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

long overdue (again!)

friends and family... SORRY! I have been way out of touch these last couple weeks. With final exams breathing down my neck and a move fully underway, I've had less than a little time for fun things like updating here. In the meantime between my last post and today we have had two doctor's appointments (we are down to one every-other-week until the beginning of June, then every week. yay.) and both visits went great. She is growing perfectly and so am I. :) I acutually went down some in weight, which wasn't really good or bad, I'm still doing fine at having gained 15 lbs total. Dr just told me that I need to gain a pound a week on average until the end to reach my goal. I'm not really trying to do anything differently though, since my body and Bella seem to be handling things fine on their own.

In other news, it has been a rough past couple weeks for my family in general. About a week and a half ago my Nana was told that she has a large tumor on her right Kidney and has since been referred to the BEST doctors for treatment. They have had to perform a small surgery to release toxins from her bile duct (on Friday this past week) and we are waiting for an exact date (this week, we hope) for the surgery to remove the tumor. On the positive side, she is feeling a little better with the nourishment from the feeding tube (also inserted Friday) and the doctor said that she believes the tumor is encased. Which basically means it has not spread into the lymph nodes, just pressing out onto all the other organs, etc. However, she won't know the for a fact until they get in a see during surgery. Things to pray for are that the air in her abdomen subsides and stops hurting her and that surgery is scheduled for this week and goes perfectly. When all this was found out, my whole family (minus David and me) drove to VA to be with her...along with my aunts and uncles from their homes in various states. In short- they gathered fast and are all staying close to Nana and Bunka for all the support they can muster. It will be a rough next few days and weeks..and months, but we are all praying for the best and a fast recovery.

To top that off, my Dad's mom (Grandma Julie) also had surgery this past week (on Friday) for her neck/back. She is in a little pain from post-surgery and lower medication, but doing well. Say a prayer that she keeps recovering well, too!

Last bit of family updates are that my sister (Beca) sprained her ankle (must have gotten those bad ankles from Dad, like me...thanks!) and the family car is acting up. They all were stranded in Charlotesville for a day/night while visiting Nana! Whew! I think that's it though...

So... Bella news isn't so exciting these weeks. Besides getting bigger and stronger, she is doing perfectly. I'm getting pretty miserable at night. Sleep is more like a series of naps and the backpain is becoming frustrating, but it's all to be expected! Bella is getting cramped and really starting to battle my insides... Daniel is able to see her kick out a foot or fist or head every day during at least one of her "fits." Most of the time it doens't hurt me, but sometimes I get a rude punch/kick to my bladder, hips or ribs. She is also definitely responding to music and Daddy's voice...sqirms like crazy during church worship and when Daddy talks to her. :) The last bit of my pregnancy sorrows is the fact that my brain, usually sharp and on top of it all, is totally failing me. I truly respect moms who manage to do this with other kids in the house... I swear I would have left mine at a store by now, or something like that. on accident that is...geeze.

Well, the other baby in my life (Lon Lon) is dying for a nap....wish I could join her today, but I'm way behind on homework for tomorrow. So I better get going...

Love you all- updates again, soon. Bye!


OH- I almost forgot. I cut my hair. :) Hope you like it... well, even if you dont. I love it. I looks a little different today because I didn't straighten the whole thing....but here is the curly (a-natural) look.