Update: 38 weeks

Weight Gain: down by 1/2 pound (whoo-hoo! - maybe that cupcake yesterday was fat-free)
Dilated: 2 cm.
Effaced: 50%.
Estimated Delivery: around 39 weeks, which means another week.

Having more contractions, but we'll see if they progress. She said if I am on my feet a lot, things will go faster.
Ryan, of course with work being so busy, wants me to lay down and do nothing.
And I, on the other hand, want to nest and get everything in order for whenever this baby girls decides to come!
And Dylan just wants to play with his new toys from yesterday's birthday party!!!

Update: 37 weeks

Another OB appointment this morning. Ryan has only missed one appointment between both Dylan and this baby's prenatal visits. But we knew that this week would include another ultrasound. So despite being uber-busy at work right now, he rushed over and arrived just as the doctor came into my room. Perfect.

Ultrasound shows her measuring just about right at around 36 weeks. Heart looks good. And fluid surrounding baby looks good.
Oh, and STILL a girl, which was nice to hear now that the closet is filled with baby girl clothes...

The doctor says she weighs approx 6# at this point, so the estimation is that she'll be around 7.5# at birth depending on when I deliver.
I've had more contractions the past two days, but nothing painful.
She said I could do more walking if I want to progress things, but I think I'll just wait until after Dylan's 3rd birthday party this weekend before I do anything like that.
Plus I have a headcold that I wouldn't mind being rid of before labor and delivery. Who wants to blow their nose during a contraction?

And that pesky office scale says that I've gained 2 more pounds in this past week. Where in the world did that come from? I know it could be water-weight, but I doubt it, as my ankles and hands aren't super swollen. And I have been eating, but no more than I did a month ago.
At least I'm near the end. How much bigger can you get with only 3 weeks to go, I think slyly stupidly to myself.

Baby Shower #2

Today my dear friend Kathy and some of my coworkers put together a baby shower at work to honor this little boxer-girl who has set up camp right under my ribs (yikes she's kicking a lot tonight, it seems!). They had about 5 different kinds of pizza and a full ice cream sundae station set up, lots of thoughtful gifts, and Kathy took lots of pictures. Since she already posted her pictures from the event, I'll send you there to see them. About 20+ people were there, which was a pretty awesome turnout for a baby shower. Maybe it was the pizza and ice cream luring them in, but I'd like to think they came at least in part to see me (and perhaps sneak a peek at how big I've gotten in the past 2 1/2 months)...

It was a fun afternoon and I feel blessed to have such sweet and supportive coworkers.

Thanks Kathy for all you did in making us feel special today (me and baby)!

Update: 36 weeks

Today was the first of my 'weekly' appointments until delivery:

-Baby is still head down
-Baby's heartrate is about 160 beats/minute
-My blood pressure: still good
-And dilation??? 1 cm.

My doctor estimated that I have about 2 more weeks till delivery. Hopefully we have a little more time than that as Dylan's Birthday party is in exactly 2 weeks!

Next week I'll have another ultrasound to check her size (deapite MY weight gain of 4# in the last two weeks, my doctor thinks that's mostly me and not the baby... I don't know if that is good news or not for me!)

Baby Shower

Back in St. Louis I remember when people had their second (or third) babies, it wasn't customary to have another baby shower. But here in Southern California, things are different. "Every baby deserves to be celebrated", as a friend of mine says.
And our baby girl was VERY celebrated today.

My friends (Anamara, Christy, Karissa, Genese, and Lisa) hosted the most awesome and carefully thought out baby shower for our family (yes, husbands and kiddos were invited as well). There were numerous games, a delicious cake (Portos!), sangria (no, I didn't have any), balloons, tons of food including fajitas, a towering diaper cake, toddler pool and sand table under a big awning for the kids, tiki torches, party favors (including a personalized cd of tunes in honor of our baby girl and bags of homemade cookies for everyone who came), and lots of VERY generous gifts.

One gift in particular was from the whole group: a new stroller!

And games? Let's see, there was the 'how big is briana's belly' game (actual size was 10 squares around), where Ryan nearly came in second to last with estimating my tummy as GIGANTIC! (Cagdas, thanks for guessing my girth to be a few toilet paper squares larger than Ryan - you saved him!)
There was another game where you guessed how many jelly beans, pretzels, and goldfish were in various baby bottles.
And the gold standard: Guess what kind of candy (smashed up in diapers, only to be guessed by smelling one by one).

And a beer drinking game for the dads. That was a sight!
Imagine 7-8 grown men, lined up in a row, fiersly drinking beer from baby bottles...

And the kids decided they needed to play too, so here they are chugging their bottles alongside the daddies. (don't worry, theirs didn't have beer!)

I am still spinning with excitement from today. I'm in awe of how much effort, careful planning, and generosity these women put into making this such a special celebration for our family. A labor of love, for sure.

Thank you so much, my dear friends!

Butterflies & 4,000 kids, oh my!

I was going to do my own post on this experience last week, but I think Kathy did it more justice on her blog. See here.
If you do, you can see a full (nearly 2-minute) video of me ranting (doesn't take much to get a 34 week pregnant woman to complain at length, it seems) about 'the bathroom incident' - which I'm sure you ALL want to hear about, don't you?
And while I do agree that Kathy got a pretty good picture of the butterflies, I got one too.
Now I just have to find some time for Ryan to upload it here for me. But if not, just take my word for it, it's AWESOME.

Update: 34 weeks

Ryan took the day off today to spend together and celebrate our 7th anniversary.
Our day started off with another OB appointment (see below). Then we went out to test-drive a couple cars we've wanted to check out and haven't had the time to do together sans toddler until today. Then we went to the mall and Ryan got himself some new sunglasses, which I must say look very good on him! And then we wrapped up our afternoon with a nice long lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. It was a good day.

Now for the OB visit update:

Another ultrasound with a nice shot of our baby girl's face, looking straight ahead. My doctor pointed out her 'chubby cheeks'.

Remember how I was fretting over her head still being up and a possible C-section? Well, she's flipped downward, ready for the big event apparently. Nice work, baby girl!

And let's see, what else? According to the office scale, I had only gained another pound in the past 2 weeks (whoo-hoo!) To be honest, my scale at home showed about 3 pounds of gain, but I'll take the doc's version this time around. And my doctor stated that my weight-gain is good, not too much, and she thinks I'm on target for a healthy weight at delivery.

Baby's weight is estimated at 5 pounds already, putting her estimated delivery weight at around 8 pounds if I go the full 40 weeks. Not bad, as Dylan was 7lb, 15oz, and most second babies are larger. If she comes a week or two early (as Dylan did), then she could be in the 7lb range. We'll have to see, won't we?

I know my body

Today I had another prenatal appointment. The nurse led us into a room, but it didn't have the ultrasound machine and both Ryan and I frowned. We wanted another one - you know, just to get a peek at the baby again and make sure all was still ok in there for her. Plus we wanted to make sure her head is pointed down, as it is pretty important for delivery...
When my doctor came in, we asked if we could switch rooms and she picked up on our hint right away and led us into the next room.

All is ok. Heartbeat 150 bpm. Measurements of head, abdomen, and femur all averaging at 31 weeks and 2 days... exactly where we are at today. Baby's weight estimated at 4 pounds. My weight... let's not go there.
Oh, and her head... pointed UP.
I knew it! I knew that wasn't a head kicking me in the bladder for the past 2 weeks!
And then my doctor commented, "wow, I guess you really know your body. I would have guessed by where the heartbeat was that she was head down so it's good we checked."
Yup . Glad we checked, but now hoping for a nice big flip-flop before labor in a few more weeks...

Good news is that she said after 35 weeks, she'll let me do more. Still won't be able to return to work yet. But at least in another month I can go walking a bit (although she said I probably won't want to much at that point).

Results are in!

No, I do NOT have gestational diabetes. Yipee!
I'm very relieved and excited about this news. Just got off the phone with the doctor's office and the levels looked good for all four of the results.
I think maybe I need to celebrate. Perhaps I should get some ice cream this week at the store! I'm thinking Mint-Chip.

Do I have GD?

And no, GD is not an STD.
I'm referring to Gestational Diabetes.
And yes, I may have it. Awaiting the test results from yesterdays more extensive bloodwork. So I'm praying for a negative result on Monday.

Update: 26 weeks

Another OB appointment.

Still on bedrest (and probably will be for the rest of the pregnancy in general or at least until we get to the 'safer weeks'), but at least it's modified so I can go outside as long as I stay off my feet and rest as much as possible. Still no walks or exercise. Still no trips to the grocery store. Still no trips to the zoo or Huntington Gardens with Dylan, but I'm not stuck in bed, so I'm going to be thankful for that. And being able to sit and watch him play at the park while someone else helps chase after him is better than sitting at home alone getting depressed.

And I'm SUPER thankful for all my friends' support. I can't believe how quickly they responded with offers to help us each week with meals, helping with Dylan, and just letting me cry on their shoulders when I have felt discouraged about this situation. And while I have a hard time asking and taking help from our friends, who I know are already busy themselves with work and families and schedules, I'm trying to be graceful about accepting their help it as it's offered.

One thing that I've realized (FINALLY) on a personal level is that this is "only temporary" and while it feels like a huge burden on everyone around me, it's much less of a burden than we'd all be if I had the baby early and we were stuck in a NICU for the next few months.

So stay in there, little girl. I'll do my part. Don't come out yet!

24 Week Ultrasound

Ultrasound picture of our baby girl's face at 24 weeks.

Update: 24 weeks

On Tuesday my scheduled OB appt was cancelled, so I rescheduled to see another doctor in the same practice on Wednesday. Since Dylan didn't have daycare, we brought him along so Ryan could be there too.
While driving around looking for a parking spot, Ryan got pulled over (yes, a TICKET!) for making an 'illegal U-turn' where the sign was covered by a bush!

Then once he joined me inside with the doctor, our day went from bad to worse.

But first I want to point out some Good news , that the baby looks good. We saw her spine, umbilical cord with both channels intact, heartbeat, kidneys, stomach, bladder, head, femur. She measured good, with the doctor noting that she is about 1 pound and 7 ounces already.

Bad news is that she discovered that I have a low-lying placenta, which isn't a problem as long as the baby moves down below it in the next few weeks/months. And is more of a concern because I've continued to have noticeable contractions (the painful ones haven't reoccured since around 21-22 weeks, but they are still there despite my reducing my exercise and lifting since my last visit.
So this doctor did a few other tests and sent me home on bed-rest at least until my next appointment with my regular doctor (she's out on vacation for about 2 weeks), if not for longer.

This wouldn't be so much of a problem if we had regular outside help with Dylan, or if I wasn't at a risk of losing my job because of how much time off this could mean for me (the max that the law protects my job for is 4 months, which takes me just until after her due-date, but not enough for post-partum recovery after she's born), or if Ryan wasn't so busy at work with trying to resubmit his paper soon, or if me working those few days a week wasn't something we depended on. But I do realize that only I can carry this baby to term. Only I can ensure she has the best chance at not having to be born prematurely by following the doctor's instructions. And in researching things a bit more today, she wouldn't have much of a chance at life if she was born now. A risk that isn't worth taking just because I don't want to be stuck in bed. My hope though is that this is short-term and once I see my regular OB doctor in 3 weeks, that she can lift this bed-bound sentence so I can at least have Dylan during the week at home with me.

And here's where I get to focus on what I'm thankful for. I'm so thankful for my precious husband and son, who both have to endure the bulk of these changes to our life/schedules/routines along with me. I'm thankful for the many friends who have called, emailed, and stopped by with supportive words, food, and the promise to help out where they can as long as I'm in this position. I'm thankful for my health, that this is potentially a short-term discomfort and hopefully will resolve soon. I'm thankful for our families, who love us unconditionally and we know we can count on for support and encouragement with whatever lies ahead.

For those of you out there who read this, please keep our baby girl in your prayers for continued time on the inside so she can grow up strong and come join our family healthy at the end of these next few months. And pray for patience and endurance for Ryan, Dylan, and myself as we adjust to these changes.

Update: 21 weeks

We had our 21 week OB appointment on Tuesday afternoon. Baby girl has once again been confirmed as a baby GIRL, looking healthy, measuring femur and head size appropriately. Heart looks good. All is good...
Except that I've been having contractions. Braxton Hicks mostly, but in the evenings I've had a few painful ones that even once woke me up from sleep. When I mentioned this to my doctor, she told me that I should stop working to avoid total bedrest with a preterm labor. I made promises to stop working out and to limit any carrying of Dylan when possible (he's 30 lbs) and to rest more in the evenings instead of being on my feet so much. She said as long as I don't have any more painful episodes and watch to make sure the Braxton Hicks are no more than 4 in an hour, I can continue working.
So here I am, thinking of all the ways that I'm needing to put not only my unborn little baby girl, but my whole family first in my life. I need to stop thinking of myself in terms of 'weight-gain' and time out of the house with my mommy-friends, judging myself from the perception of the world around me.
Another friend mentioned to me yesterday how important it is that we put our families first in our lives, because this time is only a season in our lives that we will miss later on and nothing is more important. She's 100% right and I need to be reminded of that when I'm tempted to go hit the park for a workout, long walk, or big day running errands. What would those things mean to me if I didn't have my family? Nothing.

Weight Gain

Now that I've reached the halfway mark in this pregnancy, I'm starting to wonder what things are going to look like at the end (i.e. weight-gain). I know it's not a BIG issue, but ever since my OB mentioned that she doesn't like her patients to gain more than 5 lbs. in the first 20 weeks, I've been annoyed as I watch my bathroom scale report it's findings each morning. So far, I've gained less than 10 pounds (ok, so it's 9 pounds now...)
According to this chart, I'm set to be at about 30 pounds or so by the time I deliver and another site I found says I should target my gain at about 33 pounds. Plus last time around I didn't exercise at all and now I've been keeping a pretty consistent routine of an hour of exercise 2 x week. When I overdo it, I pay later in the day, but lately I think I've found a balance and have felt alright as long as I rest later in the day.
Overall the projected weight gain according to this chart isn't too bad, but at the rate I'm going with food (Roscoe's again on Thursday), I'm pretty much doomed if I don't slow down.

Sniff, Sniff

Got a head cold today. Came home from church and made my boys some lunch. Put Dylan down for a nap and started feeling some congestion. Decided to take a nap myself and when I woke up... Yup. Head. Cold.
Hoping now that it gets somewhat better by tomorrow morning so I can go to work.

And regarding baby: Kicking is getting stronger. Ryan felt her move this past week too, which I was excited about.
And cravings? I want mashed potatoes and Roscoe's fried chicken, fruit, and tortilla soup (I promise I don't want all those together. That'd just be disgusting.)

Video Linkys

Look on the right sidebar for links to some new (and some embarrassing) videos. The Roscoe's one is pretty much incriminating of me stuffing my face full of fried chicken (which if you've actually tasted Roscoe's, you'd understand completely , especially pregnant) and Dylan picking his nose. The Meltdown is just that: Dylan having a meltdown over a silly jelly packet that fell on the floor at Roscoe's (again, if you've been there, you know why we didn't want to give it back to him once it touched those floors!). And "Baby Sister" is of Dylan as I was putting him into his carseat after the ultrasound where we learned that baby #2 is going to be a GIRL! Dylan was so cute, announcing he's having a baby sister for us - which melted my heart and was honestly the highlight of the evening. Ok, until Roscoe's, of course.

Baby Girl Stuff

Mary Jane Socks
Hats and more hats
Leg Warmers (also in Purple)
One-piece Sunsuit outfits (for 3-6 and 6-9 months)
Rompers (short sleeves for summer and long for winter months)
Overall outfits
And on a side note: I know pink is the usual choice "girl" color, but I love reds and soft greens too!

And of course, I'm thinking I should hold off on buying anything myself for a while. But online window-shopping sure is fun!

p.s. I have started to feel her move now. And while most people say I don't even look pregnant yet, my non-pregnancy pants don't fit anymore! Time to bust out the maternity pants.

Confirmation in 2D and 3D

This one will probably land our daughter in therapy one day... It's the shot of her 'parts' (indicated by the three parallel lines), confirming that she's indeed a girl. That's right folks, it's a GIRL! Only took about 20 minutes of flipping and flopping on that table trying to get her to change positions so we could see!

This one is in 3D, showing the profile of her face with her arm held up. Since it's still so early, she doesn't have really any fat on her bones... but I promise to fatten her up before you all meet her again!

Whoo-hoo! It's a GIRL!

What would you do?

Ok. Came across this online tonight. Would you do it? Not as pricey as we thought it could be, but still more than our copay for our regular OB appointment I have in a month...