35 Weeks

I've made it another week- yeah!  Another week towards a healthy baby!  According to babycenter.com the baby weighs around 5.25 pounds (about the weight of a honeydew) and is around 18 inches long this week.  (Which is probably pretty accurate since Bryson was 5 pounds 10 ounces when he was born.) The physical development of the baby is complete, and now it's only job is to put on weight.  I think a lot of my fears about having a premature baby are gone at this point since I had Bryson just shy of 36 weeks and everything was fine with him and he was able to go home from the hospital with us.  I would still like to hold on for another week or two yet, though, since then the baby will be "term" and I will have less to worry about in terms of blood sugar levels, body temperature, and jaundice.  So that's my goal now.

I had my weekly midwife appointment today and she was pretty excited to see me for another appointment.  She's hoping that the baby will stay put for at least another two weeks:)  My blood pressure looked great, my weight gain was fine, and I'm still measuring a week behind at 34 cm.  The baby looks good: his/her heart rate is still in the 140s and he/she is still head down and very low.  I had her check my cervix again and I am now 2.5 cm dilated and 80% effaced.  A slight but definite change from last week (basically I'm a ticking time bomb:).  I am not surprised, though, since I'm having more contractions and starting to feel a lot more pain internally with some of them.  So it's back to the couch for me:)  I have a feeling it won't be long now until we meet our precious little one.

I'm not going to lie, this week has been the hardest for me.  Having to be cooped up in my house and feeling so helpless all the time is really starting to get to me.  So I've broken a few 'rules' and have gone on a Target run and taken the boys to our playgroup this week.  I just had to get out of the house or I (and the boys) might have gone crazy!!!  If you know me, you know that I am constantly on the go and taking the kids places, so having to be resting all the time is hard for me, and also for the boys.  I've also been experiencing a lot of rib pain from sitting around so much, and some evenings I can't even get comfortable to watch TV, so that weighs on me.  I'm also feeling rather huge and that my skin can't possibly stretch any further (although I know that it will).  I had a break down moment on Wednesday where I just wanted to be done with the pregnancy and to meet my baby.  I don't mean to sound like I am complaining about anything, because I know that what I am doing is what's best for the baby and I am so thankful that I am able to carry a child, but I'm being honest.  Yes, it sounds wonderful to be able to sit around all day and have everyone else take care of the kids, the house, and the meals, but after awhile, it's not all that fun anymore, and this week, I felt that!  I'm feeling a lot better today, though, so hopefully I can keep a positive attitude as I continue to rest in order keep this baby in for at least another week or so.  Please pray for me!

Boy or Girl?

I know these pictures are from awhile ago (our 20 week ultrasound), but I've had people ask me to see them, so I thought I would post them here.  

Would anyone care to cast their vote as to whether this baby is a boy or girl?  Whatever it is, I think he or she is pretty darn cute:)

For Your Listening Pleasure

Before you start listening, please scroll to the bottom of the page and pause the music so you can hear the video.  It's of our precious baby's heart beat:)  I love having a doppler so that I can listen to the baby whenever I want to.  It's amazing to hear this sound, no matter how many times I've heard it before!

Ready

Besides the last minute things that I can't pack yet (ie toiletries, make up, and my pillow), our bags are packed and we're ready to go whenever this baby decides to come:)  I'm getting very excited to meet this little one and to hold him/her in my arms!

34 Weeks

When I was first put on bed rest two weeks ago, 34 weeks was a good goal to get to in my mind since if you go into labor after that, they don't stop your labor and you just deliver the baby.  Also, babies who are born between 34-37 weeks usually do just as well long term as babies who are born after 37 weeks.  They may have a few more short term issues, but overall they do pretty well.  One of the doctors that I saw in the hospital told me that she had a baby at 34 weeks and he spent two nights in the NICU and was then able to go home with them when she went home.  So in my mind, I made it my goal to at least get to 34 weeks.  (I also wanted to make it to 34 weeks so that I could have the midwives there for my delivery).   I remember thinking how far away two weeks seemed, especially since I had to be on bed rest.  But I've reached the 34 week goal and actually the time has just flown by.  It's been very nice to be able to be on a normal sleep schedule and not have to worry about going to work.  It does get very old sitting around all day, but I've had time to get some things done that I wouldn't have had time to do otherwise, so I'm thankful that I've been forced to slow down a little bit.  It's good for me and most importantly, for the baby:)

I had my 34 week appointment with the midwife yesterday and things are going well.  My weight jumped up a little more that I would have liked it to, but I can definitely tell that the baby has grown a lot this week- my belly got a lot bigger over the week!  My blood pressure was also up a little (though nothing to worry about yet), with no reason as to why, so we'll just follow it and see how it is next week.  I'm still measuring a week behind at 33 cm, but as long as the number is getting bigger each week, that is fine.  The baby looks good with a heart rate in the 140s, and he or she is still head down and very low. I asked the midwife if she would do a cervical check today since my contractions have become a little stronger the past few days and I was wondering if my cervix had changed at all in two weeks.  I am still 70% effaced, not quite 2 cm dilated, and the baby's head is at -1 to 0 station (engaged).   So not much change from two weeks ago, which is good.  Apparently the bed rest is doing the trick.  The midwife mentioned that she would like the baby to stay for another 3 weeks, and I laughed a little about that.  We'll see if that happens or not.  She also told me that I probably shouldn't increase my activity too much  as the doctor suggested last week, and I agree with her.  I would like to get another week or two further before I start having to be on my feet at all day cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and toting the kids around everywhere.  We might go stir crazy being stuck in the house all day, but we'll make it through.  When I start to feel guilty or down about how different the boys' lives are now since we don't usually stay at home much, I have to remind myself that it's such a short time in their lives and that it's for the good of the baby.  It's also good for them to be spending quality time with Grammy.  Seriously, she's the best!!  I can't thank her enough for all of her help!!!

Baby Hats

While I've been sitting around this past week, I had my mom teach me how to crochet.  It's been fun and I've had LOTS of time to work on hats for the baby:)  Here is what I've been able to get done this week:

Aren't they cute?  This baby (no matter what gender) will have plenty of hats to keep his/her head warm:)  As for the hats for whatever gender we don't have, I'll be giving those away as presents for all of my preggo friends, donating to the hospital, or seeing if my best friend may want them for photography props.  Some little head will get good use out of them:)

Big Boy Bed

Lately Bryson has been enjoying going to sleep in our bed with one of us laying with him, so on Monday I decided that maybe he was ready to transition to a toddler bed.  After doing a little research and picking a bed out, I called Travis and he picked up the bed and mattress later on that afternoon.  I also found some great toddler bedding online that would match Taryn's room decor and so I purchased that as well.  Monday night Travis and Taryn put the bed together:

The finished product

B giving his approval- he had a huge smile on his face!

and that night Bryson slept in his new bed for the first time.  He LOVED it and stayed in the bed for the entire night (and has since)!!!  He was definitely ready, that's for sure.   We love it because it's much easier for one of us to put both of the boys to bed now, which will be very beneficial when the new baby comes.  I think he loves being a big boy and sharing a room with his big brother now.  Darn cute.