39/40 weeks

well... despite our many trips to the hospital, thinking we were in labor. this little lady has decided to overstay her welcome in the humble home i've been creating for her the past 9+ months within my body.

-i now weigh 137 (a total weight gain of 12 pounds)
-i have started getting stretch marks below and around my belly button. my belly is measuring many inches larger than it was with bayli. the itchiness and tightness is unbearable sometimes.
-sleeping goes like this: fall asleep around 11:30, wake at 2:00 to go pee, stay awake for a few hours while i try to go back to bed enduring through a few contractions, finally fall back asleep around 3:30 or 4. (usually after watching an episode of Friends in order to get my mind off things) and sleep until 7:30 when bayli wakes up. i pee again. garrison takes care of her while i finish sleeping until he leaves for work at 9 which is when i actually get up.
-the belly button is still an innie, and i am still not wearing maternity clothes, but i should be. i'm just stubborn and keep convincing myself that she will be coming out today anyway, so i wouldn't get enough use out of the clothes. i basically wear lots of knit loose shirts and leggings/skirts. or my robe. lets be honest. i'm almost always in my robe.
-we still deal with really frequent contractions daily. the pain is something that i can bear. as sad as it sounds im basically used to it by now. the hardest part is the confusion. not knowing if "this is the real thing" or not. we have now made 5 trips to the hospital, each with contractions mere minutes apart, and each time another issue get's either added or resolved. first we found out i had a UTI, next time we thought i was in labor, contractions were only 1.5 minutes apart and crazy intense for hours, but no dilation or effacement. next we were worried about leaking fluid only to find out my water hadn't broken. another time it was for blood pressure levels that were too high, but not high enough to induce immediately, just check up on. seriously, what else can they throw at me? eventually they will just have to admit me.
-we officially scheduled our induction date for the 12th of May if she doesn't come on her own before then.
- i'm just glad that she wasn't born on May 4th -national star wars day- "may the fourth be with you"
- at our last ultrasound (38.5 weeks) she was measuring 6 pounds 10 oz. a very healthy weight. but still on the small side so we don't think we will need to do a c-section. hopefully she will stay under that 7 pound mark until i get her out.
- i am in a much happier and patient place than i was in this post, i have learned a lot about myself these past few weeks, i have also learned that there's usually a reason for things, and garrison got strep throat a few days ago, so it was a good thing that he dealt with that with the baby safe in my belly instead of worrying about her catching that terrible sickness at only a few days old.
-i am a big planner and have a very hard time letting things go when they aren't in my control. this pregnancy has tested me more than anything else in my entire life, it has easily been my hardest trial to date. i feel like it has just been one concern or another for the entire 9 months. from placenta previa, (which resolved itself) to loosing too much weight from terrible morning sickness, to confusing due dates since our conception date and her measurements never added up, to baby measuring big, then small, then big again, me not gaining enough weight, and all of the other things i mentioned earlier like uti's, contractions, and blood pressure. BUT... we've gotten through it all, and right now, regardless of the issues we have had to deal with earlier, things are looking up. we are in a good place to deliver this baby girl, and thank goodness none of the issues have turned into anything serious so far. it's been a looong ride, and all of these worries have not made the trip seem any shorter. but it's practically over and i can almost smell her already we're so close to having her in our arms.

38 Weeks

I seriously cannot even believe i am writing this blog post. Am i seriously thirty eight weeks?? since i delivered bayli at 37 weeks i have never been this pregnant before and boy is it driving me crazy. i am SO done. mentally i'm convinced this is how people feel when they go past their due date since i always assumed i would deliver around the same gestation age as bayli. i am basically angry and negative all the time and my emotions are on edge. i cannot fathom how much worse i will be if i have to wait until 40 weeks to have this baby girl.

i have been contracting daily for the past two weeks, on a couple occasions we've gone in to the hospital because they were coming on so strongly only to be sent home after monitoring for a few hours because the contractions aren't dilating me, they are just painful. yay. the nurses explained that this condition even has a name: "prodromal labor" (more on it here and here.) the nurses feel so bad for me, but there's nothing they can do besides offer some intense narcotics that i have so far avoided taking. but they are tempting... sooo tempting.

every night, and sometimes in the afternoon's too i have a few good hours where my contractions are 5-2 minutes apart (depending on the day), and way more painful than contractions i ever felt with Bayli because i got my epidural pretty early into her labor process. the contractions feel like my belly is a basketball that is being pumped up with too much air, and with every contraction i'm positive that if the pressure increases any further i will literally split down the middle. then after a minute or more, the break comes when the contraction finally stops, and i feel sore and breathless, like i've just done the most hard core workout, and then throbbing pain... down there. and then it's time to pump me with air again. i just cannot believe that after all of these days and hours of contractions i am still only dilated to a 1.5

i told garrison this morning that i genuinely don't think she will ever come out. i know that logically it's impossible. she HAS to come out eventually. we've only got two more weeks to go before the dr will physically take her out if he has to. but none of that is clicking in my head right now, all i can think about is how she's still in there, and will stay there forever. each day growing a bit bigger, and each night hurting a bit more. and of course there is the ever-glooming threat of c-section if she gets big enough that i explained in my last belly update.

i'm not in a happy place.

for example: we do a weekly ritual of asking the Young Women in my church before our lesson begins what something positive, and something negative from that week was. when it was my turn i genuinely could not come up with a single positive thing. how pathetic. seriously my attitude needs an adjustment and i know it.

basically my prayers at night go something like this:
"father, bless this baby to he healthy and strong, but not too strong... those kicks have been hurting recently, and bless her to grow, just not too big cause eventually i need to get her out, and my organs are feeling very claustrophobic right now, bless me to be able to sleep tonight so that i can have the strength to hopefully push her out tomorrow. i know that most people probably pray to take their contractions and pain away, but i'm ok with that, as long as they are actually doing something. i promise to be good if you will just let them be contractions that work. oh, and bless my water to break so that i won't have to be confused about when it's the real thing or not. amen."

i need to be finished with this post now before i continue any further down this path of negativity. but basically... if you need me, you can either find me at the hospital checking to see if this time it's actual labor pains, or "curb walking" around the entire city of Orem, or laying in my bed, eating the leftover cadbury mini eggs, crying, feeling bad for myself.

Have a great week! Hopefully my next post has a completely different vibe to it, and baby pictures, lots of baby pictures.

36 weeks

in my last post, i expressed my concerns with this pregnancy. in summary, i was both worried that the baby was going to be bigger than bayli, and that i wouldn't be able to deliver her vaginally due to her size, and worried that she would be too small, and that she would need to be induced early in order to get her the nutrition she needed. the reasoning behind these two contradicting worries i tried to explain in my last post, but... ultimately we knew the answer would be given over the course of a few ultrasounds. so, yesterday i had my second of three ultrasounds, and met with the dr and got lots of questions answered!

first of all, baby is growing great and is not small. in fact, she is already larger than bayli was when she was born. (baby #2 measures 5.7 pounds, while bayli was only 5.4 at birth) this is wonderful because it means she is healthy! but... it also means that we are officially in the unknown territory of figuring out what my body can handle when it comes to delivery and size of baby. because it is my second baby, and because i will most likely not need to be induced this time -my blood pressure is looking great, and i'm not experiencing symptoms of toxemia this time around like i experienced with bayli- therefore baby will come when she is ready, and when my body has been "primed" the dr's and i think that i will be able to handle a bit bigger baby. but just how much is a "bit"? that's the guessing game. 

doc thinks that if i were to go into labor on my own before i reach 38 weeks then i should be fine. he doesn't anticipate the baby growing a ton within the next week and a half or so. He also thinks that she looks healthy and ready to come. He's basically given me the "A-ok" for labor, but, he can't do anything to help push this along any faster. i am contracting frequently, the baby has dropped, i've lost my mucus plug and have started to dilate and efface. but it's just been false labor so far. so... right now we are just hoping that she decides to get things started. but... if i get to 38 weeks and still haven't had her, then we will do the third and last ultrasound and potentially schedule a c-section if she is measuring at or above 7 pounds. 

so... in summary, my body has naturally started the process of getting this baby out, we are all just hoping these braxton hick contractions turn into the real thing sooner than later. 

baby girl, we are ready to meet you! 

And now for your viewing pleasure... some of the pictures from our most recent ultrasounds and my latest belly shot with the comparison of my last belly shot with Bayli. also... if you want to see what i was like at 36 weeks with bayli, here's the link to that blog post.

34 weeks

this is gonna be another long one folks.

i have been doing pregnancy updates with this pregnancy, and they have been fun and a good way to track things but i also feel like the questions (how much weight gain? maternity clothes or no? belly button in or out, etc) don't really explain what's happening. my nerves, and the new complications and unexpected pleasantries that come with each new week. so... im gonna stray from the usual questions, and instead, just let it all out this week.

first the basics:

-due date: may 18th

-i currently weight 133, the baby is about 5 pounds now, and the size of a cantaloupe.

-i am still in my normal clothes, and the belly button hasn't popped yet, i figured that would have happened weeks ago, but nope. 

-i am dealing with braxton hicks on a daily basis, but they aren't too intense yet, and usually they are more bearable than when she gets in one of her kicking/moving fits. those often hurt worse.

-speaking of movement... at any given time, i can tell you if my baby is awake and active, or asleep. her movements are so obvious and huge! we can even tell which body part is kicking or moving most of the time. hiccups are happening all the time, at least twice a day. she is ALWAYS awake around noon, and 9:30-11:00 at night. i'm worried she won't be a good sleeper like bayli was because i swear this girl is always awake and moving... and so much stronger than bayli was too, it's kinda comical because we called bayli our "little kickers' so i guess this one is our "big kickers"?
-sleep is becoming a problem. i usually fall asleep around 11:30, and then wake up around 3:30 because of a dream, or needing to pee, or bayli, or the dog, or the wind making some kind of noise. then i'm up till 5 because i can't go back to sleep. finally i'll fall asleep from 5-7:30 when we usually get up.
-about 2 weeks ago i woke to an extremely painful charlie horse cramp in my right calf. i was screaming, and yelling at garrison to try and fix it because i couldn't move to try and rub it or stretch it out. it bruised, and i was sore and had a limp for 2 days. well, the same thing happened last night, except on my left calf. this time i recognized what was happening and although i still woke freaking out and asking garrison for help, i could at least formulate words this time, and he knew what was happening as well, so hopefully this one won't be as hard of a recovery. stupid charlie horses.

-we had a dr's appointment yesterday where we talked about the labor and delivery side of things for the first time, and i got both more anxious, and relieved at the same time. most of the time i feel like i am huge, and uncomfortable, and ready to get this baby out already. and then the other part of me isn't ready to face reality yet... getting the baby out is really just the beginning. 

So... let's talk about "getting the baby out"

at my dr's appointment we decided that i ultimately have two things to worry about. the size of baby, and my toxemia, (or preeclampsia) coming back again. i have my list of symptoms to recognize if my toxemia comes back, and i get my blood pressure tested frequently. so... for now we just wait and see if it comes or not. as of right now i am doing good in that department, blood pressures of 140/90 after the 37th week get admitted and induced, that's too high of blood pressure. i am at 110/75ish as of lately. which is great.

as far as the size of baby, we have some interesting conflictions... because of how small my hips are, and how difficult it was for me to deliver even my tiny, 5 pound 4 oz bayli, the drs know that if i had to deliver a larger baby (6.5 pounds or bigger) it would need to be via c-section. and if i don't have to get induced at 37 weeks like i did with bayli... most likely this baby will become larger than 6.5 pounds with the extra time spent in the womb. 

but... on the flip side, i have not gained as much weight as i did with bayli. i have only gained 5 pounds, and am currently smaller in weight than i was when i was this far along with bayli. and they were worried about me gaining enough with her as well. so... the dr's are worried that the baby might not be doing well in there. she might not be getting all the nutrients she needs to grow properly, and the only fix for that is getting her out, and if that's the case they would induce me at 37 weeks. 

at my next appointment (36 weeks) we are doing an ultrasound to measure the size of baby to see one... if she is growing normally and we might need to schedule a c-section later on, and two... if she is small and if that "small" is small enough to worry about and need to get induced at 37 weeks. 

all of this is bittersweet. basically i am either growing a totally healthy baby, and have a totally healthy pregnancy, but will need to have a c-section at 39 weeks if she doesn't come on her own earlier. or, my baby is too small, or my blood pressure get's too high, and i have to get induced at 37 weeks to fix the situation, but i would probably be able to deliver her vaginally. 

of course we are hoping for the best, and the "best" option is a healthy baby, even if that means a c-section, and a few more weeks of being pregnant.

as of now, we are just waiting to have the ultrasound, and then we will have a little better idea of how this labor will play out, and how the baby is doing. so. the date's i have marked in my calendar are april 28th (the day of my 37 week appointment, which is when i would get induced if there are complications) or may 11th (the day i would have my elective induction/c-section scheduled at 39 weeks) and of course, there's still the option that we go into labor on our own like normal people. and if that's the case, there's no way of knowing when that would happen. :)

leave it to me to try and plan the "un-plannable"!

Pregnancy Update: 32 weeks

the baby is now about 4 pounds and the size of a coconut.

I currently weigh 132, which is only one pound more than when i was this far along with bayli (here's the post with bayli when i was 32 weeks along if you like comparisons.)

my nightly contractions have subsided, and some days i don't even have a single braxton hick, it's awesome. since those have calmed down, i am dealing with less pain, now my pain usually comes from hip and lower back pain, and stomach aches/heartburn after eating too much, or laying down immediately after eating or drinking.

we are still tracking my blood pressure really closely and it is continuing to go up slightly, but not too high for us to start getting concerned, or put me on bedrest yet, so that's good too.

we have taken everything out of the attic that the baby will need and have finally finished cleaning it all, our bags are packed, and the car seat is clean and in the car. as much as i can feel "ready" for this little girl, i do. we even have her name picked out finally!! (you'll have to wait till she's born before we share it)

Bayli is so excited to be a big sister and she is being so sweet, doing things like kissing and singing to my belly and truly preparing to be my little helper. we are still trying to perfect the concept of being quieter during specific times of the day, but once the baby is actually here i hope that will be an easier concept for her to grasp.

Pregnancy Update 29 weeks

How Far Along: 29 weeks

Food Comparison: size of a butternut squash

Total Weight Gain: 6 pounds, i now weigh 131

Maternity Clothes?:not yet.

Stretch Marks? nope

Sleep? sleep is my best friend. i feel as exhausted in the evenings as i was in the first trimester! i could nap anytime, anywhere. and in the mornings, i absolutely love just lying there, it's almost like i don't feel pregnant. no hip pain, usually she isn't awake and kicking yet, and with my bump covered underneath the sheets, hidden from view. it's like i have my body back for just a moment. 

Movement? all day, every day. it's been so fun watching her move too!

Gender? Girl.

Lactating? yup.

Food Cravings? chicken, salads, and eggs.

Labor Signs? thankfully i'm still not dilated or effaced. but i've been contracting daily. one night  last week it got really bad and i had to go to the hospital because they were more intense than usual and coming every 4 minutes for about 4 hours. turns out i had a uti which was causing the contractions, but after getting some drugs for the uti, taking it easy and some mild bed rest those stopped. now we're back to the usual contractions, but about 20-30 minutes apart, only in the evenings, and not too painful, so it's fine. 

New Info From Doctor? i had to take the glucose test last week to check and see if i had gestational diabetes, and things are looking good! no diet for me! now that my uti is all cleared up things are looking great. we are in the third trimester and just waiting for her to get bigger so that we can meet her!

also, we went on a "last vacation" to st. george (hence the red rock in the photos this week) and had a wonderful time. we drove around, and visited with family, and checked out the antique stores, and truly had the best time enjoying this stage while we are still a family of 3. it's not the "babymoon" i had planned, but with these contractions, i didn't want to do anything too far away, so it turned out to be just right. and you guys, while it was snowing up in orem, i was getting a sunburn at the park with my family, there's nothing better.

Here's the link to when i was 30 weeks along with Bayli, for comparison's sake. 

Pregnancy Update: 26 Weeks

instead of filling out another one of those pregnancy questionnaires, i'll just provide you a link to my last one, cause everything is basically the same. well, the baby is a bit bigger (the size of a cauliflower now), and i've gained another pound or two (i now weigh 129) . but everything else is the same! i've been taking pictures so much more regularly than when i was pregnant with Bay, tracking this little one grow has been so fun!

Here's the link to when i was 25 weeks along with bayli for comparison's sake.

Pregnancy Update 24 weeks

How Far Along: 24 weeks... we went to the dr's today for our routine check up, and we moved my due date back. so... i was originally due on the 7th of may, now it's the 18th. so... even though my last pregnancy update post was at "22 weeks" it was about a month ago. yay for being confusing, and yay for having to wait another two weeks to meet our little one.

Food Comparison: size of an ear of corn

Total Weight Gain: 2 pounds, i now weigh 127

Maternity Clothes?: nope, but there is for sure a baby bump! even my big baggy shirts won't hide it anymore. 

Stretch Marks? nope

Sleep? sleep has been great. it takes me a while to wind down at the end of the night, i can't just crash into bed like i used to. but sleep has been so nice. 

Movement? she's so strong! i just recently found out that with bayli, the placenta was right in the front of my belly, so i wasn't feeling her movements as much as i am with this baby girl. i can just watch her move beneath my shirts, which didn't happen with bayli until around 32 weeks. at night i have to be patient and wait for her to settle down before i can fall asleep, if not it would be like trying to fall asleep with someone constantly tapping you on the shoulder!

Gender? Girl. for sure. we did another ultrasound today and are positive!

Lactating? yup. i started about a week ago, mostly just at nights. im gonna have to start wearing a breast pad to sleep soon. 

Food Cravings? none. literally. i'm back to not wanting to eat anything. not because of nausea, but instead because i know that contractions will probably start after eating like usual.

Labor Signs? still contracting pretty frequently. it's not every single night, but 5 out of 7 nights a week i'd say. they are still about 15 minutes apart, and will calm down once i rest, so unless they start getting less than 10 minutes apart, and won't stop even after relaxing then i need to go in to the hospital. 

New Info From Doctor? we were worried about her size, and the location of the placenta. after the ultrasound today, we can proudly say that her placenta has moved 4 cm out of the way, and it looks like it will continue to move out of the way as she grows! yay! also... she's still measuring small, but we just moved the due date up and are going to let nature take it's course. the dr said shes not continuing to decline in her growth compared to other babies so he's no longer worried. i started randomly "seeing stars" which is an indication of high blood pressure, which is what caused them to induce me early with bayli, so we are going to keep a close eye on that, and hopefully it doesn't get worse.

when we were at the ultrasound appointment today we had the coolest experience! i came in at 8:30 which is when i would usually still be in bed, but the technician started doing the measurements, and checking things out and the baby was being so still and letting her do her job very easily, then when the time came to look at her profile, she started waking up, we watched her yawn and stick her tongue out just like bayli would do as a new baby, and then rub her eyes, and then she started kicking and punching and moving around like usual. it was just so sweet to watch her do something so... newborn still inside the womb.

Here's the link to when i was 23 weeks along with Bayli for comparison's sake.

Baby Update (22 weeks)

more frequently than i ever imagined, garrison and i have been looking through this silly little blog of ours to reminisce about what life was like back when i was pregnant the first time and when bayli was a newborn. i had no clue at the time how much i would LOVE the fact that i documented all of those things. i really was doing it mostly for my extended family, i knew that someday i would look back on these posts, but i had no clue that "someday" would be a few short years later.

because of this new appreciation i have for documenting the little things... that is one of my goals for 2015. to blog more, even if it means short, semi-useless posts. if i were trying to gain more followers, then the blogging big wigs would tell me "not to post anything that isn't share-able and pinterest worthy", but if im doing it for me, then i say "go and do!" 

being pregnant with number two has left me nervous and anxious about so many things. one of which is how to make this new baby girl feel as special and important as we have made bayli feel. for example, i posted a picture of bayli every single day on this blog for her first month. i doubt i would have done that with this kid had i not recently looked through those pictures of bayli and remembered. our lives were, and have been, centered around bayli. how can i make our lives centered around two different individuals? i know that there's no way to have two firstborns, but raising firstborns is what i know how to do. how do you do this second born thing? 

anyway. because i haven't figured out the perfect plan, and i want our new baby to feel as special as bayli. i am going to try to blog, and take pictures of our new little one both individually and as a sister during her first few months at least. i would love to also do the "day by day" series that i did with bayli's first month, and posting frequently on instagram of both of them. 

this means a whole lot more posts, and i know i will have a whole lot less time. so that equation doesn't balance out nicely but that's the plan regardless.

for updating's sake... let's start tracking this pregnancy a little better... whadaya say?

How Far Along: 22 weeks

Food Comparison: size of a spaghetti squash (1 pound)

Total Weight Gain: 1 pound (i started out at 135, lost 10 pounds during my first trimester due to extreme morning sickness and now weigh 126)

Maternity Clothes?: nope but by the end of the night, my pants totally have to be unbuttoned cause my lower abdomen get's extra sensitive and sore. 

Stretch Marks? no new ones, just the ones bayli left behind.

Sleep? i slept like a rock for 12-14 hours nightly with my first pregnancy (literally). this time around i am getting up twice at night to pee or because of a nightmare and have a really hard time falling back asleep once i've woken. i probably get 7 hours a night. which is about 3 hours less than i'd prefer. still can't nap.

Movement? i have been able to feel her every single day since we were 18 weeks along. she's very active and loves to stretch!

Gender? Girl

Lactating? not yet. i started lactating at 14 weeks with bayli (way early) and luckily this time around i haven't started yet.

Food Cravings? salty foods, and salads. i hate the taste of sweet things. i have disliked sugar this entire pregnancy so far.

Labor Signs? actually... yes. one week ago i started contracting everyday, just in the evenings for a few hours until i fell asleep. contractions were about 10-15 minutes apart and got better once i rested. this same thing happened with bayli, but it didn't start until i was about 26 weeks pregnant, and lasted until i delivered her at 36 weeks.

New Info From Doctor? the placenta is lower than they would like and so we will be tracking it as she grows to see if it moves out of the way so that i can have a vaginal delivery. the dr says that most often it moves out of the way as she grows, but if not... then i would need to have a c-section. she is also measuring about 2 weeks smaller than most. this could be because of the low placenta, or just because i make small babies, either way they are tracking that as well via more frequent ultrasounds, if she continues to grow slowly, then they will induce me early and start feeding her on a controlled schedule with breastmilk. they are minor problems, but things to keep an eye on. nothing serious.

Here's the link to my first few weeks of belly shots when i was pregnant with bayli if you'd like to compare. :)

since i haven't done any of these baby updates before... here's my first belly bump picture that i took at 18 weeks to use as a reference.

Recovery: postpartum belly shot

before (the day i went into labor)

in-between (the day i got discharged, 2 days postpartum)

After (taken today, 10 days postpartum)

if you have been following my blog or are one of the few people that get to see me on a frequent basis then you know that i stayed smaller than usual through out my pregnancy. you also knew some of the other joys i got to experience such as nightly contractions for my entire third trimester, a few scares of pre-term labor and almost having gestational diabetes. well, luckily i don't have to go through any of those anymore now that my little Bales has entered the world. but, i also have had a lot of people ask me how my recovery has gone and what my secret is. well... i have no idea what my secret to a quick recovery is but i will try and let you know how it's been for me and maybe it will answer some questions.

the day before i had Bayli i weighed 137 pounds. i weighed 122 pounds when i first got pregnant. that's a total weight gain of 15 pounds. (this is not recommended.) i tried to gain more weight than that but my body just did not pack on pounds like some women. (i am assuming this is because of two things. my genes -thanks mom!- and my thyroid medication regulating my metabolism) i also never wore maternity clothes and still fit into my size 0 jeans as i entered the hospital the day i delievered Bayli. this was a good and a bad thing. it's nice to not have to buy maternity pants and to keep my small hips, but it also meant that i had a difficult time delivering my 5 pound child. for most women this would be so much easier than the average 8 pound child but my doctor said that if Bayli would have been a mere 1/2 pound bigger i would not have been able to deliver her naturally and would have required a c-section because of how small i was.

after having the baby i was back down to my pre-pregnancy size and weight after a mere three days. some things i did to help speed up the process is kegel exercises for the entire pregnancy. i wrote a post about all the supplements and drugs i took here if you want to read that, and after delivery i tried to get up and moving around the hospital as soon as possible, i didn't stay in bed and instead sat on the couch or walked around. i also helped with the fundal massage and tried to do some myself even though it was painful. a fundal massage is just basically a deep tissue belly massage postpartum. it stimulates the uterus to contract and helps in slowing any bleeding after delivery of the placenta. it also helps to get your organs back in place. the final thing that i believe helped me recover the fastest is breastfeeding. i could feel my uterus contracting and getting smaller every time we would have a good feeding session.

i have been home now for a full week and truly feel back to normal. my bleeding is down to what would be expected from a usual menstrual cycle and the pain from my tears are non-existent as long as i don't forget to take my Advil. Bayli has been an amazing baby and would sleep through the night if i didn't wake her up to feed her once in the middle of the night. this sleep im sure has aided in my recovery as well. i truly don't feel sleep deprived... yet. (knock on wood) today, i put back on the clothes that i wore in the hospital and took a picture of me 10 days after delivery. i truly feel great, i love the way i look now and couldn't have wished for a better baby or an easier/faster recovery.

but, as a final say in this matter. every pregnancy and every baby is different. you could be a person who works out, takes their vitamins and watches what they eat their entire pregnancy and still puts on lots of weight. only so much is under your control. i understand that i am very lucky to have this easy of a pregnancy and this fast of a recovery. i guess god understood that since we were on the pill when we got pregnant, that he gave me an easier pregnancy in return. :)

BABY DUE! (and a 37 week belly photo)

So, the dog was right. Its baby time! This is my last belly shot! In the photo I'm actually in the hospital public bathroom right before I dropped off my labs. I just had a thought that maybe I should take one really fast. (And Boy am I glad I did) I've gained a total of 17 pounds, and really am so excited to meet our little girl!
Turns out I've got preclampsia and because of the labs I dropped off tonight they have decided to induce me right away because the only cure to preclampsia is having the baby so, they are starting pitosin to make the contractions -I'm already having naturally- a little stronger so that I can dilate faster. Im also on magnesium because it will keep me from having seizures due to the preclampsia.
Baby is doing great and looks like shes ready to come meet us. It's a crazy feeling... Being told your gonna be a mom and meet your daughter within the day. Wow. So surreal. Hopefully things go well (and fast) I honestly dont know what I'm getting myself into. Good thing garrison is such a good supporter. Hes being a trooper through it all and just can't believe he didn't bring his backpack he packed two nights ago. :)

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36 week belly pictures

Only one month left till our little kickers due date! Luckily I'm still wearing my pre-pregnancy clothes and am doing well. We have our big drs appointment in 2 days and hopefully she will still be head down and growing like usual. People keep saying that this far along you notice a decrease in fetal movement but... She is just kicking away all the time like usual. Its fun when I wear tight shirts like I am today because people from across the room can see her moving and will comment on how big and strong she is.
Im way excited to meet this little bundle of energy and cannot believe how fast the day is approaching when I will be able to look her in the eyes and hold her with my arms instead of my hips!

Garrison and I have been so blessed by the love and advice and gift giving from those that surround us. Although we still have a little ways to go before we will be" ready" for her arrival (if ever) we would not be as prepared as we are without your help. So, thank you.

More posts soon about the progress on our house, the nursery, and baby shower numero dos!!

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32 week picture

We still dont have our internet set up and my computer is going through a major makeover so until we fix those (hopefully within the week) I guess lame short posts with blurry pictures from my phone will have to do. Here I am at about 32 weeks. At my doctors appointment I hadn't gained a single pound from last month but... Apparently its just fine because the baby is growing just like shes supposed to. My measurements are right on track.

This picture really doesn't give it justice. I will post pictures of me in tighter shirts soon! So far with 8 weeks left I have gained 11 pounds total and although I'm still fitting in my pre-pregnancy clothes, its starting to get uncomfortable. I was thinking I might be able to make it through the entire pregnancy without using maternity clothes but, if I still want to do that, the last few weeks will be spent either in sweats or naked for sure!

Alot of people are confused by my pregnancy. Its really unusual I guess to stay this small but, to try and answer your questions, I guess its because of my genetics. My mom stayed pretty small too and left the hospital wearing her pre-pregnancy jeans and felt smaller than she was before getting pregnant. Granted, shes a few inches taller than me and so I doubt ill be that lucky. But, I also haven't experienced an increase in appetite. For the past few weeks whenever I do certain activities I start to contract or have braxton hicks. One of those activities is over-eating. So... Especially lately, I haven't been eating a ton. That phrase "eating for two" doesn't sound fun to me. I eat just like normal and try to drink tons of water.

Its crazy to think that I only have 2 months left! We still have so much left to do so hopefully these two months go as slowly as everyone says they will!

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30 Week Pictures

She just keeps growing. Its a slow and steady pace, but its growing! Only a few weeks left!
P.s. Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. We've been moving and still dont have the internet hooked up. Thank goodness for phones!

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25 Week Pictures

Baby Diary: 23 week pictures!

I told you there was something in there!!!

Baby Diary: the much anticipated belly photos!

for those of you who like watching growing bellies: here you go!

i was sick, don't judge my face. :)

those cookies say "happy 10 weeks birthday baby" and despite the cupping hands, there's still not much there.

gotta love that peek-a-boo tank top :)

21 weeks featuring hubby who has not changed a bit!

honestly, after hitting the halfway point (20 weeks) i've noticed a big difference. i was sad that i wasn't showing yet  and was hoping my belly would "pop one day" as so many women said it would. plus, every week i just felt so silly taking a picture of my "possibly bloated but definitely not pregnant" belly. but, it seems like about two days ago, (thanks to my thanksgiving meal i'm sure) i just popped! before my shirts just looked like i was bloated, but now they actually look like im pregnant. :) more pictures to come soon. now that there's something worth taking a picture of!