still here...

My 24 hour urine turned out fine! Thankfully she called me first thing Friday morning so I did not have to wait too long! I spent the day cleaning and doing a little shopping at Wal-Mart for last minute things. My MIL and I went shopping yesterday for fabric. She is going to make the curtains, dust ruffle, and crib bumper. We found the cutest fabrics!! We have been trying to stick to a brown/green/blue theme. The fabric we found is green with yellow, white, and chocolate brown mixed in. One of them is different kind of stripes and dots that we are going to use for the curtain. The other one has the cutest monkeys on it!! I can't wait to see the finished product!! Yes, I know we waited until the last minute, but she is a teacher and wanted to wait until school was out! I think it will be finished before he arrives :)

Here are a couple of pictures from Friday at 36 weeks 3 days!


My view first (notice the lack of feet:)

Update!!

The nurse just called and said my lab work was good! Thank goodness! Now I just have to finish my 24 hour urine collection. She said that would show more if it is pre-eclampsia or just hypertension depending on what the protein level is. I hope it turns out okay! I have a stupid headache again today which tylenol is not helping with. It makes me worry a little bit! I am trying to take it easy & just do laundry and light cleaning today. I have Ethan's bag packed, now to work on mine... :) Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts!! They are working so far :)

36 week appointment & slight scare..

I had my 36 week check up yesterday. I thought it would be like any other, except they were going to do my Group-B Strep swab. The nurse takes me back and asks how I have been feeling. Fairly good, except I am still working 3, 12 1/2 hour shifts a week and it is super stressful. I mentioned that I have been getting really bad headaches the past 3 or 4 days but thought it was related to work. She checked my blood pressure and said "Well that's why". My blood pressure was 142/94!! It has never been that high! She said the doctor would be in soon.

My OB practice has 4 doctors that you see throughout your pregnancy so that when you deliver, you will have seen all of them. I love this since it won't be a complete stranger delivering my baby. I was seeing the one doctor I had not seen yet and she was wonderful. When she came in she immediately went over any signs/symptoms of Pre-eclampsia and what I need to look for. I had been seeing white spots for a couple of days, but she said it was only worrisome if they were black spots or my vision became blurry. She measured my belly, listened to Ethan's heart rate (which was great & he had the hiccups which was funny). She did the GBS swab and checked my cervix which I did not enjoy! She then said she wanted to do a few things. Number one, get some baseline lab-work to check for Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. Number two, I have to do a 24 hour urine collection (which I will finish in 5 hours thank god). Number three, I have to have a growth ultrasound next week to see how big Ethan is. Since I'm a bigger girl she had a harder time telling how big he really is. No complaints here, we get to see our baby boy again!

The bad part about all of this was that it was the one appointment my hubby could not come to! I had a feeling something would happen, too! The nurse gave me my lab slip and said she would call me first thing in the morning(today) with the results since my blood-work was being done STAT. I had to get stuck twice because I had a new lab guy who put my blood in the wrong tube. Great! Then he thought I could magically pee in the collection jug....umm I don't think so! Anyways, it is now 12:45 and I have yet to hear from the nurse or doctor. I called about an hour ago requesting results, but I am sure they are on lunch now. I am hoping that no news is good news, right!?

It really put things into perspective that we could have our baby SOON if this continues to be a problem. Luckily I am pretty much full-term and this didn't happen any sooner! The doctor didn't seem too worried since I could deliver now if I really needed to. But I don't WANT to! I want him to bake for at least another week! It got me nervous though, and today I have been cleaning and doing his laundry and packing our bags! I need to be ready to go!

I don't know how many of you read this, but if you could just think good thoughts for us I would really appreciate it! I will keep you updated!

growth spurt!?

Holy growth spurt! This belly is getting out of control (at least it feels like it!). I also think he has dropped some. As soon as my friend walked into work this morning she pointed at my belly and said "he's dropping down!". He has been up SO HIGH in my ribs, I literally couldn't sit a certain way or bend over at all. Today? I can breath a little easier and there is not a tiny baby bum so high in my ribs. There is also a little more pressure down lower, especially first thing when I stand up. It feels like he lands right on my bladder as soon as I stand and I have to pee. The really annoying part is that it just trickles out! I am 35 weeks, 1 day today so we have 34 days left until I'm due!!!!

We had a wonderful baby shower over the weekend, I'll post a couple of pictures later. We got a lot of wonderful gifts, and 3 inflatable duck baths lol. Apparently Target was having issues with my registry! Hopefully I can exchange two of them for something else! Now I have to final list of things we need & need to do before he comes. I am working overtime this week, and an extra night shift of all things so I am worn out! Hopefully I can start working on that list tomorrow...or Friday...when does this nesting kick in!? :)

Head down!!

We had our doctor's appointment today, and everything still looks great! I mentioned to the doctor about what position he is in, and he said "why don't we take a quick look?" YES PLEASE! I truly believed he was still breech the way he is curled up in my right side under my ribs. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that is his BUTT curled up there and he is head down! He is still pretty high up, with his head resting on my left hip. This totally explains why my sciatic nerve has been killing me lately on my left side. I am just happy we won't have to have the "breech talk" as my doctor put it lol! Time to start walking to help this little boy drop down! Next appointment is May 26th, I'll be 36 weeks 1 day. Then I'll go every week after that! Two more weeks Ethan, then you will be full-term!! :)

Tomorrow is our baby shower and I cannot wait! We are leaving really early in the morning (5 or 6). It usually takes 4-5 hours to get there, but there is road construction south of Tacoma so who knows how long it will take! I am not thrilled about sitting in the car for that long, there will definitely be frequent stops! I am excited to see family again that we haven't seen since Christmas! I can't believe how close we are getting!

I'm bored

About the Mommy:
Hair Color: dark brown
Eye Color: hazel
Skin Complexion: Fair with freckles
Age: 25
First Child? Yup!

About the Daddy:
Hair Color: dark brown
Eye Color: blue
Skin Complexion: fair, but tans easily
Age: 26
First Child? Yep!

Finding Out:
What day did you find out? 10/11/2009
How did you feel when you found out? I was so happy, but shocked! I didn't think we had good timing.
Who was the first person you told? I was out of town, visiting family & friends. I told my best friend first!
How did they react? she was THRILLED

Telling the Parents and Grandparents:
How did your parents react? my mom was surprised, and cautiously excited (since I had a miscarriage earlier in the year)
How did his parents react? his parents were ECSTATIC!!! First grandchild for them!
Are they helping with baby names? nope, we named him ourselves
Have they bought anything for the baby yet? tons of stuff, he is so spoiled!
How often do they call and check on you? I talk to my mom about 1-2 times a week, and we see C's parents once a week for dinner.

About the Pregnancy:
When was your first appointment? November 4th
When is your due date? June 22, 2010
How far along are you? 34 weeks 1 day
Pre-pregnancy weight? RIGHT! Like I would actually write that! ;)
Weight now? I am only up 3 pounds from pre-pregnancy. I lost 10 pounds, but gained that back by 32 weeks. Now I'm up 3!
Have you had any ultrasounds? 4! viability at 7 weeks, dating u/s at 8 weeks, BIG u/s at 20 weeks, and another at 28 weeks.
Have you heard the heartbeat? Yup. At every appointment starting at the 12 week mark.

About the Delivery:
Are you going to videotape it? definitely not.
Are you allowing everyone in the room? just my husband
Medications or Natural? epidural please!
C-Section? Water Birth? Natural? hoping for a vaginal delivery!
Will you cry when you hold your baby for the first time? I know I will
Will daddy cry? probably
Are you scared about the labor? not scared, just a little nervous!

Names:
Is your baby going to be named after someone? middle name is Dale, which is a family name on my husband's side.
Name: Ethan Dale!

33 weeks!

Time just keeps flying by! Four weeks until I am "full-term" and 7 weeks until he is due!? I cannot wait to hold my little boy!


How far along? 33 weeks 2 days
How big is baby? over 4 pounds and 17" long
Weight gain?I have officially gained back the 10 pounds I lost, plus 3.
Maternity clothes? yes please. I love my jeans! I have a few maternity shirts, and a couple non-maternity shirts that still work. I have maternity scrub pants, but for now my tops still fit! I am hoping I can make it all the way!
Stretchmarks? I had a few small ones pop up around my belly button. Bright red. BOO! I already have enough, I don't need new ones!
Sleep? I love to sleep, I just wish I could! I get up to pee 2-4 times a night, and I have to switch sides every couple of hours because my hips start to hurt. I'm so looking forward to the day I can sleep on my belly again!!
Best moment this week? Going to see Nickelback in concert again tomorrow night!! Excited to see some family we haven't seen in way too long!
Movement? I've noticed the last few days it has slowed down a little. I was worried for a bit but then he started moving around like crazy again. I think *and hope* he is going to be a mellow baby (like his dad!)
Food cravings? all of it!!!
Gender? Boy!
Labor signs? I think I am starting to have braxton-hicks contractions. My belly will get really hard and tight but it only lasts a short time. I noticed it more on the days I work, so I make a point to sit down and drink lots of water.
Belly button in or out? still in
What I miss? being able to get out of bed without feeling like I need a crane LOL
What I am looking forward to? baby shower next weekend!!
Weekly wisdom? trust your instincts!
Milestones? hmm...getting closer to full term!

For once it isn't in the bathroom! I was trying on tops at JCPenney yesterday and decided to take a pic. I have had so many people say my belly is small for how far along I am, I can't possibly be due in 7 weeks. I love them :) I think it's because I have quite a belly pooch on top of the baby LOL