36 Weeks

I am starting the countdown until due date, 24 days left! I am getting so anxious to meet my little one and to know what has been growing in my belly for the last 9 months:) I did my non-stress test on Tuesday and all is well with the baby's movement. I was a little nervous for it but it wasn't so bad. I will continue to do them at my weekly visits until baby comes. Other than that not too much to report. Bryce is taking the day off tomorrow to just have our last him and I day before we become parents! I went to a silent auction the other night and won a hotel and dinner out, so we are going to stay at a hotel tonight and go to a nice dinner. I wish it could have been on a getaway somewhere, but that's okay. I think Bryce and I have done our fair share of traveling over the years.

Another Baby update

35 weeks and three days! Just went to the doctor to hear our little pumpkins heartbeat. I just love hearing that sound, it brings so much joy to my heart and relief! I start going in every week now until the babe comes. The doctor wants me to do non-stress tests each time I go in, he wants to be extra careful after what happened last time. Not really sure what a non-stress test is but apparently I will be able to hear the heartbeat and see each movement the baby makes on a monitor. We will also discuss the birthing plan at my next appt. Here is what my ideal birthing is:

1. I would like go through the beginning stages of labor at home and avoid the hospital as long as possible. we are fortunate to live 4 minutes away from the hospital so I am not worried about not getting there in time. I definitely don't want to have a home birth!

2. When we make it to the hospital I would like no pain medication and would prefer not to have an IV. I want to be able to move around freely and those IV's are a pain. I remember being in labor with Faith and feeling stuck because of the IV.

3. If all goes well and I am able to have a vaginal birth I would like the baby to be placed in my arms as soon as it is delivered so I can breastfeed. Apparently this is the greatest bonding experience you can have with your baby and I am so hopeful I can experience it. 

 I remind you that this is my "ideal" birthing plan. I am not in any disillusion that plans can change. I trust my doctor and know that if it is necessary I will have a c-section, but only if it is absolutely necessary. I also know how painful contractions are and that with medication it makes delivery so much better. I was so close to getting an epidural with Faith but I wasn't prepared for labor at that point so I had no idea how to handle contractions. It's like playing in a football game and never practicing. Bryce and I have been reading books and doing exercises to help us when labor hits so I am very hopeful that, as long as I don't have to have a c-section, I can have this baby with no medication. I pray about it each day and know that whatever happens that God will give me peace and strength through it all.

Baby Update

32 weeks and 3 days!! Still feeling pretty good, minus a few normal discomforts of pregnancy but nothing serious. I had an appt. today and baby is doing good. And just like I thought, his or her feet are right in my rib cage and is weighing in at about 3 and a half pounds! I won't share with you what I am weighing in at but from the picture you can guess that I'm not struggling in the weight gaining area:)

Uganda Needs Your Help!

Two years ago Bryce and I found ourselves in this beautiful country not really know what exactly had been going on there for so many years. Sure we knew there was a war and left most of the country without food, shelter and water but until we actually saw and heard from victims could we understand the brutality this war has done. This video needs to be watched by everyone to bring justice to this country that has suffered long enough.  I urge all of you to make a pledge and say that you care about this cause.

http://vimeo.com/invisible/kony2012

 

Here's Bryce with some boys who each have their own story of how the war affected them, some were kidnapped and escaped, others watched love ones die in front of their eyes by the rebels. 

Baby Love

28 weeks and 5 days, officially started my third and final trimester! Had a doctors appt. yesterday and all is well with the baby. I had to get my thyroid levels checked because the doctor was concerned after I walked into the office with a very fast heartbeat. I'm not sure what happened, for some reason 5 minutes before my appointment I got really nervous and my heart started racing. It was weird. They called me today and said my levels were just fine so Praise God for that!! Other than that little scare I am feeling really good! Loving being pregnant and feeling the baby move throughout the day:)

A game of Scrabble resulted in this! If only we knew the sex we could have put their name in the heart.

Baby's room so far

I just wanted to share a few pictures of some items I received for the baby's room. Most of them were given to me for my birthday by my three best friends. It's funny how getting presents for the baby was so much more exciting than anything else I got:) 

This is the only one that wasn't a gift. I got this at silent auction when I was pregnant with Faith. It was made in Uganda, Africa(where Bryce and I went in 2010) It is the theme for the whole room.

Little giraffes that Courtney found, so cute!

Also from Auntie Courtney, Baby's first stuffed elephant.

These book ends are amazing! I absolutely love them and I guess they were handmade in Kenya. This Baby has the best Aunties already!

Baby update #4

26 weeks now and feeling really good! I am finally getting a belly picture uploaded, we have been horrible at taking pics, sorry. Baby likes to be the most active in the middle of the night:) I guess he or she is trying to prepare me for when it is wanting up in the middle of the night to eat. My appetite has sure increased over the last week. I haven't had any weird cravings but I am hungry all the time!  We have slowly been getting the baby's room set-up. I still don't know how I want to decorate it so I have a feeling it is going to be awhile before it is done. I know for sure it is going to have elephants and giraffes, so that's a start:)