well done

9 days!

I feel so overdone! Truth be told I thought pregnant women were really exaggerating when they said that the last couple weeks really drug on and laughed when they said that they felt beyond ready for their little one to come...but now I understand! I have literally been begging my uterus to start causing me massive amounts of pain. I have been walking hills, eating spicy foods and "other stuff" all in hopes of bringing this baby home ASAP. Not only do I feel like this belly will be the death of me, Bella has taken to kickboxing my insides to the point of severe pain. I never could have imagined how such little arms and legs could rip into my sides and separate my ribs. Ugh.

To make matters even more pleasant, Dr. Bohmer says that she has already dropped down into my pelvis and he can feel her head, so NO relief for mom in site from "lightening." She must be tall and really enjoying her current footrest on my poor lungs! At our visit Tuesday we also learned that I am 70%+ effaced and 2cm dilated, so at least she is making some progress! I only wish that meant she was guarenteed to come any time, instead of still playing the guessing game till we pass our due date. Dr says that if I don't go into labor by Tuesday, that will be my last visit/check up and there is a possibility that he will want to induce (depending on how far along we are then), otherwise it will be a waiting game some more till the 11th and after that, if I haven't gone on my own, he will want to have me induced a couples days after that. Either way, the positive side is we will have a baby guarenteed in the next 12 days. Pray for sooner!

Check out the belly at 38 weeks, 5 days
Hoping to have some beautiful baby photos up soon... Happy 4th of July Weekend!

13 days...

It's getting close! We have crossed the "two weeks till" date and are headed for our 38th week appointment tomorrow afternoon. I didn't update on last week, but according to Dr. Bohmer Isabella is growing perfectly and he guesses she is about 7lbs right now. I haven't gained much weight (only a few lbs) in the last month and I am still itty-bitty compared to everyone else I have seen in the office who is 8.5 months along, but I'm thankful! We have been so blessed to have no complications with this pregnancy, so far and I hope that means a quick and "easy" labor.

I can't remember if I posted about it yet, but the week before last (so week 36) we had a bit of false labor and they had me come into the hospital to be monitored for a while. It was all a false alarm, but a great practice run! In light of that this past week the doctor talked to us about the issue of our living an hour from the hospital and the chance of my having a very quick labor. He said that if I am more than a couple cm dilated this week, he would be willing to schedule an induction for next week (the week of the 4th) instead of risking a fast labor. Daniel is much more worried that I am, so I am siding against the induction, but for his sake we have been talking about it and will talk more to Dr B tomorrow about pros and cons. I'll keep you all posted!

Needless to say, regardless of an induction or completely natural birth, we are more than ready for our little girl to make her grand arrival. The sooner the better!

More soon...

Nana

I won't be able to write much here tonight, but I am going to try a beginning and maybe add on over the next few days or weeks. I know Bella won't get to ever meet her, but my Nana was one of the most wonderful, loving, strong and wise grandmothers anyone could ever ask for! She left us knowing that she was about to have her first great-granddaughter and I know that made her incredibly happy. But since Bella won't ever get to meet her face to face, I wanted to write about some of my favorite memories of Nana for her to read one day. I am so thankful for the fact that she was able to be with me for so many years and wonderful memories, like my wedding day and to hear Daniel and I announce that we were having a little girl. I know Nana already loved Bella and I want my daughter to know that from her mom first hand...

To begin: pictures of Daniel and I with Nana and Bunka on our wedding day 1/2/10

more later...

some photos

As promised...
here are some photos from the shower, of Bella's room, of me recently and of our little home! Enjoy!

look at her cute little door knobs!a sweet little blanket given to Bella at the shower....

my old dresser vamped up for Bella...stacked high with all her pretty things!
a packed wardrobe (another freebie!) that Becca K and I painted and Daniel installed a light inside...I love it!
view from the doorway, that window is the last little project- needs curtains and blinds.
looking around the room some more.... look at her beautiful crib (Daniel's dad made it) and the changing table from Aunt Lydia

Pictures from my shower-- thanks Gail, Suzie and Jane! Also, notice the beautiful crib build for Bella by Daniel's dad...

a street near our home...
our little bungalow!
getting ready for Dee Dee's wedding...(thanks Jennifer!)
Daniel and Me on our last "babyless" vacation

A family photo... with Baby on the way :)

Well, that's good for now! I can't wait to start posting pictures of her instead!!

so much to update with so little time left!

Sorry for my long absence! With the end of school came a series of weeks unpacking and preparing Bella's beautiful nursery. My nesting instincts really kicked in after I finished stressing over finals and moving! We have (nearly) everything we need for her upcoming arrival and her room looks awesome! (I will post some pictures soon, I have to upload all of the baby shower and recent belly photos today) Speaking of the shower, it was wonderful! My mother-in-law and her sisters really went above and beyond anything I was expecting and made me feel so special :) Bella got a TON of really amazing things....and even more clothes! So, needless to say, I am working on a stack of Thank You's still! haha

Since I last wrote, we have graduated to weekly doctor's visits and so far Bella and I are doing wonderfully. She is growing every week, putting on about .5lb every week and taking up every inch of my belly. She spends her days trading time between beating my ribs and hips, sticking her bottom out for everyone to see (it is really amazing!), hicupping on my bladder (not my favorite pastime) and sleeping (the most rest I get!). It is starting to feel like she has been in me forever, now, so I am definitely ready to have her in my arms! But I know that she will come when she is ready and I'm trying not to be so anxious. Daniel says that he is nervous...but we completed our Childbirthing class with ease and besides the car seat, that we should be getting in the next week or so, we are about as ready as anyone could get. I am hoping that she holds out till her due date, but I know that babies have minds of their own!

My most recent adventures have been the random cravings for Bagel Bites and Brats- Daniel calls it my "boy in college" diet. But, thankfully, so far I haven't gained more than my 1lb/week that keeps us on schedule for a healthy baby/mommy weight. Other new things that aren't so fun are that Bella is dropping lower in my pelvis and putting a lot of pressure on my siatic nerve...my right leg has been in terrible pain for about 48 hours and doesn't look like it will be getting much better. I will talk to the doctor tomorrow and see what he thinks. Also, sleep is becoming a bit of a nightmare in that I just can get comfortable and wake about ever 45/60 minutes. Probably just a combinating of nerves and my back being sore. I really can't blame Bella because she sleeps all night long and I don't really have to pee more than normal.

Anyway, I will get on later today and post some pictures of her room. :) Time for a little house-cleaning and homework (my summer classes have already started up!)

Love ya

Updates updates

How far along: 32 weeks, three days (week 33) - about 50 days to go!
How big around: forgot my measuring tape today, but I'm guessing around 47" (she is measuring perfect for 33 weeks according to her check up yesterday)
Total weight gain: 17lbs, My goal is 25 lbs for the whole pregnancy.
How big is baby: about 4-5lbs (goodness!) and between 18-20inches long (Birth Length!)
Maternity clothes: Yup- but at least 75% is my normal clothing that accommodates the belly well. I have some shorts/pants that are maternity though.
Stretch marks: Nope :)
Sleep: Not so great, but not horrible. A little uncomfortable and tossy-turny with leg cramps, too. Preparing me for all those middle-of-the-night feedings I think. I won't mind it nearly so much then.
Movement: All the time! She has clear "awake" and "sleeping" cycles now and when she is awake, it gets pretty painful! I walk around with her foot in my rib, or knees in my hips or she will play "lets stretch mommy's tummy out" :) all good pain though.
Food cravings: I think we have determined that I'm craving sour cream a lot...but pretty much happy with anything these days/
Food aversions: Not really, gag-reflex is better now!
Belly button: it is totally flat, but i don't think it will ever "pop"- we shall see!
What I'm looking forward to: Seeing Becca and Paul this weekend! And the baby shower Sunday...and entering the countdown of weekly dr visits
Weekly wisdom: No TV is pretty good for my marriage. :)
Weekly joy: Bella is strong and healthy...Daniel is almost done with school...only 6 more weeks of work for me!

summer (kinda) finally!

so it's been another 3 weeks since my last post.. but finals are finally over! and I seem to have had a good year... thought I made it out with all A's but one teacher, who will from this point forward be called butthead...just kidding, sorta, well anyway... one class ended up as a B. Still not bad though.. I'm happy. :)

Bella is getting stronger and stronger these days with very clear sleeping and awake times. She doesn't bother me much at night, which is wonderful, but my back is getting worse. It's all expected though, as she puts on more and more weight and starts to settle down further.

Also since my last post Daniel and I have moved to our little house in Troy. Until Bella gets a little closer, I'm still having to drive my extra long commute 4 or 5 days a week, but I try to sleep with a friend in Charlotte a couple times a week to lessen the load when I can stand to spend the night away from Daniel. The house has come together rather well and I would love to own one like it one day. It's small, but really a good size for the three of us. Bella's room is the last big project to tackle and hopefully after the shower this weekend we can do that some more. I'm most excited to see what the crib looks like!

Anyway, computer is about to die. I will post after Wednesday's doctor's appointment and put up photos of the house and crib after the weekend. :)

sorry it was kinda sort and boring- Bella is kicking like crazy right now, though! love-us