60 days!

60 days...that's how long I have until my due date...not like I'm counting or anything! I can't believe it's that close to being here! I had a great doctor's visit this morning. Barrett's heartbeat was 150 bpm and my blood pressure was excellent at 120/70. At my last visit, it was high so I was thrilled to hear it was normal today. I also learned that I get another ultrasound next Monday, Oct. 11th! My stomach is measuring larger than normal so the doctor said he just wants to make sure Barrett hasn't had a huge growth spurt or something. At my 8 week ultrasound, he measured 6 days ahead of what his 6 week scan measured and at 18 weeks, he measured 5 days ahead. But, my doctor doesn't change the due date unless Barrett was measuring over 2 weeks difference. Therefore, the due date will stay at November 29 unless this next ultrasound shows him measuring atleast 2 weeks difference (from what I understand). I can't wait to see his sweet face again!

I'm starting to get really irritated at how rude some people can be. Saying I have a big belly is perfectly fine with me...because it is. BUT, saying that I'm huge in general, is just tacky. I've noticed it's always people that have no room to talk either but I'll try to be the bigger person and not tell them their faults ;). I've even had a couple of people comment on how big I am and go on to ask how much I've gained. I think being pregnant must attract idiots. However, I'm always glad to tell them I've gained 30 pounds. I mean, I'm pregnant for goodness sake. Aren't you expected to gain weight and have a big belly while you're pregnant? If my doctor doesn't say anything about my weight gain, then no one else should. In the end, I'll be the one who has to work it off.

Barrett has by far had his most active days yesterday and today. I made chocolate covered bananas last night and had one and after that, he moved more than ever before! I laughed at first and thought, "how sweet" and then of course it worried me. Haha. I am a worry-wart anyways. It was almost like he was trying to escape. His arms, legs, and butt were everywhere for a solid 10 minutes! Supposedly, babies peak in movement around this time so I'm guessing this is his peak. I've been told that around 35ish weeks, they may slow down because they're so big, they have no room to move. I know I'll miss his feet in my ribs when he slows down, as odd as that sounds.

We got to walk throught the Labor & Delivery part of the hospital Tuesday night, which was our last Childbirth class. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but it definitely doesn't look like fun. They've done quite a bit of updating since my sister had her last baby there almost 6 years ago. Unfortunatley, the fake pregnant belly that Ty was going to get to wear at the last class, had a hole in it. So, he didn't get the joy of trying it on. I would love for him to know how it feels to be pregnant...haha. I don't know if I went through some early nesting or what, this past week. I cleaned my house from top to bottom including steamcleaning my carpet. I have also washed all of Barrett's stuff and put together all of his big items. I'm a little OCD with stuff anyways but I've had a huge desire to get everything done lately. I guess that's a good thing though-to get it done now rather than later. When I cleaned my house Tuesday, it was pretty difficult. Little things like bending over to clean the bathrub and getting up high enough to clean mirrors were tough. That "may" have been the last time I deep-clean my house, if I can find a good cleaning person. My hips and back have paid for it the past few days. I will update again later!

9 weeks to go!

It's been a fabulous and busy weekend! I had my first baby shower that was hostessed by my 2 sisters and best friend. It turned out so much better than I could have imagined and I know it took a lot of work from the girls, which I am so thankful for! I appreciate all 3 of them so much as well as all of the guests that showed up! We got so many things for Barrett including his bouncy seat, monitor, high chair, bathtub, pack n' play, rocker/sleeper, darling clothes, lots of personalized stuff, and the daily essentials. We bought one of the car seats ourselves, only because Babies R' Us won't be carrying it much longer and I was just in love with it! We still need Ty's car seat, the stroller, exersaucer, and swing, as far as big stuff goes. We still need a lot of stuff like diapers, wipes, clothes, and all of the other little stuff, as I know you can't really get enough of those. I have 2 more showers in the next 3 weeks and I'm looking forward to those too! I'm very lucky to have so many people that have offered to hostess baby showers.

I'll be 31 weeks tomorrow, which means only 9 more weeks til my due date. I'll technically be considered full term on Nov. 8th, which is a day before my birthday! They still want him to bake until 40 weeks (Nov. 29) but if he were to come at 37 weeks (Nov. 8), he would be fine! I've gone ahead and told myself to count on him being late so that maybe I won't be crushed when he doesn't come early. I know anything can happen and due dates are merely estimates. We have our last childbirth class this Tuesday night. That's one more thing to cross off my list. We'll have 1 infant class the following week but it's just a one-time thing, thank goodness. I'll admit, last week's childbirth class freaked me out a little bit. I normally don't mind looking at surgical utensils, etc. but now that I'm getting closer to "the day" I'm a little panicky. The teacher brought quite a few utensils including the epidural, different monitors, forceps, and some other stuff. Everything kind of reminded me of torture devices...haha. I'd almost rather just show up the day of delivery and not know what I'm walking into. We'll just pray for the best!

I get asked about 10 times a day how I feel and honestly, I feel like I've been ran over. Of course, I try and just say I'm fine to everyone because really, no one wants to hear someone else's problems, as we all have problems from time to time. I made a special visit to the doctor last week because I was scared I was having contractions for about 30 minutes one day. The doc said I'm not dilated and everything was fine so we're guessing maybe some false contractions (braxton hicks) which supposedly are "practice" contractions for later on. That's great...just what I wanted ;). Luckily, it hasn't happened since. I did learn something else that day though, that didn't make me too happy. My blood pressure was 140/86 which isn't great. They checked it again before I left and said it went down so for now, I'm fine. It seems like it's gotten higher and higher each visit I've been to so it worries me that I'll end up being diagnosed with high blood pressure. I can't imagine being on bed rest. I think I'd drive myself insane! Luckily though, no other signs of preeclampsia so that's good. I've had a very long week and weekend so I think I'm fixing to get in the bed while I have the chance. Yes, it's only 5:15 pm but sleeping at night is rare these days ;). Everyone have a great week!

Pregnancy is hard on a girl

I'm becoming aware of how tough these next 10 weeks are going to be. I wake up with back pain. I go to sleep with back pain and I'm sure it will only get worse. It's so constant, that I feel like I'm going to vomit alot of the time. I'm going to continue seeing my chiropractor and getting massages but I think I'm just at a point where neither is going to help completely. I started walking this week, thinking it may help but I feel like it may have made it worse. I might just tough it out for another week and see if in the long run, it does help. The first night we walked, I realized I needed new tennis shoes so we made a visit to Hibbett last night. To my surprise, I have grown a size and a half in shoes, since I've gotten pregnant! I also learned I can't tie my shoes normally anymore. I can struggle and get them tied on the side of the shoe though. I noticed this morning that my entire lower stomach has been taken over by stretch marks. I've been using alot of lotion and hoped maybe the stretchmarks would stay away. I got some cocoa butter (which smells horribly) to see if I can prevent more from showing up. However, from what I understand, stretchmarks are in certain people's genes and there's not a whole lot you can do to prevent them.

I'm growing out of clothes by the month, if not by the week. There's no telling how much money I've spent just on maternity clothes. I just made a huge order at Motherhood and am waiting on it to come in so maybe I don't look like I'm trying to fit into too-small clothes. Atleast I'll have plenty clothes if I decide to have another baby! I've always wanted to have 3 kids. However, now that I've been pregnant, I'm not sure I want to go through this again. Don't get me wrong, it's by far worth it, to have my own biological child. But, the last 7.5 months have been tough. Mainly, I want Barrett to have a sibling. I grew up with 2 sisters and can't imagine what life would be like without them. At the same time, Ty grew up an only child and said he never knew the difference. We've actually mentioned adopting further down the road. This is nothing set in stone though. There are just so many children out there that deserve so much better. I would definitely want a newborn if it was possible. Right now, I go back and forth on the subject but it will give me plenty of time to think about it before we decide what we want to do.

My maternity picture plans have changed. I've found a new photographer and am scheduled for September 23rd to get them done. I've got to go to Memphis Saturday to see if I can find a really cute outfit for me and something for Ty too. Most of what I wear now would be fine but I want something extra-special. We have our second childbirth class tonight, which I kind of look forward to. I'm sooo excited about my baby shower on the 25th! I got my own invitation (above) to it last weekend and it couldn't be any cuter! Knowing all of my hostesses very well, I know everything will be adorable.

Yes, I still have 2.5 months left before I'm due

It's been a great week so far. We had our first childbirth class Tuesday night and I actually liked it. The teacher wasn't uptight like I had counted on. She was very laid back and didn't preach about things you shouldn't do while you're pregnant. I had assumed they'd have a teacher that lectured about not having caffeine while you're pregnant, breastfeeding is the only way, and if you don't exercise while you're pregnant, you're just horrible. I love my caffeine, I'm not breastfeeding, and I don't exercise whatsoever. So needless to say, I was relieved. We did have to watch a video showing the birthing process but it was exactly what I expected, if not less graphic. I'm prepared for excruciating pain and whatever else may come. Of course, I'm not looking forward to the negative stuff but if that means I get to meet Barrett that day (or the next), then so be it. I look forward to Ty getting to wear the pregnant belly in the next few weeks and you know pictures will be posted!

I went for my glucose test Wednesday morning and thank the Lord, I passed! The drink tasted like a Sunkist drink and was actually good. However, I did break out in a sweat for about thirty minutes after drinking it. I guess the sugar overload so early in the morning didn't set well with me. I've heard so many dreadful things about getting the sugar test done but it was no big deal. My doctor said he felt like Barrett was head down that day. His heartbeat was 145 beats per minute and everything was fine. I'll see the doctor again in 3 weeks, when I'll be 31 weeks along. After my doctor's visit, we went to Memphis to get a 4D ultrasound and it was awesome! They confirmed that Barrett was head down at the time. Of course, he can still flip and flop around in there but it's a good sign that he isn't just sticking with the breach position. The ultrasound lasted about 25 minutes and it was amazing to see how he'd grown. We got to see him smile, frown, open his eyes, and suck his thumb. I'm definitely not a mushy-type person but this is by far, the most amazing thing ever. It blows my mind how everything just knows what to do. Like the sperm met the egg and everything "just happened". I don't have to push a button to tell Barrett to grow ears, etc. Ha ha. It's just mind-boggling.

They don't do measurements at the ultrasound clinic I went to because it was just an elective visit and not medically necessary. So, who knows how he's measuring right now. I've had a lot of people ask if my due date has changed and I always have to tell them my doctor doesn't do due date changes unless there was over a 3 week difference. Barrett's measured a week ahead of his due date at my last 2 ultrasounds but the doctor said that the first one I had at 6 weeks is the most accurate. After they hit about 12 weeks, they can have growth spurts, etc. and may lead to different measurements but I should stick with the initial due date of November 29th. I try to remind myself anyways, that he'll come when he's ready. He may show up on November 20th and he may show up on December 8th...who knows, so really the due date doesn't matter anyways.

Speaking of measurements, I've had a lot of people comment on how big my belly is. I had a lady at Macy's yesterday, tell me I looked like I was about to pop. When I told her I had 2.5 months left, she acted like I'd slapped her. This led to another lady coming up and clarifying what I had said. I was then asked if it was twins. There was another pregnant girl shopping and she said she was being induced today and oddly enough, I think my stomach was larger than her's. I went to the hospital after work yesterday, to pre-register so I won't have to mess with all the paperwork when I go into labor. I asked an employee where Admissions was (where I was supposed to go) and you could tell she thought I was there to actually HAVE the baby. I had already said I was there to pre-register or "stork" and she kept asking how far I was and you could tell she wanted to have me go to Labor and Delivery. Once she accepted that I was only 28 weeks, I continued to Admissions. The worker that pre-registered me commented that based on my belly, she didn't think I'd make it to November 29th (she was only kidding). I guess it IS larger than some women's bellies at this point. However, I'm so short that Barrett has nowhere else to go, but out. I get a lot of "I'll pray for you" and "Oh bless your heart" lately. Shoot, I'm just glad it's not a sauna outside anymore.

I have my first baby shower on September 25th. I've got my second one scheduled for October 17th. Once November gets here, it's pretty much free-sailing. No plans for that month since I'm sure a lot of my time will be spent washing baby clothes and getting ready for Barrett to show up. I've got quite a few family birthdays in November, including my own, so I'll be busy enough with those that I won't have time for anything else. Right now, I'm just busy gaining weight like it's going out of style. I'm up 25 pounds from pre-pregnancy weight...oops! I had hoped since I lost weight in the beginning and didn't start gaining until 16 weeks, I wouldn't gain a lot. Oh well, normal weight gain for 28 weeks is between 17 and 24 pounds. Me and baby are both happy and healthy so I'm content. I hope everyone has a great week!

Moving along

I'm 27 weeks 3 days and definitely feeling it. It's been a trying week so far, for a few reasons. First, we've taken Lilly (my dog) to work with us every day for the past 2 years. Unfortunately, she's acted up lately and I'm trying to go back to our training days, when she was 6 months old. She has gotten to where she barks at every child that walks by our store. She adores children and only wants them to come in and visit but we can't have her barking non-stop in the building. It's just unprofessional. Occasionally, we'll have a customer that is scared of dogs, so we've ran into that problem too. We do have a sign on the door, telling customers that we have a small dog in the building. So, they usually tell us when they walk in, that they don't like dogs, and we put her in her crate. However, I hate for people to be scared to come in our building because of our 18 pound dog, when she'd be perfectly fine, left at home. I just hate leaving her home because our customers love her so much. We even have a few that come by just to see Lilly. She's such a good-natured dog but she is a dog. Like I said, she barks at children (outside the building only) and at people that have stuff like sunglasses or hats on their head. So, today and tomorrow will be her test as to whether she can keep coming to work or not. So far today, she's attempted to bark at 1 child outside but I luckily got her attention and she didn't start. I guess tomorrow holds her future! haha.

The other problem is that I slept by myself, for the first time in a while, last night. No, me and Ty aren't having problems and are doing great, haha. I do fine falling asleep in our normal bed but I wake up every hour or less, with Ty's knees in my back or stomach. I've just gotten too big to feel comfortable in a queen bed with another body. So, I slept in the guest bed last night, which I can say is pretty comfy, and I slept a little better. I still have a ton of hip and back pain, especially while sleeping, but sleeping by myself helped. I'll probably try to alternate beds so that I can at least get 3/4 nights of decent sleep a week. I can't sleep without Ty EVERY night of the week. It just doesn't feel right.

I'm considering getting an elective 4d ultrasound in Memphis in the next week or so. It's pretty neat and fairly inexpensive so I figured why not. They record the entire ultrasound so you can take home a DVD of it. I would love to see him again, since he's filled out some since the last time I saw him, 10 weeks ago. I'm still supposed to get a 34 week scan but it's not set in stone. Even if I did get one done now, it will be another 6 weeks or so before I'm 34 weeks. I'm waiting on Wednesday to get here, so I can get the glucose test over with. It's just one more thing to knock off my list. We have our first childbirth class Tuesday and Ty is so eager to go! And yes...I am being sarcastic. He's not looking forward to it, to say the least. At least he'll have a few other guys in there with him and not feel like a TOTAL outcast. For now, I'm just watching my belly grow and feeling Barrett roll and move around alot more. He still kicks and punches alot but I've gotten to where I can feel and see his butt or head poking out sometimes. It's pretty neat and I look forward to more of it!

On the downward slope!

I had a great visit with the doctor this morning! I'm 26 weeks 2 days today which means in a few more days I'll technically be in the third trimester! It's a good feeling knowing there's only about 3 months before I can be meet this little boy and start to feel somewhat physically back to normal. His heartbeat was 150 bpm, which is great! I get my sugar test in 2 weeks, which I pray I pass! The doctor said that he feels like Barrett's still breach but he's still got a few weeks to flip and hopefully he'll do so. We're still planning on an ultrasound around 34 weeks and I can't wait. We've got our first childbirth class on September 7th, my first shower on September 25th, and maternity pictures planned for September 27th. For the past 26 weeks, it's kind of been a waiting game. Now, atleast I feel like I'm on a downward slope and I'm getting excited. I've started seeing the chiropractor more often and I'm getting prenatal massages and both have helped my back pain significantly. At home, I wear a bulky maternity belt and contrary to it's looks, it helps a little by holding up my growing belly. I've had alot of pelvic pain but the doctor assures me that it's my 2 hernias I had repaired a month before I got pregnant. Unfortunately, I've been told it may get worse the larger I get but I know it will pass once I have Barrett. Overall, I'm very pleased with the way things are going!

On a side note, I got to see my grandparents last weekend, for the first time since I got pregnant. Upon leaving, my grandmom told me to "take care of my round self". Haha. Bless her heart. I guess I am getting pretty round these days. This is also from the grandmother that has spray-painted her dog's crate blue and put flower stickers on it. She's one snazzy lady! I'm lucky to still have one set of grandparents still alive and around. I have lost 3 sets of grandparents in the past 10 years and it's unfortunate they won't get to meet Barrett. Ty has 2 sets of grandparents still around, which leaves Barrett with 3 sets of great-grandparents to be spoiled by. He is going to be one loved little boy!

I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do as far as my maternity leave goes. I plan on working until I go into labor but not sure I'll make it that long. I'm not the type of person that can sit home and relax all day. It just doesn't feel natural, not to mention it's a little depressing. I'm sure I'll hit that point where I feel so bad, all I want to do is stay home but until that time, I plan on working. After I have Barrett, I plan on staying home for 8 weeks and possibly coming back to work 2 or 3 days a week after that. Ty's mom has mentioned keeping Barrett the days that I work, so I would be so happy if that works out for us. I would do daycare if I had to but luckily, she wants to keep him. Once he reaches a year old or so, I'll probably find a good daycare for him. I think it'll be good to get him in with other children at that age, so he can learn some social skills and make friends. At that point, who knows what my work schedule will be like, but luckily I have a very flexible job where I don't have to make a decision right now.

The whole breastfeeding dilemma is shocking to me. I've chosen not to breastfeed, which has sparked a few interesting conversations with people. It's just not for me...period. Some women drink wine while they're pregnant...some smoke cigarettes while they're pregnant...and I say, to each his own. I haven't drank or smoked but I'm not breastfeeding. I know alot of children and adults that weren't breastfed and are perfectly fine. Some people act like I'm pulling a Michael Jackson stunt, hanging my child off of a balcony, by not breastfeeding. I think it's fantastic if a woman wants to breastfeed her child. I'm definitely not trying to say I don't think that way. I'm just saying that it's not for me. Oh well, I don't know why I let comments like that bother me. I guess because it makes me feel like they're saying I'm a bad mother and I know that's not true.

Anyways, I hope everyone has a good week and I'll update in a few weeks or so!

Oh, mood swings!

First, I would like to thank whoever hit my car in the Target parking lot on Sunday. It was awfully sweet of you to not leave your phone number or anything. Luckily for you, pregnancy + 100 degree weather justify me not walking through the parking lot, looking for the car with green paint on your bumper. I was able to get all of your silver paint off my door but there's still a few scratches. The scratches aren't very noticeable but they weren't there before you hit my car. Oh well, I'm sure someone will do the same to you (and I hope it's soon). :)

On a side note, I'm having some serious mood swings. I go from having a temper tantrum, to a crying fit, and then back to a nice person only for it to happen again. I've always thought that pregnant women made up that part of pregnancy but I can now assure you, they are indeed uncontrollable. Thank the Lord, I have a patient husband that puts up with me! However, I put up with him too! ;) I'm hoping once it gets a little cooler outside, I'll be a little calmer. It seems I'm illest when I have to be outside in the heat for a bit, which of course can't be avoided these days!

Anyways, I'll stop fussing and talk about the good things. I'm 24 weeks today and Barrett's room is pretty much done! I've got some more wall decor coming in and we're going to situate all of it but of course that's not a necessity. He's obviously growing (my belly is getting huge) and moving up a storm. I can't wait to see him again at my next ultrasound in about 10 weeks. I got Barrett a couple of cute monogrammed gowns and diaper cover, one of which is below.

I think it is just adorable and will be good for some newborn pictures. For now, I'm just watching my belly grow and learning all kinds of new things. I'm actually eager to start my childbirth class in September and of course, excited for my showers starting in September as well. I see the doctor again in 2 weeks, so I'll update then!