Baby Watch 2012...I'll be 39 weeks on Friday

We are officially in baby watch mode! I had some false labor last week and when I go on walks, I can walk myself into contractions. So far the contractions aren't sticking around, but they are definitely there. My bag is packed, the baby swing and bassinet are in place, and the car seat waiting for us to bring the baby home in it. We are ready!!!!! Now, the baby just has to be here so we can realize how unprepared we are. Ha! At this point, I'm not going to lie and say that I feel good...I'm tired, my back hurts, and I sleep for about two hours at a time. Other than that, we're good.

The baby weighs about 7 lbs and is about 20 in long. It moves around a lot and it's engaged for delivery. Needless to say, it's fully developed and ready to make it's entrance! Honestly, I don't think the baby is going to come this week though. I think it will be next week...hopefully after my birthday.

This weeks it's about the size of a mini watermelon

I had my 38 week appointment today and things are good. My blood pressure is great, the babies heartbeat is strong, and it continues to grow. We toured the hospital where I'm going to deliver, last week, and preregistered so all we have to do is show up. I was pretty impressed with the delivery rooms and the different services they offer.

I hope you everyone has a wonderful week and I'll be sure to keep everyone posted!

Working on 37 Weeks!

Well, folks we are getting really close!! I had my 36 week appointment on Monday and my doctor is pretty pleased with my progress. I had my Group Strep B test and she checked whether I've dilated any. So far, I'm dilated to 1 cm, the babies head is still down, and I'm a little effaced!! I go back this coming Tuesday because I've started my weekly appointments. So, we are officially on the "sit and wait" schedule. The good news is that we're only going to have to wait till February 10th. This past Friday, the baby weighed about 6 lbs., is about 19.5 in. long and it's body is ready to role for delivery. My body is starting to feel really ready too! I feel better than I thought I would, but some days can be rough. I can definitely see why pregnant women are characterized as irritable...backaches, fatigue, and lack of being able to find comfortable positions create the perfect storm for an attitude.

This week the baby is the about the length of a leek

I finally finished putting together the babies room a couple weeks ago. Everything is unpacked, sorted, and assembled. I didn't hang any pictures and haven't bought any decorations for the nursery yet since we don't know the gender yet.

Here are my attempts at taking my own belly picture

Well, I will be sure to keep everyone up to date on any progress. I hope everyone has a great week!

34 Weeks and Few Days....

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is resting to celebrate the coming of a new year. Christmas at the Lawrence house was a full of fun and friends. Tyson and I didn't go to Arkansas for Christmas this year because we are getting close to my due date. I was able to squeeze in my last work trip last week and I made it back to Denver in time for a big snowstorm. All the snow we got last week caused lots of travel delays, so I think we were meant to stay home this year. We spent time with Tyson's Dad and Pat on Christmas Eve and hosted dinner for friends on Christmas Day.

Now on to the baby. The baby weighs about 4.75 lbs. and is about 18 in. long. The baby, likely, has dreams while it sleeps and it's fingernails have reached the end of it's finger tips. The baby will also continue to put on fat until I deliver. The baby is big enough now that it's running out of room to move around. This means that when the baby is moving around it feels and looks like BIG movements because it's moving directly against the walls of my womb. I have to say I've been struggling this week because I've become more uncomfortable, much more hormonal/irritable/less patient (Tyson has been a champion for putting up with me) and I can definitely tell my energy level has decreased.

This week the babies size is comparable to a cantaloupe.

I washed all the babies clothes and blankets this week, Tyson put the crib and bassinet together last weekend, and I ordered the crib mattress today. All I can say is, we are definitely on the way to being ready for the babies arrival.

Now onto our Christmas fun and pictures. We re-stuffed the dogs beds with memory foam mattresses so now their beds are really plush and comfortable. They've been thoroughly enjoying them.

My Dad got me a pair of snowshoes, for Christmas, so I can go snowshoeing in the mountains...after the baby is born of course.

The dogs were pretty amused by my snowshoes...

I bought Tyson a pair of snow boots. His feet will be toasty warm and dry when he's out in the snow now! He says his feet are definitely warm in these bad boys.

We had a great Christmas morning together. It was nice to have Christmas to ourselves. Come next year things will be very different... This week is Tyson's birthday and New Year's, so the celebration will continue through the week. I hope everyone has a great week!

32 Weeks and Few Days

My apologies everyone! I am very behind on my blog. It seems like my to do list is getting longer and longer these days. I guess it's a good preview of what our life will be like. Ha!

Overall, I've been feeling good...most of the time. I'm at the point where I'm pretty tired most days and my back hurts so much that by the time I get home from work all I want to do is sit on the couch with me feet up. Outside of that I don't have any huge complaints. The baby is still moving around, A LOT, and I can definitely tell it's growing very quickly. When the baby moves my stomach seems to move with it and feels more like an elephant than a baby. The babies favorite position seems to be tucked into the bottom of my stomach...so I live in a constant state of heartburn and shortness of breath. There is a reason why they call the second trimester the "Honeymoon Period"! Also, my stomach seems to get tighter and tighter everyday. Baby is growing really fast!

A lot has happened since my last post. We spent Thanksgiving in Arkansas, my amazing friends hosted a very sweet baby shower for me, and we have started putting together the babies room. It was really nice to spend Thanksgiving with my family. We ate too much, relaxed, and ate again! We spent enough time in Arkansas that we were able to spend time with friends and lay around too. My friends Erin, Erin's Mom Renee, Cara and Maureen hosted a wonderful shower for me. It was so nice to have the chance to visit with everyone and I was so appreciative of everyone's generosity. Our baby is definitely set!!!

The baby weighs about 3.75 lbs and is about 16.75 in. long. This weeks fruit and veggie comparison is Jicama! I've never eaten a Jicama before, but I swear the baby feels much bigger than this.

So, on to the good stuff. We bought a new camera this week, so we spent the afternoon in the mountains testing it out. It's amazing to see the difference between the pictures with our old camera compared to our new one. Tyson has become "paparazzi-ish" trying out all the settings and figuring out the new features.

I go to my next Dr. appointment on Tuesday for my 32 week appointment and an ultrasound to see whether the placenta has moved out of the way. If it hasn't we are going to start planning my c-section for around the middle of January. This baby may be here a lot sooner than we thought! It's extremely exciting and overwhelming at the same time! We interview our Pediatrician this week too. All of the loose ends are now getting tied up. We are definitely getting close now! I'll keep everyone posted.

I hope everyone has a great week!

28 Weeks and Almost 29...

Well, everyone I am once again behind. Ha! I've been out of town a lot lately so I haven't been as diligent as I should. This past Monday I had my 28 week appointment. Along with my Dr. appointment, I had a Glucose Tolerance Test and another ultrasound. My Dr. did another ultrasound to check on the growth of my placenta. At my 20 week ultrasound my placenta was sitting on the edge of my cervix. My Dr. figured it would move and scheduled an ultrasound at 28 weeks just to be safe. Well, my placenta is still sitting on the edge of my cervix and if it doesn't move by 32 weeks my Dr. is going to schedule me for a C-section. Honestly, I was really upset about the prospects of having a C-section. I've spent my entire pregnancy preparing myself for a natural, unmedicated birth and wanting the experience of being the one to bring our baby into the world. I know a C-section is the safest thing for me and the baby, but I still feel a sense of loss because I won't have the "experience". After talking to a very sweet friend (THANK YOU BROOKE!), I feel much better. Regardless of how I deliver we will still have our little one in the end. That is the most important thing! There is still time for my placenta to move, but if it doesn't it will be fine either way.

Well, onto the good stuff. The baby is measuring at 2.5 lbs and about 15 inches longs. Now the baby will start to quickly put on fat and plump up for it's arrival. I made friends with the ultrasound tech during my appointment and she, sweetly, took some 3-D pictures of the baby along with the normal ultrasound pictures. Usually 3-D ultrasounds provide the best pictures around 30 weeks when the baby has put on more fat, but I still think mine turned pretty good for being on the fly. So, here is the 3-D debut of the baby (please note we aren't finding out the gender and the baby is constantly moving!).

I promise there isn't a hole in the side of the babies head...it's the shadowing of the skull and the suture lines of skull will disappear once the baby puts more fat on.



It's time for the fruit and veggie comparison! Tomorrow I'll be 29 weeks and the baby is the size of a.... Butternut Squash! Which coincidentally are one of my favorite vegetables.

Well, I'm signing off for this week. We will be in Arkansas next week for Thanksgiving and my baby shower so I'll have more pictures to come. Also, I'll do a mini post belly picture post at the beginning of next week.

27 weeks tomorrow!

Well, I'm kind of behind on my blog so hopefully this will catch everyone up. The baby has continued move around...constantly. All day and night. Everything I've read says the baby sleeps around 12-14 hours a day, but I'm convinced our baby only cat naps on and off. Haha! Also, the baby feels like it's resting really low and my belly is starting to stick straight out more than being round. My belly feels big enough now that eating large meals is no longer an option. I end up feeling really full because there is less room now...so smaller meals are the deal from now on.

Baby stats:

• The baby is about 14 inches long and still weighs a little over 2 lbs. The baby will start to put on weight really fast now.
• The baby's lung are now able to breathing air and the brain stem can now regulate the basal body temperature.

This weeks fruit and veggie comparison is...CAULIFLOWER!

Tyson has done so well playing along with taking my bump pictures from the very beginning. I will admit that I'm super picky about how the pictures look. He has developed a new method for taking pictures so I have lots of choices. He takes them in rapid succession, one right after another so I have a bunch to choose from and he doesn't have spend the whole night taking "redo's". Here are the pictures from tonight's photo shoot...Once I realized what he was doing I couldn't stop laughing.

On to other fun things. So we spent last weekend in Vegas with friends. We ate, gambled, went to the pool, saw the Hoover Dam, and walked everywhere! We met two other couples and partied all weekend. I know what your thinking..."How can a pregnant girl have fun in Vegas?"...Well, it's possible and I had a blast.

Best breakfast ever!

Well, that's it for this week folks. Hope everyone has had a great week!

Week 25 and a few days

Well, folks the weeks are rolling by. Not much has happened this week. We have decided which birthing classes we are going to sign up for and have agreed on a names (finally!). Also, I've noticed that I really huff and puff during my runs this week. It's kind of shocking that all of the sudden my normal run, literally, takes my breath away! Another effect pregnancy has had on me is indigestion. Me and Tums have become really close. My dreams have continued to be very vivid and odd (sometimes) which makes for interesting mornings as I try to piece them together.

The baby still weighs somewhere around 2 pounds is about 13 inches long. It's movements have become much more "visible" and can be kind of uncomfortable at times. This week the baby weighs...

About as much as a Rutabaga

and is about as long as Challah Loaf



And for the real deal...the bump picture

Things that I really enjoy eating...

So people ask me about weird cravings all the time, so here is a synopsis of what has been especially yummy!

• Fish tacos from Wahoo's (a chain in Denver)
• Strawberry, banana, oatmeal, and Greek Yogurt smoothies
• Apples
• Hand cut french fries from Vine Street Pub (local restaurant in Denver)
  
• Cranberry juice mixed with club soda
• Brach's mellowcreme pumpkins (because its fall...of course!)
• Cheese
• Artichokes
• Milk
• Peanut butter and jelly
• Dubble bubble gum (Yes, the kind people give out as Halloween candy that no one likes.)

I don't eat all of that together or any specific combination, but anyone of those has a tendency to hit the spot.

Tyson and I are headed to Vegas at the end of the week, with friends, for a Babymoon, so next weeks post should be more fun.

Hope everyone has a great week!