37 Weeks

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away. Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel . Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Well, We made it to full term!! Yay! Baby is doing well. I had a appointment with my OB dr and he said baby is around 6-1/2# right now, head is way down. The neck is about at my pubic bone when he pressed around on my stomach to find it. He said thats very unusual in first time moms for baby to drop on its own that much already so thats a good thing! He said it will make for a easier pushing stage so Im all for that! Lots of BH contractions the last few days so now we are just sitting here waiting for baby to make its apperance!
I have a meeting with my Doula on sunday so after that baby can come and I wont complain!
Tomorrow we are going to Eville to use the gift cards we got at the baby showers and get the items we didnt receive at the showers. Im pretty excited. I just love shopping for baby!! I really have been blessed though and dont have a lot of stuff I need to buy yet. Just some odds and ends like hangers for baby clothes, pacifiers, nursing supplies and stuff like that.
Baby Shower #3 Photos . . . . . Thanks to the girls that planned the shower! You did a great job. Everything looked great.









Big Congrats to Chels & Ryan, Glad everything is looking good for your little boy!!
And Big Congrats to Desiree' & Jeff on their little one coming in June!!

Stuff Kids say & Dr Appointment

First I have to share some of the stuff I heard the other night. My in laws teach a class on wednesday evenings at church for 8 & 9 year old kids. Its called "Caravan" but its like a Christian version of Girl or boy scouts. They earn badges and stuff. Well right now they are earning a horsemanship badge so we went out on a field trip to a man from church's horse barn. Let me just say I learned 4 important things that night . . .
1) That 8 & 9 year old girls can burp the alphabet very well!
2) That its easier to pretend you didnt hear them when the kids ask what that "thing" is hanging from under the male horse then to try to figure out how to explain that to them
3) I also learned what it looks like when dogs "do the conga line" or so the kids said.. ;-)
4) Its very hard not to scream and run out of the barn when you see a mouse and your deathly afraid of them. BUT it can be done! Lol.

My dr appointment went very well yesterday at my Backup OB. He said everything looks great! The baby's head was way low, lower then it was last week and the DR said it should make for a easier pushing stage of labor. So Im all for that! :-) Everything was good, we are awaiting the results from a few normal test just to be sure but as far as the DR is concerned I am safe to homebirth. I dont have to see the OB dr anymore unless I go over my due date then I have to go back in at 41 weeks to do a ultrasound and check the baby and make sure everything is ok and there isnt any distress. So we are praising God for such good news! This has been such a awesome pregancy, I havent had hardly any problems and I am so grateful! I cant believe its almost over. I have a midwife appointment monday again then the next week she will come to my house for a home visit and to make sure she knows how to get to my house and everything.

Tomorrow is a birthday party I am in charge of for my Dads family. We get together once a month and celebrate all the birthdays that month. I am doing it at Mom and Dads though because of the weather. I have absolutely no room in my 900 sq foot home for 35 people and with all the rain lately our yard is a pond! Sunday is my last baby shower and I cant wait! Its been so much fun to get all these baby items. I am so grateful for everyone's generosity! My favorite item I have gotten so far has got to be my new glider/rocker!! Chadd's office staff went together and gave it to us. I am loving it already!
(Sorry for the look on my face! Someone was talking about how our baby needs the book "everybody poops" or something like that right when they were taking my picture and I was trying not to crack up. )

36 weeks

Just a quick picture post tonight. Im exhausted and ready for bed. I have a OB appointment thursday with my backup dr. Its the final appointment with the OB and they will do a complete check up and make sure everything is ok and safe for me to homebirth. Then after thursday I am released to my midwife!! Yay! I am also getting a pelvic exam thursday so we should know if there is anything going on as far as labor progress! Ill post a update this weekend after my appointment.
Until then here is some photos of my 1st baby shower. . I have 2 more to go in the next week and its so exciting getting all this baby stuff! These are pictures from my Church baby shower.

Sneak Peek

Here is a little sneak peek at our maternity photos I took today. We took them with a self timer so they arent the best but I was satisfied with how they turned out!

Happy Anniversary & Baby Appointment

" Baby weighs about 5-1/2# or about the same as a honeydew melon"

First off I want to update on my baby appointment I had today. I am 35 weeks tomorrow. The midwife said I am measuring 35 weeks so right on. The baby's head is moved even farther down the pelvis than it was which is making it very uncomfortable for me but the midwife said will make for easier labor so Im all for it! She said she would guess that I am already dilated a little bit but she doesnt do exams until 38 weeks so we dont know for sure. She just said with as low down as the baby's head is she would think I would be starting to at least. I have a appointment with my backup OB next week and he will do a pelvic exam so we should find out then if I am starting to dialate or anything. My BP, Sugar levels, weight gain are all normal. No problems! Baby's heart rate is still great. She did say that the butt and feet are in my ribs which is why I have had such a hard time breathing the last few days and have been getting kicks in my ribs . 2 weeks til I am safe for a homebirth so woo hoo!

Second off- Our 2nd anniversary is tomorrow! I cant believe its been 2 years already. Our wedding day was beautiful! I had to be at my hair stylist at 7am to get my hair done and when we left for that it was really chilly outside. I was a bit worried about it being cold but by noon when we left for the church it was such beautiful weather!
Our wedding was very simple compared to some but none the less, it was our wedding. No big problems all day which I am very thankful for! Except my garter tore when I was putting it on (thunder thighs! LOL ) but someone had a sewing kit and one of my bridesmaids sewed it up while we were taking photos and no one knew any different.
I did forget my suitcase at Mom and Dads when we changed after the wedding and we got almost to Jasper before I realized it so we had to turn around and go back and get it. Made for a late arrival at our hotel that night but I think it was only 9:30 or 10 so it wasnt too bad.


First time we saw each other the day of our wedding






Wedding Party
The Bridesmaids
The Groomsman




The ring that the best man and maid of honor traded out with the pastor when we exchanged rings. They took Chadds ring and gave this one to the pastor. Our poor pastor he was about to die laughing while he was saying our vows!!






Oh and Update on my Freezer Stash ****
1-1/2 dozen balls of frozen chocolate chip cookie dough
2 dozen balls of frozen chocolate cookie dough with reeses pieces
1 dozen banana muffins
4 qt ziploc bags of Chicken soup
2 pans Chicken pot pie
2 pans Spaghetti bake
1 dozen Blueberry Muffins
2 qt ziploc & 2 Gallon ziploc Vegetable Soup
6 personal pan size Pizza's
2 Pans Meatballs

Planning mode

I think my nesting is kicking in! Lol. Today I have been making list and planning like a fool. :-)
I realized that there is a few things that REALLY needed to be done, bought or planned for that I hadnt done yet.
#1- find somewhere for the dogs to go during labor. My dogs are extremely hyper sometimes and tend to be overbearing with new people. Not such a good idea with midwives coming to my house.
#2- I realized I dont have a emergency transfer suitcase packed just in case. So I made a list of things that I cant really pack til last minute for chadd so that if we do transfer for a emergency he can come home later and get stuff for me. I also am going to get some trial size toiletries at walmart this week and have them packed in a bag so its less for him to try to find if we need it. REALLY hoping I dont need to use it but better safe then sorry.
#3- Still a few small items my midwife asked to have for the birth kit that I havent got yet. So need to pick up those items yet.
#4- Want to make some breakfast burritos for the freezer yet for chadd (I cant eat them because I have a allergy to eggs. )
#5- Need to get some PJ's to wear after the birth since most of mine are NOT appropriate for visitors plus dont really fit me anymore and I dont expect them to for a while after birth. Also need to return some Nursing bras I dont like and get at least one nice one so that I have something to wear after the birth until I can go shopping again.
#6- Making a shopping list for the next few weeks of items I want to stock up on around the house so we dont run out. That way its not so much stocking up at once, I can spread the items out through the next few weeks and still have a nice stock of things. . .like Toilet paper, Laundry soap, Bread, Crackers, Granola bars, Drinks, Coffee beans (because God forbid Chadd would run out of coffee!!) Breakfast items . ..etc. Also want to make sure we have plenty of Dog food and Contact solution and stuff around that time so Chadd isnt making a ton of trips to the store right away.
Monday is a midwife appointment, the next week is a appointment with my Backup OB dr to make sure everything is still looking good, and also got to make a appointment with our Doula (birth assistant who coaches the mom who also happens to be our child birth class instructor!) and do some last minute birth plans and make sure she can find her way to our house. Also got 2 baby showers in there somewhere, ALL before October 1st. :-) Oh well, it will keep me busy. Today I actually woke up from a nap and just had this instant feeling that I am done being pregnant. I dont know why I felt like that cause I really dont feel bad, I just was ready to be done! So weird. Im anxious to see at my appointment Monday where the baby is as far as laying because the last few days the kicks in my rib cage have been much more intense. I think its moved or shifted around its feet.

34 weeks

Today we are at 34 weeks pregnant! 6 weeks to go! I am in the midst of cleaning up after all the tile work that was done this weekend in my kitchen so Im crazy busy today but Ill update better later this week.

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long.Its fat layers — which will help regulate its body temperature once its born — are filling it out, making it rounder. Its skin is also smoother than ever. Its central nervous system is maturing and its lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Some new things Im noticing this week - - -
*Stretch Marks! OMG! The sides of my belly look like a road map! Lol. I have been using a stretch mark lotion ever since getting pregnant but it hasnt helped. To think I still have 6 weeks to grow Im wondering how many more stretch marks I can get?
*Baby's butt keeps pushing up toward my lungs I think cause I have been struggling to breath alot. That and I can feel something incredibly hard pressing out through my stomach.

Midwife appointment update

yesterday evening I got to see the midwife and had a checkup. Everything still looks great! She said the baby's head is even farther down this week which explains all the pressure I am feeling in my hips. She said thats normal since the baby is laying on them. Baby's heartrate was great, baby is head down and she "thinks" (wasnt positive) that it is in the correct position! She wasnt sure since the baby kept moving and she couldnt feel it quite right but she was pretty sure its facing the right way and everything. She estimated the baby at about 4# right now. I have a strange feeling its gonna be a little baby seeing that its momma and daddy arent giants! Lol
I am doing well, my blood pressure is great, sugar levels are great, no swelling, weight gain is great, the midwife was really impressed with how much bending over I can still do and with how well I pull myself up off chairs and stuff. Apparantly I could be milking this thing a bit more and making Chadd do more work. LOL. Just joking of course! I am very thankful that I am still very mobile and not having too many complaints. Other than the 6-8 weeks of morning sickness I experienced at the beginning this really has been a easy pregnancy. My only complaint now would have to be not sleeping. The midwife said its normal at this point and there really isnt anything to do about it.

Anniversary coming. . . .

In honor of our 2nd anniversary coming up in 14 days I decided to dedicate this post to my amazing husband. My life partner!
He is the best thing that ever happened to me. I dont know what I would ever do with out him! He is everything I could have ever asked for in a husband and so much more. He goes above and beyond to make me happy. He has repainted the whole outside of the house and put new floor tile down in the bathroom and kitchen, put new counter tops and sink in the kitchen because he knew it bugged me. Gives me backrubs, foot rubs all the time, sometimes without me even asking! Has never hesitated to run to the gas station,even at 10 at night to get something I am craving. I love you Chadd! Cant wait to spend the rest of my life with you!

1ST Christmas together- 06




1st Christmas Married-07


Taken in 08


St. Louis Cards game- 08


1st Anniversary- Sept 08
Fall 08

May 09


Vacation 09
August 09