who have offered up suggestions on how to get the labor started! Funny...you all seem to have the same one as your top recommendation. Hahaha! So far though....it hasn't helped. But that's okay. We are both super anxious to get her here but at the same time we think it's kinda cool to see what day she wants to meet the world. This morning Jared kissed me and then my belly on his way out of the bedroom and pep talked her about this weekend being a great time. Jared's grandmother's birthday is Sunday and he would really like it if she chose that day. And....our friend Taylor has picked Sunday as her "arrival day". Although if Taylor is right, we'll never hear the end of it!! LOL

I have an appt scheduled for Wed and I'll be 39 weeks. My doctor told us to pick a day to induce and if I'm still preggo on Wed then we will help little sister out and get her here next week.

Next week!!! Yeah...we've waited for what seems like the blink of an eye and an eternity all at the same time. It's insane and amazing the whole process and it only confirms that God still loves his people and wants them to continue in this world. It's like a little promise of hope.

Week 37

Week 37....I look like I've grown a ton in this picture....baby girl has been busy growing! Luckily, I still feel really good still and had a doctor's appointment yesterday. I have lost 2 lbs since last week...yeah, can you believe it? I really thought having 2 baby showers in one week would pile on the pounds but my doctor assured me the weight loss was because I'm getting closer to delivery day.

He did yell at me a little (first time this entire pregnancy!) because he said my face was flushed and puffy when he came into the room. I personally had noticed some major chubbiness in my face in my shower pictures and when they took my blood pressure it was 160/68. Yikes! Last week it was 130/68. So he made me lay on my side for 15 minutes and then took it again. It had dropped to 138/68. He said that it was good that it dropped on it's own just from me laying down but that I needed to be cafeul. So....after a pep talk on more water this week and less sodium he got off my case.

He checked me to see how things are progressing and I am dialated to a 2 and 50% effaced. So...that's pretty good progress for day one of week 37. Oh and thanks to all my friends who didn't warn my how much being "checked" was gonna hurt! Holy smokes...I was just expecting it to feel like a pap or something. No....he freaking shoved his hand so far up I swear he was in up to his elbow! LOL

He said she was down really low and that he was even able to tough her head. It didn't make me have any contractions but it sure the heck was uncomfortable. He told Jared I wouldn't make it to the end of the month so no worries about missing out on bow season (which starts Oct 1st).

So yipee! His prediction a week or two weeks. Which is perfect timing....I finally feel ready. After the showers we are stocked with all the baby things we could possibly need, her room is finally finished, and we have the "hospital bag" packed. So....now we wait.

36 weeks - Showers!

I had two showers this week! This first one was thrown by my office and then the second one was hosted by our church. I am such a lucky girl...we got so many wonderful things. Marla and Cindy let me open these two presents first thing when I arrived to work on Thursday. One was a super cute photo frame from Marla's sweet daughters and the other was a framed song from the movie Waitress. Love them both!!

This is me with my hostess crew from work. Everything was super cute and super pink! I am so blessed to work with such amazing friends. I love you guys and can't wait to share Baby Girl with you!!

This was my cake....matches the nursery!!

I know it's nerdy but I couldn't help but spread everything out and take a picture. This was my loot from the shower at work....

And this was the loot from our shower at church....

And I couldn't resist the urge to put it all up in her closet. Now I feel like I'm really ready for her to get here. The nursery is done....the closet is stocked. Who knew a little girl could need so many things?! Thank you so much to all of our family and friends for helping us out during this special time. You each have helped in making this a super special time for Jared and I. We love you each and it means the world to us that you wanted to share in this event with us. Thank you!!

Yikes! Baby girl has been growing...I'm at 26 pounds now and I think my stomach looks way bigger in this picture. Her room is finally finished so I didn't have a blank wall to stand against!

Week 36 - Part B

Here are a few more pics. I like the purple in this one. Even though it's dark and so is the background I think it makes my belly show up a bunch. Man...my face has gotten a little chubby!
And this one....my mom will HATE. I did have on a bra and panties mom! I swear! This is a shot that Mylissa wanted to try and so I said sure. I mean why not....I mean I probably won't use it as my Christmas card....but I like it. I like that it shows the shape of my belly when I lay down. Standing up it's really round but when I lay on my back it's different and I can really feel the shape of her body. Sometimes when she's facing my spine I can really feel her back and little bottom which I think is super cool.

These next are some of my favorites. I love black and white but I think it's the look on Jared's face that makes me favor these. He was super cooperative this day which is not typically how he feels about pictures! He tells me a million times a day how happy he is and how much he can't wait to get his little girl here. These are the things that make even the rough days amazing.

I am one super lucky girl....

Maternity Pictures

Thank you to all of my friends who encouraged me to do maternity pictures! I honestly wasn't sure that I wanted to, but now the closer I get to delivering the more I'm already thinking that I'll never get to be in this moment again. I'll never get to be pregnant with my first child again. I'll never be as anxious or as excitied or feel as humbled as I am right this very moment. And for that I am so thankful to my dear friend Mylissa Glaser for being a part of this special time and doing this shoot.

This pregnancy has been wonderful and I have been blessed tremendously. God gave us the child we asked for and He has provided a journey that has been amazing. Sure there were moments in the begining where I doubted and worried. There were days when I thought maybe I had more on my plate than I had bargained for. But every time I feel our little baby kick, I am reminded of the plan that God has for me...for Jared...and for this little baby that has be given to us.

I'm overwhelmed when I think of how such a tiny little thing has grown inside me over the past 8 1/2 months. I know the science behind this process, but I believe that without the hand of God, such a creation would never be possible. It blows me away to think that I will be able to look at my baby and see me and Jared all mixed into one little bundle. James 1:17 says "Every good and perfect gift comes from above" and this pregnancy has only lead me to believe this even more.
Let me say again....I love these pictures! I love black and white and the pink is so precious on them. I will give credit to Burt's Bees Momma Bee Belly Balm. Long name...amazing results. Ha! I put it on my belly after I shower at night and in the morning and so far no stretch marks! Lots of blue veins but no stretch marks yet. So thank you Burt's Bees. It's greasy and sticky but if it works...I'll do it. And at first I would make a face each time I weighed because I really wanted to stay within the limit my doctor had given me. And so far I have...I'm currently at plus 26 pounds and my doctor promised not to yell at me if I stayed under 30. So with crossed fingers I will finish out the next four weeks. But at this point all I want is a healthy, happy, amazing little girl and if I had to gain a million pounds I would.

I love this picture and am probably going to print one to hang in the nursery. I really like that Jared's hands were on top. There's something about it that makes me think of how much he takes care of me and this little girl. I can't explain it but there's something about it that makes me feel comfort and safe. This one makes me think about how tiny she really is. Now she should weigh about 6 lbs and is about 20 inches long and seems like a lot to be inside this belly but at the same time she's going to be so tiny!

Week 36 - August 31, 2009

I can't believe I'm 36 weeks pregnant. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in the doctor's office with Jared watching all of the other pregnant Mom's thinking how long a road I had ahead of me. 9 months seemed like a super long time.

I remember how stressful the first trimester was. I know I'm a worrier so that probably made it worse that it really was but I never thought I'd make it to the 12 week mark. And in the first trimester that's all you're living for. At 12 weeks and after seeing a heartbeat on the ultrasound I knew my chances of carrying a healthy baby increased drastically. So for 12 weeks that's what I prayed for and that's why I counted down each and every day.

After spotting a couple of times and then barfing my brains out for 8 weeks solid...I was a super wreck. In the past days would fly by and now there I was feeling like each day was a whole new journey. I never thought I didn't want to be pregnant but I will admit I was at the point of thinking maybe we should have waited. Maybe this wasn't the perfect time. Maybe I would be better prepared in a few more years. Yet each time I started to think I was stressed to my limits, I'd reach another mileston. 12 weeks came and by then I'd seen my baby's heartbeat mulitple times on the ultrasound. All super good signs. And then at 15 weeks the morning sickness was gone. Things were slowly starting to get better. This might be bearable after all...

When I look back now, it's pretty ironic that you can want something more than anything in the world, you can beg God to give you something and swear to Him that it's the only thing you'll ever ask Him for and then still have moments where you question your decision. It's the things like the first time I spotted and the look on Jared's face when I told him. It's those times that make you doubt yourself and what you really are capable of. It's the fact that at the begining you only see your doctor every month. Until your pregnant, 4 weeks seems like no time but when you are living month to month to hear your baby's heartbeat it's an eternity. I wasn't high risk, I honestly had no reason to be such a worrier, but once you know that you've got a little creation inside you all common sense goes out the window.

And then at 17 weeks we had a 3D ultrasound that completely gave us something new to focus on. Our little baby, our little creation, our little blessing....was a baby girl. I know that if Jared could have planned it, he would have chosen a boy first and then a girl the next time. But it didn't take long at all for him to completely adapt to the idea of a little girl. Suddenly the color pink became a huge part of his world. He wanted her room pink, and for her to have a night light, and for her name to be on her wall. Suddenly this super tough guy that I've known for so long, was melting for a little girl that he hadn't even thought about before.

From that moment on, the second trimester was wonderful. I felt great and didn't have a single problem. I felt her kick for the first time at 18 weeks and ever since she's been a busy little bee in there. I've never had to worry that something was wrong because she moves constantly.

The third trimester has been great too. My doctor said I'd be miserable but I honestly still wouldn't say I'm at that point. Yeah, I'm ready for her to get here but I would not say I'm miserable. I am big enough now that it's a little harder to bend over, get out of my car, roll over in bed and things like that. HA! Who knew that 24 extra pounds could make your life so much more difficult?! My fingers and toes swell occassionally if I'm outside in the heat and I can't get my wedding ring on but it's not bad. And in fact nothing would be too bad to when it comes to getting our little girl here safely.

Wow...that turned out a little deeper than what I thought I was feeling.