Less than 9 weeks to go!

The countdown continues....and anxiety kicks in. I am very thankful we did take our Bradley classes. They really did teach us a lot and give me more encouragement that I just might be able to do this.....BUT.....it also taught us sooooooooo much more about childbirth. And when I actually think how in two more months I have to birth this quickly growing little girl, yeah I get anxiety!! Does anyone not?!?!? And not only anxiety about having her, but about her actually being here. I have read books, but I'm also not naive enough to think this is something you could ever totally prepare for. I have no idea how she will be, how I will be!!! Will I be able to breastfeed??? I know I will give it my all to supply her with the best. You just never know. Just like every childbirth is so different, every baby is too. Not to mention the mothers. I can only try to be the best I can for her.
Ok subject change before the anxiety starts again! lol I notice new things every week now. Such as the ever growing belly. Also I have started to notice a very faint line starting. Linea negra. And to think I thought I might not get one. Just like I thought (actually hoped & prayed) my lovely little BB would not come out. It hasn't.....yet. I say this because there is no way in 2 more months that it will still be in. It gets closer every day. And I now search every day for a stretch mark. I can sometimes feel my skin stretch and it freaks me out. My mom didn't get any stretch marks with me or my brother. They say it's more hereditary. But my Mom also never had 16 weeks of nausea either. So who really knows. Honestly I would much rather a few stretch marks as long as my skin all shrinks back after baby girl is born. Working for a plastic surgeon I have seen how sometimes some women will go back to pre-pregnancy weight. Or even skinnier. And yet they have this flap of skin that just hangs there. Like a pancake. Now if THAT happened I would cry. Call me vain if you want, but what woman wants that! So your probably thinking, you work for a plastic surgeon so just get a Tummy Tuck. Have you every seen one performed?!? Not to mention it is a serious surgery and a VERY painful one at that! I'd prefer not! Weird because I never thought these things until the last few weeks as I have watched my belly grow like I never thought possible. It's just so crazy! I think each week, it just can't get bigger. And yet each week it does! And as my friends keep saying, it will only get bigger! Thanks girls! lol This little girl is so worth all this, but I still freak a bit. This is such a transition for your body it is totally amazing and freaky at the same time. And my soft little baby is turning into bony strong knees and elbows. She really catches me off guard sometimes!! Sometimes a strong punch to my bladder will have me give a little yelp! ;-) While I'm on the subject of bodily changes I have also noticed at the end of the day my tiny size 5 feet will start to resemble sausages. I haven't really started swelling, just noticed they are a bit puffy at times. I can't blame them having to support this extra 20 pounds every day now. I have also been getting some cramps I guess you could call them?? Not sure if it is Braxton contractions. It has happened twice now in the evening. Very similar to when I get my IBS pains, but this is a bit different. Also my lower back usually aches a little with them. So I don't know!
Tomorrow we go to take our Maternity pictures. We are having another cold front come through this evening so now I have no idea what I will wear tomorrow! And one more week until our Baby shower!! So exciting! And crazy how everything is coming and going. This has all gone by so fast!!
Friday we finally went by our Fertility Doctors office. After he discharged us the girls said to make sure we come by to show off the belly. So we picked up some donuts along with a Thank you card I had bought and stopped by. It was weird being back there. How much time we spent there for 6 months. Usually twice a week I would be at there office for exams or just blood draws. It was nice to see them all and they were happy we came by! And of course they want to meet Lil Pea as soon as she gets here.
If you go to our album Baby Girls Bedroom you will see I added a few new pics of her bedroom that is now just about complete! I am still waiting on my glider that is taking FOREVER! They said it can take up to 12 weeks and I guess they weren't lying!! It's been over 8 weeks now! I did call last week and they said it should be here in 2 more weeks. I hope because there are some nights I already feel I might want to just sleep in it. ;-) Anyways if you look at the pictures you will see Lil Pea's new awning for over her window that her grandmother (Chris's mom) just finished sewing for her. So cute! Everything couldn't have turned out more the way I wanted it to!! I'm so happy with her room and hope she is too! Especially since she isn't allowed to change it for at least 5 years! lol
Here is a quick video of the song they play every week at the end of yoga class. Long Time Sun. The teacher has us sit Indian style and hold our belly's as we sing out loud. (they usually only play about 30 secs) Every time I play it Lil Pea starts moving around. I think she recognizes it after the many weeks of yoga class. First time I heard this in yoga I wasn't sure but now I really like it. Very peaceful.

Only 68 days to go! Let the countdown begin!!

And the feet are going, going......

How Far Along? 30 weeks

Total Weight Gained/Loss? 20 pounds

I'd like to stay around 30 personally, but want baby girl healthy. So we will see!

Maternity Clothes: Of course I'm still wearing them!

Sleep: This is beginning to suck! I just can't seem to get comfortable. I assume by 35 weeks I really will be sleeping in my reclining Glider. Just like the guy said before we bought it. Now if only it would come in already!!

Best Moment of the Week: 3D US of course :)

Movement: Yes, all the time. She scares me sometimes how strong she already is. She is gonna seriously be able to hurt me by 40 weeks!!

Food Craving: Nope.

Food aversions: No.

Morning sickness: Still gone, thank goodness!

Gender: As you can see from her 3D's, it is definitely still a GIRL!

Labor Signs: No. Let's keep it that way for at least 8 more weeks!

Belly Button: Getting flatter and definitely changing, but still in there.

Stretch Marks: none (whispered with fingers crossed)

Wedding rings: still on

Exercise: yoga Tuesday, my Bradley exercises daily and also walking again now when I can

What I miss: Honestly?? Well you know me so I'll be blunt. TMI, but normal bowel habits. Pregnancy has really stopped things up and slowed them down! Ughhh!!

What I'm looking forward to: Having maternity pics taken of Chris and I on Sunday. Also our Baby shower the following Saturday!! :-)

Other NEW news this week: On Monday I found out I passed my one hour glucose test I had done the week before. Yay!!

Saturday we went for our 3/4D ultrasound of Lil Pea!! Soooo exciting!!! She has chubby cheeks now and everything! The tech said she is a very active baby, I said believe me I know!

Of course she wanted nothing to do with picture time. She had her hands up on her face the whole time. We were able to get a few good pics when she would move them real fast or I push on her to move. But then her cord was also floating right in her face because of the way she was scrunched up. So we didn't get some of the awesome shots I saw on their website of some babies, but it was still amazing to watch this little actual baby playing around inside my belly! So crazy! I can't wait to meet her and stare at her for hours.♥

You can see her pics by clicking here for Lil Pea 3D.

My SIL came over this week also and we were able to finish the flowers we were painting on her wall. Her room is just about done now! I just have to put up the butterflies, ladybugs, birds, ect. that I bought from Michaels. I am going to put them up with double sided adhesive. Also we just need to put up her awning for her window that her Grandmother (Chris's mom) is sewing for her. Then I will take another pic of her whole room done.

Also some more TMI, but did any of you ladies have breast leakage during PG?? I mentioned before I started leaking a few weeks ago and I still have it every day. So I wear my breast pads in my bra every day. Does this go away before birth?? I'm assuming it stays because it has been happening for a few weeks now. Guess I better just go buy more breast pads! ;-)

We also finished our 7 weeks of Bradley classes. We will go in March to one class that we missed those 2 weeks I was sick with bronchitis. We learned so much during these classes and I am sooooo happy we took them. She taught us so much not only about natural childbirth, but also about nutrition, exercise, breastfeeding, labor in general with or without drugs, things to expect once you go to the hospital, and just so much more it would take too long to type about! If anyone is interested in a birthing class besides the much less informative one the hospital gives in one day I would recommend our teacher. She was recommended to me by a friend and I'm glad we went. It was hard taking the time to go after work every Monday for 7 weeks, but well worth it.

Weekly Wisdom: I've said it once but I'll say it again! Try and enjoy every minute, I swear to you it goes SO quickly!!

Favorite item bought this week: I have really been wanting to buy stuff for her lately. I have actually been really good this whole PG and have barely bought anything besides stuff for her room to decorate. But I still stop myself because our shower is less than two weeks away. After that I'm on a mission. lol So I guess for this week it would be her 3D ultrasound we bought.

**I also posted a few new belly pics in album Our Lil Pea if you wanna check them out.**

30 isn't so bad after all

This past Wednesday was my 30th B-day! (gasp) I'm not sure if I really thought I would feel different but.....of course I don't!! I do still think it will be a little weird the first time someone asks me how old I am and I have to reply 30. Oh well, baby steps. lolol
On Wednesday after work (I was able to leave @ 2:30pm) I went to dinner @ one of my favs, the Cheesecake Factory. Chris, my Mom and my brother, SIL and the kids came. It was nice. Nothing too crazy for the preggo! ;-)

On Thursday we went to my OB for my monthly check up and also to take the 1 hour Glucose test. The drink itself actually didn't taste bad. I got the red flavor. However it was very sweet, and after two big sips the last thing you want to do is drink more. But I was able to finish in a few minutes and then we went in to see the Dr.. I had a list for him this time with a few ?'s I wanted to ask. I was very happy with all his answers. He does not practice routine cutting (episiodomy) which I was happy to hear. If everything is going ok with baby and I, then after delivery it's baby to belly. And I can try nursing while trying to birth the Placenta. Also was happy to hear this. We have learned these are all good things in our Bradley class and also from a few friends. I also asked him why she seems to be playing so low all the time. He measured my belly and felt my uterus and said everything was perfect. She just like to hang out there! :-) He felt around and said it's still too early to tell if she is breech or what position she is currently in.
After answering all our ?'s we went back in the waiting room to wait an hour to have my blood taken and to get my Rhogam shot. (I'm A-) Lil Pea is usually sleeping in the morning, but after that sugary drink (i never drink stuff like that) and the doctor shaking up her home, she was up and going crazy! lol
Finally an hour went by (wasn't too bad) and I went and had my 3 vials of blood taken and my shot. Now I just cross my fingers we pass round 1 and DO NOT have to do round 2 which is 3 hours and lots of blood draws in between!!

Everything else has been going good still. Well except my bowels. TMI, but they have taken a severe halt I guess you could say. I have been drinking Prune juice and Benefiber every day now. The prune juice works but is sooooooo horrible. But like I said, it works, so I take my shots of prune juice every day. ;-)
Sleeping is also becoming more and more uncomfortable. It's still not horrible, but I can imagine by it may get a bit worse as I still have 10 more weeks to grow. Speaking of 10 weeks, can you believe that's all we have left (give or take a few days)!!!! Because I can't!! Honestly I still find it hard to totally process in my head. Chris keeps saying he wishes she was here already. Me? I said I'm not ready yet! Well I still want her to fatten up more of course, but I also would prefer to have her after we actually have stuff in her room besides just furniture & decor!! Less than 3 weeks until our shower. Then we can finish getting all her necessities.

Yesterday Chris had a party for me @ our house for my 30th B-day. We originally talked about going to Vegas for my 30th. I have been twice but Chris has never been and I would love to go with him. But instead I am getting an even better gift for my 30th year. And she is sooooo worth waiting on Vegas. Maybe next year. The party turned out great, though, and even big and preggo I had a wonderful time and great 30th B-day. And the best part was....I'm not hungover today!!!!! Although I do have some back pain from standing in heels most of yesterday. Chris and my Mom were yelling at me for wearing them. But c'mon! Gotta look good as the preggo 30th B-day girl! lol It was a great time, though, and I think everyone had a good time. We had some of the family over and close friends.
I also went before my party and got a new hair do. Needed a new look for my 30's. My friend Jodi referred me to a guy she goes to which happens to be right near our house. He did a great job and finally got rid of the orangy color I had in my hair. Thanks again Jodi!
If you want to check out some party pics look in my album Nicole's 30th Bday . There are also a few pics I had my friend Lauren take of Chris, Lil Pea and I before the party. So baby girl can see she was able to share my 30th Bday with us.

Today we just hung out and relaxed around the house for Valentine's day. I'm not really into waiting hours for a table going out to dinner. So we had left over pizza from my party for our dinner tonight. Chris had beautiful flowers delivered to my work for Lil Pea and I on Friday for Valentine's Day. My friend Lauren was going to take a few pic for me yesterday of an idea I had for a Valentine's day picture, but it was freezing out so we never did them. Today it started to warm up a little so I had Chris take them for me. Click here to check out V-Day belly shots.

I also wanted to say Congrats to my friend Jen who had her 2nd baby Friday. She was scheduled for a C-section this Tuesday as baby was breech, but he decided he couldn't wait any longer and she went into labor Friday so they moved her C-section up. Congrats Mike and Jen on your beautiful new baby boy!!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

3rd Trimester!

How Far Along? 28 weeks

Total Weight Gained/Loss? 18 pounds - WOW! I'm starting to feel this extra weight. I always tell Chris I just don't know how really heavy people do it! The stomach already gets in the way of everything!!

Maternity Clothes: Heck yeah! Don't think my size 1 & 3 jeans are gonna fit for a loooooong time! Unless I get lucky and the baby weight just melts off. *fingers crossed*

Sleep: Some days better than others. Starting to get a little uncomfortable.

Best Moment of the Week: Finally starting to feel better after my nasty cold that lasted 2 weeks! Working on her room yesterday with Lil Pea's Auntie Mel, Auntie Liv and Nana (my mom). Cousin Cody even came. Should have taken a pic of him napping in her flowery crib. lol

Movement: Oh yeah, all the time!! She is such an active strong lil girl!♥

Food Craving: Nope

Food aversions: Nothing in particular

Morning sickness: Gone since 16 weeks thankfully!!!

Gender: It is a GIRL!

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button: Definitely changing every day but still an innie. And still sporting the belly ring. ;-)

Stretch Marks: none (whispered with fingers crossed)

Wedding rings: still on

Exercise: Ughhhh! None the past two weeks while sick. Even missed yoga! But so excited for yoga again Tuesday! Then the "BIG" birthday Wednesday but maybe a nice walk Thursday and Friday.

What I miss: Oh I know this one! NOT having little "leakages" every time I sneeze or cough. Sooooooooooooo annoying!! Really caught me off guard since I have never even had any bladder problems. And being sick the past 2 weeks I am totally over it! lol

What I'm looking forward to: 3D/4D ultrasound scheduled for February 20th! Also maternity pics scheduled for the 28th! Can't wait!

Weekly Wisdom: Well my weekly "surprise" wisdom has to do with more leakage. Let me explain.
Friday I got my weekly emails of what baby and my body are up to this week. One from Baby Center and another one from The Bump.
This is the one from the Bump -
You're 28 weeks pregnant!
Week 28
Sprung a leak? Those thick, yellow drips (called colostrum), are the precursor to breast milk. Try a pair of cotton breast pads and make sure to change them whenever they get damp to avoid the dreaded chafe. Still milk-free? That's normal too -- some women just don't leak.

I read that this morning thinking, sucks for those women. But would also be a nice reassurance that I won't end up being in the 3% of women who for medical reasons can't breast feed.

So I was about to jump into the shower and was standing in the closet talking to Chris while taking off my top and bra and suddenly did a double take. My bra had two little stains on each cup. LEAKAGE!! I never even felt it!! Of course Chris started laughing & goes now you pee your paints & have leaky boobs!! hahahaha
So I'm now ready to supply baby girl with what she needs when she is ready to arrive! :-)
Guess I better get out those breast pads my friend Katrina gave me already.

Favorite item bought this week: Just bought a few decorative things for her room such as paint for the clouds we sponged and also some butterflies, birds, ladybugs, ect. I still have to put up.

We also have our check up with my OB and the Glucose test this Thursday. *fingers crossed* I pass 1st time! Wednesday is my 30th B-day (yikes) and we are having some close friends and family over Saturday to celebrate. Originally before we got PG we were going to possibly go to Vegas for my 30th but now that will have to wait. Lil Pea is better than any b-day, gift or trip anyways. Plus I've decided I'm gonna stay in my 20's for another year or two so we can go to Vegas next year. ;-)

Saturday my SIL, good friend Olivia and my Mom came over so we could put up the tree and also sponge some clouds onto baby girls walls. I have never done clouds before but my SIL has. The clouds actually weren't as hard as we thought they would be, BUT for anyone who is doing them you do not need to add as much glaze to the white paint as they say. We had to do 5 coats and they still came out really light. But I like them. They look more natural and not bright white and fake. The tree, now that was quite some hard work to get up! But I think we did a great job. Came out perfect! Put a few new pics in her Bedroom Album.

All in all things are still going great and I still can't believe we are in the 3rd and last trimester!! It's crazy how in the beginning it seems like full term is so far away. Yet how quickly the months fly by!! She will be here before we know it!! And NO, we still have not picked out a name. And NO we are NOT just saying that because we really do and are keeping it a secret. We do have 4 names we are considering but we honestly just still aren't sure which we like for her. Like I've said before, I wouldn't be surprised if we don't decide until the moment we meet her. I think then we will know.

One of the worst days of my life...

One year ago today I woke up with a horrible feeling of fear. I had experienced cramps before I went to bed that just didn't seem right. At the time I was supposed to be 7 weeks so I tried to tell myself they were just more growing pains. After seeing our lil beans heart beat a week earlier I finally was trying to let myself relax as everyone had been telling me to do. I started to also believe what everyone kept telling me, that my 1st miscarriage was just a fluke and that everything would be fine this time. That I need to stop worrying so much. And so I did. I started to believe that we were actually going to have a baby. And of course I fell in love after we saw that little flicker anyways.
But that morning I knew something just didn't feel right. Sure enough I got up and went to the bathroom only to find a light brown spotting on the toilet paper. Looking back it was then that I knew, but still tried to remain hopeful. Chris and my mom told me to try not to worry and just call the doctor once they opened at 9am. That many women experience spotting in their pregnancy. Which is true. But spotting for me has only meant something bad. Even with this pregnancy I never had any spotting or blood. Only implantation spotting before I knew I was even PG.
So I went to work and called their office once they opened. The nurse took my information and said she would call me back after talking to my doctor. My doctor knew I was worried in the beginning of this PG because of my previous miscarriage. So I wasn't surprised when the nurse called back to tell me my doctor said I could come in around 2pm for a quick scan to make sure everything was still fine.
By the time I left my office to go to the doctor the spotting was still there. Chris met me at the office. I felt like a statue sitting there as we waited to be called back. Luckily we didn't have to wait too long. The ultrasound tech at their office called us back. She had done my scan the week earlier when we were able to see our lil beans heartbeat. She asked me to empty my bladder (since we were doing a vaginal ultrasound). I went into the bathroom and when I wiped there it was....red blood. Still just spotting but now bright red. I didn't even need the ultrasound. I knew. I walked out of the bathroom and told Chris before she came back in that I was now bleeding and we had lost our baby. At that moment the tech walked back in and started the scan. I kept my head turned the whole time as I knew what she was about to find. Or not find. She found our lil bean, but unfortunately there was no longer a heartbeat. And apparently hadn't been for a few days as lil bean measured only 6 wks 3 days. The rest of the visit was a blur to me at the time, yet I still remember it so well. She asked if I wanted to see and I said no. She apologized and said she had to ask as some women want to see for closure. I just couldn't do it. At this point tears were already streaming down my face. She then put us in a room to speak with my doctor. When she came in she said she was very sorry. That she really thought this was a good pregnancy as my numbers had been so great and heartbeat had been perfect last week.
And yet my littlest Angel grew wings. A friend sent me this shortly after. Every angel gets their wings, some just need them sooner than we are ready for. So very true. Today, my littlest angel, I just want you to know Mommy and Daddy will never forget you and loved you very much for those few short weeks you were with us. You may not have been a perfectly formed baby yet, but we saw your tiny little beating heart. The heart of the life your Mommy and Daddy created. And we know if you can see us now that you are so happy you will have a sister soon!! And we can't wait to meet her!!! She will already have an angel looking out for her as soon as she is here. You my littlest angel. We love you. ♥