A Visit to Labor and Delivery

We had an interesting night last night. We decided that it would be fun to take a trip to labor and delivery. I had been feeling tired and achy all day yesterday and had a couple of Braxton Hicks contractions throughout the day. To make a long story short I ended up calling my doctor after having six in and hour (like she told us to do). The doctor said that she was at the hospital but told us to wait another hour and if they continued to come in. At about 8:15 I started to get lower back pain and the contractions hadn't stopped so we headed in.

Everything turned out to be fine. I got poked and prodded and had a whole bunch of tests ran. They all came back totally okay. I have to drink a lot of water and try to take it easy this weekend, but no bed rest or anything.

The doctor that was on call ended up being our OB so that was reassuring. Brian and I got put right into a labor and delivery room. Brian had never been in one so it was funny watch him experience that. I had been in the Bozeman L&D rooms for family/friend births in the last two years. He keep on asking me what things were for and peering around corners looking at stuff. We will do a tour of the hospital at some point but it was nice to get a small preview of whats to come. Everyone was nice and we didn't even have to fill out a single sheet of paperwork (I am not sure how that happened but it was nice!)

The whole time we were in there they were monitoring Garrett's heartbeat along with the contractions. It was neat to get to hear the heartbeat so much and hear him moving around. Once I relaxed and we got settled in Garrett started moving around a lot and was actually kicking enough that we could see the monitors and the band holding them on my belly move, I haven't gotten a chance to have him kick that much and actually see it from the outside.

All in all it wasn't the awful experience that I thought going into L&D early was going to be. I am sure part of that is that everything turned out to be okay. It was way more stressful deciding whether or not to go in than it was actually being there. We were glad that we went in and made sure everything was fine.

24 Weeks

Baby Growth:
Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day.

Oh ya and apparently my ute is the size of a soccer ball...I definitely don't look like I am caring a soccer ball...where is it?

How far along? 24 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: What?
Maternity Clothes? For the most part.
Sleep: Good! I even had a couple times this week where I didn't wake up to pee at all. It hurt in the morning!
Best moment this week: Is it bad if I say, not feeling crabby yesterday and today?
Movement: A lot! Brian still hasn't gotten a chance to feel it yet.
Food Craving: Sushi! Still, but Brian is taking me tonight yay!
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: A little Braxton Hicks, but not much.
Symptoms: Getting chubby! haha. Being either hungry or miserably full ALL the time. And um...well some other ones but I will spare you all the details, I am sure that you can imagine.
Belly button in or out: In.
What I miss: Nothing really.
What I am looking forward to: Being lazy on Saturday and painting on Sunday with my parents.
Milestones: 24 weeks. It is viability day! If the baby is born early then after today the doctors will try to save it. Technically.

Baby Bedding

I am at work and have been here since 5 am. I decided to be productive with my extra couple of hours at work and look at more fabric for crib bedding. I have been going back and forth trying to decide whether or not to just buy bedding or do it myself. I found some bedding that wasn't to bad so we added it to the registry, and I figured if someone bought it then great if not then we would go from their.

This morning I found the perfect fabric and so now I have finally decided that I am going to just make my own, or maybe get my mom's friend to sew it for me! Here is the fabric...

This will be the bumper fabric. I would also like to cover the cushions on the glider with this fabric but I don't know how that would actually work, they seem sort of complicated.

This will be the Crib skirt fabric and probably a window valence.

This is the crib that we have picked out. I am excited for the gray walls, the white furniture and the bedding. I can't wait to see what it all looks like!

One of those days...

Ugh...it has been one of those days, actually one of those weekends. I texted Brian today and told him I needed a happy pill. He said, "a what?" I really wanted to be like I need a hug, a coffee ice cream shake, flowers, a massage, a good cry and a nap. Thanks. I don't know what is up, okay actually I am pretty sure it is hormones, but whatever.

On a more exciting note my parents are going to come over and help us paint the babies room this weekend. Brian has a training on Saturday so he won't be around (I think that he is secretly happy that he is getting out of painting another room!) I think that I have the color of gray picked out, but I am not 100% sure.

We went down to Gardiner on Saturday and I got my mom's sewing machine. I keep on going back and forth between making bedding and just buying a set of crib bedding. I found some cute material but of course I can't actually find it for sale anywhere online. However, I did order these pictures for Garrett's room which I am very excited about.




I think that I have blogged about pictures before but I can't find the post. I love them. They were done for Hygge and West and are by Noel Young.

How far along? 23 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: 7 ish lbs.... :)
Maternity Clothes? Pretty much. I broke down and ordered some more maternity pants from Old Navy. Then I got distracted and ordered some baby clothes on sale, let's just say that I spent as much on baby clothes as I did on maternity pants...ugh...
Sleep: Pretty good still, not great but good.
Best moment this week: A free ultrasound! A non profit clinic was doing free ultrasounds to help train their nurses. I got to lay their for 45 min and watch baby while they practiced on me. It was awesome!
Movement: A lot! Brian still hasn't felt him yet but I know some of the kicks have been hard enough to feel from the outside, he just can't quite seem to catch them.
Food Craving: Sushi!
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: None.
Symptoms: The fatigue seems to have returned a bit this weekend. And I was soooo crabby and emotional yesterday, sorry Brian!
Belly button in or out: In but getting shallower.
What I miss: Not feeling like I am squishing things when I bend over...I know, it is going to get worse!
What I am looking forward to: Painting the babies room and going to Minnesota.
Milestones: I stayed up till midnight on Friday without feeling like I was going to pass out from being so tired! I think I paid for all weekend though!

I Held A Little Baby Yesterday

I held a one month old little boy yesterday and the world, it stopped.

I held a little baby yesterday and realized that this was going to be me with my son in 5 months.

I held a little baby yesterday and wanted everyone else to go away so I could sit with him and just soak him in and think about how our little boy will be just like him. The tiny little fingers, the perfect little mouth, the sweet smell of his head, his pink lips smacking in hunger.

I held a little baby yesterday and discovered that everything that I have been worrying and stressing about: our car not being big enough, the furniture in the baby room not matching, my body never being the same, not having enough time before I go back to work, putting our son in daycare, none of it matters.

I held a little baby yesterday and remembered why I wanted to be a mother in the first place.

Valentine's Day

We have officially decided to do nothing for Valentine's day. However, I did tell Brian that if he wanted to "surprise" me with amazing chocolate's from a specific chocolatier in town (don't worry, I told him where the store was) I would be a very happy woman. I will probably also get him a little something, like chocolates from a specific chocolatier in town, so I can eat half the box, just kidding, I will get my own box.

We are going to have a special Valentine's day dinner at home though. I am excited to cook, I haven't cooked very many big yummy meals since I got knocked up. No energy and feeling crappy means the kitchen is the last place I want to hangout. Two weekends ago I made a rack of lamb with roasted potatoes and chocolate souffles. I was really excited to sit down and eat a great meal with Brian. Just as I was pulling the lamb out of the oven Brian got a fire call. The lamb was excellent but I ate it all alone. The call ended up just being a bonfire in someone's backyard, so he came home within 45 minutes but I was still really disappointed! And the souffles, they were a disaster, they bubbled over and didn't really rise, and then I burnt them, really bad.

Hopefully the Valentine's dinner will go better. Brian requested ribs and Czech dumplings. I was thinking this rib recipe from The Pioneer Woman, the dumpling's, and some yummy veggie that I have yet to decide. I am also going to try to attempt some sort of desert. I was thinking a heart shaped chocolate torte or cake...or something. If you know of a good, fun recipe let me know!

Misery and Belly Buttons

I think I have hit that stage where I am starving all the time. Unfortunately I haven't found the best way to cure the hunger. Yesterday afternoon I tried to have a "snack" before dinner of chips and salsa. I was still starving so then we ordered Chinese for dinner. I had half a plate of Chinese and felt like I was going to EXPLODE, and I mean my belly was stretching so bad, I felt like this lady.

(Really all I can say is OH MY GOD! And I realize that no other clothes would fit, but who would wear a bikini when you belly looks like this?)

On a different note, while I was in pain because I ate way to much I noticed that my bellybutton is totally stretched to the max, like on the inside, very weird. I tried to show Brian, but he has this weird anti bellybutton thing. He can't stand it when I act like I am going to put my finger in his bellybutton and he freaks out when I actually do it. Once tried to do it when he was sleeping because he was snoring and he actually groaned and twitched. He was totally creeped out when I told him in the morning what happened...I am evil!

Anyway this anti bellybutton thing means that he can't even watch me put my finger in my bellybutton, or listen to me talk about all the crazy things going on with it without getting the hebejeebies. So I have no sympathy/comradery with anything going on in my belly button. Poor me! Where is my sister or mom when I need someone else to annoy/creep out?

How far along? 22 Weeks 2 Days
Total weight gain/loss: Up 7lbs since my 8 week appointment.
Maternity Clothes? Not totally but pants that aren't get really uncomfortable after awhile.

Sleep: I have been waking up early a lot and then not being able to fall back asleep.
Best moment this week: Finding out that we are having a boy!

Movement: We were watching the first NASCAR race of the season last night and eating pizza and I felt Baby move from the outside for the first time. If that isn't an indicator that he is going to be just like his dad then I don't know what is! I am also feeling him roll a lot, it is such a weird feeling.
Food Craving: Coffee ice cream milkshakes....mmmmm
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: Some more Braxton Hicks this weeks but nothing major.
Symptoms: Peeing a lot, feeling baby move and not fitting into my pants anymore.
Belly button in or out: In but getting shallower.
What I miss: Drinking. I kind of want a beer right now.
What I am looking forward to: Painting the babies room and going to Minnesota.
Milestones: Finding out that we are having a boy and feeling baby move from the outside!

I Can't Be Trusted

Since I have been pregnant, I can't be trusted to go to the grocery store alone. Brian knows this, but he has not learned this. I am the one who ends up usually running to the grocery store on the way home from work for things like milk, spaghetti noodles, cheese, eggs...you know the normal. I am also the one who ends up coming home from the store with milk, frosted animal cookies, pickles, popcorn, cheese cake mix, chocolate milk and soup (for lunch tomorrow, or course!)

Every time this happens I think, oh my goodness, why do I let myself go to the store alone? And every time it happens and Brian helps me put away the groceries he says, "what is all this? You really can't go to the store by yourself!" I just tell him, "I know, I really can't control it! Want a frosted animal cookie? They're good, I ate some on the way home!"

It's A.....

Boy!!

He Has his feet over his head and you can see a

little row of toes and then the hand below that!

I already think that he is completely adorable!

Brian and I are so excited that we will be welcoming a son into our family in June. I had an intuition all along that baby was a boy. Seeing him on the ultrasound though and knowing that he was actually a he was sort of shocking. I think that I am still adjusting to the thought of a boy.

It was so neat to see him on the ultrasound again. Yesterday he was sleeping and curled up so the ultrasound tech was having a hard time getting good pictures of him. I had to get up and move around and the tech had to end up tilting the bed toward my head to try and get him to move. He barely moved. So we got to go back in this morning and see him again before the doctor's appointment to try and get the shots she needed. This morning he was in a great position and we got some really good pictures.

He seemed so much more real when we got to see him reacting to what the tech was doing. Like putting his hand in front of his face when the tech pushed in hard and other things. The tech said that he looked great and healthy and everything is measuring right on time with growth and all that good stuff. When we got done and were waiting for the doctor I was telling Brian that the next time we see our baby will be when he comes out in June. How weird and exciting and scary!

The rest of our weekend was pretty uneventful. We stayed home most of the weekend cleaning and working on little projects around the house. We must have done 9 loads of laundry on Saturday. It was one of those weeks when all the sheets and other little things needed to be washed. If felt good to get so much done around the house