Introducing: Warren Matthew!

He's here! 

I know I'm biased but he's clearly the cutest baby ever 😉

At a whopping 6 days old I finally feel like everything is settled enough for me to sit and write about Warren's arrival and the first couple of days of his life. 

Last Sunday I had a dream about Warren being born, the dream itself wasn't that special but I was surprised because that was the first time he was born in my dreams and I wasn't just pregnant. As I laid in bed and processed it I noticed that I was getting contractions. They didn't hurt yet, but they were strong enough that I could clearly tell that they were seven minutes apart. Exciting, right? Well I didn't tell anyone but Matt about them because everyone was feeling so much pressure about him being born. Oh I forgot to tell y'all: my parents, grandmother and brothers all flew 2,000 miles to come see this little guy but he didn't look very interested in coming out to visit! Knowing that babies can take their time, my family timed their visit for the 8 days after my due date but it was still getting dangerously close to the end of their stay and my hospital wouldn't induce me until the day AFTER my family left! 

So you see why I didn't want to get everyone's hopes up for mild contractions every 7 minutes... 

After quietly tracking them for 2-3 hours we all got ready to go watch Matt's soccer game. I'd like to stop and point out how wonderful Texas weather is normally. This week however was NOT normal, nor was it wonderful! It has been cold, windy and dismal the entire time and his soccer game was no different. I was wearing my snowboarding coat just to cheer Matt on in the 36° rain and fog. Despite the cold, the soccer game was a huge success. Matt scored two goals yay! And I was too busy freezing and cheering to fret over contractions. Bigger yay! 

So by the time we got home from the game it was 3:00 and my contractions were every 5 minutes but not super painful. That's when my parents went to the airport to pick up my brothers, and my friend came over. 

When I say my friend came over I don't mean any old friend, this one happens to be a nurse who has worked in a mother/baby unit and is currently in the labor and delivery course! Talk about having a good support group. 

So we talked and relaxed until my family came home and then we decided to go to the mall to walk around and speed things up. Hallelujah for malls! It was the perfect distraction; we walked for an hour, I bought Wyatt and Alexis some clothes as we waited for Warren to come out and my brother David bought him a special onsie- 

Speaking of waiting, by the time my contractions were getting really uncomfortable we had made our way into the men's section and I found myself trying to help Matt remember which colors/shades of slacks he already had. 

Fyi- if it takes you 5 minutes and a full conversation to remember whether or not you have that shade of grey, you don't need any more clothes!! 

I was so focused on the contractions though that I told him, "I don't care what color your slacks are. Buy them all and we can return the duplicates!" So he walked out of there with a new outfit.. Little sneak! 

At this point it was 6pm and I decided that I no longer wanted to be in public, so we went home and I started my pre-baby routine.

What on earth is a pre-baby routine, you ask? Well on top of load the car and eat a snack I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish before we went to the hospital. One last way to get myself ready and also distract myself as the contractions got worse. So once we were home I took a nice long, hot bath then once I was clean I sat on the bathroom floor and starting painting my finger and toe nails. 

Cute, huh? I figured St Patrick's day was close enough for shamrocks.

Matt came in as I was sitting through a contraction and a look of concern covered his face as he hurried over and asked me if I needed help getting off the floor. Poor guy thought I was stuck and didn't realize I was painting my nails!

While waiting for my nails to dry I heard my entire family in the living room as Matt said I was on the bathroom floor. Thankfully my sister knew all about my pre-baby routine and explained it to them. 

Next I got up and did my hair and makeup and told Matt that it was time to pack the car! By the time we were on our way my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and boy let me tell you- I have never been more thankful that my husbands car has seat warmers! That heat on my lower back helped so much. 

By the time we got to the hospital and checked in, it was 11pm and I was 4.5 cm dilated, so we walked the halls for an hour, then I decided to go to my room and try out some IV pain medicine. 

While I was getting my meds, Matt took my brother and sister to get some food. By the time they got back I was dizzy and lightheaded from the medicine but it helped take the edge off the pain. That's when Matt settled down and did some last minute work, getting everything ready for his paternity leave and my brother David took the liberty of snooping through my hospital room and writing on the white board... 

By 2 am all the boys were asleep. Typical boys! My dad was snoring and David was curled up UNDER my bed, so the nurse joked that he had better hope my water didn't break. 

Too bad it didn't, that would have been the funniest and grossest story ever...!

When the midwife came in next she said I was dilating slowly so I told her to start pitocin and an epidural. For you ladies that prefer to labor naturally, good for you. You're crazy, but good for you. The pitocin worked right away but made my blood pressure drop to 88/43 so they had to stop it after a couple of minutes. That boost of pitocin was all my body needed though- the contractions kept going just as strong and frequent after they stopped giving it to me. By the time the anesthesiologist arrived for my epidural I was so ready to feel numb! Too bad it took a little longer than expected.

First while I was hunched over I heard the nurse whisper, "are you ok?" 

Great sign, right? I turned around and saw the anesthesiologist sitting on the chair with her eyes closed! In case you were wondering, that does NOT help instill confidence in someone that is about to poke a needle around your spinal cord!

Turns out she was pregnant too and feeling light headed so I gave her a glass of water and offered her some of my snacks and she was able to get up and finish the epidural after a few minutes. By that time she told me that it would take 10 minutes to fully feel the effects but I should feel each contraction less and less. 

Ten minutes later she came in and asked how I was doing and I told her what a wonderful job the epidural was doing.. On my right calf.. 

That's right, it was only working on the lower part of my right leg! So she gave me some more lidocaine and came back ten minutes later. This time the drugs numbed both legs, so that's progress.. After seeing that she told me she would try one more dose of lidocaine and if it didn't work she would have to redo the epidural. With how strong my congestion a were and how weak my confidence in her was, I prayed that this time the lidocaine worked! 

Thankfully it did. Except for a random spot the size of a silver dollar on my abdomen! It is the weirdest feeling ever to have NO feeling from the waist down except a tiny circle that radiates pain with every contraction. 

But ironically, that worked out in my favor because it was the only way I could tell when I was contracting so that I could push! Speaking of pushing- that part sucks. Seriously, I wouldn't even say it was painful as much as just plain hard. 

But by 6:20am my room was full of nurses (thanks shift change) and for the next 40 minutes I pushed. At one point while he was crowning, everyone was talking about how much hair he had and one nurse said, "oh look! His hair looks red!" Shocked, mid-push I replied, "I. Don't. Want. Him. To. Have. Red. Hair!!"

Everyone got a good laugh at that. 

No offense to all the red headed beauties out there! 

Anyways, after what seemed like an eternity of pushing, I got to grab Warren and put him on my chest as the nurses cleaned him off. The next 24 hours were a whirlwind of nurses, doctors and visitors and the only things that stick out in my mind are the fact that my right leg stayed numb for HOURS after delivery thank you lidocaine, and Warren was perfect and healthy. 

Finally after what felt like days (when in reality it was 36 hours total) we got to come home! 

The last few days have been wonderful; Warren has already gone on outings that are 50-75 miles from home, he's seen lots of family and friends and he's healthy and gaining lots of weight! Our only issue currently is an oversupply of breast milk, but that is a messy story that I will get into some other day!

For now, I am going to get back to spending time with my family and being as on-the-go as ever. 

Approaching The Due Date

Still pregnant, sorry guys. Well actually I'm not sorry for you. I'm pretty much only sorry for me. And Matt. That poor guy hasn't slept in like two weeks.
Before I explain how my last week or so has been I need to put out a little disclaimer:
I am incredibly thankful for the healthy pregnancy I've had, and I KNOW that riding it out until the due date is a great thing for my baby and our situation.
That being said, I think that to be real we need to break pregnancy down to 4 phases instead of three thrimesters. I mean, you can keep the three trimesters and their timelines, but at week 37 or so you need to enter a whole seperate category. Your body and mental state already do, so why don't we have the terminology to match? I'm thinking, "Term: The Torture Phase" or maybe, "Stage 4: Severe Discomfort and Loss of Reasoning" Or maybe just something quick and easy like, ''Pergatory".
Go ahead, laugh. Those that have been there will laugh because they know how true it is. Those that haven't been there (women and men alike) laugh, because one day you WILL be there. And when that day comes you will realize I was right and the days will feel like years.

So, how bad is it really? Oh on a sliding scale of one-to-refugee camp I would rate it somewhere in the middle, right between endless papercuts and eating bad lamb in Afghanistan.
It's not going to kill you, or even cause permanent damage, but boy let me tell you, it is going to get in your head and you most definitely will make a mountain out of a mole hill.
The doctors, websites and apps tell you lots about the last few weeks of pregnancy. They tell you that your baby will drop, that your back will start to hurt, that your cervix will start to dilate and efface and that once you're close you will lose your mucous plug and then contractions will start. They warn you that for first time labor it will take 12-18 hours and for subsequent labors it will average around 6-8 hours. Oh but don't worry, they tell you, the longest part of labor is the beginning. It's painless and most women don't even notice until an hour or so before it's time to go to the hospital!
Did the doctors, websites and apps lie to you? Well, no, not technically. It's more like when you tour an apartment at a complex and they assure you that all of the available floor plans have those spacious closets, open floor plans and great views. They show you how great it can be and fail to mention all of the crappy little details.

I am here to bring you the crappy little details. Not about the apartment- I gave up apartment living years ago, I need to be able to open my windows and doors and get a breeze without seeing a steady flow of weird neighbors I didn't know I had. But the crappy little details about the 4th and final stage of pregnancy: Pergatory.
Your baby will drop. Mine did at 36 weeks. It is exciting and wonderful and you don't even mind the shooting pain that's coming from his head squishing your sciatic nerve! Well, it's like that for a few days at least. Then as you read the articles and they say, "the baby can drop anywhere from a few days to a few weeks before he's born" you realize that you, in fact, could be that horrible case of waddling, nerve pain for a few WEEKS. Ouch.
Your back will start to hurt. Don't worry! They exclaim, There are remedies for backpain and every lady goes through it. It's as easy as standing up straight, using heating pads and not sitting for long periods of time.   Uhhh, I'm sorry but they forget the little caviat about how when you have AT LEAST 12 pounds of baby, placenta, blood and fluid in your mid section and your body is releasing relaxin, your pelvis shifts. Try tying a 15 pound dumbbell to a string that you tie to your belt. Then drink a few coctails (you know because I can't, but I imagine they will make you loosen up a bit). THEN after your back starts killing you, try to realign your pelvis and stand up straight. Is it possible? Yes. But in order to stand up straight you have to contract your lower abdominal muscles and make a concious effort the entire time.
While we're on the topic, let me tell you about contracting your abdominal muscles.
They tell you that labor is X number of hours. They tell you that before that you'll have Braxton-Hicks contractions. They even tell you that although sometimes Braxton-Hicks contractions will get strong and frequent, they have no pattern and they will go away when you change activities/positions etc. What they don't tell you is that sometimes women will start to get real, patterned, unchanging, actual, this-could-be-labor contractions. And SOMETIMES those women will have them for DAYS before those contractions decide to get strong enough for the rest of labor to catch up. That's right, people. Occasionally a woman will start getting contractions that she notices frequently and after she drinks a big glass of water and walks for a bit, then rests for a bit they still don't go away. So naturally, that woman will start to get really excited and think that labor is finally starting! Yay! Then by day two she'll be less excited and mostly just have a sore back and abdomen from non-stop, mild contractions. By day 4 she'll be mad at the world and before you know it, day 6 rolls around and she's writing an unnecessarily long, and spiteful blog post about how contractions are the stupidest thing ever invented.
Spoiler Alert: I don't think day 6 is the day that labor starts, either. Let's all take a moment of silence to send up a little prayer for Day 7. Hell, he can come on days 8, 9 or 10 too. I won't be too picky.

So then the doctors tell you about the mucous plug, painful contractions, water breaking bit. Most doctors give you some nifty little rule about when to come in. I've seen a lot of talk about 4-1-1 (contractions every 4 minutes, lasting a full minute, for over 1 hour). But for those of you in the Army, don't worry. Timing contractions for at least an hour? Ain't nobody got time for that. [[Well unless you're me and you have had approximately 144 hours to time contractions]] In the military hospitals they like to keep it simple. My midwives told me, "once you feel like throttling your husband because of the pain, then you come in". As they like to remind you, "Babies don't just fall out." and They know their stuff, besides who wants to be awkwardly walking the hospital halls when you could still be walking around in your home, distracted by your own things?
Not that I've gotten to the painful part yet. I'm just at that mind numbing wonderful stage where you wait for your cervix to dilate far enough for active labor to begin. Have any of you ever seen the movie Groundhogs Day? Well it's stupid, and I hate it, and I'm currently living it. In case you didn't already get that message loud and clear.

So what now? Well for the labor-inexperienced below you will find a little chart that shows approximately what I'm waiting for.

As you may (or may not) know, women start 0cm dilated. Then around 2-4cm most women will lose their mucous plug. If you don't know what that is, google it. Actually, don't google it. People put pictures of everything online these days and you really don't want to see that. I warned you.

Whether or not you followed my advice, what happens next in nice labors with cooperative babies is this: contractions start, they gradually grow more intense, your water may or may not break, you have time to shower, wrap things up and load up your hospital bag and you're at the hospital in time to get checked in and oh so kindly request the drugs that they offer because your contractions have finally gotten INTENSE.

With less cooperative babies/cervixes/labors (pick whichever is least offensive to you), your contractions will be the same intensity and it will take the doctor sweeping your membranes (again, google it) to get anything accomplished.

Lets just hope my baby/cervix/labor took the hint and is finally willing to get this show on the road!

 

Seriously, because if not I really might lose my sanity. The Lord knows I've already lost my patience and the ability to sleep (sorry again, Matt).

Anybody else have some good tortorous labor stories they'd like to share? That and overly supportive and sympathetic comments are more than welcome. Really, let me know I'm not alone in this.

However comments mentioning having patience, it being worth it, and thinking about the baby, or anything remotely selfless or taking the high road will be swiftly deleted and accompanied by spiteful, angry thoughts and the contemplation of snarky replies.

You've been warned.  

 

38 weeks (still pregnant)

So today my pregnancy app decided to ask me if I had my baby yet.. As if there weren't enough people asking and checking in with me, I know have apps that pester me too!
38 weeks.. It's pretty crazy to think that I've been pregnant for 38 weeks. 9 months is a pretty long time but looking back on it now it feels like it's flown by. As a matter of fact its pretty hard to believe that I am a couple weeks shy of being home for a year! I can still vividly remember my flight home from Afghanistan and reuniting with my husband and my babies <3
I know that in a few posts I talked about how miserable things were (like morning sickness and passing out) but I haven't even had this baby yet and those 'difficulties' are already fading from my memory! I have been blessed to have a healthy and safe pregnancy this entire time and having an easy, pain free second and third trimester has made me forget all about the uncomfortable first trimester. Lets just hope the delivery is as painless and uneventful as possible! Ha. I'm optimistic, not stupid. I've already been getting things ready at home to help me recover from that.
 

How far along? 38 weeks. Each doctor, website and forum you visit will tell you a different week is technically 'full-term' but regardless of that definition, Warren is healthy and active so far and he can decide to come any day. I'm hoping he'll be ready a few days before his due date but I'm not trying to induce labor because I know that each day in there is helping him develop!

Total weight gain/loss: As of this morning I weighed in at 141.4. So a total gain of 21 pounds. I have been really obsessive with checking my weight daily and tracking my diet to make sure that I'm eating healthy and getting enough, especially since my doctor mentioned wanting to up my weight a bit and potentially not being able to run if I didn't. That being said, I haven't gained much these last few weeks and that is OK and pretty normal. I saw a different doctor this week and told her all about my concerns with my weight, Warren's weight and my activity and she told me, "Don't worry, he'll grow when he's out!" she was also not the least bit concerned with me running or staying active because of how healthy Warren's heartbeat always sounds and how active he is. That's a really big relief because I recently had a 7-8 day stretch of pretty little activity and my mood suffered because of it. What can I say? I like to be up and moving! I think Warren got that jitter bug from me.

Maternity clothes?  Yep I have a few staples. My go to items over the last couple weeks though have been my regular summer dresses, because most of my shorts are high waisted and we all know how well those would fit over a 9 month pregnant belly!

Stretch marks? Still none! The doctors like to tell me that my belly is, 'All baby' and I think that my diet, hydtration and regular lotion applications have really helped keep those pesky stretchmarks away.

Sleep: Sleep is really hit or miss these days. Last weekend I was having HORRIBLE back pain and I slept like garbage for a few days. Some nights I sleep for 4 hour stretches before waking up to pee/drink water, other nights (like last night) I wake up every hour and a half thinking my water broke, or some other labor related thought that I dream up!

Best moment this week: Monday I definitely had my best and worst moment. One of my good friends had just gone into labor and had her baby (she was due a week before me) and after my doctors appointment I got into a rut, feeling pretty sorry for myself because of my lack of sleep that weekend, the terrible back pain and random shooting pains from where Warren's head is sitting on my sciatic nerve. Well I decided to throw myself a little pitty party because I was ready for the doctor to randomly announce that Warren was on his way, or something.. And when it was the same quick, labor free, appointment as ususal it made me even more irritable.
That being said, I was a grouch for the most of the day (Sorry, Matt!).
Then on my drive home I realized how ridiculous I was being. It was a gorgeous day, seriously, sunny and 78 degrees in February! Warren and I are healthy and I have everything I could possibly want or need (except my baby out of my belly and in my arms). I decided to suck it up, go for a run when I got home and stop being hormonal.
Now for those of you that are laughing at me, I'm serious. I honestly think that being moody and hormonal is a CHOICE for most people. [[I say for most people because there are disorders and imbalances that you have no say over]] Everyone feels moody from time to time, but you can choose to wallow in it, or you can acknowledge it and GTF over it!
3.6 miles later, I felt immensly better and ready to take on the rest of this pregnancy!

Miss Anything? Fitting into my shorts! I love this weather but I don't have nearly enough summer dresses that are long enough to wear with my belly. Thankfully I will have Warren long before REAL summer weather gets here.

Movement: So much. Like always. There's zero extra room in there so now the movements are punching my bladder, smashing my sciatic nerve or kickboxing in my ribs, but I don't mind (well except the sciatic nerve pain, that hurts like a SOB).

Food cravings? Nah, not really. My appetite comes and goes.

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Nope.

Have you started to show yet: Ha! You can't miss my belly unless you're directly behind me.  

Labor Signs: Lots and lots of braxton hicks contractions, mild cramping and back pain. I'd say that Warren is getting ready and if I had to bet I'd say he comes before his due date, not after!

Belly Button in or out? My belly button never pops all the way out, it alternates between being in and being flush with the rest of my belly.

Wedding rings on or off? On! No swelling thankfully.

Looking forward to: Well next week I have another appointment and I will finally be checked to see how dilated, effaced etc I am.. that is, if I don't have him before then!

Mood: Good. After I got out of that day-long funk I've been in a much better mood. The house is ready, our bags are packed and I even got a post-baby box ready for myself. Even if Warren doesn't come soon, the 10 day forcast is full of great weather and my family has all booked flights to come visit out newest addition in about two weeks!

Milestones: 38 weeks! The apps say that Warren should be around 7 pounds now (although both doctors that felt my baby estimate that he's probably around 6-6.5). Now he's just getting a little extra brain development in and storing energy for delivery.

Upcoming Appointments/Events: Since everything is healthy I'm on a weekly appointment schedule until he's born.

Weekly Wisdom: Don't decide to refinish a dresser when you're 37 weeks pregnant. It might not hurt at the time, but you WILL feel it later!

Although I love the way the dresser looks now! No regrets.

36/37 Weeks and Going Strong

Sitting in the waiting room at my appointment today there was a couple with a 3 day old next to me. I forgot how little and precious a newborns cry sounds! You know, before they master that eardrum piercing scream... 

There was also a toddler in the waiting room that had the cutest laugh. It definitely made my wait enjoyable; it's always nice to be reminded of all the sweet things a baby has to offer especially since all of the prep at this stage is for labor and the discomfort that goes with it. 

How far along? I am in week 36 37 now, sorry I had a busy week and didn't get around to publishing this post! This little guy could come at any time now. I guess it's a good thing that Matt made me pack my hospital bag yesterday! He's been asking me about it for the last week or so and I finally gave in because he seemed a little uncomfortable with how unprepared my belongings were! In my defense, I've had a list of what needed to be packed for weeks, it was just a matter of getting my bag out and throwing things in there.

Total weight gain/loss: Well I've only gained a pound and a half since two weeks ago so the new doctor (scheduling conflicts; I'll explain later) told me to start eating pizza and ice cream lol. She was joking, I think, but she did say that as long as I keep gaining a pound a week I can keep running! Now the weather just needs to get the memo.

Maternity clothes? I spent a couple hours (yes, hours) wandering around the stores the other day looking for the perfect nursing bras and tank tops. I didn't find anything spectacular but I did find some good V-neck and tank top maternity shirts on sale, so I scooped them up for the next couple weeks and next pregnancy! The thing I like the most about them is that they're plain shirts that are just longer in the torso so I can wear them at any stage in my pregnancy or after. The ruching almost always ruins the tops for me because they add too much and then it just bunches up below my belly and looks awkward!

Stretch marks? Nope. I'm pretty happy with that too.

Sleep: Sleep is a little difficult but the thing that I noticed is that when I am asleep I am OUT. There have been multiple times now that Matt has gotten out of bed and even turned lights on and I have zero recollection of it. He says that I don't even stir! I guess thats my body's way of making up for the fact that I have to wake up every couple hours to roll over or go to the bathroom!

Best moment this week: yesterday, when Matt brought me flowers for no reason <3

Miss Anything? Being able to lounge on the couch. I'm at the stage where my belly is too big to lean back comfortably so I have to sit with great posture so I can breathe and so that Warren doesn't cut the circulation off to my legs! I also miss not feeling so fragile. I know that my body is capable and I'm still running and staying active but when you're growing a little human inside of you, you're extra careful walking up and down stairs, you worry about tripping while you run etc. It's going to be nice to be able to play with the kids without having to shield my belly or jump on Alexis' trampoline with her!
 

Movement: Oh yes, Warren is still moving very frequently. The movements have definitely changed from sudden, jabbing movements to whole belly movements as he's gotten bigger.

Food cravings? I haven't had any special cravings but that appetite I was excited about two weeks ago has disappeared again. I'm making each meal/snack count so Warren gets all of the things he needs even when he takes up the room that used to be dedicated to my stomach! 

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Warren's little butt and knees are right at my ribs so I get queasy and heartburn sometimes, but it's nothing compared to the first trimester! 

Have you started to show yet: as I was checking out at the store yesterday a lady in line behind me said, "Oh girl, you are too cute. When are you due? Precious!" Haha which basically sums up all of my interactions with strangers. Their eyes always go straight to my belly and I get these knowing/sympathizing smiles from pretty much every lady I walk past!  

Labor Signs: just Braxton-Hicks contractions. Maybe next week they'll check to see if I'm starting to dilate.

Belly Button in or out? It depends on how Warren is laying! Sometimes he likes to stick his butt out and it turns my belly button into an outie, but other than that it still looks like it has for the last 4-5 months. 

Wedding rings on or off? Still fits a little loose.

Looking forward to: next weeks appointment! I finally moved from appointments every four weeks to weekly appointments since I'm almost 37 weeks. The down side is that the hospital is so busy that in weeks 34-39 I will see 4 different ladies and my regular doesn't have any openings until after my due date. So that's a little weird but at least I get lots of different opinions towards the end. Military hospitals definitely keep you on your toes.

Mood: lazy! There are still a couple things I need to pick up (like the baby book) and I need to actually assemble my freezer meals but I really don't want to! I just want to sleep in and do nothing for a day or two. I say that, but I'm sure by 11am tomorrow I'm going to be bugging Matt to get up and help me do something because I'm bored it happens every weekend.

Milestones: at 36 weeks Warren is as long as a head of romaine lettuce and at my appointment today they said he weighs about 6lbs! His growth is going to slow down now as he stores energy for birth so the next couple of weeks are more important for brain development than beefing up. 

Upcoming Appointments/Events: This week Matt and I did the mandatory Shaken Baby Prevention Class (thanks, army) and I had my 36 week appointment which was the first time I've seen a provider other than my normal one. The only thing left is weekly appointments until I go into labor!

Weekly Wisdom: after months of planning and prepping now is a great time to grab a notepad and pen and do a walk through of the nursery and write down all of the final touches you need to add. Need an extra bottle of diaper rash ointment or wipes? Do you have your snacks ready to go into your hospital bag? Whatever you've been putting off, now it's the time to do it that way you can focus on relaxing because your little one will be here any time!

Let's see if I can keep my own advice!

UPDATE: I managed to write this at 36 weeks but I never got around to taking the picture and getting it posted, so it's a bit late. Now I'm 37 weeks and still nice and healthy. I had a few concerns this morning, because I was feeling a little pain and difficulty breathing, so I went in to get checked out. Normally I wouldn't bother with something like that, but this far along I just wanted to make sure that everything was ok and it wasn't going to put stress on the baby and cause him to come early! After a few tests, everything is A-OK :) and we are free to go about our lives until our appointment next week.

Maternity Photo Update

They're hereeee!
We finally got our maternity photos back! Well I should clarify. I say finally like we've waited forever but really our photographer was awesome and got them back to us in three weeks during the holidays! Thank goodness she was so speedy because I was really looking forward to seeing them. For some reason I have it in my head that I need to have the photos back, framed and set up before Warren gets here. I'm really not sure why I put such ridiculous time constraints on myself; I guess I just like a little stress motivation in my life!
We got our photos taken while we were visiting family in Georgia and even though I had my heart set on outdoor photos, the wonderful state of Georgia decided that in December it was going to rain  hard on the two days leading up to our pictures. Surprise, surprise, right? Don't worry, I had back up plans because I am well acquainted with Murphy's Law!

After seeing the downpour the photographer and I decided to move the pictures inside of her studio and she told me that if it was sunny while we were there we could pop outside and try to get a few. 

I cannot stress enough how happy I am with Joanna opening up her studio and yard  to us for our photos!
I would definitely say that she made the best of the situation:

She loves giving her baby brother kisses

Joanna really did a wonderful job. Don't let these awesome photos fool you. My kids are adorable (I'm allowing myself that one humble-brag), but they are NOT that photogenic!

Especially when it has rained the last 48 hours straight and they just want to go run and play! 

Joanna was sweet and patient and after taking over 500 photos we decided we got all the smiles we were going to get. 

Seriously, I wasn't exaggerating about how difficult it can be to get good pictures of little ones! Here are some of my favorite terrible picutres

Hahaha do you see the blank stare on my sons face? This is his go-to look when someone tells him to smile. Then after they drop the camera he grins and laughs. Then of course we also have the classic, 'this counts as a smile' grimace.

And that pouty little look is the face we get when we tell Lex that she can't go and play in the mud until AFTER we finish our photos!

If any of y'all are in the North Atlanta area (Marietta, specifically) I really encourage you to check out Joanna Lynn Photography! You can see her Facebook Page Here. 

Now I get to find some frames for these and start getting excited for our next set of family photos and adding an infant to the mix! 

Baby Arrival in T-6 Weeks!

The Marines used to like to tell people that Pain is weakness leaving the body. Well folks, I'm here to tell you that sometimes pain is also when you're growing a baby IN YOUR BODY! My pregnancy has been relatively pain free, but boy let me tell you, I never feel more sore (or wimpy) than after a workout when I'm pregnant! Last night I went for a 2.7 mile run and not only did each tiny incline feel like a huge hill but today I am SORE! That's what I get for taking a week off (dang cold weather). To top it off, now that it's winter even taking a post run soak isn't as relaxing because the dang tub is so cold and the water gets lukewarm so fast! Seriously, by the time the tub was filled and I was able to relax my tired legs the water was already getting cold. I guess I'll just have to suck it up until it gets a little warmer.
Aside from running, being 34 weeks pregnant isn't bad at all. I mean I feel GINORMOUS and I get random hiccups every day but I will take that any day if it means that my baby and I are healthy. Now that I'm this far along, my insurance has decided that I can't travel because if I were to go into labor it would be considered 'term' and they don't want to pay for out of coverage fees! I'm really glad that we got our travel in over the holidays, but I have a feeling that I'm going to start going stir-crazy around Warren's due date.. Maybe I'll have to schedule a local weekend get away before I'm due. Valentine's weekend sounds like a great time for a baby-cation hint, hint Matt!
Speaking of Valentine's day, last night I decided to give myself a festive pedicure a little bit early because I don't think I'll be able to bend all the way down to my toes for much longer!

Hopefully I'll have a chance to touch it up before the actual holiday, but I'm definitely getting someone else to paint them next time!

How far along? 34 weeks! Warren can decide to come any time in the next 6 weeks! (Hopefully in 4-6 weeks, not before or after!) 

Total weight gain/loss: I finally feel like I've got the appetite of a pregnant woman! I've been focusing on eating a little more and it's paid off; I'm at a total gain of 19 lbs which puts me right on track to gain 25lbs this pregnancy. I can feel the weight going to Warren; he's growing half a pound a week!  

Maternity clothes?  I haven't bought any new clothes in the last couple weeks, but I did finally make the switch from my regular sized windbreaker to an ACU top that's one size bigger than I normally wear. It's an inch or two longer which helps it to cover this growing belly!
 

Stretch marks? I'm still applying coconut oil and lotion like crazy and it's still working!
 

Sleep: it has been harder to get comfortable when I'm laying down, mostly because when I lay on my right side (where Warren likes to stretch his legs) he kicks like crazy like he's trying to jump on the bed! That being said, I wake up 1-2 times a night but I can still fall back asleep relatively easily. I'm going to enjoy this for as long as I can!
 

Best moment this week: this week has been pretty slow, but we did pick up a few more boxes of diapers and wipes. We should be set for the first 4-5 months, which is a huge relief! During maternity leave I want to focus on my baby and healing my body, not making trips to the store! I also wrote out the recipes and shopping list for 16 freezer meals and next week I'll go shopping and start putting those together. 

Miss Anything? I wouldn't say I miss anything as much as I finally feel like our family and our home are ready for Warren to get here!
 

Movement: ha. He's always moving! I'm just waiting for that signature calm before the storm where he finally runs out of room and the labor waiting game begins.

Food cravings? The stores have rolled out their Valentine's candy, which means I've already had more than my share of sweetheart tarts! Other than that I've been going to town on Greek yogurt to get enough protein.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Just when Warren punches my stomach and esophagus.

Have you started to show yet: it's at the point where small talk with strangers is ALWAYS them asking about my pregnancy. I even had my first non-family member come up and touch my stomach! He was a very friendly acquaintance though, so it wasn't uncomfortable or awkward. 

Labor Signs: Just lots of Braxton Hicks still

Belly Button in or out? Still in! It's quite a miracle, I think.

Wedding rings on or off? I still have it on and I honestly don't think I'll have to take it off.
 

Looking forward to: I'm impatiently waiting to get back our Maternity photos! I know with the holidays I need to expect to wait 3-4 weeks but I'm pretty impatient right now!

Mood: Ready. I'm not sure if that's an actual mood or not but that's how I feel. It's the content, stress-free period before I start itching to get him out!

Milestones: Warren is 5 pounds! He's finally getting big enough to fit into newborn clothes and if he keeps it up he might even go straight to 0-3mo clothes at birth! Other than gaining weight, his brain and eyesight are busy developing. Stay in there until you're ready, little dude. 

Upcoming Appointments/Events: Matt and I get to finish up our birthing class series this week and then I get a class/appointment break until the end of the month when I go back in for my 36 week appointment. Hopefully my new emphasis on my diet and adding in the prescription of iron pills keeps us as healthy as we have been!

Weekly Wisdom: stay active! At whatever activity level is comfortable and healthy for you. I went from pretty active (ran 6 miles in week 32) to pretty inactive (no runs in week 33) because of how incredibly cold, rainy and miserable it's been outside and I feel much more achy and uncomfortable when I'm inactive. So for week 34 my goal is to get back out there and run even though it's freezing outside! Yesterday I sucked it up and ran 2.7 miles in the 39° mist. Hopefully my motivation sticks!

New Year, Same Pregnancy

It's hard to believe that the holidays are over! After all the planning and prep we had a wonderful week long visit with family that gave us some much needed down time. Now work picks back up in full swing and the only thing I have left to get ready for is Warren's arrival! Hopefully it goes by quickly and I don't get too antsy or anxious while I wait. 

How far along? 32 weeks-- 8 months if you follow the way the doctors and apps count it (which I do), or 7 months if you treat the due date like month 9 and go backwards... Either way, about 8 weeks left!

Total weight gain/loss: my official post holiday weight is 134.8 so I've gained 14.8lbs this pregnancy. I think I need to try and step up my eating so my little guy has all the nutrients he needs to beef up!

Maternity clothes?  My wardrobe is about 50/50 these days.
 

Stretch marks? No signs yet, but Warren will be doing a lot of growing in the next few weeks! 
 

Sleep: Warren has been so kind to me so far. He's even more active when I lay down, but it still doesn't wake me up and he's even eased off my bladder during the night!  
 

Best moment this week: Between Christmas, Wyatt's birthday, maternity photos and being with family it's impossible to pick one thing. The entire week was wonderful! 

Miss Anything? I don't miss anything as much as I enjoy preparing for this little guy. 
 

Movement: As always, our baby is moving like crazy and the poor thing gets hiccups so often. 

Food cravings? The day after Christmas I realized that I forgot chocolate oranges for our stockings and of course they're no where to be found now and it's all I seem to want! Matt has really gone above and beyond by checking every local store for them and he even offered to order some off amazon, but I just can't justify ordering junk food off the internet! 

Anything making you queasy or sick? I have felt great lately! 

Have you started to show yet: This far along, I'm pretty sure it's impossible to NOT show. 

Labor Signs: I get Braxton Hicks contractions throughout the day, but I don't even notice them unless I happen to touch my stomach or try to bend over while they're happening! 

Belly Button in or out? It's even with my skin, still hasn't started to pop out though. 

Wedding rings on or off? Still on, comfortably.  
 

Looking forward to: getting back our Maternity photos! 

Mood: Great. The holidays were a great time to unwind with family and now that they (and the kids birthdays) are over the only thing on my to-do list is get everything finalized for the baby!

Milestones: Warren is about 4 pounds and 19 inches long! All of his major organs are functioning and if he's going to come out with hair, it's already there! Now he just gets to plump up and keep developing his brain. 

Upcoming Appointments/Events: I've got a whole list of mandatory child birth, breastfeeding and other classes coming up in the next two weeks. Hopefully keeping busy will help the time pass. 

Weekly Wisdom: Everyone talks about how special a first pregnancy and first baby are but no one tells you how magical it is to go through a pregnancy when you have kids that are old enough to understand, and excited for a baby brother. Every pregnancy and birth is special, but no one is more excited or makes it more heartwarming than Wyatt and Alexis. To see their eyes light up when they feel their baby brother kick and to have them constantly come over to give him kisses is the best feeling and the only thing I ever need to get through a rough day. 

30 Weeks

30 Weeks is a long time. It seems even longer when you're counting in weeks! I mean could you imagine casually telling someone that your child is 112 weeks old? Or that you've been married for 240 weeks?!
It's all about perspective, I suppose. I mean in the last 30 weeks Warren has gone from non-existant to a 3 pound wiggly, hiccupy, temperature regulating baby. I am always relieved with each passing week and read an article this morning that linked pre-term babies to poor vision which gave me the little pep-talk necessary to be excited to keep him in there for the next 9ish weeks! Let me tell you though, that motivation was necessary after last night. I guess Warren wanted to ring in the 30 week milestone by waking me up at 2am with insane heartburn and keeping me up for the next two hours. By the third time I got out of bed for more water and another tums I decided to just hang out on the recliner in the living room until I felt better because poor Matt woke up every time I got out of bed and asked if I was ok. But when I finally fell asleep out there, our crazy 11month of lab decided to start barking at shadows which made him wake up again but this time he got up to go find me. Sorry, sweetheart!
I hope for his sake that we don't go through that very often- I'd like at least one of us to be well rested when the baby finally gets here!
Other than the heartburn from hell last night, the first 3 weeks of the third trimester have been a breeze. Every pregnancy is different and we all have different opinions/experiences but I'm confident that things have been so easy because I was healthy and active before pregnancy and continue to be healthy and active now (although I do consume more sweets than before- whoops). Now my goal is to keep up with my activity and get in at least one run a week until this little guy makes his debut! Older studies all cautioned against running while pregnant because of a lack of research but I've read a handful of new studies that were done on VERY active women (I'm talking ran 3-5 miles, 4-5 times a week in addition to other workouts all the way up until delivery) and the results have been very positive. The key is to stick to what feels comfortable for your body- and not to try running or any other strenuous activity unless you did it before you were pregnant!
Lets see if I can keep up the motivation on these cold days... It shouldn't be too difficult since my lovely sister in law gave me two pairs of running pants that don't squeeze the jeebus out of my belly, and I found some great tops that are long enough to cover my bump!
Seriously for every lady that is pregnant, or just likes longer tops- H&M is where it's at. They had long, loose, light weight racerback tanktops in 6-7 different colors for $5 each! And then after getting discouraged about the lack of running pullovers/jackets available I discovered that Costco had some that are perfect! For those that don't know- All of the wonderful athletic brands (Nike, Adidas, Puma etc) have ZERO maternity clothes. W. T. F. They have huge women's selections but somehow up at the executive level they seem to have forgotten that the majority of women will at some point in their life, become pregnant and have children. I'm thinking about writing letters to them- you know, the kind we all had to write in middle school that suggested improvements to company VPs to practice professional writing (but really we all did it in hopes of getting some free swag from the company). Anyways, now that I've discovered running clothes in the least likely of places, I don't have to wear Matt's tops any more. Not that I dislike wearing his tops, but when he's 6'3 and I'm 5'5 his shirts still don't fit very well even with a 30 week baby belly!

How far along? 30 weeks.  

Total weight gain/loss: As of this morning I have gained 14.2 pounds.

Maternity clothes?  Found a good pair of maternity skinny jeans! I also managed to get them on Sale and with a coupon. The only thing nicer than finding a nice pair of jeans that fits well is them being $20 less than you expect when you're checking out!
 

Stretch marks? Not yet. I have been faithfully applying my whipped coconut oil body lotion daily and I've gotten to the point where I take 2-3 baths a week and when I do I also use a sugar scrub that I made (mentioned it a few posts ago) and between those two things my skin has felt soft and supple without any itching or dryness. Hopefully they continue to keep my skin hydrated enough!
 

Sleep: Last night I had a dream that Matt and I were at the pet store buying chew-proof dog beds (Winny has eaten both of our dog beds because she's a crackhead puppy). After we checked out Matt was super mad because he told them that he would donate $5 to ASPCA but when he checked his recipt they charged him for a $200 donation instead.
I couldn't even begin to tell you why I dream about these things... On top of that it appears that my body has decided that I no longer need to sleep for more than 4 hours at a time. For the past handful of days I have been waking up between 2-4, which is nothing new but now when I wake up I'm wide awake and cannot seem to fall back asleep. Which is super inconvenient when you are still working full time and there isn't a baby to nurse and take care of while you're awake. Hopefully this either mellows out, or comes in handy when Warren is here.
 

Best moment this week: Hmm this week we did a tour of Labor and Delivery which was nice to get out of the way. The good thing about seeing the L&D beforehand is expectation management (at least when you're delivering in an older hospital). My best moment though, would have to be last weekend when we had out baby shower! It was so great to see everyone, and I really enjoyed playing the games and seeing all of the super cute ideas that people had for decorating onsies!

 

Miss Anything? I'm starting to miss the ability to breathe normally. Warren is definitely cramped in there now and with him being as active as he is, I am finding it harder and harder to breathe. He also likes to do this fun new thing (that's not cute or fun at all) where he throws a temper tantrum every time he has the hiccups. So I'll feel his hiccups on one side (that last forever- poor boy gets that from me) and then non-stop kicking on the other side until the hiccups finally go away.
 

Movement: Oh yes. When he had the hiccups this morning I got out my kick counter just to jot down how active he was and he was averaging 10 kicks every 15 seconds.. FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES! At least I know that there is definitely a strong, active little boy in there.

Food cravings: Hearty, home cooked meals. Thankfully Matt and I both enjoy cooking!

Anything making you queasy or sick? I get queasy when Warren is super active right after I've eaten.

Have you started to show yet: Oh yes. My belly will be nice and round for our maternity photos! Hopefully that will be the only thing that gains any weight between now and then.

Labor Signs: I can't tell if I'm just fortunate enough to not have any braxton hicks contractions or if Warren just moves around so much that I don't notice the difference! Either way, he's moving around and I'm mostly pain free!

Belly Button in or out? I thought for sure that my belly button would be an outie by now but it has been hanging on like a champ.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on, comfortably.  
 

Looking forward to: Christmas! I love this time of year; our house smells delightful from the tree and baking, the decorations look wonderful and I can't wait to start my time off and spend some quality time with the kiddos!

Mood: Festive. I love getting into the season and enjoying everything it has to offer.

Milestones: 30 Weeks sounds like a milestone all on its own! Now when you see people, you don't just look pregnant, you look, "When are you due? Soon?" pregnant. Warren is over 3 pounds and from now until he's born he's going to gain about a half pound each week! On top of chunking up, he's learning to control his own body temperature and studies suggest that the longer he's in there now, the better his vision will become. Enjoy your stay little guy, because come 38/39 weeks I'm sure I'm going to be begging you to get out already!

Upcoming Appointments/Events: Even though my actual appointments are only scheduled every 4 weeks still, I have an abundance of classes, tours etc coming up in the next 3-4 weeks. Most of them are mandatory, but maybe I'll pick up a tip or two along the way.

Weekly Wisdom: Have fun when you can and relax when you can! I love taking a hot bath and reading to unwind, especially when I've been busy getting things like the changing table and bassinet put together!